Night elf roleplaying guide

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The purpose of this guide

This night elf roleplaying guide's purpose is to improve your roleplaying experience. Whether it is within Argent Dawn (EU) or outside of it. There are some things that you can take apply in your other characters.

The purpose of this guide is not to be exhaustive, but to be complete with the basics. It does not include every single possibility and derivative of night elves, but only the ones relevant here and now.

We hope you find it helpful.

What to avoid

For starters, your character should not be boring. It should not be so generic that you sound just like the next guy. Develop your character's personality and its personality will shine.

Try to stay away from the obvious cliches. There is nothing new in that area. It does not mean that your character cannot be nice, or that it cannot be happy (or like flowers). What it means is that your character should be believable.

On the other hand you should not try to be so unique that it get too out of touch with lore. A good example is being a paladin as a night elf or a dragon. Although they are not strictly against the lore, they are stretches and as such need a lot of work to be believable.

What not to avoid

Don't avoid the slightly "weird" characters just because people are giving you weird looks. As the great Essence of RP hosts said, you can RP anything as long as it's convincing.

Demon hunters are often frowned upon, even though when done well - they are perfectly reasonable and are an integral part of the lore. Roleplaying those is fine, as long as they are convincing and act in a convincing manner.

Remember that the purpose of RP is to create an experience for you and those around you. The more convincing and engaging the experience is, the better.

Background and characteristics

Night elves as we know them these days originate from Kalimdor. In the post-Sundering Azeroth following the Well of Eternity's destruction "Kalimdor" refers to the western continent.

Naming

Night elf first names are usually two to four syllables long. Generally speaking, feminine and masculine names are not generally very different although certain consonants and suffixes are more generally associated with one.

Night elf names typically do not have the letters Z, J or X. Those are also absent from the known samples of the modern Darnassian language. In general, names with those letters were only used by pre-Sundering elves.

For instance, the names Xavius and Azshara, both pre-Sundering names from the lore, feature some unusual letters. Names of this sort do not appear in post-Sundering names whatsoever, probably due to a slight linguistic change in the kaldorei tongue.

Though night elf names do appear to have certain feminine and masculine suffixes, the differences between masculine and feminine names are minute if at all existent.

Origins

As far as being born pre-Sundering is concerned, your only choice of origin is Kalimdor. The old continent was the only one, and naturally, most of it was a vibrant forest. Of course, back then, many elves were born in one of the ave-inspiring city-states, such as Zin'Azshari, Eldarath, Loreth'aran, Bashal'aran or Ameth'aran to name a few. This is also a chance for you to make up a lesser-known city and roll with it, maybe to break your character from historical limitations a little bit. Take all things in consideration, now.

When you decide your character was born after the Sundering, your choice is limited to northern Kalimdor, at best descending to the Barrens before they became a semi-desert they are now.

A common mistake would be to choose Teldrassil. Keep in mind that Teldrassil is roughly 8 years old, and your character could not have come from there originally.

Place in society

Night elf society as we know it now is different from what it was before the third war. Traditionally, sentinels and priests were exclusively female, while druids were exclusively male. Following the third war this is no longer the case and there is very little in the way of gender bias.

When making your character, look where you abilities fit into the frames of the night elf society. Below are some of the "niches" a character might find itself in:

Commoners - Your abilities can vary from fishing to beast-slaying. Picking a commoner background is potentially the most free-form of all others, but at the same time requires skill in roleplay not to venture into the generic territory.
Sentinels - You are well disciplined. You character also knows how to use a weapon with expertise. A sentinel may be war-hardened, or you may have already left the order to retire. Either way - you are well versed in the ways of war.
Priesthood - As a chosen of Elune, your character uses her divine power with relative ease. You are also disciplined, calm and mostly well-mannered. You know many, possibly ancient, rituals and customs of the kaldorei race. As a result, everyone respects your position, as you are the only person who can commune with Elune to such degree. You are also no stranger to combat.
Druids - You exhibited a special bond with nature, or decided to form one yourself. In the end, you work as a sage for your community in a similar way to the priestesses. The drawback is the fact you must spend a certain time in the Emerald Dream, not present in the waking world. You character is thus wise and knowledgeable, but also bestial and untamed.
Outcasts - Your character is shunned by the society as an abomination, unfitting or otherwise you have alienated yourself. You may be pitied, feared, hunted or simply unknown depending on your reason for being rejected (or rejecting) society. Your character should be wary of the society and every single kaldorei. Often, such character would be cold to others and cunning. Demon hunters, drifters, death knights and mages all fit into this niche in one way or another.

Family

The kaldorei family cell is not cohesive, compared to the community as a whole. The nuclear family is practically non-existent and is replaced by the wider community, neighborhood and friends.

Tips on choosing your character's background

It is advisable not to set up a detailed background right from the start but advance it in your RP.

Be always sure that your character's behavior follows from its background. If your character has lost its parents then consider how to it would impact the rest of their lives.

Also do not reveal your entire past to everyone who happens to say "Greetings!". Tell it a bit at a time, answer questions if they are asked and refrain from telling the parts that your character would find very emotional. Just as you would not tell a stranger your life's story and deepest secrets out of character, neither should your character.

And of course make sure to check your background with the lore. It is never fun to change it once you have used it in character.

Personality

The elvish personality is complex. It is easy to fall into the cliché of the promiscuous-jolly-treehugging-cute night elf. This, as stated, is something to avoid.

To play a convincing night elf keep in mind that there is a duality in their nature: on the one hand a civilized people while on the other a savage and primal side. A night elf can change from a cunning, patient individual to a bloodthirsty one. Mix and match between those points of view to find where your character shines.

Relationship with other races

Alliance

Humans: to the kaldorei, humans are still a reckless child-race that tends to consume more than they can sustain. Night elves treat humans as infants in the world yet respect their ability to adapt quickly. One should be treated with inherent respect, yet a distance should be kept. It goes without saying that arcane practitioners are barely tolerated, and warlocks are almost killed on sight.
Dwarves: a dwarf used to be a night elf best comrade. It is with their ancestors, the Earthen, that they managed to repeal the First Invasion. Recent times show that their friendship has waned a little. The dwarves became more and more obsessed with finding their ancestry, yet are becoming less companions and more a nuisance. On the other hand, a kaldorei will treat one with a lot more respect than he would treat a human. They are not as young, and can fend for themselves.
Gnomes: pests. Even though they are honored for their inventions (many for the global welfare), their attitude to everything icks many an elf. They are a contrast to our standards. They question everything, poke their noses in every matter and are almost incapable of patience. To an elf, this is a huge problem. However, they also have life experience far greater than even the dwarves, for they learn far quicker than any other race. Keep that in mind.
Draenei: perhaps our biggest friend today. At first, some might find their similarity to the Eredar, the same race that wanted to destroy Azeroth. However, the draenei are quickly working for their new reputation. Tyrande Whisperwind herself admitted their race to the Alliance, proving just enough how much a kaldorei will value an exiled one. These two races share many characteristics and have suffered similarly from the same oppressor. Elves however have little patience for draenei magic users. As far as the age aspect is concerned, the elves treat the draenei as their brethren, since they have lived similar amounts of time in the world.

Horde

Orcs: the green-skins used to be treated as primitive beast-men, back during their first encounter. However, as soon as Thrall became the leader, the elves have a tiny inch of tolerance for their race though are still not beyond messily killing any orc trespassing and cutting down their trees such as Warsong clan. In short, the elves are treating orcs not as savage green beasts to be slaughtered, but as sentient enemies that must be slain in self-preservation.
Trolls: are not much for the kaldorei. To them, this barbaric race doesn't exist at all. There are barely any connections between the two. If any, the opinion about trolls is as follows - even though some of them might predate the kaldorei, their bloodthirsty customs and traditions forbid these two from ever allying. The myth about trolls being the elven ancestors doesn't really help either.
Tauren: the shu'halo, in their native tongue, are among the most valued allies of the kaldorei. Even though the two races battle under different banners, they still remain friendly towards each other unofficially. Tauren from neutral factions are treated equally by the night elves. This can be seen clearly in the Cenarion Circle. Tauren are even better allies than the newly-arrived draenei, and that should be kept in mind.
Forsaken / Undead: are a scourge. As much as elves loathe the death knights, so do they loathe the forsaken, and even more. To them, those are unholy creations to be slain by the light of Elune. However, when fighting against the former night elves, many feel the inside conflict of killing their loved ones, even though they are no longer themselves.
Blood Elves / Sin'dorei, Bloodborne: are to be killed on sight. Even more so than the forsaken, these abominations chose their fate willingly. To a kaldorei, death is the most worthy thing a sin'dorei is entitled to. No second thoughts, no different opinions. Whereas the quel'dorei are mildly tolerated as members of the Alliance, the blood elves are nothing like that. There are no blood elf kaldorei lovers.

Other Factions

Goblins: are similar to gnomes and humans. A night elf loathes the lack of self preservation in goblin psyche. To them, they are but pests and a nuisance, which also tends to messily explode in inappropriate situation.
Ogres: see first stance on orcs.
High Elves / Quel'dorei, Highborne: the stance here is mixed. To some of the night elves, a quel'dorei is an eternal traitor that at least should be respect for being a member of the same faction. They have similar limitations as human mages, by default. Not many trust them. In recent times, however, the stance begins to shift in the quel'dorei favour. More and more kaldorei deem them worthy of redemption, and think they might have already repent for their sins. A good example would be the Silver Covenant of Dalaran. Not only do they accept their kaldorei cousins warmly, they are not beyond warmth to them. Before that, ignorance and hatred was mutual.
Dryads / Keepers of the Grove: as children of Cenarius, the kaldorei treat those beings with utmost respect. They are, perhaps, the only race deemed better than night elves in whole Azeroth. Their hints are taken almost as orders, and orders are summarily executed without question. There are, however, some that might consider children of Cenarius old fashion, and their words biased. This faction consists of mostly heretics and night elves that deviate from their inherited natural law.
Furbolgs: used to be considered equals to night elves, up untill the spreading of Fel corruption. The night elves right now treat them a little bit similar to the Forsaken. Crazed and corrupted, they must be slain to halt the disease. However, each wound inflicted upon the furbolg is also a wound upon a kaldorei's conscience. Nevertheless, peerless druids and priestesses are working tirelessly to cleanse them of demonic corruption.
- Timbermaw Tribe: Timbermaws are respected allies of night elves and tauren of the Cenarion Circle. Distrustful of outsiders due to fear or becoming corrupted, everyone has to pass a set of trials before being admitted a friend of the tribe. They are one of the last and most truthful furbolgs to remain.
- Stillpine Tribe: Stillpines were, up untill recently, considered a secluded tribe, left to their own. However, due to the Draenei crash and spreading fel corruption, Stillpines became a common knowledge among the kaldorei. They are more open then the Timbermaw, and are as well trated with more ease.
Naga: See Blood Elves. To a night elf, those races fall into the same category. Kill-on-sight.
Demons: are the most foul creatures to have ever existed. Every demon is a threat, an abomination and is to be slain/banished on sight. No exceptions. The only night elves friendly to demons are exiles and deviants that forsook their bond with nature in favour of fel and easy power.
Royal-born Kaldorei / Highborne Night Elves: not until recently this faction was considered a myth, or a dying species by those who payed visit to the ruins of Eldre'Thalas. However, so far from what we know in the Cataclysm mixed stances are shown. Most of the kaldorei resent them for being the original traitors, many of them still living from the time they unleashed the magic storm over whole new Kalimdor. However, a small portion believes that acknowledgement of highborne magi to the Alliance is a necessity for the survival of the species. Tyrande's stance is yet to be seen.
Worgen / Gilneas Werewolves: this species has two different sides, one also branching into where the motivation lies. From the best of our knowledge about the upcoming expansion it is safe to assume that a few kaldorei disrespect them, calling them the same worgen that might have massacred Velinde Starsong. A large majority of the night elves treat them as worthy allies, perhaps the closest thing that resembles a night elven bond with nature. This comes from mixed motivation - some believe worgen to be a peculiar case of druidism gone wrong, hoping that with their teaching a new race might become caretakers of the world and in turn control their own curse. Another group thinks of them as the true worgen, sent by the Scythe of Elune to help them in their survival post Cataclysm.

Yourself and your environment

The environment plays a vital role in your character's personality. Mostly, your elf will reflect where he grew up and where he stayed or is staying. When an elf deems the area his turf, he'll be less willing to leave.

As much as territorial elves exist, there are also those filled with wanderlust. Most of them are strickly younglings, daring to explore and traverse the world. For some, this trait dissipates with age, making them settle permanently in a desired location. Some, however, retain it, remaining adventurers or taking on mantle of professions that require travel.

Local customs and climate can have implications on your character's behavior.

Adventures

Night elves are known to be idealistic and independent. This can lead to various types of characters each with their own types of adventures. Some night elves can be evil, traitors, outcasts or any number of things.

Some of the possible motivations in your adventures can include:

Revenge: You seek to return the favor on an act done long ago - perhaps even thousands of years ago - perhaps not even to you personally.
Redemption: You are on a quest to redeem yourself in the eyes of the goddess, the people, nature or yourself.
Enforcing moral ideals: Night elves self-police through such means as the wardens and the independent sentinel and druid factions. Your character can be on a quest to undo the wrongs of this world.
Duty: Night elves often devote themselves to a shared cause together. Your duties can include those towards your community, towards your leaders or at times your god.
Knowledge: Some night elves choose a life of solitary research and adventure in search of knowledge. Many druids are a good example of this.
Purification: Especially as a Druid or a Priestess, your night elf might embark on a quest to cleanse the lands from the demonic stains.