Clan Jade Falcon

Clan Jade Falcon is one of the original twenty Clans created by Nicholas Kerensky. It was named for the Jade Falcon, a genetically engineered mix of peregrine and gyrfalcon, which the Clan's founding Khan Elizabeth Hazen was the first to tame. A strictly traditionalist and ardent Crusader Clan, the Jade Falcons long viewed Clan Wolf as their most hated rival for their strength, ideological position, and (most of all) possession of the coveted Kerensky Bloodname. The Jade Falcons participated in the initial invasion of the Inner Sphere and seized many Lyran worlds from the Federated Commonwealth. They were the first Clan to taste defeat at the hands of Inner Sphere forces, losing on Twycross in 3050. Achieving a draw with the ComGuards in the Battle of Tukayyid, they later schemed and plotted to undo the resulting Truce. They were nearly destroyed by their Refusal War with the Wolves in an attempt to do just that, losing many warriors in the fight 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 ComGuards 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 hope of claiming it.

Founding
Among those who joined Aleksandr Kerensky during the initial Exodus from the Inner Sphere were four individuals who would be recognized as founders of Clan Jade Falcon. First and foremost among them was Elizabeth Hazen, a commander in the Royal Black Watch Regiment at the time of the Amaris Civil War who led a resistance movement against Stefan Amaris on Terra. She became a lover to General Aaron DeChavilier and joined Kerensky's command staff for the Exodus. Daniel Mattlov was a fighter pilot of the 11th Royal BattleMech Division and fought against Amaris through to the liberation of Terra, when he was badly injured. His loyalty to General Kerensky caused him to join the Exodus and forsake his title as Duke of Caph. Carl Icaza was a commander in the 17th Jump Infantry Division when his unit was wiped out during a rescue mission to Epsilon Eridani and he was taken prisoner; by some miracle he survived the Usurper's prison camp and joined the Exodus, probably hoping to put this experience behind him. The last was Lisa Buhallin, rumored to have been a member of the Blackhearts special operations group, who served with Hazen in her guerrilla unit and later joined Kerensky's security staff.

During the journey, Major Hazen was among the troops sent in to quell the Prinz Eugen Mutiny. Afterwards, when the Pentagon Worlds were settled and the Star League-in-Exile was set up, the four founders went about trying to build new lives. This was also the time when the Legend of Turkina began to take shape, as Elizabeth Hazen became the first person to tame a jade falcon. It wasn't long before the Pentagon Worlds erupted into civil war though and all four were again compelled to choose the path of Exodus, this time following Nicholas Kerensky to Strana Mechty.

On Strana Mechty the four founders were instrumental not only in shaping their new Clan but the others as well. Elizabeth Hazen became the Clan's senior Khan, endowing the Jade Falcons with her tenacity, and Lisa Buhallin became the Clan's saKhan and Loremaster, using her scholarly background to help Kerensky shape the Clans' laws and traditions. Daniel Mattlov, who had become friends with Hazen during their time together, displayed the same sense of determination when his injuries prevented him from flying anymore by successfully becoming a Jade Falcon 'Mech pilot. And it was Carl Icaza who rose to command of the Jade Falcon Clan's infantry forces, and was responsible for training all Clan infantry units in new formations and tactics, though only the Jade Falcons continue to recognize his contributions in this field.

Operation KLONDIKE
The Jade Falcons landed in the rolling hills of Yakut the breadbasket of Eden and heavily contested during the Pentagon Civil War that started the Second Exodus. The two factions in charge of the area The McDonald Collective and People's Congress were minimal threats to the Falcons and only required a limited series of show of force to cow the populace and the whole operation was over in three days. The Warriors voiced protest at the dishonorable action of rounding up farmers but Khan Hazen counted on the true target, The Sarbat Khanate, as she realized that assaulting their fortresses would be a waste of effort and instead sought to control their food supply and force them to confront her and deal with this threat.

Initially the Khanate forces thought the Clans were representatives of the Levic Ascendancy, rival to the Khanate. Khan Hazen led two Stars of ’Mechs against the company-sized Khanate force. Though well-equipped and disciplined by Eden standards the Sarbat troops stood little chance. After they lost eight ’Mechs to the Clans’ three, the remaining lance fled toward the border. Hazen allowed them to go wanting to instill fear in the Khanate. As they grew more fearful her disciplined troops would have a bigger advantage. More probes came over the next week but were turned back by the Falcons who always deployed a numerically inferior force that inflicting more serious losses on the opposition.

The ilKhan assigned two Horse Stars to bolster the Falcons and that caused the first major confrontation of the campaign. Although the ilKhan ordered it their arrival did not sit well with either Clan. The Falcons took it as an insult as they felt the ilKhan implying their numbers were insufficient or their tactics flawed. To the Horses it was as if they were only good enough to stand as reserves to another force, not lead their own. On 19 July, the Khanate made a probing attack toward the Clan positions and elements of both Falcons and Horses moved to intercept. They raced to engage each trying to interfere with the other’s efforts. It seemed the lighter Horse force had prevailed, but before they could engage, the Falcon's fired their weapons at long range past them. The weapons fire lanced past into the Khanate formation which veered away believing itself under attack by a large Clan force. The Horses, however, thought the Falcon warriors had intended to attack them and immediately turned. Mechs traded physical blows and sporadic weapon fire. In their blood lust, they realized the punishments Nicholas would inflict on them and so exercised restraint.

The Sarbat Khanate forces thought that the Clan force had broken down into warring factions and turned to attack the Falcons. While this would break a lesser force Khan Hazen rallied her forces the Horses were sent away and the Falcons were victorious once more though at greater cost. She did however have words with the commanders claiming she would never work with "amateurs" once more. Ironically the clash with the Horses ultimately played into Khan Hazen's plans and the Sarbat Khanate thought the attackers were having discipline problems rather than they were different Clans. On 24 July the full Khanate forces, a combined arms regiment, drove directly at the two Falcon companies encamped on the coast. The Sarbats were in high spirits but the Falcons laid down a heavy firing line that resulted in major casualties yet their commanders pressed forward as the Falcons gave ground until their reinforcements rose from the deep waters of the bay and crashed into their flank.

On 5 August the Falcons occupied the Khanate capital of Rubat having lost almost a quarter of their Warriors and a third of their mechs. They used the second half of August to refit almost back to their initial strength. They had conducted one of the best campaigns during KLONDIKE and had every reason to believe the ilKhan who intended to join his bloodline to the best performing clan would choose them.

By 24 August, what would be remembered as Founding Day, the Clans launched their joint attack on the Levic Ascendancy in what would be called "The Grand Campaign." The Jade Falcons were part of the initial assault cornering a reconnaissance troop in Yang's Bazaar. A local Ascendancy Martial Foundation commander launched a daring raid to rescue his troops which came perilously close to annihilating the Falcon's leadership. The shock of the precision raid caused the operation to stall as they shook off the complacency of the easy portion of the assault on Eden. They warned the Wolves and Smoke Jaguars which likely saved them a close encounter with commandoes.

The Wolves and Smoke Jaguars were first to launch their assault on Novy Moscva and the Falcons were given the Northeastern front securing a massive Foundry complex as their base of operations after a bloody two day assault under fire from emplaced infantry with man-pack PPCs and heavy weapons. Large swathes of the city came under the control but only aggressive patrolling by the Clans prevented the Ascendancy forces from massing for a counter-attack. The battle continued until the Falcons detected a signal from an abandoned maglev station that was serving as a base for the remaining Levic forces on 11 November. They immediately surrounding the area and an ad-hoc force from all four clans fought long into the night before the Levic Ascendancy forces surrendered, among the prisoners was Major-General Mathieu Tillam, the head of the Ascendancy and one of the men responsible for thwarting Nicholas Kerensky's ambitions to succeed his father.

At the start of 2822 there was only one holdout among the Pentagon Powers, the Brotherhood of Donegal continued to maintain control of the continent of San Biagio safely ensconced in a cache-fortress known as the Black Brian. It was presumed that the four clans assigned to Dagda would undertake a joint operation to capture the fortress but the ilKhan was not convinced they could pull it off and redeployed Clan Wolf and Jade Falcon for the operation. This infuriated the Khans particularly the Goliath Scorpions who took offense that the Jade Falcons were assigned the prestigious lead operation to assault the fortress while they were performing rear-guard missions. Carl Icaza, the Falcon's infantry commander, didn't help matters by denigrating Goliath Scorpion's saKhan Scott likening her as a cadet. The two were former lovers that had parted less than amicably and the ilKhan used this personal animosity to bench the Scorpions who joined the Fire Mandrills in sitting out the final battles of Dagda. Clans Burrock and Widowmaker were assigned secondary objectives securing the surrounding area in March.

The Wolves led the initial assault on the Black Brian but tasked Lisa Buhallin's assault troops to eliminate the exterior defenses which she did in a series of hit and run raids that earned her great praise from the ilKhan and Khan Elizabeth Hazen. She endured career ending injuries however and was appointed as the Falcon's first SaKhan and Loremaster by Khan Hazen as a reward for her service and her records provide the most poignant brief for the Pentagon Wars. With the exterior defense defanged the ilKhan formed his final assault plan OPERATION:FERRET, the Dagda Clans would form a security cordon, the Wolves would breach the doors, and then the Falcons would launch the final assault deep into the fortress itself.

The Operation began on 2 April 2822 with a simultaneous assault on all three gates by the Wolves. By midnight the doors were breached at heavy cost to the Wolves and the Falcons advanced into the fortress interior. Hopes for a quick victory were dashed as Lisa Buhallin described it as "A game of cat and mouse where the mouse has a 200mm Autocannon." All of the Brotherhood's mechs were destroyed within ten days but the last troopers held out for 54 days of hard fought subterranean campaign the longest such operation in the Pentagon Campaign. The Jade Falcons refused aid from the Wolves determined to finish the fight by themselves and by the time Khan Elizabeth Hazen walked out with the final prisoner she was surprised to see all of the other Khans assembled for a Grand Council.

The Culling
When ilKhan Nicholas Kerensky chose to tie himself and his bloodline to Clan Wolf, publicly the Jade Falcons greeted the news with oaths of fealty to the ilKhan and his new command. Privately though they were shocked and appalled by his decision. Many felt the Jade Falcons had fought as well if not better than Clan Wolf and should have deserved the honor. Khans Hazen and Buhallin would eventually settle on the idea that while the Wolves had fought just as well they lacked the same foresight as the Jade Falcons, requiring the Great Founder to take a hand in their development. Among the rank-and-file though the discontent was more treasonous; many questioned that, if Kerensky was not wise enough to pick Clan Jade Falcon as his home, then perhaps his wisdom was lacking elsewhere.

The Jade Falcon Khans did little to combat these rumblings until July 2823, when a group of Jade Falcon warriors made public their misgivings about ilKhan Kerensky's leadership and their willingness for the Clan to forge its own path. Days after this public statement, the ilKhan contacted Hazen and Buhallin to let them know he was planning on visiting Eden to meet with them. Whether this meeting was entirely coincidental or directly in response to the growing unrest within the Jade Falcon ranks was never known. It did however spur the Jade Falcon leadership into action.

In what became know as "The Culling", all those who had questioned the creation of Clan society or the Jade Falcons' role within it were dealt with harshly. The ringleaders were executed and their bodies put on public display. Of the rest, some were subjected to corporal punishment, while others were sent on "exploratory missions" to marginally inhabited worlds of the Kerensky Cluster. By the time the ilKhan had arrived, the Culling was over and all opposition had been repressed. For Clan Jade Falcon, the Culling would forever serve as a symbol of their devotion to the ideals and traditions created by Kerensky, and a stark contrast for when similar discontent lead to the destruction of the Not-Named Clan a year later. It also served as the first unofficial act of Reaving, leading to the destruction of the Jae-Hyouk, Ustone, and Yont Bloodnames.

Golden Century
The beginning of what became known as the Golden Century was a period of progress and setbacks for Clan Jade Falcon. The death of ilKhan Kerensky lead to the Absorption of Clan Widowmaker by Clan Wolf, a prospect which vexed the Jade Falcons. The seizure of all Widowmaker assets by the Wolves would make that Clan more powerful, potentially causing other Clans to pay more heed to their dangerously liberal ideas. In the Grand Council the Jade Falcon Khans argued that the spoils of the Widowmaker Absorption be distributed evenly among all the Clans, but the motion was roundly rejected as going against the teachings of Kerensky. The Jade Falcons' worst fears came to fruition as Clan Wolf's pillaging of Clan Widowmakers made it the most powerful force in the Grand Council and a powerful foil to Clan Jade Falcon and other conservative Clans.

Seeking to grow economically and expand their territory to match Clan Wolf, the Jade Falcons founded new colonies in the Kerensky Cluster and stepped up production of civilian JumpShips to manage the flow of colonists and raw resources. Many of these colonists however balked at the caste-based restrictions placed on them, seeking greater freedoms in order to operate more productively. Such blasphemous ideas did not sit well with the Jade Falcon leadership, and disputes between the warrior caste and civilian castes grew among these new colonies. Events threatened to get out of control when a Jade Falcon colony petitioned the Grand Council for permission to join another Clan - preferably Clan Wolf.

As they had during the Culling, the Jade Falcon Khans acted swiftly, decisively, and harshly. Military units were deployed to all civilian colonies in the Kerensky Cluster to seize control and kill any civilians who openly rebelled. The rest were sent back either to the Pentagon enclaves or those Kerensky colonies which were more developed. The now-abandoned Jade Falcon holdings were sold off to the other Clans, as was a greater part of the civilian JumpShip fleet.

Many Clans foresaw this development as the Jade Falcons hobbling their chances of becoming a great Clan (and indeed the sell-off of the fleet would come back to haunt them during the Inner Sphere invasion). However the Clan's Merchant Caste came to their rescue, becoming an instrumental part in the nascent Clan economic system by providing loans and facilitating commerce between different castes and Clans. The sharp banking practices of the Jade Falcon merchants more than made up for the loss of the colonies and helped to make their Clan an economic powerhouse by the end of the Golden Century. The success of the Jade Falcons had the added benefit of winning back many other Clans to their traditionalist views.

Even as they grew in power the Jade Falcon Clan was continually at odds with Clan Wolf, especially with the acquisition of OmniMechs and Battle Armor. The Jade Falcons were the first to win OmniMech technology from Clan Coyote in 2863, defeating two Stars with just one of theirs and claiming a single Coyote OmniMech to use in reverse-engineering the technology. However the Coyotes immediately passed on information about the attacking Jade Falcon unit to their Wolf allies, who used this information in turn to defeat the Jade Falcons and claim the technology for themselves. The situation was reversed when Clan Wolf unveiled their new Elemental armor. It took the Jade Falcons two years of Trials before they could finally claim the technology for themselves, but when it was over the Wolves passed along information about the victorious unit to the Coyotes and Fire Mandrills, who used this information themselves to defeat the Jade Falcons in turn and win battle armor to their ranks. This continual back-and-forth between the Jade Falcons and Wolves would only compound the feud between the two Clans and keep it going many years.

Crusaders and Wardens
As the Golden Century came to a close, a wave of restlessness was starting to sweep Clan society. The Hidden Hope Doctrine and the various mythologies it created - that the Great Houses were responsible for Kerensky leaving the Inner Sphere, and those who stayed behind were savage barbarians living in a garden of Eden - were starting to affect everyone, from the lowliest laborer to the Khans themselves. Many began to believe it was time to take action and return to the Inner Sphere as conquerors. Such people rose to power in the various caste councils and Clan Councils, and at the forefront of these Crusaders was Clan Jade Falcon. Not only did their traditionalist views compel them to see the Crusader view as in accordance with Kerensky's grand vision, their merchant caste was also saw the Inner Sphere as an untapped resource of limitless wealth. When they tried to have the issue debated in the Grand Council, the traditionally powerful Khans of Clans Wolf and Coyote prevented even its deliberation, becoming the leadership of the Warden political bloc in the process.

At first the Crusaders could do little but grumble, but as the years progressed more and more Clansmen began to shift to their viewpoint. Trials of Grievance were fought over the issue, resulting in a distressingly large number of deaths. This caught the attention of the Grand Council, and when the Jade Falcon Khans successfully introduced a measure to invade in 2980, it could no longer be ignored. The vote was defeated, but it did result in the creation of Intelser, an intelligence agency meant to investigate the Inner Sphere report back on conditions. The picture they provided was hazy and incomplete, but it seemed to indicate that the Inner Sphere had suffered great loss and was ready for the taking. Spurred on by this information, Clans Jade Falcon and Smoke Jaguar became the leaders of the Crusader movement. They sent representatives all across the Pentagon worlds, evangelizing to the local populace and whipping them into a riotous frenzy in favor of an invasion.

Compromise
In 3000, Khan Nadia Winson of Clan Ghost Bear, sensing the Crusaders were gaining the upper hand, put forth another proposal to the Grand Council to invade the Inner Sphere. This was stopped again by Clan Wolf, with Khan Kerlin Ward countering with what became known as the Dragoon Compromise. The Wolf Khan argued that it would be folly to invade given the limited and confusing information the Clans had about the Inner Sphere. To rectify the situation, a group of Clan warriors disguised as mercenaries would travel the breadth and width of the Inner Sphere and return with first-hand information about the Great Houses. Such a plan was too logical for the Crusaders to defeat with arguments, and the Grand Council approved Clan Wolf to implement the measure.

When Wolf's Dragoons were presented before the Grand Council, Jade Falcon Khan Yvonne Hazen was horrified to discover the unit composed of freeborn warriors taken from the Wolves' military police and led by two freebirth brothers. She took it as a sign that the Wolves purposefully meant for the mission to fail and so delay the invasion; she and the Smoke Jaguar Khans also questioned the loyalty of the unit to Clan traditions. Kerlin Ward's argument that it was better to send expendable freebirths instead of the more valuable trueborns fell on deaf ears. In the end the plan was pushed through in the Grand Council over the strong objections of the Jade Falcons and Smoke Jaguars. Khan Hazen intended to challenge Ward to a Trial of Refusal, but she was dissuaded by her ristar adviser Elias Crichell.

The Go-Vote
As Elias Crichell rose through the ranks and his oratory skills won more converts to the Crusader cause, Khan Hazen was increasingly convinced he was better suited to assume leadership of both the Jade Falcons and the Crusader cause, and helped in his rise. Standing in Crichell's way however was saKhan Sejanus Buhallin, who was equally ambitious to take on the position of senior Khan, and their rivalry split the Clan into two camps. However, saKhan Buhallin made the error of placing trust in Wolf's Dragoons, arguing they were necessary for the success of an Inner Sphere invasion. When reports from the Dragoons stopped arriving in 3028, Crichell and his supporters were quick to call the Dragoons traitors and Buhallin both a fool for trusting this Wolf Clan plot and weak for having liberal attitudes towards freebirths. Such accusations weakened saKhan Buhallin's position and attempted to redress these slights through Trials, but Khan Hazen interceded to end the feud and laid the blame for it at her saKhan's feet. Sejanus Buhallin died shortly thereafter - officially due to an accident during training - and his death opened the way for Crichell to assume the position of saKhan.

In spite of the Dragoons' apparent defection the Wardens still had enough support in the Grand Council to stop the invasion. It wasn't for several more decades until success was finally achieved in 3048 thanks to Leo Showers. The Smoke Jaguar Khan shocked the Grand Council by presenting evidenced seized from the Outbound Light. It painted a picture of an Inner Sphere slowly being united under the banner of the Federated Commonwealth and that soon they would learn the location of the Clans. The possibility of a new Star League created without their guidance and a united Inner Sphere invading the Clan homeworlds was too much for the Khans. All but Clan Wolf voted to approve the immediate invasion of the Inner Sphere.

Clan Wolf attempted one final effort to stop the invasion with a Trial of Refusal, but Clan Jade Falcon was among the four Clans which bested them in this last contest (albeit just barely). Basking in the glow of victory, Clans Jade Falcon and Smoke Jaguar convinced the Grand Council to vote in Leo Showers as the new ilKhan and leader of the invasion force. Certain Jade Falcon warriors were not happy with this result though, believing their own Khan Hazen more deserving of such a reward. Their objections were silenced when Yvonne Hazen voluntarily stepped down as senior Khan, paving the way for Elias Crichell to assume the position.

The Falcon soars
Khan Elias Crichell ingratiated himself with ilKhan Showers, becoming a trusted adviser and one of the primary planners for Operation REVIVAL. Crichell and Showers were responsible for creating the outline of the invasion, determining which Clans would participate, and the stipulation that whichever Clan reached Terra first would become the ilClan. Through success in the Trials the Jade Falcon Clan won themselves an "invasion corridor" which traveled through the Federated Commonwealth and celebrations were held for the coming victory. Unfortunately, far less attention had been given to less glamorous matters such as logistics when the invasion fleet left Clan space in June 3049.

The Jade Falcons swept through the Periphery with ease, conquering backwater worlds which were barely populated. The conquest of Von Strang's World, whose leader was directly descended from Stefan Amaris himself, was particularly pleasing to the Jade Falcons. The fight for that world was fiercer than expected though and served as a rude awakening for Crichell, who nevertheless suppressed the particulars in order to maintain the image of easy victory. Likewise they responded with disdain to Clan Wolf's warnings to not take these easy victories for granted and to expect harder competition going forward.

The first wave of the invasion proper was launched on 20 March, 3050, with Clan Jade Falcon striking nine worlds of the Federated Commonwealth. The Falcons achieved great success against the Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth, smashing aside their units and taking their resource-rich worlds. Unfortunately the first wave also exposed one apparent vulnerability in the Jade Falcon war plan: the defenders rarely had the good grace to stop resisting their Clan overlords once the battle concluded. The second wave kicked off in May with the targeting of twelve FedCom worlds. Resistance to this wave was weaker than in the first and the Clan succeeded in capturing their all targeted planet. Jade Falcon leadership however was growing more concerned with what they saw as serious issues in their initial plan. Increasingly larger numbers of units were held back in order to quell uprisings and a new convoy system was set up to start brining badly-needed supplies froward from the homeworld.

The Falcon falters
Clan Jade Falcon launched the third wave of attacks in June, but the problems which had begun cropping up at the start of the invasion had become more pronounced. Their ability to resupply units in the field was severely strained and an outbreak of rebellions on previously conquered worlds required more forces to be held back for garrison duty. Only five worlds were conquered during this wave, an embarrassingly low number especially in comparison to the success Clan Wolf was enjoying. By the end the supply situation had been somewhat resolved and the deployment of Provisional Garrison Clusters helped to tamp down on the revolting populace. However morale within the Clan was low and a sense that momentum was being lost was pervasive.

The start of the fourth wave promised brighter days as the Jade Falcon Clan targeted fifteen worlds. That sense of optimism was dashed in the disastrous Battle of Twycross, when the Inner Sphere scored their first-ever victory against the Clan invaders. Although the Jade Falcons had succeeded in taking all other worlds, the loss at Twycross had destroyed one of their premier combat units, the Jade Falcon Guards, and forced Adler Malthus and all those of the Malthus Bloodname to return to the homeworlds for shame. The embarrassment of the defeat was only further compounded when Clan Wolf surpassed the Jade Falcons in capturing more worlds. IlKhan Showers attempted to slow down the Wolves by holding a meeting aboard the Dire Wolf at Radstadt, but his death at the hands of Tyra Miraborg would have the opposite effect of putting a stop to the entire invasion.

Wings clipped
As the invasion Clans returned to the homeworlds to elect a new ilKhan, the Jade Falcons, Smoke Jaguars and Ghost Bears conspired to blame the Wolf Khan Ulric Kerensky for Leo Showers' death and have him executed; if that failed, their back-up was to vote him in as the new ilKhan. While granting their greatest rival such power seemed a perverse plan, as ilKhan Ulric would be forced to do the bidding of the Crusader-dominated Grand Council, and it would leave his position as senior Wolf Khan open for a more Crusader-minded warrior to assume. Unfortunately their plans were completely undone: the vote to find Ulric guilty failed, and while he was elected to the ilKhanship his position as leader of the Wolves was taken by Natasha Kerensky, late of the traitorous Wolf's Dragoons. In retaliation for their ploy, ilKhan Kerensky activated Clan Steel Viper from their reserve status and assigned them to share the Jade Falcon corridor.

The Jade Falcons knew that their long-standing rivals would serve only to slow down their progress, and their fears were born out when the fifth wave commenced in November 3051. The Steel Vipers fought with the Jade Falcons as much as they did with the Inner Sphere, contesting their every move and proving to be a constant thorn. A paltry four worlds were taken by Clan Jade Falcon, whose leadership was further embarrassed by the actions of the so-called "Clan Snord" operating in their territory. It was only reluctantly that the Jade Falcon Khans agreed to Kerensky's plan to fight a proxy battle against the Com Guards, which would take place on Tukayyid.

Refusal War
In 3057, Ulric Kerensky, ilKhan of the Clans, was accused of genocide against the Clans by negotiating the Truce of Tukayyid because generations of Clan warriors would be denied the chance at warfare against the Inner Sphere. Khan Elias Crichell of the Jade Falcons led the Crusader faction of the Grand Council against the Warden faction of ilKhan Kerensky. If ilKhan Kerensky were to be found guilty, then the Truce of Tukayyid would be revoked and the Jade Falcons would be prepared to renew the invasion with the goal of becoming ilClan. On August 8th, 3057, the Grand Council found Ulric guilty. Ulric declared a Trial of Refusal. He bid the entire Clan Wolf touman against the entirety of Clan Jade Falcon in a ploy to destroy the Crusaders in his own ranks and weaken the forces of one of the strongest Crusader Clans.

Rebuilding and Coventry
After the Falcon's victory over the Wolves during the Refusal War in 3057, they developed a new influx of strength. As a result of the Jade Falcons revitalization they would launch an incursion into the Lyran Alliance to test their strength and show their dominance over the Inner Sphere. This campaign would be known as the Battle of Coventry as the Falcons were making repeated attacks on the world. The aftermath of the Battle of Coventry would convince Victor of the threat that the Clans were and re-establish the Star League. This new Star League would determine the fate of the Clans a few years later.

Great Refusal
After Operation BULLDOG, the Reborn Star League would decide to take the fight to the Clan Homeworlds. There, Victor Steiner-Davion would make an ultimate challenge that the Clans could not refuse: The right to continue the Clan Invasion. If the Clans won, they would resume their drive to Terra completely nullifying the Truce of Tukayyid. Should the forces of the Inner Sphere win, the Invading Clans would honor the terms of the 15 year truce. ilKhan Lincoln Osis would accept this challenge in the form of a Trial of Refusal, thus giving this war the name, of the Great Refusal. Already weakened from constant attacks from both the Draconis Combine and Clan Nova Cat, ilKhan Osis would attempt to force the remain Home Clans to fight the Inner Sphere, but in a surprise twist, Clan Ghost Bear announced their change from Crusader to Warden views. They pointed out that since Operation REVIVAL was a Crusader-driven plot, only the Crusader Clans should fight the Reborn Star League without resorting to the assistance of the rest of the Clans. As Clan Ghost Bear opted out of the Great Refusal, many Warden Clans followed suit, leaving the remaining Crusaders to take up arms against the Inner Sphere.

During the Great Refusal, Clan Jade Falcon would be pitted against Comstar's Invader Galaxy. The defensive positions used by the Jade Falcons insured their success over Comstar, allowing their opponent to enact the right of hegira to end the conflict. Despite their victory in the battle however, the majority of other clans had lost their battle again the Inner Sphere. Thus the Great Refusal would be over, resulting in the Crusader Clan's defeat, the Jaguar's destruction and the truce unscathed for seven years.

Jihad
During the early stages of the Jihad, the Jade Falcons launched another attack on the Lyran Alliance; the first planet to be seized was Graus, captured on the 7th of October 3068. The Jade Falcons followed this up with attacks that conquered Black Earth, Blackjack, Blue Hole and Roadside by late January 3069. The Falcons would continue to take worlds from the Lyrans throughout 3069 and 3070, although Clan Wolf launched an invasion of their own, shadowing the Falcon's advances. The Wolves also snapped up three Falcon worlds during the first two weeks of March 3069: Bessarabia, Biota and Cusset. Despite losing these three worlds to the Wolves, the Falcons pressed on against the Lyrans, capturing Mkuranga and Pasig between the 10th and 14th of June 3069 and Deia on the 15th of August. The Falcons launched an attack on Zanderij in the second week of June 3070, but the campaign wouldn't be a quick occupation; defending LAAF and Clan Wolf-in-Exile forces pushed the Falcons back off Zanderij on the 12th of August. An attack on the heavily fortified world of Great X also didn't go the Falcon's way, turning instead into a grinding quagmire of a campaign.

The Falcon campaign against the Lyrans slowed in 3071; after attacking Morges on the 8th of February, the Falcons found themselves the target of attacks from Clan Hell's Horses, who had been seizing Periphery worlds from Clan Wolf for some months. The Falcons attacked the Horses on Steelton in the second week in April, while also sending a small force to Arc-Royal under a flag of truce. The last ten days of April saw the Falcons invaded themselves, as Clan Ice Hellion launched a two-part invasion of the Falcon Occupation Zone that would tie up the Falcon touman for some months. Intelligence obtained by Star Captain Brian Pryde from a contact within Clan Hell's Horses had indicated in January that ninety percent or more of the Clan Ice Hellion touman had been gathered together at Nouveaux Paris in the Deep Periphery over the course of 3070 in preparation for their invasion.

On the 15th of May 3076 the Jade Falcon Khan, Marthe Pryde, was assassinated on Sudeten by unidentified agents.

Peacetime prior to the HPG Blackout
The Falcons took heavy damage during the Jihad; a total of 24 clusters of troops were lost, with the remaining forces reduced down to half strength, and while the foresight Marthe Pryde displayed in dispersing the various Falcon genetic legacies around the Falcon occupation zone saw them avoid a scourging at the hands of the Word of Blake akin to that of the Wolves, for unknown reasons the sibkos being produced in the early 3080s were smaller than average, leading to a shortage of warriors. This lack of strength prevented the Falcons from taking advantage of the reduced strength of the neighboring Wolves, although some ineffective probes from the Lyran armed forces in 3080 drew a swift response from the Falcons.

The Desant
In March 3134, seeing an opportunity caused by the collapse of the HPG network, the Falcons staged an incursion into the Republic of the Sphere. This expedition force consisted of Turkina Keshik, Delta and Zeta Galaxies. The Expedition was led by the political Jade Falcon radicals known as the "Mongols", following Turkina Keshik's "Mongol Doctrine". The expedition masqueraded their actions under the guise of hunting the Clan splinter group, the Steel Wolves. The invasion focused on Prefecture IX, where they captured a string of worlds in two Prefectures, including the single Lyran Commonwealth world of Chaffee. The Prefecture had been weakened by the uprising and subsequent defection of its own Prefecture military forces, principally the Stormhammers splinter group. The Expedition Galaxies separated, and were able to capture a number of worlds until they reunited at Skye. In what was named the "1st Battle for Skye", the Falcon force utilized its assets, including its WarShip, the Emerald Talon, to cover the Expedition's landings in August. Once on the surface, the Jade Falcons' forces were tricked and out-maneuvered by the desperate Republican forces and its allies led by Prefect Tara Campbell, forcing them to pull-back.

However, after months spent regrouping after this initial setback, Falcon forces resumed their battle for Skye in October. Allied Republican and splinter forces attempted to disrupt Falcon supply chains by liberating various worlds controlled by the Expedition forces. Meanwhile, the Expedition's military leader, "Khan" Malvina Hazen used nuclear weapons to disrupt the electronics within Skye's capital, forcing the defenders out of the city. In orbit, the Jade Falcon's Emerald Talon was badly damaged and forced-off as reinforcements led by the Lyran Commonwealth's WarShip, LAS Yggdrasil arrived. However, in late December, despite their best efforts to regroup for a third strike, Falcon forces were able to overwhelm Skye's defenders and win control of the planet, forcing them to withdraw from the planet entirely.

Jade Falcon Civil War
A year after establishing the Falcon's Reaches, Malvina Hazen led the bulk of the Expedition back to Clan Jade Falcon's Occupation Zone. In September 3135 Hazen requested a Trial of Possession against Khan Jana Pryde for control of the Clan. However, Loremaster Julia Buhallin denied Malvina her trial, and Malvina in turn declared herself Khan and began attempts to claim the Expedition zone for herself. By December, Falcon forces had been fighting around the Occupation Zone, favoring Hazen in her success with Clan Hell's Horses allies. Khan Pryde mustered the entire Jade Falcon Touman at Sudeten to root out Malvina's forces. The Khans met in early April in an officiated Trial of Possession. In a brutal 'Mech battle, Malvina killed Jana and officially gained Khanship of the Falcons. Hazen then ordered the badly damaged Emerald Talon to crash into the planetary capital of Sudeten to eliminate the Clan's political rivals. Shortly after this attack, Hazen participated in a Trial of Possession against her Clan Hell's Horses ally, Manas Amirault. Her victory won control of a Fire Horse Galaxy as well as bolstering support for the Mongol doctrine.

Culture
Throughout its history Clan Jade Falcon believed strongly in upholding the institutions and conventions which defined Clan society. This included a caste-based martial society, with the warriors commanding all in a belief that "might makes right", and the conviction that Trueborns are inherently superior to Freeborns. Few liberties were allowed to civilian Clansmen, and any divergence from the Clan way or attempt to undermine the authority of the warrior caste was ruthlessly put down.

Unlike other Clans which took this philosophy to the extreme though, the Jade Falcons never forgot how important the civilian castes were to maintaining their martial edge. Members of the civilian caste, though treated with little courtesy by the warriors, enjoyed a standard of living above those found in most other Clans. The merchant and scientist castes were well-respected for their efforts at continually supporting the warrior caste. The merchants in particular were responsible for much of the wealth of the Jade Falcon Clan thanks to their domination of the Clan banking system, second only to Clan Diamond Shark; "sharp as the talons of a Falcon banker" quickly became a popular expression among the Clans. Jade Falcon merchants were even allowed to conduct numerous trade missions to the Inner Sphere after the invasion.

Military
The military or touman of Clan Jade Falcon prided itself on following many of the standards and practices as laid down by Nicholas Kerensky. They made full utilization of OmniMechs, OmniFighters, and Elementals in combined-arms formations, favoring no one branch over the other. Jade Falcon warriors were regarded as being aggressive, tenacious, and highly skilled. They believed that how a battle was won was just as important as whether it was won, and so were strict practitioners of zellbrigen. This preference for honorable combat was also used in confrontations between armies, which were viewed as simply a series of individual duels on a larger scale. Here the Jade Falcons favored the nathaculor - the strike of the unswerving sword - by launching direct attacks on the enemy's command, control and communication assets...or if not available, on the largest concentration of enemy troops.

Adherence to zellbrigen was not absolute though. A Jade Falcon warrior would set aside the honorable rules of combat if so ordered by a superior officer, or if the honor of the unit or the Clan was at stake. For example, in the Trial of Possession for control of his genetic legacy, Kael Pershaw was not above using vibrabombs hidden within discarded Elemental missile packs to destroy pursuing Wolf Clan 'Mechs. By the time of the fifth wave of Operation REVIVAL, it had become somewhat more common for Jade Falcon warriors to dispense with zellbrigen when fighting against Inner Sphere forces.

Both Khans had overall command of the Jade Falcon touman, although traditionally the saKhan served as the Clan's warlord and shaped military policy while the senior Khan saw to politics. Day-to-day operations were left up to Galaxy Commanders, each of whom had authority over a given region (whether covering just part of a world or multiple worlds) in which to respond to threats or conduct limited offensive operations as they saw fit. For major combat operations this semi-independent chain of command continued, with the Khans creating the overall strategy and directing the actions of Galaxies and other independent units.

Prior to Operation REVIVAL, training for all Jade Falcon warriors took place at Ironhold, with each sibko overseen by a pair of Falconers and a Falconer Commander in charge of the training facility. In their final Trial of Position, each warrior was forced to first defeat an opponent in unaugmented combat before they were allowed into their 'Mech, fighter or battle suit. After passing this final test, trueborn warriors were then sent to one of each Galaxy's Eyrie Clusters, where they learned how to work as a unit. Such Clusters rarely left Ironhold until Operation REVIVAL, when they were deployed to the Inner Sphere and saw combat firsthand. For freeborn warriors who passed their Trial of Position, they were instead sent to a garrison Cluster, or second-line Cluster if they were lucky.

Khans

 * Elizabeth Hazen, 2807 - ????
 * Lisa Buhallin, 28?? - 28??
 * Natalie Buhallin, 28?? - 28??
 * Ackerley Hazen, 29?? - ????
 * Yvonne Hazen, ???? - 3048
 * Elias Crichell, 3048 - 3057 ,
 * Marthe Pryde, 3057 - 3076
 * Samantha Clees, 3076 - n/a
 * Ruel Chistu, ????-3129.
 * Jana Pryde 3129-3136.
 * Malvina Hazen 3136-????

saKhans

 * Lisa Buhallin, 282? - ????
 * Sejanus Buhallin, 30?? - 30??
 * Elias Crichell, 30?? - 30??
 * Timur Malthus, 30?? - 305?
 * Vandervahn Chistu 305? - 3057 ,
 * Marthe Pryde, 3057
 * Samantha Clees, 3057 - 307?
 * Uvin Buhallin, 307? - 308?
 * Diane Anu, 308? - n/a
 * Beckett Malthus 3136 - 3145
 * Ryan Pryde 3145 - Present.

Bloodnames

 * This signifies a Bloodname with a Bloodcount of five or less active Bloodrights

Inter-Clan Relations
The traditionalist attitude of Clan Jade Falcon has given them no true allies among this Clan, save for the liked-minded Crusader Clans. Clan Diamond Shark was considered a staunch ally to the Jade Falcons as a part of Khan Ian Hawker's plan to appease Falcon Khan Elias Crichell during Operation REVIVAL, but the Falcons saw the Sharks as nuisances rather than partners. In turn, following the death of Khan Hawker the Diamond Sharks broke off friendly ties with the Clan. Clan Snow Raven was once such a traditional ally, until the Falcons refused to allow a Bloodnamed Snow Raven warrior return for Snow Raven affairs after his capture during the Harvest Trials. This lead to the two Clans having soured relationships between each other. Clan Smoke Jaguar was a notable ally of the Jade Falcons, given their hatred for Clan Wolf and their Crusader views. Both Falcon Khan Elias and Jaguar Khan Leo would plot together to bring down Ulric Kerensky and his Wolves during the invasion. However, things would change between the Falcons and Jaguars after the latter's actions and behavior made them contemptible to work with. As such, when the Smoke Jaguars were destroyed by the Reborn Star League, the Falcons did not mourn their passing.

When it comes to enemies, only two clans have been singled out as being the Jade Falcon's most hated rivals. Clan Steel Viper would become a well-known enemy of the Jade Falcons. Ever since the death of Viper Khan Sanra Mercer, the Steel Vipers have done everything possible to make the Jade Falcon's life miserable. However their rivalry would backfire on them as the Falcons pushed the Vipers out of the Inner Sphere forever. While the Steel Vipers would extract revenge by abjuring their rivals out of Clan Space, the Jade Falcons would get the last laugh as the Vipers were annihilated a decade later. The most noteworthy enemy of the Jade Falcons is Clan Wolf. Throughout their history, Clan Jade Falcon has harbored a grudge for this clan due to both Nicholas Kerensky joining the Wolves and their Warden leadership. The Jade Falcons would finally succeed in dividing the once-mighty Clan into two factions. While the Falcons hold respect for the Crusader half of the Wolves as potential allies, they view the exiled Warden Wolves with the same hatred and contempt as the original Clan Wolf.

Having been abjured by the Home Clans Post-Reavings, the remaining Spheroid Clans are now the Jade Falcon Clan's only allies in the Inner Sphere following the formation of the Council of Six.

3062
Jade Falcon Demographics

Affiliation: Crusader

Capital: Ironhold

Population (Clan Space): 116,264,000 (3060)

Population growth rate: 2.6 percent (72/46)

Self-Sufficiency Index: 93 percent

Leaders:

Khan: Marthe Pryde

saKhan: Samantha Clees

Loremaster: Kael Pershaw

Scientist-General: Etienne (Balzac)

Merchant Factor: Moriz

Master Technician: Sanders

Senior Laborer: Tae

Military:

Clusters: 47

WarShips: 23

Clan Space Worlds:

Barcella (15 percent)

Dagda (9 percent)

Eden (34 percent)

Gatekeeper (100 percent)

Glory (45 percent)

Huntress (42 percent)

Ironhold (100 percent)

Marshall (6 percent)

Tokasha (64 percent)

Total Worlds:

62 (9 Clan Space, 53 Inner Sphere)

Major Defense Industries
Source:
 * Olivetti Weaponry
 * Red Devil Industries
 * Trellshire Heavy Industries

Quotes
""We are Jade Falcon, great among the Clans. We are warriors who fight with the strength of the falcon's claw and ascend to the heavens on the wings of the same. We remember with the clarity of falcon-sight the words of Kerensky. Through the smoke of time he speaks to us, his chosen, and urges us onward with the promise of Eden. We will retake what is ours by right, that shining jewel Terra. Not the vastness of space nor the Wolf’s obstinate howl will stay us from our righteous goal. We are Crusaders and will trample all who stand in our way!""

"Praised be the Founders of Clan Jade Falcon! Daniel Mattlov, From him came the fire of the first Falcons. Carl Icaza, From him came the stubbornness and strength, Lisa Buhallin, From her came the will to remember But all hail mighty Elizabeth Hazen and Turkina As first among equals, For she was the first Khan And Turkina her winged soul. From them came our spirit and destiny."

- From the Jade Falcon Invocation