Not long after the meeting of the humans and dwarves, joint expeditions began pushing deeper into newly revealed regions of space. It was during one such expedition that contact was made with an unknown force. Sleek, advanced vessels bearing no recognizable markings.
Believing the encounter to be similar to their peaceful first contact with the Dwarves, the human and dwarven crews made no hostile advance. Instead, they attempted communication and withdrew their vessels in a show of restraint and respect. The response was swift and devastating. The unidentified fleet, later confirmed to belong to the Elven nations, opened fire without warning, annihilating most of the expeditionary force. Only a small number of ships managed to escape and carry word of the encounter back to allied space.
The survivors’ warnings came too late. Within weeks, an Great Elven Empire armada emerged from the same starway and descended upon the newly established human-dwarven colony world of Buldher. What followed was a brutal and prolonged campaign, as the planet was transformed into a battlefield. Entire regions were reduced to ash as the Elves sought to conquer these new lands.
The invasion of Buldher marked the beginning of what would come to be known as the Great Elven War.