#darkfallen

I posted this in the WoW Forums and I expect it to get lambasted by Alliance mains so I'm posting it here as well.

This doesn’t surprise me since the writers don’t really seem interested in the undead cast beyond the lightmongers like Alonsus and Calia, but the lack of a Darkfallen presence in Midnight has been rather disappointing. This is the Quel’thalas expansion. All Thalassians should be represented.

Like on a logistical level, it makes no sense that there aren’t Darkfallen present. The Scourge wiped out 90% of the High Elven populace when it attacked. If even less than half of those casualties were then risen into undeath, that would still mean the Darkfallen would outnumber the Blood Elves, High Elves and Void Elves COMBINED.

And from a storytelling perspective, it also feels like a missed opportunity. The Darkfallen are clearly a group of people that the Blood Elves don’t want to think about. Sure they’re closer to the Forsaken than most other Horde races, but they have expressed discomfort about the idea of their own undead. You see that in the way they practically revere Sylvanas and the other Farstriders who gave their lives to defend Silvermoon, while doing everything in their power not to address the fact that all of those Rangers were still walking around 20 years after the fact decidedly not being conveniently good little martyrs. It’s hard for them to keep up this idea of a golden society reclaiming it’s former glory and not debasing themselves with dark magics when the ghosts of their kin still walk the earth and outnumber them.

You can do SO much with that as a framing. Have the Darkfallen rush to defend their former homeland only to be reminded that their presence is divisive. Let Tranquilien and Windrunner Village be a sort of save haven for them where Blood Elves who ARE sympathetic collaborate with them. Have some Darkfallen question why they are even bothering defending a people who barely tolerate them and protecting a font of magic that would burn them to a crisp just for getting too close. It would be a deliciously messy, deliberately uncomfortable story beat and it would give characters like Velonara something to actually do.

Instead, the role of dark outcast seems to have been given solely to the Void Elves, who are perhaps the most minute Thalassian sect. And while we see Forsaken and Darkfallen npcs in Tranquillien, attention is never drawn to it.

Arising 15,000 years ago, the various elven tribes, nations, and communities descend from the Dark Trolls who lived around the translucent waters of the Well of Eternity. Transformed into highly intelligent and virtually immortal beings, the nascent race of Night Elves abandoned their ancient heritage worshipping the Loa of their troll ancestors. Turning to the moon goddess Elune, these elves discovered the name "Kalimdor" from communing with their deity. Soon, they would adopt the name Kaldorei, which meant "children of the stars" in their native tongue, later called Darnassian for their home in the boughs of the corrupted World Tree Teldrassil.

Following a number of events in our world's history, these Kaldorei would see their descendants—or evolve themselves to—become a wide variety of other elven races. Below, I summarize years of research into the various names these communities have, both their vulgar varieties (e.g., "Night Elf") and their endonyms (e.g., "Kaldorei"). In some cases, liberties have been made in order to complete this list; I will endeavour to maintain the accuracy of this list in the future.

Night Elf: Kaldorei "Children of the stars"

Highborne: Queldorei "Children of noble birth" – alternatively: *Eldorei calque of "Children of Eldre'Thalas" – alternatively: *Shendorei "Hidden children"

Illidari Night Elf Demon Hunter: *Feldorei "Children of fel"

Scythborne Worgen (Wild Elf): *Taldorei "Children of Taldoren"

Fireborne: *Felodorei "Children of fire"

Naga: *Nazj'dorei "Children of Nazjatar"

Satyr: *Xav'dorei "Children of Xavius – alternatively: *Shala'dorei "Children of Shala'nir / Shaladrassil"

Crystal Satyr: *Shan'dorei "Children of Shandaral"

Nightborne: Shal'dorei "Children of the night"

Nightfallen: *Vor'dorei "Broken children

Withered: *Ethe'dorei "Withered children"

Felborne: *Thal'dorei "Children of Thal'dranath, the Broken Shore"

Aranasian Elf: Fal'dorei "Children of Falanaar"

High Elf: Quel'dorei "Children of noble birth" – alternatively: *Arcan'dorei "Children of the arcane"

Blood Elf: Sin'dorei "Children of the blood" – alternatively: Belore'dorei "Children of the sun"

Highvale Elf: *Thas'dorei "Children of the forest"

Void Elf: Ren'dorei "Children of the void"

Illidari Blood Elf Demon Hunter: *Illi'dorei "Children of Illidan"

Felbood: *Kael'dorei "Children of Kael'thas"

Wretched: *Shin'dorei "Failing children"

Darkfallen: *San'dorei "Children of death"

Half Elf: *Ban'dorei "Children of the gate" – alternatively: *Shan'dorei "Honoured children"

Arathi: *Arath'dorei "Children of Arathor"

Commentary:

: (*) Indicates a name constructed from sources in the lore

: The -dorei suffix is poetically rendered "children of the..," but it can also simply mean "people of...".

: Wild Elves and the Flameborne are Druids of the Scythe and Flame, respectively : Half Elves of myriad other races are known as Shan'dorei, "honoured children," a term employed with a sort of irony as most Half Elves are looked down upon in their respective elven, or otherwise, societies.

: : addendum: It is more common for Half Elves to be called Ban'dorei due to the fact that Crystal Satyr are also known as Shan'dorei, homonyms ultimately coming from the same etymological source, though through two different streams: High Elven Shan'dorei refer to shan'are "honourable ones" and Satyrian Shan'dorei from the crystallized city of Shandaral.

: Of those races with alternative names, it is my opinion that the following are the most appropriate:

- Eldorei for the Highborne, in clear reference to Eldre'thalas, the historic Highborne capital. The name underwent a linguistic shortening from Eldredorei to Eldorei for a few reasons, chief amongst them, the similarity to their other name: Kaldorei.

- Arcan'dorei for High Elves, certainly those who have historically settled in Dalaran and continue to pursue their arcane mastery. Notable is the growing distinction between urban High Elves and the Farstrider-dominant Highvale Elves who, in their relations with both Wildhammer Dwarves and their natural environments, have taken to calling themselves "children of the forest" Thas'dorei.

they're just a little guy who misses having someone's voice in their head telling them what to do everyday :'(

experimental mspaint ruby