Legends of Warcraft #10: the split of the Elves

July 3, 2026•Lore•Brendo Arruda

"Legends of Warcraft" series — Legends #10. The prehistory of Warcraft in order, from the creation of the universe to the last Guardian of Tirisfal. The episodes are listed in order at the end of the post.

The split of the elves is the moment when one people becomes two. After the Great Sundering, the night elves swore to give up arcane magic. The Highborne who survived did not accept it, kept practicing and were cast out. Led by Dath'Remar Sunstrider, they crossed the sea to the Eastern Kingdoms and, there, gave rise to the high elves, the ancestors of the blood elves.

Who the Highborne were

The Highborne were the night elf nobility in Azshara's time, those closest to the queen and to the Well of Eternity. They were the ones who used arcane magic the most, and they were the ones who helped open the way for the Legion in the War of the Ancients.

Not all of them followed Azshara to the end. Some Highborne fought alongside the resistance and survived the Sundering. Malfurion allowed them to stay with the other elves on Mount Hyjal, on one condition: no more arcane magic.

The magic that was never abandoned

For the Highborne, giving up magic was like giving up breathing. They had grown dependent on it, and many suffered without it. For centuries, they practiced in secret.

Things came to a head when the reckless use of arcane magic caused a magical storm that devastated part of the elves' lands. For the druids, it was proof that the Highborne would never change.

The exile

The night elf leaders decided that the Highborne could no longer live in Kalimdor. Killing them was not an option, so they were exiled.

The Highborne, led by Dath'Remar Sunstrider, built ships and set out east, crossing the sea to a continent they barely knew: the Eastern Kingdoms. As they left, they gave themselves a new name, quel'dorei, which means "children of noble blood". Humans would call them high elves.

Before leaving, Dath'Remar took something forbidden with him: a vial of water from the Well of Eternity. It is the seed of the next episode.

The journey through the Eastern Kingdoms

The elves reached the lands that are now Lordaeron and tried to settle in Tirisfal. Something in that region, however, affected the elves and made them uneasy, and they traveled on to the north.

In the far north, they found forests similar to the ones they had left behind. They decided to stay there. The problem was that those forests already had owners: the Amani trolls.

The Highborne who stayed

Not all the Highborne left with Dath'Remar. One group settled in Eldre'Thalas, a city in Feralas, in southern Kalimdor. Led by Prince Tortheldrin, they imprisoned a demon, Immol'thar, to use his energy and keep their magic alive.

Millennia later, Eldre'Thalas became a ruin full of ogres and demons. In WoW, it is the Dire Maul dungeon, and the elves who still live there are the Shen'dralar.

Why this split matters

From here on, Warcraft's elves follow two paths:

The night elves, who stay in Kalimdor, give up arcane magic and live bound to nature, to Elune and to the druids.
The high elves, who go east, keep arcane magic and found Quel'Thalas. Millennia later, they become the blood elves.

It is a rivalry that lasts all the way to WoW: night elves and blood elves are on opposite factions and remember very well why they split.

Who's who in this episode

| Name | Who it is | |------|--------| | Highborne | The old night elf nobility, who would not give up arcane magic. | | Dath'Remar Sunstrider | The leader of the exile and ancestor of the royal family of Quel'Thalas. | | Quel'dorei | The name the exiles gave themselves, "children of noble blood". Humans called them high elves. | | Tortheldrin | The prince of the Highborne who stayed in Eldre'Thalas, today's Dire Maul. | | Shen'dralar | The elves who still live in the ruins of Dire Maul. |

Where to see it in WotLK

Dire Maul, in Feralas: the ruins of Eldre'Thalas and the Shen'dralar, the Highborne who stayed in Kalimdor.
Azshara: the zone with the ruins of the Highborne from Azshara's time.
Eversong Woods and Silvermoon: where the descendants of the exiles built their kingdom.
Ghostlands and Zul'Aman: the border between the elves and the Amani trolls, who fought over the forests where the exiles settled.