August 15, 2024
Hi everyone,
Every week we're highlighting the lore of a few factions for each of our games, and this week we're focusing on Grimdark Future factions!
Wormhole Daemons
"The Wormhole Daemons are monstrous servants of the Havoc Gods who emerge from a different dimension throughout the galaxy. Their forms vary greatly, depending on which god they serve.
Wormhole Daemons are cast offs of dying gods who desperately hope to buy more time for themselves. These Daemons emerge suddenly from wormholes throughout the galaxy, to serve the eldritch will of their gods, only to disappear just as quickly once they have achieved their ends. Their gods are ready to leave nothing but havoc in their wake, just in hopes of extending their own lives for a little longer.
For aeons, powerful beings resided in a place beyond space, between the wormholes. Pure psychic entities, they lacked physical form and lived without fear of pain or death. Little can be said for certain about these beings or their origins, as their existence predates the records of even the oldest known civilizations in the galaxy. They observed passively, watching the galaxy progress, but rarely interacted with the species that lived within.
This changed suddenly, when one of their species died. Many have speculated about the cause of this death, but so far the matter remains a mystery. This was the first time one of their kind had experienced death, and others reacted first with curiosity, followed by horror. The horror only grew worse as death began to spread. The deaths started to mount and the rest began to recognize the signs of entropy and decay in themselves.
Each entity would react in their own way, but most would eventually succumb with few exceptions. The being now known as Lust sought to cut away at itself, slicing any signs of imperfection and weakness. Another known as Change, sought to accumulate knowledge more quickly than it could decay. Plague found salvation in physical form, using its power to spread itself and re-assimilate any that it infected. Finally, War learned to draw strength from those it slew.
Soon, these beings turned their attention outwards, hoping that the material world might allow them to stall their demise for a time longer. Anguished to survive, they sought out followers from the lost and desperate and offered them power in exchange for their service and worship. Those who rejected these gods came to know them as Havoc Gods due to the zealotry of their followers and the unrest that they caused.
These Gods are able to manifest their will in their physical world through aspects, fragments of their power and minds, which most refer to as their Daemons. Once manifested, these aspects are mortal, and vulnerable to death and harm, needing food to survive, and which are even adapt and change with experience. Gods must sacrifice a portion of their power to create Daemons, with greater Daemons requiring more of their essence to be contributed. As such, each Havoc God can only manifest so many Daemons at once, and must lose a portion of their power to do so, claiming it back when a Daemon dies.
When they are not carrying out the will of their gods, the Daemons often dwell within a strange space between Wormholes. Their control over these wormholes allows them to appear and disappear within physical space rapidly, allowing them to carry out their God’s will without fear of reprisal.
How will you serve the will of your god?"
Eternal Dynasty
"The Eternal Dynasty are a faction of advanced aliens from the Kusari sector. Their forces consist of well armed infantry and drones, supported by high tech robots and vehicles.
Originally, they emerged from a world long divided into a patchwork society of warring clans. The royal house became adept at manipulating clans, leading potential rivals into a series of destructive wars before imposing their laws over survivors and forming a ruling Dynasty. The Eternal Dynasty will go to any length to maintain this fragile unity as they expand out into the stars.
The Eternal Dynasty come from the Kusari Sector, where they lived peacefully for millennia, and their home system became known as “stars of calm”, due to the enduring peace that the faction enjoyed. However, as the population continued to grow and spread through their system, a number of different philosophies began to flourish and diverge with each other. In order to maintain peace, a ruling system was established where regions were divided into clans under the nominal control of a Royal Dynasty. The Royal Dynasty was intended to serve as a mediator, and the title was intended to circulate amongst the ruling families of the various clans.
The dynastic system preserved peace for a time, but gradually the authority of the ruling dynasty began to wane as the clans continued to push for their own individual interests. Eventually, the Royal Dynasty were no longer able to mediate conflicts between clans, and conflict erupted. Over time, the Dynasty became a mere puppet of the most powerful clan, while rivalry between clans gave way to open hatred and xenophobia.
The Clan War era continued for over a century, as the clans struggled to maintain their rule over the system, until they were replaced by the next clan. Eventually, the title of Royal Dynasty fell to a family who held no specific clan allegiance. This family ceased intervening in conflicts but instead used their position to fuel conflict between the clans.
This resulted in a series of violent and extremely bloody conflicts, which devastated the Stars of Calms and greatly weakened the clans. Then, the Royal Dynasty intervened and united the remaining clans under an expanded royal army. The Dynasty refused to pass on their power as tradition required, instead declaring themselves the Eternal Dynasty.
The Eternal Dynasty’s rule has led to an age of peace and prosperity, which has allowed them to expand into the stars and beyond the Kusari sector. Yet, bitterness remains between the clans even after centuries of peace. Much of their society still bears the scars of the clan wars, and many follow the rule of the Dynasty only reluctantly, due to their role in the final conflicts that ended the Clan War Era.
How will you bring your unity to the stars?"
Jackals
"Jackals are species of aliens who resemble humanoid canids, and use technology built from salvaged scrap. Without access to advanced weapons or vehicles, they rely on ambush and ferocity in close combat to win.
In the beginning, they were a collection of nomadic tribes until they discovered the wreckage of alien ships on their planet. Soon after, they made contact with the other species of Sirius, and were suddenly thrust from tribal hunters into the space age. Now the Jackals’ way of life has been forever changed, as they have begun to migrate to the stars.
The Jackals’ home world was long left uncharted due to the unique properties of their home system’s sun. Radiation from their sun reflected from the atmosphere interfered with the electronic scanners of vessels passing nearby. At a distance, it caused the scanners to detect large stores of rare elements which are used to stabilize wormholes, but ships approaching closer have their scanners and electronic systems short out completely. This has resulted in a graveyard of ships floating above the Jackals’ home world, which occasionally fall out of orbit onto the planet’s surface.
The Jackals were, until recently, made up of tribes of hunter-gatherers who migrated from oasis to oasis after their prey. This changed when the Jackals began to discover wrecked ships on their home world. The first ships were from the Robot Legion, whose pilots had been deactivated along with their ships. These wrecks gradually became a network of trading posts and cities for the wandering Jackals, and the weapons and technology contained within were salvaged and traded. The Jackals began to chase falling ships, hoping to get to the salvage first.
Eventually, the Jackals began to meet and save survivors. These survivors were taken in with the tribes, and taught the Jackals about the wider galaxy. Eventually, jump gates were established on the planet, allowing safe travel to and from their world. Jackals began working with outsiders, who valued their survival skills, tenacity and inventiveness for use as scouts and mercenaries. Many Jackals view travelling off world as a continuation of their traditional nomadic life-style.
While some might view the Jackals as backward for their traditions, these traditions have proven adaptable and continue to unite them even as they spread through the sector. The Jackals have proven their ability to quickly adapt both new ideas and technologies into their way of life, but only time will tell whether their culture will survive the shock of galactic life.
How will you find your way among the stars?"
Rebel Guerrillas
"Rebel Guerrillas are a diverse band of outcasts and agitators from a variety of alien species. Lacking the heavy weaponry of more organized factions, the Rebel Guerrillas rely on their diverse skills to carry them through.
The Rebel Guerrillas come from many places throughout the galaxy, united together by their opposition to the Inner Sphere, a powerful alliance of civilizations in the galactic core. Unable to confront the Inner Sphere on equal footing, they have been forced into hiding or exile. Some Rebels have now come to the Sirius Sector, looking for resources and allies for what most view as a hopeless struggle.
While most see the Inner Sphere as a haven of peace, prosperity, and progress in a galaxy filled with strife, the Rebel Guerrillas define themselves by their opposition to it. The organization traces its origins to the Mandar sector, which fell into civil war and collapse, caused by groups who sought to break away to join the Inner Sphere.
Many within Mandar blamed the Inner Sphere’s ruling Galactic Council for their support and funding of these break away elements. Those who refused to accept the resulting peace and gradual integration into the Inner Sphere formed the Rebel Guerrilla movement, continuing the war even though their former factions had collapsed. These Rebels sought out new allies both within the Inner Sphere and in nearby Sectors, gradually organizing opposition to the Inner Sphere into a broad coalition.
Few in number and unable to challenge the Galactic Council on equal terms, the Guerrilla’s have scattered themselves throughout the galaxy, as their hidden cells work tirelessly to undermine the Council’s influence wherever possible. Their membership draws on a mix of those disaffected by life within the Inner Sphere, and daring adventurers and mercenaries who seek to challenge the most powerful organization in known space. While lacking the infrastructure and organization of more traditional factions, the Guerrilla’s are able to draw on a variety of species, tactics, and technology from throughout the galaxy.
For those in the Sirius Sector, the conflict between the Rebel Guerrillas and Galactic Council is a remote one, which they hold little stake in. However, the Guerrilla’s sophisticated technologies from Mandar and the Inner Sphere have attracted the attention of a number of factions in Sirius. The Guerrillas have no interest in overthrowing the local regimes, but have been known to get involved with local conflicts when they feel it necessary. Sometimes, they may serve as mercenaries and allies to local factions when their interests align, whilst at other times they may steal tech or help potential recruits defect or escape prison. The Guerrillas try to avoid escalating these conflicts, and as a result many within the Sirius Sector do not realize the true scale of their organization.
How will you challenge the greatest power in the galaxy?"
That's it for this week, we hope you enjoyed this lore focus. :)
Happy Wargaming!
– OPR Team
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