After reaching a preliminary trade agreement, Herad and his party accepted Tyrande's invitation to visit Ashenvale.
Ashenvale was the Night Elves' main population center.
Great trees with lush branches and leaves grew everywhere.
The towering trees formed an unbroken canopy over the quiet, peaceful world beneath them.
Thanks to the abundant resources of Ashenvale's vast forest, the Night Elves lived carefree lives.
The trees in Ashenvale were somewhat different from ordinary trees.
Their trunks, branches, and leaves were a relatively pale purple.
They looked just like the Night Elves' skin.
This dated back to after the War of the Ancients, before the High Elves had split from the Night Elves, when the High Elves' ancestors had summoned a magical storm here as a show of force.
The magical storm had gathered above Ashenvale, changing the colors of heaven and earth and demonstrating the tremendous power of Arcane Magic.
Although this act had caused no actual damage, it had stained the trees of Ashenvale and the surrounding regions purple, the color of the arcane.
Then, for abusing Arcane Magic, the High Elves had been driven out of Ashenvale by the furious Night Elves.
In truth, the Night Elves themselves had nothing against purple trees.
Even their houses were built from these purple trees.
In fact, the Night Elves' love of purple ran deep in their bones.
Their lives were filled with purple.
Even when they commissioned armor, they requested that it be painted purple.
But the intelligent beings aligned with nature did not like this color.
Every so often along the way, they saw trees whose branches and leaves had returned to their normal green.
Even the purple on their trunks had almost faded away, leaving only the faintest traces.
The Keepers of the Grove had restored them with Nature Magic.