Getting Started With WoW Roleplay - Night Elves

Fleshing Out Your RP Character In World of Warcraft

Jul 27, 2009

The Night Elves, or Kal'dorei, are one of the oldest races in Blizzard's World of Warcraft game and as such provide a wealth of history and lore to base a character on.

With a history that stretched back more than 10,000 years, the immortal night elves lived based on a druidic society. But more recently, when the Burning Legion attacked their home, it was destroyed and they had to give up their immortality.

Their current home, Teldrassil, was planted in an attempt to get back their immortality, and this is the world into which new players find themselves beginning their role play.

Choosing A Name

Night elf names always have a special meaning and are often based on famous characters in the race's history, or on important words from the language. Surnames are family names and due to the race's previous immortality can date back millenia.

First names all have a soft sound to them, often using l, n and th sounds. It is unusual for a night elf to have a name which uses u. Examples of male names are Ilthilior, Mellitharn, Malfurion, Tanavar and Kal. Female names used by official characters include Kaylai, Deliantha, Meridia, Tyranda, and Nevarial.

Family names tend to vary according to the occupation of the elf, but will usually have some reference to nature. A warrior or a sentinal may have a name which includes some type of weapon, for example Moonblade or Glaivestorm; a druid could have a name reflecting nature, such as Oakwalker or Staghorn; and someone who spends time by the sea could have a name highlighting that aspect of their personality, like Seabreeze or Windsinger.

Speech

Using a few phrases of Darnassian - the language of the night elves - can immediately set the scene for role play and flesh out a character by which phrases they favour.

These greetings can be used by any night elf role player to say hello. Some players will maintain that male elves are more likely to use 'alah' and females to say 'dal-dieb', but both greetings are used by both genders in-game so the choice is down to the individual player.

Invoking the blessings of the goddess Elune - and also of the lesser gods Cenarius and Malorne - is a common greeting and farewell among night elves. Common forms would be 'My Elune light your path', 'Malorne guide you', and so on.

A night elf is unlikely to refer to him or herself as such as this is a name given to them by outsiders. Far more likely is that he or she will use the term "kal'dorei", which is the name the elves gave themselves.

Elves' Racial Quirks

Night elves are, as their name suggests, generally nocturnal creatures, so an elf would be unlikely to feel at home in a hot, sunny climate such as that found in the Barrens. As such, a player taking their character to Ratchet may decide that they need to find sunglasses, a hood or a cloak, or may find the light too bright or too hot.

Placing a character in this situation, so far out of a night elf's comfort zone, may not seem to be the most natural setting and may be frowned upon by some role players, but can lead to some interesting role play.

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, by sticking to the simple role playing rules, such a situation can become an interesting and fun experience, and role players should always be willing to try to work their way out of such situations while staying in character so that all the players involved have the best possible experience.

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