Originally Posted by
ravenmoon
Yes, this exactly, The Farondis Highborne capture themore balance sensitive, responsible wielding heart of the Hgihborne, they are a reflection of whatHighbonre who werne't swayed by Azshara's obsession were like, what the caste must have been like before they got addicted, and this is how I expect a humbled night elf, even a high noble like the Highborne would bel ike.
they'd remember the original nobility, without diminsihing thier arcnae love, but itwould be tempered with balance.
And everyone forgets the new Darnassian Highborne, and the Moonguard druids, even those that return tot eh arcane, would not be the same arrgoant lot after 10k years of nature and balance.
People don't even consider that this lot actually schose to stay behind and honour the ban becuase their desire tot protect he world outweighed theislefish need to continue their arcane studies, it would have been tough for them, but they endured it, some perhaps viewed it as punishment or penance, others as duty, or what was the right and noble thing to do, in a world without the arcnae, the need for thier old society structures was un-necessary, no one complaiend when Tyrande disbanded the moonguard and the relevance for the honorific of Highborne faded in a society that had no civilziaiton.
All this changes when they come out of isoaltion and the long vigil and enter the world again, however, the type of Highbornethey'd become would not be the same as the arrogant fools , full of hubris that typified the caste at the end of Azshara's reign. But most people who were aware of this don't think to this level of depth about what the implications of the evnts that have unfolded would mean.
I find it rare to find people who actually factor in what the Lon vgil would have done or affected those who return to being highbonre and new Darnassians who join the shen'drlaar, and find it hard to think that they wouldn't influence thier more arrogant teachers, who inturn would have been affected substantially by their recovery from addiction and seeing the level of wisdom andn obility in the more simple living Darnassians, especially the druids.
The druids may seem primitve to manybecause of how they look, dress and live, but they are anything but tothose who know them, they are full of wisdom and humility, and are fully aware of the high flying lifestyle they were once a part of and woudl have contributed to as, but adopted a new lifestyle and seen its value. While some may return to the arcane, they'd have a profound sense of realism and balance, that would exceed intellect alone. To be honest, they would be the true leaders and visionaries a step above the old intellectual arrogance.
As such the Darnasisans would possess a wisdom and enlightenment htat superseded their former pre-sundering selves, Iw ould say a level to which the Nightborne only just come out of hte old system would not have yet. ANd indeed, despite all their advanced magic and capability to do civilziation well, the Shen'dralar Highborne would not have reached that level of presience.
It offers an exciting future for the night elvs and one that is a bit turned over on its head, like most night elf stuff is. I can foresee the highborne bringing back a magical advanced kaldorei civilziation bakc, with cities etc, but actually the true leaders and most revered of their society won't e the high fliers in their cities the world esteems, but the humble wise men druids in the secluded forests everyone else think are simpletons and primitives by the way they dress and the caves they live in, but are shocked when they realise their high and mighty Highborne scholars and magicians, world renowened and revered actually defer to these "simpletons" that the world's elites in other races like humans and Thalassians don't regard as anything special because they're dressed simply and live humbly.
And this vision doesn't entail kaldorei society becoming a fully arcane society, but it acknowledges that they would have advanced magical cities alongside vast forest communities, because the highborne would develop cities and largely stay there, and night elves who deal with foreigners and other races would stay int hose places, but the resto f hte kaldorei who continue their duties to nature or ELune would be in more isoalted regions of forests living hte type of life they're use to. THese would be the larger populace, hidden mostly from the world.
When the world sees the kaldorei they'd only recognise them fromtheir city and typically not pay much to their forest life, not realising actually the heart of this kaldorei nation is actually in the forest, not hte fancy city - it's an upside down thing - and it's what makes the ngiht elves intriguing.
If you split the Highborne away entirely to be only invovled with the nightborne, you lose this.