WOR Preview?

Huh. Found this floating around on a flash drive. Might be something, might just be discarded notes from some stupid project…

There is no set defining moment of the disastrous wave that engulfed the Clan Homeworlds. Recounting the waterfall of bloodshed and catastrophe is what this report is, in crucifying detail. Since many of the key pivot points in the Clans’ recent history revolve around various Grand Council sessions, it is as good a spot to begin as any.

Note that this report has been compiled from hundreds of sources, to best present to the Council of Clans a full view of the events that occurred in the Homeworlds up to the present day. Upon reading, the Khans will note that we have incorporated our own theories, thoughts, conjecture, and intellectual guesswork into the events as recorded, a benefit of our hindsight. In the gaps where little information was known, we have filled in what we could based on the historical record available to us. It is very possible we have missed some connections or overlooked other bits of evidence; in these cases, as always, the crucible of future history will cast our fate.

What you will read in here will shock and disgust you; it is amply evident the Homeworlds of our birth have grown tainted and twisted, well beyond the Founder’s Vision. While it is not my place to say what the will of the khans should be, I— and many of my counterparts—agree that from this first Grand Council forward, our former brethren and their fates should be sealed for all time. Maybe generations down the path we could debate reopening such a horrific box, but for now, it is best for those of us that remain that our past remains behind us.

It is indeed grand foresight that the Wolves saw these dark days coming, and acted to save our Founder’s line from the corruption. It is a hope that has saved the essence of the Clans, and one that we six will continue to hold on high.

—Clan Diamond Shark Loremaster Semi Kalasa, 30 November 3084

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It is quite possible Khan Montose’s own genius set up the Hellions for their eventual fall. Strategic failures aside, the overly complicated “shell games” she put the Clan’s touman through between 3068 and 3070 were so convoluted not even the Clan’s own Watch could keep abreast of which Clusters were situated where. It was not uncommon for a Hellion Flurry to arrive at their assigned post, get settled, and then within days—or, in a few cases, hours—be handed new orders for redeployment.

On paper, the strategy seemed somewhat sound; constant movement meant that the other Clans could barely keep up with the unit postings. Many times, a challenging Clan would arrive to declare a Trial of Possession, expecting based on their own recent intelligence to find certain units in place—and find a completely different Cluster ready to defend against them. In one case, the Star Adders arrived on Hector and challenged for a Trinary’s worth of Ice Ferrets, expecting to face the Seventy-eighth Hellion Lancers. Instead, the Trial was defended by the Fifty-third Striker Irregulars, which had arrived the day before; at the end of the Trial the next day, the victorious Cavaliers were already loading for departure as the Khan’s orders moved them elsewhere.

Such a pace cannot be maintained indefinitely, yet the Hellions kept it up for just under three years. Fatigue and common illnesses, usually rare cases among Clan warriors, became common ailments during the last several months. It is entirely possible that by the time the Hellions arrived at their launch points along the Falcon border, they were already operating at higher stress levels than normal, which may have contributed to the Clan’s later cascade of failures.

Montose’s plan was not without its successes, dubious as they might seem. The Clan’s constant whirlwind of activity in the Homeworlds was of enough intensity it kept many of the other Clans off-balance, allowing the Hellions to amass more than enough material and resources for its journey to and assault on the Jade Falcon OZ. It was not until the early 3070s that a few Clans began to notice the absence of particular Hellion Galaxies and move to take advantage of the situation. If Montose had not been madly swirling her forces around the Pentagon and Kerensky Clusters, who knows just how long the Hellion’s Fury assault may have actually lasted. Certainly, it would have petered out quicker than it ended up.

There are many ‘what-ifs’ that arise after examining Khan Montose’s actions during the period between 3068 and 3072. They are worth consideration by future Clan leaders, if only to better avoid the fate that befell Clan Ice Hellion.

—Clan Goliath Scorpion Scientist Adjudicator Harold; Historical 3070 Summations, 05073085