Why don't the night elves try to resettle the Broken Isles, in Azsuna and Val'sharah?

[Aucald]

Does Tyrande and her priestesses not have ANY other surviving temple in Kalimdor? I thought Elune had lots of temples pre-Sundering scattered all over, like the one in Blackfathoms Deeps or something. Could they also perhaps try to settle in Feralas, near Eldre'Thalas? Perhaps Elune has some kind of ancient abandoned temple there that might be renovated?

The Night Elves as a people withdrew from Kalimdor and everywhere else following the Sundering to focus their attentions on Hyjal, with only a handful of Night Elves remaining in very small population centers outside of the slopes of Hyjal surrounding Nordrassil (e.g. the Broken Isles and Eldre'Thalas). It stands to reason that the majority of Kaldorei temples devoted to Elune probably fell into ruin or were gradually repurposed without any active use by Elune's priesthood over the ages during the Long Vigil. Ancient Kaldorei ruins do dot the lands across Azeroth, of course, like in Feralas, Desolace, and even the Hinterlands in the Eastern Kingdoms - but all of these ancient edifices are generally unpopulated and serve no active purpose, where they're not just heaps of white marble dotting the land.

The only known active Kaldorei temples to Elune that have remained intact to the current day are the ones in Val'sharah, Suramar City, and previously the main temple in Teldrassil prior to its destruction. Ruined temples to Elune include Fal'adora in northern Suramar, the ruins of Elun'alor in Nazjatar, the ruin of Quel'Dormir temple in Vashj'ir, and Zin-Malor in Eldarath (Azshara).

[Loreth88]

Does Tyrande and her priestesses not have ANY other surviving temple in Kalimdor? I thought Elune had lots of temples pre-Sundering scattered all over, like the one in Blackfathoms Deeps or something. Could they also perhaps try to settle in Feralas, near Eldre'Thalas? Perhaps Elune has some kind of ancient abandoned temple there that might be renovated?

Oh they have, but this temple is special "Located in Suramar,[3] the Temple of Elune was the main temple dedicated to the worship of the goddess Elune before the War of the Ancients.[6] The roofless center section of the temple was called the Chamber of the Moon. The circular stone path leading to the dais in the center of the room was a mosaic pattern outlining the yearly cycles of the moon. The Chamber was rectangular and filled with night-blooming flowers."

This was a main hub for the followers of Elune, her people can restore it after the legion gone. Its a beauty and they don't need to improve to much just "cleansing"

[OwenBurton]

The Night Elves as a people withdrew from Kalimdor and everywhere else following the Sundering to focus their attentions on Hyjal, with only a handful of Night Elves remaining in very small population centers outside of the slopes of Hyjal surrounding Nordrassil (e.g. the Broken Isles and Eldre'Thalas). It stands to reason that the majority of Kaldorei temples devoted to Elune probably fell into ruin or were gradually repurposed without any active use by Elune's priesthood over the ages during the Long Vigil. Ancient Kaldorei ruins do dot the lands across Azeroth, of course, like in Feralas, Desolace, and even the Hinterlands in the Eastern Kingdoms - but all of these ancient edifices are generally unpopulated and serve no active purpose, where they're not just heaps of white marble dotting the land.

The only known active Kaldorei temples to Elune that have remained intact to the current day are the ones in Val'sharah, Suramar City, and previously the main temple in Teldrassil prior to its destruction. Ruined temples to Elune include Fal'adora in northern Suramar, the ruins of Elun'alor in Nazjatar, the ruin of Quel'Dormir temple in Vashj'ir, and Zin-Malor in Eldarath (Azshara).

Why did they withdraw from the rest of Kalimdor though? I mean, they must have ventured outside of Hyjal at some point, or else Moonglade would not have been founded, let alone Winterspring and Ashenvale, and of course Desolace, Feralas and even Silithus.

[Aucald]

Why did they withdraw from the rest of Kalimdor though? I mean, they must have ventured outside of Hyjal at some point, or else Moonglade would not have been founded, let alone Winterspring and Ashenvale, and of course Desolace, Feralas and even Silithus.

The Moonglade is the ancient home of Cenarius and has ever been a stronghold of the Night Elves, especially the Druids, as it houses one of the oldest of the barrow dens. Starfall Village is presumed to be a newer outpost constructed following the Third War, and Ashenvale has long been in Night Elven hands as well, considered part of their holdings, although sparsely populated (as is still the case today). All that remains in Desolace, Feralas, and Silithus are Night Elven ruins - with some fortifications present in Silithus as part of the War of the Shifting Sands campaign.

[Raetary]

Probably because Val'sharah is half infested, Azsuna half haunted, both are right next to 2 Horde Strongholds and the Isles are miles away past the Maelstrom?

[OwenBurton]

The Moonglade is the ancient home of Cenarius and has ever been a stronghold of the Night Elves, especially the Druids, as it houses one of the oldest of the barrow dens. Starfall Village is presumed to be a newer outpost constructed following the Third War, and Ashenvale has long been in Night Elven hands as well, considered part of their holdings, although sparsely populated (as is still the case today). All that remains in Desolace, Feralas, and Silithus are Night Elven ruins - with some fortifications present in Silithus as part of the War of the Shifting Sands campaign.

What about, like, the Broken Isles though? That's what I don't get about Val'sharah, as some of the Reddit threads also understandably mentioned. Like, exactly when did the night elves get to plant Shaladrassil, or establish the Dreamgrove, and what about the Temple of Elune there, why is it not in ruins after 10,000 years? As you stated, didn't the night elves, like, stay isolated to Hyjal? Then where did all those night elf groups in the Broken Isles, for example, the Wardens, the Moon Guard and the Druids of the Moon at the Temple suddenly pop from?

[Tanaria]

The Night Elves as a people withdrew from Kalimdor and everywhere else following the Sundering to focus their attentions on Hyjal, with only a handful of Night Elves remaining in very small population centers outside of the slopes of Hyjal surrounding Nordrassil (e.g. the Broken Isles and Eldre'Thalas). It stands to reason that the majority of Kaldorei temples devoted to Elune probably fell into ruin or were gradually repurposed without any active use by Elune's priesthood over the ages during the Long Vigil. Ancient Kaldorei ruins do dot the lands across Azeroth, of course, like in Feralas, Desolace, and even the Hinterlands in the Eastern Kingdoms - but all of these ancient edifices are generally unpopulated and serve no active purpose, where they're not just heaps of white marble dotting the land.

The only known active Kaldorei temples to Elune that have remained intact to the current day are the ones in Val'sharah, Suramar City, and previously the main temple in Teldrassil prior to its destruction. Ruined temples to Elune include Fal'adora in northern Suramar, the ruins of Elun'alor in Nazjatar, the ruin of Quel'Dormir temple in Vashj'ir, and Zin-Malor in Eldarath (Azshara).

It is worth noting that in the Exploring Kalimdor novel, places like Feralas - little to no mention was made regarding a Kaldorei presence.

Indeed, the only thing noted about Dire Maul (Eldre'Thalas) was that the only night elf presence within the zone was that of the shen'dralar ghosts and banshees, wailing and screaming.
This calls into question of the Highborne school that Estulan set up and whether that is still in operation.

[Aucald]

What about, like, the Broken Isles though? That's what I don't get about Val'sharah, as some of the Reddit threads also understandably mentioned. Like, exactly when did the night elves get to plant Shaladrassil, or establish the Dreamgrove, and what about the Temple of Elune there, why is it not in ruins after 10,000 years? As you stated, didn't the night elves, like, stay isolated to Hyjal? Then where did all those night elf groups in the Broken Isles, for example, the Wardens, the Moon Guard and the Druids of the Moon at the Temple suddenly pop from?

The timeframe of Shaladrassil is difficult to pin down, but in the lore surrounding Val'sharah, it is said that Shaladrassil predates even Nordrassil and the Sundering. It may be that Shaladrassil was only a Great Tree that was grown prior to the Sundering but became a true World Tree after the planting of Nordrassil, perhaps receiving Ysera's blessing and connecting it more profoundly to the Emerald Dream. Similarly, the Dreamgrove and Val'sharah's Temple of Elune are ancient as well and retained a small Kaldorei population for the purposes of watching over both Shaladrassil and the state of ancient Suramar (especially the now-corrupted grand Temple of Elune on the Broken Shore). The Wardens also retained their holdings in the Broken Isles, so the two populations may well have supported one another. The Moon Guard, by contrast, aren't really even a population but really just a handful of ancient Night Elven sorcerers who opted to remain in their former fortress as opposed to dissolving their order and joining the bulk of the Kaldorei in Hyjal. Until the events of Legion they apparently held themselves apart from everyone else, at least until the Nightborne led by Elisande attacked their fortress and they needed to rely on adventurers and the Nightfallen rebels to fight back.

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It is worth noting that in the Exploring Kalimdor novel, places like Feralas - little to no mention was made regarding a Kaldorei presence.

Indeed, the only thing noted about Dire Maul (Eldre'Thalas) was that the only night elf presence within the zone was that of the shen'dralar ghosts and banshees, wailing and screaming.
This calls into question of the Highborne school that Estulan set up and whether that is still in operation.

As of the events of Exploring Kalimdor, the living Highborne of Eldre'Thalas (e.g. the remaining court of Prince Tortheldrin) would have left Eldre'Thalas and journeyed to Darnassus to rejoin their kin. No idea if Estulan is counted among them, or if he opted to continue residing in his tower in Ferelas and teaching the occasional Night Elven Mage. Dire Maul at this time would be populated solely by ghosts, Gordunni, and Fel-corrupted flora and fauna.

[Melusine]

Azsuna is haunted, but the ghosts were elves once so expecting to reach an accomodation is not exactly unreasonable. Shaladrassil... is a more interesting problem. The tree itself will keep poisoning the land unless healed.

Wasn't there something in the lore about Teldrassil being corrupted? Was it ever resolved or just swept under the rug?

Point in bold. Yes, Teldrassil was corrupted when Fandral Staghelm placed a branch of the twig formed when Malfurion turned Xavius into a tree into Teldrassil, and it grew into a corrupted tree, such that it was not sanctified by the Dragon Aspects at the time, and became a haven for satyrs, which is what Xavius became, before Malfurion rooted him to the ground in a more permanent way. Xavius was a way to corrupt the emerald dream, as once his corporeal form was gone, he polluted the Emerald Dream in every way he could, from the rift of Aln, to the Ungoro Crate, Moonglade itself, and ultimately, the first world tree, Shaladrassil.

Was it resolved? Yes. At the end of the Emerald Nightmare raid, Xavius is defeated. A shadowy bloom is found by the adventuring party that ultimately brought down Xavius, and it is commented on by a High Priest's sentient sacrificial dagger that evil had taken up root once more. During the Battle for Azeroth, that bloom can be found in the same location as Magni, Merithria and the remaining members of the green dragonflight attempt to cleanse a Heart of Azeroth compatible stone and that bloom is much larger than it was, but is ultimately lootable and is taken out of the Emerald Dream, so that no further corruption can occur. Eventually, Shaladrassil will return to normal, with the cancer it had being cut from it.

[OwenBurton]

The timeframe of Shaladrassil is difficult to pin down, but in the lore surrounding Val'sharah, it is said that Shaladrassil predates even Nordrassil and the Sundering. It may be that Shaladrassil was only a Great Tree that was grown prior to the Sundering but became a true World Tree after the planting of Nordrassil, perhaps receiving Ysera's blessing and connecting it more profoundly to the Emerald Dream. Similarly, the Dreamgrove and Val'sharah's Temple of Elune are ancient as well and retained a small Kaldorei population for the purposes of watching over both Shaladrassil and the state of ancient Suramar (especially the now-corrupted grand Temple of Elune on the Broken Shore). The Wardens also retained their holdings in the Broken Isles, so the two populations may well have supported one another. The Moon Guard, by contrast, aren't really even a population but really just a handful of ancient Night Elven sorcerers who opted to remain in their former fortress as opposed to dissolving their order and joining the bulk of the Kaldorei in Hyjal. Until the events of Legion they apparently held themselves apart from everyone else, at least until the Nightborne led by Elisande attacked their fortress and they needed to rely on adventurers and the Nightfallen rebels to fight back.

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As of the events of Exploring Kalimdor, the living Highborne of Eldre'Thalas (e.g. the remaining court of Prince Tortheldrin) would have left Eldre'Thalas and journeyed to Darnassus to rejoin their kin. No idea if Estulan is counted among them, or if he opted to continue residing in his tower in Ferelas and teaching the occasional Night Elven Mage. Dire Maul at this time would be populated solely by ghosts, Gordunni, and Fel-corrupted flora and fauna.

Hmmm...if what Exploring Kalimdor says is true, and if the night elves also withdrew most of their forces from their Kalimdor outposts in the War of the Thorns and the Fourth War to fight the Horde in Darkshore and Ashenvale, doesn't this mean then that most of Feralas is essentially Horde territory now?

I mean, Feathermoon Stronghold still (presumably) exists, but with so many night elves and Sentinels dead, how long can they realistically hold out against a Kalimdor with a vastly increased Horde presence in these circumstances, with the Alliance missing several major leaders, while the Horde having gained vastly powerful new allied races? Another reason the night elves might consider something new and different then.

[Tanaria]

Hmmm...if what Exploring Kalimdor says is true, and if the night elves also withdrew most of their forces from their Kalimdor outposts in the War of the Thorns and the Fourth War to fight the Horde in Darkshore and Ashenvale, doesn't this mean then that most of Feralas is essentially Horde territory now?

I mean, Feathermoon Stronghold still (presumably) exists, but with so many night elves and Sentinels dead, how long can they realistically hold out against a Kalimdor with a vastly increased Horde presence in these circumstances, with the Alliance missing several major leaders, while the Horde having gained vastly powerful new allied races? Another reason the night elves might consider something new and different then.

This is the impression that I got, to be honest.

After taking into account the War of Thorns and the Fourth War, how many Night Elves would remain in the South of Kalimdor? Estulan's Tower was based right outside Dire Maul - the fact that no mention and that the only night elf presence within Dire Maul is that of ghosts, then it truly calls into question whether those night elves are still there or have left for pastures new, in the North.

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As of the events of Exploring Kalimdor, the living Highborne of Eldre'Thalas (e.g. the remaining court of Prince Tortheldrin) would have left Eldre'Thalas and journeyed to Darnassus to rejoin their kin. No idea if Estulan is counted among them, or if he opted to continue residing in his tower in Ferelas and teaching the occasional Night Elven Mage. Dire Maul at this time would be populated solely by ghosts, Gordunni, and Fel-corrupted flora and fauna.

What I call into question regarding Estulan is that he set up his school / tower, right outside the front of Dire Maul.

The fact that the night elf / Alliance presence is hardly mentioned calls into question whether he, Vestia and the other night elf mage apprentices are still there.

[Melusine]

The timeframe of Shaladrassil is difficult to pin down, but in the lore surrounding Val'sharah, it is said that Shaladrassil predates even Nordrassil and the Sundering. It may be that Shaladrassil was only a Great Tree that was grown prior to the Sundering but became a true World Tree after the planting of Nordrassil, perhaps receiving Ysera's blessing and connecting it more profoundly to the Emerald Dream. Similarly, the Dreamgrove and Val'sharah's Temple of Elune are ancient as well and retained a small Kaldorei population for the purposes of watching over both Shaladrassil and the state of ancient Suramar (especially the now-corrupted grand Temple of Elune on the Broken Shore). The Wardens also retained their holdings in the Broken Isles, so the two populations may well have supported one another. The Moon Guard, by contrast, aren't really even a population but really just a handful of ancient Night Elven sorcerers who opted to remain in their former fortress as opposed to dissolving their order and joining the bulk of the Kaldorei in Hyjal. Until the events of Legion they apparently held themselves apart from everyone else, at least until the Nightborne led by Elisande attacked their fortress and they needed to rely on adventurers and the Nightfallen rebels to fight back.

Shaladrassil was located specifically where G'Hanir the Mother tree was located in its corresponding location in the Emerald Dream. G'Hanir was tied specifically to its mistress, Aviana. When Aviana was killed during the War of the Ancients, G'Hanir died with her. The green dragonflight discovered a single branch of G'Hanir with a single acorn hanging from it. Alexstrasza used that acorn to create Nordrassil atop the peak of Mt. Hyjal after Illidan attempted to use vials of water from the Well of Eternity to recreate a font of power similar to the Well of eternity, as Illidan believed the Night elves would need a font of power in the absence of the Well of eternity. Alexstrasza agreed with the Night Elves, that no new Well of eternity should ever be created, lest the world be sundered once more. Nordrassil was planted immediately after the war of the Ancients concluded. Shaladrassil was still very much standing before and after the War of the Ancients.

[OwenBurton]

This is the impression that I got, to be honest.

After taking into account the War of Thorns and the Fourth War, how many Night Elves would remain in the South of Kalimdor? Estulan's Tower was based right outside Dire Maul - the fact that no mention and that the only night elf presence within Dire Maul is that of ghosts, then it truly calls into question whether those night elves are still there or have left for pastures new, in the North.

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What I call into question regarding Estulan is that he set up his school / tower, right outside the front of Dire Maul.

The fact that the night elf / Alliance presence is hardly mentioned calls into question whether he, Vestia and the other night elf mage apprentices are still there.

Yeah, I get your point, and I do kind of agree. I mean, like it or not, the previous status quo has indeed pretty much been destroyed in both Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms. If the Alliance made such huge gains in the Eastern Kingdoms (such as with Stromgarde and Southshore), then it only makes sense that the Horde, being the dominant faction on Kalimdor, made similar gains during the war on the opposite continent.

Again, I just wish Blizzard was just a bit more open and clear about these political changes, instead of giving a few new lore tidbits and having the rest of us ponder and speculate the status of this and that, this territory and that other territory, over and over again, with no clear answers, and so many questions yet remaining.

[Kithelle]

Aszuna might not be the best of ideas since it is distinctly haunted as well as occupied by the Azurewings, but Val'sharah seems like it would be a decent location assuming that the corruption in and around Shaladrassil can be cleaned up.

Well you also gotta consider there are two Horde races occupying the nearby lands, one of them you may as well consider sworn enemies seeing how Thaly was pissed at Tyrande. Safe to say there wouldn't be enough fortification to keep Sylvanas from burning down the the forests...so probably better they didn't do it.

[Aucald]

Well you also gotta consider there are two Horde races occupying the nearby lands, one of them you may as well consider sworn enemies seeing how Thaly was pissed at Tyrande. Safe to say there wouldn't be enough fortification to keep Sylvanas from burning down the the forests...so probably better they didn't do it.

Also true, yes. An Alliance garrison might be a better idea than a civilian population center if you take that into account.

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Shaladrassil was located specifically where G'Hanir the Mother tree was located in its corresponding location in the Emerald Dream. G'Hanir was tied specifically to its mistress, Aviana. When Aviana was killed during the War of the Ancients, G'Hanir died with her. The green dragonflight discovered a single branch of G'Hanir with a single acorn hanging from it. Alexstrasza used that acorn to create Nordrassil atop the peak of Mt. Hyjal after Illidan attempted to use vials of water from the Well of Eternity to recreate a font of power similar to the Well of eternity, as Illidan believed the Night elves would need a font of power in the absence of the Well of eternity. Alexstrasza agreed with the Night Elves, that no new Well of eternity should ever be created, lest the world be sundered once more. Nordrassil was planted immediately after the war of the Ancients concluded. Shaladrassil was still very much standing before and after the War of the Ancients.

That's the history of Shaladrassil, yes. But it does sort of conflict with the already held convention that Nordrassil was actually the first World Tree planted following the events of the Sundering. Which is where the idea of Shaladrassil as a Great Tree and not a World Tree stems from - Nordrassil being the first true World Tree (one blessed by the Dragon Aspects and connected to the Emerald Dream), whereas Shaladrassil received its blessing later on and so became a World Tree after Nordrassil, even though as a structure it is actually older than its sibling.

[Ferlion]

I'm not sure Nordrassil and Hyjal isn't the best place. There isn't a reason to not use the Well of Eternity anymore with the Burning Legion defeated and Sargeras locked away.

[Aucald]

Hmmm...if what Exploring Kalimdor says is true, and if the night elves also withdrew most of their forces from their Kalimdor outposts in the War of the Thorns and the Fourth War to fight the Horde in Darkshore and Ashenvale, doesn't this mean then that most of Feralas is essentially Horde territory now?

The Night Elves still have the rebuilt Feathermoon Stronghold on the Ferelas mainland, so they do maintain a minimal presence in Ferelas, although I'd say the Horde outnumber them, the even larger majority of Ferelas remains untamed wilderness and dangerous local wildlife.

I mean, Feathermoon Stronghold still (presumably) exists, but with so many night elves and Sentinels dead, how long can they realistically hold out against a Kalimdor with a vastly increased Horde presence in these circumstances, with the Alliance missing several major leaders, while the Horde having gained vastly powerful new allied races? Another reason the night elves might consider something new and different then.

Shandris appears to have relocated to the main Kaldorei settlement in Hyjal (wherever that currently is), so I would imagine Feathermoon is itself only minimally staffed, and may well have been abandoned in light of the destruction of Teldrassil in the Fourth War. Personally, I think it is most likely the Night Elves will fortify Hyjal and Ashenvale, creating a new capital near the recovering Nordrassil and strengthening their borders against any perceived threats. It's unknown if Tyrande has relaxed her stance on the Horde in light of the events of Shadowlands, but it remains very likely relations are anything approaching cordial.

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What I call into question regarding Estulan is that he set up his school / tower, right outside the front of Dire Maul.

The fact that the night elf / Alliance presence is hardly mentioned calls into question whether he, Vestia and the other night elf mage apprentices are still there.

I don't think that's known at the current moment. We'll probably have to wait for some kind of Ferelas, Ashenvale, or Hyjal revamp before we even touch those stories, I'd imagine. For all we know, Estulan is playing Hearthstone with Tyrus Blackhorn on an island protected by ancient Titan machinery somewhere on Azeroth.

[Mehrunes]

Night Elves didn't want Azshara due to seeing it as a haunted shithole and it had smaller ghost population density than Azsuna. So I don't think they'd like it that much.

Teldrassil was:
1) Absurdly out of range for catapults
2) In the sea
3) Living green wood

Still burned due to writer ignorance and wanting to shit on the Alliance again. Rest assured, Horde catapults will be able to hit Icecrown from Orgrimmar if Danuser wants them to.

A Horde catapult is actually what Illidan used to hit Icecrown from Dalaran, so this checks out.

Well if the writers did put at least a third of the effort they did with making all these invasions, wars and new threats (often in terrible ways through) into using and developping these zones, the rest of Silvermoon, Gilneas and Gnomeregan would have been restored a very long time ago.

A third of zero is also zero. And Blizzard is allergic even to the mention of effort.

The rule of thumb for WoW was and continues to be that if it isn't directly pertinent to the current goings-on, then for all effective narrative purposes it may well not exist. Silvermoon, Gilneas, Gnomeregan, and Outland will forever be locked in stasis and frozen in time until such time as they're directly relevant to an expansion or content patch.

I agree it sucks, but I guess it's just the way of the beast insofar as WoW goes.

According to them they are writing masterpieces so their lore void approach must be actually master class world building.

[God Save The King]

The night elves have largely been apart from Nordrassil

To be fair, it's not well communicated in game, but Teldrassil existed for like 13 years.

Roughly speaking:

~10,000 years ago the Sundering occured, Nordrassil was grown in Hyjal, night elves gained immortality.

~15 years ago the Battle for Mount Hyjal occurs where Nordrassil's enchantment is sacrificed to defeat Archimonde. Shortly after that Teldrassil is grown.

~1-2 years ago the Fourth War begins with the Burning of Teldrassil.


It's also worth noting that the vast, vast majority of currently living night elves are very old, including the PC, and most spent their entire lives under Nordrassil or in surrounding night elven settlements. Even without the blessing, night elves live over 1000 years. For the older night elves, like Tyrande, who were around when Nordrassil was grown, the events play out like this in human years:
You are born and live in your family home all your life. Around a month before your 100th birthday your home is destroyed because of some demon dude so you move up north. Around your 100th birthday ( a month after your left your old home) your new home burns down.

(FWIW night elves reach adulthood around ~110-120 years old, so the PC was certainly alive and spent at least 105 years, if not longer, under Nordrassil, since the events of WoW Classic occur about 5 years after the battle for mount hyjal)

[Fistfighter]

Because it's not current content, easy