I decided to write this guide as a follow up to numerous RP experiences as a blood elf; a large amount of players seem to have misconceptions as to what a blood elf actually is, and how they behave.
1) History
The blood elves, like many other races, have a shared experience that binds them together as a people; that of the Scourge invasion, and the almost total destruction of Quel'thalas. However, the blood elves are different to the other races in several respects, which makes them much closer as a people.
Firstly, the Scourge invasion happened only five years ago. No matter what the age of your character is, it will still be extremely fresh in their mind.
Secondly, 90% of the population died. The survivors faced two gruelling tasks - burning their beloved homeland to convince the Scourge to leave, and fighting a heroic last stand on Sunstrider Isle.
What does this mean for your character's general demeanour and personality? Well, unless they have a very, very good reason to be, they are not going to be very happy. Chance are very high that they will have lost large amounts of friends and family in the conflict, and the high elven seclusion and long lifespans mean this will be quite difficult for them to deal with. This means that any overtly happy blood elves are likely to be regarded as either insane or fanatical devotees of Kael'thas. This is a key point to remember; by being a blood elf, you have to have taken part in this conflict, and so you will bear the scars. There isn't much scope for developing a blood elf without including some reference to this event.
2) Government
The blood elf society is largely run by the Magisters, who are overwhelmingly autocratic and arguably totalitarian. Their Arcane Guardians keep the piece by unthinking force, and any dissenters are mind controlled into fitting in.
This has several key ramifications, especially when roleplaying within Silvermoon City itself.
Firstly, you are unlikely to criticise the City or the Government brazenly and in public places, such as the inn. Nor are you likely to declare that this is a free country and you can say what you like. You live in an oppressive nation, and will have to express any dissenting opinions outside of Silvermoon or in secluded places, away from the paths of the Arcane Guardians.
Secondly, unless you are a mage, you are unlikely to hold power. This is something that RPers with stories of aristocracy should bear in mind; if you are not a mage, you are unlikely to hold power in city that defines class by profession. The Farstriders - in game terms, the hunters - offer an alternative power base, perhaps one more morally upright, but they still do not have the upper hand. Please bear this in mind when relating your class to your character's story.
Thirdly, there are two different leaders to which a blood elf holds allegiance - Kael'thas Sunstrider, and Lor'themar Theron. They are two very different people.
Kael'thas has gone insane, and betrayed the city and the people by allying with the Burning Legion. However, many low-level players profess knowledge of this openly in Silvermoon. This does not fit; without visiting Outlands, you will have no knowledge of the fallacy of Kael'tha's promises, and you will not have any contact with the Scryers, who have the truth. Also, any denouncement of Kael'thas in public will likely be switfly quelled by the authorities.
Lor'themar is more tricky; some say that the quest blood elf players are given to contact the horde, in which he tells Thrall something along the lines of "what we suspected is true", shows he knows the truth about Kael. This is open to interpretation, but you must bear in mind that in public he is second to Kael'thas. Privately, your character could talk of him as the true leader, but this would controversial to say in public.
3) Relation to the rest of the Horde and to the Alliance
This is a big issue that blood elf RPers make lots of mistakes with. There is one fundamental rule:
You do not automatically like the rest of the horde.
Remember, you are a cultured, scholarly race, and every other race in the horde is ostensibly completely unlike this. There are also ancient conflicts between some races and your own; you have been fighting trolls for centuries, for instance. While your enemies have never been Darkspears, you are unlikely to trust them, nor are you likely to be pleased to see them in your lands.
Forsaken are a bit different, and a bit more open to individual preference. Some players will prefer to RP a hatred of them, as they are suffering the same affliction that killed the majority of their race and caused Silvermoon's downfall; others, like the questgivers try to reinforce, will see them as valuable allies against the Scourge, and facing a similar plight to the blood elves. It's up to your character's personality here.
Orcs and Tauren will probably be regarded as savage and crude; they are not the traditional allies of the blood elves, and their societies, especially Orcish ones, consider physical rather than mental strength to be the greatest merit. They will most likely have to earn your character's trust and approval.
Humans are also a mixed bag - their racism caused the Alliance to betray your people, but on the other hand you may have had some good human friends whilst in the Alliance, or perhaps in places like Dalaran. You will probably be indifferent towards Dwarves and Gnomes; react to them in a similar way as you react to humans.
Draenei are an uncertainty. If you claim knowledge of Kael's adventures, you will have known they helped the blood elves and Illidan, and so you might look upon them favourably. Otherwise, it's difficult to say how a blood elf would react to them. Thoughts?
4) High Elves
Lots of people use roleplaying a high elf to bypass the necessarily angsty and perhaps undesirable features of being a blood elf. This has a few major issues.
A large amount of high elves still pledge allegiance to the Alliance. Declaring yourself as a high elf should lead to serious mistrust from other members of the horde.
Also, high elves are regarded as cowardly and disrespectful by blood elves for not honouring the fallen by changing their racial identity. You will not be very welcome in Silvermoon, therefore, and may wish to keep your identity secret and your eyes hidden.
Finally, the numbers of high elves are very, very small, and you may wish to claim one of the high elven outposts in the Hinterlands or EPL as your home. Apart from that, there are many interesting RP opportunties for a high elf, especially as a paladin who is actually holy.
5) Classes
Finally, some basic information on each class.
Mages are the elite, and are mostly dealt with earlier in the guide. They could well be reclusive and weary due to extensive studies.
Warlocks are mages that are following a different path. Like all warlocks of all races, you may be mistrusted for this, but this is probably less likely with blood elves than other races.
Priests are two things - they are either true followers of the light, dedicated to restoring hope into their people, or they are akin to shadow mages. Shadow priests, especially in shadowform, will probably be regarded with a mixture of fear and interest.
Rogues are criminals, basically, and will be very low down in society. They will probably be jealous of the spellcasting elite, and may suffer more from their addiction than the magical classes.
Paladins are a very new addition to society; some will shun you, as a either a betrayer of the light and a criminal - Priests, most likely - and some will welcome your powers with open arms. It depends on their reaction. You are likely to have a fairly twisted personality for accepting the imprisonment of a perfectly good creature, but will share the quality of wanting to protect your people with the Allliance paladins.
Hunters have the option of being a member of the Farstriders, who are a part of Silvermoon government, who, while not holding anywhere near the power the Magisters do, are still a power base in Silvermoon. They are much less susceptible to negative magical influence than the caster classes, as are rogues, and possibly feed their addiction from the natural magic that infuses the world. I can't find much information on that, though; it was only a memory of why hunters have mana. Please help me out here. If not Farstriders, which is likely - the Farstriders are a small group - they are probably fairly outcast, perhaps even hermits, as they are remnants of when the high elves were much closer to the natural environment. The starting quests are testament to how far they've seperated themselves from this.
Hope that was interesting, and not too long. If it's popular, I may do a similar guide for other races. Suggestions and opinions welcomed! Enjoy!
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