The Void's Vainglorious Vagary - A Void Elf RP Guide

Argent Dawn
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Hello everyone! I recently made a slideshow and posted it on /r/wow to bring void elves closer to some players and/or roleplayers. Now, I am a passionate Velf roleplayer myself, but have met many people who seemed a little lost with the idea of roleplaying a void elf, or mentioned being uncertain in how ‘well’ they were doing (even though that’s quite silly!), so I thought I would pump out a guide on the matter!

First things first, you need not take this to heart. This is to help people who would like to have a look at a guide before roleplaying, or simply want to see another perspective of this niche of RP. The end goal is to have fun, and this is just a post that dives into the lore of Velves and how to implement that into RP.

Edit: In addition, anything stated here that is not immediately traced back to lore or other sources is likely just a conclusion I came to. At the end of the day, you’re free to play your character however you want, obviously!

Summary!

  1. Who are the Ren’dorei?
  2. What are the Ren’dorei?
  3. Moral Alignment (ish)
  4. How did my character become a Ren’dorei?
  5. How does my character live?
  6. Jobs, Hobbies, Behaviour, etc.
  7. Sidenotes/Other
  8. Questions? Answers/Speculations
  9. NEW! Additions

Let’s get cracking.

1. Who are the Ren’dorei?

…and why should you care? They’re quite cool, please give them a chance.

The Void Elves are, to put it quite plainly, mostly Blood Elves with a little flavour. Their history is identical to theirs up until an undetermined amount of years ago, when Magister Umbric decided to study the Void. At this point, it is uncertain if his group of people consisted of both Blood Elves and High Elves, but it is very much possible, given the High Elf wayfarers that can be found in Telogrus Rift now.

Umbric and his people studied the Void in Silvermoon, and were exiled after Grand Magister Rommath insisted on the such, presumably fearing them to pose a danger to the Sunwell, which is proven to be quite realistic with Alleria’s visit and the consequences of her approaching said Sunwell quite closely.

However, one must bear in mind that Umbric was aware of the impending exile and that he and his followers decided to pursue the Void regardless. Why did they do that? Why would they follow a power that is known to tear down beings far stronger than a couple of pink elves? Many will assume that it is a blind thirst for power, but there is a little more to it!

Blood Elves have a vehement desire to protect their own people. They are generally a race that is very within itself, and after Arthas attacked Quel’thalas those few decades ago, they have been utterly focused on ensuring their survival. When Umbric decided to dive into the Void, it was with the intention to preserve life . This is a key point to Umbric AND his followers to understand. Their intentions with the Void are, this is stated repeatedly, to do good.

Many have sought to harness the corruptive magic of the Void. Most who tried have fallen into madness. Determined to use this power for the good of Azeroth, Alleria Windrunner is the first mortal to succeed at defying the shadow’s whispers. Coming to the aid of a group of her kin who nearly gave in to the darkness, Alleria has vowed to train these Void Elves to control the shadows within them and pledge their newfound powers to the Alliance.

(That’s from the WoW Allied Races page!)

More on the morals part shortly.

2. What are the Ren’dorei?

Good question! There’s some misconceptions that come with this particular matter, and a lot of things we just don’t know for sure.

Quite obviously, they’re elves that are affected, if not corrupted, with the Void. An Ethereal tried to rid them of their physical bodies and to enslave them in the same breath. Alleria literally saved them from a bodyless existence devoid of free will. As such, the transformation was already underway, but far from finished! Their mental states are sound, and they still inhabit their bodies perfectly fine. Alleria prevented their fall, even if the experience is shown to have been rather painful and potentially scarring. To the day this Guide is written on, Magister Umbric expresses a certain distrust towards Locus Walker, even despite his connection to Alleria.

I know, this part looks shorter than the part above (I’m sorry for that, but a solid basis is key for detailed observations!). There’s loads to speculate in regards to the exact physical limitations and effects the Void had on them, but little is set in stone. We’ll come back to it at the end, for those interested.

3. Moral Alignment (ish)

This is where the schism comes in. Many people, particularly those who dislike Void Elves (which is fair! You do you!) presume them to be evil or ‘morally grey’, when they very rarely even approach the line of the latter.

Void Elves intend to do good with their powers. In the beginning, Umbric was only researching the Void and the potential usage of it to preserve life. This is mentioned multiple times throughout the quest to unlock the Allied Race (here’s a video if you haven’t done it/would like to look at it again!) and remains a theme up until now. That put aside, Void Elf NPCs tend to have lines referencing being very open-minded in a strangely supporting way, wishing to follow their own path and taking into consideration all possibilities available to them.

Now, the elephant in the room is their behaviour during the war effort in Zandalar. Many things they did seem plainly evil and malicious to Horde players especially, but bear in mind that all of it is considered as front line fighting in a war , and even then Umbric often speaks to the Alliance player about being cautious, doing certain things for mental shock value and so forth.

At the end of the day, Void Elves are canonically good , on a moral plain. Surely, you could play a somewhat questionable character, but I would highly advise sticking to leaving their intentions to be pure, even if the means may seem a little dark. I highly discourage from making slap-bang evil void elves.

4. How did my character become a Ren’dorei?

I can’t tell you that!

Just kidding.

…mostly.

The thing is, many motivations could drive a scholar to follow Umbric- and one would be required to follow Umbric or someone else who is following him to become a Void Elf. It is perfectly fine to assume your character used to be a Magister or Farstrider and elected to put their trust into Umbric, we have seen similar situations of Magisters being swayed from, seemingly, their people, when the Scryers settled in Shattrath (even though that clearly was in favour of their people in the long run and in their eyes).

You could play a mage wishing to understand more about how to use the Void for the benefit of all.You could play a blacksmith, tailor and so forth supporting Umbric and following despite not being a scholar to keep everyone supplied and to offer repairs of equipment.You could play a High Elf who heard of the Void Elves exile and wants to take this chance to study the Void with like-minded individuals, hoping not to sacrifice your sanity in the process.You could play someone’s servant, forced to follow their master despite their own wishes (for a more tragic/bitter approach).

There’s a plethora of possibilities, far be it from me to list every single concept that exists. The Void sees all- but I can only type so much.

5. How does my character live?

A wonderful question, and the answer is rather simple: (Almost) However they want.

Most Ren’dorei will be supporting the war effort, plainly put. Not all of them would, obviously, given that there are other ways to assist the Alliance and that there is still research to be done, but a great amount of them would be with Magister Umbric to offer assistance in Zandalar and Kul Tiras. That said, joining the Seventh Legion as a Void Elf is also perfectly plausible and seen in-game (off the top of my head it is shown in Stormsong Valley during the Horde Invasions).

The only thing I would somewhat discourage people from roleplaying is Void Elf civilians. Your people have just been exiled and generously found a secure new home within the Alliance, all of them will be rather eager to prove themselves, and make themselves useful in some fashion. This does, however, not mean that it is impossible altogether. Tailors and innkeepers, as well as Flight Masters would also be some form of support to the overall existence of the Alliance, after all, while keeping your character from jumping into the fray.

Another matter is WHERE your character lives- but there are few boundaries on that one. It is possible to take residence in Telogrus, but you should not feel compelled to keep your character there.

6. Jobs, Hobbies, Behaviour etc.

There’s not too much to cover, here.

Jobs.

Whatever you want, at the end of the day. As stated above, the war effort takes priority during BfA, but there are many ways to support the Alliance without being a soldier. There is also always room for plain researchers and the such! Any occupation that would make sense for an upstanding Alliance citizen should work well!

That said, please bear in mind that mercenaries are not lawful soldiers. They often operate away from a faction, the same applies to bounty hunters. I discourage from making your void elf a mercenary or sellsword in any fashion.

Hobbies.

Wow, this will be exciting: ANYTHING! Alas, it is stated that many Void Elves struggled with dexterity after the incident. Crafts may not come as easily to your character anymore as they used to, and they might decide to pick up something new to slowly ease into things instead. Still, they could get up to just about anything, there are just about no limitations here, so long as they are rather good-willed and ‘legal’, so to speak.

Behaviour.

A lot of people get the general gist of this; Void Elves have a tendency to be haughty and arrogant, still. Alas, it is very likely that they are nowhere near as egotistical as Blood Elves. Umbric is shown to be rather humble, after all. Still, it is difficult to do away with a trait that is quite typical for your proud (former) people. Be polite, be understanding and open-minded, and do your best to earn the acceptance of the Alliance, rather than forcing it or simply demanding it.

It is to be noted that grand displays of emotions and outbursts would seem concerning and strange; they are taught to be quite in check of their emotions, but nothing states that they do not experience them at all.

Edit: I was reminded in the comments to note the matter of the whispers a little more thoroughly. Yes, Void Elves still hear them and yes, the struggle with them. Still, I highly advise against playing them on the edge of insanity. Most of the training they receive is to live with the Whispers without actually falling to them, after all!

7. Sidenotes/Other

A few things that do not particularly fit, noted as a quick drive-by.

Did my character take anything from their previous home with them?

They could have! Nothing really keeps them from taking what they could with them, so long as the means and storage were convenient for travel. That said, estates and the such would be a bit tricky to take with you. Clothes, money, objects of sentimental value could have made it, or your character could still be longing to go back and claim them.

How old is my Void Elf?

Oh, boy. They can be as old as they want, but by no means a teenager or a child. They would drag down the overall group and the matter is quite serious. I advise playing an adult elf, likely one well over a good few centuries. That said, do bear in mind that Blood Elves alone do not have a set mortality in numbers. Anasterian was over the 3000 mark, it is very plausible to play a Void Elf who is well over 2000 years old. It is up to you!

Can my character have pets?

Sure. There’s an NPC next to the embassy in Stormwind who plays with two dogs, it’s quite cute.

How would my character feel about Blood Elves?

That’s up to them! Alas, blindly hating them for the exile seems a stretch. Umbric was entirely aware that this would happen, and while he did argue against it, they ended up accepting the exile. You should also keep in mind that Umbric still feels a sense of unity towards the Sin’dorei, and states wanting to bring them into the Alliance and away from the Horde, too.

How does my character feel about the Alliance?

Great! Sort of. Magister Umbric willingly pledged his people to the Alliance, before Alleria even suggested it. They believe the Void to be a force that is not suitable to fall into the Horde’s hands, and they overall quite disliked the Horde even before they were brought into the Alliance, according to him.

Edit: How Blood Elves feel about Void Elves, however, is another matter entirely. Keep in mind that your character followed a Magister that made use of the Blood Elf traitor Dar’khan Drathir’s notes! While it seems that this only began once they were exiled, it was what ultimately led them to their physical change.

8. Questions? Answers/Speculations

I will fill this area up with questions that arise in the comments/that are sent my way, so stay tuned.

9. NEW! Additions

Some things were mentioned in the comments, I’ll add them to a collapsable category below!

Dar'khan Drathir

@Felamir pointed out the involvement of Dar’khan Drathir’s notes in the research of the Void. Evidently the former Magister is considered a grave traitor among Blood Elves, but one should be aware that Magister Umbric found the artifact bringing change to his people in just this traitor’s notes!

Reception of Void Elves

@Felamir brought some attention to the fact that Void Elves are still treated with malice by other Alliance citizens. While this does not push through the guide well, it’s evidently true! Many of Stormwind’s citizens have plenty of reason to be very suspicious towards them, given Azeroth’s past with the Shadows.

Newcomers to Void Elves

@Crowton pointed out that there are newcomers to the Ren’dorei, evidently. While I would stress that as of this point, we are not certain whether the change can be physically replicated, they definitely train and teach others to wield the Void more proficiently and adhering to Alleria’s teachings.

Void Elves and the Light (oh boy!)

@Ayanae dove into this in their comment! Evidently, Void Elves cannot wield the Light. Without making it a big, biased point, consider it alike fire and water not being able to exist in the same space without affecting one another negatively in some way. You can’t light a fire underwater. How exactly Void Elves react to the Light, however, is a little up in the air. Direct appliance will likely be incredibly painful, but I would consider it a bit much to have them fear and cringe from Lightforged and so forth.

Thanks a lot for reading! Sorry that it got a little lengthy, I hope you found what you were looking for and please, do give me feedback or pose questions in the comments!

10/08/19 - I want to add that regrettably, I can’t recommend any of the void elf guilds around, and mostly suggest trying to get your character into a guild that isn’t racially specific.

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I thought this would be a neat place to place my own void RP guide, too, I hope you guys like it:
Don’t.

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aVOID at all costs.

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A thorough guide. That was a really nice read, thank you :slightly_smiling_face:

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TFW the tauren shadow priest fails at throwing shade.

+1 on the guide, was a good read.

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I unironically like Void Elves. It’s just that half of them are RPd by complete nincompoops in ye olde Stormwind. I’d say the reason why there seem to be so many of them is the same reason why the Horde consists of over 40% blood elves.

All memes aside, overall I had some good RP with some of the gothbois and girls.

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As pointed out in the other thread, I think it’s good to add it here for visibility since it’s relevant to RPing a void elf.

In a recent interview, they confirmed that the average citizen of Stormwind still feels a lot of animosity and hatred towards the void elves to the point of drawing a parallel between them and the Twilight’s Hammer in their eyes.

The Void Elves are popular with players, but in the universe of Azeroth, they’re maligned and stick to the shadows. In the Stormwind Cathedral, Void Elves players are either subtly threatened or politely asked to leave. “The Void is a terrible thing,” Danuser says. “It’s corruptive. [Stormwind] has seen people, including [their] own archbishop, turn against [them]. They saw what Deathwing did, and the Twilight cult that followed him. So to have someone presented to you as an ally is a jarring thing, and not everyone’s going to feel comfortable with that.”

https://www.polygon.com/2019/1/21/18188397/wow-world-of-warcraft-allied-races-story-nightborne-void-elves-steve-danuser-interview

While some military people might be more amiable towards the idea of working with them, the general population isn’t there yet. How that plays into your void elf character’s views on the Alliance is a thing to keep in mind for sure.

Some might not be so willing to give their all to a people who hates them for what they are – others in turn might feel more motivated to prove themselves in their eyes as a result. It depends on the character.

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A good read, Morrowburn! However, there are a couple of points I’d also like to mention, even if I don’t want to turn this thread into a lore debate.

First, I don’t think it was explicitly stated anywhere canonically that void elf biology didn’t change after their transformation, as your guide would lead to be believe

Second, I think it’s worth mentioning for the backstory that recently the headcanon was confirmed in an interview that void elves for a fact train newcomers to the void casting, not all of the void elf members today were in Magister Umbric’s first group.

Redacted. Here’s the source for the second point! Just something Telaryn up there didn’t mention. https://www.polygon.com/2019/1/21/18188397/wow-world-of-warcraft-allied-races-story-nightborne-void-elves-steve-danuser-interview

“They start out as a small group,” Danuser continues. “But it’s natural as other elves have found out about them — elves who are interested in new sources of magic, power, or opportunities — would see if they could undergo a similar process. They’re not … recruiting , necessarily, but they’re open to those who show a similar interest.”

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Good read!

To me the void fills the niche fel used to have years back. Its a corrupting, mysterious and powerful form of magic(?).

But void seems to be a level up from fel, so I’m wondering how a powerful void elf/user would measure up against a powerful warlock.

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This could be simply me, but I do find it curious that the current version of the guide does not mention Dar’khan Drathir, whose research into the void played quite a significant role in the creation of the Ren’dorei

https://wow.gamepedia.com/Dar%27Khan_Drathir#Research_into_the_Void

The reason I find it important is that Drathir played a very important role in the history of Blood Elves, so there is a certain mindset one would adopt to willingly follow the learnings of the Betrayer.

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Sargeras seemed to believe fel was a solid contender for a weapon against the void lords. We know from other sources that it’s nothing like a silver bullet however, with voidspawn/users infamously pulling demons into the Twisting Nether and permanently killing them there.

In RP it surely comes down to it being situational. What makes for the better narrative, is the outcome agreed upon in advance etc. I have no doubt that a capable warlock would prove a match to a void user, regardless.

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Hello hello! I woke up to the pleasant surprise of seeing loads of long, very well-sourced and helpful contributions! Y’all are gonna make me cry before lunch-time. I’m not going to reply to all the long responses but they’re all obviously correct and sourced! I’ll try to squeeze them into the original guide. It’s come to my attention that by trying to keep the guide SOMEWHAT short, I’ve left some room for interpretation and obviously did not tick all the boxes.

@Crowton and @Telaryn thank you for the links and the input! I concur with both points. Regarding the disposition towards Void Elves; I should have likely incorporated it, it simply seemed like it did not weigh as heavily into how -you- would portray your character- obviously, though, even Anduin says that many will keep their distance and take very unkindly to the Void. Crowton makes a good point as well, though I would point out that we do not have any sources stating the physical change is copied to newcomers. It’s plain as day that more join them, you see it immediately in the Rift, however, of course! Thank you both lots!

Also @Felamir quite interestingly noted Dar’khan Drathir, but I will admit off the bat that I’m slightly biased towards this certain point! They did use his notes, which ultimately led them towards the artifact that changed them, but Void Elves themselves will likely distance themselves from the traitor still, given that even Umbric admits that once he dives into Drathir’s research, he finally understands Rommath’s concern. I would also tentatively point out that it is unlikely that the general Blood Elven citizen knows this detail about the Void Elves- if not maybe even some of the Void Elves themselves. I surely would keep it on the down-low if I was Umbric himself.

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I’m certain the average Blood Elf wouldn’t know about it, but I find it as an interesting point to note in a guide none-the-less, as it gives us a certain idea of the void elves that I myself find (perhaps wrongly) very interesting.

Void Elves, to a point, seem to represent a level of pragmatism that the Blood Elves have lost with the new Light-enfused Sunwell.

The inclusion of Drathir’s presence in the guide could showcase that ren’dorei are willing to use whatever means necessary to aid their goals. To somewhat help guide the mindset of the elves and perhaps the culture.

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A small advice I would recommend is change ‘‘Curse of Flesh’’ into something else to avoid people to believe that you refer to the Old God curse.

Other than that I really love the guide simple with the basic information you need to grasp.

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That is actually a very interesting point! I checked the recruitment quest again real quick, on that note, however, and found that it seems like Void Elves only truly dove into researching Drathir’s notes once they were exiled- it might imply hesitance to do so before the exile, and maybe a sense of stubborn defiance that drove Umbric to throw all caution out the window, so to speak, once they were pushed out.

It could be defiance, it could be a willingness to pay any price- both options would make for very interesting characters regardless!

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Thank you for this nice read, as someone who did RP some Voidelves myself and trying to understand them better, I found you did a good job with putting in some basic infos!

However, one thing I would also like to see being pointed out is how the light reacts to them, how they are cannonically unable to wield it (Various sorces I should look up again, some are from the QnA at Blizzcons), how it’s REALLY not advised for a Void elf to even touch someone who has the light flowing through them.

Another point that I see often being quite confusing to people is their mental state. Simply put - they are unstable - Alleria even said that while she belived her powers to be a gift at first now realizes it’s a constant struggle, being constantly bombarded with whispers that try to turn one mad, constantly having to be on edge on trying to distinguish between truths and lies. Some good sorces of that are obviously the “1000 years of war” audio drama and the “three sisters” comic.

But alas, thank you for your time to put out this guide for the new ones trying to get into it! :slight_smile:

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Thank you for the compliment!

I do concur with the Light matter- I may have avoided that hoping it would rather fall under ‘common sense’, ahem! Still, I would say that a lot of Void Elves portray their characters as a little too ‘scared’ of the Light. They are absolutely unable to wield it, and direct appliance will be very painful, but They do not seem to scare away from Lightforged. Do also keep in mind that Alleria isn’t the go-to Void Elf, but a good deal stronger and overall different. They merely use the same powers, and follow similar mindsets!

The whispers are also a good point, but I would keep in mind that the whispers are meant to be tempting! Willpower is key, here; they don’t aim to simply turn you into a useless, blabbering mess, they’re trying to get you to do their bidding, after all. That’s why the Void Elves learn to resist them!

I edited the guide with these two in mind a little, thanks a bunch for the addition!

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This ^

I wasnt sure what to make of the curse of flesh being mention, assuming you just used it as fancy wording for turning them into (presumably) void energy based creatures akin to Ethereals then its fine although may need some elaboration.

If you refer to the actual curse, Elves/Trolls werent one of the titan made races that become organic from this curse. They’re a naturally evolved biological creatures.

No ill will intended of course just pointing it out ^.^

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Changed the wording! It was just meant to be fancy, but in hindsight, I see the implications weren’t very kind, ahem. Thanks, both of you!

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I fear this guide’s issue is that it ultimately has no audience - or a very small one. The trashy teen void elves in Stormwind (90% of void elves together) who need it most won’t read or care for it, and the three people who genuinely like void elves as a concept already made their research.

Still a nice guide, though.

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