Clan Hell's Horses Totem

Attempts to adapt genetically horses to the deserts of Circe resulted in a carnivorous beast uncontrollable through conventional taming methods. The prototypes of these horses were scheduled for termination by the scientists, but these animals were released by a sympathetic soldier, and have since thrived on Circe. Respected for its tenacity and unadulterated aggressiveness, the hells horse make and ideal Clan totem.

Possessions

Worlds: 11 (Clan space: 8 worlds; 6 shared, 2 exclusive. Inner Sphere: 3)

The Horse Touman has performed well in recent months, successfully opposing the Jade Falcons and Ice Hellions to recapture some of the assets they lost to the Ghost Bears in 2921. They also managed to capture parts of the Bear capital on Bearclaw, along with sections of the Nova Cat enclave on the same world. They prepared for a major conflict with the Snow Ravens, to whom the Bears had given most of the world, but managed to reach a compromise that kept fighting to a minimum. On Kirin, they took advantage of the Smoke Jaguars' weakness to regain exclusive control of the colony world, returning it to the status quo of half a century ago.

Working under contract to the Wolves, the Twelfth Mechanized Cluster attacked the former Nova Cat world of Hoard. Originally slated to aid the Wolves in a renewed invasion of the Inner Sphere, the unit instead seized a foothold on the planet for the Wolves. However, Khan Vlad Ward was obliged to grant the Horses half the gains of the campaign; each clan controls roughly 10 percent of the planet, and the fighting continues. The Clan also now possesses the formerly Wolf worlds of Engadin, Stanzach, and Vorarlberg in the Inner Sphere.

Allies and Enemies

Since the Long-ago battle for Tokasha, the Hell's Horses have hated the Ghost Bears. The Bears return the enmity in full, and the Horses were furious to learn of their relocation to the Inner Sphere. To a lesser extent, the Horses dislike the Fire Mandrills, though this grudge stems from the actions of the defunct Kindraa Smythe-Jewel and therefore carries less weight. The Horses have a grudging respect for Kindraa Payne, whose members they regard as the only honorable Fire Mandrills.

The schism within the Wolf Clan has confused the Horses who historically considered themselves Wolf allies. The number of Warden-leaning officers within the Horses does not help the Clan's relations with the new Crusader Wolves, but the two Clans recently undertook a joint military venture on Hoard in spite of their political difference. In addition, Hell's Horses is currently waiting for the Wolf reaction to the horses' occupation of three of their Inner Sphere worlds. Though not formally allies with them, the Horses respect the Coyotes, Steel Vipers, Snow Ravens and Jade Falcons, all of whom they believe have demonstrated admirable traits and abilities over the years.

Military

The Hell's Horses have a bias toward infantry and vehicles, reversing standard Clan doctrine by regarding 'Mechs and fighters as support troops. This combat philosophy often limits their flexibility, and ultimately proved their undoing in the Great Refusal. Aside from that setback, however, the Horses appear to have suffered few adverse results from their unusual emphasis on conventional forces. One reason for this is the size of their Touman, which is unusually large for a Home Clan. The Horses have historically beefed up their forces by allowing failed warriors a second Trial of Position. If a warrior fails to qualify for his or her primary warrior sub-cast, that warrior may undertake a second Trial for assignment to a lower sub-caste: for example, MechWarriors to vehicle crews, Elementals to conventional infantry, or aerospace pilots to ship crews.

The Horses have also formalized several ranks that other Clans consider junior or senior postings within the same rank. Nova commander denotes command of two Stars-a Nova or Binary- and falls between Star commander and Star captain in seniority. Nova Captain denotes command of four Stars-two Novas or Binaries-and falls between Star captain and Star colonel.

Society

The Hell's horses believe that everyone has his or her place. The Clan's castes cooperate with each other, enjoying generally good relations. The warrior caste remains dominant, but its members listen to and respect the opinions of the civilian castes. However, the Horses' relative lack of aggressiveness and absence of major politicking has led other Clans to hold them in low esteem until their recent successes in the Trials of Possession for former Ghost Bear assets. Despite these gains, however, the Hell's Horses clearly remain followers rather than leaders. On many issues they still defer to their "brothers" in the Wolf Clan, and rumors of Khan Fletcher's mental instability have not helped their cause.

The Hell's Horses refuse to take bondsmen from sources they consider dishonorable, including bandits and Clan Fire Mandrill (except for Kindraa Payne). Their ongoing feud with Clan Ghost Bear has not kept them from attempting to capture Ghost Bear bondsmen, whom they regard as living trophies. Many such prisoners are humiliated and abused, but not to the extent that the Smoke Jaguars used to abuse their prisoners. The Ghost Bears have begun reciprocating, and so the two Clans have little expectation of leniency when they clash.

While respecting the benefits of new technology, the Horses regard it as a means to an end. New technologies allow them to work better, especially the warriors who would otherwise be retired because of injury. Khan Malavai Fletcher is a staunch proponent of cybernetics-understandable, if one believes the allegations that cybernetic parts have replaced half.

Brief History

Founded by the commander of the SLDF's thirty-fifth Infantry Division, Clan Hell’s Horses has believed in combined-arms operations since its inception. The Clan served in a support role during the campaign to liberate Eden, which earned its members less prestige than the other Clans but also meant proportionally fewer casualties. This gave the Hell’s Horses an advantage during the post-war era.

For many years, the Clan focused on colonization, expansion and self-improvement. In expanding the boundaries of Clan space, the Hell's Horses took a major risk that the increased freedom necessary for successful colonization might result in open revolt against he strictures of ordinary Clan society. Other Clans tightly controlled exploration and colonization for exactly that reason. Whether through careful planning or good luck, however, the Horses avoided any major incidents.

Apolitical for many years, they remained in the background, sparring with their neighbors only for resources or new technology. Many Hell's Horses encounters resulted in negotiated settlements-most notably the deal with the Wolf Clan for Elemental suits, which colored the relationship between the two Clans until the present day.

The turning point in the relationship of the Hell's Horses with the other Clans came when the Horses developed the genetic enhancement techniques used to create the Elemental phenotype. This innovation forced the other Clans to reevaluate the Horses. A series of Trials for the techniques and genetic material ensued, including a treacherous assault by the Fire Mandrill Kindraa Smythe-Jewel, in which Kindraa Payne unwittingly served as a diversion while the Smythe-Jewel forces took their objectives. Disgusted by these un-Clanlike tactics, the Horses called for a Trial of Annihilation against the Mandrills, but were refused. Soon afterward, they allied with Clan Coyote and in 2872 crushed the offending Kindraa. This actions earned the Horses the respect of other Clans and demonstrated the benefits of inter-Clan cooperation.

In 2921, battles against the Ghost Bears for control of Tokasha escalated out of hand. The bitter fighting involved atypically large forces, with each side fielding an entire Galaxy. The Hell's Horses had the upper hand for much of the battle, until Bear Khan Kilborne Jorgensson was killed and the Bears went into a frenzy. The maddened Bears shattered Horses units, forcing them to withdraw. Both Clans have nursed a feud ever since-the Horses for the loss of their manufacturing facilities on Tokasha, and the Bears for the death of their Khan.

During the early thirty-first century, the Horses shifted drastically from political neutrality to clear support of the Crusader cause. They participated enthusiastically in the Trials of Possession held for positions in the Inner Sphere invasion force, but failed to win a place. The failure angered many in the Clan, and after Tukayyid they supported every initiative to resume the invasion.

Clan Hell's Horses fought in the Great Refusal on Strana Mechty in defense of the invasion, and were horrified by the ease with which the Free Rasalhague's Third DrakØns defeated them. In the months that followed, they took out their frustration on their neighbors. They fought under contract to the Wolf Clan on Hoard, as well as on their own to seize former Ghost Bear assets on Bearclaw and to reclaim their old possessions on Tokasha.

Clan Hell's Horses seems to be facing a brighter future; they recently took three Inner Sphere worlds from Clan Wolf. It remains to been seen whether they can capitalize on this de facto occupation zone.

Beginnings

The Hell's Horses are unique in the Clans in that they make extensive use of armor in their frontline Clusters. A true-combined arm oriented Clan, the Hell's Horses have fewer mechs than most other Clans, but are amongst the foremost leaders in Elemental Bloodlines and technology.

Formed by Khans John Fletcher and Patricia Cobb, the Hell's Horses have always placed the warrior first. Khan Fletcher reached an arrangement with ilKhan Nicholas Kerensky that allowed the Horses to field more Clusters at the expense of 'mech assets. This allowed Khan Fletcher to add substantial armor and infantry elements to his Clusters. Though many within the Clans predicted an early doom for the Hell's Horses, the Pentagon campaign proved how effective Khans Fletcher and Cobbs' tactics were.

The battle for Eden proved a tough proving ground for the Horses. Their target cities, though inhabited by separate sects, heavily outnumbered the Horses. After losing several scout mechs in ambushes, Khan Fletcher drew upon his vast guerilla warfare experience to crush the opposing forces. It was soon discovered that the enemy was concentrating their efforts on destroying 'mechs and ignoring armor and infantry units. Khan Fletcher then devised a plan, which used his 'mechs as decoys for his armor and infantry units. After two weeks of this guerilla campaign, the Horses launched a full-scale attack against the three cities and quickly overran their depleted forces.

The Horses success on Eden laid rest to many claims about their weakness. The losses suffered were minimal compared to other Clans and were more readily replaced. Moreover, the campaign taught the Horses the viability of their combined arms philosophy and set them on the path that would field them a powerful infantry contingent.

During the Golden Century, after Nicholas Kerensky's death during the WidowMaker Trial of Absorption, the Hell's Horses remained relatively silent. They established a number of successful colonies and established trade agreements with Clan Sea Fox (later Clan Diamond Shark). Aside from a few Trials of Possession over needed resources, the Horses seldom left their enclaves.

In 2868, Clan Wolf first deployed its new Elemental armor suit in a Trial versus the Nova Cats. The Horses, who had long been striving to build the ultimate infantry force, immediately saw the advantages of the new personal battle armor. Khan Eric Amirault immediately declared a Trial of Possession against Clan Wolf for the Elemental armor. However, Wolf Khan Alexis Ward made a counter offer that would be beneficial to both Clans. Khan Ward offered a batch of the battle armor in exchange for samples of Hell's Horses genetic legacies and breeding protocols. The two Clans would then fight three separate Trials, with the winning Clan gaining one-third of the offered isorla. In the end, Clan Wolf won two of the three Trials and much of the Horses genetic legacies. The Horses, however, did not despair over the loss of the isorla. The Horses won one-third of the offered battlesuits and within a generation fielded the awesome Elementals in large numbers.

Two years later, the Horses suffered a terrible defeat when forces from Kindraa Smythe-Jewel and Payne of Clan Fire Mandrill, intent on gaining two Horse genetic legacies, attacked the Horse's capital on Eden. Khan Amirault committed only his Alpha Galaxy to the defense, having decided to meet the two Kindraa with equal forces. All information available indicated that the battle would be evenly matched.

The Horses met Kindraa Payne's force in a vicious battle that the Horses eventually won. Unknown to Kindraa Payne and Khan Amirault, Colonel Smythe of Kindraa Smythe-Jewel deliberately misstated the forces he was attacking with. As a result, the elite Fire Mandrill Clusters ripped apart the light Eleventh Mechanized Cavalry Cluster. The Kindraa Smythe-Jewel retreated to their homeworld, leaving behind shattered Kindaa Payne and Hell's Horses forces swearing vengeance.

The Hell's Horses did not have long to wait for their revenge on Kindraa Smythe-Jewel. Just as Khan Amirault was preparing to launch an assault against the Kindraa, Coyote Khan Manfried Hollifield suggesteed a compromise that would benefit both Clans. The Coyotes had also been stung by the Kindraa Smythe-Jewel's deceptions and were just as eager to attack the Kindraa. Khan Hollifield suggested a joint assault contract which would allow both Clans to attack the Kindraa. The objective was to completely annihilate the Kindraa and seize their genetic legacies.

The 666th Mechanized Assault Cluster and 11th Mechanized Cavalry Cluster combined with nearly a full Coyote Cluster launched a massive assault onto Foster, the Kindraa Smythe-Jewel homeworld. The Kindraa put up significant aerial resistance, but the combined aerowings of the assault force repelled and destroyed the Kindraa fighters. Then, the Coyote and Hell's Horses forces utterly destroyed the Kindraa Smythe-Jewel Clusters in a running battle which lasted two days. The Horse's force, particularly the 666th Mechanized Assault Cluster, took heavy losses but achieved all their objectives.

The battle over, the two Clans split their isorla. The Horses claimed half of the Smythe-Jewel genetic legacies and all of the salvageable 'mechs. The Coyotes received the Kindraa's holdings on Foster plus all of the surviving Kindraa warriors. The defeat of the Kindraa Smythe-Jewel greatly enriched the Horse's as many of the salvaged mechs were newly built OmniMechs. This added technology gave the Horses a much needed insight into the workings of Omni technology.

In the years to follow, the Horses moved their capital to the world Niles. They built a massive new OmniMech factory on Tokasha which helped bring their touman up to par with the other Clans. The vast difference in the ratio of mechs to armor and infantry assets began to slowly change as the Horse's built more and more new OmniMechs. This, along with a increase in popularity amongst MechWarriors in the Clan, indicated a fundamental change in the Clans fighting philosophy. Though they still strongly believed in combined arms tactics, the Horses began to integrate larger numbers of 'mechs into their ranks.

For many years, the Clans fortunes rose steadily. Then, the Ghost Bears declared a Trial of Possession for the Tokasha mech factory. The Horse Khans had no intention of losing their greatest military asset and committed the entirety of Beta Galaxy to its defense. The Ghost Bear Khan, Killbourne Jorgensson, was surprised at the size of the Horses bid but matched it with an equal number of troops.

The battle for Tokasha was one of the most devastating the Horses had ever fought. The battle went well at first as Horse infantry units isolated and destroyed individual mechs. The Horses armor also exacted a high toll against the Bear forces. The Ghost Bear Elementals, suddenly deprived of their usual 'mech support, were systematically overrun and destroyed by Horse infantry. Victory seemed assured for Clan Hell's Horses. Then, Ghost Bear Khan Jorgensson was killed while trying to rally his troops. The Ghost Bear warriors, shocked at the death of their Khan, went into a berserker frenzy and quickly turned the tide of battle against the Horse forces. The enraged Bears hammered at the Horse forces incessantly, until Khan Cobb, sensing the battle was lost, ordered a full retreat. The Ghost Bears won the Trial and the Tokasha MechWorks facility. This battle also set the stage for a long-running feud between the two Clans.

Over the next century, the Horses and Bears engage in numerous Trials. The battles slowly ate away at what little omnimech reserves the Horses possessed. Finally, the Horses established a new 'mech facility on Niles, but production barely kept pace with losses over the years.

The feud between the Bears and Horses reached a climax in the 3040's when the Ghost Bears initiated a Trial of Possession for the Niles Industriplex. The Horses could not afford to lose another 'mech facility. They defended it with the entire Alpha Galaxy. This time, despite tremendous losses and the death of Khan Lair Seidman, the Horses emerged victorious over the Bears. The death of Khan Seidman left a seriously injured saKhan Malavai Fletcher as senior Khan.

Recent Events

The invasion of the Inner Sphere left the Horses out of contention for a spot in the attacking force. Though disgruntled at the missed opportunity, Khan Malavai Fletcher chose to wait and rebuild his forces rather than waste energy and equipment on futile attacks, such as the Ice Hellions did.

The defeat of the Clans on Tukayyid proved a boon for the Horses. Khan Fletcher, working with Khan Asa Taney of the Ice Hellions, worked to push for a renewal of the Invasion. The Refusal War between the Jade Falcons and Wolves provided an even greater incentive, as the two mightiest Clans reduced each other to a fraction of their former strength. The Horses and Ice Hellions, along with the Diamond Sharks, moved to absorb the Wolves and Falcons but failed to gather the votes necessary in the Grand Council. Frustrated at being deprived of another chance at joining the invasion force, fate provided another means of Hell's Horses glory when Wolf Khan Ward initiated what quickly became to be called the Harvest Trials. These Trials would allow individual Stars, Binaries and Trinary's to battle invading Clan forces for the right to join an invading Clan. These setpiece battles, mostly formal battles where the outcome was known in advance but with a few heavily fought battles, allow many warriors from the Home Clan forces to join the Jade Falcons and Wolves as warriors.

The recent Harvest Trials caused a great deal of concern for many Clans. Khan Fletcher, however, came up with a far more reasonable solution. Rather than lose individual Stars to the Wolves or Falcons, Khan Fletcher negotiated a contract with Khan Vladimir Ward of Clan Wolf. The contract gave the Wolves command of the elite 11th Mechanized Cavalry Cluster, but the Cluster would retain its ties to Clan Hell's Horses. The arrangement would give the Wolves an elite Cluster without having to risk any of its own assets in a Trial of Possession and the Horses would gain valuable combat experience against the Inner Sphere military's.

Death of a Clan

With the defeat of the Smoke Jaguars in the Inner Sphere and on Huntress, the Clans found themselves with the unprecedented prospect of an Inner Sphere invasion of Strana Mechty. The Star League Defense Force soon challenged the Clans to a Trial of Refusal over the invasion. If the Inner Sphere won, the invasion was over and the invading Clans would retain the worlds they had conquered. If the Clans won, the invasion would resume. The Warden Clans refused to participate in the Trial, leaving the eight Crusader Clans to face the SLDF. As the Smoke Jaguars had only two Binaries of troops left, it was decided that each Crusader Clan would only commit two Binaries to the battle.

The Hell's Horses committed a mixed Binary of 'Mechs, Elementals and armor against a company from the Third Rasalhague Drakons. Khan Fletcher's troops fared well initially against the Drakons, crippling several 'Mechs with few losses in return. The Gnome Elemental armor were a contributing factor to the Clan's early success. The Drakons were caught off-guard by this durable new Elemental armor. However, Overste Dahlstrom rallied her troops and crushed the Horses with a barrage of devastatingly accurate weapons fire.

The SLDF commanders were quite pleased with the Drakons' performance. Their proficiency during the battle was considerably higher than they had previously demonstrated. Their victory was one of the keys to the SLDF's success. With the defeat of the Crusader Clans, the invasion of the Inner Sphere is over.