Originally Posted by
Mace
and funnily there are players who on reading this, actually believe the night elves to be cowards, failing to see the strength of their wisdom in refusing to use a source of power that so easily corrupts them but also would undoubtedly lure the legion to Azeroth again. It was incredible strength of character not to resort to the arcane, - and it may have appeared like cowardice to some, especially a person quite likely addicted to the thing who'd be less inclined to see the wisdom of that course of action.
There is a whole debate on whether Darth'remar was right or he was wrong. Suffice it to say i'm of the opinion the night elves chose wisely, for what they achieved afterwards far outstripped their achievements as a global arcane empire. Though they no longer dwelt in massive urban centers with the a roman-esque or British Empire type rule .. they evolved beyond that, growing to a level of wisdom that saw beyond the futility of such things to the far more important business of protecting others. In so doing they proved and showed quality and wisdom, giving up borders, claims to lands and recognizing that the land belongs to all. They refused to build new cities or anything like that, thing s like money and wealth, had little value anymore, they had evolved beyond that.
you know why they guarded Ashenvale so tightly and the forest border to the north right? not because it was their land and they were protecting it, no, it was to ensure none of the other races came anywhere near the world tree and the secret that dwelt at it's base. So that none will learn the use of magic like the Elves did and so call the burning legion. Why did they establish Darnassus? it is largely because they became playable and it was cool to have a city the alliance race needed one. but it comes off the vision of one Elf, Fandral Staghelm, interim leader of the Cenarion Circle, who grew the world tree in an attempt to restore the night elves immortality and who had a different philosophy to that which they had lived by for 10,000 years, like other druids, Fandral would have spent large portions of his immortal life asleep, awake during this period, and unknown to others, quite mad by the poison of the old gods, he was the biggest advocate of night elves returning to their pre-sundering dominance, the reason being the young races had now learnt magic, night elves could no longer continue like how they had under the night vigil, they needed to guide the new races by leading them. Something only night elves were properly equipped to do given their superior knowledge, wisdom and mastery - afterall no other race had come close to anything the night elves had achieved, both pre sundering and post sundering, his arrogance may have been understandable by other night elves and likely not viewed so by then, but certainly to others and certainly to malfurion they were exactly that.
You have to realize that the story is written such that Fandral is an important and influential figure and no one suspects his true motives or agenda and that he has been corrupted in quite a different way. Nigth elves have lived an increidbly long time without moral corruption, showing a purity of spirt and valor that has long since many times over made up for the arrogance that led to the events that brought the legion teh first time round. They would not bleieve or find it easy to see that Fandral was quite out of his mind. Distraought by yet again great losses in another titanic struggle against the legion, where there forces and power again bore teh brunt of the effect, they lost far more than any other group and gave valiantly, - they find themselves in a position none living have ever found themselves in, no longer immortal, was that even possible? and the great malfurion disappeared. THe world saved, but the world compltely changed, how to react now? Tyrande may have have continued to lead her people in much the same way as they had been carrying on during the long vigil, but after her antics of pulling Illidan free and the effect that caused, i think FAndral gained some serious leverage. The druids did not need her leave to grow Teldrassil or build Darnassus, but it been built anyway immediatley provided the night elves with several things they hadn't used or bothered about in millennia. boundaries, lands, a central government etc - and well if you are viewing yourself as guardians of the world it is all too easy to fall into the trap of playing interfering parent albeit only to ensure the peace. Which was exactly Fandral's points, and his words, very much like Saruman's did indeed sound like wisdom to quite a number of night elves, but they were not.
Without a doubt blizzrd can create great plots, but they are truly in need of a much more skilled writer than RIchard Knaak, to really bring out properly these subtelties in story telling, and they certainly need story tellers who actually are good writers and care about night elves to much better portray them in the light and background of what Chris Metzen had already set up for them in warcraft 3.