Varangian Syndicate was an Elite ranked guild in what is now the former PvP League and to this day remains a background simulation minor faction and player squadron, active and cemented in the Elite: Dangerous galaxy and community. Members of the group are active in all parts of the game with emphasis on BGS. Varangian Syndicate was formed in-game during the spring of 2015 playing Elite: Dangerous. We are currently recruiting.
| The Flight of the Varangians – Taste of Iron The Varangians were once one of emperor Hengist Duval’s many personal guards and combat units. For over 300 years, since the rule of Hengist’s grandfather Hender Saik Duval, this warrior tribe pledged themselves to protect the Empire. Even though the Empire had been in an crisis slowly going from worse to bad for some time, only when emperor Hengist fell into a coma did this dedication start to waver. With the demise of the emperor and the subsequent segmentation and subjugation of the Empire the Varangian soldiers - once so loyal a force, beared not to stand and watch while the Empire tore itself apart, splintering into various powers in the absence of a single strong ruler to keep the Empire unified as for so long before. Slowly the ranks of the Varangians started to thin out as the Empire fell, as members begun leaving the tribe wanting to find a new purpose for their life. Only a handful of the most dedicated remained after the Emperor's assassination. But after the death of their beloved emperor and the following slow dissolution of their Imperial regiment, even the last of the Varangians started to question their passionately held faith in the resurrection of the old glory of the Empire. This 'Devout Five' – a name by which they were known among their own – formed a new guild of sorts for those looking for purpose, and named it Varangian Syndicate. This was in practice a cut-throat contact group for mercenaries, smugglers, dealers and other less (and more still) shadowy persons formed out of the last pieces of their military unit and their families and their most trusted, closest friends. On the surface always masquerading as wholly legitimate weapons dealers and mercenary service providers, this renegade group begun to thrive both in legal and illegal activities. Lawful endeavours have in practice as well always been tied in with less than savory business projects in order to make it all easier to keep under the radar - and marketable. At first the syndicate had their headquarters located in the Miphifa system on the planet Varangia from which their tribe got its name. Unfortunately the decay of the Empire soon reached the Miphifa star system as well, crippling the local economies and starship manufacturing facilities. Soon Hengist’s bastard child princess Arissa Lavigny-Duval wanted her piece of the pie, and eventually the constant inquisition of her vast police force drove the citizens of Varangia to frustration and near rebellion. For even though the Varangians are famed for their loyalty to the throne, one can’t always describe their methods legal - nor their pride humble. The laws they abide by are their own, and their tribe predates the Empire. And so after the death of the Emperor the gradual transformation of their once pleasantly content system into a fascist police state inevitably led to the grave discontentment of what remained of their tribe. These once so respected and loyal, brave and distinguished warriors of the Empire who had before turned entire worlds and systems into the graces of the Empire, now outlawed and shunned. Their fate had no other path than to have them face yet another ordeal; to begin the search for another place to live. After rigorously studying the galactic maps, one star system stood above all the other systems far and wide as a potential prospect for becoming their new home and HQ. It's tactical location, booming economy, starship production and many profitable opportunities had an instant appeal to the Varangians. The system name translating to ‘Iron’ in their tribe's native language didn’t hurt to keep the decision-making process short either. Near the end of the year 3301 the now independent group of ex-Imperial warriors, explorers, traders, smugglers and fortune hunters moved en mass to their new home and base of operations - Rauta. |
