Touring the Stars with Bertram Habeas
We began on Terra, millions of years ago. Today, mankind stretches throughout the
thousand light-years distant. Yet who are we, really? What have we become in our
relentless push outward and onward? I’m Bertram Habeas, and tonight we’ll
find the answers to these and many other fascinating questions together, as we tour the
stars!
Volume XIV: Honor and Tradition – The Ways of the Falcon
From the Falcons’ Clan Council Chamber, a great 17-story dome on Sudeten, the
warrior caste rules more than 40 worlds with the near-absolute authority of martial
law. The Clan Council represents a system of legislation and jurisprudence that
extends back to the days of Nicholas Kerensky himself, almost unchanged since the
start of Golden Century.
Since conquering these worlds eight decades ago, the Jade Falcons have focused their
energies on remaking these various worlds, with their various native governments, in
their own image. Today, though the region is still called an occupation zone, there are
few inhabitants who recall a time when the Falcon’s flag did not fly overhead,
when the currency was not the C-Bill or the kroner, when they did not live in the
rigidly structured caste society of the Clans. Many of them, with the mercantile
heritage of the Lyran Commonwealth behind them, became merchants themselves in
the new order, as have their progeny. Others became laborers, and still others had the
mental gifts to become scientists or technicians. Their descendants have continued to
serve the Clan ever since, born into a society their forebears had thrust upon them,
forbidden to learn of their past except through Clan-approved media sources.
A privileged and gifted few, however, became warriors, and today a significant
portion of the Jade Falcon’s martial strength now includes the freeborn heritage of
these captured peoples. But even today, thanks to the strict beliefs of the Jade Falcon
Clan, virtually no native-born warrior exists who can claim a Bloodname, or a vote in
the Clan Council.
Nowhere but in their hallowed eugenics program are the Clans so opposed to change,
and there is no Clan in which such opposition is so strident than the Jade Falcons.
Though exceptions to the rule have emerged from time to time – such as the case of
the freeborn warrior, Diana Pryde – such exceptions were flukes, and caused
tremendous uproar within the Clan in order to allow them even once. Like a cancer,
this bone of contention has waxed and waned within Clan Jade Falcon. At times this
matter has lain completely dormant, with such events rarely occurring, and barely
tolerated, but with each infrequent instance when a freebirth is allowed to participate
in a Trial of Bloodright (even if the warrior fails in the bid) the uproar once again
rocks the foundation of Falcon traditions. In one such case, in fact, such uproar even
led to the downfall of a Khan. How long can the Falcons ignore this issue and survive
more such traumas, one must wonder? Or will they face it, sooner or later, and cut it
forever from their flesh?
--Dr. Lorenzo Torres, PhD., Professor of History, University of Thorin
The freeborn/trueborn issue thus takes on whole new meaning for Clan Jade Falcon
than it does for other, more flexible Clans. Effectively speaking, the chances for any
freeborn ever to become part of the eugenics program or earn a Bloodname (and with
it, the right to vote) is related to how much “trueborn blood� flows through his
or her veins, and even then, he or she had better be a truly exceptional warrior to boot.
With none of that going for the average native descendant of the Jade Falcon OZ, the
chances of a “home grown� Bloodname holder drops so low it doesn’t even
register mathematically.
The traditionalism of Clan Jade Falcon is almost legendary, extending from the six
Trials of combat to the other rites and traditions that take on almost religious
overtones in this Clan. The rite of surkai, for instance, offers a ritualized method to
atone for one’s errors. As the successful conclusion of a Trial provides a final
resolution to any conflict by Clan law, so does willingly practicing surkai, which may
involve any manner of self-punishment from fasting to self-mutilation, depending upon
the severity of the crime. In rare instances, the offer of surkai may be refused by the
wronged party, a decision that may then result in a Trial of Grievance. But for the
Jade Falcons, their strong sense of personal honor and the sacredness of this rite has
ensured that most who invoke it do so with the utmost respect and sincerity.
The rituals of Adoption and Abjuration are two other important rites acknowledged by
all Clans, but practiced most piously by Jade Falcon. Essentially two sides of the same
coin, the Adoption is the ceremonial acceptance of a new warrior into the ranks of the
Clan, while the Abjuration rite expels troublesome individuals or groups.
Falcon children, trained from birth to become warriors, often experience the Ritual of
Adoption shortly before their first Trial of Position in the warrior caste, while
bondsmen captured during battle – in those uncommon cases where they are
deemed worthy – undertake a similar rite before regaining their warrior status as
abtakha. In either case, the adoptee must face a test of courage (such as running
toward the blade of an outstretched katana) and one of strength (such as personal
combat with a challenger symbolically opposing the adoption) to complete the
ceremony and symbolize the individual’s acceptance into the ranks of the warrior
caste. A formal Trial of Position then ratifies the ceremony, providing physical proof
of the candidate’s martial skills.
The Ritual of Abjuration allows the Clan to peacefully eliminate disruptive or shameful
elements from within the Clan without wasteful combat, and is generally invoked by
the civilian castes. Essentially similar to a court trial, the offender or offenders are
sentenced to exile, and are expected to depart within a specified time, leaving all Clan
equipment behind. Offenders who remain past the exile date may then be killed as an
invader to the Clan. The abjured may appeal with a Trial of Refusal, but would be
doing so on borrowed time, as a loss in such a Trial leaves him or her closer to the
deadline stated in the original ritual.
But today, not all traditions are held as sacred as these rites and rituals. Tempered by
defeat at the hands of the Inner Sphere barbarians they so long sought to conquer, and
by what many within the Clan have viewed as treachery by their fellow Clans, Jade
Falcon reserves the honor of fair combat – zellbrigen – only for their own kind.
For the cultures of the Inner Sphere, whose populations are not driven by the rigid
principles of this warrior society, the concept of Clan battle customs might seem
trivial, but for Jade Falcon, they are a defining truth of the universe. Nicholas
Kerensky believed that war could not be taken out of humanity, and so sought to
control it by transforming it into a ritual – a clearly defined arbiter of success and
progress. To that end, he came up with the Trials and the concept of zellbrigen,
reducing all military affairs to clean one-on-one duels far from civilians or properties
of value.
The Jade Falcons, like all the invading Clans, soon realized that the Inner Sphere
wouldn’t honor such principles, but it took almost two decades before they
resorted to similar tactics en masse. For them, such a move was sickening, another
sign of barbarity they sought to destroy. Council meetings and internal Trials were
fought over how far these “tactical necessitiesâ€� would be allowed to “infectâ
€� the Clan. Even today, the question of “how far must we sink to win?â€� has
become a rallying cry for countless Falcon warriors, who see constant contact with the
Inner Sphere as an ongoing corruption of the Clan soul.
Now, ask yourself this: If you felt the universe around you had forced you to become
something you truly abhor – and you are actually introspective enough to realize
that – how would you react?
--Dr. Lanz Rettig, PhD., Professor of Inner Sphere History, University of Academia,
Kessel
Tradition and honor define the Clans, and for Jade Falcon, they are as all important as
the principles of any religion mankind ever held dear. They combine to form a Clan
that is both strong and proud, and provide a sense of cultural identity that goes beyond
the mere “might makes right� philosophy of the Clans. A sense of destiny still
drives these proud people, but what is that destiny? Join us next time as we explore
the hopes and dreams of the Jade Falcon Clan.
Join us for part three of our four-part look at Jade Falcon, to see how this Clan of
honor and tradition contributed to the highlights of the 31st century. Please join us as
we continue our tour of the stars! I’m Bertram Habeas.
thousand light-years distant. Yet who are we, really? What have we become in our
relentless push outward and onward? I’m Bertram Habeas, and tonight we’ll
find the answers to these and many other fascinating questions together, as we tour the
stars!
Volume XIV: Honor and Tradition – The Ways of the Falcon
From the Falcons’ Clan Council Chamber, a great 17-story dome on Sudeten, the
warrior caste rules more than 40 worlds with the near-absolute authority of martial
law. The Clan Council represents a system of legislation and jurisprudence that
extends back to the days of Nicholas Kerensky himself, almost unchanged since the
start of Golden Century.
Since conquering these worlds eight decades ago, the Jade Falcons have focused their
energies on remaking these various worlds, with their various native governments, in
their own image. Today, though the region is still called an occupation zone, there are
few inhabitants who recall a time when the Falcon’s flag did not fly overhead,
when the currency was not the C-Bill or the kroner, when they did not live in the
rigidly structured caste society of the Clans. Many of them, with the mercantile
heritage of the Lyran Commonwealth behind them, became merchants themselves in
the new order, as have their progeny. Others became laborers, and still others had the
mental gifts to become scientists or technicians. Their descendants have continued to
serve the Clan ever since, born into a society their forebears had thrust upon them,
forbidden to learn of their past except through Clan-approved media sources.
A privileged and gifted few, however, became warriors, and today a significant
portion of the Jade Falcon’s martial strength now includes the freeborn heritage of
these captured peoples. But even today, thanks to the strict beliefs of the Jade Falcon
Clan, virtually no native-born warrior exists who can claim a Bloodname, or a vote in
the Clan Council.
Nowhere but in their hallowed eugenics program are the Clans so opposed to change,
and there is no Clan in which such opposition is so strident than the Jade Falcons.
Though exceptions to the rule have emerged from time to time – such as the case of
the freeborn warrior, Diana Pryde – such exceptions were flukes, and caused
tremendous uproar within the Clan in order to allow them even once. Like a cancer,
this bone of contention has waxed and waned within Clan Jade Falcon. At times this
matter has lain completely dormant, with such events rarely occurring, and barely
tolerated, but with each infrequent instance when a freebirth is allowed to participate
in a Trial of Bloodright (even if the warrior fails in the bid) the uproar once again
rocks the foundation of Falcon traditions. In one such case, in fact, such uproar even
led to the downfall of a Khan. How long can the Falcons ignore this issue and survive
more such traumas, one must wonder? Or will they face it, sooner or later, and cut it
forever from their flesh?
--Dr. Lorenzo Torres, PhD., Professor of History, University of Thorin
The freeborn/trueborn issue thus takes on whole new meaning for Clan Jade Falcon
than it does for other, more flexible Clans. Effectively speaking, the chances for any
freeborn ever to become part of the eugenics program or earn a Bloodname (and with
it, the right to vote) is related to how much “trueborn blood� flows through his
or her veins, and even then, he or she had better be a truly exceptional warrior to boot.
With none of that going for the average native descendant of the Jade Falcon OZ, the
chances of a “home grown� Bloodname holder drops so low it doesn’t even
register mathematically.
The traditionalism of Clan Jade Falcon is almost legendary, extending from the six
Trials of combat to the other rites and traditions that take on almost religious
overtones in this Clan. The rite of surkai, for instance, offers a ritualized method to
atone for one’s errors. As the successful conclusion of a Trial provides a final
resolution to any conflict by Clan law, so does willingly practicing surkai, which may
involve any manner of self-punishment from fasting to self-mutilation, depending upon
the severity of the crime. In rare instances, the offer of surkai may be refused by the
wronged party, a decision that may then result in a Trial of Grievance. But for the
Jade Falcons, their strong sense of personal honor and the sacredness of this rite has
ensured that most who invoke it do so with the utmost respect and sincerity.
The rituals of Adoption and Abjuration are two other important rites acknowledged by
all Clans, but practiced most piously by Jade Falcon. Essentially two sides of the same
coin, the Adoption is the ceremonial acceptance of a new warrior into the ranks of the
Clan, while the Abjuration rite expels troublesome individuals or groups.
Falcon children, trained from birth to become warriors, often experience the Ritual of
Adoption shortly before their first Trial of Position in the warrior caste, while
bondsmen captured during battle – in those uncommon cases where they are
deemed worthy – undertake a similar rite before regaining their warrior status as
abtakha. In either case, the adoptee must face a test of courage (such as running
toward the blade of an outstretched katana) and one of strength (such as personal
combat with a challenger symbolically opposing the adoption) to complete the
ceremony and symbolize the individual’s acceptance into the ranks of the warrior
caste. A formal Trial of Position then ratifies the ceremony, providing physical proof
of the candidate’s martial skills.
The Ritual of Abjuration allows the Clan to peacefully eliminate disruptive or shameful
elements from within the Clan without wasteful combat, and is generally invoked by
the civilian castes. Essentially similar to a court trial, the offender or offenders are
sentenced to exile, and are expected to depart within a specified time, leaving all Clan
equipment behind. Offenders who remain past the exile date may then be killed as an
invader to the Clan. The abjured may appeal with a Trial of Refusal, but would be
doing so on borrowed time, as a loss in such a Trial leaves him or her closer to the
deadline stated in the original ritual.
But today, not all traditions are held as sacred as these rites and rituals. Tempered by
defeat at the hands of the Inner Sphere barbarians they so long sought to conquer, and
by what many within the Clan have viewed as treachery by their fellow Clans, Jade
Falcon reserves the honor of fair combat – zellbrigen – only for their own kind.
For the cultures of the Inner Sphere, whose populations are not driven by the rigid
principles of this warrior society, the concept of Clan battle customs might seem
trivial, but for Jade Falcon, they are a defining truth of the universe. Nicholas
Kerensky believed that war could not be taken out of humanity, and so sought to
control it by transforming it into a ritual – a clearly defined arbiter of success and
progress. To that end, he came up with the Trials and the concept of zellbrigen,
reducing all military affairs to clean one-on-one duels far from civilians or properties
of value.
The Jade Falcons, like all the invading Clans, soon realized that the Inner Sphere
wouldn’t honor such principles, but it took almost two decades before they
resorted to similar tactics en masse. For them, such a move was sickening, another
sign of barbarity they sought to destroy. Council meetings and internal Trials were
fought over how far these “tactical necessitiesâ€� would be allowed to “infectâ
€� the Clan. Even today, the question of “how far must we sink to win?â€� has
become a rallying cry for countless Falcon warriors, who see constant contact with the
Inner Sphere as an ongoing corruption of the Clan soul.
Now, ask yourself this: If you felt the universe around you had forced you to become
something you truly abhor – and you are actually introspective enough to realize
that – how would you react?
--Dr. Lanz Rettig, PhD., Professor of Inner Sphere History, University of Academia,
Kessel
Tradition and honor define the Clans, and for Jade Falcon, they are as all important as
the principles of any religion mankind ever held dear. They combine to form a Clan
that is both strong and proud, and provide a sense of cultural identity that goes beyond
the mere “might makes right� philosophy of the Clans. A sense of destiny still
drives these proud people, but what is that destiny? Join us next time as we explore
the hopes and dreams of the Jade Falcon Clan.
Join us for part three of our four-part look at Jade Falcon, to see how this Clan of
honor and tradition contributed to the highlights of the 31st century. Please join us as
we continue our tour of the stars! I’m Bertram Habeas.