Descendants of the Highborne exiled from Kalimdor after The Sundering. They founded Quel'Thalas and created the Sunwell from a stolen vial of the Well of Eternity. Their alliance with humanity dates to The Troll Wars, and they taught the first human mages.
In The Third War, Arthas Menethil cut the Dead Scar through their kingdom to reach the Sunwell and defiled it to raise Kel'Thuzad. Nine in ten high elves died.
The Split
- Blood Elves — the majority, who took the name sin'dorei in mourning and followed Kael'thas Sunstrider through the Dark Portal to feed their arcane addiction. Offscreen at launch.
- High elves proper — the remnant who refused Kael'thas. Some remain with the Alliance: survivors of Dalaran and the Kirin Tor, a delegation in Stormwind City, the rangers at Quel'Danil Lodge in The Hinterlands, and Ambermill in Silverpine Forest. Many are bitter about the Alliance's slow response when their kingdom burned.
Arcane Withdrawal
Both branches are physically dependent on ambient arcane energy and the Sunwell is gone. The high elves endure it. The blood elves have decided to solve it, by any means.
