Clan Star Adder Totem

The genetically engineered star adder is one of the most merciless predators in the Pentagon worlds. Unrelentingly aggressive, it punishes those who stray into its territory or whom it views as a threat. The same is true of Clan Star Adder, one of the strongest Clans and arguably the dominant force in the homeworlds.

Possessions

Worlds: (8 shared, 2 exclusive)

The Adders made major advances by Absorbing the Burrocks, gaining complete control of the Burrock capital of Albion, as well as sizeable enclaves on Dagda, Hoard and Priori. Though limited by the need to restructure their Touman in the wake of the Absorption, the Adders managed to expand their holdings on Hoard in the recent Trails of Possession. The ongoing battle on Hoard currently involves the Ice Hellions, Wolves and Hell's Horses.

The Adders also expanded their holding on Brim by seizing parts of the former Nova Cat enclave, a negotiated settlement between the two Clans. However, Clan Snow Raven has threatened action against the Adders from its own enclave on Brim, "to secure Snow Raven interest."

Allies and Enemies

The Star Adders have long sought neutrality toward the other Clans, but their generally apolitical stance and alleged coddling of their civilians have earned them the disdain of many outsiders. The Blood Spirits' intervention in the Absorption war against the Burrocks, in addition to the losses the Spirits inflicted on the Adders, has turned the Adders' historical ambivalence toward the Blood Spirits into bitter hatred. The Adders' once excellent relations with the Snow Ravens have cooled following the growth of the Adder fleet, which the Ravens see as a threat to their naval superiority. The Adder naval adjutant, himself of Raven genetic stock, believe relations between the two will soon normalize, however.

The Star Adders' closest allies are the Cloud Cobras. Sine the Absorption of the Burrocks, the Adders have chosen to honor the Burrock-Cobra contract to garrison the Tanitie worlds, further strengthening relations between the two clans.

Military

The Star Adder Touman follows the "total force" paradigm, with no service dominating. The Clan's only weakness is its infantry, with notably small numbers of Elementals and conventional troops. However, more and more Elementals are being assigned to front-line units and naval vessels. The Adder nave is the second strongest in the Clans, having recently inherited sever Burrock ships

The primary task of the surprisingly well respected second line units is to guard the Clan's extensive assets. Heavy BattleMechs form the mainstay of such units, but Elementals, fighters and even conventional infantry and vehicles are also common. The Adders' Kappa Galaxy is unique among the Clans as an "OpFor" unit, trained to fight using the doctrine and tactics of enemy units. Kappa's warriors have carried out this task for forty years, and over the past decade have demonstrated the quirks of Inner Sphere-style combat to their fellows.

The only real problem facing the Adder Touman is the integration of so many Burrock units. The Touman is still struggling to adapt, though the abtakha warriors appear to fit in well.

Society

Relationships between castes in Clan Star Adder stem from mutual understanding that allows the Clan to present a truly unified front. The civilians know they need the warriors to prosper, and the warriors appreciate that without the civilians, their fighting abilities would be seriously impaired. The civilian castes have no say in government, but the warriors listen to and take note of their view. An individual know as the Clan Adjutant serves as the de facto leader of the civilian population and reports to the Khans, fostering a strong bond among the people. However, warriors still regard themselves as superior to civilians; they steadfastly avoid menial work, and assignments to aid civilian caste workers are a favorite for of punishment.

The Adders see bondsmen as a way of enhancing their strength, and accept them as part of the Clan from the outset. Captured warriors who demonstrate fidelity to their new Clan can expect adoption with little fuss.

Like many Clans, the Star Adders claim to dislike politics, but are nonetheless adept at such maneuverings. They regard politics as a necessary evil, without which their Clan would be at a major disadvantage. The Adders' inter politics are almost as complex as those of the fire Mandrills or Snow Ravens, with loyalties first to the unit and the House, and then to the entire Clan. However, though they jockey hard for position, no Star Adder will do anything that threatens the future of his or her Clan.

The Star Adders are notable for their attitude towards Nicholas and Aleksandr Kerensky. Unlike most of the other Clans, the Adders regard them simply as superb leaders and warriors rather than demigods. In this the Adders are perhaps the most pragmatic Clan, and therefore one of the most dangerous.

Brief History

Absalom Truscott, commander of the 149th BattleMech division, was one of the few of his rank to stand with Nicholas Kerensky following Aleksandr Kerensky's death, and was rewarded with command of one of Nicholas' new Clans. A friend of Nicholas Kerensky's for many years, Truscott was also allowed to select his own warriors. Truscott’s command surveyed the Pentagon in advance of the Clan assault, and planned the mission later known as Operation Klondike.

The Wolverine and Widowmaker treacheries reinforced this Clan's belief in presenting a united front, but the steady growth that resulted from the Star Adders' unity provoked jealously in other Clans. Perceived as a threat, they came under attack, most notably by Clan Mongoose. The attacks led to an escalation feud that hit infrastructure as well as the Clan military.

In a foreshadowing of the situation between the Adders, Burrocks and Blood Spirits in 3059, the Adders supported movies calling for the Absorption of Clan Mongoose, and were outraged when the right of Absorption went to Clan Smoke Jaguar. As the Blood Spirits would do centuries hence, the Adders launched pre-emptive assaults to regain lost territory. Adder successes sparked enmity with the Jaguars, who regarded the lost assets as theirs.

The Adders sought to strengthen their position by entering into a pact with Clan Burrock. Lick the Nova Cats and Diamond Sharks, they took part in futures speculation during the Golden Century, underwriting and supporting Burrock exploration in exchange for a share of the profits (which proved extremely lucrative).

When the Clans split into Warden and Crusader camps over the question of invading the Inner Sphere, the Adders stood solidly in the Crusader camp. Their belief in cooperation with the other Clans made them stand out from the other Crusaders, but vast numbers of them favored a swift return to the Inner Sphere. However, they held themselves aloof from the petty squabbles of the two competing philosophies, preferring to focus on preparing for the invasion. Their decision to bid conservatively in the invasion Trials stemmed from their recognition that the fighting would be bloody; eventually, they reasoned, the Invading Clans would need to call for additional support, and the Adders would get their chance. In the meantime, they set about making themselves the dominant Clan Space Power.

In 3058, the Adders discovered that their erstwhile allies in Clan Burrock had maintained links with the Dark Caste. They brought the matter before the Grand Council, calling for the Burrocks' Absorption. As the Clan responsible for bringing the matter to the Council's attention, they were granted the right to carry out the task. Dismayed at their own leaders' perfidy, many Burrock units came over to the Star Adders after only token engagement-including many that did not fight alongside the Adders when Clan Blood Spirit attempted to intervene in the Absorption battles. Though the Trial of Absorption cost the Adders dearly, they suffered far fewer losses than the Blood Spirits, and the Burrock isorla allowed the Adders to rebuild quickly.

In the Great Refusal on Strana Mechty, the Adders were one of only two Clans to defeat their Inner Sphere opponents, further enhancing the Clan’s prestige. However, the need to consolidate their Burrock holdings limited their gains in the Trails of Possession that followed.

Beginnings

Clan Star Adder was founded by General Absalom Truscott, a longtime friend of Nicholas Kerensky. Truscott was one of Kerensky's first choices to be a Clan Khan. His exemplary record prior to the Second Exodus and command of the 146th Royal BattleMech Division (formerly commanded by Nicholas Kerensky) were ample reason for his elevation to the rank of Khan. Khan Truscott selected a former noncom, Devon Lefabre, to act as saKhan. Together, the pair began to build into the new Clan Star Adder a sense of military tradition and esprit de corps. Teamwork became the hallmark of the Clan.

In the early 2800's, while Nicholas Kerensky began to plan to retake the Pentagon worlds, Khan Truscott sent a group of JumpShips and WarShips to gather intelligence about the warring worlds. The information they brought back enabled Truscott to plan Operation Klondike. The plan was quickly approved by the Grand Council and all twenty Clans began the necessary preparations. The Star Adders drilled relentlessly for their part. This training ultimately saved the Clan from destruction.

During the assault on Arcadia, the Star Adders found themselves isolated on the Aeschel Plateau. Surrounded by a superior force of Arcadian defenders, the Star Adders ultimately defeated the Arcadian forces. But the cost was high, Khan Absalom Truscott and twenty percent of the Star Adder force were killed in the fighting. SaKhan Lefabre quickly took over as Khan and led the survivors to victory over the remaining Arcadian forces.

After the fighting for Arcadia was over, the Star Adders began the slow process of rebuilding and consolidating their new holdings. The Adders began incorporating former Arcadian troops into their ranks to quickly rebuild their Clusters. Despite occassional flareups of resentment, the Star Adder Khans were determined to maintain a strong sense of Clan unity. This unity and respect for the Clan way made them amongst the first to call for a Trial of Annihilation against the Not-Named Clan. When Nicholas Kerensky was killed during the battle between Wolves and Widowmakers, the Adder Khans again voted for Absorption as an example to show others the folly of defying the Clan way.

Golden Century

As time passed, Khan Lefabre followed through on one of Absalom Truscott's requests: expand into several nearby star systems. The Star Adders quickly colonized worlds in four systems and, in 2837, moved their capital from Arcadia to the planet Sheridan. The slow but constant expanion brought the Clan many enemies, including Clan Mongoose.

Clan Mongoose, long a critic of the Star Adders, launched a number of unprovoked attacks against several Adder holdings. The Adders were able to repel the initial attacks but at great losses. A Clan Mongoose massacre of the Adder colony on the planet Marshall enraged the Adders. The Addder Khans led the Quasar Keshik on a retributive raid, destroyed the Mongoose Cluster to the last man and claimed the Mongoose world of Tokasha for their own.

Things were relatively quiet for the next twenty years. Clan Mongoose, however, still nursed a grudge against the Star Adders. In 2863, they launched a massive new campaign, this time using OmniMechs. The Adders were caught completely by surprise and colony after colony fell to the Mongoose. The Adders weakened situation became worse as Clan Coyote also began raiding the Star Adders. In a matter of months, the Star Adders lost nearly half their holdings but managed to salvage several OmniMechs, from which they developed their own versions.

Three years later, the Star Adders retaliated against Clan Mongoose. The Adder forces now included three full Galaxies of OmniMechs. At very nearly the same time, the Smoke Jaguars brought a dispute against Clan Mongoose to the Grand Council. The Mongoose Khan tried to talk his way out of the situation, but the Clan rejected his arguments. Khan Theodore Osis of Clan Smoke Jaguar then demanded a Trial of Absorption against Clan Mongoose, which the Council granted.

The Smoke Jaguars launched their own offensive just as the Star Adder assault ended. The Jaguars quickly defeated the Mongoose Clusters and Absorbed the Clan. Theodore Osis, however, claimed that the Adders had tainted the Jaguars victory by battling Clan Mongoose before the Jaguars launched their Trial of Absorption. The Grand Council rejected the dubious argument, but the incident started a long simmering feud between the two Clans.

Soon after, Clan Star Adder began to prosper as never before. The Khans negotiated a deal with Clan Burrock that allowed the Adders use of Burrock transports in exchange for resource rights on any world they discovered. The new Adder colonies quickly started producing large quantities of raw materials needed for many aspects of Clan life, including vital ores and gases needed for space travel. As sole owners to those resources, both the Star Adders and Burrocks quickly became extremely wealthy.

Dragoon Compromise

Even as the other Clans debated amongst themselves about returning to the Inner Sphere, the Star Adders soon resolved themselves to the Crusader camp. Many Adder warriors believed that they must first unite all the Clans before invading, but the temptation to return was overwhelming to some.

Adder saKhan Carson Graves tried to convince several high ranking Clan Coyote warriors to bring false charges against their Clan in the Grand Council, with the end result being the Absorption of the Coyotes by the Star Adders. The Coyote Khans learned of the plan, however, and declared a Trial of Annihilation against the Coyote conspirators, completely wiping out their Bloodlines.

The Star Adder senior Khan at that time, Eamon Phousath, challenged Graves to a Trial of Grievance and bested him. He then stripped Graves of his ranks and status, and then sent Graves and his genetic legacy to the Coyotes as surkairede. The Coyotes quickly executed Graves and destroyed his legacy. They also wanted to destroy the entire Graves Bloodheritage, but Phousath refused to let them. This incident led to more open fighting between the Clans.

A few years later, the Crusaders brought up the call for invading the Inner Sphere. Many Clan Khans agreed with the Crusaders, but the skillful compromise negotiated by Wolf Khan Kherlin Ward forestalled the invasion. Ward's suggestion to send a freeborn force into the Inner Sphere under the guise as mercenaries in order to gather intelligence struck a chord with the Adder Khans. They agreed that more information was needed before proceeding. Khan Gerrick N'Buta offered the Wolves materiel and personnel for the operation, but Khan Ward politely refused the offer.

While the newly formed Wolf's Dragoons proceeded with their mission, the Star Adders began running a series of simulations to determine how best to handle the barbarians of the Inner Sphere. The information provided by the Dragoons over the next twenty years helped refined the simulations. The Adder Khans, however, soon became concerned about the force level needed to conquer their lost homeworlds. Years of mock battles had shown that caution was required in any invasion plan the Clans prepared. While the average Inner Sphere mechwarrior was no match for his Clan counterpart, the sheer number of Inner Sphere 'Mech regiments was cause for concern.

In 3048, Smoke Jaguar Khan Leo Showers presented evidence that Inner Sphere was well on the road to recovery and could someday pose a threat to the existence of the Clans, the Adder Khans sided with their longtime enemies in the call for invasion. The Star Adders were eliminated in the early bidding, however. Their many mock battles showed that the Inner Sphere could be a far more formidable foe than expected and the Khan's bidding reflected that. Although disappointed by the loss of their place in the invasion force, the Adder Khans soon launched a series of raids against the Diamond Sharks, ordering more after that Clan's heavy losses at Tukayyid.

Recent Events

In late 3058, Khan N'Buta discovered a conspiracy that linked the bandit caste to the Clan Burrock leadership. For the last century, the Burrocks appeared to have been aiding and equipping the bandit caste. Worse, the senior Burrock Khan was actively hiding all the evidence leading back to her Clan. Khan N'Buta brought this incriminating evidence before the Grand Council and demanded a Trial of Absorption against the Burrocks. Despite a bitter protest from Clan Blood Spirit, the Grand Council granted Khan N'Buta's request.

Khan N'Buta gathered his forces and launched an all-out assault against the Burrocks. Much of the fighting centered on the Burrock homeworld of Albion. The Burrocks committed four Galaxies against three Adder Galaxies. The Burrocks fought well, but their force soon crumbled under the weight of the Adder assault force. Khan N'Buta's plan to eliminate the key conspirators as quickly as possible succeeded. The senior surviving Burrock officer offered to do battle with Khan N'Buta to prevent the Trial of Absorption from turning into a Trial of Annihilation. Before the battle could take place, Clan Blood Spirit launched a massive three Galaxy assault on Albion.

The Star Adders quickly joined forces with the surviving Burrock forces. The combined force battle the Blood Spirit Galaxies for five days before the two surviving Spirit Clusters retreated. Similar battles took place on other disputed worlds. The cost was heavy for all three Clans involved in the fighting. The Burrocks lost four Galaxies, the Star Adders three Galaxies and the Blood Spirit lost all but eight Clusters of the seven Galaxies it had committed to the battle.

Although the Star Adders suffered heavy losses, the Absorption of many Burrock warriors into their ranks has quickly helped to replenish their touman. Khans N'Buta and Paik restructed the touman into four frontline and seven secondline Galaxies to handle their newly expanded holdings. Even so, they are stretched thin. The Adders are also committed to upholding a Burrock agreement to Clan Cloud Cobra to provide a secondline Galaxy to the defense of the planet Tanite. In exchange, the Cobras agreed to give the Adders one-third of Tanite's natural resources output and access to the new heavy laser technology.

The recent defeat of the Smoke Jaguars in the Inner Sphere and on Huntress has cemented the Star Adder's position in the Clan heirarchy. Even the Harvest Wars, instigated by the Wolves and Jade Falcons, have done little to weaken the Clan's strength.

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 Star Adders were tasked with holding a region of swamp from the First Free World Guards. Khan N'Buta lured the Guards into a trap and quickly rolled up the Guards flank. The Guards capitulated within thirty minutes.

Khan N'Buta declared a celebration to be held in honor of the Clan's first victory over the Inner Sphere barbarians. He was certain that soon more Star Adder Clusters would soon be winning more victories once the invasion resumed.

The Clan was stunned when word came that only the Jade Falcons achieved a victory against the SLDF. The SLDF companies had won five of the eight battles. The SLDF had won the Trial of Refusal. The invasion was over.