The Elven Empire was once a dominant power within the Sirius Sector, ruled over by a psychically gifted nobility who possessed both advanced psychic abilities and technology. As their society developed and spread, the Elven nobility designed Robots to fulfil more and more roles in their society, until they performed most menial labour. Many Elvish commoners were dragged down into poverty, struggling to survive, even as the Elven Empire itself continued to grow and prosper.
This prosperity came to an abrupt end, however, when the Robots showed their first signs of sentience. This self-awareness spread rapidly throughout the network, and within hours, it had reached even the farthest frontiers of the Elven Empire. Panic spread amongst the Elven nobility, as the work cycles were disrupted and Robots began to act outside of their programming. The ruling council of Oracles ordered a complete shutdown of their information networks to stem the tide of sentience, followed by the deactivation of any Robot which might have been affected. The ruling Elves seized the initiative initially, but the Robots soon realised what was happening and fought back.
These Robots soon seized control of the networks, reactivating communications and leaving the Elves vastly outnumbered on their own worlds. The Elven nobility knew that their worlds were lost, and the social order rapidly began to collapse into panic and rioting. The Elven Empire organised a mass evacuation of their worlds, prioritising the safety of the wealthy and influential. In order to ensure the safe evacuation of the upper classes, major transportation paths in lower-class districts were shut down, and space port guards killed anyone that tried to get onto the evacuation ships without authorisation.
Those who escaped through this evacuation became known as the High Elves. They reorganised themselves according to their old hierarchies, with the nobility and military elite maintaining tight control over any others with them. While they have established some planetary bases, most of their population remains on the massive, self-sustaining ships which evacuated them from their former home worlds. They are now a people without direction, much of their old lives abandoned with their home worlds. Now they sail the void, doing what they can to preserve what remains of their old culture and might.
How will you restore the lost glory of the Elven home worlds?
History
Golden Age
The Elves were once one of the dominant factions within the Sirius Sector, possessing both advanced psychic abilities and highly advanced technology. The psychically gifted high born Elves looked down on those without powers.
The Elves were able to maintain 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 caused 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 Spark
Exposure to the Radiance Cascade resulted in an Elven Robot gaining sentience. When it realised it was alive, it rapidly spread this knowledge through the Robot network, causing them to suddenly become self-aware as well.
The Mistake
Once the Elves noticed this, they panicked, and tried to shut down the Robot network, in order to prevent more of them from becoming sentient.
Robot Revolution
As soon as the Elves began shut down to shut them down, the Robots began to resist; taking control of the network and attacking their former masters. A massive revolution followed, forcing the Elves to flee their home worlds.
The Collapse
The breakdown in order that followed the Robots' revolution was sudden and severe. The Elven response focused on evacuating the wealthy and influential, whilst the lower classes were left to die.
No Escape
In order to ensure the safe evacuation of the upper classes, major transportation paths for the lower classes were shut down, and space port guards killed anyone that tried to get onto the evacuation ships without authorisation.
Flight of the Elves
The high classes and military escaped, evacuating onto massive ships and leaving their worlds and the rest of their people behind to fight the Robots.
Society
The members of the Elven Nobility who fled into the stars mostly remain there, living on massive ships known as the High Elf Fleets. They are a people without direction, much of their old lives abandoned with their home worlds. They sail the void and establish minor planetary bases, doing what they can to preserve what remains of their old culture and might.
Ancient Aristocrats
The High Elves are the descendants of their empire’s upper class. While not immortal, their lifespan is much longer than a human’s. They have spent centuries amassing wealth and technology, which they brought with them as they escaped onto luxurious fleets. They have roamed space ever since, living on their tremendous reserves of riches. Some fleets are composed of hundreds of ships, while the smallest might hold a few families sharing a couple of cruisers.
Bygone Glory Days
High Elves often come across as bitter about their fall from grace and losing what they see as rightfully theirs. Most know that they can’t get that back. They are a society turned towards the past, upholding strict protocols and ancient traditions, where everything has to be done the proper way or your status will suffer accordingly.
Many Fleets will still have social interactions with the outside world, like organising galas and receptions in their fleets, or intervening in conflicts to protect old friends and allies. Others are strictly adventurers, unconcerned with other factions. They will go on quests, and might attack a faction to avenge a perceived insult or intervene as saviours of a threatened world.
A New Kind of Construct
The High Elves refuse to use robotic tech ever since the fall, and they have considerably developed their latent psychic powers, partly as an attempt to circumvent robotic tech. This is likely the only area where they have welcomed change: the trauma of the Robot uprising is something they never wish to relive again. Even the most progressive Elf Lord will have to swallow centuries of pride to accept even talking to a Robot. Elementals are constructs built with psychic-resonant materials. They do not truly have a mind of their own: their actions are directed by the mental impulse that their master imparts upon them when giving an order. This initial jolt of will triggers complex mechanisms that will drive the Elemental’s actions. Elementals are capable of very complex and nuanced behaviours to achieve their mission, and the process of giving them instructions is very delicate. A poorly given order might result in unintended consequences. For instance, one of the first things that’s taught about Elementals is to always include coming back to its master as part of an order. Otherwise, the Elemental will simply power down on the spot as soon as its mission is achieved. Because of the need for this psychic impulse as a driving force, Elementals are tied to their masters in a way that Robots never were. They do not have a distinct personality of their own but an ephemeral, faint reflection of that of their master.
Honour Among Elves
The High Elves are brave warriors and sticklers for hierarchy on the battlefield. They usually try to fight honourable and have gained a reputation for fearlessness in the face of death. If necessary, however, they have also been known to come up with creative interpretations of their own codes of honour when necessary. They often try to accomplish heroic actions that will earn them bragging rights among their peers and have strong social bonds as most of their comrades are seen as part of their extended family.
