The Arcan'dor

[Destinas]

This is entirely baseless. Malfurion spent thousands of years inside the dream. He would not be able to do it if he was addicted.

Malfurion wasn't physically inside the Dream until after the events of Stormrage. His body was kept in Moonglade, where the priestesses of Elune would keep him alive from blessings of Elune. There's also a moonwell directly above the Stormrage Barrow Dens, where he slept.

Jarod lived in isolation for thousands on years and he was doing fine except that he lost immortality. It does not follow that they place it every where they go, so they are addicted.

Worship of Elune could play a part. We've seen a few times in lore that different elves used different means to maintain their arcane addictions. The Shen'dralar Highborne siphoned energy from a demon in order to survive. High Elves meditated and used enchanted jewelry in order to survive. The Moon Guard had wells of arcane energy all around their stronghold. Who knows what Jarod did?

Moonwells need several different things in order to function, it seems. In Suramar, the druids say that they need the blessings of the local animals. In Shadowmoon, they needed a piece of Draenor's moon to invoke Elune. But, they also seem to have arcane energy - before the Cataclsym, the visiting Highborne and a temple guard had this exchange:

Archmage Mordent Evenshade looks over at the moonwell with a sigh.
Sentinel Stillbough says: Take your gaze off the moonwell, exile. The power within is not yours to wield.
Archmage Mordent Evenshade says: Calm yourself, Sentinel. I do not seek to use it. I am merely... remembering.
Sentinel Stillbough says: Recalling your treachery?
Archmage Mordent Evenshade says: Enough. I have been apart from this for centuries. The well within this temple may be a pale spectre of the Well of Eternity, but it still holds the same... beauty. Purity.
Archmage Mordent Evenshade says: I had forgotten.
Archmage Mordent Evenshade says: I do not believe admiration and wistful thoughts are against the societal norm.
Sentinel Stillbough says: Watch yourself, Highborne.
Archmage Mordent Evenshade says: You were the one who challenged me for merely looking. I still await my audience with Tyrande.
Sentinel Stillbough says: In good time.

They most definitely have arcane energy inside them. If Night Elves didn't need arcane energy around them (in some form) to survive, then there would be no reason for the creation of moonwells in most zones they spend lots of time in - even Stormwind, the Firelands, Northrend, Ashran, Outland, and the temporary camps in Ghostlands. What other reason would they need to create them? They pray to Elune with or without moonwells, it seems.

[Wildmoon]

We're also talking about the time when the world tree's magic was making them immortal. Why would you have to feed if there's a blessing that makes you immortal.

Except Malfurion went back to sleep again after he blew up Nordrassil.

[Deleted]

He was in the dream, which was literally linked to the world tree which was growing in/around the 2nd well of eternity. Why would he have to wake up to sate a magical addiction in one of the most magically dense places in the lore? We're also talking about the time when the world tree's magic was making them immortal. Why would you have to feed if there's a blessing that makes you immortal.

The question is the magic addiction. There's arcane magic everywhere in the world, but not being near a strong source is what makes the addiction come through and turns people into Wretched and Withered. Malfurion was in the dream, which may be a strong source of magic, but not the purest of sources of arcane magic.
But if that's not enough, there's still Jarod and also Maiev and her troops hunting Illidan in Outland for quite some time, without transportable moonwells. Maiev also was imprisoned for a long time and not anywhere near a moonwell. She'd have fallen to the addiction during that time, if it was still there in the Nightelves.
The Arcandor did for the Shal'dorei, what Nordrassil (NOT Teldrassil) did for the Nightelves.
And just as the Nightelves didn't turn back into Trolls, the Nightborne didn't turn back into Nightelves.


Edit: and the reason they build them everywhere is that they make 'peace' with their surroundings and nourish them, which makes for a better living for them and everyone around them. You can even make one in Suramar.

[Better]

That's very much a stretch. You think he could feed on the well by being in the dream? There's no lore which states that the Dream provides magic to prevent druids from addiction's issues lol. There's still Jarod who lived in isolation on his own.

As an immortal being blessed by the world tree. Whos wife died fairly shortly after (he wasn't alone, he was with his wife) the blessing was removed, and somewhat tricked him into returning from his self-exile. The lore doesn't outright say it, but any time you read/see there's a night elf there's almost always a really big font of magical energy nearby.

[Wildmoon]

Worship of Elune could play a part. We've seen a few times in lore that different elves used different means to maintain their arcane addictions. The Shen'dralar Highborne siphoned energy from a demon in order to survive. High Elves meditated and used enchanted jewelry in order to survive. The Moon Guard had wells of arcane energy all around their stronghold. Who knows what Jarod did?

It's very much unreliable to invoke "Worship of Elune" to account for the fact that Jarod lived just fine on his own. The simplest explanation is just that he just lived fine.

Moonwells need several different things in order to function, it seems. In Suramar, the druids say that they need the blessings of the local animals. In Shadowmoon, they needed a piece of Draenor's moon to invoke Elune. But, they also seem to have arcane energy - before the Cataclsym, the visiting Highborne and a temple guard had this exchange:

They most definitely have arcane energy inside them. If Night Elves didn't need arcane energy around them (in some form) to survive, then there would be no reason for the creation of moonwells in most zones they spend lots of time in - even Stormwind, the Firelands, Northrend, Ashran, Outland, and the temporary camps in Ghostlands. What other reason would they need to create them? They pray to Elune with or without moonwells, it seems.

Flawed reasoning. "If there's no reason to build magical devices to survive then the Kirin Tor mages wouldn't build them." Do you see what's wrong with it? They build them because for various reasons from convenience, power, cultural, etc. It simply does not follow that they are addicted or dependent on it.

- - - Updated - - -

As an immortal being blessed by the world tree. Whos wife died fairly shortly after (he wasn't alone, he was with his wife) the blessing was removed, and somewhat tricked him into returning from his self-exile. The lore doesn't outright say it, but any time you read/see there's a night elf there's almost always a really big font of magical energy nearby.

His wife died from natural cause. It had nothing to do with addiction. They lost immortality. Jarod did not come out of hiding because he wanted to feed.

- - - Updated - - -

The addiction was not even clear in WotA. When Xavius cut everyone else but the highborne off from the well, it made the other night elves weaker and couldn't fight the legion on par but the addiction to the point of the nightborne did not really come up. Malfurion did go and kill Xavius without the power of the well to unlock to well.

[Better]

The addiction was not even clear in WotA. When Xavius cut everyone else but the highborne off from the well, it made the other night elves weaker and couldn't fight the legion on par but the addiction to the point of the nightborne did not really come up. Malfurion did go and kill Xavius without the power of the well to unlock to well.

Different levels of withdrawal for different levels of addiction. We don't see high elves constantly withering due to lack of access to the Sunwell, do we? But they none-the-less have the Addiction the Highborne did, and then the High Elves-> Blood Elves do.

It's not like Night Elves are immune to magical addiction. They are literally the source race for the other elven races, that all have magical addiction.

[Wildmoon]

Different levels of withdrawal for different levels of addiction. We don't see high elves constantly withering due to lack of access to the Sunwell, do we? But they none-the-less have the Addiction the Highborne did, and then the High Elves-> Blood Elves do.

It's not like Night Elves are immune to magical addiction. They are literally the source race for the other elven races, that all have magical addiction.

They are not immune but they do not make themselves addicted and dependent on it. That's what counts. All these elves are not inherently dependent on these sources of magic. They made themselves so.

The solution for lacking magic to feed is not to find one but you live with not having one unless you went too far like the nightborne then all sort of problems come with it.

[Better]

They are not immune but they do not make themselves addicted and dependent on it. That's what counts. All these elves are not inherently dependent on these sources of magic. They made themselves so.

Only time, and storytelling will tell. So far Night Elves haven't lost the source of their magic without creating a backup. Maybe with the burning of Telldrassil, and assumed loss of territory we'll see some development.

[Wildmoon]

Only time, and storytelling will tell. So far Night Elves haven't lost the source of their magic without creating a backup. Maybe with the burning of Telldrassil, and assumed loss of territory we'll see some development.

Teldrassil is not a source of magic they feed upon. When the Night elves lost the first Well, they did not intend to create another. Illidan just went and create one on his own.

[Better]

Teldrassil is not a source of magic they feed upon. When the Night elves lost the first Well, they did not intend to create another. Illidan just went and create one on his own.

Illidan's story has pretty much constantly been "I'm doing this for the benefit of Tyrande, despite the things I'm doing making my people hate me." So it'd be completely in character for him to do something that saved the Night Elves a great calamity just so Tyrande wouldn't suffer. And while Teldrassil isn't linked to the dream, it was still blessed by Ysera, and Alexstrasza before the events of Cataclysm. It's not like it's just a normal tree.

[Wildmoon]

Illidan's story has pretty much constantly been "I'm doing this for the benefit of Tyrande, despite the things I'm doing making my people hate me." So it'd be completely in character for him to do something that saved the Night Elves a great calamity just so Tyrande wouldn't suffer. And while Teldrassil isn't linked to the dream, it was still blessed by Ysera, and Alexstrasza before the events of Cataclysm. It's not like it's just a normal tree.

The blessings have nothing to do with magical addiction though. That's the point. And Illidan's reason was about wanting to use the well to fight the legion when they return which again nothing to do with magical addiction.

[Better]

The blessings have nothing to do with magical addiction though. That's the point. And Illidan's reason was about wanting to use the well to fight the legion when they return.

Just curious, why do you think they use the waters from the 2nd Well for moonwells? Why specifically that water, and not just some other water like from moonglade? It's not like they reject the magical waters. They still use, and benefit from them.

[Wildmoon]

Just curious, why do you think they use the waters from the 2nd Well for moonwells? Why specifically that water, and not just some other water like from moonglade? It's not like they reject the magical waters. They still use, and benefit from them.

Because it is useful.

[Shelly]

Nelf immortality is a function of their covenant with the emerald dream through the world trees. From what I understand while Fandral failed to regain their post-WC3 immortality when Hyjal went over wisp level 9,000 and spirit bombed archimonde that the rebirth of Hyjal in cataclysm and the return of Mal restored their immortality/agelessness.

Although that is in question given the events at the end of Cataclysm with the loss of overall power of the dragonflights, but it gets odd too since while the Emerald definitely provided a bridge to druidic powers they weren't the ones making the covenant.

Meanwhile the elves in Suramar used the Eye of Amonthul to bore directly into Azeroth and sustained their immortality from a small leak of Azeroth's blood as given by the leylines. This warped them into arcane beings over a long period of time but that's fairly normal for all species on Azeroth when exposed to magnificent power sources. Whether it be plague gnomes, felblood tauren, shadow infused priests, void elves now, broken, fel infused elves or the manari eredar. Heck you could even throw in the curse of flesh.

Ephemeral power has major transmorphic properties in the Warcraft universe.

Anyway my take on the Arcan'dor was that the fruit of it holds both arcane and druidic magics. The arcane magics satiate the appetite and cravings while the druidic magics repair the body and the magics of both combined are enough that one fruit should last the rest of a lifetime for the nightborne.

[Wildmoon]

Night Elves's immortality specifically came from Nozdormu. He kinda blessed the tree as the incentive for the night elf to protect it. The blessing from Ysera made the ED easily accessible fro the druids. Back when Malfurion was training entering the ED was kinda hard.

[Better]

Because it is useful.

So they knowingly put waters from one of the stronger fonts of arcane magic in all of their moonwells. Which they then in turn use to pray, and bless things, including food. They put these things up everywhere they go. Even when their society rejected arcane magic. They even put one up in the elemental plane of fire. In WC3, which is cannon, they draw directly from it to heal.

These fonts of arcane magic.

But somehow the idea that they might have a bit of an addiction is a stretch to you.

[Wildmoon]

So they knowingly put waters from one of the stronger fonts of arcane magic in all of their moonwells. Which they then in turn use to pray, and bless things, including food. They put these things up everywhere they go. Even when their society rejected arcane magic. They even put one up in the elemental plane of fire. In WC3, which is cannon, they draw directly from it to heal.

These fonts of arcane magic.

But somehow the idea that they might have a bit of an addiction is a stretch to you.

There's a big difference between addiction and just utilizing it for various purposes. Do you think the Kirin Tor are addicted to their magical devices? They night elves banned practice of arcane magic. They did not resolve to stay away from any source of power at all. The mindset of not letting yourself be depedent to magic is the important part. You don't see the night elves situating the moonwells, the well of eternity as indispensable part of what they are. Just compare it with the sunwell and the nightwell.

Addiction manifests itself clearly. If addiction is still there then Maiev would have suffered from it when she was locked away in Outland.

[Better]

You don't see the night elves situating the moonwells, the well of eternity as indispensable part of what they are. Just compare it with the sunwell and the nightwell.

Moonwells, and by proxy the Well of Eternity are a major part in their worship of Elune. Which is one of the core things Night Elves have. The only thing you can't compare is they haven't ever lost their moonwells/Well of Eternity 2.0, which is when addiction became apparent anyway. If something ever happens to Elune, or the moonwells in general we may very well see some development down that line, since they effectively draw from miniature wells of eternity.

The Kirin Tor also don't make wells of power that can be drawn from. They create things with magic, not that generate magic in large quantities.