Clans (BattleTech)

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The fictional Clans of BattleTech were originally the self-exiled remnants of the Star League army, after Amaris the Usurper brought about the downfall of the Star League. General Aleksandr Kerensky led his forces beyond the Inner Sphere because he believed that a terrible war was brewing between the Great Houses; a war that even the once mighty Star League army was powerless to stop. The exiles evolved into a warrior-based civilization that would sweep through the Inner Sphere like a whirlwind 250 years later.

Contents 1 The Clans 1.1 Clan Blood Spirit 1.2 Clan Burrock 1.3 Clan Cloud Cobra 1.4 Clan Coyote 1.5 Clan Diamond Shark 1.6 Clan Fire Mandrill 1.7 Clan Ghost Bear 1.8 Clan Goliath Scorpion 1.9 Clan Hell's Horses 1.10 Clan Ice Hellion 1.11 Clan Jade Falcon 1.12 Clan Jade Wolf 1.13 Clan Mongoose 1.14 Clan Nova Cat 1.15 Clan Sea Fox 1.16 Clan Smoke Jaguar 1.17 Clan Snow Raven 1.18 Clan Star Adder 1.19 Clan Steel Viper 1.20 Clan Widowmaker 1.21 Clan Wolf 1.22 Clan Wolf-in-Exile 1.23 Clan Wolverine 2 Culture 2.1 Bloodnames 2.2 Clan Honor 2.3 Castes 3 Ranks 3.1 The origin of the Stars 3.2 Ranks and Units 3.3 Clan Council 3.4 Other Ranks 4 Language

The Clans

After months of deliberation, Aleksandr convened most of the Star League forces still loyal to him (over 80%) and departed the Inner Sphere. After years of traveling, the massive flotilla of Star League refugees came upon five marginally habitable worlds, the so-called Pentagon Worlds due to their near-pentametric relation to each other. There Kerensky's followers tried to forge life as they knew it once again, and for a time it seemed the Star League would still exist, far away from Terra, although this was not to be. Within a year, cracks were beginning to form along faction lines and soon the Pentagon Worlds were at war: an eerie parallel to the carnage unfolding concurrently in the Inner Sphere, a conflict now known as the 1st Succession War. At this, Aleksandr prepared to gather the precious few troops still loyal to him, when he suffered a massive stroke and as his dying wish, Kerensky left the reigns of the Exile Star League in the hands of his son, Nicholas. Kerensky's son took 800 of his best warriors and 600 civilian families away to a planet known as Strana Mechty ("land of dreams" in Russian) where he forged a new order. This order was known as the Clans. Those who possessed exceptional military skill became the breeding stock of what would become a hereditary ruling class. They embodied the pinnacle of combat prowess, and were put through a variety of competitive and selective processes with each generation. They were charged to protect the weak and powerless, but primarily to take back the Pentagon Worlds and some day, the Inner Sphere, where they, the Clans, would reinstate the glorious Star League.

In the beginning there were twenty clans, each with forty warriors. Over time, three clans were Absorbed (Widowmaker, Mongoose, Burrock), two were Annihilated (Wolverine and Smoke Jaguar), one was Abjured (Nova Cat), another was split in two (Wolf), and two eventually merged with Inner Sphere nations (Ghost Bear and Snow Raven, respectively). Today, the Clans as they are known are almost wholly unrecognizable compared to their forebears. Taunted by fate and corrupted by power, many Clans have fallen into darkness, although a few still dwell in the light. The Clans have adopted one of two philosophies. Some are Warden, believing their duty is to protect the Inner Sphere from outside aggression or from some internal disaster that warrants their intervention. Others are Crusaders and believe their destiny is to reclaim Terra and the Inner Sphere by force, re-establishing the Star League under Clan rule. The Clan Civil War separated the Occupation Zone clans from the Homeworld Clans.

Clan Blood Spirit

See: Battletech Clan Blood Spirit

Clan Burrock

See: Battletech Clan Burrock

Clan Cloud Cobra

See: Battletech Clan Cloud Cobra

Clan Coyote

See: Battletech Clan Coyote

Clan Diamond Shark

See: Battletech Clan Diamond Shark

Clan Fire Mandrill

A fractured Crusader clan. The Fire Mandrills are divided into a number of Kindraa (Kindred Associations) based upon Bloodnames. Unlike the Cloud Cobras, this factionalism has cost the Fire Mandrills much and are often hard-pressed to deal with outsiders due to their internal strife. The Kindraas are: Kindraa Sainze, Kindraa Faraday-Tanaga, Kindraa Payne, Kindraa Mattila-Carrol, Kindraa Beyl-Grant, Kindraa Kline, and Kindraa Mick-Kreese (Goulet).

Clan Ghost Bear

See: Battletech Clan Ghost Bear

Clan Goliath Scorpion

Staunch Wardens, the Goliath Scorpions value precision over brute force, while believing strongly in visions and quests. They take Necrosia, based on the venom of the goliath scorpion to aid in these visions. This Clan believes in looking to the past in order to rebuild the Star League, piece by piece. They are fiercely devoted to Clan Wolf. Many claim within the Clans if not for their visions and quests they would be an extremely powerful force to be reckoned with. Their unique organizational scheme within their touman (even more detailed than the Jade Falcons) and knowledge of the old Star League Defense Force strategy and tactics would make them a well-oiled engine of destruction. It was their Heartvenom Cluster (Cateran cluster formation with Command Trinary, two Specialist Trinary, Battle Trinary, and Striker Trinary) trained Wolf's Dragoons before they left the Inner Sphere and made them an elite unit capable of handling any operation. Goliath Scorpian was also the first clan to begin development of Battle Armor. Early designs were based on underwater mining suits. Clan Wolf then perfected these early designs, which led to the producton of the Elemental which became the prominent Battle Armor for the Clans.

Clan Hell's Horses

A mixed Clan led by Crusaders, but with a large Warden makeup, the Hell's Horses are unusual for their heavy use of conventional (non-'Mech) forces and their beliefs favoring men over machines. Passionate and brave, the Hell's Horses succeeded where others thought they would fail. Their toleration of freeborns is a rarity among the Clans, especially among Crusaders. Though they did not participate in the invasion, they were given three worlds by Clan Wolf along their border with the Ghost Bears, the Hell's Horses sworn enemies. The Hell's Horses attempted to invade the Ghost Bear Dominion while the Bears were busy fighting the Draconis Combine. The retaliation cost the Hell's Horses much, the three worlds given to them were lost and the Hell's Horses had to pull back from the Inner Sphere. After a tentative peace with the Ghost Bears, the Hell's Horses launched a successful invasion of Wolf and Jade Falcon occupation zones. Their plan to transplant their entire population, much like the Ghost Bear's shift was discovered and eventually led to the Clan civil war that separated the Inner Sphere Clans from their homeworld brethren.

Clan Ice Hellion

A fierce Crusader Clan renowned for their swift assaults, Clan Ice Hellion often grasps for prizes beyond their reach. Nearly destroyed twice by civil war, the Clan has never been as unified as their brothers. After failing to win a place in the invasion and having been defeated in the Great Refusal on Strana Mechty, some push for a return to the Inner Sphere while others wish to expand their holdings in Clan Space. The Ice Hellions attempted a foray into the Inner Sphere but were beaten off.

Clan Jade Falcon

The strictly traditionalist Crusaders of Clan Jade Falcon have long resented and been envious of Clan Wolf for their strength, holdings, and (most of all) possession of the coveted Kerensky Bloodname. The Jade Falcons participated in the initial invasion and seized many Lyran worlds from the Federated Commonwealth. Achieving a draw with the ComGuards on Tukayyid, they schemed and plotted to undo the Truce. They were nearly destroyed by their Refusal War with the Wolves in an attempt to do just that. They lost many warriors and both of their Khans in subsequent politicking. Their new Khan launched a daring strike at Coventry in the Lyran Alliance and managed to restore the Jade Falcons' strength by winning possession of other Crusader units in the Harvest Trials. The Jade Falcons beat the Com Guards during the Great Refusal on Strana Mechty and then pushed the Steel Vipers out of their Occupation Zone; after that, they seized (and lost) several more Lyran worlds during the FedCom Civil War. They still eye Terra and have not given up all hope of claiming it. In 3132, seeing an opportunity caused by the collapse of the HPG network, the Falcons have made an incursion into the Republic of the Sphere.

Clan Jade Wolf

A short-lived Clan, the Jade Wolves existed briefly between the Absorption War between the Wolves and Jade Falcons, and when Khan Vlad Ward returned his Clan to full active status as the Wolves.

Clan Mongoose

The Mongoose home planet of Shadow was also where the clan's name originated. The name was adopted from the animal that killed the dangerous Venom Worms which were a great threat to humans, and as such endeared the mongoose to the clan. No longer in existence. Absorbed by Clan Smoke Jaguar for attempting to use their words of Nicholas Kerensky to sidestep a Grand Council ruling that ran against them. Being then deemed unfit to rule, by the Grand Council, the Council called a Trial of Absorption. Already weakened by a conflict with the Star Adders, Clan Mongoose fell before the Smoke Jaguars and their genetic legacies were acquired by the Cloud Cobras. Approximately 11 genetic legacies were acquired by Cloud Cobra, but the exact number cannot be confirmed due to the disarray Clan Mongoose was left in after the Trial of Absorption by the Smoke Jaguars. This also left the Bloodnames of the Mongoose Touman in Cloud Cobra's hands, although insufficient records has left the legacies of Mongoose Touman identities questionable, even to the present day.

Clan Nova Cat

A Warden Clan, the Nova Cats are known for their mystic ways and are governed by visions. They ignored such visions when they joined the attack on the Inner Sphere and shared the Smoke Jaguars invasion corridor. They were defeated on Luthien, then on Tukkayid. This caused the Nova Cats to heed a new vision that encouraged them to join with the Draconis Combine and the Inner Sphere against the Smoke Jaguars. They joined with the new Star League in driving the Jaguars out of the Inner Sphere and joined them again on Strana Mechty during the Great Refusal. For this, they were Abjured by the other Clans and forced to leave Clan Space under fire and resettled in the Irece Prefecture of the Draconis Combine. The abjuration often shrouds the Nova Cats' previous fame as excellent marksman (they often competed with the Goliath Scorpions to see what Clan had the best sharpshooters), and as the developers of the Extended-Range Laser technology used by all Clans.

Clan Sea Fox

Original name of clan Diamond Shark. Clan Sea Fox and Clan Snow Raven had a falling out, and in response Clan Snow Raven created the Diamond Shark, a predator designed soely to hunt and kill the Sea Foxes in Strana Mechty's oceans. After most of the Sea Foxes had been killed, Clan Sea Fox petitioned the council to change its name to Clan Diamond Shark. Several Sea Foxes were preserved by the Clan and placed on other worlds, where they flourished. As a result, Clan Diamond Shark has recently changed its name back to Clan Sea Fox in 3100. Clan Diamond Shark has since its inception relied heavily on its Merchant caste, giving them more power than most clans. Though many believe them to be weak because of their democratic attitudes to their lower castes, the Diamond Sharks maintain one of the largest and most elite militaries among the clans. After the Jihad, the Diamond Sharks were forced to move to the Inner Sphere along with many of its fellow Clans, changing its name back to Sea Fox. Having few worlds of their own, Clan Sea Fox is a nomad trader Clan who all reside on giant ArcShips and CargoShips roaming throughout space.

Clan Smoke Jaguar

See Battletech Clan Smoke Jaguar

Clan Snow Raven

See: Battletech Clan Snow Raven

Clan Star Adder

Considered to be one of the most powerful Home Clans (a Clan that did not participate in the Inner Sphere Invasion), the Star Adders can now also be considered to be among the most powerful of all the Clans, rivaling even an Invading Clan like Jade Falcon or Ghost Bear and even surpassing Clan Wolf in terms of raw military power, thanks largely to their relatively easy absorption of Clan Burrock. However, despite essentially having the strength of two Clans at their disposal, the Star Adders are still considered to be somewhat lacking when compared to an Invading Clan in terms of raw materials and industrial potential since they can only rely on their Clan Homeworlds holdings while the Invading Clans have the vast resources of their conquered Inner Sphere worlds to draw upon. While the Star Adders espouse a Crusader philosophy, they stress the need for inter-Clan cooperation and a tolerant attitude for freeborns that is more commonly found among Warden clans. Strategists rather than tacticians, the Star Adders are unusual for their meticulous nature, though their successes speak for themselves. With their Absorption of the Burrocks, they gained an incredible boon as other Clans were falling in size and stature.

Clan Steel Viper

A perplexing Clan that is overall considered Warden, but is home to some of the staunchest Crusaders and anti-freeborn warriors in the Clans. They have a brutal training course and a strange belief that the Star League will be re-established through cooperation with the Great Houses. Regardless of this, they participated in the invasion force, shared the Jade Falcon's invasion corridor, and were defeated on Tukayyid. They were eventually forced out of the Inner Sphere all together by the Jade Falcons.

Clan Widowmaker

Once absorbed by Clan Wolf for a brutal crackdown on dissenting merchants that proved their inability to rule. During their Trial of Refusal against the Absorption, the Widowmaker Khan slew ilKhan Nicholas Kerensky, which lead to a grueling trial of Absorption that spelled the end of the Widowmakers.

Clan Wolf

See: Battletech Clan Wolf

Clan Wolf-in-Exile

The Warden faction of the old Clan Wolf was led into the Inner Sphere of then saKhan Phelan Ward during the Refusal War with Clan Jade Falcon. When the Exiles were abjured the Ward bloodname of Phelan, he took the bloodname of Kell since ilKhan Ulric Kerensky used his authority to create it before being ousted. They came to Phelan's original homeworld of Arc-Royal where his father was the Grand Duke and had created the Arc-Royal Defense Cordon which the Wolves-in-Exile helped to garrison. During the Jihad the Wolf-in-Exile forces took in Wolf's Dragoons whose home planet, Outreach, was annihilated by the Blakists.

Clan Wolverine

See: Battletech Clan Wolverine

Culture

Clan society has developed entirely separate from the Inner Sphere, and has a number of quirks.

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 a hierarchy of Trials was set up to win the surnames of the original warriors that founded the Clans. The surnames were termed Bloodnames, and were traced matrilinialy through mitochondrial DNA.

Each Bloodname can be held by a maximum of 25 warriors at any one time. Some Bloodnames have fewer than 25 holders, with some less successful ones having quite substantly less. The mechaninsim for having fewer than the maximum of 25 holders is called a Reaving. A Reaving is called on one particular Bloodheritage (the term for particular strains of a Bloodname) when a serious taint falls on that line or when it's been not performing for multiple generations.

Also, there are two types of Bloodnames: Exclusive and Non-exclusive. Exclusive Bloodnames are ones held only by one particular Clan. Non-exclusives can be held any Clan.

Examples of Exclusive Bloodnames:

Kerensky (Clan Wolf),

Schmitt (Clan Blood Spirit),

Zalman (Clan Steel Viper),

Pryde (Clan Jade Falcon),

Kell (Clan Wolf-in-Exile),

Examples of Non-exclusive Bloodnames:

Redmond,

Chi-Li,

Phoushath,

Kederk,

Shu-Li

Clan Honor

The Clans as a whole adhere to a fairly strict honor system, encapsulated in a set of rules known as Zellbrigen. While some Clans are far more strict and conservative than others, all Clans follow this concept of Honor to some extent. Among other things, this code exhorts personal ability and efficiency above all. It formalizes most combats and many decision-making processes into a set of Trials, such as Trials of Position to earn rank, Trials of Possession to claim a resource held by another, and Trials of Refusal to legally refute the order of a superior officer or ruling body. It also encourages proxy battles and token fights in the form of a bidding process to minimize the forces involved in combat, and duels to minimize actual fighting while again emphasizing individual combat prowess. The Clan Honor rules also discourage any type of involvement of non-combatants in combat, and strongly discourage wasting resources (such as urban areas, factories, and starports) in combat.

The Inner Sphere's typical lack of adherence to honor, and willingness to go to almost any lengths to win, are the primary reasons the Clans declared them to be "Barbarians". Many Clans now refuse to follow the rules of honor against Inner Sphere foes, or even against the "rebel" Clans (Wolf-in-Exile and Nova Cat) that "betrayed" the Clans as a whole by defecting to the Inner Sphere.

Castes

Clan society is based on a strict caste system. The five castes are the Warriors, Scientists, Merchants, Technicians, and Laborers, with the Warriors being the most prestigious. Among other things, the Warriors act as the military, police force, and rulers of the entirety of Clan society. The only Clan where a different caste is held in esteem comparable or possibly even greater than the Warriors is Clan Diamond Shark (formerly Clan Sea Fox), where Warrior-Traders are fairly common and Merchants are now the de facto rulers.

Washing out of warrior training, or failing the initial Trial of Position, that does not result in demotion to conventional infantry or a similar position, will instead result in assignment to a secondary caste. MechWarriors, pilots, and cavalry are often assigned to the Technicians, because of their familiarity with the equipment; infantry are more often assigned to the Laborers.

The Scientist cast may be considered a distant second in importance, since they are responsible for supervising the eugenic breeding programs of the Warriors, as well as developing weapons technology.

The unofficial "Sixth Caste" is the Dark Caste, or the Bandit Caste. This group is composed of those who have been exiled, have fled punishment, or have become disillusioned with Clan society but not made it to the Inner Sphere, and their lives are typically fraught with difficulty and severe shortages in all types of supplies.

Ranks

The origin of the Stars

Nicholas Kerenski decided to do away with the old military rankings and organised the clan military using units called Stars. Because (at least in Kerenski’s culture) normal stars are usually drawn with five points, the military Stars would consist of five units called Points.

The Points would be designated the numbers 1 to 5 and ranked on superiority, with 5 being lowest and 1 being highest. Point 1 is the most superior of the Points and hence the Point commander of Point 1 is usually the Star commander.

The strength and size of Points differ depending on the units that it is made of. A Point is either 1 ‘Mech, 2 Tanks, 2 Aerospace Fighters, 5 Protomechs, 5 Elementals/Battle-armored Infantry, 25 standard foot infantry, or can mean a section or work-crew on a Navy vessel. Hence a Star is either 5 ‘Mechs, 10 tanks, 10 Aerospace Fighters, 25 Protomechs, 25 Elementals, or 125 infantry.

Ranks and Units

Ranks and the units they can command

Rank	Unit	Consists of
Warrior	N/A	N/A
Point Commander	Point	Varies
Star Commander	Star	5 Points
	Nova	1 ‘Mech Star and 1 Elemental Star
Star Captain	Binary	2 Stars and/or Novas
	Trinary	3 Stars and/or Novas
	Super Nova	2 ‘Mech Stars and 2 Elemental Stars
Star Colonel	Cluster	4-5 Binaries, Trinaries and/or Super Novas
Galaxy Commander	Galaxy	3-5 Clusters

Clan Navy Ranks

Rank	Role
Point Commander	Commands a section or a work crew on a vessel
Star Commander	An executive officer or a department head on a vessel
Star Captain	Commands a dropship or a jumpship
Star Commodore	Equivalent to a Star Colonel, commands a squadron of dropships or jumpships, or a single warship
Star Admiral	Equivalent to a Galaxy Commander, commands either a major warship, or a star of warships

In Clan Coyote and Clan Hell’s horses, commanders of a Nova have the rank Nova commander, which is one rank higher than Star commander; and commanders of a Super nova have the rank Nova captain, which one rank higher than Star captain.

The rank the warrior holds is used as their title unless they hold the lowest rank (for example, Star Commander Zane). If they are warriors, they have a title denoting their sub-caste. E.g. a warrior who pilots a vehicle will be called ‘crewman’, and aerospace pilot will be called ‘pilot’ and so-on (for example, Mechwarrior Aidan). Since the lowest Mechwarriors are Point commanders, they have the title of Mechwarrior instead of Point commander even though they have a Point commander rank.

Clan Council

Military command higher than Galaxy commander rests with the clan council. Each caste of a clan is governed by a caste council. The warrior caste council is also the clan council which rules the entire affairs of the clan and clan law. This council is self elected and is almost always made up of bloodnamed warriors.

When the clan requires military action above the small scale skirmishes that are Trials of Possession, the clan council becomes a Kurultai (War Council) and it elects from within a council member to become a Khan. The Khan (though having much more influence) can’t interfere with clan laws/society; that is still in the hands of the council. He/she is however commander of the entire clan’s military assets, including the touman (see below), and becomes the top of the military hierarchy that doesn’t exist without a Khan.

The first act of the Khan is to select a saKhan (junior Khan) from amongst the clan council members. The saKhan’s duties aren’t specifically defined. He/she is the second in command, performing any duties the Khan requires (like bidding or leading a campaign) but can’t do him/herself and enjoys a heightened status within clan society. The official term for the senior Khan of a clan is kaKhan, though this is rarely used (Khan with no prefix usually means the senior Khan).

When the clans face a time of crisis or all need to coordinate their efforts towards a common objective, each clan forms a Kurultai and the Khans from each clan then form a Grand kurultai. The Grand kurultai then internally elects a Khan to become the ilKhan who serves as an arbiter between Clans during the time of crisis, acting with the power of the Grand Council. The ilKhan enjoys wide-ranging but not absolute power, as he answers to the Grand Council. The ilKhan may not interfere with matters that are internal to a specific Clan. When the Martial code is in effect, however, the ilKhan may operate virtually unhindered.

Other Ranks

Each clan has one of each of the following:

Loremaster

The Loremaster is the keeper of Clan laws and history. The position is honorable and politically powerful. The Loremaster plays key role in inquiries and trials, where he is often assigned the role of Advocate or Interrogator. To determine who replaces a retired or deceased Loremaster, candidates engage in a one-on-one melee elimination tournament. The winner then sits a 'Forum of Law' where he/she is asked questions about Clan Law and Lore. If he passes he becomes the next Loremaster. If he fails the second place winner sits the Forum of Law and so on until one passes the Forum.

Oathmaster

The Oathmaster is a counterpart to the Loremaster in Clan tradition. That 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 desired the honor), and is one of the few positions not decided by combat.

Language

The Clans typically speak a dialect of Terran English; however, they disdain and avoid the use of contractions and similar practices in speech, with the exception of the ritualised contractions used specifically by the warrior caste.

Words and phrases from their dialect include:

"Abtakha"

A warrior captured but then accepted into his new Clan as a warrior.

"Aff"

"Affirmative"

"Batchall"

The Batchall is the ritual by which Clan warriors issue combat challenges. Though the type of challenge varies, most begin with the challenger identifying himself, stating the prize of the contest, and requesting that the defender identify the forces at his disposal. The defender also has the right to name the location of the Trial. The two sides then bid for what forces will participate in the contest. The subcommander who bids to fight with the least number of forces wins the right and responsibility to make the attack. The defender may increase the stakes by demanding a prize of equal or lesser value if he wins. All batchalls and bids are closed and finale when the phrase "bargained well and done" is spoken by both members of the bid.

"Bloodheritage"

The history of the Bloodnamed warriors of a particular Bloodright is called the Bloodheritage.

"Bloodcount"

The Bloodcount is the number of active Bloodrights associated with a particular Bloodname, and thus is the number of individuals that may hold that name at any given time. Traditonaly, this number is twenty-five, but it may be less in the case of inferior Bloodnames or Bloodheritages found useless or unworthy. In some cases, the Bloodcount has been known to drop as low as five. The process for reducing a Bloodcount is known as ‘Reaving’, and the process for increasing it is called ‘Propagation’, both of which demand an associated trial. A Bloodcount may also be reduced by Abjuration, or by decree of the ilKhan.

"Bloodname"

Bloodname refers to the surname of each of the 800 warriors who stood with Nicholas Kerensky during the Exodus Civil War. The right to use one of these surnames has been the ambition of every Clan warrior since the system was established. Only a maximum of 25 warriors, depending on its Bloodcount, are allowed to use any Bloodname at one time. When one of the Bloodnamed warriors dies, a special Trial, called a Trial of Bloodright, is held to determine who will assume that Bloodname. A contender must prove his Bloodname lineage, then win a series of duels against other competitors. Only Bloodnamed warriors may sit on the Clan Councils or are eligible to become a Khan or ilKhan. 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 only has a claim to one Bloodname.

"Bloodright"

A specific Bloodname lineage is called a Bloodright. Up to twenty-five Bloodrights are attached to each Bloodname. A Bloodright is not a lineage as we define the term because the warriors who successfully hold the Bloodright need be related only through their original ancestor. As with Bloodnames, certain Bloodrights are considered more prestigious than others, depending largely on the Bloodright’s history.

"Bondcord"

A woven cord worn on the wrist to indicate the wearer's status as a bondsman. The color and highlighting indicate the Clan to which the wearer is bound and the capturing unit.

"Bondholder"

The person that takes a Bondsman and is the primary determiner of when a Bondsman has fulfilled his Bond obligation.

"Bondsman"

A prisoner taken during combat, of any caste or rank. Considered a member of the Laborer caste until freed or promoted back to active service. Custom indicates that any prisoner remain a bondsman for at least a token amount of time, even high-ranking and Bloodnamed warriors. Some Clans do not free bondsmen to certain castes, especially the Warrior caste.

"Bondsref"

Ritual suicide to prevent becoming a Bondsman. The person performing Bondsref must have the permission of their Bondholder and perform said act before taking a Bondcord, otherwise the performer is considered Dezgra and their genes won't be used in the Clan breeding program.

"Chalcas"

Someone or something that is either outside acceptable Clan culture or that challenges it.

"Circle of Equals"

The area in which a trial takes place. The area can be anywhere from a few meters across for personal combat, or thousands of kilometers across, or even span several worlds for large scale trials. A contestant that voulantarily leaves or is forced to leave the area is considered dishonorable or weak, and is disqualified. The area can be of any shape, though it is traditonaly a circle.

"Codex"

The Codex is each warrior's personal record. It includes the names of the original Bloodnamed warriors from which a warrior is descended. It also records background information such as a warrior's generation number, Blood House, and Codex ID, an alphanumeric code noting the unique aspects of that person's DNA. The Codex also contains a record of the warrior's military career.

"Contract"

A Contract is an agreement between the commanders of two units that allows the commander of one to 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, while still maintaining a good mix of Battlemech, Elemental, and fighter combat units.

"Dezgra"

Adjective referring to the disgraced state of the subject, such as a unit that disgraced itself in battle, or a person or unit without honor. Units or persons marked as dezgra are not considered worthy of zellbrigen, so normal clan rules of combat can be suspended when facing such opponents. Also the noun referring to a ritual by which a unit is marked as Dezgra and punished.

"Founder, The"

The name the Clans use when referring to Nicholas Kerensky.

"Freebirth"

Pejorative version of "Freeborn". Considered an insult and curse.

"Freeborn"

A person born naturally, a person not born into the Clan genetics program.

"Hegira"

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.

"Giftake"

A DNA sample taken posthumously from a warrior who died honorably in battle. Considered by custom superior to previous samples taken, and more likely to produce superior warriors.

"Great Father, The"

The name the Clans use for Alexander Kerensky.

"Isorla"

The spoils of battle taken by warriors. Includes Bondsmen as well as any military supplies, lands, or equipment taken.

"Keshik"

The unit which provides a Khan's bodyguard.

"Kindraa"

Specific to Clan Fire Mandrill. Denotes a specific set of Bloodnames that have banded together for mutual protection. There are a number of these, each of which is in competition for resources, power, influence, and prestige with the others. This competition, in effect, creates a model of the Clans in miniature.

"Neg"

"Negative"

"Martial Code, The"

The Martial Code is a set of rules governing Clan actions during a time of war. It is designed to minimize the political maneuvering that normaly prevails duing Grand Council meeting, and forces the participants to concentrate on the matter at hand. When in effect, this also gives the ilKhan a wide range of powers, such as the right to dismiss any charges brought before the Grand Council he or she deems frivolous.

"OvKhan"

A term of respect for a person of higher rank.

"Powless"

A shortened term for powerless, denoting the vulnerability that a warrior feels when forced to fight without his accustomed weapons. For example a heavy 'Mech pilot using a light 'Mech or an aerospace pilot fighting an elemental in melee combat. In other words, the feeling of taking a test you haven't studied for.

"Quiaff"

Used to query the subject's agreement, but specifically with an expected affirmative answer ("Aff"). Often used rhetorically.

"Quineg"

Used to query the subject's agreement, but specifically with an expected negative answer ("Neg"). Often used rhetorically.

"Ristar"

This term refers to a particularly gifted warrior on his or her way to high position.

"Rede"

A promise or oath that reflects on the swearer's honor is considered a Rede. Breaking a rede is considered extremely serious, and is sometimes punishable by death.

"Remberance, The"

The Remembrance is an ongoing heroic saga detailing Clan history from the time of the Exodus from the Inner Sphere to the present day. The Remembrance is continually expanded to include contemporary events. Each Clan has a slightly different version reflecting their own opinions and experiences. All Clan warriors can quote whole verses of this marvelous epic from memory, and it is common to see passages from the book lovingly painted on a warrior's vehicle or armor.

"Satarra"

A Clan council may cast a veto, or satarra, to settle or postpone disputes between castes within their jurisdiction. Satarra is invoked only when negotiations 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.

"Savashri"

A Clan epithet.

"Seyla"

A word uttered only in the most sacred and respective of manners. The origin is Hebrew, but it works like "Amen". It is found in Psalms as Selah. It is a way of saying 'so shall it be'.

"Sibko"

A group or "batch" of Trueborn people born from the same genetic makeup; also the smallest element used for early training above a single person. Usually separated only by death until testing decides final placement in Clan society. Bastardized form of "SIBling COmpany".

"Stravag"

A Clan epithet.

"Surat"

An epithet referring to a cute bat-like animal commonly kept as a pet.

"Surkai"

Surkai is the Right of Forgiveness. The Clans honor uniformity in thought and belief above all else in their society. When warriors disagree, when a Clan disagrees with the Grand 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.

"Surkairede"

The Rede of Forgiveness, or surkairede is the honour-bound agreement between the majority and any 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.

"Touman"

The term used for the fighting arm of a Clan.

"Trothkin"

A member of the same sibko or a respectful name.

"Trueborn"

A lab-raised result of the Clan selective breeding program, coming from gene pools modified to accentuate positive attributes and eliminate negative ones.

"Zellbrigen"

The body of rules defining dueling behavior and honor in combat.