Order Strikes Back: Shadow Warriors

The Shadow Warriors of Nagarythe. The name is spoken in hushed tones, even amongst their own people, and whispered in dread amongst their Dark Elven foes. And the Dark Elves are right to fear them. These elite warriors are all that remain of the once great kingdom of Nagarythe, the ancestral home of those elves who fell to darkness, and followed Malekith into Naggaroth. In one terrible day, the Shadow Warriors lost everything: their lord, their land, and their honor.

Betrayed by Malekith and his Dark Magic, the lands of Nagarythe were swallowed by the fury of the oceans. The seas crashed down upon the shores of Nagarythe, consuming them as Malekith made his escape with his followers. Those who were not swayed by him remained, and swore an oath of vengeance: that they would never rest until the betrayer, and all those who followed him, were destroyed.

Consumed by hatred and malice, these "Shadow Warriors" continue to wage a guerrilla war against the Dark Elves of Naggaroth. They were never many, but such is their skill and cunning, that they emerge from the darkness like angels of death and vengeance, striking down all in their path, and disappear again like shadows in the night.

These elite warriors are consummate marksmen and scouts, and are adept at harrying and harassing the enemy. All too often their missions require them to engage forces far larger than their own. Once they whittle down an enemies' number with countless guerrilla attacks, they prepare for the final assault. After releasing their initial volley from concealment, the Shadow Warriors charge forward, releasing their second volley on the run, and before the first arrow even finds its mark, the second is already in flight. Relying on the death and confusion caused by their initial volleys, the Shadow Warriors wade into hand-to-hand combat all too willingly.

Their hate gives them incredible strength, and they relentlessly rain blows down upon the heads of their enemies. The Shadow Warriors take no prisoners, and once their bloody work is done, they quickly disappear into the darkness with no more than a whisper marking their passage.

Even after such a victory, the Shadow Warriors are dark and brooding, there is no mirth in their nomadic camps, no joyous song or dance. Indeed, it is rumored that Shadow Warriors never laugh, and smile only in the presence of death itself: their own or their enemy's, and you can be certain that if a Shadow Warrior lays dying, the corpses of many Dark Elves will be littered around his own.

Beware these nomads of Nagarythe, foes of Ulthuan, for they will never forget their oath, nor will they forgive your betrayal. So watch your back, evil one, or you may unexpectedly find a Nagarythe arrow (or two) planted there...

Stormcrow