When a problem with in a caste or Clan can be
resolved by no other process, the troublesome element may be ejected from Clan society
through a Trail of Abjuration. The target of the ritual is stripped of rank and caste,
which places them outside Clan law, and is usually forcibly ejected fom Clan territory.
Members of the Clans may no longer even speak the name of the abjured member or Clan and,
in the case of warriors, their genetic material is purged from the gene pool. A Clan may
also abjure a warrior for negligence of duty or conduct unbecoming a warrior.The results
of a Trial of Abjuration may be overturned by the Clan Council that enacted it or by the Grand Council.
The ultimate punishment in Clan society, the
Trial of Annihilation calls for the destruction of the accused. Such trials may only be
carried out following a unanimous vote of the Clan or Grand
Council, and may be invoked only for the most heinous crimes. Such sanctions have been
declared against individuals, Stars and Clusters,
and once was used against an entire Clan. Everything associated with the target
(possessions, genetic material and descendants) is destroyed, and no member of any Clan
may speak the name of those annihilated.
This is a rapid-firing, auto-loading weapon. Light autocannons
range in calibers from 30mm to 90mm, and heavy autocannons may be from 80mm to 120mm or
more. The weapon fires high-speed streams of high-explosive, armor-piercing shells.
The batchall is the ritual by which Clan
warriors issue combat challenges. Though the type of challenge varies with each ritual,
most begin by the challenger identifying himself, stating what is being contested, and
requesting that the defender identify the forces at his disposal. Following the challenge,
bidding for what forces will contest the challenge takes place. Defenders may request that
the attacker risk something of worth comparable to what the defender is risking in the
contest.
The Bloodcount is the number of active Bloodrights
associated with a Bloodname, and thus the number of individuals
who may use that Bloodname. Traditionally, this number is twenty-five, but in the case of
inferior Bloodnames, the count may be as few as five. The process for reducing a
Bloodcount is known as Reaving, and the process for increasing it is called Propagation. A
Bloodcount may also be reduced by Abjuration or by an ilKhan's decree.
Blooding is the ritual in which a Clan
candidate is officially recognized by his Clan, also known as "whelping" in Clan
Wolf. Birthing is a complex, ritualistic ceremony. The candidate must first demonstrate
physical prowess in personal combat against two Clan warriors. Then the candidate must be
verbally defended by Clan warriors when he or she is challenged by representatives from
other Clans, or else face those representatives in mortal combat. The Trial of Position is sometimes also referred to as the
Blooding.
Bloodname refers to the surname of each of the 800 warriors who
stood with Nicholas Kerensky during the Exodus Civil War. These 800 are the foundation of
the Clans' elaborate breeding program. The right to use on of these surnames has been the
ambition of every Clan warrior since the system was established. Only 25 warriors, which
corresponds to 25 Bloodrights, are allowed to use any one
surname at any one time. When one of the 25 Bloodnamed warriors dies, a trial is held to
determine who will assume that Bloodname. A contender must prove his Bloodname lineage,
then win a series of duels with other competitors. Only Bloodnamed warriors are allowed to
sit on the Clan Councils or are eligible to become Khan or ilKhan. Most Bloodnames have gradually been confined to one or two
warrior classes, however, certain prestigious names, such as Kerensky, have shown their
genetic value by producing excellent warriors in all three classes (MechWarrior, Fighter
Pilot and Elemental). Bloodnames are determined
matrilineally, at
least after the original generation. Because a warrior can only inherit from his or her
female parent, he or she have a claim to only one Bloodname.
The warriors bearing or eligible to bear a Bloodname
from a Bloodname House. The House acts as a substitute family for the warriors and exerts
considerable political influence in the Clans. In some Clans, most
notably the Fire Mandrill Kindraas and the Cloud Cobra Cloisters, groups of Bloodname Houses form together to form larger,
more powerful associations. After the first generation, Bloodnames are determined
matrilinealy and so a warrior may only claim membership of one Bloodname House.
A specific Bloodname lineage is called a
Bloodright. Twenty-five Bloodrights are attached to each Bloodname. A Bloodright is not a
lineage per se, because the warriors who successively hold a Bloodright might only be
related through their original ancestor. As with Bloodnames, certain Bloodrights are
considered more prestigious than others, depending largely on the Bloodheritage.
A series of one-on-one, single elimination battles is used to
determine who wins possession of a Bloodname. Each current
Bloodnamed warrior in that Bloodname House nominates one
candidate. The head of the House nominates additional candidates to fill 31 slots. The
32nd slot is filled by those who qualify for the Bloodname but who were not nominated and
therefore must fight in and win the Grand Melee to win the 32nd
slot. The nature of the competition is determined by the "coining." Each
combatant places his personal medallion, a dogids, into the "Well of Decision."
An Oathmaster or Loremaster releases
the coins simultaneously, so that only chance determines which coin falls first to the
bottom of the well. The warrior whose coin lands on top chooses the manner of combat
('Mech versus 'Mech, barehanded, 'Mech versus Elemental, and so forth). The other warrior
chooses the venue of the contest. Though these Bloodname duels need not be to the death,
the fierce combat and the intensity of the combatants often leave the losing candidate
mortally wounded or dead.
The woven bracelet worn by bondsmen is
known as a bondcord. Warrior-caste bondsmen wear a three-strand bondcord on their right
wrist, with the color and patterning of the cords signifying the Clan
and unit responsible for the warriors capture. The cords represent: Integrity, Fidelity
and Prowess. The bondholder may cut each strand as he or she
feels the bondsman demonstrates the associated quality. According to tradition, when the
final cord is severed, the bondsman is considered a free member of his or her new Clan and
adopted into the warrior caste. Each Clan follows this tradition to
varying degrees: for example, Clan Wolf accepts nearly all worthy individuals regardless
of their past, while Clan Smoke Jaguar generally chose to adopt only trueborn
warriors.
A Bondholder is the individual, traditionally the member of the
warrior caste responsible for the bondsman's capture, to whom he
or she "belongs." The Clan considers the bondholder
responsible for the actions, education and punishment of the bondsman.
A captured warrior, called a bondsman, is considered a member of
the laborer caste until the capturing Clan
releases him or promotes him back to warrior status. A bondsman is bound by honor, not by
shackles. Custom dictates that even Bloodnamed warriors captured
in combat be held for a time as bondsmen. All bondsmen wear a cord, a woven bracelet. The
base color of the bondcord indicates to which the Clan the individual belongs, and the
striping indicates which unit captured him.
Clan custom which allows a bondsman's master to slay him in one-on-one combat. Tradition
requires that the bondsman does not fight but accepts death at the hands of his master.
A Clan equipement store, usually one
established during the demobilization process Kerensky created upon arriving in the
Pentagon. The name is derived from the Star League Castle Brian
fortresses.
Clan society is rigidly divided into five castes: Warrior,
Scientist, Merchant, Technician, and Laborer. Each caste has many subcastes, which are
based on specialties within a professional field. The Warrior caste is based on a
systematic eugenics program that uses the genes of
prestigious, successsful current and past warriors to produce new members of the caste
(see Sibko). These products of genetic engineering are know as trueborns. Other castes maintain a quality gene pool by strategic
marriages within each caste.
Once a month, the warriors of Clan Nova Cat gather at a designated
place at midnight, outdoors if possible, and perform the Chronicle of Battles. This ritual
retelling of tales that describe the Clan's most impressive battles
and victories inspires the current warriors to strive for similar greatness and reminds
them that victories may also be won through superior strategy and planning, long before
the warriors even reach the battlefield.
The area in which a trial takes place is known as the Circle of
Equals. It ranges in size from a few dozen feet for personal combat to tens of miles for
large scale trials. Though traditionally a circle, the area can be any shape.
During the fall of the Star League,
General Aleksandr Kerensky, commander of the Regular Star League Army, led his forces. out
of the Inner Sphere in what is know as the First Exodus. After
settling beyond the Periphery, more than 1,300 light years away
from Terra, Kerensky and his followers settled in a cluster of marginally habitable star
systems near a large globular cluster that hid them from the Inner Sphere. Within fifteen
years, civil war erupted amoung the exiles, threatening to destroy everything they had
worked so hard to build. In the Second Exodus, Nicholas Kerensky, son of
Aleksandr, led
his followers to one of the worlds of the globular cluster to escape the new war. It was
there on Strana Mechty that Nicholas Kerensky first conceived and organized what would one
day be known as the Clans.
A Cluster consists of 5 Binaries, Trinaries, Novas or SuperNovas
and is commanded by a Star Colonel. A Cluster varies in size
depending upon the type of units it consists of. Clusters are usually made up of mixed
units such as mechs, infantry and air support. Except for Clan Hell's
Horses, vehicles are generally viewed as inferior to Mechs and are piloted by freeborn units and serve in secondline solahma
or garrison units. Frontline Clusters usually consist of OmniMechs, Elementals
and OmniFighters. Secondline Clusters usually consist of BattleMechs, Vehicles and
Standard Infantry.
Each warrior's codex is his or her individual identification. It
includes the names of the original Bloodnamed warriors from which
a warrior is descended. It also includes his generation number, Blood
House, and codex ID, an alphanumeric code noting the unique aspects of that person's
DNA. See also Master Codex.
An agreement can be made between the commanders of two units by
which the commander of one may include the units of the other in his bidding for rights to
a battle or trial. During the invasion of the Inner Sphere, Cluster commanders within Galaxies frequently
made contracts to allow greater, and often more extravagant, bidding, yet still maintain a
good mix of BattleMech, Elemental, and fighter combat units.
A Crusader is a Clansman who espouses the invasion of the Inner Sphere and the re-establishment of the Star
League by military force. Most Crusaders are contemptuos of the people of the Inner
Sphere, whom they view as barbarians, and of freeborns within
their own Clans as well.
The minimum force necessary to win any trial for which there has
been bidding. Bidders who can push their opponent into making a bid below the cutdown are
considered clever. Commanders who win with a force smaller than the cutdown are greatly
honored.
A fighting unit which disgraces itself is known as a dezgra unit.
The name also refers to the ritual whereby that unit is marked and punished. Any unit that
refuses orders, panics in the face of the enemy, or takes dishonorable action is
disgraced. The unit warriors are given a choice: immediate execution or the
dezgra:
"disgraced expulsion." In pre-invasion days, dezgra warriors who chose to live
were sent to one of several marginally habitable worlds and left to survive or die on
their own. After five years, the survivors were allowed to return, but without any
guarantee of acceptance back into society. Since Tukayyid, some dezgra units have hired
themselves as mercenaries. It is unlikely that any Clan will accept a
dezgra unit after it has served five years as a mercenary unit, because Clan warriors
consider mercenaries below even the lowest caste. Dezgra units must,
by Clan law, remove all Clan markings from their weapons and uniforms and wear what
historians would immediately recognize as the crest of the hated Amaris family.
Becuase interstellar Jumpships must avoid entering the heart of a
solar system, they must "dock" in space at a considerable distance from a
system's inhabited worlds. Dropships were developed for interplanetary travel. As the name
implies, a Dropship is attached to hardpoints on a Jumpship's
drive core, later to be droped from the parent vessel after in-system entry. Though
incapable of FTL travel, Dropships are highluy maneuverable, well armed, and sufficiently
aerodynamic to take off from and land on a planetary surface. The journey from the jump
point to the inhabited worlds of a system usually requires a normal-space journey of
several days or weeks, depending on the type of star.
EI refers to implanted neurocircuitry that allows a MechWarrior or
Elemental to better control his or her machine. Though EI
implants greatly enhance a warrior's reaction time, evidence suggests that equipment
eventually causes paranoia and outright madness.
The Clans believe strongly in the principals
of eugenics, the improvement of the population by controlled breeding. The Clans implement
such a program along two distinct strands. The warrior caste uses an
artificial breeding program based on genetic engineering and incubation in artificial
wombs (see Canister) in order to create the ultimate warriors. In
the civilian castes, a system of mandatory arranged marriages provides a similar but less
technical means of advancement. According to a strict definition, both these methods may
be called eugenics, but within the Clans only the artificial breeding program is commonly
referred to as such.
The Clan Nova Cat Oathmaster Grand Melee is divided into two parts: the
first is a Circle of Equals which all members of the Clan,
regardless of caste, are allowed to participate in; the winner of that contest must then
prove, to the satisfaction of the Khans and his opponents from the Circle of Equals, his
or her knowledge of the Nova Cat version of The Rememberance, Clan Law, Nova Cat tradition
and the many exceptions made to law and tradition this part is known as the Forum of
Law.
This epithet, used by trueborn members of
the warrior caste, is a mortal insult to another trueborn warrior. It
generally expresses disgust or frustration.
An individual conceived and born by natural means is called a
freeborn. Because the Clans value their eugenics
program so highly, a freeborn is automatically assumed to have little potential.
A Galaxy consists of 3-5 Clusters and is
commanded by a Galaxy Commander. A Galaxy varies in size
depending upon the type and size of Clusters it consists of.
This is the sample of DNA taken from a dead warrior. The giftake
is considered the warrior's best DNA sample, and the one most likely to produce improved
warriors.
The Grand Council is the body responsible for governing the Clans as a whole. It consists of the assembly of Khans,
two from each Clan, as well as the ilKhan (if one exists). It's
authority covers any matters involving more than one Clan, and it also determines general
policy for Kerensky's descendants. The Grand Council serves as the highest court of the
Clans.
A free-for-all battle offering no target restrictions and ignoring
the rules of zellbrigen. Any trial may become a grand melee if a
participant violates zellbrigen by firing on a target already engaged in combat with
another participant. The battle to determine the 32nd slot in a Trial of Bloodright is by default a grand melee.
The Trial of Grievance is used to settle disputes between two
parties. The victor in the match is deemed to be in the right. Often such trials are
fought over points of honor, and often to the death.
Victorious Clan warriors sometimes extend the
courtesy of hegira to defeated opponents. Hegira allows the opponent to withdraw honorably
from the field without further combat or cost.
Clan society is a warrior's society in which
honor is a key important concept defining behavior and obligations. Honor road is a Clan
code of conduct that is analogous to the Japanese bushido, the way of the warrior.
Among Wolf's Dragoons an Honorname is analogous to a ClanBloodname. The surnames descend from the
warriors who originally arrived with Jaime and Joshua Wolf when the Dragoons came to the Inner Sphere on an extended intelligence mission for Clan Wolf.
The supreme leader of the Clans, elected from
the members of the Grand Council. He or she also serves as the
arbiter between Clans in times of crisis, acting with the power of the Grand Council. The
ilKhan enjoys wide ranging powers in military matters, but his or her power is not
absolute; the ilKhan answers to the Grand Council and his authority is limited to those
matters ordinarily belonging to the Grand Council. The ilKhan normally may not interfere
in events deemed internal to a Clan, but when the Martial Code
is in effect they operate largely unhindered.
The Inner Sphere was the term originally applied to the star
empires of human-occupied space that joined together to form the Star
League. The states, kingdoms, and pirate domains just beyond the Inner Sphere are
known as the Periphery. When Aleksandr Kerensky led his exiles
out from the Inner Sphere, they traveled even beyond the Periphery to regions yet unknown.
Interstellar travel is accomplished via Jumpships, first developed
in the twenty-second century. These somewhat ungainly vessels consist of a long, thin
drive core and a sail resembling an enormous parasol, which can extend up to a kilometer
in width. The ship is named for it's ability to "jump" instantaneously across
vast distances of space. After making its jump, the ship cannot travel until it has
recharged by gathering up more solar energy. The Jumpship's enormous sail is constructed
from a special metal that absorbs vast quantities of electromagnetic energy from the
nearest star. When it has soaked up enough energy, the sail transfers it to the drive
core, which converts it into a space-twisting field.An instant later the ship arrives at
the next jump point, a distance of up to thirty light years. This field is known as
hyper-space, and its discovery opened to mankind a gateway to the stars.
The Keshiks comprise a combination of bodygaurd and command unit,
usually serving a Khan. Traditionally, a Khan commands a Keshik, but
in practice a Star Colonel oversees day-to-day matters. Keshiks
range from Trinary to Cluster size.
Each Clan elects two leaders, or Khans. The
first one, the Khan, serves as the Clan's senior military commander and bureaucratic
administrator. The second Khan's position, or saKhan, is less well
defined. He or she is second-in-command, carrying out duties assigned by the Khan. In
times of great internal or external threat, or when a coordinated effort is required of
all the Clans, an ilKhan is chosen to serve as the supreme ruler of
the Clans.
This is a Clan war council. A Grand Kuraltai
is a war council of all Khans of the Clans. Apparently, a Grand
Kuraltai may be called only by the ilKhan at any time or place. A
normal Grand Council, on the other hand, may be only convened
by the petition of three or more Clans, and must be held at the Hall of
Khans on Strana Mechty.
An acronym for "Light
Amplification
through the Stimulated Emission of Radiation." When used as a weapon, it damages the target
by concentrating extreme heat on a small area. BattleMech lasers are designated as small,
medium and large. Lasers are also available as shoulder-fired weapons operating from a
portable backpack power unit. Certain range-finders and targeting equipment employ
low-level lasers also.
The Loremaster is the keeper of Clan laws and
history. The position is honorable and politically powerful. The Loremaster plays a key
role in inquiries and trials, where is often assigned the role of Advocate or
Interrogator.
The Martial Code is a collection of rules and laws governing Clan actions in times of war. It's primary goal is to minimize the
political prevarication that often accompanies Grand Council
meetings, forcing the participants to keep to the matter at hand and to carry out business
with the minimum of fuss. When in effect it also grants the ilKhan
extraordinary powers, such as the right to dismiss any charges brought before the Clan or
Grand Council that he or she deems frivolous.
The master codex is the master file of the Clan's
breeding plan. The master codex records the DNA maps and codex name of every warrior born
over the centuries.
A Nova is a mixed unit of OmniMechs and Elementals
and is commanded by a Star Commander or a Nova Commander. It usually consists of a Star
of OmniMechs supported by a Star of Elementals.
A Nova Captain is the title given to an officer that commands a SuperNova. Though this rank is recognized among the Clans,
some Clans see it as a violation of Nicholas Kerensky's original rank structure and so do
not use this title, in those cases a SuperNova would be commanded by a Star Captain.
A Nova Commander is the title given to an officer that commands a Nova. Though this rank is recognized among the Clans,
some Clans see it as a violation of Nicholas Kerensky's original rank structure and so do
not use this title, in those cases a Nova would be commanded by a Star
Commander.
The Oathmaster is the honor guard for any official Clan ceremony. The position is similar to that of an Inner Sphere sergeant-at-arms, but it carries a greater degree of
respect. The Oathmaster administers all oaths, and the Loremaster
records them. The position of Oathmaster is usually held by the oldest Bloodnamed Warrior in a Clan (if he or she desires the honor), and
is one of the few positions not decided by combat, except in the case of Clan Nova Cat
(see Oathmaster Grand Melee).
Performed once a year, the Oathmaster Grand Melee offers every
member of Clan Nova Cat the opportunity to become Oathmaster. The Grand Melee provides two arenas in which the
candidates must prove their worthiness - a massive Circle of
Equals and the Forum of Law. On the longest day of the year, every member of Clan Nova
Cat, regardless of caste, may enter the Circle of Equals and attempt
to emerge victorious. The winner of that contest must then prove, to the satisfaction of
the Khans and his opponents from the Circle of Equals, his or her
knowledge of the Nova Cat version of The Rememberance, Clan
Law, Nova Cat tradition and the many exceptions made to law and tradition, this is known
as the Forum of Law. If the victor from the Circle of Equals fail this second test, the
final opponent he defeated enters the Forum of Law. If that opponent also fails this test,
the current Oathmaster keeps his or her position for another year.
Beyond the borders of the Inner Sphere
lies the Periphery, the vast domain of known and unknown worlds stretching endlessly into
interstellar night. Once populated by colonies from Terra, these were devastated
technologically, politically, and economically by the fall of the Star
League. At present, the Periphery is the refuge of piratical Bandit Kings, privateers,
and outcasts from the Inner Sphere.
The smallest Clan military formation
commanded by a Point Commander except in the case of Mech
points. A point varies in size depending upon the type of units it consists of.
A Mech
Point consists of a single OmniMech or BattleMech.
An Armor Point consists of 2 Tanks or 2 Vechicles of any type.
An Infantry Point consists of 5 Elemental troopers or 25
non-battlesuited troopers.
An Aero
Point consists of 2 Aerospace Fighters or 2 VTOLs.
A Naval Point consists of a single Warship or Jumpship
or Dropship.
A Point Commander commands a single Point of
troops, and holds a rank equivolent to that of a Master Seargent. NOTE: The rank of Point
Commander does not exist in Mech formations as there is only one warrior per Mech point.
There are two forms of the Trial of Position. The first - also
known as the "Blooding" determines whether a candidate
will qualify as a warrior in the Clans. To qualify, he must defeat at
least one of three successive opponents. If he defeats two, or all three, he is
immediately ranked as an officer in his Clan. If he fails to defeat any of his opponents,
he is relegated to a lower caste.
The Second form is known as the testing. It is held periodically
and determines whether a warrior is qualified to maintain his or her rank. Those who
perform as expected (against targets based on role, rank and age) maintain their rank,
while those who perform better than expected "test up" (are promoted). Those who
perform more poorly than expected "test down" (are
demoted). A non-officer MechWarrior, Pilot or Elemental who tests
down is relegated to a non-combat role or else transferred to a civilain caste.
The Trial of Possession resolves disputes between two parties over
ownership or control. This can include equipment, territory or even genetic material. The
traditional batchall forms the core of the trial in order to
encourage the participants to resolve the dispute with minimal use of force.
The vulnerability that a warrior, particularly an Elemental, feel when forced to fight without his accustomed weapons.
The word is derived from "powerless."
This abbreviation stands for Particle Projection
Cannon, a magnetic accelerator firing high-energy proton or
ion bolts, causing damage both through impact and high temperature. PPCs are among the
most effective weapons available to BattleMechs.
Propagation is the ritual of increasing the Bloodcount
associated with a particular Bloodname. A Bloodcount reduced by
Reaving may be increased on the advice of the scientist caste and
after a vote of the Grand Council. This motion may be opposed
by a Trial of Refusal known as a Trial of Propagation, but no penalty attaches to either the
aggressor or the defender in this case. (see Trial of Reaving)
A Trial of Propagation is a Trial of
Refusal used to oppose the motion to Propagate the Bloodcount associated with a particular Bloodname.
No penalty attaches to either the aggressor or the defender in a Trial of Propagation.
(see Trial of Reaving)
These expressions are placed at the end of rhetorical questions.
If an affirmative answer is expected, quiaff is used. If the answer is expected to be
negative, quineg is the proper closure.
Clan custom dictates that a warrior who has
been successful at his Trial of Bloodright may be
rewarded with a gift by the Clan. Depending upon the warrior's success during the Trial,
the ransom might range from the right to choose what type of weapon he will use as a
warrior to the right to command a special unit. At the time Khan
Natasha Kerensky returned from the Inner Sphere and then
underwent her second Trial of Position, ilKhan Ulric Kerensky
awarded her a ransom of the right to form the Thirteenth Wolf Guards.
Reaving is the ritual of reducing the Bloodcount
associated with a particular Bloodname. Originally established to
mitigate the impact of a poorly performing Bloodname, over time the Reaving has become a
political tool used to control the number of warriors from a single Bloodname House, and therefore votes, in Clan Councils. A
Reaving is called by a Bloodname House (rather than a Clan) against a
Bloodname House that has announced a Trial of Bloodright.
The Grand Council debates the merits of the Bloodname, and the
mater is traditionally resolved by a Trial of Refusal, known
as a Trial of Reaving, based on the results of the Council
vote. If the pro-Reaving force wins the trial, the targeted Bloodname's Bloodcount is
reduced by one and the Trial of Bloodright is canceled. If the defending force wins, the
Trial of Bloodright takes place as scheduled and the Bloodname House that called for the
Reaving suffers sanctions.
A Trial of Reaving is a Trial of Refusal
used to oppose the motion of Reaving the Bloodcount
associated with a particular Bloodname. If the pro-Reaving force
wins the trial, the targeted Bloodname's Bloodcount is reduced by one and the Trial of Bloodright is canceled. If the defending force
wins, the Trial of Bloodright takes place as scheduled and the Bloodname House that called
for the Reaving suffers sanctions.
Any decision made by a Clan Council or the Grand Council may be challenged by a member of that body. The
Trial of Refusal epitomizes the Clan belief that might makes right, with the victor of the
trial being regarded as in the right. The odds of the battle are determined on a pro-rated
basis, with the forces of the two sides matched according to the ratio of wining and
losing votes. The challenger announces what forces they will use and the defender can
field forces proportionate to the margin of success in the vote. For example, a Trial of
Refusal against a decision that passed five-to-one could give the defender a force five
times the size of that used by the challenger. In practice, the result of bidding among
those wishing to defend the decision usually shifts the odds in favor of the challenger.
The Rememberance is an ongoing epic poem that describes Clan history from the time of the Exodus to the present day. Each Clan
maintains it's own version, reflecting it's opinions and perceptions of events. Inclusion
in The Rememberance is one of the highest honors possible for a member of the Clans. All
Clan warriors can recite passages from The Rememberance from memory and written copies of
the book are amoung the few non-technical books allowed in Clan society. These books are
usually lavishly illustrated in a fashion similar to the illustrated manuscripts and
Bibles of the medieval period. Warriors frequently paint passages of The Rememberance on
the sides of their OmniMechs, OmniFighters and Battle Armor.
A Clan rite by which the defending force
allows the attacker to deploy onto the battlefield without threat of attack. Once safcon
is invoked, the defending force commander is not required to detail the forces at his
command, as per the rules of batchall.
The junior Khan of a Clan
is known as the saKhan. The saKhan's position is less well defined as the Khan's. He or
she is second-in-command, carrying out duties assigned by the Khan, which are usually ones
that the Khan does not feel are worthy of his/her time or are considered mundane.
A Clan council may cast a veto, called a
satarra, to settle or postpone disputes between the castes within
their jurisdiction. Satarra is invoked only when negotiations between the opponents seem
at an impasse and/or threaten to disrupt the work order of the Clan. It seems to be more a
ritual than an act of legislation.
This word is the ritual response voiced in unison by those
witnessing solemn Clan ceremonies, rituals, and other important
gatherings. No one is sure of the origin or exact meaning of the word, but it is uttered
only with the greatest reverence and awe.
Derogatory name used within Clan Jade Falcon
for those members of sibkos who underwent accelerated training and
whose Trial of Position consisted of the Coventry campaign. This term is also used as a derogatory
epithet to imply poor training or a young, inexperienced warrior of any kind.
A group of children from the warrior casteeugenics program who have the same male and female geneparents
and are raised together is known as a sibko. As they mature, they are constantly tested.
Additional members of the sibko fail at each test, and are transferred to lower castes. A sibko consists of approximately 20 members, but usually only
four or five remain at the time of the final test to become warriors, the Trial of Position. These tests and other adversities may bind
the surviving sibkin together.
Clan warriors too old to serve in mainstream
frontline units are assigned to solahma units. The members of such units generally seek
suicide missions in order to die in combat, but most often they serve in garrison troops.
This is the abbreviation for Short
Range Missiles, direct tragectory missiles with high-explosive or
armor-piercing explosive warheads. They have a range of less than one kilometer, and are
accurate only at ranges of less than 300 meters. They are more powerful, however, than LRMs.
The Star League was formed in 2571 in an attempt to peacfully ally
the major star systems inhabited by the human race after it had taken to the stars. The
League prospered for almost 200 years, until civil war broke out in 2751. The League was
eventually destroyed when the ruling body, known as the High Council, disbanded in the
midst of a struggle for power. Each of the royal House rulers (see Successor Lords) then declared himself First Lord of the Star
League, and within a few month, war engulfed the Inner Sphere.
This conflict continues to the present day, almost three centuries later. These centuries
of continuous war are now known simply as the Succession Wars.
Each of the five Successor States is
ruled by a family descended from one of the original High Council Lords of the Star League. All five royal House Lords claim the title of the
First Lord, and they have been at eachother's throats since the beginning of the
Succession Wars in 2786. Their battleground is the vast Inner
Sphere, which is composed of all the star systems once occupied by the Star League's
member states.
After the fall of the Star League, the
remaining members of the High Council each asserted his or her right to become First Lord
of the Star League. Their star empires became known as the Successor States and the rulers
as the Successor Lords.
A SuperNova is a mixed unit of OmniMechs and Elementals
commanded by a Star Captain or a Nova
Captain. It usually consists of a Binary/Trinary
of OmniMechs supported by a Binary/Trinary of Elementals.
The surkai is the Right of Forgiveness. The Clans
honor uniformity in thought and belief above all other tenets of their society. When
warriors disagree, when a Clan disagrees with the Clan Council, or when a member of one caste offends a member of another caste, surkai is expected. It is a
matter of pride that the offending party freely admit his wrongdoing and request
punishment. Those who show great surkai are held up as examples to others for their
willingness to accept the consequences of their independent thoughts. Those who do not
show surkai when it is expected of them are viewed with suspicion.
The Rede of Forgiveness, or surkairede, is the honor bound
agreement between the majority and the dissenters. According to the surkairede, once a
dissenter accepts punishment for having disagreed with the majority, he should be allowed
to resume his role in society without suffering any further disgrace for having spoken
out.
Used formally, this term refers to members of an extended sibko. Less formally, a warrior will use trothkin when referring to
someone he considers his peer.
Members of some Clans, most notably Clan Nova
Cat, collect keepsakes of their battles. These items are called vineers, probably derived
from the word souvenirs.
A Warden is a Clansman who believes that the Clans
were established to guard the Inner Sphere from outside threats
rather than to conquer it and re-establish the Star League by
force. Most Wardens were therfore opposed to the invasion of the Inner Sphere.
To help all members of Clan Nova Cat understand the value of
mysticism in their lives, Nova Cat Khan Sandra Rosse wrote a spiritual guide called Ways
of Seeing, in which she described her mother's mystic experiences and her own visions.
This slim volume also outlined many rituals that warriors and others could perform
individually or in groups to gain those same benefits in their own lives. Many of the
rituals she described are still performed by Nova Cats today.
This is the Clan word describing the body of
rules used to regulate and ritualize duels. Zellbrigen means that combatants engage in
one-on-one duels, even both sides have many warriors. Those not immediately challenged are
honor bound to stay out of the battle until an opponent is free (meaning he has defeated
his enemy.) To attack an enemy already engaged with an opponent is a major breach of Clan
conduct, usually resulting in at least loss of rank.
