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Nicholas Kerensky named the original Clans after beasts, entities, or
attributes he felt would inspire his warriors. Each exemplifies some worthy
feature that he wished his warriors to reflect. Wolves, for example, were
admired for their cunning and stealth.
Seventeen Clans remain of the original 20. Two of the missing Clans were
absorbed by other Clans through trials and Grand Council rulings. The third Clan
is spoken of only as the "Not-Named Clan," the reasons for which are
discussed elsewhere. Suffice it to say that
the crime committed was considered so heinous that all mention of the Clan was
purged from the official history of the Clans. Following is a list of the
original 20 Clans and the origin of their names.
Blood Spirit:
This name honors the esprit de corps that held together the 800 Bloodnamed
warriors during the horrors of the Exodus Civil War.
Burrock:
This Clan is named for the burrock, a large invertebrate indigenous to
Eden. The burrock is capable of burrowing through solid rock. It excretes a
powerful, acidic mucous which allows it to move through rock.
Cloud Cobra:
The cloud cobra was introduced to Arcadia and adapted quickly to its new
environment. It evolved to prey on fauna in the planet's misty jungles.
Coyote:
This Strana Mechty carnivore descended from coyotes found on the North
American continent on Terra. This coyote is larger and apparently much more
intelligent than the Terran species, perhaps because of genetic engineering.
Fire Mandrill:
This name is taken from a primate introduced to Eden whose aggressiveness
and fire-red fur were admired by warriors.
 Ghost Bear:
This Clan is named for the arctic bear that inhabits Strana Mechty's
southern hemisphere. It is admired for its strength and cunning.
Goliath Scorpion:
The large Babylon arthropod for which this Clan is named uses lethal poison
to kill its prey. Many of the early settlers lost their lives to this
creature. It is admired for its suicidal defense of its nest.
Hell's Horses:
In an attempt to genetically adapt horses to life in the deserts of Circe,
Clan scientists bred carnivorous horses of uncontrollable aggressiveness. The
prototypes of these horses were intended to be terminated, but a tender-
hearted warrior set them free to live and breed in the deserts. These horses
have a peculiar fascination for Circe's many caves. The Clan has embraced the
aggressiveness and hardy stock of its namesake.
Ice Hellion:
Even though this cunning pack predator of Hector's snowy mountains preyed
on the first Clan explorers, it was admired for its lithe shape and blindingly
white fur.
 Jade Falcon:
The jade falcon is a large bird that was genetically altered from a Terran
peregrine to live in the jungles of Eden. It has a distinctive, shimmering,
emerald-green plumage and an ear-piercing cry.
Mongoose:
One of the absorbed Clans, the Mongoose
was named after the sinuous predator found on the planet Shadow. It stalked
and killed that world's large, dangerous venom worms, which endeared it to the
Clan.
 Nova Cat:
The Dagda feline whose mane stands on end (like a sudden nova) whenever it
is alarmed was the inspiration for this Clan name. Its mane is tipped with
barbs containing a substance poisonous to most creatures. The nova cat is
admired for its alert response to danger.
 Sea Fox:
This Clan takes its name from the seal-like reptilian predator of Strana
Mechty's freshwater oceans. The sea fox appears to honor its prey by bellowing
and then bowing, as though in respect for its kill. This Clan was eventually
renamed Clan Diamond Shark, and adopted the new logo shown at left.
 Smoke Jaguar:
The smoke jaguar is an altered Terran jaguar let loose in the jungles of
Strana Mechty, so named because its fur looks like grayish smoke. Nicholas
Kerensky held up the smoke jaguar as the epitome of unadulterated
aggressiveness, citing as proof the animal's ferocity and its habit of
springing on its prey from above.
Snow Raven:
This Clan name was inspired by the huge ravens inhabiting Strana Mechty's
southern tundra. The warriors honor the creature's unwillingness to waste
anything the tundra offers them, the sign of a true survivor.
Star Adder:
The star adder is a genetically altered adder that was released into the
northern steppes of Strana Mechty to control the disease-carrying crana, a
rodent-sized insect. The snake's shimmering black scales, peppered with white
spots, might be reason enough to call it the star adder. The real source of
its name, however, is its nightly rearing and swaying in response to almost
constant stellar displays resembling the aurora borealis.
 Steel Viper:
This clan name refers to the tenacious Arcadian snake that coils around its
victims in a solid grip, then slowly releases a poison. The word steel refers
both to its unyielding embrace and the rigidity of its victims once they have
been thoroughly poisoned.
 Widowmaker:
The second absorbed Clan was named for
the black widow spiders accidentally released into the jungles of Eden, where
they grew to three times their Terran size. Their aggressiveness and the
strength of their poison increased at the same rate.
 Wolf:
Though nearly twice the size of their progenitors, the Strana Mechty wolf
is otherwise identical to Terran wolves. Wolf packs roam both the northern and
southern continents, and the Kerenskys considered them the epitome of the
warrior spirit.
Wolverine:
Wolverines were introduced to the forests of Strana Mechty, where they
flourished, growing in size and ferocity. They were admired by warriors
because they stood their ground against any intruder, no matter what its size
or strength. The Wolverine Clan is the Not-Named Clan, which was annihilated.
This data file was originally obtained from the BattleTech
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