The Clans

The Clans

"We will purge our old ideals and ethics; those belong to the corrupt stars of the Inner Sphere, and will not serve as we begin anew. Now, while our minds are open and yearning for new insight, we must re-mold them, and fill them with the truth of our destiny. For we are destined not only to be different from those we left behind, but also better. My father knew this, and saved us from the holocaust of the Inner Sphere. I accept it as truth, and have returned to lead you, the survivors of this most bitter trial."

– Nicholas Kerensky

"Those who break faith with the Unity shall go down to darkness."

– Nicholas Kerensky

The Clans are a civilization in the Battletech Universe. Descended from a remnant of the Star League Defense Force which fled from the Inner Sphere when the shit hit the fan and spend the next two and a half centuries developing on their own course before returning back in 3049 from the Deep Periphery.

From an IRL perspective in a very human focused setting without intelligent extraterrestrials, the Clans were designed to be very alien without actually being Aliens. Most BattleTech factions could be bluntly summed up as "Space Japan", "Space England", "Space China", etc. Being designed to have no parallel equivalent culture in real-life to be compared with beyond VERY loose analogies to the steppe nomads and Barbarian invasions that toppled many historic empires, they're not based on any one historic civilization and have a more Science-Fictiony way of operating.

History

In 2766 a guy named Stefan Amaris (ruler of the Rim World's Republic) launched a coup d'état while the majority of the SLDF was out fighting rebellions in the periphery, killing the young First Lord (along with the rest of the Cameron bloodline) and seizing control of the Terran Hegemony. This started a fourteen year long civil war called the Amaris Civil War in which the SLDF under the command of Aleksandr Kerensky dismantled his support base and moved to liberate the Terran Hegemony in spite of being cut off from resupply and limited support by the Five Great Houses. But while he did succeed in toppling Amaris' Asshole Regime, the Star League did not survive the fall of House Cameron and fell apart shortly afterwards. In spite of internecine infighting within the Great Houses, all agreed to strip Aleksandr Kerensky of his authority while secretly seeking to subvert the SLDF's individual regiments as recruits for their planned wars to claim the Star League's throne. War was on the horizon between the Great Houses but Kerensky was unwilling to seize power for himself or see his remaining army and fleet used in the looming conflict. As such he got the SLDF leadership together in secret and proposed something to save the Inner Sphere and themselves: leave the Inner Sphere and start up somewhere new. Most agreed and in 2785 a fleet loaded with some six million SLDF troops, their families (including Aleksandr's wife Katyusha and two sons Andery and Nicholas) and some folks with valuable skills left the inner sphere for greener pastures.

After a two year long voyage through the unknown, with crowded ships pushed beyond their intended limits and taking care to cover their tracks, losses due to accidents, and an attempted mutiny they found some uninhabited planets beyond the Periphery known as the Pentagon Worlds. They set up shop, discharged most of their soldiers and began rebuilding their lives and establishing a bastion of the Star League in Exile. For about 15 years, it seemed to work. Ex-SLDF soldiers built homes, farms and towns, started families and businesses, and many of them found a measure of peace after a life of carnage. Unfortunately this was not universal and there were problems. Starting a new colony is a lot of hard work, especially when you were cut off from any resupply; meaning that any form of luxury or creature comfort was in short supply. Similarly, once survival was achieved a fair number of people began to lose their sense of purpose and common identity. Some of the demobilized guys decided that they'd be better off forming their own petty kingdoms (many of which were based on old Inner Sphere loyalties) and soon enough there was a big and brutal shit fight in 2800. The closest equivalent to the Succession Wars in Clan space before the Wars of Reaving, they’d became known as the Pentagon Civil Wars. Aleksandr (already more than 100 years old) died heartbroken, leaving everything in utter disarray.

In this chaos, his son Nicholas managed to get the support of some loyal troops and most of the SLDF Fleet and made his way to another world nearby called Strana Mechty ("Land of the Dream" in Russian) along with about a million pentagon refugees brought in not long after. Convinced that the current order of things and the Star League ways of thinking were fundamentally broken he decided to not only establish a new colony, but also build a new society from the ground up, dividing his warriors into twenty Clans, and soon assigning civilians to each Clan. To nip a second exodus civil war in the bud, each Clan was made from a mix of people from all over the Inner Sphere. Cities were founded, factories built, ammunition was stockpiled, ships were readied and the warriors were drilled constantly. In 2820 the newly formed Clans returned to the Pentagon Worlds during Operation KLONDIKE, reconquering them over the span of two years. But beyond simply restoring order, Nicholas imposed the new (and still forming) culture onto their population. Given that the name Kerensky skill carried a lot of weight, the end to the chaos of civil war, the fact that the system basically worked and Clan Warriors having all the guns the bulk of the remaining population went along with this. Those that did not were one way or another silenced.

After Nicolas's death, the system chugged along quite well with the occasional hiccup in what was known as the Golden Century. What had been a few million war-ravaged refugees soon grew into a thriving civilization, if one which operated quite differently from that of the inner sphere. The population rapidly expanding and new worlds being colonized. The social structure solidified, technological breakthroughs were made and the individual Clans evolved along their own paths. In contrast, the Inner Sphere was busy self destructing due to blood feuds and the machinations of Space AT&T.

Eventually in the 2900s there was a split between two factions of The Clans: the Wardens (who felt the Clans should keep to themselves and only get involved in the Inner Sphere if it was threatened by someone else) and the Crusaders (who saw it as their duty to conquer the Inner Sphere and restore a new Clan based Star League). Honestly, if they allowed caste mobility and injected some capitalism and used government-enforced stamps for extra luxury items as the carrot, a Clan conquest likely would have gone over pretty well all around. Unfortunately they're master race asshats who effectively enslave everyone who isn't a warrior (as opposed to the Inner Sphere, where you're a slave because you aren't rich or have the wrong last name).

Society

"Return to the Inner Sphere is impossible for us. Our heritage and our convictions are different from those we left behind. The greed of the five Great Houses and the Council Lords is a disease that can only be burned away by the passing of decades, even centuries. And though the fighting may seem to slow, or even cease, it will erupt again as long as there are powerful men to covet one another's wealth. We shall live apart, conserving all the good of the Star League and ridding ourselves of the bad, so that when we return — and return we shall — our shining moral character will be as much our shield as our BattleMechs and fighters."

– Aleksandr Kerensky, General Order 137, December 5th, 2785. These words would be the Nucleus of the Hidden Hope Doctrine

An important fact about the Clans is that they were born from repeat societal trauma. The Amaris Coup and Civil War, the Death of Star League, the Exodus, the Pentagon Civil War and the Second Exodus; these were harrowing events to live through, but also were seen as total failure of the old order of things even if it had aspired to noble ideals and achieved greatness. As such, Nicholas Kerensky and his followers were convinced that for humanity to survive society needed to be rebuilt from the ground up. Nicky did work from his specific interpretation of his father's words and borrowed elements from a lot of different historic cultures (Mongols, Sparta, Maoist China, Tokugawa Japan, pre-modern India, various native cultures and probably more), but the aim was to start clean.

The Clans have produced fearsome genetically enhanced warriors, revolutionary BattleMechs and some darn fine cartoons (yes this is totally canon)

Even though there is a Grand Council for settling disputes and acting as a whole, each Clan operates mostly independently of its fellows. "Peace" is not really a thing in Clan Society, but war is seldom total. When the Clans are not out conquering others, they're fighting low intensity highly ritualized wars with each other. Yet, what made the Clan Homeworlds spared the Succession Wars level of violence that sent the Inner Sphere back to the stone age was the application of Zellbrigan and the Honor Road, which emphasized individual unit and warrior prowess while minimizing collateral damage. This includes codes for honorable surrender. This would work well if they operated in loose, highly autonomous units like the modern US military. They don’t. On the downside, while material and technological matters were better preserved (if not improved upon with OmniMechs, Battle Armor, and rapid limb replacement with cloned ones or myomer prosthesis), individual human lives weren’t seen as inherently valuable so concepts such as safety gear and personal healthcare were seen as things only worth providing to those who had more worthwhile skills. So while your typical Scientist, Merchant, and Technician castes has average lifespans, most Laborers and Warriors wound up dead in their 40-50’s due to combat or physical burn-out leaving them as “dead weight” if they can’t do anything useful. It’s bad enough that most elderly Warriors would rather die as disposable infantry sent in the first wave of an assault instead of starving in bed while infirm.

Clan Society is militaristic, authoritarian, honor bound and strictly hierarchical. It's mostly built around a rigid caste system in which one's role in society is typically assigned in childhood and social mobility is a rarity. Although this could be due to their skill at screening genetics and testing for competency, as such tests are available for caste mobility and so Clans likely simply get it right on the first try in childhood. The Economies of each of the Clans is largely centrally planned and mostly concerned with producing more mechs, ships, weapons and warriors and more clanners to make and support more of those. Humans are mass produced as much as Mechs are in Clan Society¹. Motivated by the Clan Home-worlds being harsher and less abundant in resources, wastefulness is discouraged while recycling is the norm to the point that harvesting organs and tissue from the deceased is expected before the cremated ashes are used for crop nutrition. Meanwhile nonproductive activities such as entertainment or leisure were normally seen as incentives to get people working or in extreme cases outright banned. Hence, while stuff like competitive combat sports and athletics are encouraged, things like literature and theatre are treated as frivolous trivialities at best. Most observers note that outside of agriculture, healthcare (for combat injuries), STEM topics, heavy manufacturing, and military-industrial complexes, most non-military related tech and practices were literally frozen in the Star League era. Overall, "Everything for the Clan", "The Clan Provides" and "The Clan Knows Best" are the overarching attitudes. That said, this still means the Clan civilians’ quality of life is high by Inner Sphere standards and probably blows the modern day out of the water.

One of the quirks of Clan Society is that most people only have a given name. More on that in a bit.

The Castes are as such...

• Warrior Caste: The rulers of Clan society trained the Spartan Way. Most of them are grown in bulk in industrial exowomb factories and raised in sibling companies (sibkos), but a few applicants from the general populace are let in. Many flunk out one way or another and become part of the civilian castes while many others end up dying in brutal training regimens and trials for combat. Those that become Warriors are typically hard as nails and brutal fighters. By far the smallest caste. Those who are nearing retirement age (typically 30-50’s in their hyper competitive society) or forced to retest if they failed graduation in a live fire exercise are usually placed in lackluster duties like police, intelligence services, non-power armored infantry, and armored vehicle formations. They're three main flavors of Clan Warriors...
  • Elementals: Battletech's answer to Space Marines, huge guys and gals who wear power armor and act as shock troops.
  • Pilots: Small fellows with big eyes and heads who can take a lot of Gs like the T'au's Air Caste.
  • Mech Warriors: The most regular warriors, but optimized with improved reflexes and increased neuro-helmet compatibility.
• Scientist Caste: Scientists, inventors, researchers and the like who expand on the Clan's knowledge base and run the eugenics programs. As the Clans have advanced technologically where the inner sphere has regressed, they've been largely successful. The second most powerful caste in Clan society who can actually overrule the warriors on certain matters such as eugenics or technology.
• Technician Caste: Mechanics, engineers, and spacecraft crews who keep the machinery of Clan Society humming along. They work with the Warrior Caste directly more than most which gives them some clout.
• Merchant Caste: Traders as well as managers, artists and a wide variety of other functions required to run the economy of Clan Society. They have a higher status in Clan Diamond Shark, since Diamond Shark Warriors can honorably retire to this caste with reservist status if the Clan requires more manpower.
• Laborer Caste: The proles who do all the grunt work to keep everyone else fed, housed, equipped, armed, pooping in unclogged toilets and so forth. The largest caste, no less due to Battletech's universe using neo-feudalism.
• Dark Caste: Not an official caste but a bunch of outcasts which live on the edges of Clan society in hiding. Makes for convenient target practice for clan warriors. They either survive as pirates, smugglers, or organized criminal syndicates that try to disguise themselves as guilds (which isn't hard as the Free Guilds do exist independently of each clan but are publicly regulated).

In addition each caste has it's own internal hierarchy where merit and competition determines your pecking order. For example the Merchant Caste has retail clerks at the bottom and top negotiators for big inter-clan deals at the top. And while each caste committee is technically subordinate to the Warrior exclusive Clan Council, the council mostly let the civilian castes do what they deem best unless it deals with the Clan’s existential matters or martial affairs. In terms of warriors, the inter-Clan’s competition is not only reflected in rising up the ranks from sib-cadet to Khan but a Desire to win a Bloodname through gaining honorable victory for their clan. Having a BloodName means they get a surname and their genes will be be guaranteed for use to produce the next batch of Warriors while they can participate in Clan Council. Conversely, any disgrace a warrior commits risks anything from demotion at best to outright eliminating their entire Bloodname’s BloodHouse from the Clan’s records and genetic repository. Really accomplished scientists can be awarded a Labname like "Einstein" or "Darwin", but non-Scientists rarely use them.

Two other known divides between members within Clan society depends on their type of birth and their national origin. With the Clan scientist caste’s access to Iron Wombs and eugenic genecraft, Clansmen are classified as either Trueborn or Freeborn. The former are literal designer babies who are grown in an artificial amniotic womb while the latter are naturally born. Due to the Clans’ focus on breeding the best of their warriors for beneficial traits as quickly as possible, Trueborn are generally deemed superior. On the other hand, whether it's due to their superior training regimes or genes is up for debate. Likewise, there's a distinction between those born within a Clan and those who were absorbed as bondsmen captured from other Clans or factions. Their outcome depends on each Clan's attitude and the captured person's origins. Ideally, transplanted outsiders are either treated the same as native clansmen and promoted based on their merit, loyalty, and adaptability to Clan culture. Conversely, captured outsiders could also be subjugated to de-facto second class citizenship from either prejudice against enemies or the natives’ superiority complex.

A big part of Clan Society, especially in the Warrior Caste, is tradition and ritual. On the whole they have a rather "meh" view of religion (partly due to their utilitarian mindset and a big portion of their population being designer babies), but it's role is largely filled by the Hidden Hope Doctrine and a cult of personality mixed with hero worship of the Clan’s original leaders. Aleksandr and Nicholas Kerensky are all but worshiped as "the Founders". Warriors must past through a variety of trials to achieve position and within the Clan's hierarchy. The Clans preserve and teach their history through The Remembrance, a long epic poem that summarizes each Clan’s glory. Bloodnames are part of that. In general they try to cultivate an air of mystery and impart subtle meanings into the various rituals. All of which are conceived to reinforce the ideals of The Clans and Clan identity into future generations on an emotional level. On the same note, Clanners tend to be very conformist with little tolerance for un-Clanlike Behavior at the best of times.

In particular in their mythologized view of history Star League was a bountiful paradise despoiled by the greed and spite by wicked petty power hungry leaders, especially the five Great House (in of itself this is not a bad interpretation of events). As such they view the people of the Inner Sphere having fallen into Barbarism. This is notable because it gives them a standard to define themselves against as well as prejudices their outlooks against others.

Another side effect to Clan culture’s emphasis on conformity and blunt honesty is that they tend to suffer against piracy operations and guerrilla warfare when they invade non-Clanner territories. In contrast to civilians and other Clans accepting new rulers in Clan Space as a fact of life, the Inner Sphere had no compunction against nationalist resistance movements. Hence why the Dark Caste and pirates thrive in the Clan Occupation Zones. While civilian and certain Clan politics are just as two-faced as anyone else, outright breaking agreements without justification or blatant lies unless it’s half-truths and subtle deception is unheard of. Hence, the Clans suffered in intelligence operations before the Blakist Jihad. While later clans were able to adjust in the Inner Sphere with commando raids, headhunting operations, open intelligence gathering, and sleeper agents, outright assassination and espionage were still prohibited as anathema against honorable combat. Otherwise, they just suspend Zellbrigan application to war if they deem their foes dishonorable to permit total war.

¹Both by Exowombs and more conventional means. Clan Civilian Society is pronatalist, encouraging large families with various incentives, extensive childcare services and similar to keep up a steady supply of babies and see to them until adulthood. On a similar note, Clanners are as a rule rather casual about sex as long as contraception is employed for casual hook-ups. This is especially the case for Warriors, who think of sex as a fun thing to do with your friends if they're up for it.

Individual Clans

There are originally twenty clans formed by Nicholas Kerensky but over the course of the centuries, many were destroyed or absorbed into other factions.

• Clan Wolf: The first "Mary Sue" Clan, having the ilKhan along their ranks kinda marks you for that. Also known for fielding the Timber Wolf which plenty call a poster boy for the series. They actually won their objectives in the battle of Tukayyid. As of a recent novel, they're now ilClan with Jade Falcon as their bodyguard and Smoke Jaguar reconstituted as their special forces. The Wolves' superpower is that they tend to show up with an actual strategy for both winning the war and winning the peace that comes after the war, a rare thing in the highly dogmatic and Trial-obsessive Clan culture. Perhaps due to absorbing some of Clan Wolverine (perhaps even more than “some”), Wolf seems to be more open-minded about caste mobility in the “put someone where they fit best” sense.
• Clan Jade Falcon: The other "Mary Sue" Clan. Also the Purist Clan, since they are staunch traditionalists which stick with Nicky's vision as tightly as they can. When you think of honor-crazed warrior cultures that went full murder-hobo, you're thinking Jade Falcon. Were the asshats that invaded MY HOME PLANET in the animated series. They earned themselves a draw on Tukayyid at about the last minute.
• Clan Smoke Jaguar: The Asshole Clan. Aggressive militarists who value only strength and treat their civilian castes like crap. They make Jade Falcon look nice as the green birb gets that rewarding loyal productivity gets you more of it. They earned getting smoked on Tukayyid, bidding away a vast majority of their forces to get the first deployment and only to have them repeatedly baited into ambush after ambush on Tukayyid by being the most aggressive Clan during the invasion, and ultimately demolished in the Second Star League's counterattack during the Trial of Refusal.
• Clan Blood Spirit: The Bitter Keener Clan. One of the smaller of the Clans, Clan Blood Spirit was conceived as the embodiment of the esprit de corps of the Clans by Nicholas Kerensky. Clan Blood Spirit wore military dress uniforms and sent ambassadors to the other Clans for diplomacy and were also the most tradition minded and isolationist of the Clans. Though producing the best warriors individually, the Blood Spirits lacked overall numbers and resources due to their pursuit of perfection. Their bitterness towards the other Clans for abandoning what they saw as Kerensky's vision ensured they had few friends. Got blown the fuck up during Wars of Reaving, and were Annihilated in 3084.
• Clan Diamond Shark/Sea Fox: The Money Clan. Once Clan Sea Fox until they saw a Diamond Shark devour a Sea Fox whole. Fitting that their fighting strength was almost wiped out in Tukayyid due to their inexperience in fighting a actual war as opposed to the dance and diddy that the Clans call a war. Currently going by Clan Sea Fox again, mostly run by merchants after their warrior caste was basically butchered to the last.
• Clan Ghost Bear: The Practical Clan. Moderate fence sitters that actually attempt to do their homework on their foe? My God, it is like they have a brain... At any rate, Ghost Bear are unusual for the Clans in that they actually practice something akin to normal family structures, and were slow to adapt new tactics but moved in a steady pace for effect. The other Clan that got a draw on Tukayyid. They eventually shacked up with the Rasalhagues to make their own hybrid state.
• Clan Nova Cat: The Mystic Clan. Brought in to help Clan Smoke Jaguar, they ended up joining the Inner Sphere instead. However, they got the shit beaten out of them first by the Ghost Bears and then by their Inner Sphere hosts once they backed the wrong faction in a Kuritan Civil War; killing them off. All that remains are their Spirit Cat descendants in the Free Worlds League and unaccounted refugees.
• Clan Steel Viper: The smug clan. This clan had a rough start since their first Khan was a yandere (for real). They mostly isolated themselves and focused on making super-elite soldiers while dreaming about how they'd rule the Inner Sphere. This got them a spot as back-up for the Jade Falcons, but having super-elite infantry is not a replacement for actually good mechs, and they got kicked out of the Inner Sphere by the Falcons, started the Wars of Reaving, and ultimately got murk'd.
• Clan Cloud Cobra: The Religious Clan. Everything they do is in service to what they call "The Way", a sort of pseudo-religion that generally prefers them to keep their nose out of trouble and honor the sanctity of life. Normally this would mean they were prime real estate to get eaten alive by the others, but The Way does call for war when struck, and many a clan has realized far too late that Cloud Cobra isn't just a bunch of peaceniks, they're sharp as a tack and exceptionally politically devious. Currently the second largest power in the Clan Homeworlds Post-reaving, probably tending their gardens and reading psalms to each other when they aren't crank calling Clan Coyote.
• Clan Star Adder: The Pragmatic Clan. Star Adder had no time for the pseudo-religious trappings of any Kerensky worship, simply seeing Alex and his kid as noteworthy generals in their own right. This lack of interest in the ritualism and especially the politics of the Clans lead to a very close relationship between all caste members equally, and attracting little notice in inter-clan relationships. Eventually ended up the biggest clan among the Homeworlds once Steel Viper had accidentally made it super easy to get rid of them, and are for the most part buddies with Cloud Cobra and Stone Lion, while tolerating Clan Coyote's presence.
• Clan Coyote: The Survivor Clan. Initially did fantastically for themselves as a noble practitioner group of Zellbringen as well as best buddies with Clan Wolf, as well as being the clan directly responsible for the development of OmniMech technology and their Khan was briefly IlKhan for a bit before a Snow Raven plot killed her. Since that point, they've largely been shunned, if not sent away from Clan Space after the Wars of Reaving, but still survive to this day, though far more ruthless in their aims. Their first Khan was the lover of Andery Kerensky (Nicholas' younger brother), and both Clan Wolf and Coyote use their genetic legacies to create sibkos in memory of them every so often.
• Clan Snow Raven: The Sneaky Clan. Due to a series of major military disasters early on in their history, this clan has spent most of its time playing realpolitik against itself and the rest of the Clans, preferring to stay out of open confrontation due to their lackluster forces. Have a lot of naval prowess due to their occasional need to hit the stellar bricks. Eventually shacked up with the Outworlds Alliance government to become the Raven Alliance.
• Clan Burrock: The Not-So-Stiff Clan. A Clan named after an insect that burrowed through solid rock with its acidic saliva. Clan Burrock was known for its liberal attitude towards its civilian castes, often to the point where captured Burrocks had difficulties adopting to more strict Clans. They mostly drifted towards Crusader leanings. They were absorbed by Clan Star Adder after the Inner Sphere invasion and the Refusal War for its association with the Dark caste. Ironically right when the current Burrock Khan discovered this link and tried distancing the Clan's association herself. The absorption into Clan Star Adder angered a lot of former Burrocks to the point that Clan remnants committed themselves fully to to the Dark Caste, leading to the former Clan's involvement with The Society during the Wars of Reaving, where the Clan remnants was fully exterminated.
• Clan Goliath Scorpion: The Stoner Clan with a twist of Indiana Jones treasure hunting. Have a deep preference for extremely precise strikes as opposed to brute forcing their way through things, while also requiring getting absolutely blasted on refined scorpion venom. Deep Warden feelings and an obsession with the past meant they basically kept themselves out of most clanner bullshit unless pressed. They also had a habit of trying to secure bloodlines or artifacts linked the the Star League and actually think they can find them with visions induced by said cocktail of narcotic scorpion venom. Eventually got into trouble for illegally adding bloodlines to their eugenics program from the SLDF descended Eridani Light Horse and just fucked off to the Deep Periphery to go fight the conquer the Castilian Cluster and the Hanseatic League to start their own empire.
• Clan Ice Hellion: The Speedster Clan. The White Scars Legion of the Clans. Their M.O. can be described as 'attack attack ATTACK! with SPEED! Was a constant thorn in the side of Warden Clans and a major advocate for invading the Inner Sphere, but never amounted to a major player of the invasion. Cut out of the invasion, they lashed out at the other Clans during The Hellion's Fury (ridiculed as the "Hellion Tantrum" by the other Clans). Was mostly wiped out during the Reavings, what survived was absorbed by Clan Goliath Scorpion.
• Clan Hell's Horses: The Biker Clan, for as much as one can be a Biker in Battletech. Known primarily for their use of combat vehicles rather than alongside Mechs. Hells Horses has the distinction of being an extremely stable Clan, if not the most powerful, due to their personal belief that all within it, including the Freeborn, serve the greater good of the Clan. Eventually fucked off to the Inner Sphere, with a hardliner contingent remaining behind and becoming a different clan altogether known as Clan Stone Lion.
• Clan Fire Mandrill: The Horde Clan. Set up almost the exact opposite way as Hell's Horses, as it is organized in to dozens of mini-Clans called Kindraa, who often fought amongst themselves just as much as they fought other Clans. Unsurprisingly, they got completely wrecked by the Wars of Reaving.
• Clan Mongoose: The Bitey Clan. Notably for fighting everyone they could all the time for any petty reason. Their antics made them a lot of enemies and eventually they got curb-stomped and absorbed in 2868. Unfortunately they got mopped up by Smoke Jaguar.
• Clan Wolverine: The Not-Named Clan whom all the other Clans hate with a burning passion. Betrayed by the original founders of the Clans for being better at the Clan thing than Kerensky was. It sounds like sarcasm but sadly it’s literally what happened. Survivors wondering who-knows-where (called the Minnesota Tribe when they stormed through the Inner Sphere away from Clan Space, they seem to call themselves the Clave now), but the main Clan went out as balls-to-the-wall badasses.
• Clan Widowmaker: A short-lived Clan that is most notably known for having a personal beef with Clan Wolverine and Clan Wolf. They masterminded the downfall of the Not-Named Clan using a false flag attack with a nuke. Karma struck the Widowmakers a decade later, when they went too far in mistreating the civilian castes and wiped out their own Merchants for wanting some respect. Originally sentenced to be Absorbed by Clan Wolf after being deemed unfit to rule, the last Widowmaker Khan, Cal Jorgensson, killed Nicolas Kerensky with a cockpit shot while the IlKhan was supervising the Trial, in the midst of fighting off an illegal intervention of a Widowmaker Star. In an angry outburst at the loss of the Clans' founder, Clan Wolf unofficially Annihilated the clan after killing Jorgensson, burned their worlds of Roche (homeworld) and Ironhold (site of Kerensky's death) to the ground, and later absorbed their Bloodnames. The black widow moniker used by Natasha and Anastasia Kerensky can be traced back to bloodlines absorbed by Clan Wolf, and subsequently used in those individuals' creation.

Clan Military

Each Clan has it's own military collectively called a Touman. They share some common practices and conventions laid out by Nicholas Kerensky, but within said boundaries each Clan is free to set up their forces more or less as they see fit, and usually each does according to their Clan's ouvre. Of course, what makes the Clans so dangerous regardless of their individual affiliation is their OmniMechs, which were often lightyears ahead in terms of modular design and technological strength of the Inner Sphere's BattleMechs. On top of that, their tendency of using jump-jet equipped power armored infantry piggybacking off of their OmniMechs enabled them to have swarms of MEQ’s either ripping vehicles or bunkers when BattletMech use would be deemed overkill.

But while they hold a technological edge, where the Clans falter greatly is in tactical strength. Most Clan warfare prior to the invasion was limited to the honor-bound, extremely skirmish-heavy battles fought between each other where both sides showed up, told each other what they'd be fighting with, and often fighting only in significant duels. All this was supplemented with a heavy emphasis on Mech warfare (or whatever hat the individual Clan wears), a massive culture-wide bias against intelligence gathering due to it being "dishonorable", and what the Zellbringen code allows; which meant they often plopped only the bare minimum of assets down to complete their missions as a personal dare to win with as little as possible. While in theory this is done to both minimize casualties and keep valuable resources alive and working for the Clan to use, the simple fact of the matter is Clanner warfare is continually hamstrung by itself; The Inner Sphere Successor States are under absolutely no delusions about war being an honorable thing, and were able to effectively fracture their entire society by daring to be cute with their own ideas of warfare, coming to one of the harshest wake-up calls they ever got in the Battle of Tukayyid, and any gains they took from the Inner Sphere from the initial invasion almost immediately began to crumble as their attitudes towards their new subjects ultimately plopped them into a series of guerilla wars, something utterly alien to them. Some Clans wised up and decided to try and learn something from this, others have yet to understand why things happened the way they did and returned to the Periphery.

The Clans tend to organize themselves depending on their culture, but generally speaking have their own military structure. Unlike the Inner Sphere which uses the traditional "chain of command", "grunt to general" approach, the Clans do not necessarily have an officer system by the traditional method. Every Warrior is considered roughly the same until you get to the Point Commander rank, at which point traditional methods kick back in, but even so the relationship is much less formal. In contrast to the Inner Sphere's "Base Four" or ComStar's "Base Six" system, every part of the Clan Touman is organized into a "Base Five" system, which organizes everything into even groups of five.

The Clan Toumans are (typically) organized into:

• Point: 1 Mech, 2 Tanks, 5 Elementals or 25 Regular Infantry. Commanded by a Point Commander/MechWarrior.
• Star: 5 Points. Considered the "base" unit of Clan warfare. Most Stars are all of one combat role, as mixed Stars tend to do poorly. Commanded by a Star Commander.
  • Nova: combined arms Stars (between a Star and a Binary in size) that have to be trained extra rigorously to be competitive. Commanded by a Nova Commander.
• Binary: 2 Stars. The point at which Combined Arms becomes feasible. Either they or a Trinary is commanded by a Star Captain.
  • Trinary: expanded variant with 3 Stars. If they're the Khan's personal bodyguard unit, they're called a Keshik.
  • Super Nova: combined arms Binaries or Trinaries. Commanded by a Nova Captain.
• Cluster: 3-5 Binaries. Commanded by Star Colonels. Among Clan Sea Fox, they’re called Aimags commanded by OvKhans.
• Galaxy: 3-5 Clusters, plus an extra Trinary for Command. Commanded by either Galaxy Commanders, the LoreMaster, or either the Khan or SaKhan. Generally a logistical designation because the process of Clan warfare bidding down typically ensures that Galaxies will only ever be deployed rarely. Among Clan Sea Fox, they’re called Khanates commanded by SaKhans.

Notable 'Mechs

Due to the fact that they showed up out of nowhere unannounced besides a few Batchalls, Clan Battlemechs have both official names and Inner Sphere code names. The following "original sixteen" are the most common frontline OmniMechs used in the invasion, and found in most Clans' toumans:

• IIC BattleMechs - As the Clans never lost their technology, they continued to develop and evolve the Star League-era 'Mechs into stronger and deadlier versions. Curiously, by the time of the Clan Invasion, these were considered obsolete by Clanners due to them lacking the modularity of OmniMechs, and were not used in the frontlines with a few exceptions like the Hunchback IIC, which was basically a suicide weapon for solahma (old) and/or dezgra (disgraced) MechWarriors, and the Conjurer/Hellhound/Wolverine IIC, which is quite versatile for longer battles thanks to its mostly energy arsenal. While less versatile than OmniMechs, they're more than a match for most Spheroid designs; a lesson many Spheroids learned the hard way when they tried raiding Clan territory behind the front lines.
• Timber Wolf/Mad Cat - The Clanners' most famous 'Mech. Actually quite a preposterously expensive thing, but the fact it can blast it's way through Assault 'Mechs makes it a favorite. It's Inner Sphere name comes from their targeting computers being incapable of deciding whether or not it's a Marauder or a Catapult, and so flashed MAD CAT over and over whenever it showed up. Developed (and produced exclusively) by Clan Wolf, though most other Clans acquired them by trade or salvage during the century leading up to the invasion.
• Mad Dog/Vulture/Hagetaka - The Clan's OTHER most famous 'Mech. Basically the Timber Wolf's leaner, scrappy little brother, resembling the Inner Sphere's Archer. Follows the same basic concept of shoulder mounted missiles and arm mounted energy guns, but has a little more pod space in exchange for a lighter chassis and armor. Can hot-swap the LRMs for an absurd number of SRMs, or its entire loadout for a pair of Gauss Rifles. First built by Clan Smoke Jaguar but most popular with the Ghost Bears.
• Summoner/Thor - The Summoner fills the unusual role of being a heavy 'Mech that sacrifices weaponry for mobility, generally giving up redundancy in its weapons in order to carry jump jets and maintain a flexible loadout with less capacity. The result is a 'Mech that's pretty good at moving in fast and bullying things smaller than itself, but doesn't want to tangle with assault class stuff unless it has weight of numbers; not because it doesn't have the armor (see the Hellbringer and Executioner) but because it doesn't bring enough guns. Resembles the Inner Sphere's Thunderbolt. The favorite 'Mech of Clan Jade Falcon.
• Hellbringer/Loki - A glass cannon, carrying a versatile array of weaponry at the cost of having laughably weak armor for a heavy 'Mech. Its primary configuration resembles the Inner Sphere's Warhammer, with twin ER PPCs in the arms mated to a targeting computer, backup lasers and anti-infantry weapons. The other favorite mech of Clan Jade Falcon.
• Dire Wolf/Daishi - The last word in mech-to-mech encounters. Where the Summoner is happy being a schoolyard bully and the Hellbringer is minmaxed for DPS, the Dire Wolf is just one huge chungus that simply does not care what the enemy brought. 100 tons, unapologetically slow, with an absurd amount of firepower and armor, this is the ultimate assault mech. Barring a lucky headshot this mech will outlast and crush anything you throw its way; underestimate it at your own peril. This is the mech every Mechwarrior dreams of piloting, and many important figures(Natasha Kerensky, Victor Steiner-Davion, Hohiro Kurita) design their own(even stronger) custom variants. This design was fought over between Clan Wolf and Clan Smoke Jaguar and also produced secretly on Outreach by Wolf's Dragoons.
• Executioner/Gladiator - A strange take on the concept of an Assault Mech. At 95 tons it can mount a lot of equipment, but focuses on mobility through jump jets and MASC. As the downside to this, it has anemic side torso armor, meaning it gets cut in half whenever faced with any real attrition. But as an upside, its speed and good leg armor make it a great Elemental transport, and carrying Elementals can help guard its side torsos... sadly most of its configurations have long range weapons while Elementals need to be brought in close. The stereotypical Ghost Bear omnimech.
• Warhawk/Masakari - Pure evil, bringing this to a friendly game will turn some heads. Heavily armored, average speed, the classic Warhawk carries FOUR CLAN ER PPCS in its arms, mercilessly vaporizing limbs and heads of anyone unfortunate to be caught in its sights. If that isn't enough, every variant carries a massive Targeting Computer, essentially giving the pilot an aimbot. A common variant swaps two ER PPCs for Large Pulse Lasers, allowing it to better manage its heat while firing with even greater accuracy. One of Clan Smoke Jaguar's signature designs.
• Gargoyle/Man o'War - The infamous SpurdoMech is somewhat of an unusual design, an assault mech that moves above its weight class but has (relatively) weak leg armor. Its Prime also has the misfortune of having ballistic weapons yet too many heat sinks, its twin LB5X autocannons forcing it squarely into an anti-vehicle role. Its lack of torso weapons and its speed make it a good Elemental transport and Clan Wolf builds them in large numbers: however overall it is weaker than the lighter Timber Wolf (unless mech quirks are in play). Also somewhat popular with Clan Ghost Bear. (apparently the weird configuration works well under specialized Clan duel rules)
• Stormcrow/Ryoken - The close combat star of the clan mediums, usually packing fists and lasers although sometimes fitted for long range. At 97 km/h it's faster than everything it can't take down. Doesn't get much time in the spotlight compared to its slower, heavier cousin the Mad Dog, but it comes from the same family of flexible second-gen omnimechs. A workhorse design for many Clans but most popular with the Smoke Jaguars.
• Nova/Black Hawk - One of the oldest OmniMech designs still in use, the Nova is uncommon yet universal among the Clans as a medium mech that can (briefly) throw dakka like mechs 20 tons heavier than itself. Infamous for running HOT with TWELVE ER Medium Lasers, the king of alpha strikes. Also has a PPC sniper variant which is quite good, and a couple configurations that try to pack ballistic weapons and missiles despite the fixed heat sinks.
• Ice Ferret/Fenris - A swift yet well armored scout that can do some sniping to boot. Originally built as a harasser to counter the Timber Wolf, Clan Wolf liked it enough to capture a factory and started producing it themselves. Now is a ubiquitous sight in their touman.
• Viper/Dragonfly - A fast jumper, often described (incorrectly) as lacking punch. Known for being one of the first mechs to combine jumping 8 hexes (extremely hard to be hit) with pulse lasers (extremely easy to hit the enemy). A great Elemental transport and infantry killer popular with the Ghost Bears and Wolves.
• Adder/Puma - The largest of the Clans' ubiquitous light OmniMechs is a bit of an oddity. While not particularly fast for a light mech, it carries a pair of ER PPCs with a targeting computer, making it a true sniper. As an OmniMech, it can switch to being a gnarly missile boat in an hour or two. Most often found among Clan Wolf (though the Fenris fits the scout role of a light mech better).
• Kit Fox/Uller - Similar to the Adder in most respects, though lighter armored, the Kit Fox tends to carry a more balanced assortment of weapons in its variants, rather than boating one thing in particular. Except for the EW/anti-infantry variant, which happens to have a whopping three anti-missile systems. Recently canonized as having a dedicated Arrow IV variant(read: a guided, auto-loading cruise missile launcher), meaning it can be equipped with nuclear weapons. Unsurprising, given that it is produced by Clan Jade Falcon.
• Mist Lynx/Koshi - A 25 ton dedicated scout OmniMech packing more weapons than its Inner Sphere equivalents, but nothing special as far as Clan mechs go. Infamous for having one less jump jet than needed to be truly evasive, putting nearly half its torso armor on its rear facing, while fully armoring the head. Used by Clan Smoke Jaguar in the rare OOC instance that they attempt reconnaissance.
• Fire Moth/Dasher - GOTTA GO FAST. A derpy little machine with arms that stretch high above its head, and speed that far exceeds anything the Inner Sphere thought a BattleMech could be capable of. It still manages to have more guns than Inner Sphere mechs twice its size, too- Clan tech is just that powerful. Surprisingly the light mech of choice for Clan Ghost Bear, which actually makes a lot of sense: the Clan that prefers Elementals and plays American Football loves a mech that runs up and flings the battle armor overhand at the enemy.

Clan Terminology

The Clans speak English. A rather formal variant of it which avoids contractions, but English none-the-less. Even so they have added a few words and terminology specific to their culture.

• Abtakha: A Clan Warrior adopted as a bondsman from another Clan or Faction after being captured and assimilated.
• Aff: Affirmative. Can be combined with Query to form the inquisitive term, Quiaff.
• Batchall: Battle Challenge. Before a fight, you lay out your intent and declare the forces that will fight to achieve them. Refuse at your own peril.
• Bondsman: A prisoner of war that serves as an indentured labourer. Among Clanners it's Honorable to surrender if you are overwhelmed, but once you do you have to obey your captors. Otherwise you are not only throwing away your Honor but pissing on your Clan's as well. One can conduct Bondsref (Bond Refusal) as ritual suicide before capture. Bondsmen are kept for a number of years before being either returned home or (if they choose) inducted into the Clan.
• Canister/Trash Born: Someone grown in an Exowomb. (insult version among more rebellious civilians).
• Dezgra/Chalcas: Disgrace/Un-Clanlike.
• Freeborn: Someone born the old fashioned way. Less favored source of Warriors.
• Freebirth: Someone born the old fashioned way (insult version).
• Giftake: a sample of a Warrior’s genetic material collected at death. Generally believed to be a more promising source for breeding greater warriors than samples collected when the Warrior is alive.
• Hegira: safe pass of enemy troops granted by defenders out of a war zone if deemed honorable.
• Iron Womb: Exowomb.
• ilClan: The title intended for the Clan that succeeds in capturing Earth/Terra. They will become the permanent leaders of all Clans and their Khan will always be the ilKhan.
• ilKhan: The supreme leader of all Clans and since 3151, the leader of the Star League.
• Isorla: Spoils of war for the Clan, including conquered peoples. Abbreviation for "Individuals, Supplies, OR, LAnd."
• Keshik: Elite bodyguard unit led by the Khan or SaKhan. Derived from Mongolian.
• Khan: The leader of a Clan and the commander of their touman.
• Kurultai: From Mongolian terminology. A Clan War council composed of all Bloodnamed Warriors. The Grand Kuraltai or Grand Council is the entirety of all Bloodnamed warriors from all Clans and is needed to elect an IlKhan (or Khan of Khans) if inter-Clan coordination is required.
• Neg: Negative. Can be combined with Query to from the inquisitive term, Quineg.
• Not-Named: Anything/Anyone that has been Abjured/Annihilated and is widely despised by all Clanners. Most often used with Clan Wolverine (The Not-Named Clan) and Ellie Kinnison, the first Steel Viper Khan and the first Warrior Reaved for trying to assassinate Nicholas’ wife (The Not-Named Khan).
• Rede: Oath. Any broken oath considered extremely serious, and is sometimes punishable by death. A variant is Surkairede where a warrior apologizes honorably for being wrong and being honorably pardoned in turn without grudges.
• Ristar/Elstar: Rising Star/Elite Rising Star. Used as a term for rising elite Warriors with lots of potential.
• saKhan: A Khan's second in command. They also carry out the duties their Khan cannot do personally.
• SafeCon: safe passage of enemy troops granted by a defender into a war zone if enemies are honorable.
• Seyla: possibly derived from the Hebrew term, sela, and roughly translated as "So shall it be.” It was the name of Clan Wolf freeborn warrior Seyla, who sacrificed herself to save Khan Jerome Winston during the Clan Widowmaker Absorption Trial of Refusal, in the context of the Clans it can be translated as "Unity".
• Sibko: Sibling Company. Basically communized groups of children called sibcadets who’re raised from infant creches. Those who pass all tests are made Warriors (out of maybe a dozen) while those who fail are made civilians.
• Solahma: elderly warriors who are past their prime. Yearn to earn final glory in combat instead of ignominious death by age.
• Stravag: Another term for Freebirth. Loosely derived from Russian.
• Surat: generic insult based off some rodents used as pets by civilians.
• Touman: A Clan's entire military strength in the form of all Galaxy assets combined. Derived from Mongolian.
• Trial: ritualized warfare used by the Clans. Variants include Abjuration to wipe the target from the history records for unforgivable crimes (with punishment being exile or execution), Position to gain warrior ranking, Bloodright to claim a bloodname, Grievance to settle irreconcilable disputes, Possession/Absorption to claim or merge units or territories into a Clan, Refusal as an appeal against a Clan Council/commander’s controversial decisions that one vehemently objects to, and Annihilation against those who commit war crimes against humanity and are a threat to all Clan society.
  • Rite: Hybrid combination versions of Clan Trials. Examples include Adoption to welcome bondsmen into their new Clan or Reaving/Propagation to adjust number of Bloodlines in terms of competence or mediocrity.
    • Note: while Abjuring, Reaving, and Annihilating seem synonymous, the difference is in terms of a sliding scale of severity: starting at exile/execution; then wiping out the name, genes, and records of a warrior or unit; and ending at the extreme of exterminating or sterilizing any trace or relatives of the culprit in question. Additionally, the first two can be reversed with Adoption or Propagation but Annihilation can only be voided if the culprit proves innocence by killing all their accusers in the Trial.
• Trueborn: Someone grown in an Exowomb. More favored source of Warriors.
• Wolverine: Due to the Not-Named Clan, comparing a Clanner with a wolverine is an extremely offensive insult that will make them lose their shit and try to kill the one who said it.
• Zellbrigen: honorable warrior conduct based on the Ares Convention and one-on-one combat. Akin to Kuritan Bushido.

Clanners of Note

• Nicholas Kerensky: Son of Aleksandr Kerensky, founder of the Clans and the first ilKhan. Often known as the Founding Father and the Great Founder. He was quite crazy, but it's not known if it was due to his mother being unhinged from a genetically inherited mental illness as well, or due to side effects from surviving the Curse of Eden, a deadly brain-damaging disease. While recognized as a visionary political leader, his peers occasionally found his messianic complex to be too much; though most held their tongues.
• Jennifer Winson: Mother of the Clans and Kerensky's wife as well as one of his closest supporters and agents since the Amaris occupation of Terra. Allegedly the sister of Jerome Winston. May have secretly been Amanda Cameron; last scion of the Star League’s ruling house though this information is unproven speculation outside of universe.
• Andery Kerensky: Nicholas’ younger brother and a person more in touch with the common man. He was also one of the few people who could temper Nick’s messianic complex and outlandish ideas without suffering blowback despite sharing a mutually strained relationship with his brother. Unofficial member of the Founders due to not being Khan, he was also a lover of Clan Coyote’s first Khan, his death by mass fire from enemy units who breached Clan lines during Operation Klondike made Nicholas codify Zellbrigen for honorable dueling to prevent such deaths again. Sara McEvedy was a close friend and his death made her start second-guessing Nicholas (who she suspected of unproven fratricide).
• The first forty Khans: the first generation of Khans and SaKhans, also known as the Founders.
  • Jerome Winson: First Khan of Clan Wolf and the second ilKhan. Was a close confidant to the Great Founder himself, after rescuing him and his family from Moscow during Amaris' rule. After leaving his wife behind with the Spheroids, he founded the first of the Clans and led them to victory on countless occasions. He avenged Kerensky by slaughtering the Widowmakers to the last and succeeded him as ilKhan. He's often seen as the one responsible for the Golden Century, the Clans' golden age.
  • Elizabeth Hazen: First Khan of Clan Jade Falcon and one of the most fearsome Clanners that has ever lived. She was the first person to tame a Jade Falcon, which she named Turkina. One of the survivors from the Black Watch’s near annihilation during the Amaris Coup, she was apparently in love with her old boss, SLDF general Aaron DeChaviller, and his horrific death at the hands of Liao rebels during the fall of the Pentagon Worlds made her go so berserk she butchered them all, on foot, with just a sword. She became Khan when she was 80, making her the oldest of the Founders. She was quite famous in Clan history for ending several rebellions in a bloody manner.
  • Franklin Osis: First Khan of Clan Smoke Jaguar. Surprisingly, he used to dislike conflict in his youth, but two awful experiences changed him into a killing machine: spending a year in a labor camp for being part of a FedRat gang that killed a Capellan, and the death of his younger brother Simon at the claws of a Smoke Jaguar, which made him snap and kill the giant cat with a small knife. After becoming Khan, he and the Smoke Jaguars became infamous for burning entire cities to the ground Vietnam-style during Operation KLONDIKE. Unlike the rest of his Clan, he grudgingly respected the civilian castes for their vital jobs in keeping the clan functional. Osis is one of the few that managed to enrage the Great Founder himself and live to tell the tale.
  • Dana Kufahl: First Khan of Clan Coyote and creator of several of the Clans' traditions. She was also Andery's lover and his death messed her up so badly that she retired afterwards, becoming an ambassador. Was raised by a Cree tribe, so she was quite a hippie.
  • Sarah McEvedy: First and only officially recognized Khan of Clan Wolverine. Supposedly killed during their annihilation in 2823, but was instead captured and spared by Kerensky himself. Apparently marooned on the planet her Clan died until Trish returned, she seemingly led her clan's remnants out of the Kerensky Cluster alongside Trish and their reformation into the Minnesota Tribe.
  • Dwight Robertson: First saKhan of Clan Wolverine. Was killed during a Trial of Refusal against the Widowmakers after getting tag-teamed by two King Crabs; McEvedy as his partner barely survived and became even more jaded with the Clans before launching Operation Switchback.
  • Ellie Kinnison: First Khan of Clan Steel Viper. Infamous for being a crazy yandere that had the hots on Kerensky himself. Ultimately went completely crazy and tried to murder his wife, which led to her death at her own saKhan's hands. After her death, she and her Bloodname were Abjured and wiped from the records by Kerensky. She's now only remembered as the Not-Named Khan.
  • Steven Breen: First saKhan of Clan Steel Viper, and its second Khan. Rebelled against Kinnison's madness and killed her to save Winson. His actions saved the Steel Vipers from sharing Kinnison's fate.
  • Jason Karrige: First Khan of Clan Widowmaker. An ambitious, smug and manipulative bastard, he hated the Wolverines for their fair treatment of their castes. He destroyed the city of Great Hope with a nuke and tricked the other Clans by making them believe the Wolverines did it, transforming their Trial of Absorption into an Annihilation. After discovering the truth of his actions and his death at the hands of Hallis, Kerensky secretly Reaved Karrige and his Bloodname.
  • Mariel Sanders: First saKhan of Clan Widowmaker. Was assassinated during the assault on Dagda in Operation KLONDIKE. Unfortunately for the opposition, the Widowmakers marked all opposition as collectively guilty by association and brutally hunt them down with extreme prejudice; making the other Clans concerned.
• Franklin Hallis: Second and de facto last Khan of Clan Wolverine. Led his clan during the Annihilation. Avenged Great Hope's destruction by killing Karrige himself. After his death, Kerensky himself buried him.
• Trish Ebon: Third and last saKhan of Clan Wolverine. Survived the Annihilation and led the remnants of her clan outside Clan space.
• Cal Jorgensson: Second saKhan and last Khan of Clan Widowmaker. he was an abrassive hothead that ruined his clan's relationship with the Fire Mandrills and Goliath Scorpions. He ultimately damned his clan when he ordered the killing of hundreds of Widowmaker merchants for demanding better treatment. During his Trial of Grievance where he tried to stop Clan Wolf's Absorption of the Widowmakers, Jorgensson killed Nicholas Kerensky himself by shooting his Atlas II in the cockpit with his Highlander's Large Lasers after being dazed. Winson had him executed and Annihilated the Widowmakers for his actions. He was brother of Hans Jorgensson of the Ghost Bears.
• Lincoln Osis: Last Khan of Clan Smoke Jaguar. His extreme bloodlust led to his death and his clan's destruction at the hands of the Second Star League when they unleashed Task Force Serpent and Operation Bulldog under Victor Steiner-Davion’s command.
• Natasha Kerensky: Last Khan of the unified Clan Wolf before the Refusal War killed her and split in the Clan in two. She is infamous as a hot-headed mercenary in the Wolf’s Dragoons unit before old age and time away from the Clan forced her to retest for her credentials with her protege, Phelan. She is legendary for downing the most opponents in her Trial of Position on Clan history and her Mech was left unmolested after her death as a monument to her prowess. The clan would remain split until the Third Star League.
• Vladimir Ward: Savior of the Crusader half of Clan Wolf. Was a rival of Phelan Kell when he was captured and later adopted as a Warrior. Had a romance with Katherine Steiner-Davion, the mad bitch responsible for the Fed-Com civil war and mother of the first IlKhan of the Third Star League (who she created with her brother’s genes and raised up in Vlad’s image as her revenge against the Inner Sphere).
• Phelan Kell: Savior of the Warden half of Clan Wolf and its leader when they went into exile. Was originally a member of the Kell Hounds mercenary unit that was captured before being adopted into their ranks.
• Brett Andrews: The last Khan of Clan Steel Viper. Also known as the Bloody ilKhan for starting the Wars of Reaving that led to the Homeworld Clans' downfall and the Annihilation of his Clan.
• Aiden Pryde: Arguably the best mechwarrior in Jade Falcon history, a true Jade Falcon at that; cold, prideful, arrogant and most importantly he got the job done (until Tukkayid happened). Originally failed testing due to the shenanigans of his Sibko and future Jade Falcon Khan Marthe Pryde, he would adopt the name of a recently dead freeborn and use his forged identity to attain the title of warrior. He would eventually reveal his true identity in order to win the Pryde bloodname, earning himself a couple of enemies in the shape of JF warriors who thought the way he became a warrior was disgraceful and was given command of the disgraced Falcon Guards as an insult. His heroic self-sacrifice at Tukayidd allowed the rest of the Jade Falcon Touman to withdraw intact and changed his reputation from dezgra to paragon of his clan.

External Links

• Part One of Tex's series on Clan History
• Part Two of Tex's series on Clan History