The Dark Elves adapted to their new lives as raiders, honing their skills as warriors and scientists, applying the advanced technology of the old Elven Empire in dark and innovative ways. Their knowledge of toxins is almost unparalleled within the Sirius Sector, while their alchemists have also made some unique breakthroughs in reverse engineering the Battle Brother’s gene-mods.
These enhancements can make an individual even more powerful than a Prime Brother, though the process will irreparably damage their mind and body. These innovations have allowed the Dark Elves to survive and prosper in Sirius, even when faced with larger and more united enemies who would prefer to see them hunted down and destroyed.
How will your gang survive the dangers of Sirius?
History
Golden Age
The Elves were once one of the dominant factions within the Sirius Sector, possessing both powerful psychic abilities and advanced technology. Psychically gifted high born Elves looked down on those without powers.
The Elves maintained a balance of power in the region, ensuring the Orc Clans remained divided and using the upstart Dwarves as a buffer state against their raids. This allowed the Elves to prosper, while Sirius enjoyed a long period of relative peace.
Age of Robotics
The Elves developed Robots in order to fill more and more roles in Elven society. They began to develop self-improving software and basic problem solving until almost all menial labour was done by Robots.
The Orc-Dwarf Conflict
The Dwarves began expanding into Orc territory, causing the Orc Clans to unite against them. The Elves remained officially neutral during this conflict, hoping to avoid being drawn into a destructive war.
The Radiance Cascade
A failed Dwarven experiment results in a massive explosion which destroys many of their systems as well as those of the Orcs. The disaster forced the Elves to abandon a handful of border worlds, but the wider empire was largely unaffected.
The Collapse
When the Robots gained sentience and rebelled, the breakdown in order was sudden. The Elven response focused on evacuating the wealthy and influential, while abandoning the lower classes to die.
No Escape
In order to ensure the safe evacuation of the upper classes, the Elven nobility ordered the sabotage of major transportation paths out of the lower-class districts, and space port guards killed anyone that tried to get onto the evacuation ships without authorization.
The Forsaken
After the fleet departed, the lower classes were the only Elves left. They moved to steal or salvage anything they could before the Robots turned their attention to them. Knowing they could not defend their worlds, these Elves tried to salvage what improvised vessels they could in order to flee into space.
Life in the Void
Taking to the skies in stolen, salvaged, and improvised vessels, these Elves would apply their skills to raiding and scavenging for goods. These survivors would come to be known as Dark Elf Raiders. These Raiders are greatly feared by those unfortunate enough to cross their raiding parties and respected by those fortunate enough to afford their services.
Society
The Dark Elf Raiders are the descendants of the lower classes of the ancient Elf Empire. Like the High Elves, they are exiles without a home, but they never had access to the resources that the High Elves had. They became raiders and mercenaries, establishing small communities within bigger civilisations or living the errant life of wild dogs. Their communities are tight-knit, fiercely loyal and wary of outsiders, akin to gangs. The Dark Elves live throughout the sector, ranging from pirate dynasties controlling several planets to small familial groups eking out a living in the slums of remote worlds.
Adaptable Survivors
While the High Elves are very conservative, Dark Elf Raiders are flexible and innovative. They constantly forced to find a way to survive in a universe where they have little friends and rarely enough power to claim entire worlds for themselves. A lot of them will ally with humans or aliens, although they usually keep their communities separate. Most of them still hold a grudge against the High Elves for their actions during the collapse.
They often carry out assassination missions or raids for resources to support themselves..
Fearsome Reputation
The Dark Elf Raiders are merciless fighters, relying on speed and precision strikes. They rarely hold defensive positions, preferring to strike hard, get what they need, and retreat. These tactics have given them a reputation for ruthlessness, as they use shock and fear to gain the advantage against their foes.
Many have embraced their reputation for ruthlessness as a means to intimidate enemies or advertise their services as allies or mercenaries. Of course, their actual cruelty varies a lot between communities, with some being welcoming havens for all kinds of misfits, whereas others can be bitter and violent towards outsiders.
Gene Splicing
A notable success of the Dark Elf Raiders has been the acquisition of several Battle Brother gene-templates. Though their knowledge is incomplete and the results flawed, they have come farther than any other faction in replicating the God-King’s advanced Gene Mods. Those modified by their Alchemists are irreversibly damaged but immensely powerful and feared by many other factions. Battle Brothers view this dabbling as a grave insult to their Founder‘s vision and eagerly destroy them and their creators whenever encountered.
