Of Nerds and Lore

So it was revealed yesterday on my twitter account that yes, Dueg is a nerd of mammoth proportions.  I enjoy tabletop RP, have played the hell out of all sorts of video games for years now, paint miniatures for Warhammer 40k, read science fiction and fantasy… yes, well, I think I’ve made my point.  Anyways, the reason I bring this up is not to show off, or try to excite nerd love among the masses, but more so that you will understand where I’m coming from on today’s post.  For you see, gentle jerkwads, I have a problem, one that cuts to the quick and makes Dueg the saddest of pandas.

While roaming through Ghostlands the other day, as I’m apt to do, I came across a raging debate in progress regarding a bit of lore.  I immediately dove straight in, laying down knowledge like it was my job.  But it had all started with a simple question one that I’ll deign to answer now:  “Why are the Blood Elves part of the horde and the alliance?”  Ha ha, oh simple newb in Ghostlands, I’ll tell you why: Because they’re not.

Maybe Blizzard hasn’t really explained it enough, I know I had to do a small bit of research to dig out the truth myself so allow me to place my lore cap on.  What you silly Alliance have hanging around your cities are High Elves, hereafter referred to as “the riff-raff.”  You see, the riff-raff are hanging out around Alliance cities because they still want to be part of it.  Anyone who’s played Warcraft 3 or is halfway familiar with the lore of the Burning Crusade knows, however, that the Alliance essentially betrayed the blood elves thanks to racial prejudices.  The riff-raff don’t care though, and are trying desperately to shun the legacy of the blood elves.

You see?! GREEN! NO, YOU CALM DOWN!!!

“Oh,” says simple newb, “so blood elves are just evil high elves then?”  My nerd rage boils.  You see, they’re very similar, some might say we blood elves look like the riff-raff and I’ll admit, the similarities are quite striking.  However, the truth is in the eyes.  Blood Elves are magic addicts, everyone knows, some people have even taken to calling them crack elves… how very droll.  The riff-raff are addicts as well, but where as the riff-raff use arcane magic to get their fix, blood elves use fel magic.  This fel magic has been slowly evolving blood elves, changing them to the point where Blizzard has officially acknowledged that they are a separate race in the tabletop RP lore, which is canon.  This is why Blood Elves have green glowing eyes and the riff-raff have blue.

Had the Blood Elves continued drawing fel magic from the tainted sunwell on Quel’Danis Island, they would’ve probably ended up like the Felblood Elves, who have gorged themselves on demonic blood and power.  However, thanks to some hardcore raid groups destroying Kil’Jaedan in the sunwell instance (you didn’t think that was just for loots, did you?), the taint has been removed and the magic flowing from it is now pure light.  But who knows how this will further effect the Blood Elves?  

Look, here’s the point: High Elves are the equivalent of a junkie standing outside the methadone clinic begging from passersby for a fix.  No one around him cares about his problem and thinks he should try to better himself instead of relying on others to do it for him.  Blood Elves, however, are more like 80s style power brokers sitting in our high rises with lifestyles of excess and luxury.  People may not actually care about us, but we can pay them to pretend.  All I’m really saying though, is please don’t compare me to that riff-raff.  It just makes me so mad.

 -Dueg