Since the Night Elves have lost Darnassus, people are expecting them to go settle in Hyjal by the new Well of Eternity, and it undoubtedly makes sense.
But what if the druid guardians of Nordrassil did not want the area to become too heavily inhabited/urbanized?
In such case, maybe the Shen’dralar mages could team up with their trainees and a number of displaced Darnassians to reclaim the ruins of Dire Maul and make a new home in the luxuriant forests of Feralas.
After cleansing and rebuilding, it could look awesome!
As seen here: https://www.argentarchives.org/node/238564
And, imagine how many secrets could still lay undiscovered in ruins of the ancient city: it WAS the archive of Azshara’s most precious tomes after all.
Dire Maul Capital Q&A
1. Wouldn’t Hyjal be a much more logical choice?
Not saying it isn’t, but one has to wonder how the druids and priesthood may feel about urbanizing Nordrassil and the new Well of Eternity. Such a powerful and sacred site might be better protected by its guardians and only allow a few trusted adventurers and scholars rather than become a playing field for the masses.
2. How about any other settlements on Kalimdor?
There are currently no large settlements left on Kalimdor: just small villages which could not possibly accommodate all of the displaced Night Elves. Scavenging the ruins of an ancient city for resources to build a new settlement on the same site would be much easier than obtaining/moving them elsewhere. Also, Eldre’Thalas is close to Feathermoon, one of the major night elven military strongholds.
3. But Dire Maul lies within Horde territory?
Not quite. The Chronicles [Volume 3, pg. 120] state that it was Horde adventurers who completed the Dire Maul dungeon, but that’s hardly the same as declaring that the Horde permanently occupied the ruins of Eldre’thalas or that the whole region was conquered.
Furthermore, the Night Elves’ veteran troops being sent down through Feralas to respond to the Silithus feint was a plot point in how the Horde was able to steamroll through Darkshore as hard as it did during the War of the Thorns, and since it can be argued that the Alliance still has more presence there than the Horde, holding a military stronghold vs a small tauren camp, Feralas can very easily be considered at least partly under Night Elf control.
But even IF things had recently changed (not stated anywhere), since it’s clearly the Horde’s (Silvana’s) fault if the Night Elves do not have a capital any more, the ruins could be gifted back to the Night Elves as a gesture of good will and repentance. I am sure the Tauren/Baine would find it reasonable.
4. But the scrolls hidden in Dire Maul are dangerous!
Nobody says they would all need to be put to use. They could try to salvage what applicable to noble deeds, and destroy or lock away the rest to prevent it from falling into the wrong people’s hands. The point being: the discovery of ancient secrets is always a pleasant theme for a quest line. We could get more insight into Azshara’s character which may come in handy eventually. And sure, there could be greedy NPCs that need be stopped. But that’s what Heroes are for, right?
5. Still, the aesthetics of elven cities belong to the Horde!
Indeed, which is why this is NOT about a small Suramar or a second Zin-Ashari.
Imagine a forest-city rich in temples and gardens where columns and trees all come to make part of the same structure built around nature rather than its place. (If you have not already done so, please check the images in the link above!)
A new night elven capital would need to maintain the same kind of vibe we had in Darnassus as well as we still have in many shrines of Elune scattered around Azeroth. Hence, it should be based on an open architecture that can intertwine with nature and be a whole with it.
Besides, even the reintegrated night elven Highborne originary of Eldre’Thalas can be considered forest-dwellers, having wandered for years in the dense woodlands of Feralals to cleanse themselves off demonic powers before seeking audience in Darnassus.
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