------------Human Encyclopedia Universalis---------------

*Book 240: The Apocalypse (2415-2472)

*Chapter 12: Unsuspected Strike

*Subject: The Sorrowsworn

*Author's Note: Deductions based exclusively on preliminary examination of the entities as they disintegrate into dust once slain.

Classification: TOP SECRET

The Sorrowsworn

Sorrowsworm appear where great conflicts rage. These awful manifestations of Phase Space feed on destruction and are often tasked with slaying powerful mortals who have acquired an excessive amount of power.

Sorrowsworn are drawn to battlefields and often make theirs lairs in nearby ruins, feeding on the lingering despair and devastation that shrouds the area. A few are agents of the Raven Queen, sent to claim the souls of those who are deemed unworthy. These sorrowsworn torment their pray with whispers of impending doom or past failures. knowing instinctively what each victim holds dear or regrets.

------------Military Compendium---------------

*Book 51: Demon Spawns

*Chapter 3: Immortal Scavengers

*Subject: Sorrowsworn Tactics

*Author's Note: Deductions based exclusively on encounters between the TEC Imperial Fleet and the Sorrowsworm Hive.

Classification: ATOMAL

Sorrowsworn Tactics

The Soulripper Tactic: The Sorrowsworm Hive unleashes a stealthy assassin vessel that stalks its prey and likes to attack with surprise. It typically begins with an attack run in which it will attempt to cause as much chaos and disorder as possible before rushing its intended target and catching him off-guard.

The Reaper Tactic: The Sorrowsworm Hive focuses their damage output on a single target.

The Deathlord Tactic: The Deathlord favors hit-and-run tactics, phasing in and out of space between attack runs before eventually retreating once enough chaos has been achieved.

The Shadowraven Swarm Tactic: The Shadowraven tactic implies the combination of insignificant vessels in a swarm in the hopes of dampening the opposing forces damage output. Therefore delaying progress and allowing the Hive to manoueuvre into position and intervene. 

Known Leaders:

-Asmodeus Underdark (ShadowMastiff2468)

-Yjama (Yjama)

-Samurye (Samurye)

-Desamator (Desamator)

The SorrowSworn Empire

The SorrowSworn Empire, also known as the Empire of the Undead by the TEC and the Alliance of the Damned by the Advent is a unique Vasari faction whose adoration of death and destruction has reached, for lack of better words, an obsessive stage in the Vasari's existence.

Origins:

The origins of the SorrowSworn faction can be traced to the first Vasari migrations which occurred after the apparition of some unknown force began tearing apart the Vasarian homeworlds. At that time, it was thought that the Vasari where facing mass revolution from their former slaves. The order was thus given by the late Emperor, Gorgelius Nightstalker, to evacuate all "infected planets" and reduce them to cinder from outer space by what would later be called the Exodus Fleet, the most technologically advanced Vasari fleet. Thus one by one the Vasari planets fell. Entire galaxies fell to this strange event before, for no reasons, it died out. From one day to the next, the revolutions strength seemed to  be dissipating and the planets and their inhabitants returned to normal "slave" state.

The "Returning Armada":

Naturally, Gorgelius Nightstalker, ordered the immediate return and re-colonisation of the now lost Vasari homeworlds before the other known forces, the TEC and the Advent,  would be granted the opportunity to capture and use those planets for their own twisted benefits.

For this, he sent his most loyal second in command, Asmodeus Underdark, master tactician of the Exodus Fleet, on a reconnaissance mission to evaluate the potential cause and current state of the homeworlds.

Thus, a few minutes later, Asmodeus Underdark embarked on his flagship "The Hawklight" evacuator and phase jumped with an escort of ten transporters, twenty skirmishers, 50 Assailants to the Vasarian Home planet of Berestid.

On his highest alert level, Underdark reached Berestid. A four-day long orbital "stakeout" revealed, to his surprise, no imminent threats either in this quadrant of space or on the planet itself. Furthermore, scan also revealed that all the damage done by the orbital bombardment before the Exodus Fleet's withdrawal had been repaired! That for some cruel reason, the planet was the EXACT replica of its former self. Manufacturing reports even indicated that the planets industries were still active and working at 200% their original rate but scan reported no Vasarian signatures.

Not able to contain his joy and relief to see his homeworld  safe and without paying any attention to his counsellors who were warning him of treachery and deceit, Asmodeus Underdark personally boarded a shuttle and was the first Vasari to set foot back on Berestid more than 50 years after the initial migration. No message was ever launched to the awaiting Exodus Fleet telling them of this development.

The Amnion:

Berestid was magnificent, perfect in all Vasarian ways. A pure marvel of technology and utterly run by slaves, it was the envy of all other Vasarian planets. "One day I want to live in Berestid" was a sort of TEC american-dream variant.  But something wasn't right about it and Underdark took notice of his deadly mistake the moment he landed. Yes the planet was as scan indicated, fully operational and as marvellous as if it had just been built but scan had reported no Vasarian...and yet before him stood millions of  "life forms" going about their daily activities as if nothing ever happened.

These life forms, resembled a humanoid sea-anemone with too many arms. They neither spoke nor conveyed any sort of emotions at the sight of Underdark. They passed by him as if he were a background. Tense and alert, Underdark was surprised to see one of those creatures approach him. It neither swayed or faltered as it oozed its way forward, even with Underdark's entire escort (which had caught up with him) gun's pointed at him, the creature did not stop.

The creature opened its 5 hands in order to show that he contained no weapons. Feeling confident, Underdark made his fatal mistake, he let his guard down, opening his arms to mimic the creatures apparent welcome, he only felt the hypo containing the mutagens deliver its contents in his wrist.

Frenzied by this act of violence,  his escort and his orbital fleet, which was monitoring his progress, opened fire on the planet. But the damage had been done, clutching at his infected wrist, Underdark sank into a sleep from which he hope he would never awaken.

Unfortunately, he did awake, only to find out the carnage which had occurred in his state of unconsciousness. To his amazement, he no longer saw his ships in orbit or his escort. We're they dead? Had they escaped? He will never know! All he knew was that something had changed in him. He felt "different".

For one, he no longer felt anything...the wind on his skin did not affect him. Neither emotions...panic at the loss of his crew, his ships, the Exodus fleet...They didn't matter anymore and he thought about them with an acute sense of detachment. It was like he had become a robot inside a Vasarian body.

A voice inside his head was the only explanation he received for everything that had happened to him "You are Asmodeus Underdark, Hierarch of the SorrowSworn Armada, you have been invested with decisiveness by the Amnion Mind for your strategic and diplomatic skills and you are required to either mutate or destroy all living entities that you will encounter. For this, we have granted you with an unchanged appearance, some officers (he points to various figures standing few meters away which Underdark immediately recognises as his bodyguards) and a fleet".

At that point, the huge Vasarian underground ship holds opened up to unleash thousands of Vasarian crafts in space....Skirmishers, Transporters, Assailants... everything a commander would need to wage a respectable war. This startled Underdark which had in front of his eyes a fleet larger than the Exodus Fleet itself towered by the most massive of Jarrasul Evacuators he had ever seen. 'This is your flagship, Hierarch Asmodeus Underdark, may it lead you to victory" the voice inside his head continued. The Hand of Orcus was imprinted on its flank. Ironic, Asmodeus though looking at his own hand.

Beside him his former bodyguards, now officers began walking to their own vessels. Unable to counter this power which pushes him to execute the voice in his head's orders, Asmodeus Underdark embarks on a shuttle and takes command of the Hand of Orcus.

Few hours later, the Amnion designed Armada began preparing to phase jump to the former Exodus Fleet. Their first target. "The SorrowSworn" Underdark murmured before he initiated his vessels drives, "compelled to destroy all that we possess in the name of a power we cannot understand".

Thus began the second Vasari migration.