Clan Wolf-in-Exile

"And the IlKhan gave us his final words, charging us to protect those with whom we found refuge in our time of need. In this, our final duty, we shall not fail."


 * -From The Remembrance (Clan Wolf in Exile) Passage 411, Verse 16, Lines 1-4

Clan Wolf-in-Exile is a splinter faction of the original Clan Wolf, one of the twenty Clans created by Nicholas Kerensky. Born from the destruction of the original Clan Wolf in the Refusal War, the Wolves-in-Exile continued to uphold the Warden traditions of their forebears under the leadership of Khan Phelan Kell by siding with the Inner Sphere. Despite being Abjured by the other Clans and considered bandits by them, the Exiles continue to maintain their claim to the Wolf name and uphold their interpretation of the Clan way of life.

The Refusal War
The groundwork for the survival of Clan Wolf was laid by ilKhan Ulric Kerensky years prior to the Refusal War when he sent portions of various sibkos from the Clan homeworlds to the Inner Sphere. On the eve of the war itself the ilKhan held council with the two Wolf Khans, Khan Natasha Kerensky and saKhan Phelan Ward, where he revealed his plan. In order to ensure the continuity of Clan Wolf, Phelan was ordered to take a majority of the Clan's Warden faction, along with genetic legacies and a third of the Clan's equipment, and find a safe haven in the Inner Sphere. Meanwhile Ulric and Natasha would lead the rest of their forces against Clan Jade Falcon and attempt a twofold victory: first by destroying the one Crusader Clan strong enough and best positioned to continue the Clan invasion, second by destroying those Crusader elements within Clan Wolf itself which sought to break the Truce of Tukayyid. If in the course of the war Clan Wolf was destroyed, Phelan and the survivors were to rebuild the Clan and uphold it's traditions.

Phelan at first objected to this plan, wishing to stand beside Ulric and Natasha, but finally relented. His forces would take part in early battles to give the impression that all of Clan Wolf was taking part in the Trial before making their way to Arc-Royal, homeworld of the Kell Hounds and Phelan's family. On the eve of the Trial, by the authority of his office Ulric commissioned the creation of a new Bloodname, Kell, and in a postdated message bestowed it upon Phelan. Armed with a Bloodname which could not be stripped through Abjuration, saKhan Phelan Kell and the rest of his forces were given a final charge, to stand beside the Inner Sphere and protect it from any further Clan aggression.

Phelan Kell and Delta Galaxy performed the first part of the deception by attacking Jade Falcon forces garrisoning Sudeten on 27 September 3057. After an impressive victory which netted over a hundred Falcon 'Mechs captured and returning to the Wolf fleet, he tried one last time to convince Natasha to include his forces in further combats and was again denied. On 5 October Phelan Kell and the Warden Wolves began their trek towards Arc-Royal, carrying the complete genetic heritage of Clan Wolf aboard Phelan's flagship Werewolf. They followed the same path as Natasha's forces, traveling to Baker 3 before diverting to Graus and then Morges.

On Morges the Wolves regrouped with the Kell Hounds, however hot on their heels were the Jade Falcons. Omicron and Peregrine Galaxies arrived in the system on 5 December hoping to wipe out the last functioning remnants of Clan Wolf. They brought news with them of the death of both Natasha and Ulric, but rather than demoralize the Wolves it only inspired them to honor their memory. On 13 December the Jade Falcons made planet-fall with their entire force and the battle would rage across the snowy planet until 25 December, when the last Jade Falcon unit was destroyed and the Refusal War ended.

Reformation
Although both Clans were nearly destroyed in the Refusal War, in the end the Jade Falcons claimed victory. However in a bold power-grabbing move the Jade Falcon saKhan, Vandervahn Chistu, declared that the conflict had actually been a Trial of Absorption and all surviving Wolf Clan assets were the property of the Jade Falcons. Furthermore saKhan Chistu initiated a Ritual of Abjuration which declared all Wolves who had joined with Phelan Kell to be exiled from Clan society. Before he could finalize these claims in front of the Grand Council, Chistu was challenged by Star Captain Vlad to a Trial of Refusal and killed. As part of the deal struck between the two of them, Khan Elias Crichell agreed to grant Vlad the Ward Bloodright and partially renounced the Absorption, allowing for the creation of Clan Jade Wolf. However the Abjuration of Phelan Kell's Wolves remained in place.

Khan Phelan Kell entered into negotiations with his Inner Sphere family for the right to settle his exiled Wolves on an abandoned continent on Arc-Royal, from where the Clan would begin the difficult task of rebuilding their society. With no ability to manufacture spare parts and a small pool of manpower to draw from, the Wolves-in-Exile faced many difficulties in replacing their Refusal War losses. Some relief came in the form of Refusal War stragglers, including some units in whole, who chose to join Khan Kell in the Inner Sphere. The sheer amount of supplies brought aboard the Full Moon in combination with salvage provided by the Kell Hounds meant that the Exile's front-line forces were able to maintain an all-OmniMech inventory, with certain Inner Sphere designs being used by garrison forces. Although the late Khan Kerensky had sent sibkos in advance to the Inner Sphere, it wouldn't be until early 3060s that the program could start providing replacements and only until the mid-3070s that it could be considered fully viable. In the meantime freeborn warriors would be used to make up any losses due to attrition.

Perhaps the greatest challenge faced by the Exiles was in their relationship with both the Inner Sphere and the Clans. Among the Kell Hounds, the Clan was seen as a valuable ally in protecting the newly-formed Arc-Royal Defense Cordon, however others within the Inner Sphere treated them with suspicion and worse. Furthermore their status as exiles from Clan society meant they would be viewed as traitors by many within the Clans and treated little more than as bandits. For their part many within Clan Wolf-in-Exile saw the prospect of a new life in the Inner Sphere as both exhilarating and troubling. The former emotion was more common among the lower caste members, especially for the chance to live in a society which treated them as true equals, than among the warriors who had been bred to believe in their inherent superiority. Most however agreed it was their duty to fulfill their former Khan's wish to protect the Inner Sphere until it could rebuild the Star League on its own terms.

By the middle of 3058, the Wolves-in-Exile were able to start assisting with the defense of the ARDC. During the first Jade Falcon Incursion Khan Kell gave aid to Victor Steiner-Davion by loaning him Ragnar Magnusson, the former heir apparent of the Free Rasalhague Republic. Using Ragnar's knowledge of Clan customs the leader of the Federated Commonwealth was able to break the stalemate during the Battle of Coventry and allow the Jade Falcons to withdraw with honor. Elsewhere units of the Exile's touman traveled alongside the Kell Hounds on tours of the ARDC and repel other, more minor Jade Falcon attacks. Since every piece of their technology was still irreplaceable at this point the Wolves-in-Exile took the art of bidding to new heights in these engagements in order to preserve their strength.

Annihilation of the Smoke Jaguars
On 3 October 3058 the leaders of the Inner Sphere convened on Tharkad to formally discuss the matter of uniting into a Second Star League to confront the Clan threat. Khan Phelan Kell was among them in an advisory role and helped craft the strategy which would stop the invasion permanently: the complete destruction of one of the most powerful Crusader Clans, Clan Smoke Jaguar. Part of this strategy, codenamed Operation BULLDOG, would involve the reconquest of the Smoke Jaguar's Occupation Zone in territory formerly held by the Draconis Combine.

Adding to the forces which would liberate these worlds were five Clusters from the Wolves-in-Exile, at the time constituting nearly half of the Clan's touman. On 13 May 3059 the 4th Wolf Guards, 1st Wolf Legion and 1st Wolf Strike Grenadiers were stationed on Wolcott with the 2nd Wolf Legion on Pesht and the 2nd Wolf Strike Grenadiers on Tanh Linh. With only the 2nd Grenadiers moving during the First Wave, shifting to garrison Kanowit, it wasn't until the Second Wave that the three Wolcott Clusters were committed in the attack on Labrea and captured the 6th Jaguar Dragoons. The 2nd Grenadiers moved again during the Second Wave to garrison Yamarovka while during the Smoke Jaguar counter-attack the 2nd Legion defended Pesht against Delta Galaxy.

The Third Wave involved the 4th Wolf Guards liberating Schuyler and the 1st Wolf Legion liberating Bangor. It was after this wave that Victor Steiner-Davion, overall commander of the operation, left with a task force to assist the second part of the plan, Operation SERPENT. Khan Phelan Kell was given overall command of those forces which stayed to finish off those Smoke Jaguar forces still in the Inner Sphere. The final Fourth Wave would involve the 4th Wolf Guards, 1st Wolf Legion and 1st Wolf Grenadiers in the liberation of Savinsville, Jeronimo and Albiero respectively. It would not be for some time before word finally reached the Exiled Wolves of the success of Task Force Serpent and the Great Refusal in finally destroying the Smoke Jaguars and bringing about a more permanent peace.

FedCom Civil War
Clan Wolf-in-Exile returned to the task of rebuilding their society in the Inner Sphere after the destruction of Clan Smoke Jaguar. The scientific exchange and trade agreements between the Clan and the Kell Hounds paid off in 3060 with the unveiling of a new OmniMech, the Arctic Fox, which began to be fielded by garrison forces. Towards the end of that year Khan Kell and the 4th Wolf Guards traveled to Utrecht to challenge Clan Ghost Bear in a Trial of Possession for the contents of one of their "ark" ships. Despite the Exiles' status as renegades the Ghost Bears accepted the challenge and granted them safcon to the battlefield. During the Trial Star Colonel Ranna Kerensky led the 4th Wolf Guards to victory against Star Colonel Sarah DelVillar's 3rd Bear Guards, but at a price. While the badly-needed supplies were won, Star Captain Ragnar and his Trinary fell during heavy fighting with the Sarah DelVillar's Command Trinary and the former Rasalhagian prince was taken as a bondsman by the Ghost Bears.

Unfortunately despite all their gains the Wolves-in-Exile were quickly finding themselves caught between a rock and a hard place, with the Jade Falcons on one side of the ARDC and Katherine Steiner-Davion's antagonistic Lyran Alliance on the other. The siege mentality this created combined with the still-prevalent sense of Clan superiority led to fraying tempers and a lack of effective coordination during combined maneuvers. By 3064 only the sense that the Exiles were sure to take part in the coming civil war and so bring about closer relations with the Lyrans served to focus their attention. Instead it was the second Jade Falcon Incursion which spurred the Clan to action. Fighting alongside other Inner Sphere units in repelling the attack, Clan Wolf-in-Exile took part in a number of battles, including the final one on Blair Atholl in February 3065 which helped secure a new ceasefire.

When they returned to Arc-Royal, the Wolves learned from Morgan Kell, Grand Duke of the Lyran Alliance, that they were being called upon to help Peter Steiner-Davion take Tharkad from his mad sister. On 24 August 3066 Wolf-in-Exile WarShips took part in the orbital battle for Tharkad and were instrumental in subduing the Yggdrasil. During the ground campaign the Wolves fought alongside their Lyran allies for every bloody meter and were pivotal in opening the way to Tharkad City before final victory in April 3067. In thanks for their help in securing his throne, Clan Wolf-in Exile were recognized by Peter Steiner-Davion as a sovereign entity and most-favored ally of the Lyran Alliance. Khan Phelan Kell bent the knee and renewed his Clan's vow to come to the Inner Sphere's, and the Lyran Alliance's, defense.

Jihad
Following the Word of Blake attack on the Wolf's Dragoons on Outreach in October 3067, the subsequent orbital and nuclear bombardment of the planet and the forced retreat of the surviving elements of the Dragoons and their allies, Clan Wolf-in-Exile launched a mission to rescue elements of the Dragoons believed to still be alive. The task force launched on the 20th of March 3068, and would defy heavy Word of Blake resistance to successfully recover scores of civilians and more than two dozen Dragoons. Clan Wolf-in-Exile supported the allied coalition assembled by Devlin Stone during the Jihad. This support would cost the Wolves; in one instance faulty intelligence on the Chara system resulted in the Wolf forces tasked with liberating the Word-controlled system in September 3077 being savaged at the hands of the defending Blakists, while three allied WarShips were lost to the system's active SDS network.

Dark Age
As Clan Wolf moved out of their occupation zone, the Exiled Wolves sent several liaison officers to coordinate with the Wolves. They also coordinated efforts between the Wolves and the LCAF. The Wolves' formation of the Wolf Empire took them completely by surprise, however.

In 3143 Clan Wolf-in-Exile was heavily involved in the fighting to stop Clan Jade Falcon. As a result, they were heavily damaged.

Fall of Arc-Royal
On 5 September 3146, the Falcons launched a renewed attack on Arc-Royal, personally led by Malvina Hazen. Arc-Royal's defenses initially held, until the Falcon Khan dispatched a unit of Elementals to attack the Wolf-in-Exile facilities for training sibkos and gestating new warriors. The Falcons killed everyone they found, regardless of age or affiliation. Though the Elemental unit was eventually eliminated, five entire sibkos had been wiped out.

Infuriated, Khan Patrik Fetladral challenged Hazen to single combat three days later. Seeing no reason to honor the challenge from an Abjured Clan warrior, Hazen responded by ordering her command star to focus all fire on the Elemental. Rather than seek revenge, saKhan Miriam Shaw ordered the First Wolf Legion Cluster to buy time for the Clan to evacuate its remaining personnel and assets to Donegal.

After the debacle, Khan Alaric Ward of the new Wolf Empire offered an amnesty to the Exiles, asking them to join the main Wolf Clan again, but very few Exiles accepted the offer.

And, despite their losses, the Clan Wolf-in Exile wasn't finished: in 3148, their forces launched a counterattack against the Falcon's territory, reconquering the planets Upano and Incukalns. For unknown reasons, the Wolves ordered the Commonwealth to garrison the planets, and the clanners departed from both at an unknown destination.

Culture
Clan Wolf-in-Exile maintains many of the same traditions as the original Clan Wolf. This includes a more open and egalitarian version of Clan society, strong inter-caste relations and a lack of rigid formality. Their interaction with the other Clans, and with the reborn Clan Wolf, in particular, are more strained. Although more than willing to observe the formal Clan traditions, including issuing batchalls and taking bondsmen, since they are technically enemies of the Grand Council many of the other Clans regard the Exiles as bandits and treat them as such in any dealings.

In the Dark Age, both halves of the Wolves would show a sign of cooperation together in hopes of reunification, but it would never come to pass. However, when Clan Wolf formed the Wolf Empire, they would attempt some reconciliation by allowing some exiles to "come home" to Clan Wolf as an alternative to destruction. Those who chose to come home were welcomed back while, those who stayed would be shown no honor.

Military
When Clan Wolf-in-Exile first arrived on Arc-Royal it was with Alpha Galaxy and the Omega Provisional Garrison Galaxy. The 13th Wolf Guards had been transferred to Beta Galaxy, so in their place Alpha Galaxy's Golden Keshik had been increased to Cluster size and the 16th Battle Cluster had been transferred to Phelan Kell's control. After the Refusal War the 13th Wolf Guards managed to escape Wotan and regroup with the Exiles. They were joined at the same time by the Warden survivors of the 37th Striker, 352nd Assault and 341st Assault Clusters; all three were later used to rebuild the 37th back to full strength. Finally a few months later what was left of the Bronze Keshik with a few survivors from Gamma Galaxy arrived and were used to bring Alpha Galaxy back to full strength. The Sixth Jaguar Dragoons, captured nearly intact, added significant strength to the Wolf-in-Exile touman.

Khans

 * Phelan Ward (3058 - 3???)
 * Jory Rhyde (3??? - 3124)
 * Patrik Fetladral (3125 - 3146)
 * Miriam Shaw (3146 - present)

saKhans

 * Marco Hall (3058 - 3073)
 * Darryl Kerensky (307? - ????)
 * Patrik Fetladral (3119? - 3125)
 * Miriam Shaw (3125 - 3146)

Loremasters

 * Daphne Vickers

Bloodnames
The issue of Bloodnames is somewhat complicated by the fact that both the Exiles and the "reborn" Wolf Clan contain complete copies of the same genetic legacies and neither has been willing to give up any Bloodnames they won prior to the schism (the exception being Khan Phelan himself, who accepted the Abjuration of his Ward Bloodname to take the one granted him by ilKhan Ulric). Thus there has been a split in the Bloodheritages between the Wardens and Crusaders, although the Exiled Wolves have been willing to only arrange Trials for only those they took into exile. This has meant that the Connors and Leroux Bloodnames have "died out" in Clan Wolf-in-Exile since none of the warriors or sibkos with that name joined Khan Phelan in exile.


 * 1) This signifies a former Clan Widowmaker Bloodname

Inter-Clan Relations
Others clans have shown a bit more leniency: Clan Diamond Shark, Clan Coyote, Clan Ghost Bear, and Clan Goliath Scorpion maintain covert ties with the Wolves-in-Exile. Although, the Coyotes and Goliath Scorpions would cease relations following the Wars of Reaving. Clan Nova Cat also maintained these same ties until their Abjuration, upon which they more openly interacted and traded with their fellow outcasts. Surprisingly, unofficial channels have been maintained between the two Wolf Clans as a potential first step in eventual rapprochement.

Clan Wolf-in-Exile's dealings with their Inner Sphere compatriots has also been strained. Although accepted immediately by the Kell Hounds, others within the Inner Sphere were less willing to forget their former status as conquerors. The Clan's willingness to defend the Inner Sphere against the other Clans, including participation in Operation Bulldog, and its quickness in rebuilding an advanced Clan infrastructure on their adoptive home planet thawed many hearts towards the Exiles. The most trouble has come from Rasalhagian expatriates, especially with the Clan's taking of their prince as a bondsman, although that matter was somewhat settled when Ragnar was taken in turn by the Ghost Bears.

3062
Wolf (in Exile) Demographics

Affiliation: Warden

Population (Clan Space): N/A

Population growth rate: N/A

Self-Sufficiency Index: 31 percent

Leaders:

Khan: Phelan Kell

saKhan: Marco Hall

Loremaster: Daphne Vickers

Scientist-General: Del (Temin)

Merchant Factor: Jarl

Master Technician: Adam

Senior Laborer: Sylvia

Military:

Clusters: 11

WarShips: 6

Possessions:


 * Shared control of Arc-Royal with the Kell Hounds.
 * Lupus Majoris modular space station