The Clans 3058 Update

In the years since the battle of Tukayyid, the seemingly monolithic front presented by the invading Clans has been wracked by internal fighting, spawned by inter-Clan rivalries and the growing tension between Crusader and Warden factions. On one hand, this has lessened the threat to the Inner Sphere by weakening the most powerful Crusader Clan. However, this internal strife has also nearly destroyed the foremost Warden Clan and made the Clans an increasingly unpredictable - and therefore, increasingly dangerous - opponent.

The most striking example of this internecine warfare is the so-called Refusal War between the Jade Falcon and Wolf Clans, a fierce struggle that left both Clans bled nearly white. The war grew from a plot initiated by Crusaders in the Wolf Clan, who wished to depose the Warden ilKhan, Ulric Kerensky, from his position and lead a renewed invasion of the Inner Sphere. To that end, they accused Kerensky of conspiring to destroy the Wolf Clan's genetic legacy. According to their charge, the Truce of Tukayyid, which Kerensky had signed, would create an entire generation of Wolf warriors untested by combat. That lack of experience, they argued, would lead to the Wolf Clan's destruction when the Inner Sphere invasion resumed in 3067.

Kerensky was determined that the rift between Crusaders and Wardens would not split the Wolf Clan, and so he directed that the matter be transferred from the Wolf Clan Council to the Grand Council of all the Clans. In that venue, the Jade Falcon Clan, the strongest of the Crusader Clans, claimed the right to prosecute Kerensky. The Jade Falcons had consolidated their holdings in the Inner Sphere and stood posed to renew the invasion, confident in their ability to reach Terra before any other Clan and thereby claim the right to lead all the Clans. But first, they would have to remove Kerensky from power. In the end, they successfully persuaded the Khans of the Grand Council to strip Kerensky of his rank and authority. Rather than accept the verdict, however, Kerensky surprised all by demanding a Trial of Refusal to contest the Council's verdict. The leaders of Clan Jade Falcon, who would represent the Council in such a trial, initially tried to persuade Kerensky to drop his demand. The former ilKhan proved adamant, however, and the stage was set for the Refusal War.

The war raged for four months, as Wolf Clan forces battled Jade Falcon units on the Falcon-held worlds of Colmar, Sudeten, Zoetermeer, Baker 3, Devin, Evciler, Twycross, and Wotan. Both sides suffered enormous losses, as the fighting claimed entire Galaxies of MechWarriors. The Wolf forces severely weakened the Jade Falcons during these battles but lost two of their most valuable leaders as well - former ilKhan Ulric Kerensky and Khan Natasha Kerensky, the so-called Black Widow. Eventually, the final outcome of the war came down to a battle on the Lyran world of Morges, where saKhan Phelan Ward led the remaining Wolf units in a fight for the survival of the Wolf Clan. In the end, Phelan and the Wolves emerged victorious.

Declaring a Trial of Grievance against saKhan Vandervahn Chistu of Clan Jade Falcon for his honorless killing of Ulric Kerensky, Vlad killed the saKhan, winning a favor from Jade Falcon Khan Elias Crichell in the process.

Phelan's victory proved somewhat hollow, however. Though his Wolves possessed the genetic legacy of the Wolf Clan, the Clan Grand Council had exiled them from the Clans at the instigation of the Jade Falcons. Furthermore, a new Crusader Clan, the Jade Wolves, had been formed from surviving Crusader elements of the Wolf Clan. The Jade Wolves regard themselves as the true Wolf Clan, and see the very existence of Phelan's Wolf Clan as an affront.

The war may prove a mixed blessing for the Inner Sphere. The conflict severely weakened Clan Jade Falcon, and the Inner Sphere has gained a potentially invaluable ally against the invaders by giving Phelan's Wolf Clan-in-exile sanctuary in Lyran space. However, the hand of Clan Crusaders has been strengthened by the splintering of the staunchly Warden Wolf Clan and the exile of its remaining Warden sympathizers, as well as the formation of the pro-Crusader Jade Wolf Clan, which once again claims the name Clan Wolf.

The waning power of the Wolves and the Jade Falcons has created a power vacuum among the invading Clans, leading to further instability as other Clans in the invasion force jockey for power. At present, the Ghost Bears seem the most likely to lead a renewed invasion. The Bears have bolstered their troops with reinforcents from the Clan homeworlds, a development that poses a grave threat to the Draconis Combine worlds that lie above the truce line.

Kurita raiders have staged near-constant raids against Clan Smoke Jaguar in recent years, which have prevented that Clan from effectively recovering from the heavy casualties it suffered on Tukayyid. Nova Cat raiders have begun harassing Smoke Jaguar forces recently as well, further hampering the Clan's attempts to rebuild. As a result, the Smoke Jaguars seem unlikely to challenge the Ghost Bears for leadership of the Clans. Clan Smoke Jaguar's weakness has filled its warriors with frustration and a fierce desire to prove they are still a force to be reckoned with - which makes the Jaguars a potentially dangerous enemy for their Clan brethren and Inner Sphere powers.

Neither the Steel Vipers nor the Nova Cats have the strength to challenge the Ghost Bears, but both Clans are far from harmless. The Viper Khan, Perigard Zalman, has shown remarkable restraint while patiently rebuilding his Clan, which marks him as a canny and dangerous leader. Meanwhile, the Nova Cats continue to rebuild following their losses on Luthien and Tukayyid. Their weakened condition, however, has not prevented them from raiding worlds located above the truce line.

With Elias Crichell's sole remaining obstruction to being elected ilKhan out of the way, he received the position, but as Vlad Ward, now Khan of Clan Jade Wolf, voted no, he declared a Trial of Refusal over the vote, killing Elias Crichell handily and announcing that his Clan would be once again known as the Wolves. Following his victory, the Council of Khans voted to postpone the vote for a new ilKhan for six months, when they would travel to Strana Mechty to settle the issue.

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