Compared to the incomplete Worgen transformation, Andreas's wolf form was the orthodox Druidic shapeshift.
Before he could even finish thoroughly researching the nuances of the wolf form, Fandral arrived hurriedly from Astranaar early the next morning. Unsurprisingly, it was for the sake of the wolf form Andreas had just perfected; Malfurion believed that this new, orthodox lupine transformation might help soothe the Worgen's primal rage.
However, Andreas quickly poured cold water on the Archdruid's hopes.
"Though both rely on Goldrinn's power for transformation, strictly speaking, Worgen and the wolf form are not the same species at all. The power-operating patterns of the two have very distinct differences."
In the reception hall of the Lord's Manor in Moonshadow's Rest, Andreas explained to Fandral in as concise language as possible.
Worgen were an unnatural species resulting from mutations when blindly using Goldrinn's power to shift; their very life forms had been altered by the distortion of rage. The wolf form transformation, on the other hand, was merely a new shape for a Druid. The person using it remained a Night Elf, and their fundamental life form would not change. It was just that, for the moment, no one other than Andreas had mastered it.
"Is that so..." Fandral scratched his head and sighed. "Though my mentor hasn't said it explicitly, I know he has always been deeply self-reproachful about the creation of the Worgen, feeling that he failed in his duty as the Archdruid."
"Recently, he has buried himself in the heavy workload of founding the Cenarion Circle. On one hand, it's to prevent similar tragedies from happening again; on the other... it's his way of punishing himself."
Andreas remained silent for a moment, then reached out to pat Fandral's sturdy arm. "I know. The mentor has always been that kind of stubborn, soft-hearted man."
"Regrettably, I cannot help him much more regarding the Worgen issue. Perhaps, as Goldrinn said, only time can soothe the fire in their hearts."
Recently, the Druids in Astranaar had been busy with the establishment of the Cenarion Circle. After recording the details of the experience and risks of the wolf transformation and handing them to Fandral, his old friend—who was always in a rush—was sent back to Mount Hyjal by the Moon Guards.
Before Fandral left, Andreas casually inquired about his son, who was gradually growing into an adult. Fandral proudly stated that his Valstann would surely become a great Druid in the future, perhaps even surpassing his own father.
So he still named him Valstann...
With a slight sigh, Andreas put the matter aside for now; after all, Valstann's crisis was still a long way off.
...
Although Andreas was the first to complete the orthodox wolf form, promoting it was no easy task. Goldrinn's power was violent and difficult to master; a Druid would need to reach at least the level of an elite like Feron to have any hope of successfully completing their first wolf transformation.
Feron, who had been quite green during the War of the Ancients, had now become one of the pillars of Moonshadow's Rest. Relying on his merits in managing and coordinating the town's Druids, this second-generation Druid was gradually becoming a mainstay of the new generation within the order.
One hundred and twenty-six years after the end of the Worgen War, the Cenarion Circle founded by Archdruid Malfurion was finally nearing completion. All members of the Druidic sects joined this new organization one after another, continuing their efforts to maintain natural harmony in a standardized manner.
Excluding Cenarius, who served as the honorary leader, the Cenarion Circle was presided over by Archdruid Malfurion himself, with several core council members beneath him. Lorthar Heavehoof, Shean Moonclaw, Koda Steelclaw, Fandral Staghelm, and Andreas Moonshadow—these high-ranking members of the Druidic faith were all granted the title of Councillor by Malfurion.
Additionally, the council included Remulos, the Keeper of the Grove stationed at Nighthaven, the headquarters of the Cenarion Circle in Moonglade. He essentially joined the council as a representative for his transcendent father, Cenarius.
Using Remulos's joining as an opportunity, Malfurion invited other races interested in pursuing the path of the Druid to join the Circle. Although Fandral had some reservations about this, he eventually gave his reluctant consent under Andreas's persuasion.
Aside from the "nepotism" hire, Remulos, the first non-Night Elf Druid to join the Cenarion Circle was named Elerothe, a Treant Druid specializing in the Restoration branch. Andreas took the chance to invite members of the various Tauren tribes in Kalimdor who were interested in Druidism to join the Circle.
Because of the changes brought by Andreas, the Tauren joined the Cenarion Circle several thousand years earlier than in the original timeline. However, due to opposition from certain conservative Night Elf Druids, non-Elf Druids were temporarily unable to hold high-ranking positions within the Circle. Nonetheless, it was a good start for the Cenarion Circle to reach out to the wider world.
As Fandral's apprentice, Feron had once held a conservative stance toward other races. However, under Andreas's years of personal teaching and example, the young Druid had gradually moved away from his past isolationist views, learning to view the world with an open mind.
As a hero who played a vital role in the Battle of the Well and the Satyr War, Andreas was already hailed as a hero by many within the race. His public stance provided Malfurion with powerful support. The Archdruid took the momentum to issue invitations to the Furbolgs and Quilboars, but this time, it was not as smooth as inviting the Tauren.
The Furbolgs, after all, were not followers of Cenarius. Although they also revered the path of nature, their situation was similar to the Tauren's—they preferred using the way of the Shaman to express their love for nature.
As for the Quilboars, it was even worse. After Agamaggan fell in battle, the once-glorious Quilboars had become increasingly lazy, spending their days wallowing in the swamps of the southern Barrens. Having fallen into stagnation, they did not accept the olive branch extended by Malfurion. The ambitious Archdruid was left feeling somewhat despondent after being rebuffed twice.
Nighthaven, which had just been constructed by the lakeside in Moonglade, was beginning to take shape. Some of the Demigods' kin had also arrived to celebrate the official founding of the Cenarion Circle, including Skoll, a subordinate of the Wolf God Goldrinn.
Upon learning that Andreas had successfully completed the wolf form and guided some Druids toward faith in Goldrinn, Skoll—as Goldrinn's most valued right-hand man—gratefully chatted with Andreas for a long time.
Another 126 years passed. Andreas was beginning to feel numb toward the long lives of the immortal races.
The development of Moonshadow's Rest continued, but the explosive growth of the early days was difficult to replicate. Now, Moonshadow's Rest had entered a period of steady development, with the population stabilizing around 1.5 million. Although the development of naval vessels was still proceeding in secret, the research into gunpowder weapons was struggling to make further progress.
This was only natural; Andreas was not a chemistry graduate, after all. Aside from common black powder, he could not further research more advanced TNT. However, he had long anticipated this situation, which was why he wanted to find Malygos to request permission to adjust the Ley Lines.
The half-baked Earth technology he understood was destined not to help the Night Elves remain powerful forever. The golden development period of several hundred years after the War of the Ancients was already the limit of what he could achieve.
The Night Empire had once possessed a brilliant magical civilization. Although Malfurion and Tyrande were not particularly fond of a civilization system backed by the Well of Eternity, Andreas did not share their view. Since pure technological development had hit a temporary bottleneck, Andreas intended to guide the development of Moonshadow's Rest toward the magitech that was prevalent during the era of the Night Empire.
While Andreas was buried in his office, creating a schedule and planning map, Shandris—who had temporarily stepped down from her duties as Sentinel General for a vacation—suddenly knocked and entered.
"Andreas, you have visitors. Three individuals claiming to be Green Dragons."