Discord server: discord.gg/2pkyJye
(Will be making my CS' later tonight or tomorrow!)
They said that they would come back to protect us, but no one expected them to come back like this. Now instead of being saved, we are slaves to the very beings we cast out when we went to war with each other. Years of fighting, and years of war left us defenseless, we threw everything we had at them but nothing worked, they had better technology. they had better fighters, they had a better governing system. We fought, we failed, because we had no honor, because we fought like monkeys, because we fought without brains. We are scum, we are weak, we were birthed naturally so we have no right to claim title or strength....
At least that's what they told us when they first took over. That's what they continue to tell us now that they have control, now that they own Terra, now that their Ilkhan is above us all. They treat those of us from the Inner Sphere like we are trash, like we have no place in the world. Well it's time to change that, we will gain our honor back, but not by their standards, by our own standards! We will rise up once more and find a way to have peace, not be oppressed by the powers at hand. But there is only one way to do that, and that is by tearing them down brick by damn brick. So join us, as we rise against the Clans, we are not alone though, members of their own clans wish to see the fall of the current clan in charge, let us tear them down!
3 factions
Clan Jade falcon/Overlord Clans (Reigning Government)(crusader clans)
NSLD New Star League Defense Force (Democratic Rebellion Force)(backed secretly by the Warden clans)
Inner Sphere Rebel Army (ISRA) (Feudal/Old way of Government)
We will be using sarna.net/wiki/Main_Page as our main resource, it is where most of the info has come from because they put it in a much less bias way then I would.
This is a sandbox RP, make your story, how will you fight? Against or with the Rebellion!?
Character Sheet:
Name: (Remember if you are a clansman you must have earned your last name in a trial.)
Trueborn or freebirth: (If you are a trueborn without a last name, tell us what Name you were fighting for)
Age:
Affiliation: (Which army do you fight for. If you don't fight, what group are you affiliated with? Ex: House, business, etc..)
Rank/Caste: (If applicable)
Appearance:(Description or picture)
Personality: (Give us an idea of what your character is like!)
Origin/Details: (Give us an idea of where your character came from, what type of problems have they overcome?)
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Mech/weapon of choice:
(sarna.net/wiki/Category:BattleMechs)
(sarna.net/wiki/Category:Weapons)
Sample post: (If this is your first character I'd like a sample post especially since this is an Advanced level.)
Attention:
A lot of what is to be displayed in the History and a few other portions of this OP OOC post was written about 4-5 years ago, please not that I understand there are a lot of mistakes, I have gone over it a couple times and will continue to do so to fix these mistakes.
Inner Sphere Governments:
Disclaimer:
Most of the Inner Sphere has it's own style of culture and living, but for the most part they are all a big melting pot of cultures.
(ignore the chaos march, Lyon's Thumb and the St. Ives Compact)
(Will be making my CS' later tonight or tomorrow!)
They said that they would come back to protect us, but no one expected them to come back like this. Now instead of being saved, we are slaves to the very beings we cast out when we went to war with each other. Years of fighting, and years of war left us defenseless, we threw everything we had at them but nothing worked, they had better technology. they had better fighters, they had a better governing system. We fought, we failed, because we had no honor, because we fought like monkeys, because we fought without brains. We are scum, we are weak, we were birthed naturally so we have no right to claim title or strength....
At least that's what they told us when they first took over. That's what they continue to tell us now that they have control, now that they own Terra, now that their Ilkhan is above us all. They treat those of us from the Inner Sphere like we are trash, like we have no place in the world. Well it's time to change that, we will gain our honor back, but not by their standards, by our own standards! We will rise up once more and find a way to have peace, not be oppressed by the powers at hand. But there is only one way to do that, and that is by tearing them down brick by damn brick. So join us, as we rise against the Clans, we are not alone though, members of their own clans wish to see the fall of the current clan in charge, let us tear them down!
3 factions
Clan Jade falcon/Overlord Clans (Reigning Government)(crusader clans)
NSLD New Star League Defense Force (Democratic Rebellion Force)(backed secretly by the Warden clans)
Inner Sphere Rebel Army (ISRA) (Feudal/Old way of Government)
We will be using sarna.net/wiki/Main_Page as our main resource, it is where most of the info has come from because they put it in a much less bias way then I would.
This is a sandbox RP, make your story, how will you fight? Against or with the Rebellion!?
Rules:
(Currently looking for a Co-GM)
1. The GM and CO-GM's words are law, please understand that we are trying our best to help you have fun, but help us to help you!
2. Before starting a game wide event, check with the GM to ensure it will not conflict with ongoing plans. Such events should NOT be your introductory arc.
3. Do not criticize another poster’s character, given we are all aiming to do the best we can,there is no need for people being rude about others creations, (even if it's a slight difference than a character they are mimicking) even if they ask for feedback.
4. Talk with the other people in your story Arc (Feel free to free roam and do things on your own as well if you need help or are interested in if something is okay, ask a GM)
5. If you have been absent for over 1 week (Whether you are collabing or not) and you have not told us (either on Discord or PM) why you are absent then we will move on without you.
6. If you were absent for awhile and you have come back, you will be welcomed back with open arms.
7. Try to make your first Arc be your first story Arc. There are only a couple preset characters, if you are wanting yours to be a preset character you will need to talk to the GMs about what that will look like. (I, Paingodsson: will have a couple preset characters to help with the Main story, these will not be my personal Characters)
8. Don't do anything that is massive and game changing. Like don't just start exploding planets because you want to.
9. Stay in Character. You want to do what your character would do in certain situations, let your character play himself/herself out.
10. There is not 1 story, there can be a large multitude at once.
11. At this moment in time I'd like to have a max of 3 character per person (Might change depending on if we attract interest)
12. GMs have final say on a character on whether it is accepted or not.
13. If you have an issue, please bring it up with a GM in private, do not bring others down!
14. If you have an idea or something that you think should be added or taken out, feel free to talk to the GMs about it!
15. If you have been inactive your Character will be placed on a hold, allowed to come back; however, if you become inactive during an important situation (Like a fight or a big battle where you are at the climax of it) your character may 'knocked out' or something of the sort to allow room for continuous growth.
16. If you have been kicked out of the RP, I reserve the right to kill your character how I see fit, as if you have been kicked out there is a slim chance you will be let back in.
17. This is Advanced Roleplay, I am nowhere near a god at grammar; however, I would ask that you put plenty of detail and write with purpose, no one liners or 1 paragraph posts.
18. Be creative, have fun. This is an open universe. Go and explore, go and do something you always wanted to do! Live your life, die, uncover treason, uncover the truth behind the battle at Terra!
(Currently looking for a Co-GM)
1. The GM and CO-GM's words are law, please understand that we are trying our best to help you have fun, but help us to help you!
2. Before starting a game wide event, check with the GM to ensure it will not conflict with ongoing plans. Such events should NOT be your introductory arc.
3. Do not criticize another poster’s character, given we are all aiming to do the best we can,there is no need for people being rude about others creations, (even if it's a slight difference than a character they are mimicking) even if they ask for feedback.
4. Talk with the other people in your story Arc (Feel free to free roam and do things on your own as well if you need help or are interested in if something is okay, ask a GM)
5. If you have been absent for over 1 week (Whether you are collabing or not) and you have not told us (either on Discord or PM) why you are absent then we will move on without you.
6. If you were absent for awhile and you have come back, you will be welcomed back with open arms.
7. Try to make your first Arc be your first story Arc. There are only a couple preset characters, if you are wanting yours to be a preset character you will need to talk to the GMs about what that will look like. (I, Paingodsson: will have a couple preset characters to help with the Main story, these will not be my personal Characters)
8. Don't do anything that is massive and game changing. Like don't just start exploding planets because you want to.
9. Stay in Character. You want to do what your character would do in certain situations, let your character play himself/herself out.
10. There is not 1 story, there can be a large multitude at once.
11. At this moment in time I'd like to have a max of 3 character per person (Might change depending on if we attract interest)
12. GMs have final say on a character on whether it is accepted or not.
13. If you have an issue, please bring it up with a GM in private, do not bring others down!
14. If you have an idea or something that you think should be added or taken out, feel free to talk to the GMs about it!
15. If you have been inactive your Character will be placed on a hold, allowed to come back; however, if you become inactive during an important situation (Like a fight or a big battle where you are at the climax of it) your character may 'knocked out' or something of the sort to allow room for continuous growth.
16. If you have been kicked out of the RP, I reserve the right to kill your character how I see fit, as if you have been kicked out there is a slim chance you will be let back in.
17. This is Advanced Roleplay, I am nowhere near a god at grammar; however, I would ask that you put plenty of detail and write with purpose, no one liners or 1 paragraph posts.
18. Be creative, have fun. This is an open universe. Go and explore, go and do something you always wanted to do! Live your life, die, uncover treason, uncover the truth behind the battle at Terra!
Character Sheet:
Name: (Remember if you are a clansman you must have earned your last name in a trial.)
Trueborn or freebirth: (If you are a trueborn without a last name, tell us what Name you were fighting for)
Age:
Affiliation: (Which army do you fight for. If you don't fight, what group are you affiliated with? Ex: House, business, etc..)
Rank/Caste: (If applicable)
Appearance:(Description or picture)
Personality: (Give us an idea of what your character is like!)
Origin/Details: (Give us an idea of where your character came from, what type of problems have they overcome?)
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Mech/weapon of choice:
(sarna.net/wiki/Category:BattleMechs)
(sarna.net/wiki/Category:Weapons)
Sample post: (If this is your first character I'd like a sample post especially since this is an Advanced level.)
Attention:
A lot of what is to be displayed in the History and a few other portions of this OP OOC post was written about 4-5 years ago, please not that I understand there are a lot of mistakes, I have gone over it a couple times and will continue to do so to fix these mistakes.
History:The Clans were originally descended from the self-exiled remnants of the Star League Defense Force army, who had departed the Inner Sphere after Stefan Amaris brought about the downfall of the Star League. General Aleksandr Kerensky led his forces to a hidden destination far from the Great Houses because he believed that a catastrophic war was inevitable; a war that even the once mighty Star League army would be powerless to stop. Through great hardship and a dynamic reorganization into twenty Clans of warriors leading and protecting their attendant civilian castes.
Later Aleksander's son, Nicholas would try to take control of the Star league army, however he was rejected by many. So he took most of the navy and his entire regiment out of the pentagon worlds. (Where most of the clan had taken seat) He also evacuated multiple civilians and others who followed his cause. Nicholas would then name himself 'Ilkhan' over the clans. Later Nicholas had judged the time was right and unleashed Operation Klondike, the campaign to take back the Pentagon worlds. Success was finally achieved in May a few years later, and at first the liberated populations were for the most part relieved: much of the civilian population was simply thankful for the devastating fighting to be over, while those who had exploited them were hunted down to be tried, convicted, tortured and executed as an object lesson. However the brutality of the post-liberation months prompted some within the Clans to begin questioning Nicholas' methods and even his leadership.
Though the first rumblings of discontent would come from Clan Jade Falcon, whose Khans eventually purged themselves of this "cancer" in what became known as The Culling, opposition to the Ilkhan's authority eventually coalesced around Clan Wolverine. This opposition came to a head when the Grand Council in an August session ordered that the Wolverines share their Brian Cache on Circe with the other Clans, an order they protested unsuccessfully first in the council and then in a Trial of Refusal in October. In her final Grand Council meeting, Khan Sarah McEvedy made the fatal error of not only insulting Nicholas, and by extension the other Clans, but declaring her Clan independent. The Wolverines' nuclear attack on Clan Snow Raven's genetic repository was the final nail in the coffin, and in the proceeding Trial of Annihilation Clan Wolverine ceased to exist; even their very name was stricken from the records, to be forever known as the "Not-Named Clan."
Opposition to his rule destroyed, the Ilkhan set about restructuring society and laying the groundwork for future prosperity. New worlds were explored and colonized, industry rebuilt, and the population finally reached its pre-war levels thanks to the eugenics program. Tragedy struck however just two years later during a Trial of Refusal between Clan Wolf and Clan Widowmaker, refereed by the Ilkhan and the other Clan Khans. When the duel degenerated into a melee the Ilkhan attempted to step in, but was accidentally fired upon and killed by the Widowmaker Khan. Incensed by the death of their leader the combined Clans laid waste to the Widowmakers, with Clan Wolf given the honor of Absorbing the remnants. A new Ilkhan would eventually be elected, though through the years the position slowly lost its authority and prestige until ending altogether and the remaining eighteen Clans would continue to develop and factionalize along different lines
It wouldn't be until later that the decision for another ilkahn was decided on by the great-council. To decide who there was a trial by combat. In which Corian Tchernovkov of Clan Coyote was the new Ilkhan. During the Political Centuries following this Clan society coalesced around two competing viewpoints: Crusaders who believed it was their right to re-establish the Star League by force with themselves as leaders, and Wardens who thought it was their mission to protect the Inner Sphere from outside threats while maintaining their own distinct culture. The Jade Falcons would go on to first head the Crusader faction,and Clan Wolf would head the Warden faction.
Well finally it happened the Clans stormed the Inner Sphere leaving destruction in their path, it all came to a head at the Battle for Terra, where the Jade Falcons defeated the combined strengths of the houses and Comstar(The communication center for the Inner Sphere). Because of their glorious victory Yvonne Hazen, the Khan for the Jade Falcons had the right to challenge the current Ilkhan. He won, thus leaving him the ruler over the entirety of the Inner Sphere and the Clans. He continues to rule with an Iron fist crushing anyone who doesn't see his way.
Something was fishy though, Clan Wolf's Khan wasn't happy about the results, not just because Jade Falcon was a rival clan, but because things didn't seem okay, after all, the Jade Falcons, were outnumbered 8 to 1 on Terra and still somehow won, and what looked like a mechanical failure caused the death of the Ilkhan who fought Yvonne. So unknown to the Jade Falcons, Clan Wolf and a few other clans began to fund and help the Rebellions, as they knew that even if they were to try to oppose Clan Jade Falcon, it would only lead to the destruction of their Clans.
Furthermore, the houses of the Inner Sphere are somehow still functioning, most believe they are simply figureheads that take their orders from the Ilkhan, but war is still apparent throughout the entire Inner Sphere between houses who are fighting for control. Some believe they simply fight to entertain the Clans now, however, little is known as most officials who are close to the Ilkhan are watched regularly for any type of suspicious activity.
Later Aleksander's son, Nicholas would try to take control of the Star league army, however he was rejected by many. So he took most of the navy and his entire regiment out of the pentagon worlds. (Where most of the clan had taken seat) He also evacuated multiple civilians and others who followed his cause. Nicholas would then name himself 'Ilkhan' over the clans. Later Nicholas had judged the time was right and unleashed Operation Klondike, the campaign to take back the Pentagon worlds. Success was finally achieved in May a few years later, and at first the liberated populations were for the most part relieved: much of the civilian population was simply thankful for the devastating fighting to be over, while those who had exploited them were hunted down to be tried, convicted, tortured and executed as an object lesson. However the brutality of the post-liberation months prompted some within the Clans to begin questioning Nicholas' methods and even his leadership.
Though the first rumblings of discontent would come from Clan Jade Falcon, whose Khans eventually purged themselves of this "cancer" in what became known as The Culling, opposition to the Ilkhan's authority eventually coalesced around Clan Wolverine. This opposition came to a head when the Grand Council in an August session ordered that the Wolverines share their Brian Cache on Circe with the other Clans, an order they protested unsuccessfully first in the council and then in a Trial of Refusal in October. In her final Grand Council meeting, Khan Sarah McEvedy made the fatal error of not only insulting Nicholas, and by extension the other Clans, but declaring her Clan independent. The Wolverines' nuclear attack on Clan Snow Raven's genetic repository was the final nail in the coffin, and in the proceeding Trial of Annihilation Clan Wolverine ceased to exist; even their very name was stricken from the records, to be forever known as the "Not-Named Clan."
Opposition to his rule destroyed, the Ilkhan set about restructuring society and laying the groundwork for future prosperity. New worlds were explored and colonized, industry rebuilt, and the population finally reached its pre-war levels thanks to the eugenics program. Tragedy struck however just two years later during a Trial of Refusal between Clan Wolf and Clan Widowmaker, refereed by the Ilkhan and the other Clan Khans. When the duel degenerated into a melee the Ilkhan attempted to step in, but was accidentally fired upon and killed by the Widowmaker Khan. Incensed by the death of their leader the combined Clans laid waste to the Widowmakers, with Clan Wolf given the honor of Absorbing the remnants. A new Ilkhan would eventually be elected, though through the years the position slowly lost its authority and prestige until ending altogether and the remaining eighteen Clans would continue to develop and factionalize along different lines
It wouldn't be until later that the decision for another ilkahn was decided on by the great-council. To decide who there was a trial by combat. In which Corian Tchernovkov of Clan Coyote was the new Ilkhan. During the Political Centuries following this Clan society coalesced around two competing viewpoints: Crusaders who believed it was their right to re-establish the Star League by force with themselves as leaders, and Wardens who thought it was their mission to protect the Inner Sphere from outside threats while maintaining their own distinct culture. The Jade Falcons would go on to first head the Crusader faction,and Clan Wolf would head the Warden faction.
Well finally it happened the Clans stormed the Inner Sphere leaving destruction in their path, it all came to a head at the Battle for Terra, where the Jade Falcons defeated the combined strengths of the houses and Comstar(The communication center for the Inner Sphere). Because of their glorious victory Yvonne Hazen, the Khan for the Jade Falcons had the right to challenge the current Ilkhan. He won, thus leaving him the ruler over the entirety of the Inner Sphere and the Clans. He continues to rule with an Iron fist crushing anyone who doesn't see his way.
Something was fishy though, Clan Wolf's Khan wasn't happy about the results, not just because Jade Falcon was a rival clan, but because things didn't seem okay, after all, the Jade Falcons, were outnumbered 8 to 1 on Terra and still somehow won, and what looked like a mechanical failure caused the death of the Ilkhan who fought Yvonne. So unknown to the Jade Falcons, Clan Wolf and a few other clans began to fund and help the Rebellions, as they knew that even if they were to try to oppose Clan Jade Falcon, it would only lead to the destruction of their Clans.
Furthermore, the houses of the Inner Sphere are somehow still functioning, most believe they are simply figureheads that take their orders from the Ilkhan, but war is still apparent throughout the entire Inner Sphere between houses who are fighting for control. Some believe they simply fight to entertain the Clans now, however, little is known as most officials who are close to the Ilkhan are watched regularly for any type of suspicious activity.
Government: The Clans are many nations that have now been merged into one. They each have their own Khan like a head of a state would have, however these khans can choose what is best for their Clan. However they all answer to the Ilkhan which is Natasha Kerensky. Who has decided to form one nation with them all for now.
Although the clan would rather not have to deal with paperwork they know there is quite a bit of it. However clan officials are known for skipping some paperwork until after they've already done what they are wanting.
More detailed style of the government:
The warrior caste maintains control over the Clans through control of several important institutions and individual positions, with direct participation restricted to Bloodnamed warriors. Each Clan is governed by a Clan Council, a collection of all of that Clan's Bloodnamed warriors, and have nearly absolute authority over all internal matters. Each Clan Council will also elect two of its members to serve as Khan and saKhan, the rulers of the Clan and nominally its best warriors. Traditionally the Khan serves as head of the Clan while the saKhan acts as the Clan's warlord, although these functions vary between Clans. The Council also elects a Loremaster to function as their Clan's arbiter and keeper of knowledge. By tradition Loremasters do not vote on the Council unless it is to cast a deciding vote.
The Khan and saKhan also serve as their Clan's representative on the Grand Council, the governing body of all of the Clans. While in most cases unable to interfere in the internal matters of a Clan, the Grand Council is charged with overseeing issues which affect all of them, particularly as it also serves as the highest court in Clan space, and its proceedings are managed by the Loremaster of the Clans. In times of war and emergency the Grand Council also elects an ilKhan to serve as the Grand Council's head and the supreme commander of all Clan military forces. The ilKhan's powers are varied and many, though not absolute, and their position is a temporary one.
The Khan and saKhan also serve as their Clan's representative on the Grand Council, the governing body of all of the Clans. While in most cases unable to interfere in the internal matters of a Clan, the Grand Council is charged with overseeing issues which affect all of them, particularly as it also serves as the highest court in Clan space, and its proceedings are managed by the Loremaster of the Clans. In times of war and emergency the Grand Council also elects an ilKhan to serve as the Grand Council's head and the supreme commander of all Clan military forces. The ilKhan's powers are varied and many, though not absolute, and their position is a temporary one
Civilian Governace:
Each of the civilian castes include their own council - such as a science council, merchant conclave, technician's guild, and laborer assembly - charged with organizing caste members to execute tasks assigned by the Clan Council. However, due to the sheer size of the civilian castes, additional councils are organized at the planetary and regional level. When charged by the Clan Council to deal with a non-military matter (often at the prompting of the civilians themselves), the caste councils can directly assigned individual teams to the matter or delegate the matter to a lower council, which does the same. These teams vary size and workload involved depending on their caste and what they are assigned, though for many whatever job they have is routine and often permanent (i.e. grow food); some teams though are given a specific assignment for a limited time, and so frequently move between different tasks.
Day-to-day administration is carried out by a multi-tiered bureaucracy organized from the Clan level down to individual cities, consisting of many self-contained cells of administrators gathered into multi-caste councils known most commonly as assemblies. As each cell is largely self-sufficient for carrying out their function in Clan society, they can easily be swapped out, minimizing the effects of any transfer in power. Thus if the ownership of a facility, city or even planet changes from one Clan to another, the work carries on just as before with little more than the civilian reporting structure actually changing.
Law and Order
The Clan system of justice heavily favors the warrior caste, not least because they largely staff it. The military police are a little-known warrior sub-caste, almost exclusively composed of test-downs and freebirths, and are poorly regarded by mainstream warriors. Rather than solve crimes Clan police's primary duty is to discouraging crimes through brutal, authoritative measures; beatings also help serve to vent their anger.
Once a trial is underway an inquisitor will be assigned to investigate the circumstances of each case. A cross between a detective and a prosecutor, inquisitors are warriors who have received special training in the law and investigative techniques; most are active duty warriors, though some may come from the non-combatant Supply and Support command. In matters involving a warrior the inquisitor supports the prosecution while an advocate, also a law-trained warrior, supports the defense. In purely civilian trails the inquisitor plays "devil's advocate" and works to uncover the truth.
The jury is directly involved in the trial's proceedings and may ask questions via the inquisitor. While this can be helpful in getting to the bottom of the matter it also allows them to hinder the process; in trials involving members of the warrior caste a Loremaster will sit in as judge to ensure fair play, though the civilian courts will rarely receive such supervision. Once the jury has reached a verdict only warriors may appeal by fighting a Trial of Refusal while civilians must accept their punishment. The severity of punishment depends heavily on the nature of the crime committed: minor offenses will involve some form of community service or perhaps public humiliation while a reduction in grade or short-term imprisonment are reserved for more serious offenses. Crimes which might result in long-term imprisonment in the Inner Sphere are normally handled through physical punishment such as flogging, the individual's Abjuration or execution.
However there is a place called Prinz Eugen which was a prison ship for those deemed too valuable for death, and needed a long term imprisonment.
Although the clan would rather not have to deal with paperwork they know there is quite a bit of it. However clan officials are known for skipping some paperwork until after they've already done what they are wanting.
More detailed style of the government:
The warrior caste maintains control over the Clans through control of several important institutions and individual positions, with direct participation restricted to Bloodnamed warriors. Each Clan is governed by a Clan Council, a collection of all of that Clan's Bloodnamed warriors, and have nearly absolute authority over all internal matters. Each Clan Council will also elect two of its members to serve as Khan and saKhan, the rulers of the Clan and nominally its best warriors. Traditionally the Khan serves as head of the Clan while the saKhan acts as the Clan's warlord, although these functions vary between Clans. The Council also elects a Loremaster to function as their Clan's arbiter and keeper of knowledge. By tradition Loremasters do not vote on the Council unless it is to cast a deciding vote.
The Khan and saKhan also serve as their Clan's representative on the Grand Council, the governing body of all of the Clans. While in most cases unable to interfere in the internal matters of a Clan, the Grand Council is charged with overseeing issues which affect all of them, particularly as it also serves as the highest court in Clan space, and its proceedings are managed by the Loremaster of the Clans. In times of war and emergency the Grand Council also elects an ilKhan to serve as the Grand Council's head and the supreme commander of all Clan military forces. The ilKhan's powers are varied and many, though not absolute, and their position is a temporary one.
The Khan and saKhan also serve as their Clan's representative on the Grand Council, the governing body of all of the Clans. While in most cases unable to interfere in the internal matters of a Clan, the Grand Council is charged with overseeing issues which affect all of them, particularly as it also serves as the highest court in Clan space, and its proceedings are managed by the Loremaster of the Clans. In times of war and emergency the Grand Council also elects an ilKhan to serve as the Grand Council's head and the supreme commander of all Clan military forces. The ilKhan's powers are varied and many, though not absolute, and their position is a temporary one
Civilian Governace:
Each of the civilian castes include their own council - such as a science council, merchant conclave, technician's guild, and laborer assembly - charged with organizing caste members to execute tasks assigned by the Clan Council. However, due to the sheer size of the civilian castes, additional councils are organized at the planetary and regional level. When charged by the Clan Council to deal with a non-military matter (often at the prompting of the civilians themselves), the caste councils can directly assigned individual teams to the matter or delegate the matter to a lower council, which does the same. These teams vary size and workload involved depending on their caste and what they are assigned, though for many whatever job they have is routine and often permanent (i.e. grow food); some teams though are given a specific assignment for a limited time, and so frequently move between different tasks.
Day-to-day administration is carried out by a multi-tiered bureaucracy organized from the Clan level down to individual cities, consisting of many self-contained cells of administrators gathered into multi-caste councils known most commonly as assemblies. As each cell is largely self-sufficient for carrying out their function in Clan society, they can easily be swapped out, minimizing the effects of any transfer in power. Thus if the ownership of a facility, city or even planet changes from one Clan to another, the work carries on just as before with little more than the civilian reporting structure actually changing.
Law and Order
The Clan system of justice heavily favors the warrior caste, not least because they largely staff it. The military police are a little-known warrior sub-caste, almost exclusively composed of test-downs and freebirths, and are poorly regarded by mainstream warriors. Rather than solve crimes Clan police's primary duty is to discouraging crimes through brutal, authoritative measures; beatings also help serve to vent their anger.
Once a trial is underway an inquisitor will be assigned to investigate the circumstances of each case. A cross between a detective and a prosecutor, inquisitors are warriors who have received special training in the law and investigative techniques; most are active duty warriors, though some may come from the non-combatant Supply and Support command. In matters involving a warrior the inquisitor supports the prosecution while an advocate, also a law-trained warrior, supports the defense. In purely civilian trails the inquisitor plays "devil's advocate" and works to uncover the truth.
The jury is directly involved in the trial's proceedings and may ask questions via the inquisitor. While this can be helpful in getting to the bottom of the matter it also allows them to hinder the process; in trials involving members of the warrior caste a Loremaster will sit in as judge to ensure fair play, though the civilian courts will rarely receive such supervision. Once the jury has reached a verdict only warriors may appeal by fighting a Trial of Refusal while civilians must accept their punishment. The severity of punishment depends heavily on the nature of the crime committed: minor offenses will involve some form of community service or perhaps public humiliation while a reduction in grade or short-term imprisonment are reserved for more serious offenses. Crimes which might result in long-term imprisonment in the Inner Sphere are normally handled through physical punishment such as flogging, the individual's Abjuration or execution.
However there is a place called Prinz Eugen which was a prison ship for those deemed too valuable for death, and needed a long term imprisonment.
Description of Technology: The clan use Mechs in which have powerful plasma cannons, they also have shields, but for most things they use this steel called Molynomial fiber, which works like a muscle but is hard as a metal. Many of Clan warriors have their arms and legs replaced so that they may be able to jump and fight with more efficiency than regular muscle. They have other technology other than just lasers and rockets, as for weapons for ground units they can use things that include (But aren't limited to) Needle Guns, Hand held PPC's, Rifles, rockets.. etc. (Please note most weapons will be allowed as long as they are on the reference site. IF you want to bring in different technology it must be accepted by the GM before hand.) The technology isn't ahead of it's time and there is many improvements that can be made.
Including this, they have sybikus where they artificially make people to become the best at whatever they are chosen (By fate) to be. Whether that is being a warrior or a scientist, they are trained from the day they are born.
Including this, they have sybikus where they artificially make people to become the best at whatever they are chosen (By fate) to be. Whether that is being a warrior or a scientist, they are trained from the day they are born.
Description of Military: The Clan use BattleMechs which can range in height from 7 to 20 meters (23 to 56 feet) and mass from 20 to 100 tons (22 to 110 short tons) in five-ton intervals, with some capable of ground speeds in excess of 150 km/h (93 mph). Mechs have a torso that can rotate to either side independently from the legs, but few can do a complete 360 twist. Although they are also capable of limited performance underwater and in outer space.
Each Clan tends to have it's own group of mechs it likes to use, but it is almost ALWAYS is dependent on the Mechwarrior piloting such a thing.
The Clan have their own infantry as well, which includes regular infantry, and people in suits of armor called, Elementals, where they are standing at about 8-9feet tall in the armor, which usually has a weapon on one hand and a claw in the other. Larger types of Elementals are called ProtoMechs which are about 3-5 Meters tall and are basically a larger elemental.
Each Clan tends to have it's own group of mechs it likes to use, but it is almost ALWAYS is dependent on the Mechwarrior piloting such a thing.
The Clan have their own infantry as well, which includes regular infantry, and people in suits of armor called, Elementals, where they are standing at about 8-9feet tall in the armor, which usually has a weapon on one hand and a claw in the other. Larger types of Elementals are called ProtoMechs which are about 3-5 Meters tall and are basically a larger elemental.
Description of Culture: Clan Society is quite different than most. First you must split up the society into two different types of people. The Freebirths and the Trueborns. The Freebirths are people who were born naturally, they are looked at by the Trueborns as inferior and less honorable. Depending on the Clan depends on how badly that the freebirths are treated, in some clans the freebirths were not even allowed to fight in the Military because the clan would rather have Trueborns fight. This does not mean that they are actually that weak rather that they are just simply looked at as lesser beings.
Next we have Trueborns. These people are made in an iron womb, or as they would call them, Sibku's. When born from a sibku you have a bloodright to one of the warriors that the DNA was given to you to have their "last name". But the Clans call it a bloodname, only those special enough to win in a Trial of Bloodright may take that bloodname. Some people will even try to be named a different bloodname for high honor, which they would need to prove themselves to be able to do.
Bloodnames: Bloodnames are one of the more unique institutions of the Clans. When the Clans were founded and their breeding program started, surnames were done away with (after the first generation of warriors) and an ordeal called a Trial of Bloodright was established to allow eligible warriors to win the surnames of the original warriors that founded the Clans. The surnames were termed Bloodnames, and were traced matrilineally through mitochondrial DNA. Each Bloodname can be held by a maximum of 25 warriors at any one time, though some Bloodnames have fewer than 25 holders due to a process called areaving.
Although any form of surname outside the warrior caste is frowned upon, the scientist caste secretly assigns surnames (referred to as labnames) to people who make great scientific contributions. These surnames are named after great historical scientists (Newton, Watson, etc.) and have nothing to do with the person's genealogy.
A lot of this has changed over the years however and there are some bloodnames in which more than 25 warriors have that bloodname. The one name that has the least amount is Kerensky. This is because in her schooling Natasha killed her fellow classmates who were seen as a chance to become Kerensky. Most of the incidents appeared to be accidents but there is some speculation that it was on purpose. It is unkown however wether or not she did do it on purpose or not, and if asked about her training days she won't answer. Those who remained all faught for the bloodname of Kerensky, that included a few other clan warriors who were holding out to try to have the bloodname of Kerensky in order to increase their honor. However, Natasha saw them all as weak, and before the Grand Bloodname Melee she was caught saying to a reporter and an instructor "These fools don't deserve my father's name, they don't even deserve to be Clan, I will show the world what a true Kerensky warrior looks like on the battlefield." She then killed them all, all 31 of the combatants died in that melee, except for Natasha. She was for a very long time chastised for how she even shot some of the people who ejected to save their lives (which was most of them). She simply would respond with, "I'm sure my instructors will train the soldiers better next time.". After awhile the Chastising stopped, especially after she proved her worth and the reason she carried Kerensky as a bloodname. It was because of this that her instructors said "We set out to create the perfect warrior, and I think we have succeeded, god help us all." There are currently only 5 people who carry the Kerensky bloodname. And since the Kerensky bloodname belongs to Clan Wolf they are all in Clan Wolf.
Castes:
"Five, Nicholas proclaimed, was the foundation Upon which our true society was to be built.Laborers to till the land, to do the tasks:They shall have our undying gratitude,For they are the muscle behind us all.Merchants to buy and sell with fairness:They shall have our commerce and respect,For they are the bones upon which we are built.Technicians to build and fix the machines:They shall have our admiration, For they are the fingers with which we grasp life.Scientists to create and discover: They shall have our awe and our attention,For they are the mind of our society. And above all, the Warriors who protect:They shall have our cooperation and worship, For they are the blood and soul of us all."- The Remembrance
There are 5 different Castes in the Clan society, Warrior, Scientist, Technician, merchant, and Laborer Caste. These 4 are the Castes that are seen as the only castes in clan society to the average person. However, there is a 5th Caste know as the Dark Caste or Bandit Caste. In Clan society you can work your way up the Castes to warrior if you so desire however in each caste system you are born and raised to be apart of that Caste System. So moving up becomes incredibly difficult. Especially as a freebirth.
Nicholas was determined that civil war would not claim his new society. Instead of banning warfare, which he considered part of human nature, he decided to control conflicts through regulations and rituals. Thus, the Six Trials of Combat were established.
Most trials begin with a ritual challenge called a Batchall, where the challenger declares his/her name, the type of trial and other parameters depending on the type of trial. In most trials, the challenger and the challenged then perform bidding for the forces each will use in the battle. Each bid is less than the previous bid, causing both parties to keep undercutting each other until they reach the minimum amount of force. This is partly because to win with fewer forces is more glorious, but also minimizes the military waste created by the
trial.
The trial is fought in a circle of equals. The circle is an area that the combat occurs in while peer warriors encircle the perimeter. During the trial no warrior can enter the circle of equals. The circle is usually a circle or sphere that has a radius of about five to ten meters for melee combat, two to five kilometers for ‘Mech combat and about a hundred kilometers for aerospace combat. The circle of equals ensures no non-combatants are caught in the conflict, and in larger battles, there is no collateral damage to surrounding building and equipment.
In individual trials, such as a personal conflict between two warriors, there is no batchall. The warrior who is being challenged will decide if the fight will be augmented, meaning that two MechWarriors will fight in their 'Mechs, or un-augmented, meaning a person to person fight using no weapons. The warrior who calls the challenge is allowed to choose the location of the fight. This may take place anywhere from a parade ground to a dropship. One example was when Phelan Ward, of Clan Wolf fought un-augmented against an elemental. He called for the challenge to take place in zero-g aboard a dropship in orbit.
Trial of Grievance
When disputes arise between individual warriors that neither they nor their immediate superiors can resolve, both warriors must petition to have their differences heard by the Clan Council (or the Grand Council if the opponents are Bloodnamed or hold important rank). Until the council rules, the disputants are bound by Clan law to avoid any unnecessary contact. This may be carried to the point of one transferring to another unit. If one takes aggressive action against the other before the council rules, or if he disagrees with the council's decision, he or she has committed a breach of Clan law punishable by expulsion into a lesser caste or out of Clan society entirely.
If the issue is not resolved by the council, the parties may then call for a Trial of Grievance. The rules governing the trial are many and strict. If the combatants are MechWarriors or fighter pilots of different weight-class vehicles, the council must make the contest more even. Often, a vehicle type that is mid-way in size is chosen, and the disputants have several weeks to become accustomed to their new vehicles. If the disputants are from different branches of the warrior caste, then some kind of a middle ground, such as fencing or the use of Medusa whips, is chosen. If the combatants are completely different in physical form (such as an Elemental versus a Pilot) then they can either completely forget the Trial of Grievance or use an alternate form of "combat" such as a darts competition.
The trial itself is judged by members of the council, who ensure that trial and combat etiquette is strictly heeded. A Circle of Equals is defined, anything from ten meters in diameter for a hand-to-hand trial to more than 100 kilometers wide for an air duel. No one but the combatants may enter the Circle of Equals unless invited, and leaving the Circle before the contest is ended is a shameful defeat. All trials are defined as to the death, but they usually end before either combatant is killed; the definition is supposed to dissuade Trials of Grievance being declared unnecessarily. In addition should a Trial of Grievance occur too frequently, possibly affecting a military unit's readiness, a Star Colonel or Khan may forbid any Trials of Grievance for a certain amount of time.
Trial of Position
A potential warrior's life in their sibko can be regarded as a series of Trials of Position. The students demonstrate their current skills and those who aren’t at the level they should be at that time fail the trial. Failure at any of these trials causes the student to wash-out, leaving their sibko to join another caste.
These trials are usually written exams during early childhood with possibly some practical demonstrations. Later in their development, the trials can be mock battles with sibkin, with instructors or mock battles between sibkos. When somebody mentions a Trial of Position, they rarely mean this type since this is only applicable to schooling/training.
A rarer case of this Trial is that if a commander has endangered their unit unnecessarily through incompetence or otherwise that they are severely unfit for duty, a subordinate can challenge the commander to a Trial of Position. This is similar to a Trial of Grievance except the command of the unit is a prize of the trial. The trial needs some concrete evidence of great ineptitude before a subordinate can make the challenge and is otherwise frowned upon. If the commander wins, he/she is guilt free. If the subordinate wins, the subordinate gains the commander's rank and unit and the commander is investigated. This practice is rare though and only occurs in extreme circumstances.
Trial of Bloodright
Being a matrilineal descendant of a Bloodnamed warrior gives a warrior the right to participate in the Trial to earn the Bloodname (and due to the Clan eugenics program, there are a lot of potential warriors for a particular Bloodname at any given time).
By Clan law, at any one time there are up to 25 active warriors with the same Bloodname (there can be less due to Reavings). When one dies, a Trial of Bloodright is held to determine who should replace the Bloodnamed warrior. Though each Clan originally only claimed the forty Bloodnames that were assigned to their Clans by Nicholas Kerensky, various Trials of Possession for genetic material had ended this practice by the 31st Century. A warrior who was taken as a bondsman to another Clan could still participate in a Bloodname Trial for a name in their former Clan.
The trial involves a single-elimination tournament of one-on-one combat duels. 32 candidates are chosen to compete for the Bloodname, so a candidate can only win a Bloodname by winning all five duels. The nature of the duels depends whether they are fighting for an Elemental Bloodname, MechWarrior Bloodname, or an Aerospace Bloodname. If the dueling warriors are both disabled or killed, the warrior who would have faced the winner automatically moves on to the next round. If the final two warriors kill each other, the Trial of Bloodright starts over again.
Each member of a Bloodname nominates one warrior for the Trial with the head of the Bloodname nominating the rest to form 31 candidates. A 32nd slot is given to any potential Bloodname holder who isn’t nominated but wishes to compete for the Bloodname, these warriors then have a single free-for-all battle to win the 32nd slot called a Grand Bloodname Melee.
Once a warrior achieves a Bloodname, they may not participate in any other Trials of Bloodright; their Bloodname is permanent and they can only have one. Hence some ambitious warriors may decline a nomination for a Trial of Bloodright if they hope to earn what they believe is a better Bloodheritage.
Trial of Possession
This is exactly as it sounds. It is a trial for possessions that two warriors or people claim as their own. Wether that be a mech, a car, or a house, it doesn't matter. If the matter cannot be solved without violence a Trial of Possession is enacted. This also goes Clan to clan;Trials of Possession, can also be between Clans over particular assets. This trial allows Clans to perform raids on each other while minimizing the military assets wasted in raids and eliminating collateral damage and danger to non-combatants.
Trial of Refusal
The Clan Council makes many decisions and laws using an internal vote. After a vote, a Warrior-caste council member can challenge the decision to a Trial of Refusal. A council member with a losing vote fights a member with a winning vote. The forces applied in the trial depend on the importance of the decision. (When a conflict erupts between two individuals rather than the result of a vote, it is usually settled with a Trial of Grievance.)
To prevent the Clans from being bogged down in endless Refusals, there are specific limits placed on them. The objecting party specifies what forces will participate in the trial. The ratio of forces involved in the trial reflects the vote. For example, if the vote was won 2:1, then the winners can field a force double that of the losers. However after the pre-trial bidding between those groups who seek to uphold the decision, the ratio will be closer to even. The council members involved in the trial are determined by this internal bidding. The member of a losing vote with a bid lower than the rest of the members with losing votes fights in the duel with their bid. The same goes for the members with the winning votes.
The outcome of a Trial of Refusal is not subject to a Trial of Refusal. No one may Refuse a Trial of Refusal, but multiple warriors may petition for Trials of Refusal. This means that a particularly unpopular vote may have to undergo several separate Trials. Only a single successful Trial of Refusal is needed to overturn the vote. After the first Trial of Refusal is complete, a majority vote is required to allow additional Trials.
Only the affected parties may fight in the Trial of Refusal, but these parties can call upon allies who were not part of the original decision. Just as these allies would benefit from a successful Trial of Refusal, should they fail, they will face the same outcome as the original affected party that they supported. The most common example is a Warrior who assists another Warrior in a Trial of Refusal over a punishment failing to win the Trial; The allied Warrior now has to perform the same punishment duty but if he had declined to help he wouldn't face any punishment at all.
A Trial of Refusal is not permitted to override a satarra, a vetoing of disputes between castes by the Clan council.
Trial of Annihilation
Perhaps the most severe trial of them all, A Trial of Annihilation is one of the Six Trials of Combat, and the most extreme punishment the Clans can declare. Developed by Nicholas Kerensky to remove anything which is no longer useful to the Clan, it goes beyond the question of right and wrong. A Trial of Annihilation virtually guarantees that the warrior will die and that his genes will be eliminated from the Clans' gene pool. This trial can only be invoked by a unanimous vote of the appropriate council, and only for the most heinous crimes against Clan society. The Trial can be called against any caste member. When a member of a lower caste loses a Trial, the punishment is sterilization. If a warrior successfully defeats all the forces sent against them they are liberated from the Annihilation. One example of this is Star Captain Karianna Schmidt, who was accused of slaughtering civilians for her own personal glory. By contrast, a Star of Clan Mongoose warriors were destroyed in a Trial of Annihilation after being accused of poisoning drinking water used by their Clan Snow Raven opponents. In addition to the Mongoose warriors involved in the poisoning, three hundred cadets and twelve other warriors who shared their Bloodheritage were also killed.
The Rite of Absorption
The Rite of Absorption is a combination of the Clan Trial of Refusal and Trial of Possession. This Rite allows the Clans to effectively "destroy" a Clan that isn't worthy of continuing but doesn't warrant a Trial of Annihilation. The Grand Council can vote to allow one Clan to absorb another, but only by a unanimous vote (excepting the Clan being Absorbed, which cannot vote). If approved, the accused is done with the pre-trial motions. They cannot Refuse or appeal the decision. The remaining Clans will then begin a bidding process to see which Clan will face the Absorbed Clan. (In the past, the council has determined which Clan will benefit from the Absorption, as in the case of the Absorption of Clan Burrock by Clan Star Adder.) The Clan chosen to absorb the weaker Clan may also be challenged by others in a Trial of Refusal even before battling the Clan to be Absorbed. The resulting trials can last for years. Clan Wolf won the right to Absorb Clan Widowmaker in 2834, for example, but had to defeat three other Clans for that right.
The Absorbing Clan then attacks the Absorption target's touman with the force it bid. If the Absorption target successfully defeats the Absorbing Clan's forces (something that has never happened), the Rite of Absorption ends as if a Trial of Refusal had been successful. If the Absorbing Clan is successful, all the property, personnel and other assets become part of the Absorbing Clan. It isn't unheard of for individual warriors and commanders putting up either no resistance or token resistance when they think their Clan is in the wrong. (This happened several times during the Burrock Absorption.) The Absorbing clan is usually much stronger in assets than it was before, but usually militarily much weaker due to the difficulty in subduing an entire clan, not to mention the losses that may have occurred in Trials of Refusal before the Trial of Absorption.
Arts:While known for their utilitarian mindset the Clans maintain a number of well-developed artistic traditions, much of it focused on their mythological past (especially the Kerenskys) with other favorite subjects including major historical events, clan totems and landscapes. The visual arts are the most common form of artistic expression and widely practiced by members of every caste. Some crafts are more closely tied to certain castes, such as pottery being common among the artisans of the merchant caste, but any and all pursuits are practiced in all of the castes. Some artistic styles are also associated with certain Clans: in the field of architecture while the majority of buildings are strictly utilitarian, for prestigious buildings the Wolf and Jade Falcon Clans both utilize dynamic construction emphasizing strength and vitality, while the Smoke Jaguars love simplicity of form, clean lines and smooth walls. Considered time-consuming and "wasteful" by most warriors and scientists, the performing arts are dominated by and produced largely for the merchant and laborer castes, with an entertainment "super-caste" consisting of members from both having developed over the years. However literary traditions are all but extinct in Clan society, a result of the control of information imposed by its leaders, with oral traditions taking their place. Few books have been written since the Clans formed and are heavily censored to ensure they uphold Clan ideals; while pre-Exodus books do exist, their access is tightly controlled and limited to a privileged few.
Sports:A wide variety of sports are practiced by Clan warriors, providing an outlet for their competitive spirit and promoting physical health, teamwork and mental dexterity. One of the two most popular team sports is lacrosse, played by warriors from Clans Wolf, Coyote and Fire Mandrill. While similar in many respects to the original sport in Clan Lacrosse each team starts with one hundred points, each goal scored awards fifty and any player carrying the ball may be hit with the butt end of the crosse. Players' light armor incorporates sensors to register these hits, and any successful attempts within the designated target area subtracts one point from the team's total. The game ends when one team is reduced to negative points or after one hour of play, in which the team with the highest score wins. Few Elementals play lacrosse, which is favored more by aerospace pilots (whose small size endears them to offensive positions) and MechWarrior pilots
The other most popular team game is football, which in fact refers to three distinct variations. Rugby is principally played by Clans Steel Viper, Ice Hellion and Star Adder, and revolves around moving an ovid ball across the pitch to score one of three ways. While traditional methods of grounding it or kicking it through the goal posts still exist, a third way involves tackling the ball carrier and forcing them to drop the ball, which earns one point. Soccer is similar to rugby, with the two opposing teams attempting to move a spherical ball down the pitch and score a goal, though except for the goalie players cannot use their hands. Like lacrosse most soccer players are aerospace pilots and MechWarriors and requires them to develop strategies on the fly. The third variant, "American" football, is played most frequently by Clans Ghost Bear, Hell's Horses and Smoke Jaguar. Focusing on the execution of preplanned plays and teamwork, it is played almost exclusively by Elementals
Though in a sense Clan society is atheistic, and many Clansmen will say as much, in truth many of the spiritual aspects of religion have been supplanted by what is known as the "Cult of Kerensky." The Kerenskys, and indeed the founding of the Clans, is shrouded in mythology and superstition, thanks in part to the strict control of information. Like Moses, Aleksandr Kerensky is seen as a father figure who led his people into the wilderness but never saw the Promise Land, while his son Nicholas is the messiah who rescued his people from darkness. Central to this belief is the Hidden Hope Doctrine, that one day the Clans would return to the Inner Sphere and reform the Star League, which for many years provided a driving force in everyday Clan life.
Classic religions still exist in Clan society, none more so than in Clan Cloud Cobra where they form the basis for the formation of Cloisters, with their differing traditions covered by an overarching concept known as "The Way." Clans Coyote, Goliath Scorpion and Nova Cat also practice a form of mysticism, including the use of vision quests to guide their actions. The Coyotes' beliefs are based on a form of native American spiritualism, while the Nova Cats' are less clear in origin if not similar. Clan Goliath Scorpion meanwhile believe that taking the dangerous hallucinogen Necrosia grants them visions to the location of long-lost Star League artifacts, the recovery of which is the Clan's highest purpose, though it is regarded by others as an insidious tradition and the main reason for the Scorpion's limited influence.
The lack of widespread belief in pre-Exodus religions has a number of reasons. First, organized religions provide an alternative power structure to the Clan hierarchy, threatening it with what some deem "poisonous" ideas which could lead to revolt. Religion also does not fit easily into the "waste not, want not" mindset of many and is deemed to serve no useful purpose. Finally among most trueborn warriors the idea of worshiping an almighty God figure does not mesh easily with the fact that they were grown in a lab by decidedly un-Godlike scientists. Outright persecution of religious people is rare in Clan society and those who adhere to any particular faith are for the most part tolerated, with some amount of extra hardships.
Fate is a main belief of the Clans, if someone died, a lot of times they believed you were fated to die. If you were sent to prison you could request trial by combat, and even if you were 100% guilty, and yet you won the trial by combat. You were seen to have deserved to not be persecuted because you were fated to not be punished.
The Clan control over media isn't very strict. In some clans they are more than others, but most of the time they do not see a need to control the Media. In fact they encourage media a lot of the times and only restrict it when something vital is happening. But Even duels between Khans and sometimes soldiers will be aired and shown to all to see. This also helps with the idea of you represent your Clan. The Media is part of the reason of the honor based system as they drill into the heads of the people of the clan that Honor is highly important. The media however is still restricted in such places as the Grand Council, and sometimes even the Ilkhan's chambers. Especially now that Natasha is the Ilkhan, as it is not good for people to know how she handles certain diplomatic issues. They might fear her termper a bit too much for the public.
Language spoken, Although they speak Common their language is not much different than the Inner spheres. With the time seperate they have been changed in some words and meaning. Most of the time in communications the clan have their own style of speaking. such as "Aff" means affirmative. But other than that, and it is seen as sloppy talking if they use conjunctions their language is not much different
Next we have Trueborns. These people are made in an iron womb, or as they would call them, Sibku's. When born from a sibku you have a bloodright to one of the warriors that the DNA was given to you to have their "last name". But the Clans call it a bloodname, only those special enough to win in a Trial of Bloodright may take that bloodname. Some people will even try to be named a different bloodname for high honor, which they would need to prove themselves to be able to do.
Bloodnames: Bloodnames are one of the more unique institutions of the Clans. When the Clans were founded and their breeding program started, surnames were done away with (after the first generation of warriors) and an ordeal called a Trial of Bloodright was established to allow eligible warriors to win the surnames of the original warriors that founded the Clans. The surnames were termed Bloodnames, and were traced matrilineally through mitochondrial DNA. Each Bloodname can be held by a maximum of 25 warriors at any one time, though some Bloodnames have fewer than 25 holders due to a process called areaving.
Although any form of surname outside the warrior caste is frowned upon, the scientist caste secretly assigns surnames (referred to as labnames) to people who make great scientific contributions. These surnames are named after great historical scientists (Newton, Watson, etc.) and have nothing to do with the person's genealogy.
A lot of this has changed over the years however and there are some bloodnames in which more than 25 warriors have that bloodname. The one name that has the least amount is Kerensky. This is because in her schooling Natasha killed her fellow classmates who were seen as a chance to become Kerensky. Most of the incidents appeared to be accidents but there is some speculation that it was on purpose. It is unkown however wether or not she did do it on purpose or not, and if asked about her training days she won't answer. Those who remained all faught for the bloodname of Kerensky, that included a few other clan warriors who were holding out to try to have the bloodname of Kerensky in order to increase their honor. However, Natasha saw them all as weak, and before the Grand Bloodname Melee she was caught saying to a reporter and an instructor "These fools don't deserve my father's name, they don't even deserve to be Clan, I will show the world what a true Kerensky warrior looks like on the battlefield." She then killed them all, all 31 of the combatants died in that melee, except for Natasha. She was for a very long time chastised for how she even shot some of the people who ejected to save their lives (which was most of them). She simply would respond with, "I'm sure my instructors will train the soldiers better next time.". After awhile the Chastising stopped, especially after she proved her worth and the reason she carried Kerensky as a bloodname. It was because of this that her instructors said "We set out to create the perfect warrior, and I think we have succeeded, god help us all." There are currently only 5 people who carry the Kerensky bloodname. And since the Kerensky bloodname belongs to Clan Wolf they are all in Clan Wolf.
Castes:
"Five, Nicholas proclaimed, was the foundation Upon which our true society was to be built.Laborers to till the land, to do the tasks:They shall have our undying gratitude,For they are the muscle behind us all.Merchants to buy and sell with fairness:They shall have our commerce and respect,For they are the bones upon which we are built.Technicians to build and fix the machines:They shall have our admiration, For they are the fingers with which we grasp life.Scientists to create and discover: They shall have our awe and our attention,For they are the mind of our society. And above all, the Warriors who protect:They shall have our cooperation and worship, For they are the blood and soul of us all."- The Remembrance
There are 5 different Castes in the Clan society, Warrior, Scientist, Technician, merchant, and Laborer Caste. These 4 are the Castes that are seen as the only castes in clan society to the average person. However, there is a 5th Caste know as the Dark Caste or Bandit Caste. In Clan society you can work your way up the Castes to warrior if you so desire however in each caste system you are born and raised to be apart of that Caste System. So moving up becomes incredibly difficult. Especially as a freebirth.
Nicholas was determined that civil war would not claim his new society. Instead of banning warfare, which he considered part of human nature, he decided to control conflicts through regulations and rituals. Thus, the Six Trials of Combat were established.
Most trials begin with a ritual challenge called a Batchall, where the challenger declares his/her name, the type of trial and other parameters depending on the type of trial. In most trials, the challenger and the challenged then perform bidding for the forces each will use in the battle. Each bid is less than the previous bid, causing both parties to keep undercutting each other until they reach the minimum amount of force. This is partly because to win with fewer forces is more glorious, but also minimizes the military waste created by the
trial.
The trial is fought in a circle of equals. The circle is an area that the combat occurs in while peer warriors encircle the perimeter. During the trial no warrior can enter the circle of equals. The circle is usually a circle or sphere that has a radius of about five to ten meters for melee combat, two to five kilometers for ‘Mech combat and about a hundred kilometers for aerospace combat. The circle of equals ensures no non-combatants are caught in the conflict, and in larger battles, there is no collateral damage to surrounding building and equipment.
In individual trials, such as a personal conflict between two warriors, there is no batchall. The warrior who is being challenged will decide if the fight will be augmented, meaning that two MechWarriors will fight in their 'Mechs, or un-augmented, meaning a person to person fight using no weapons. The warrior who calls the challenge is allowed to choose the location of the fight. This may take place anywhere from a parade ground to a dropship. One example was when Phelan Ward, of Clan Wolf fought un-augmented against an elemental. He called for the challenge to take place in zero-g aboard a dropship in orbit.
Trial of Grievance
When disputes arise between individual warriors that neither they nor their immediate superiors can resolve, both warriors must petition to have their differences heard by the Clan Council (or the Grand Council if the opponents are Bloodnamed or hold important rank). Until the council rules, the disputants are bound by Clan law to avoid any unnecessary contact. This may be carried to the point of one transferring to another unit. If one takes aggressive action against the other before the council rules, or if he disagrees with the council's decision, he or she has committed a breach of Clan law punishable by expulsion into a lesser caste or out of Clan society entirely.
If the issue is not resolved by the council, the parties may then call for a Trial of Grievance. The rules governing the trial are many and strict. If the combatants are MechWarriors or fighter pilots of different weight-class vehicles, the council must make the contest more even. Often, a vehicle type that is mid-way in size is chosen, and the disputants have several weeks to become accustomed to their new vehicles. If the disputants are from different branches of the warrior caste, then some kind of a middle ground, such as fencing or the use of Medusa whips, is chosen. If the combatants are completely different in physical form (such as an Elemental versus a Pilot) then they can either completely forget the Trial of Grievance or use an alternate form of "combat" such as a darts competition.
The trial itself is judged by members of the council, who ensure that trial and combat etiquette is strictly heeded. A Circle of Equals is defined, anything from ten meters in diameter for a hand-to-hand trial to more than 100 kilometers wide for an air duel. No one but the combatants may enter the Circle of Equals unless invited, and leaving the Circle before the contest is ended is a shameful defeat. All trials are defined as to the death, but they usually end before either combatant is killed; the definition is supposed to dissuade Trials of Grievance being declared unnecessarily. In addition should a Trial of Grievance occur too frequently, possibly affecting a military unit's readiness, a Star Colonel or Khan may forbid any Trials of Grievance for a certain amount of time.
Trial of Position
A potential warrior's life in their sibko can be regarded as a series of Trials of Position. The students demonstrate their current skills and those who aren’t at the level they should be at that time fail the trial. Failure at any of these trials causes the student to wash-out, leaving their sibko to join another caste.
These trials are usually written exams during early childhood with possibly some practical demonstrations. Later in their development, the trials can be mock battles with sibkin, with instructors or mock battles between sibkos. When somebody mentions a Trial of Position, they rarely mean this type since this is only applicable to schooling/training.
A rarer case of this Trial is that if a commander has endangered their unit unnecessarily through incompetence or otherwise that they are severely unfit for duty, a subordinate can challenge the commander to a Trial of Position. This is similar to a Trial of Grievance except the command of the unit is a prize of the trial. The trial needs some concrete evidence of great ineptitude before a subordinate can make the challenge and is otherwise frowned upon. If the commander wins, he/she is guilt free. If the subordinate wins, the subordinate gains the commander's rank and unit and the commander is investigated. This practice is rare though and only occurs in extreme circumstances.
Trial of Bloodright
Being a matrilineal descendant of a Bloodnamed warrior gives a warrior the right to participate in the Trial to earn the Bloodname (and due to the Clan eugenics program, there are a lot of potential warriors for a particular Bloodname at any given time).
By Clan law, at any one time there are up to 25 active warriors with the same Bloodname (there can be less due to Reavings). When one dies, a Trial of Bloodright is held to determine who should replace the Bloodnamed warrior. Though each Clan originally only claimed the forty Bloodnames that were assigned to their Clans by Nicholas Kerensky, various Trials of Possession for genetic material had ended this practice by the 31st Century. A warrior who was taken as a bondsman to another Clan could still participate in a Bloodname Trial for a name in their former Clan.
The trial involves a single-elimination tournament of one-on-one combat duels. 32 candidates are chosen to compete for the Bloodname, so a candidate can only win a Bloodname by winning all five duels. The nature of the duels depends whether they are fighting for an Elemental Bloodname, MechWarrior Bloodname, or an Aerospace Bloodname. If the dueling warriors are both disabled or killed, the warrior who would have faced the winner automatically moves on to the next round. If the final two warriors kill each other, the Trial of Bloodright starts over again.
Each member of a Bloodname nominates one warrior for the Trial with the head of the Bloodname nominating the rest to form 31 candidates. A 32nd slot is given to any potential Bloodname holder who isn’t nominated but wishes to compete for the Bloodname, these warriors then have a single free-for-all battle to win the 32nd slot called a Grand Bloodname Melee.
Once a warrior achieves a Bloodname, they may not participate in any other Trials of Bloodright; their Bloodname is permanent and they can only have one. Hence some ambitious warriors may decline a nomination for a Trial of Bloodright if they hope to earn what they believe is a better Bloodheritage.
Trial of Possession
This is exactly as it sounds. It is a trial for possessions that two warriors or people claim as their own. Wether that be a mech, a car, or a house, it doesn't matter. If the matter cannot be solved without violence a Trial of Possession is enacted. This also goes Clan to clan;Trials of Possession, can also be between Clans over particular assets. This trial allows Clans to perform raids on each other while minimizing the military assets wasted in raids and eliminating collateral damage and danger to non-combatants.
Trial of Refusal
The Clan Council makes many decisions and laws using an internal vote. After a vote, a Warrior-caste council member can challenge the decision to a Trial of Refusal. A council member with a losing vote fights a member with a winning vote. The forces applied in the trial depend on the importance of the decision. (When a conflict erupts between two individuals rather than the result of a vote, it is usually settled with a Trial of Grievance.)
To prevent the Clans from being bogged down in endless Refusals, there are specific limits placed on them. The objecting party specifies what forces will participate in the trial. The ratio of forces involved in the trial reflects the vote. For example, if the vote was won 2:1, then the winners can field a force double that of the losers. However after the pre-trial bidding between those groups who seek to uphold the decision, the ratio will be closer to even. The council members involved in the trial are determined by this internal bidding. The member of a losing vote with a bid lower than the rest of the members with losing votes fights in the duel with their bid. The same goes for the members with the winning votes.
The outcome of a Trial of Refusal is not subject to a Trial of Refusal. No one may Refuse a Trial of Refusal, but multiple warriors may petition for Trials of Refusal. This means that a particularly unpopular vote may have to undergo several separate Trials. Only a single successful Trial of Refusal is needed to overturn the vote. After the first Trial of Refusal is complete, a majority vote is required to allow additional Trials.
Only the affected parties may fight in the Trial of Refusal, but these parties can call upon allies who were not part of the original decision. Just as these allies would benefit from a successful Trial of Refusal, should they fail, they will face the same outcome as the original affected party that they supported. The most common example is a Warrior who assists another Warrior in a Trial of Refusal over a punishment failing to win the Trial; The allied Warrior now has to perform the same punishment duty but if he had declined to help he wouldn't face any punishment at all.
A Trial of Refusal is not permitted to override a satarra, a vetoing of disputes between castes by the Clan council.
Trial of Annihilation
Perhaps the most severe trial of them all, A Trial of Annihilation is one of the Six Trials of Combat, and the most extreme punishment the Clans can declare. Developed by Nicholas Kerensky to remove anything which is no longer useful to the Clan, it goes beyond the question of right and wrong. A Trial of Annihilation virtually guarantees that the warrior will die and that his genes will be eliminated from the Clans' gene pool. This trial can only be invoked by a unanimous vote of the appropriate council, and only for the most heinous crimes against Clan society. The Trial can be called against any caste member. When a member of a lower caste loses a Trial, the punishment is sterilization. If a warrior successfully defeats all the forces sent against them they are liberated from the Annihilation. One example of this is Star Captain Karianna Schmidt, who was accused of slaughtering civilians for her own personal glory. By contrast, a Star of Clan Mongoose warriors were destroyed in a Trial of Annihilation after being accused of poisoning drinking water used by their Clan Snow Raven opponents. In addition to the Mongoose warriors involved in the poisoning, three hundred cadets and twelve other warriors who shared their Bloodheritage were also killed.
The Rite of Absorption
The Rite of Absorption is a combination of the Clan Trial of Refusal and Trial of Possession. This Rite allows the Clans to effectively "destroy" a Clan that isn't worthy of continuing but doesn't warrant a Trial of Annihilation. The Grand Council can vote to allow one Clan to absorb another, but only by a unanimous vote (excepting the Clan being Absorbed, which cannot vote). If approved, the accused is done with the pre-trial motions. They cannot Refuse or appeal the decision. The remaining Clans will then begin a bidding process to see which Clan will face the Absorbed Clan. (In the past, the council has determined which Clan will benefit from the Absorption, as in the case of the Absorption of Clan Burrock by Clan Star Adder.) The Clan chosen to absorb the weaker Clan may also be challenged by others in a Trial of Refusal even before battling the Clan to be Absorbed. The resulting trials can last for years. Clan Wolf won the right to Absorb Clan Widowmaker in 2834, for example, but had to defeat three other Clans for that right.
The Absorbing Clan then attacks the Absorption target's touman with the force it bid. If the Absorption target successfully defeats the Absorbing Clan's forces (something that has never happened), the Rite of Absorption ends as if a Trial of Refusal had been successful. If the Absorbing Clan is successful, all the property, personnel and other assets become part of the Absorbing Clan. It isn't unheard of for individual warriors and commanders putting up either no resistance or token resistance when they think their Clan is in the wrong. (This happened several times during the Burrock Absorption.) The Absorbing clan is usually much stronger in assets than it was before, but usually militarily much weaker due to the difficulty in subduing an entire clan, not to mention the losses that may have occurred in Trials of Refusal before the Trial of Absorption.
Arts:While known for their utilitarian mindset the Clans maintain a number of well-developed artistic traditions, much of it focused on their mythological past (especially the Kerenskys) with other favorite subjects including major historical events, clan totems and landscapes. The visual arts are the most common form of artistic expression and widely practiced by members of every caste. Some crafts are more closely tied to certain castes, such as pottery being common among the artisans of the merchant caste, but any and all pursuits are practiced in all of the castes. Some artistic styles are also associated with certain Clans: in the field of architecture while the majority of buildings are strictly utilitarian, for prestigious buildings the Wolf and Jade Falcon Clans both utilize dynamic construction emphasizing strength and vitality, while the Smoke Jaguars love simplicity of form, clean lines and smooth walls. Considered time-consuming and "wasteful" by most warriors and scientists, the performing arts are dominated by and produced largely for the merchant and laborer castes, with an entertainment "super-caste" consisting of members from both having developed over the years. However literary traditions are all but extinct in Clan society, a result of the control of information imposed by its leaders, with oral traditions taking their place. Few books have been written since the Clans formed and are heavily censored to ensure they uphold Clan ideals; while pre-Exodus books do exist, their access is tightly controlled and limited to a privileged few.
Sports:A wide variety of sports are practiced by Clan warriors, providing an outlet for their competitive spirit and promoting physical health, teamwork and mental dexterity. One of the two most popular team sports is lacrosse, played by warriors from Clans Wolf, Coyote and Fire Mandrill. While similar in many respects to the original sport in Clan Lacrosse each team starts with one hundred points, each goal scored awards fifty and any player carrying the ball may be hit with the butt end of the crosse. Players' light armor incorporates sensors to register these hits, and any successful attempts within the designated target area subtracts one point from the team's total. The game ends when one team is reduced to negative points or after one hour of play, in which the team with the highest score wins. Few Elementals play lacrosse, which is favored more by aerospace pilots (whose small size endears them to offensive positions) and MechWarrior pilots
The other most popular team game is football, which in fact refers to three distinct variations. Rugby is principally played by Clans Steel Viper, Ice Hellion and Star Adder, and revolves around moving an ovid ball across the pitch to score one of three ways. While traditional methods of grounding it or kicking it through the goal posts still exist, a third way involves tackling the ball carrier and forcing them to drop the ball, which earns one point. Soccer is similar to rugby, with the two opposing teams attempting to move a spherical ball down the pitch and score a goal, though except for the goalie players cannot use their hands. Like lacrosse most soccer players are aerospace pilots and MechWarriors and requires them to develop strategies on the fly. The third variant, "American" football, is played most frequently by Clans Ghost Bear, Hell's Horses and Smoke Jaguar. Focusing on the execution of preplanned plays and teamwork, it is played almost exclusively by Elementals
Though in a sense Clan society is atheistic, and many Clansmen will say as much, in truth many of the spiritual aspects of religion have been supplanted by what is known as the "Cult of Kerensky." The Kerenskys, and indeed the founding of the Clans, is shrouded in mythology and superstition, thanks in part to the strict control of information. Like Moses, Aleksandr Kerensky is seen as a father figure who led his people into the wilderness but never saw the Promise Land, while his son Nicholas is the messiah who rescued his people from darkness. Central to this belief is the Hidden Hope Doctrine, that one day the Clans would return to the Inner Sphere and reform the Star League, which for many years provided a driving force in everyday Clan life.
Classic religions still exist in Clan society, none more so than in Clan Cloud Cobra where they form the basis for the formation of Cloisters, with their differing traditions covered by an overarching concept known as "The Way." Clans Coyote, Goliath Scorpion and Nova Cat also practice a form of mysticism, including the use of vision quests to guide their actions. The Coyotes' beliefs are based on a form of native American spiritualism, while the Nova Cats' are less clear in origin if not similar. Clan Goliath Scorpion meanwhile believe that taking the dangerous hallucinogen Necrosia grants them visions to the location of long-lost Star League artifacts, the recovery of which is the Clan's highest purpose, though it is regarded by others as an insidious tradition and the main reason for the Scorpion's limited influence.
The lack of widespread belief in pre-Exodus religions has a number of reasons. First, organized religions provide an alternative power structure to the Clan hierarchy, threatening it with what some deem "poisonous" ideas which could lead to revolt. Religion also does not fit easily into the "waste not, want not" mindset of many and is deemed to serve no useful purpose. Finally among most trueborn warriors the idea of worshiping an almighty God figure does not mesh easily with the fact that they were grown in a lab by decidedly un-Godlike scientists. Outright persecution of religious people is rare in Clan society and those who adhere to any particular faith are for the most part tolerated, with some amount of extra hardships.
Fate is a main belief of the Clans, if someone died, a lot of times they believed you were fated to die. If you were sent to prison you could request trial by combat, and even if you were 100% guilty, and yet you won the trial by combat. You were seen to have deserved to not be persecuted because you were fated to not be punished.
The Clan control over media isn't very strict. In some clans they are more than others, but most of the time they do not see a need to control the Media. In fact they encourage media a lot of the times and only restrict it when something vital is happening. But Even duels between Khans and sometimes soldiers will be aired and shown to all to see. This also helps with the idea of you represent your Clan. The Media is part of the reason of the honor based system as they drill into the heads of the people of the clan that Honor is highly important. The media however is still restricted in such places as the Grand Council, and sometimes even the Ilkhan's chambers. Especially now that Natasha is the Ilkhan, as it is not good for people to know how she handles certain diplomatic issues. They might fear her termper a bit too much for the public.
Language spoken, Although they speak Common their language is not much different than the Inner spheres. With the time seperate they have been changed in some words and meaning. Most of the time in communications the clan have their own style of speaking. such as "Aff" means affirmative. But other than that, and it is seen as sloppy talking if they use conjunctions their language is not much different
Inner Sphere Governments:
The government of the Free Worlds League was ostensibly a federal republic, with each province accorded a measure of self-rule while the representative Parliament served as the supreme federal authority, though for much of its history it operated under the martial law of a Captain-General. Membership within Parliament was determined by the amount of taxes paid into the Treasury, although every province was guaranteed at least one Member of Parliament (MP). Parliamentary districts or 'wards' were based on wealth, population and other factors, with the Supreme Court overseeing redistricting every ten years. Most MPs were determined through democratic principals, though given the wide variety of planetary governments and traditions within the League - from military dictatorships to theocracies - that did not hold true for all. This mixture of regional and federal authorities, with some individuals holding multiple positions within the overlapping layers of bureaucracy, lead to a continual struggle for prominence.
The Lyran state has enjoyed remarkable stability throughout most of its history, thanks to a combination of a strong feudal monarchy and democratic representation which has given the government the flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances. When it was originally founded , inspired in part by ancient Athens, the Lyran Commonwealth was heading by nine Archons - the rulers and their deputies of the three founding members, as well as the military commander, treasurer and transportation minister of the Commonwealth. Beset by corruption and threated by the Draconis Combine, Robert Marsden deposed the other eight Archons in 2735. He then introduced the Estates General and the Articles of Acceptance, guaranteeing the rights of the planets and people of the Commonwealth, and winning enough popular support to become the sole Archon in 2736. Thus while the Archon theoretically has absolute power, basic rights are protected and the will of the people can and has forced many Archons to reverse unpopular decisions.
The Draconis Combine is said to be supported by five pillars, each symbolizing an aspect of Draconian society: the Pillar of Gold, representing the government; the Pillar of Steel, representing the military; the Pillar of Teak, representing the people and culture; the Pillar of Ivory, representing philosophy and religion; and the Pillar of Jade, representing the economy. All five pillars work together to support the manifest destiny of House Kurita to conquer all of known space.
Pillar of Gold:
Gold is precious not only for the value humanity has given it since the beginning of history, but for its practical applications: a natural electrical conductor, gold is malleable and resistant to corrosion or combining with other elements. Such is the way of the government of the Combine, acting as a golden veneer which adds beauty and utility, inspiring the people to work towards a common goal while avoiding becoming a burden against which they might rebel
At the center of the government is the Coordinator, embodying all that is the Combine; when a person references "the Dragon", it is often with little distinction being made between the Coordinator as a person or of the Combine as a whole, and while not technically worshiped as divine their commands are acted upon as such. Some Coordinators have taken an active approach in governing the Combine, but the most successful have tended to act less and observe more, enforcing their will indirectly. When the Coordinator speaks, it might come in the form of suggestions to others, or delivered in the manner of a parable or haiku. Thus, if a problem occurs, blame does not fall on the Coordinator directly but on the one who failed to carry out their wishes correctly
Pillar of Steel:
In the time of feudal Japan, the steel used in the creation of katanas was said to have mystical properties, making them the finest weapons ever created. Samurai held their blades in high esteemed and passed them down through the generations. For a samurai to lose his blade, however, was an act of great dishonor and to be avoided at all cost. Such is the regard placed on the armed forces of the Draconis Combine, representing the central and most important of the five pillars. As the principle agent in realizing House Kurita's mandate to conquer all, the fortunes of the military are closely tied to that of the state; as the military goes, so goes the Combine.
The military of the Combine, the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery (DCMS), has traditionally been one of the strongest in the Inner Sphere. The Combine was founded upon the principles of bushido, the way of the warrior. Thanks to this, the military has a large pool of skilled individuals from which to draw. Enlistment in the DCMS is seen as the fastest way to get ahead in the world, as every person in the military, even a lowly rifleman, is respected. The DCMS is also referred to as the Arm of the Dragon.
Pillar of Teak
Teak is among the strongest and most imperishable woods ever used by humans for construction; Unity Palace, home of the Coordinator, is primarily built and decorated with this valuable material. However, while teak has traditionally flourished in the hot, moist climates on Terra, efforts to transplant it on other planets have largely failed. Within the Combine, at first only on the planet Jabuka was teak able to thrive, though after the Rasalhague partition Pusht-i-rud and Cylene were also found to have suitable growing conditions. So it is with the society of the Combine: through careful cultivation, the people of the Dragon are a dependable and durable source of strength for the realm.
As decreed by the First Coordinator, Draconian society is highly stratified. At the top are the nobility or kuge, responsible for running much of the government, followed by the warriors or buke, who fight for the glory of the Dragon. The middle class encompass a wide range of professionals, followed by the commoners or henin who perform the manual labor in society. At the bottom are the Unproductives, composed of society's undesirables including criminal elements like the yakuza. Rarely is a Draconian able to rise above their station, but surprisingly most are content with their place in society. This is thanks to indoctrination which reinforces a collective identity and adherence to the Dictum Honorium and instills in the average citizen glorification of the military and suspicion of all outsiders; for many Draconians, the only time they will ever visit a non-Combine world is to conquer it.
Pillar of Ivory
Ivory is the only material of the five pillars which is sourced from living animals, specifically those who grow tusks. As these animals grow into adulthood, so too do their tusks, building up in layers; the first, outermost layer hardens into a protective barrier over the increasing softness of each inner layer. So it is with the philosophies and religion which govern the peoples of the Combine, growing with the expansion of House Kurita and assigned a mode of faith best suited to them, all of whom are protected by the strength of character instilled in the Combine by the First Coordinator and the proscriptions of the Dictum Honorium as upheld by the Order of the Five Pillars.
Shortly after becoming First Coordinator, Shiro Kurita quickly took on the mantle of the Combine's spiritual leader as well. After the successes he had achieved in creating his interstellar realm, many believed they too could also achieve greatness by adopting his mental attitudes, a belief he indirectly encouraged. At the same time, Shiro knew that in order to control and channel the people to a higher purpose, he had to mandate a person's ideology and how he viewed the world around them. Thus he set down the two ideals by which the all citizens of the Combine must abide by: Purity and Harmony. By Purity, Shiro did not mean necessarily purity of action but purity of thought, that one's actions were for the betterment of their Lord and the government and not for selfish reasons. By Harmony, he meant that one's life should be synchronized with society and the Coordinator. Individualism was discouraged, as a single person could only achieve happiness for themselves, suffers pain and injury by themselves, and eventually will die and fade away; working together though, the collective can spread happiness and share pain so that one is not overwhelmed, and even as they die each person can live on forever in the glory of the Combine.
Pillar of Jade
While other gems or minerals may hold special significance elsewhere, jade is particularly valuable within the Draconis Combine as a symbol of commerce and industry. For thousands of years jade has been sought out not just for its aesthetic beauty but also its supposed mystical properties for calming the mind and driving away evil spirits. Even the less superstitious Draconians, when under the immense pressure to succeed, will stop and meditate on jade as a way of clearing their thoughts. As such, examples of jade artwork can be found in offices and factories across the Combine, most commonly taking the shape of a pillar, tree or pierced disk, as reminders to workers and executives alike to focus on their assigned task. The pierced disk in particular suggests against fixating too much on material wealth compared to the vastness of the heavens.
Despite its size the Draconis Combine has historically been resource-poor (except in population), and the Succession Wars did much to destroy what little of what existed, but the remaining wealth is exploited to the maximum extent under an economic system which can be described as "state-run capitalism." Independent, publicly-traded corporations with their own boards of directors exist within the Combine, but the degree to which they can exert their independence depends strongly on the nature of their business. Those with direct ties to the military - manufacturers of weapons or 'Mechs - were designated "Direct Service" corporations in the late 30th century. Such corporations are guaranteed protection against all military and economic threats, but are subject to the decisions of an military board of officers which can overrule any actions taken by the civilian directors. All other corporations were labeled "Indirect Service", and while maintaining more control over their own affairs many are under some level of direct supervision of at least one military officer, depending on how much of their business directly affects the military. Small businesses are allowed to flourish but if they become too successful they are either absorbed by a larger corporation or forcibly shut down
For the average worker, loyalty to the corporation is second only to loyalty to the Coordinator themselves. While the state provides many of the same services, most workers' entire lives revolve around the corporation: born in hospitals, living in housing, and entombed in cemeteries owned by the corporation. The only honorable means of escaping a particular company is to be transferred to a different one or to join the military; to actually be fired brings disgrace not only on the worker but the family as well for failing to raise a productive member of society. Some are allowed the honor of starving to death so that the rest of their family may continuing working at the same firm, but with little to no prospects of working anywhere else those who don't take their own lives are relegated to the ranks of the Unproductives. Here the only legal work that may be found are the bottom of the barrel jobs: clean-up crews for toxic environments, research test subjects, or cannon fodder for local militia units.
Pillar of Gold:
Gold is precious not only for the value humanity has given it since the beginning of history, but for its practical applications: a natural electrical conductor, gold is malleable and resistant to corrosion or combining with other elements. Such is the way of the government of the Combine, acting as a golden veneer which adds beauty and utility, inspiring the people to work towards a common goal while avoiding becoming a burden against which they might rebel
At the center of the government is the Coordinator, embodying all that is the Combine; when a person references "the Dragon", it is often with little distinction being made between the Coordinator as a person or of the Combine as a whole, and while not technically worshiped as divine their commands are acted upon as such. Some Coordinators have taken an active approach in governing the Combine, but the most successful have tended to act less and observe more, enforcing their will indirectly. When the Coordinator speaks, it might come in the form of suggestions to others, or delivered in the manner of a parable or haiku. Thus, if a problem occurs, blame does not fall on the Coordinator directly but on the one who failed to carry out their wishes correctly
Pillar of Steel:
In the time of feudal Japan, the steel used in the creation of katanas was said to have mystical properties, making them the finest weapons ever created. Samurai held their blades in high esteemed and passed them down through the generations. For a samurai to lose his blade, however, was an act of great dishonor and to be avoided at all cost. Such is the regard placed on the armed forces of the Draconis Combine, representing the central and most important of the five pillars. As the principle agent in realizing House Kurita's mandate to conquer all, the fortunes of the military are closely tied to that of the state; as the military goes, so goes the Combine.
The military of the Combine, the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery (DCMS), has traditionally been one of the strongest in the Inner Sphere. The Combine was founded upon the principles of bushido, the way of the warrior. Thanks to this, the military has a large pool of skilled individuals from which to draw. Enlistment in the DCMS is seen as the fastest way to get ahead in the world, as every person in the military, even a lowly rifleman, is respected. The DCMS is also referred to as the Arm of the Dragon.
Pillar of Teak
Teak is among the strongest and most imperishable woods ever used by humans for construction; Unity Palace, home of the Coordinator, is primarily built and decorated with this valuable material. However, while teak has traditionally flourished in the hot, moist climates on Terra, efforts to transplant it on other planets have largely failed. Within the Combine, at first only on the planet Jabuka was teak able to thrive, though after the Rasalhague partition Pusht-i-rud and Cylene were also found to have suitable growing conditions. So it is with the society of the Combine: through careful cultivation, the people of the Dragon are a dependable and durable source of strength for the realm.
As decreed by the First Coordinator, Draconian society is highly stratified. At the top are the nobility or kuge, responsible for running much of the government, followed by the warriors or buke, who fight for the glory of the Dragon. The middle class encompass a wide range of professionals, followed by the commoners or henin who perform the manual labor in society. At the bottom are the Unproductives, composed of society's undesirables including criminal elements like the yakuza. Rarely is a Draconian able to rise above their station, but surprisingly most are content with their place in society. This is thanks to indoctrination which reinforces a collective identity and adherence to the Dictum Honorium and instills in the average citizen glorification of the military and suspicion of all outsiders; for many Draconians, the only time they will ever visit a non-Combine world is to conquer it.
Pillar of Ivory
Ivory is the only material of the five pillars which is sourced from living animals, specifically those who grow tusks. As these animals grow into adulthood, so too do their tusks, building up in layers; the first, outermost layer hardens into a protective barrier over the increasing softness of each inner layer. So it is with the philosophies and religion which govern the peoples of the Combine, growing with the expansion of House Kurita and assigned a mode of faith best suited to them, all of whom are protected by the strength of character instilled in the Combine by the First Coordinator and the proscriptions of the Dictum Honorium as upheld by the Order of the Five Pillars.
Shortly after becoming First Coordinator, Shiro Kurita quickly took on the mantle of the Combine's spiritual leader as well. After the successes he had achieved in creating his interstellar realm, many believed they too could also achieve greatness by adopting his mental attitudes, a belief he indirectly encouraged. At the same time, Shiro knew that in order to control and channel the people to a higher purpose, he had to mandate a person's ideology and how he viewed the world around them. Thus he set down the two ideals by which the all citizens of the Combine must abide by: Purity and Harmony. By Purity, Shiro did not mean necessarily purity of action but purity of thought, that one's actions were for the betterment of their Lord and the government and not for selfish reasons. By Harmony, he meant that one's life should be synchronized with society and the Coordinator. Individualism was discouraged, as a single person could only achieve happiness for themselves, suffers pain and injury by themselves, and eventually will die and fade away; working together though, the collective can spread happiness and share pain so that one is not overwhelmed, and even as they die each person can live on forever in the glory of the Combine.
Pillar of Jade
While other gems or minerals may hold special significance elsewhere, jade is particularly valuable within the Draconis Combine as a symbol of commerce and industry. For thousands of years jade has been sought out not just for its aesthetic beauty but also its supposed mystical properties for calming the mind and driving away evil spirits. Even the less superstitious Draconians, when under the immense pressure to succeed, will stop and meditate on jade as a way of clearing their thoughts. As such, examples of jade artwork can be found in offices and factories across the Combine, most commonly taking the shape of a pillar, tree or pierced disk, as reminders to workers and executives alike to focus on their assigned task. The pierced disk in particular suggests against fixating too much on material wealth compared to the vastness of the heavens.
Despite its size the Draconis Combine has historically been resource-poor (except in population), and the Succession Wars did much to destroy what little of what existed, but the remaining wealth is exploited to the maximum extent under an economic system which can be described as "state-run capitalism." Independent, publicly-traded corporations with their own boards of directors exist within the Combine, but the degree to which they can exert their independence depends strongly on the nature of their business. Those with direct ties to the military - manufacturers of weapons or 'Mechs - were designated "Direct Service" corporations in the late 30th century. Such corporations are guaranteed protection against all military and economic threats, but are subject to the decisions of an military board of officers which can overrule any actions taken by the civilian directors. All other corporations were labeled "Indirect Service", and while maintaining more control over their own affairs many are under some level of direct supervision of at least one military officer, depending on how much of their business directly affects the military. Small businesses are allowed to flourish but if they become too successful they are either absorbed by a larger corporation or forcibly shut down
For the average worker, loyalty to the corporation is second only to loyalty to the Coordinator themselves. While the state provides many of the same services, most workers' entire lives revolve around the corporation: born in hospitals, living in housing, and entombed in cemeteries owned by the corporation. The only honorable means of escaping a particular company is to be transferred to a different one or to join the military; to actually be fired brings disgrace not only on the worker but the family as well for failing to raise a productive member of society. Some are allowed the honor of starving to death so that the rest of their family may continuing working at the same firm, but with little to no prospects of working anywhere else those who don't take their own lives are relegated to the ranks of the Unproductives. Here the only legal work that may be found are the bottom of the barrel jobs: clean-up crews for toxic environments, research test subjects, or cannon fodder for local militia units.
The Federated Suns (also known as "the Federation" by its citizenry) has changed significantly since its original founding as a loose coalition of worlds coming together for mutual defense and trade. Originally each world sent delegates to serve on a High Council which would choose from among themselves a President, with both sharing equal power. However, the difficulties of carrying out a representative democracy over interstellar distances, combined with the political machinations of the Davion family, lead to the Presidency becoming essentially a monarchy which was practically reserved for the Davions.[3][4] Simon Davion formalized this situation in March 2418 by reshaping the nation into five Principalities, also known as Marches, each headed by a Prince and led by a single First Prince; the first such First Prince was Simon Davion himself.[5] Below each Prince was a system of duchies, margraves, counties and baronies and a new class of titled individuals was created, each of whom was subject to appointment by the Prince of his or her respective March. This reform formalized the neo-feudal system that had already been growing throughout the region since the early history of New Avalon.[6] In the wake of the Davion Civil War, Alexander Davion eliminated the other princely positions, leaving the First Prince as sole ruler of the Federated Suns. The aristocratic system of rule which Simon Davion had established remained though, having become firmly established over the previous century with the acceptance of the people.
While the nobility hold the levers of power at the national level, planetary and local governments are usually allowed great autonomy in how they run themselves: the majority of planets are based on a parliamentary system similar to that of the former United Kingdom of Terra, while others might adopt anything from democratic communism to full-fledged dictatorship. Though the nobility might technically hold absolute power in the Federated Suns, most nobles are smart enough to recognize that to go against the will of the people will quickly spell their political downfall. As such, so long as taxes are collected and their personal holdings are not in danger, the majority of nobles will not interfere with local government decisions unless absolutely necessary. The only exception are those planets placed under a Military Governorship, whether due to recent rebellion or having been captured from the enemy, or those worlds subject to the War Zone Actions of 2787.
The rights of the Federation's citizens are enshrined in its constitution, the original Crucis Pact which created the Federation Suns. Known as the Six Liberties, they are: the right to personal liberty, to own property, to own weapons, to expect fair treatment, to privacy, and to participate in planetary government.Such rights are guaranteed by the national government, ensuring that freedom of religion and of expression supersede any laws enforced by local governmentsThis also includes the right to petition for the removal of a noble who is unworthy of their position, or to engage in direct action to have them removed (which, while not a formal right, is considered a time-honored tradition nonetheless).
While the nobility hold the levers of power at the national level, planetary and local governments are usually allowed great autonomy in how they run themselves: the majority of planets are based on a parliamentary system similar to that of the former United Kingdom of Terra, while others might adopt anything from democratic communism to full-fledged dictatorship. Though the nobility might technically hold absolute power in the Federated Suns, most nobles are smart enough to recognize that to go against the will of the people will quickly spell their political downfall. As such, so long as taxes are collected and their personal holdings are not in danger, the majority of nobles will not interfere with local government decisions unless absolutely necessary. The only exception are those planets placed under a Military Governorship, whether due to recent rebellion or having been captured from the enemy, or those worlds subject to the War Zone Actions of 2787.
The rights of the Federation's citizens are enshrined in its constitution, the original Crucis Pact which created the Federation Suns. Known as the Six Liberties, they are: the right to personal liberty, to own property, to own weapons, to expect fair treatment, to privacy, and to participate in planetary government.Such rights are guaranteed by the national government, ensuring that freedom of religion and of expression supersede any laws enforced by local governmentsThis also includes the right to petition for the removal of a noble who is unworthy of their position, or to engage in direct action to have them removed (which, while not a formal right, is considered a time-honored tradition nonetheless).
The Capellan Confederation started out as a collection of states united for common defense and well-being, but over hundreds of years, through the influences of certain schools of philosophy and the leadership of House Liao, it has evolved to become an autocratic state with a controlled economy. While appearing to be nothing more than an absolute dictatorship to outsiders, the Confederation's government is closer to that of a troika, composed of three legislative bodies: the Chancellor, the Prefectorate, and the House of Scions. Each competes with the other for power, and even the strongest Chancellors have had to cooperate with the other two in order to pursue their policies.
Chancellor:
The Chancellor is the face of the Capellan Confederation, invested with immense executive and legislative authority. The "Celestial Wisdom" is responsible for all domestic and foreign policy for the Confederation, and with the power to issue decrees can make legislative changes at will. The Chancellor serves as the commander-in-chief of the Capellan Confederation Armed Forces, and has personal control over the Warrior Houses and the Death Commandos. Although originally serving a ten-year term, the position was turned into a lifetime appointment by decree in 2480, and while not mandated by law the Chancellorship is essentially reserved for members of House Liao.
Prefectorate:
Sometimes known as the Prefecture, the Prefectorate is the oldest and highest governing body in the Capellan state. Begun by Franco Liao as an advisory council, its members are elected from the House of Scions for ten-year terms. Originally numbering six individuals, each a representative from one of the six original commonalities, it was enlarged to twelve by Kurnath Liao to include other powerful men and women. Kurnath Liao also gave the Prefectorate certain legislative powers, although its most important function only came after the death of Duncan Liao, when the Prefectorate gained the right to designate one of its members as Chancellor.
This right was diminished when the Chancellorship became a lifetime appointment, and severely curtailed when the Star League agreed to grant only members of House Liao a seat on the High Council, effectively limiting the Prefecture's choices. Additional restrictions came in 2598 when Chancellor Quinn issued the Decree of Succession stating that, in the event of failure to elect a new Chancellor after three formal votes, the Chancellorship would automatically be ceded to the most senior member of House Liao. Only if a member of House Liao was unavailable or not of age could the Prefectorate choose another in their place.
Despite its diminished purpose the Prefectorate still maintains significant powers. It is responsible for passing national tax legislation, appropriations for the armed forces, and officer appointments for those military units outside the Chancellor's direct control. The Prefectorate arbitrates disputes between commonalities and, at the Chancellor's discretion, may issue decrees and rule on court decisions. It also has the power to pass "acts of ennoblement", granting certain privileges and responsibilities to individuals within the Confederation, a power it has used as a way of counteracting decrees passed by the Chancellor. Finally, all legislation passed by the Prefectorate is inviolable (except by the House of Scions) and the body cannot be removed or disbanded by the Chancellor.
House of Scions:
The House of Scions is a governing body composed of Capellan nobility, originally formed as a check on the power of the Chancellor and Prefectorate. Membership is open to both types of nobility, although the twelve-year terms are staggered to ensure constant turnover. The power of the House of Scions has ebbed and flowed through the centuries, from superficial rubber stamp to serious political force. At first the House had the power to veto legislation passed by both the Chancellor or the Prefectorate, but the right to review the Chancellor's decrees was removed by Mica Liao. During the Star League era the House gained the right to appoint new members to the Prefectorate, and after negotiations with Ilsa Liao it gained the right to determine taxes for individual commonalities, separate from the national taxes determined by the Prefecture. Like the Prefecture, any legislation passed by the House of Scions is also inviolable.
The Ministerial:
The Ministerial is the bureaucracy responsible for enacting the legislature passed by the troika, created by Chancellor Baxter as a mea culpa for the incompetence of his administration. Each Ministry is headed by a director who reports quarterly to the Prefectorate, with a first and second deputy director under them and various department coordinators, assistants and administrative staff. Originally the Ministerial was divided between the commonalities in an attempt to prevent an unacceptable concentration of bureaucratic power. However, in 3059 Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao ended this system and relocated all ministry headquarters to the Forbidden City on Sian.
Chancellor:
The Chancellor is the face of the Capellan Confederation, invested with immense executive and legislative authority. The "Celestial Wisdom" is responsible for all domestic and foreign policy for the Confederation, and with the power to issue decrees can make legislative changes at will. The Chancellor serves as the commander-in-chief of the Capellan Confederation Armed Forces, and has personal control over the Warrior Houses and the Death Commandos. Although originally serving a ten-year term, the position was turned into a lifetime appointment by decree in 2480, and while not mandated by law the Chancellorship is essentially reserved for members of House Liao.
Prefectorate:
Sometimes known as the Prefecture, the Prefectorate is the oldest and highest governing body in the Capellan state. Begun by Franco Liao as an advisory council, its members are elected from the House of Scions for ten-year terms. Originally numbering six individuals, each a representative from one of the six original commonalities, it was enlarged to twelve by Kurnath Liao to include other powerful men and women. Kurnath Liao also gave the Prefectorate certain legislative powers, although its most important function only came after the death of Duncan Liao, when the Prefectorate gained the right to designate one of its members as Chancellor.
This right was diminished when the Chancellorship became a lifetime appointment, and severely curtailed when the Star League agreed to grant only members of House Liao a seat on the High Council, effectively limiting the Prefecture's choices. Additional restrictions came in 2598 when Chancellor Quinn issued the Decree of Succession stating that, in the event of failure to elect a new Chancellor after three formal votes, the Chancellorship would automatically be ceded to the most senior member of House Liao. Only if a member of House Liao was unavailable or not of age could the Prefectorate choose another in their place.
Despite its diminished purpose the Prefectorate still maintains significant powers. It is responsible for passing national tax legislation, appropriations for the armed forces, and officer appointments for those military units outside the Chancellor's direct control. The Prefectorate arbitrates disputes between commonalities and, at the Chancellor's discretion, may issue decrees and rule on court decisions. It also has the power to pass "acts of ennoblement", granting certain privileges and responsibilities to individuals within the Confederation, a power it has used as a way of counteracting decrees passed by the Chancellor. Finally, all legislation passed by the Prefectorate is inviolable (except by the House of Scions) and the body cannot be removed or disbanded by the Chancellor.
House of Scions:
The House of Scions is a governing body composed of Capellan nobility, originally formed as a check on the power of the Chancellor and Prefectorate. Membership is open to both types of nobility, although the twelve-year terms are staggered to ensure constant turnover. The power of the House of Scions has ebbed and flowed through the centuries, from superficial rubber stamp to serious political force. At first the House had the power to veto legislation passed by both the Chancellor or the Prefectorate, but the right to review the Chancellor's decrees was removed by Mica Liao. During the Star League era the House gained the right to appoint new members to the Prefectorate, and after negotiations with Ilsa Liao it gained the right to determine taxes for individual commonalities, separate from the national taxes determined by the Prefecture. Like the Prefecture, any legislation passed by the House of Scions is also inviolable.
The Ministerial:
The Ministerial is the bureaucracy responsible for enacting the legislature passed by the troika, created by Chancellor Baxter as a mea culpa for the incompetence of his administration. Each Ministry is headed by a director who reports quarterly to the Prefectorate, with a first and second deputy director under them and various department coordinators, assistants and administrative staff. Originally the Ministerial was divided between the commonalities in an attempt to prevent an unacceptable concentration of bureaucratic power. However, in 3059 Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao ended this system and relocated all ministry headquarters to the Forbidden City on Sian.
Disclaimer:
Most of the Inner Sphere has it's own style of culture and living, but for the most part they are all a big melting pot of cultures.
(ignore the chaos march, Lyon's Thumb and the St. Ives Compact)
