Most of the remaining night elves had had enough of aristocracy and arcane magic. Such things were seen as relics of a decadent and shameful past. Even so, Illidan created a second Well of Eternity, for he did not believe that arcane magic was inherently dangerous. Most of the other night elves disagreed, however, and so Illidan was imprisoned. Three of the Dragon Aspects grew the first World Tree, Nordrassil, atop the Well so that the tree, which was linked to the Emerald Dream, would act as a regulator on the Well's magics. Nordrassil also bestowed a number of gifts upon the night elves, including continued immortality.

Tyrande led the drive to reorganize night elf government. She believed that her order, the Sisterhood of Elune, had been too distant from the day-to-day affairs of their people. In her opinion, this distance had been partly to blame for the catastrophic war.

The Sisterhood was greatly revered for its combat and healing skills, and its members had trained as warriors and scholars for generations. Furthermore, the Sisterhood was one of the few sizeable night elf groups to survive the war. Better yet, membership and rank among the Sisterhood had never been based upon family bloodlines.

Inevitably Tyrande decided that her order should take on greater societal responsibilities. Never again would the Sisters of Elune fail in their duty to guide their people. Disbanding the former night elf army, most of which had been based on lineage rather than ability, Tyrande organized a new army called the Sentinels. This army is still directed by the Sisters of Elune, and thus Tyrande has been sole head of the night elf government throughout the ensuing millennia.

Meanwhile, Tyrande's mate, Malfurion, taught the druidic arts to other night elves. This small group of druids dedicated themselves to preserving the balance of nature on Azeroth. Highly respected by the rest of night elf society, the druids are nevertheless outside of it, for they answer to no government. Today the Cenarion Circle welcomes members from a variety of different races, but the organization has no governmental authority over any of these races.