Getting Started With WoW Roleplay - Blood Elves

Fleshing Out Your RP Character In World of Warcraft

Jul 27, 2009 Pam Griffin

The Blood Elves have an unusual and intriguing past which can provide a fascinating backdrop for role playing against.

The Blood Elves' story started long ago when a group of high elves landed on the shores of Lordaeron and established the kingdom of Quel'Thalas, with the magical Sunwell at its heart. The arcane magic from the Sunwell strengthened the high elves and they established the city of Silvermoon as their capitol.

However a series of battles, first against the Armani trolls and then against the ruthless Arthas and the Scourge left the city in ruins. Prince Kael'thas gathered together the survivors, renamed them Sin'dorei - which means "children of the blood" or blood elves - and took a group of the strongest fighters to join the undead armies of Lordaeron.

The city was rebuilt but the threat of the Scourge still remains, and this is where a character comes into the land of Azeroth.

Speech

The words used by a character can reflect what type of person he or she is and give a hint to other role players of how to act around that person. Blood Elves speak Thalassian as their racial language, and adding just a few phrases to a character's vocabulary can make that character come alive.

Bala'dash = Greetings

A simple greeting, sometimes suffixed by 'malanore', which means traveler. Most non-playing blood elf characters in World of Warcraft use this latter greeting, although a player may wish to simply use the shorter "bala'dash" if the character they are addressing is a friend, or someone who may not have been travelling.

Anaria shola = State your business

A more abrupt greeting often used by city guards in Silvermoon, this could also be used by a character who is busy, or in a hurry, or who just doesn't want to be bothered.

Players should be aware when using this greeting that they may put off other players from talking to them, if the other player is fluent in Thalassian, and so an emote to accompany the greeting could be a helpful guide as to whether the player is looking to role play or really is too busy to talk.

Shorel'aran = Farewell

A general goodbye which is used by many NPCs. Other farewells may invoke the sun, for example "Anu belore dela'n", which translates as "May the sun guide you".

Racial Quirks

As the Night Elves revere the moon, so do the Blood Elves revere the sun. Many of their greetings and most names include some reference to the light or to the sun, and so when a player takes their character into a dark area, for example, into Ghostlands, it may be that the character could feel uneasy.

Conversley, they may feel very comfortable in the sunlight of The Barrens or Durotar, even if the alliance with the orcs and trolls which live there is one of necessity and not of genuine friendship.

Another part of sin'dorei culture is the dependence on arcane magic. While some role players struggle to find the right balance, either by ignoring magic altogether or by acting like a drug addict looking for their next 'fix' of magic, others treat the need for the arcane as they would a need for food, and will just add the occasional emote suggesting that their elf mana taps a passing creature, or plays with a mana crystal.

Have Fun!

No matter how well prepared a role player is, the very nature of the game means a player is likely to come across a situation that throws them and creates an unusual challenge for their character. However, if a player can stay in character, a situation can become an interesting and fun experience.

The copyright of the article Getting Started With WoW Roleplay - Blood Elves in Video & Online Games is owned by Pam Griffin. Permission to republish Getting Started With WoW Roleplay - Blood Elves in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Blood elves revere the sun