Kaylerasia Greenwater

Around 15,000 years ago a tribe of dark trolls unconcerned by the battles for land and power and longing for a peaceful connection to the world, came to settle near the translucent waters of the Well of Eternity, the prime source of all magic on the planet. Over time, the Well's cosmic power affected this nocturnal and independent tribe, suffusing their flesh and bones, elevating their forms to match their graceful spirits. They transformed into highly intelligent and virtually immortal beings. Their skin turned various shades of violet, and they grew stronger and taller in stature. The tribe gradually abandoned their ancient heritage and tradition. The mystics began worshiping the moon goddess Elune, who they believed slumbered within the fount's depth during daylight hours. The former trolls also discovered the name "Kalimdor" and other titan-forged words from communing with Elune and investigating strange artifacts scattered around the Well's periphery. They adopted the name kaldorei, which meant "children of the stars" in their native tongue.

The early night elf priests and seers studied the Well with an insatiable curiosity, driven to plumb its untold secrets and power. As their society grew, the night elves explored the breadth of Kalimdor and encountered its myriad denizens. The trees, flowers, and woodland creatures watched the night elves flourish, whispering news of them to the Wild Gods of Mount Hyjal. In time, the night elves' curiosity led them to meet and befriend a number of powerful entities, not the least of which was Cenarius, a mighty demigod of the primordial forestlands. The great-hearted Cenarius grew fond of the inquisitive night elves and spent a great deal of time teaching them about the natural world. Cenarius adored the night elves and believed they had the potential to become great caretakers of nature. He befriended the fledgling race and taught them about the natural world. It was Cenarius' hope that the night elves would strive to live in harmony with the wilds.

The tranquil kaldorei developed a strong empathy for the living forests of Kalimdor and reveled in the harmonious balance of nature. This grew alongside their curiosity of the Well and their continuous draw to its arcane essence. For many centuries, the night elves lived in harmony and balance with the world and their natural affinity for the arcane. They built a graceful society around the Well of Eternity and the capital of their small nation Elun'dris or "the Eye of Elune" sat on the shores of the font of power, where they continued uncovering the secrets of the Well and honing their ties with the surrounding woodlands and their myriad inhabitants The only creatures that gave them pause were the ancient and powerful dragons. Though the great serpentine beasts were often reclusive, they did much to safeguard the known lands from potential threats. The night elves believed that the dragons held themselves to be the protectors of the world, and that they and their secrets were best left alone. Cenarius guided the night elves when necessary, pleased by the wisdom and benevolence that thrummed in their hearts.

Rise of the Kaldorei Empire

In time, many of the night elves yearned for a different life, drawn to the arcane, they became obsessed with unlocking the Well of Eternity's secrets. They rigorously studied the fount's arcane energies becoming learned sorcerers. They harnessed the powers of the arcane lake and constructed wondrous temples and roadways around it. Magic became an inseparable part of life as the night elves reveled in the power at their finger tips. Pushing the boundaries of their intellect became the driving force of their culture. It was during this era of unprecedented growth that Queen Azshara came to power. She was adored by night elves of every social standing, seemingly immune to the ire the lower castes developed against some of their Highborne nobles. The elves were so enamored with her that they renamed their wondrous capital Zin-Azshari, or "the Glory of Azshara". Sharing the priests' curiosity towards the Well of Eternity, Azshara pushed the educated Highborne to plumb its secrets and reveal its true purpose in the world. The Highborne buried themselves in their work and studied the Well ceaselessly.

Only the openly hostile troll nations drew the full attention of the elves. Despite the trolls' attempts to keep this new race from claiming further territories, the night elves built up the mighty Kaldorei Empire that expanded rapidly across Kalimdor. Not since the Black Empire in ages past had a territory grown so vast in size and scope. The immense influence Azshara held over the world and its denizens eclipsed even Lei Shen's wildest dreams of power. Empowered by the Well and wielding fierce magics never before imagined by the trolls, the night elves soon threatened the two greatest empires on Azeroth: the Amani and Gurubashi.

The night elves systematically dismantled the troll's defenses and supply chains. Unable to counter the elves' destructive magics, the trolls buckled under the onslaught. The territories of the Gurubashi and Amani empires fragmented within only a few years. The elves however were not interested in conquest. In the eyes of Queen Azshara, the trolls were a minor nuisance, their battle lust a symptom of primitive and unenlightened minds. Ultimately, the queen struck an accord with the Zandalar tribe, which held immense influence over all other trolls. In exchange for ending troll incursions into night elf territory, the Zandalari would be allowed to keep the sacred Zandalar Mountains south of the Well of Eternity. Fully aware they stood no chance against their enemies' arcane powers, the trolls begrudgingly agreed. The night elves' shockingly quick victory and the trolls' shameful acquiescence fostered the trolls' deep resentment and eternal hatred toward night elves. lasting to this very day.

Yet, as the seemingly endless ages passed, the night elves' civilization expanded both territorially and culturally. Their temples, roads, and dwelling places stretched across the breadth of the dark continent. Azshara built an immense, wondrous palace on the Well's shore that housed her favored servitors within its bejeweled halls. There the most powerful nobles, whom she called the Quel'dorei or "Highborne", doted on her every command and believed themselves to be greater than the rest of their lower-caste brethren. The leaders of regions in the night elf empire were called prince/princess, such as Prince Tortheldrin of Eldre'Thalas, Prince Farondis of Azsuna, and Prince Toreth of Loreth'Aran.

They continued developing the ability to manipulate and control the Well's cosmic energies to great heights and power not wielded before, even today. Azshara believed the night elves so far had only tapped a small portion of its power. As their reckless experiments progressed, the Highborne found that they could wield the cosmic powers of the universe to either create or destroy with devastating effect at their leisure. Although they agreed that arcane magic was inherently dangerous if handled irresponsibly, Azshara and her Highborne began to practice their spellcraft with reckless abandon performing increasingly dangerous experiments causing waves of arcane energy cascading into the Twisting Nether.

Cenarius and many of the wizened night elf scholars warned that only calamity would result from such abuse. Cenarius had watched the night elf empire expand with growing unease. Year by year, he became increasingly frustrated with the hubris and thoughtless actions of the sorcerous Highborne. The majority of night elf society continued honoring the old ways of revering the wilds. The fact that these folk still lived in harmony with the land alongside their great magical advancement warmed Cenarius' heart, but he knew that they had no influence over Azshara and her arrogant followers who's regard for living in harmony lessened as their power and arrogance grew. As time passed, the night elves began eschewing diplomacy and largely ignored Azeroth's other cultures. Azshara's dogmatic beliefs regarding racial purity seeped into the night elves' psyche, creating an atmosphere rife with xenophobia. But, Azshara and her followers stubbornly continued to expand their burgeoning powers.

War of the Ancients

Thus began the corruption of the elves. As their powers grew, a distinct change came over Azshara and the Highborne. The haughty, aloof upper class became increasingly callous and cruel towards their fellow night elves. A dark, brooding pall veiled Azshara's once entrancing beauty. She began to withdraw from her loving subjects and refused to interact with any but her trusted Highborne priests. The pandaren, long-time allies of the night elf people, saw this change overcoming the night elves and decided to sever all ties.

Before they left, the pandaren decided to offer the Highborne a gift, a chest of pandaren design, said to contain all the arcane magic they would ever need. The gift was accepted and taken down into a royal vault in the Temple of Zin-Malor in Eldarath. However when the chest was opened, it was found to contain absolutely nothing. The pandarens' gift was actually a message of advice and wisdom to the Highborne: all the arcane magic they needed was nothing, or in other words, they did not need it at all. The chest and the message it represented continued to exist in the vault even 10,000 years later, but as history would record, the pandarens' wisdom fell on deaf ears.

Posing as a venerable god, Sargeras managed to contact Azshara. Sargeras convinced Azshara, and her most loyal assistant, the Lord Counselor Xavius, to open a gateway to Azeroth that this mighty "god" might come forth and "bless" their whole race (meanwhile eradicating all races deemed "unworthy"). In their insolence, those born to nobility, the Highborne, sought to use and control this source of unimaginable power and unspeakable evil; and for their pride, they were consumed by the magic they so eagerly wished to wield.

As the portal into the mortal world grew larger, Sargeras sent ever more numerous "emissaries" to aid with the portal and bring the word of their god from the beyond. These demons were members of Sargeras's immortal army, known as the Burning Legion, and they had put to the flame countless worlds throughout the cosmos. As the portal grew close to its completion to allow the dark titan entry to Azeroth, a small band of kaldorei led by Malfurion Stormrage, the first druid, Tyrande Whisperwind, the high priestess of Elune, and Jarod Shadowsong realized the threat posed to their entire world by this nameless evil and the now-crazed Azshara. Realizing his seemingly imminent victory could be threatened by these few elves, Sargeras commanded that his Legion make war upon Azeroth and destroy the unworthy, which included the entirety of the kaldorei race.

As war raged across the young world, many protectors of the world emerged to aid the young Malfurion Stormrage in closing this portal to the Twisting Nether and the malevolence which now stood poised to destroy them all. The demigod Cenarius and his fellow Ancient Guardians, the Dragon Aspects, the Earthen, the ancients, the tauren and the furbolg clashed head on with the advancing Legion. Having learned much about the power and beauty of nature from his shan'do, Cenarius, Malfurion was able to disrupt the nearly completed portal spell and close his world off from the invincible Sargeras.

Suramar and The Nightborne

"The city of Suramar became the center of night elf worship and home to the Sisterhood of Elune. This order, composed of female night elves, dedicated itself to venerating the moon goddess. The sisterhood's priestesses had a hand in nearly all aspects of early night elf civilization, from acting as spiritual leaders to helping defend their burgeoning territories from outside threats."

In time the beautiful city of Suramar, jewel of the night elven empire would become its foremost center for magical research and cutting edge advancements surpassing that of the executive and legislative center of the Empire and rival city, Zin-Azshari. Suramar would host the fabled Nar'thalas Academy in Farondale on its most distinguished province of Azsuna, and would become the foremost center for magical learning, where night elves and even members of the fabled blue dragonflight would ponder together the mysteries of the cosmos and the arcane. Under the wise and strong influence of the sisterhood complexly and totally intertwined with the advanced arcane society, Suramar grew and prospered in excellence, knowledge and discipline alongside faith. The marvels of the arcane alongside the serenity and ethereal beauty of the prayers to Elune that would ascend from its numerous temples such as Falanaar, Faronaar and their headquarters of the Cathedral of Eternal Night. It is this region that would produce the heart of the night elven resistance to Queen Azshara and her new demonic allies. It started with the rebellion of Prince Farondis who on discovering the nature of the Queen's new allegiance, devised a bold plan to rid the world of the demons in one fell swoop by destroy the means they enter the world: the Well of Eternity.

He would have succeeded if he was not betrayed by a young noble Vandros too enamored with the Queen. Furious at this betrayal, in display of unparalleled power, Queen Azshara unleashed a spell of devastating proportions in retribution against the elves of Farondis' court that doomed the entire Suramar province of Azsuna to an eternal curse of unliving. Azshara meant this to serve as a warning against any dissenters and quell any ideas of rebellion amongst her subjects empire wide. However as the invading forces of the Legion marched across the hapless cities and territories around the world, the seeds of rebellion would blossom amongst the night elven population in the battle for their souls and the very survival of their world. The heart of rebellion was spearheaded in this region of the night elf empire and the fight would be picked up by Lord Kur'talos Ravencrest of Val'sharah, another province of Suramar. It is to his banner that many citizens of Suramar City and its provinces, including city folk like Malfurion and Illidan Stormrage, Tyrande Whisperwind who would become High Priestess of Elune during the conflict, Jarod Shadowsong and many others from Suramar City itself and surrounding regions would mount a resistance and march towards the capital of Zin-Azshari to stop the Legion and the Highborne of the palace who they at first believed were forcing the hand of the Queen against her will.

The Pillars of Creation

As battles raged across central Kalimdor, one group of Azshara's servants grew increasingly concerned for their own future. This small sect of Highborne sorcerers acted as an extension of the queen's will in the city. From their headquarters in Suramar, they engaged in covert activities aimed at securing Azshara's rule and strengthening the empire.

Of the many duties that these Highborne performed, they excelled at hunting down and acquiring artifacts of great power. Most of these relics were stored in the Vault of Antiquities in Suramar. Amongst them, an extraordinary set of relics that the ancient keepers had used to shape and order Azeroth in ages past. Though Suramar's elite Highborne had pledged their undying loyalty to Azshara, their views on the queen began to shift as the war dragged on. The groups leader, Grand Magistrix Elisande, feared that the Legion did not have the Highborne's best interests in mind. The monstrous demons had already destroyed much of the night elves' glorious empire and poisoned the surrounding land with their fel magics.

Elisande's distrust of the Legion only deepened when she discovered that demons were planning to transform Suramar into a new staging ground for the war. Legion agents had begun forming a gateway to the Twisting Nether within the city's most prominent structure, the Cathedral of Eternal Night. Once open, this portal would allow the Legion's reinforcements to storm into Azeroth and crush the night elf resistance on a second front.

Yet Elisande thought that such a portal would likely destroy Suramar and everyone who dwelt within. Thus the grand magistrix and her followers formed a plan to sabotage the Legion's efforts. They severed their ties with the other Highborne and moved to seal the demons' new portal. To do so, Elisande and her allies sought out the potent artifacts they had gathered over the years. In particular, they knew that the Pillars of Creation possessed the raw power that they would need to neutralize the Legion's portal.

With these artifacts in hand, Elisande and her Highborne led an assault against the demons in Suramar. Just as the Legion's new portal began roaring to life, the sorcerers channeled their magic through the Pillars of Creation. They wove a great spell that closed the howling gateway and locked it with a set of unbreakable seals.

Though they had thwarted the attempt to create a new portal, the rebellious Highborne had no plans to join the night elf resistance and continue fighting the Legion. Fearing calamity, Elisande and her followers worked to fortify their holdings in Suramar rather than push with the rest of the resistance to Zin-Azshari. They harnessed the Eye of Aman'Thul, one of the Pillars of Creation, to create an immense fount of arcane magic. Known as the Nightwell, this source of power would nourish the sorcerers and protect them from future threats. In the millennia to come, the fount would also change Elisande and her allies transforming them into a new race of night elves called the nightborne.

The Sundering

With so much power in flux, the Well of Eternity imploded in a magical cataclysm known as the Great Sundering, sending untold numbers to their doom. Many kaldorei were dragged to the bottom of the sea, only to be twisted and transformed into the sea serpents now known as the vile naga. The catastrophe tore the continent apart, its remains now separated by a massive ocean, and left a permanent storm known as the Maelstrom where the well once stood. With the majority of the Highborne dead, the kaldorei turned away from their arcane legacy and began a new culture focusing on attunement with nature and their surroundings, settling in the sacred glades around Mount Hyjal.

Illidan, Malfurion's twin brother, seeking to maintain arcane magic in the world even after the destruction of the well of eternity had also traveled to Hyjal. Here, he poured three vials filled with water from the original well of eternity into a lake, imbuing it with great power and turning it into a new well. When Illidan refused to give up his magical powers, he was captured by his brother and imprisoned within the Barrow Deeps under the watchful eye of Maiev Shadowsong.

Meanwhile the night elves of Suramar were fully shielded from the effects of the Great Sundering due to the efforts of Elisande's group of Highborne. Elisande would come to lead the night elf society under a shield that would both serve as a refuge and prison. Cut of from all events outside, they would for 10 millennia believe they were the only kaldorei survivors of the breaking of the world and under the eternal shroud of night and an artificial sky, these kaldorei would distinguish themselves as shal'dorei, continuing the legacy of the Kaldorei Empire under the shroud of eternal night produced by the Nightwell rather than the starlit night of before.

Far away from the center of events on Hyjal and the night elven society that would develop there, another group of Highborne dwelt in the city of Eldre'thalas, which survived the War of the Ancients mostly intact. Although they took a long time to do it, the Highborne of House Shen'dralar who had processed the Queen's special projects rebelled against the Queen towards the end of the war when their city was besieged by the demons and it was clear the Highborne would not be exempt from their purge. The wolf god Goldrinn had fought bravely besides the city defenders and though he was ultimately slain, the Highborne were successful in defending their city. Far to the south of Mount Hyjal, the Shen'dralar did not draw the attention of the kaldorei. They powered their city by trapping a demon of immense power, Immol'thar, and used its energies to fuel their addiction and lifestyle in the absence of the power of the original well. However, despite their clever efforts, the imprisoned demon that they drew power from would come to require increasing amounts of power on its own until the net power gain became a loss. Subtly twisted by the demonic energies he was using, the Shen'dralar Prince would come to sacrifice his subjects to restore the net gain. This tug of war eventually drove this once bastion of arcana into ruin, with only a few survivors remaining, most of which were zealous supporters of the Prince.

For many years, the main night elven body a top Mount Hyjal worked tirelessly to restore what they could of their shattered ancient homeland. Leaving their broken temples, cities and roads to be overgrown, they largely chose to live on the land, out in the open or in barrow dens. They constructed very few new homes constantly on the move in patrols, although a small collection of structures were constructed amidst the verdant trees and shadowed hills at Hyjal's base called Nighthaven and served as the administrative centre from which the High Priestess Tyrande led. In time, the dragons that had survived the great Sundering came forth from their secret abodes. Alexstrasza the red, Ysera the green, and Nozdormu the bronze descended upon the druids' tranquil glades and surveyed the fruits of the night elves' labors. Malfurion, who had become an arch-druid of immense power, greeted the mighty Dragons and told them about the creation of the new Well of Eternity. The great Dragons were alarmed to hear the news and speculated that as long as the Well remained, the Legion might use it to find Azeroth once more.

Furion and the three dragons made a pact that the night elves would serve as guards of this new well. Alexstrasza brought an enchanted acorn, a remnant of G'hanir, and placed it in the well, where it grew into Nordrassil, the first world tree. This tree would serve as a means to regulate the power of the new Well masking its energies ingeniously from radiating out into the Twisting Nether to serve as another beacon for the Legion. The tree would also mask its power signature from would-be magic users in the hope of preventing any other society from learning arcane secrets and repeating the disastrous error of the elves. The tree would forever serve as a symbol of the connection between the arcane and nature, the night elves and the natural world, and would use the energies from the well to heal the world after the devastation of the Sundering. Partly in reward for their effort in repelling the Legion invasion, Nozdormu then blessed tree, so that, as long as the tree stood, the night elves would never age or fall prey to disease. Ysera also placed an enchantment upon the World Tree by linking the spirits of the night elves to her own realm, the ethereal dimension known as the Emerald Dream. The night elf druids, including Furion himself, were bound to the Dream through the World Tree. As part of the mystical pact, the druids agreed to sleep for centuries at a time so that their spirits could roam the infinite paths of Ysera's Dreamways and the spirits of the night elves. Though the druids were wary of losing so many years of their lives to hibernation, they agreed to uphold their bargain with Ysera.

The Long Vigil

Tyrande Whisperwind, high priestess of Elune, had become the leader of the night elf populace. For thousands of years, she led the night elves in their vigil. Much of this time was spent apart from her love, Malfurion Stormrage, who, alongside his fellow druids, upheld the balance of nature from within the Emerald Dream. However, whenever a crisis came, the druids would awaken.

One such crisis came from the remaining Highborne. The Highborne that had survived the Sundering and had settled alongside their night elf brethren initially tried to assimilate into the new druidic society, but over time they could not ignore the burning addiction to arcane magic their whole race suffered from. These Highborne, led by Dath'Remar, declared the druids cowards for refusing to wield the arcane. Malfurion and the druids warned the Highborne that any use of magic would be punishable by death. Yet, in an attempt to protest the druid's law, Dath'Remar and his followers unleashed a terrible magical storm upon Ashenvale. The night elves could not bring themselves to put so many of their kin to death, so they decided to exile the reckless Highborne from their lands. So the Highborne left Kalimdor, sailing across the sea to the other, newly-formed continent. Now calling themselves high elves, they established the nation of Quel'Thalas.

Another such incident was the War of the Satyr, a devastating war that exacted a heavy toll from the night elves. During this war, the night elves fought against the unified satyr forces of Kalimdor. In desperation, some of the night elf druids even started using the Pack Form, a dangerous druidic transformation that had been forbidden by Malfurion Stormrage. These druids would form the Druids of the Pack, who tried to use the mystical [Scythe of Elune] to gain control over their forms. However, this failed, and they became the first Worgen, before being sealed away in a pocket of the Emerald dream. Though losses amongst the night elves were great, the satyr eventually lost and they lost nearly all of their lands, being forced to survive as isolated sects.

However, the biggest war was probably the War of the Shifting Sands. In ancient times, the troll empires defeated the aqir, forcing a group of the latter to retreat into Ahn'Qiraj, an ancient Titan facility. Over the centuries, these aqir developed into the qiraji and came to serve C'Thun, the old god at the heart of the facility. The Silithid, another insect race related to the aqir, also came to serve C'Thun. The night elf forces, led by Fandral Staghelm and Shiromar, fought the armies of C'Thun, but retreated after the death of Valstann Staghelm, son of Fandral, and the loss of Southwind Village.

It wasn't until the night elves called for the aid of the dragonflights that the qiraji were driven back. Anachronos, Merithra, Caelestrasz and Arygos, children of the Dragon Aspects, led armies of dragons against the forces of C'Thun. Together, the night elf and dragon forces were able to force the insect armies back to the gates of Ahn'Qiraj. While the battle seemed to turn against them once more, Merithra, Caelestrasz and Arygos flew into the city to create the Scarab Wall, though they were captured as a result. The scarab wall was capable of containing the insectoid armies, trapping them in the city. To one day reopen the gates and truly beat the qiraji, Fandral Staghelm was given a scepter. However, enraged by the death of his son, Fandral shattered the scepter, forever damaging the bond between the night elves and the dragonflights.

Rediscovery and the Third War

The night elves' isolated existence was shattered during the third war, when refugees from the Eastern Kingdoms arrived on the continent in large numbers. The orcs, newly fled from the Eastern Kingdoms and seeking resources, had sent the Warsong clan to Ashenvale, unaware of the area's inhabitants. The night elves took great offense to the orcish presence in their lands and attacked. While the orcs had some initial victories, that ended when Cenarius arrived, mistaking the orcs for demons and destroying most of their outposts. In desperation, the Warsong clan once more consumed demon blood, becoming powerful Chaos orcs and proceeded to kill Cenarius.

At the height of this conflict — known as the Third War — the Legion and its terrifying undead Scourge assaulted the night elves' lands. Tyrande rallied the night elf defenders and awoke Malfurion and his druids to combat the resurgent threat. For the vast majority of the third war, the night elves remained hostile to the allied Horde and Alliance Expedition. Only during the final battle, the Battle of Mount Hyjal, did the night elves join with the mortal races, standing to defend the world tree. In the end, even this alliance didn't manage to stop the invading demons, but it managed to delay them long enough for Malfurion Stormrage to complete a magic ritual. Archimonde, the leader of the demonic invasion, was torn apart by thousands of Wisps, finally being killed by the world tree itself.

Post-Third War

Although victorious, the night elves suffered greatly from the battle with Archimonde at Mount Hyjal. Their beloved World Tree Nordrassil, created and blessed by the Dragon Aspects Alexstrasza, Ysera, and Nozdormu to grant the night elves immortality, had been sacrificed to elicit a massive blast of energy to slay Archimonde. With Nordrassil's destruction, so went the night elves' sole source of protection from aging, disease, and frailty.

Over time, Nordrassil slowly began to heal its wounds, but a number of druids led by Fandral Staghelm desired to create another World Tree that would restore the night elves' immortality. Malfurion warned against this act of self-interest, but when he suddenly fell into a coma, his spirit lost within the Dream, Fandral forged ahead with his plans unopposed, becoming the new leader of the druids. The second World Tree, Teldrassil, was planted off the northern coast of Kalimdor, and eventually it towered among the clouds. Within this tree, the night elves founded the great city of Darnassus. However, Teldrassil failed. Though it grew, it was corrupted, and the dragon aspects refused to bless this new tree.

After the third war, the night elf nation also joined the Alliance, though the exact moment at which they joined is unknown. They were motivated to do so by the continued logging operations of the Horde in Warsong Gulch. As a result of the Third War, corruption and madness had taken hold of many of the night elves' former lands and allies, severely weakening the strength of the night elf nation. As members of the Alliance, the night elves partook in multiple conflicts, most notably the Ahn'Qiraj War.

Not all night elves joined the Alliance however, with the druids of the neutral Cenarion Circle and settled in the city of Nighthaven. Though individual druids still have roles in the night elf nation, the druids as an organization remain neutral to this day, even accepting and training members of the Horde. The Cenarion Circle joined in several conflicts, directing the united Alliance and Horde forces during the Ahn'Qiraj War, launching the Cenarion Expedition after the Opening of the Dark Portal and fighting on the front during the War Against the Nightmare. DEHTA, a radical group within the Cenarion Circle is also active in Northrend, seeking to stop the large-scale hunting of the native animals through violent means.

Stormrage

As the corruption of Teldrassil worsened, the Emerald Nightmare spread further and further. By the time the war against the Lich King ended, people throughout the world started slipping into comas, their spirits drawn into the Emerald Dream. It turns out that the nightmare was lead by Xavius, an ancient Highborne noble and the first satyr, thought to have been forever sealed into a tree form during the War of the Ancients. Fandral Staghelm was also involved in this plot, having been responsible for Malfurion's coma, using [Morrowgrain], and the corruption of Teldrassil, having grafted a branch from Xavius' tree-body to Teldrassil.

With the aid of other druids and the Green dragonflight, the nightmare was defeated and most of its' corruption cleansed. In the aftermath, Ysera and Alexstrasza blessed Teldrassil, restoring nature's ancient bond with the night elves. Malfurion and Tyrande got married, now sharing rulership of the night elf nation.

Cataclysm

Since the Shattering of the world, a group of Highborne known as the Shen'dralar successfully appealed to Tyrande Whisperwind to be allowed to make a return to kaldorei society. After the Sundering, the night elves had outlawed arcane magic on the pain of death.[4] However, some time before the Cataclysm a Highborne archmage named Mordent Evenshade sought an audience with Tyrande and proposed to set aside long-standing differences and to combine resources, skills and numbers to prepare the wider night elven race for the challenges it faces. Despite the doubts of certain Sentinels, this proposal was accepted. The Shen'dralar were allowed a cautious return among their kaldorei brethren, with some young night elves being trained by them to become new night elven mages, and, conversely, some of the Highborne taking up the druidic arts or being initiated into Elune's priesthood, major societal changes that marked the first steps towards reconciliation between the Highborne and wider night elven society.

After an outbreak spread the worgen curse uncontrollably across the war torn nation of Gilneas, the Shattering also destroyed the reefs which protected this human kingdom from naval attacks, causing the Forsaken to launch an invasion. The night elves intervened, assisting the worgen in acquiring the [Scythe of Elune], helping them to understand and deal with their transformation and holding back the Forsaken's assault, allowing the surviving Gilneans to escape to Teldrassil. After this, the kaldorei integrated the Gilnean Worgen into their culture; granting them asylum within Darnassus itself, allowing several female worgen warriors to join the Sentinel army and bringing Worgen druids into the Cenarion Circle.

Night elf territory was one of the main fronts during the Alliance-Horde war. The Shatterspear tribe of Jungle trolls joined the Horde and assaulted northern Darkshore, though the night elves were able to fend off the attack. Two separate Horde offensives were launched against Ashenvale, both stopped by the night elves with assistance from the rest of The Alliance, and, by the time Theramore was destroyed, the Horde had been fully driven from the forest. However, the night elves were not completely successful in their war efforts. Their assault on the new settlements of the Bilgewater Cartel in Azshara was held off, and a massive Horde-constructed bomb destroyed Thal'darah Grove in the Stonetalon Mountains.

Though Malfurion Stormrage had become the co-ruler of the night elves, his Cenarion Circle remained a neutral organization, intent on restoring balance following the cataclysm. Malfurion himself halted the slow collapse of Darkshore, with aid from Thessera the Green Dragon, Aroom the Wildkin and Elder Brownpaw the Furbolg. In Desolace and the Southern Barrens, members of the Cenarion Circle investigated the new out-of-control vegetation. In Felwood, a large portion of corrupted soil was cleansed to build Whisperwind Grove. Though most of the Cenarion Circle turned a blind eye to the goblin wood-cutting going on in the region, the Worgen of Talonbranch Glade refused, and broke away from the neutral organization to fight them.

However, the biggest contribution for the night elves following the cataclysm was at Mount Hyjal, where Ragnaros invaded to try and destroy Nordrassil and the Cenarion Circle, the Shadow Wardens and the Green Dragonflight united against him, forming the Guardians of Hyjal. The guardians were successful in fighting off the initial Fire Elemental invasion, resurrecting several of the Ancient Guardians. When the fire elementals invaded again, aided by Fandral Staghelm and his newly formed Druids of the Flame, the guardians were not only successful in fighting them off, but even managed to infiltrate the Firelands, killing Ragnaros and many of his lieutenants, including Staghelm, as well as constructing the Sentinel Tree to keep watch over the area.

Mists of Pandaria

To restore the immortality of the Night elves, Lorekeeper Vaeldrin was looking for the Pools of Youth, created by an ancient civilization that predated even Queen Azshara. Using a series of ancient magical scrolls, he opened a portal to the Krasarang Wilds. Tyrande Whisperwind, having had a vision of some sort of light, sent a group Sentinels, led by Vaeldrin's daughter, Lyalia, with him. However, the target of the spell had been warded using lost Mogu magic, imprisoning the expedition in a magic bubble that slowly drained their life. Luckily for the expedition, an Alliance adventurer freed them with the help of Kang Bramblestaff, and the freed expedition constructed a base camp to search for the pools.

However, it turns out that the pools do not grant their immortality freely. Instead, they are used to transfer life energies from one person to another. During one battle with the mogu, Lyalia is captured and killed. Vaeldrin, using some of the water from the pools, uses his own life energy to save her, resulting in his own death. Despite these setbacks, the expedition is not without achievements, helping the Pandaren fight off the Dojani mogu and aiding in the defense of Stoneplow. Later on, being one of the largest Alliance forces on the continent prior to Landfall, the night elves gained a strong presence at the Shrine of Seven Stars. Shortly after the Alliance lands on Pandaria, a powerful artifact called the [Divine Bell] was discovered. The night elves moved it to their capital for study and safekeeping. However, the city was infiltrated and the bell was stolen by the Horde.

During the Siege of Orgrimmar, Tyrande had mustered an army of her people in Ashenvale and began a slow march towards Orgrimmar. After the Alliance and Horde rebel armada landed at Bladefist Bay, Tyrande's forces appeared from the west and, using glaive throwers, managed to destroy the front gate of Orgrimmar. She and her Sentinels then distracted Garrosh's Kor'kron, allowing Alliance forces and Darkspear rebels to invade the city.