The Warcraft Encyclopedia/Moon Guard

This article is a copy of "The Warcraft Encyclopedia," an official article by Blizzard Entertainment. It presented information about a variety of things in the Warcraft universe. The original article, formerly located at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/encyclopedia/index.xml, did not survive the overhaul of the World of Warcraft Official Website.

Status: Obsolete

Last known leader: Latosius

Established long before the War of the Ancients, the Moon Guard were spellcasters who guarded the capital city of night elf society from external threats.

Membership
Tradition dictated that only night elf men be permitted into the Moon Guard's ranks. Moreover, sorcerers who sought to join the Moon Guard were required to demonstrate considerable talent in wielding arcane magic. After the Great Sundering, the night elves dissolved all organizations that made use of such magic, including the Moon Guard.

History and Organization
In ancient times, the rise of magic in night elf society brought with it a variety of new abilities and concerns. Given the power of the Well, it seemed obvious that combat skill alone would not suffice to counteract magical attack. Only a few scattered soldiers were found to possess magical skills, and such abilities were minor at best.

Thus, a number of magic-based fighting organizations sprang up, each of them meant to defend a critical population center. Spellcasters of sufficient strength and ambition sought out the capital city of the night elf civilization, hoping to earn favor with some heroic deed. Eventually this particular group gained the monarchy's official sanction, and they were named the Moon Guard. Loyal only to the ruler of the night elves, the Moon Guard soon regarded other spellcasters with disdain and expected them by default to possess inferior magical ability.

Their arrogance received a sharp blow during the War of the Ancients. When the Well of Eternity imploded, the Moon Guard lost the greatest part of its power. In addition, the war and its catastrophic consequences led to widespread condemnation of arcane magic. Thus, the organization was disbanded, and its surviving members renounced the sorcery that had once been their primary purpose.

Some of them turned instead to druidism, seeking to redress the imbalance their magic had caused. These former sorcerers consequently became some of the first students of Malfurion Stormrage. As a result, the druidic arts were long viewed as a man's purview.