"Peasants playing at nobility"
The meaning of Elisande’s speech
High elves were mostly civilians and low-level military (generally, rangers from the Farstriders) that went against Silvermoon’s government. Also, there are priests that didn’t lose faith in the Light and dalarani mages.
The high elves were against the traditional isolationism of Quel’thalas, felt kinship with the Alliance races and wanted Silvermoon to remain a part of the it. Even when Quel’thalas left the Alliance, many high elves continued to serve it, despite the calls to return home.
“Most of the remaining ‘high’ elves had chosen to remain with the Alliance following the Second War, and did not return to their kingdom following the Third.”
— Ultimate Visual Guide, pg 69
The blood elves, on the other hand, were led by the magisters and the upper levels of the military. During the dark times, when the schism became more evident, the blood elven leadership chose to exile high elf dissenters in order to silence them.
“Five years ago I threw them out of the homes they had fought for every bit as fiercely as anyone in Quel’Thalas today.”
— Lor’themar Theron about the High Elven exile
Silvermoon joined the Horde due to necessity rather than affinity. Blood elf society looked up to Kael’thas as a savior and Outland as a promised land where their hunger could be sated. They wanted the help of the Horde to reach it. Beyond that, the Horde would lose its usefulness.
“Hawkspear was right: I deal with the devil indeed”
— Lor’themar Theron about his alliances
However, when Kael’s true colors were shown, the blood elves had no choice but to remain in the Horde. They couldn’t leave it as they still needed its protection, but there was a time, during Garrosh’s reign, that Lor’themar considered switching sides with the Alliance.
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As such, while the high elves respect the Alliance and think of it as a worthy ideal, the blood elves prefer to remain isolated and maintain alliances out of necessity.
“Most sin’dorei are content to live out their entire lives in the confines of Silvermoon City.”
— Sin’dorei Esara Verrinde
Indeed, the nightborne of Suramar are the first race that the sin’dorei ever felt true kinship with.
When Elisande called the quel’dorei “peasants playing at nobility”, she was pointing the fact that the high elves are not true “highborne”, but formed from the lower groups of former thalassian society. As common folk, scholars, soldiers and spiritual leaders, they lack the nobility that remained within Quel’thalas.
This is no disadvantage; on the contrary, it means the quel’dorei are more likely to adapt to whatever challenges they may face. That’s why they survived, despite being homeless and outnumbered by their enemies.
