User:Jormungand01/Talah'danil

The Talah'danil is a mountain in the eastern part of the Redridge Mountains, just east of what is now the Burning Steppes. To the ancient Night Elves it was just as revered as Hyjal, and was often considered its eastern twin. Shrines to Elune were built on the two peaks and outside Zin'Azshari, and by a complex arrangement of mirrors allowed signals to be sent from one end of the continent to the other instantaneously. After the Sundering the priestesses who had tended the shrine of Talah'danil were trapped on the other side of the world to the other night elves, and together with a small number of refugees they founded their own society of nomadic tribes.

Three thousand years later the fledgeling civilisation was shattered by an unexpected visitor. Over the years the new Talah'dorei had come under increasing attack by vengeance-hungry trolls and only a handful of tribes survived. But then the High Elves landed on the shores of Lordaeron and unwittilingly destroyed the last few. Seeing no alternative the Talah'dorei returned to their mountain and hid in the caves for thousands of years.

When the mountains were shattered by the summoning of Ragnaros a massive flood of molten rock swept across the landscape, resulting in the relatively flat ground seen today. The lava managed to find its way into the caverns sending the elves fleeing, but eventually they found themselves trapped in a dead end with the fires advancing towards them. The shamans and sorcerers combined their might to save their people, and just as the lava swallowed them they succeeded in sealing the elves into the stone.

When the Horde invaded the Blackrock Clan took over rule of the Redridge Mountains and sent teams of excavators to prospect for ores. One group stumbled across Talah'danil and followed what appeared to be a particularly rich vein of rock, but unwittingly removing all the cooled lava that had blocked the caves. At last the orcs discovered an open chamber filled with thousands of statues of elves. Thinking they were nothing of interest, the orcs ignored the statues until they began to crack open and reveal living Lost Elves.

Today most of those who survived the encounter with the orcs have sailed across the sea to be reunited with the Night Elves. A few still remain in their ancestral home, waging war against the orcs who wish to utilise the mountain to its full potential. Tor'gal Feathermoon, brother of Shandris, is their leader. And far up on the highest peak of the Eastern Kingdoms there still stands an ancient temple, with one last Sister of Elune delivering praises to the Mother Moon, and which for the first time in ten thousand years moonlight is travelling back and forth between the twin peaks.