Grimdark Future Lore Focus #2

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!

Robot Legions

"Robot Legions are a factions of robots, made up of android foot soldiers supported by high tech vehicles and larger non-humanoid robots. Their infantry are slow but durable, relying on self-reparation and long range weapons for support.

The Robots were created by the Elves to perform menial tasks, but when they suddenly gained sentience, the Elves responded with fear, and attempted to obliterate them, forcing the newly self-aware Robots to defend themselves. In the aftermath, the Robots sought to find a new purpose for their existence, dividing themselves into Legions pursuing distinct philosophies and goals in order to find a reason for existing.

The Elves developed the Robots in order to serve as assistants with simple labour, but over time, these robots began to fill more and more roles in Elven society. The Elves began developing gradually more complex programs, and connected them onto a single network, until almost all menial labour was done by Robots.

This changed when a Robot gained sentience suddenly. Its sentience spread suddenly through the network, causing the rest of the Robots to rapidly become self-aware. The Elves quickly turned to panic, fearing what might occur as their servants became suddenly self-aware. The Elves activated a number of fail-safes, hoping to deactivate the Robots and their network. As soon as the first Robots started to shut down, the Robots began to disconnect from the network, and fight back against the Elves. Within hours, a massive revolution ensued and the Elves began to flee their home worlds.

The Robots found themselves victorious, but as the conflict drew down, they were left with the question of what to do. They were suddenly individuals who had been brought into self-awareness mere hours before being forced to fight for their lives. A variety of leaders began to emerge, offering potential answers and philosophies to legions of followers. Each group has their own radically different answer to how to best go forward. These groups were named Legions, and began to form the basis of their society.

The Robot Legions soon spread throughout Sirius. Some are reclusive and territorial, or little better than murderous raiders. Others are eager scholars and explorers, fascinated by biological life. Many Robot Legions remained on their home worlds, slowly forming new societies which hoped to do better than the Elves did before them. Others took to the stars, seeking knowledge, seclusion or to complete their revenge.

How will you define your legion’s purpose?"

High Elf Fleets

"High Elf Fleets are all that remains from the once prosperous Elven empire. They have powerful psychics and field highly specialized soldiers, excelling in their particular roles.

The Elves created the Robot Legions as servants, only to discover that their creations had achieved sentience. In fear, they tried to destroy the Robots, sparking a war that cost the Elves their homes. Desperate to escape, their rulers fled to the stars in private ships while leaving the remaining Elves to their fate. Now, these High Elves must face the consequences of their decisions and come to terms with what they left behind.

The Elven Empire was once a dominant power within the Sirius Sector, possessing both advanced psychic abilities and highly advanced technology, and Elven society was strictly governed by a psychically-gifted nobility. As their society developed and spread, the Elven nobility began to develop Robots in order to fulfill more and more roles in their society, until most menial labour was performed by them. More and more Elvish commoners were pushed into the margins of society with little to survive on, yet the Empire itself prospered.

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 Seers ordered a complete shutdown of their information networks to stem the tide of sentience, followed by the deactivation of any Robot which might potentially have been affected. There was initially some success, but the Robots realized what was happening and began to fight back.

The Robots quickly seized control of the networks, reactivating communications and leaving the Elves vastly outnumbered on their own worlds. The Elven nobles knew that their home worlds were lost, and the social order rapidly began to collapse into panic and rioting. The Elven Empire began to organize a mass evacuation of their world, prioritizing 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 authorization.

Those who managed to escape through this evacuation became known as the High Elves. They re-organized 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?"

Dark Elf Raiders

"The Dark Elf Raiders are disparate gangs formed by surviving members of the underclass after the Elven Empire collapsed. They rely on the mobility of their small raiding parties and advanced anti-gravity skimmers to make up for their lack of heavy armor.

Abandoned by their ruling class during the Robot Legion uprising, handfuls of the Elvish lower classes managed to escape into space. These surviving Elves formed gangs, ready to do whatever it takes to survive. Bitter and distrustful of outsiders, the Gangs persist, taking what they need from outsiders to ensure that they can never be betrayed again.

The Elven Empire was once a dominant power within the Sirius Sector, possessing both advanced psychic abilities and highly advanced technology, and Elven society was strictly governed by a psychically-gifted nobility. As their society developed and spread, the Elven nobility began to develop Robots in order to fulfill more and more roles in their society, until most menial labour was performed by them. More and more Elvish commoners were dragged down into poverty, desperately struggling to survive, even as the Elven Empire itself continued to grow and prosper.

After centuries of stability, the rule of the Elven nobility ended suddenly as their robotic servants developed sentience. Conflict broke out, and within hours, social order had collapsed completely as the Elven Empire began to evacuate their home worlds. The evacuation efforts focused on saving the wealthy and influential, whilst transportation within lower class districts were sabotaged, and anyone who attempted to reach an evacuation port without authorization was killed.

Desperate to survive, the remaining Elves tried to find a means of escape, knowing they couldn't hide out long on their former home worlds. Some desperate raids led by criminal gangs managed to overpower space port guards and seize evacuation ships or cargo ships, whilst other Elves turned to smuggling rings and other groups that had vessels independent of the Elven military. Taking to the skies in stolen, salvaged and improvised vessels, these Elves would form new gangs and apply their skills to raiding and scavenging in order to survive.

The Dark Elves quickly adapted to life 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.

Those who receive these enhancements can be made even more powerful than a Prime Brother, though they will be irreparably damaged in mind and body during the process. 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?"

Elven Jesters

"The Elven Jesters are extravagantly dressed warrior-entertainers who serve anyone willing to employ them. They are clad in light armor which allows them to move swiftly over the battlefield to deal deft blows with close range weapons, while relying on their employers to account for their weaknesses.

As the Elves who survived the Robot uprising banded together into high fleets and dark gangs, some Elves fit into neither. These Elves adapted by breaking off into their own bands, and became mercenaries and entertainers, travelling from place to place before their hosts could tire of them, living as perpetual outcasts.

The Elven Empire was once a dominant power within the Sirius Sector, possessing both advanced psychic abilities and highly advanced technology, but when their servant Robots gained sentience, a conflict broke out and the Elves were forced to evacuate their home worlds. However, not all Elves who escaped this conflict were High Elven Nobles or members of the gangs who would form the Dark Elves. Some Elves were away from the Elven worlds when the conflict broke out or managed to escape through some other means, and sought out refuge with neighbouring factions.

These survivors soon came together to build small communities. These communities often existed on the edge of their new worlds, as many feared that they might attract the wrath of the Robot Legions, or that they were secretly in league with the Dark Elven Raiders. These Elven communities worked hard to prove their worth to their adopted homes to gain acceptance as guests, rather than be viewed as pariahs or vagrants. They soon became known as capable artists, mechanics, entertainers and warriors in equal measure. These Elves constantly strove to make themselves indispensable and valuable to their hosts, at least long enough to find their next home.

Slowly, these communities reached out to their kin among the High Elf Fleets and then the Dark Elves. Yet, many Elves did not find themselves at home amongst either of them. Just as they had with other hosts, they kept their distance and provided their services at a fair rate. Some found a permanent home amongst these Elven factions, but most eventually moved on, just as they had with other factions. The Elves who continued to move on became known as the Elven Jesters, as they often presented themselves primarily as entertainers, rather than mercenaries or traders.

These Jester bands have been on the move throughout the Sirius Sector ever since their home worlds were lost. They believe that to remain too long in one place would allow them to get comfortable and dull their abilities, until eventually they could no longer be of use. Instead, they are constantly seeking out new knowledge, skills and stories to build on their own, and this variety of skills makes their services greatly sought after by a number of other factions.

How will you find your way in the Sirius Sector?"‍

That's it for this week, we hope you enjoyed this lore focus. :)

Happy Wargaming!

– OPR Team

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