Silvermoon City


 * "The glorious Silvermoon City has been home to the elven population of the Eastern Kingdoms for millennia."

Silvermoon City (aka Silvermoon) is the capital of the blood elves, located in the northeastern part of the Eversong Woods within the kingdom of Quel'Thalas, at the northernmost tip of the Eastern Kingdoms.

The crown jewel of the blood elves is their capital of Silvermoon City, nestled in the Eversong Woods in their ancestral lands of Quel'Thalas. The beauty of the spires and thoroughfares of Silvermoon stand in stark contrast to the Dead Scar, the tainted path that Arthas tore through the city in his quest for power. Though nearly destroyed by Arthas' attack on the Sunwell, Silvermoon is once again a thriving city - although the permanent devastation to their capital serves as a grim reminder of an uncertain future for the blood elves.

History


The city of Silvermoon was founded by the high elves to be their capital after their arrival in Lordaeron thousands of years ago. The city was constructed out of white stone and living plants in the style of the ancient kaldorei empire and interwoven with the natural topography of the landscape. The city contained the famous Academies of Silvermoon as a center for the learning of Arcane Magic and Sunstrider Spire, a majestic palace home to the Royal family of the high elves. The Convocation of Silvermoon (also known as "The Council of Silvermoon"), the ruling body of the high elves was also based here. Across a stretch of ocean to the north is the island that contains the Sunwell.

Under the rule of High King Anasterian Sunstrider, Silvermoon City stood strong in the face of several conflicts within Quel'Thalas. The Troll Wars, perpetrated by the vengeful Amani empire (whom the high elves had banished after their exodus to Quel'Thalas), was among the first.

Silvermoon City stood for millennia. During the Second War the city itself was left relatively unscathed due to the efforts of elven magi who used the powers of the Sunwell to create a magical barrier over the city making it impervious to the Horde's dragon fire. However, in the Third War the death knight Arthas led the Scourge into the city, attacking it on his quest to reach the Sunwell. The High Elven King and the Convocation were slain and the majority of the population killed. Scourge forces held the city for a time, but abandoned it after the depletion of its resources.

Though the city was attacked by the Scourge, the undead left the buildings mainly intact. For a time the city was a ghost town empty except for dead plants, the occasional body sprawled across the cobblestones and mournful elven spirits. The only visitors to the city were treasure hunters in search of any valuable artifacts that the elves left behind before they deserted the city, but the ghosts of Silvermoon's past inhabitants made stealing difficult.

Following the decimation of the high elves, the survivors renamed themselves "blood elves" in honor of their fallen people. The elven prince, Kael'thas Sunstrider, took several of his most powerful followers to do battle with the Scourge in Lordaeron, and commanded the great ranger Lor'themar Theron to relieve the elven homeland of the Scourge's taint. The blood elves under Lor'themar made numerous attempts to salvage the ruins of Silvermoon, though the already overstretched Farstriders could make little dent in the face of the Scourge. However, this one-sided struggle was to take an unexpected turn.

Silvermoon Reclaimed
Following the events of The Sunwell Trilogy, Lor'themar Theron and Halduron Brightwing were approached by a contingent of magisters sent back to Quel'Thalas on the order of Kael'thas. Their leader, a master-magi named Grand Magister Rommath, shared with his people the radical new teachings advocated by Kael'thas (and by extension, Illidan Stormrage), leading to the blood elven people finding a reinvigorated drive to retake their homeland. Under Rommath's command, the magisters quickly went about reclaiming and rebuilding much of Silvermoon City "almost overnight" - their volatile new powers making quick work of the Scourge.

Silvermoon City was reconstructed in an elaborate manner. The towering spires of Silvermoon rose skyward once again, and the entire eastern section of Silvermoon has been wholly reclaimed by the sin'dorei. The western portion, however, has been beyond conventional healing - the Dead Scar slicing through it proving an obstacle.

A great deal of demonic energy has been used to fully empower the city. Chained crystals, full to the top with harnessed magic, now dot the city and power up all the various magical contrivance, including many floating spires and castles. Since the blood elves are cut off from the rest of civilization by the dangerous Plaguelands, an Orb of Translocation has been made connecting Silvermoon to Undercity.

Silvermoon also housed an imprisoned naaru named M'uru for a time, whose powers were drained by the magisters in order to empower the Blood Knight order under Lady Liadrin's command. Silvermoon is ruled by the Regent Lord of Quel'Thalas, Lor'themar Theron, who holds court with the ranger-general of Silvermoon, Halduron Brightwing and the Grand Magister of Quel'Thalas, Rommath.

Silvermoon's will was tested when the city was set upon by none other than Kael'thas himself, fresh from his defeat in Tempest Keep. He stole M'ruru and spirited the naaru away to the Sunwell Plateau.

Magically-automated guardians constantly remind everyone in the city of the blood elves' leader and savior, Prince Kael'thas, by reciting lines of carefully-worded propaganda. This helps prevent the blood elven denizens of the city from forgetting to whom they owe their absolute loyalty. However in 2.4 the Arcane Guardians have been changed to reflect Kael'thas' betrayal and give propaganda referring to Lor'themar Theron as the savior of the blood elves instead. Additionally, Silvermoon City Guardians critiqued by Champion Vranesh no longer praise Kael'thas as the "Sun King."

Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall
The blood elves are trapped in a struggle with their hunger for magic, caught between mastering this desire or letting it master them, and the duality of Silvermoon reflects their inner struggle. One side ruined, one side restored to its former glory; magnificent on the outside, lingering darkness on the inside. Small details like floating flowerpots and the omnipresent glowing green crystals further underline the idea that the rulers of this city are completely drunk on magic. However, the truly interesting insights reveal themselves when players look closer at what is going on in Silvermoon City. Beyond the luscious avenues, behind the rich billowing curtains, lie dark and gloomy interiors, and those who explore the other side of Silvermoon City may find that the city's beautiful facade serves only to hide the true, more-sinister side of the city.

Geography
The inhabited half of the city is arranged into separate but linked areas that each carry a unique feel.
 * The Shepherd's Gate (main gate)
 * Walk of Elders (area just beyond main gate)
 * The Bazaar (large trade area northwest of Walk of Elders)
 * The Royal Exchange (second large trade area northeast of Walk of Elders)
 * Murder Row (seedy area north of Walk of Elders)
 * The Sanctum (Warlock guild)
 * Farstriders' Square (military district north of The Royal Exchange)
 * Court of the Sun (royal district beyond Murder Row and The Royal Exchange)
 * Sunfury Spire (the royal palace)
 * Inner Sanctum (Undercity teleport beyond the throne room)

Points of interest
The following points of interest are to be found in Silvermoon City:
 * Two banks
 * Two auction houses
 * Two inns
 * 10 mailboxes
 * The flight master can be found outside the city gates
 * An Orb of Translocation (found in the Inner Sanctum, Sunfury Spire), allowing instant teleportation to Undercity.

Notable characters


Lor'themar Theron is the Regent Lord of Quel'Thalas in the absence of Prince Kael'thas and the current leader of the blood elves on Azeroth. With Kael'thas' betrayal and eventual demise, Lor'themar has seemingly become the sole ruler of his people. Halduron Brightwing is Silvermoon's new Ranger-General, and is the blood elves' military commander on Azeroth. Grand Magister Rommath is the leader of all blood elf magi on Azeroth, and was a fiercely loyal servant to Kael'thas.

M'uru is the Naaru that the blood elves captured and was the source of the blood knight's power in the Light. He could previously be found beneath the paladin trainers area, where it was watched over by Magister Astalor Bloodsworn, who is behind the idea, and Lady Liadrin, who volunteered to be the first ever blood knight. Since 2.4, M'uru has been kidnapped and taken to the Sunwell Plateau where he serves as a 25-man raid boss, and Liadrin is no longer present, instead appearing in a periodic dialogue scene that occurs in Shattrath with A'dal.

Another quite obvious and yet unknown character is Champion Vranesh. Originally seen patrolling the city streets atop an epic Charger mount, though the NPC was only level 20, he has recently been updated to level 60. His favorite pastime is to critique the city guards. Who he is and how exactly he obtained his title is unknown.

Flight
Note: Silvermoon can be reached via flight path from the rest of the Eastern Kingdoms if you have met the Eastern Plaguelands flight master, Georgia, at Light's Hope Chapel.
 * Tranquillien
 * Sun's Reach

Teleport

 * The Undercity

Western Silvermoon
It has been widely speculated whether or not the western portion of Silvermoon could, in time, be reclaimed by the blood elves. With the much-reduced Scourge presence in Eversong, and the efficiency of which the magisters were able to rebuild eastern Silvermoon, it could (in theory) stand to reason that the other half may be salvaged in time, if not via the powers of the magisters, but via the presence of Horde shamans and druids in the city. Several blood elves have made mention of the Dead Scar proving an obstacle beyond healing, however.

The Sunwell's protection

 * During the Second War, the Sunwell itself proved a huge advantage to Silvermoon and Quel'Thalas. The Sunwell directly empowered its citizens, its great power tied to Quel'Thalas and her people, and ensured that none of the invading red dragons could so much as touch the capital. These defenses were only bypassed by Arthas, who had gained the loyalty of a great traitor in the upper echelons of Silvermoon, a turn of events which ultimately ended in the Sunwell's destruction.
 * However, with the Sunwell restored, it is unclear as to whether Silvermoon once again possesses these great defenses.

Notes, tips, and additional info

 * Sorim Lightsong is the quest giver for the repeatable runecloth quest that must be completed by non-blood elf Horde players in order to obtain the possibility of riding hawkstriders, the mount of the blood elf race. He actually makes a joke about this when spoken to, saying "You're merely after a Hawkstrider, aren't you?"
 * As a tribute to the first blood elf to hit level 67 during the beta, the paladin trainer Bachi was named after the player Bachi.
 * The city's guards, "Silvermoon City Guardians" use a distinctly different model than other male blood elves, made to resemble the Spellbreakers of old Quel'Thalas with tall shields and large glaives. This model is based on an older blood elf player model from The Burning Crusade's pre-alpha builds, which were in use at the time of the expansion's announcement at Blizzcon.
 * Arguably the largest city on Azeroth, however it is still argued even more that Stormwind and Darnassus surpass it (especially after Patch 3.0.2, with the opening of Stormwind Harbor).
 * It is amusing to note that the female blood elf /silly emote, "You mean, I'm STUCK with this hair color?!" seems to be, in principle at least, quite accurate; as there is no barber shop in Silvermoon City, those blood elves wishing to change their character models must visit another city to do so.
 * The old main gate of the city was completely destroyed during the Third War, and the Shepherd's gate is used in its stead.
 * Silvermoon today is only the eastern half of the original city; the western half was almost completely destroyed by the Scourge during the Third War. Falconwing Square, the second blood elf town, is the only part of western Silvermoon remaining in blood elf control. The Dead Scar (the path taken by Arthas Menethil and his undead army on the quest to resurrect Kel'Thuzad, which carves through all of Eversong Woods) separates the rebuilt Silvermoon from the ruins of the western half. Interestingly, the Ruins of Silvermoon house no undead, instead they contain Wretched and malfunctioning Arcane Guardians.
 * Silvermoon, unsurprisingly, is a hotspot for blood elf roleplay on roleplaying servers.