Survival, Then Vengeance
The Sunfire Syndicate was once the dominant faction in the Veilmarch Sector, until it was torn apart by a brutal succession crisis, and in the ensuing chaos their vulnerability was ruthlessly exploited by its rivals. As the sector’s major narcotics producers, the syndicate once had extensive chemical facilities on a variety of planets, though currently control very few of them. Now known as the Sunfire Remnant, they are more like a highly fractured group of drug lords controlling what little of the syndicate’s resources which have not been claimed by their enemies.
The fallen narcotics empire is now so fractured and dispersed that many no longer consider it a “faction” at all. Their primary base is said to be the mythical Fractured Labs, a crumbling chemical manufacturing complex long assume abandoned on some backwater world, which only the most ardent loyalists know the location of. The Remnants have become far too paranoid to remain long in any place they were previously associated with. Their original throne world of Belenic III, which most still think of as their seat of power, was heavily damaged during the brutal wars of the last decade and is now an abandoned wasteland.
The Sunfire Syndicate were, for half a century, a cruel and unrelenting force within the sector, crushing their opponents with often extraordinary displays of violence, much of it excessive and utterly unnecessary. They laid waste to their enemies and were notorious for overreacting to the slightest displays of disrespect; they used this reputation to maintain extortionate tariffs on anyone moving through their area of space. As the major narcotics producers in the region, they were extraordinarily wealthy, off the back of high demand in the Core Worlds, where their products were both expensive and consumed in vast quantities.
Their most powerful drug, called Sunlight, was their most profitable product, also benefiting from its highly addictive qualities. However, the secrets of its production remain a mystery outside of the Remnants, whose best chemists have either remained within the fold, or been killed in the ten-year schism.
Sunfire held extensive chemical processing facilities on a variety of planets, most of which operated either without knowledge of their presence. Others were abundantly aware, but unable to act for fear of retribution; Sunfire were known to hire elite bounty hunters to deliberately botch messy assassinations in ridiculously obvious ways, just to send the signal: do what we want, or we will have you killed.
Following their “succession crisis”, all that is left of this once-mighty syndicate are a group of feuding mercenaries, chemists, and enforcers, none of whom remain strong enough to unite what is left of the whole. The exact nature of the organisation’s collapse remains a mystery, fuelled by conspiracy theory and rumour. Near the end of his tenure, the Syndicate Overlord, Caelus Vorr, had entertained a deal with the Jade Moon Cartel in secret, planning to merge Sunfire with the Cartel as a new “ivory” branch. One of the old Syndicate’s major challenges was manpower—while wealthy, their greedy overlords rarely enjoyed sharing the spoils, and so “wasting” credits to employ workers was never an option. JMC’s long-standing slave trade was seen as the perfect solution.
However, JMC insisted that that solution would come with an enormous caveat: Vorr would become a Vigo within the existing power structure, with special privileges befitting their power and influence. Though the deal was never formalised, a surprisingly large number of petty lords among the Syndicate discovered this “betrayal”, and in their arrogance and pride, preferred war to the notion of even symbolically bowing to any other regional power. These powerful warlords staged a bloody rebellion to usurp Vorr. What was meant to be a simple act of overthrowing an arrogant overlord filled with hubristic overreach became a long-running and ever-escalating civil war. The Syndicate quickly became split between reformers, looking to exploit the potential union—even planning a longer-term takeover of Jade Moon—and traditionalists, who claimed they wished to remain independent but also could not bear having to show deference to the other Vigos of JMC. Naturally, the JMC itself, along with the Black Ember Covenant, Nightfall, and various other minor players, all did their best to throw more fuel upon the fire—a fire, it should be noted, that actually had plenty already.
Vorr’s ultimate fate remains unknown, but most assume he was captured and killed long ago. Or, if he did manage to flee, likely lives in paranoid fear under Cartel protection.
Relations. What passes for common cause in the Remnant now likely most loathes not JMC as might be assumed, but Nightfall, not just for stealing their most prized chemical factories, but for what many within Sunfire believe was the most active external disruption of their empire. Many within the Remnant outright blame Nightfall for triggering the whole thing, and being ready to pounce when the time was right; it smacks of a coordinated destabilisation; hence, many within the Remnant are obsessed with sabotaging their most hated enemy.
It is unsurprising that few bear any fondness for Jade Moon, either. Having poached their smuggling routes and many of their old mercenary contracts, JMC did well out of the chaos, but not quite so well as Nightfall, according to Remnant loyalists. Quite a few of Sunfire’s best soldiers ended up joining the Cold Debt Crew, and eagerly (often cheaply) take up assassination jobs targeting JMC or, especially, Nightfall.
Throne World: Belenic III [Veilmarch 054]
Major Rival: Nightfall
: Report : Sorrel, Jayce : Imperial Intelligence Liaison
