Difference between revisions of "Clan Goliath Scorpion"

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{{Update Needed|[[Historical: Operation Klondike]], [[Era Digest: Golden Century]], [[Wars of Reaving]]}}
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{{Update Needed|[[Era Digest: Golden Century]]|[[The Wars of Reaving]]}}
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| crest = [[Image:Clan Goliath Scorpion.jpg|Clan Goliath Scorpion Logo]]
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| crest = [[Image:Clan Goliath Scorpion.jpg|200px|center|Clan Goliath Scorpion Logo]]
 
| factionname = Clan Goliath Scorpion
 
| factionname = Clan Goliath Scorpion
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| timeperiod = [[2807]] – Present
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| timeperiod = [[2807]] – [[3078]]
 
| classification = [[Clan]]
 
| classification = [[Clan]]
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| systems = 2?
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| systems = 2{{cn}}
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| capital = [[Roche]]?
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| capital = [[Roche]] (formerly)
 
| rulertitle = [[Khan]]
 
| rulertitle = [[Khan]]
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| military = [[Clan Goliath Scorpion Touman]]
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| military = [[Clan Goliath Scorpion Touman|Clan Goliath Scorpion ''touman'']]
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| secretservice = [[Clan Watch#Clan Goliath Scorplon|Clan Goliath Scorpion Watch]]
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| secretservice = [[Clan Watch#Clan Goliath Scorpion|Clan Goliath Scorpion Watch]]
 
}}
 
}}
  
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'''Clan Goliath Scorpion''' was one of the original twenty [[Clans]] founded by [[Nicholas Kerensky]], named after the [[Goliath Scorpion (species)|Goliath Scorpions]] found on [[Babylon]].  Staunch [[Warden Clans|Wardens]], the Goliath Scorpions value precision over brute force, while believing strongly in visions and quests. They take ''Necrosia'', a drug based on the venom of the goliath scorpion, to aid in these visions. This Clan believes in looking to the past in order to rebuild the [[Star League]], piece by piece, though their obsession with this goal has blinded them on occasion. The Goliath Scorpions famously provided [[Clan Wolf]] the deep-sea diving [[Exoskeleton]]s which would serve as the progenitors for modern [[Battle Armor]].
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'''Clan Goliath Scorpion''' was one of the original twenty [[Clans]] founded by [[Nicholas Kerensky]], named after the [[Goliath Scorpion (species)|Goliath Scorpions]] found on [[Babylon]].  Staunch [[Warden Clans|Wardens]], the Goliath Scorpions value precision over brute force, while believing strongly in visions and quests. They take [[necrosia]], a drug based on the venom of the goliath scorpion, to aid in these visions. This Clan believed in looking to the past in order to rebuild the [[Star League]], piece by piece, though their obsession with this goal blinded them to outside events on occasion. They were known for their wider acceptance of freeborn troops in their warrior caste.<ref>''Fields Manual Updates'', p. 62: "Goliath Scorpion Touman"</ref> The Goliath Scorpions famously provided [[Clan Wolf]] the deep-sea diving [[Exoskeleton]]s which would serve as the progenitors for modern [[battle armor]].  After the [[Wars of Reaving]] they were Abjured and expelled from Clan Space. They then conquered [[Nueva Castile]] in the [[Deep Periphery]] and renamed it [[Escorpión Imperio]]. With the conquest of the [[Hanseatic League]], it would evolve into the [[Scorpion Empire]] amidst the Dark Age and the ilClan Era.
  
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After the Wars of Reaving they moved out of the Clan Space, and conquered the Periphery state [[Nueva Castile]] and renamed it [[La Escorpion del Imperio]].
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==History==
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{{main|History of Clan Goliath Scorpion}}
  
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==History==
 
 
===Founding===
 
===Founding===
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The Scorpions' first [[Khan]] was [[Cyrus Elam]], a former member of the [[SLDF]] Corps of Engineers, chosen to lead his Clan because of innovative tactics he demonstrated in training on [[Strana Mechty]].  His [[saKhan]] was [[Jenna Scott]], a young infantry commander known for predicting her enemies' movements. Under their Khan's instruction, the fledgling Clan developed flexible combat tactics and fielded combined-arms forces.  They would soon come to embody their totem animal and earn a fearsome reputation for swift and deadly strikes.<ref>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', p. 80 -- "Clan Goliath Scorpion Cluster".</ref><ref>''Field Manual: Warden Clans'', p. 101</ref>
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The Scorpions' first [[Khan]] was [[Cyrus Elam]], a former member of the [[SLDF]] Corps of Engineers, chosen to lead his Clan because of innovative tactics he demonstrated in training on [[Strana Mechty]].  His [[saKhan]] was [[Jenna Scott]], a young infantry commander known for predicting her enemies' movements. Under their Khan's instruction, the fledgling Clan developed flexible combat tactics and fielded combined-arms forces.  They would soon come to embody their totem animal and earn a fearsome reputation for swift and deadly strikes.<ref>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', p. 80: "Clan Goliath Scorpion Cluster"</ref><ref>''Field Manual: Warden Clans'', p. 101</ref>
  
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===Operation Klondike===
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The Scorpions were assigned to retake the world of [[Dagda (Clan System)|Dagda]] in [[Operation KLONDIKE]].  The Cluster made the first landing on Dagda, and faced off against the McMillan Collective, the best-equipped and best-led faction on the planet. They then faced The Chosen, a doomsday cult who thought to ride out the war in an upland mining facility-turned-monastery. They also cleared seaborne atolls and faced the Drakkars on the Tenno continent. The Scorpions' heavy losses ruled them out from participating in the final battles of the Dagda campaign.<ref name=HOKp80-86>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', pp. 80–86</ref>
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The Scorpions were assigned to retake the world of [[Dagda]].  The cluster made the first landing on Dagda, and faced off against the McMillan Collective, the best-equipped and best-led faction on the planet. The crux of the fighting was at Firebase Delta, a functional Space Defense System facility. While the Scorpions took the facility, it cost them nearly a quarter of their strength.
 
  
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After crushing some smaller factions on the Riva continent, the Scorpions faced The Chosen, a doomsday cult who thought to ride out the war in an upland mining facility-turned-monastery. After grinding the Chosen's military to pieces, the Scorpions laid a siege against the monastery itself.  When the time came to storm the structure, many of the inhabitants committed suicide rather than be taken by the clans.  
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The Goliath Scorpions would be awarded a portion of Dagda to settle, setting up along the rocky coasts and on the ocean floors to create their first enclave.  Khan Elam utilized his skills as an engineer to construct extensive deep-sea mining facilities on Dagda. Similar resource-gathering efforts were started on [[Roche]] and [[Tokasha]] as territory was ceded to their control.<ref name=FMWC103>''Field Manual: Warden Clans'', p. 103</ref>
  
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Dagda had three remaining seaborne atolls (large manmade habitats built to harvest naval resources). The first two surrendered peacefully to the Clans, but the final atoll ambushed the Scorpion landing party and wiped them out to a woman, Naomi Djerassi, who was taken as a prisoner. Trained in commando tactics, she escaped and waged a campaign of terror against the vicious inhabitants until they surrendered to Scorpion reinforcements who arrived later.
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The Clan would play a role in the [[Trial of Annihilation|Annihilation]] of [[Clan Wolverine]] in [[2823]] and again a decade later in the [[Trial of Absorption|Absorption]] of [[Clan Widowmaker]].  Although [[Clan Wolf]] had been given the right to Absorb the rebel Clan by themselves, both Khan Elam and Loremaster Moreau would take part in the last battle against the Widowmakers on Roche, where the Widowmakers had been pursued to their final stronghold of Porthos.<ref name=FMWC103/>
  
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The Scorpions moved on to the Tenno continent, where they faced the Drakkars.  Khan Elam intimidated the Drakkar into surrendering by threatening to subject their headquarters to orbital bombardment. The Drakkar leader was later adopted into the Scorpions' technician caste.  
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===Golden Century===
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During the [[Golden Century]] the Goliath Scorpions would help revolutionize Clan society with the creation of underwater industrial exoskeletons in [[2842]].  Known as "water elementals" to their laborer-caste operators, these suits allowed the Clan to harvest the mineral wealth buried beneath the planet's watery depths.<ref name=FMWC104>''Field Manual: Warden Clans'', p. 104</ref>
  
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Infantry officer [[Naomi Djerassi]] would claim a single-handed victory for her Clan on Kepler Atoll against vastly overwhelming odds as the Dagda campaign bogged down prior to the Siege of the Black Brian.  
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The Scorpions were just as surprised as everyone else when the Wolves unveiled their [[Elemental (Battle Armor)|Elemental battle armor]] in [[2868]], though they quickly recognized where the technology had originated, and were equally impressed by their performance in battle.  Petitioning the Wolves for a reciprocal trade, the Scorpions acquired the design plans and twenty of the new suits in exchange for breeding rights to the Collesano, Baba and Shaffer Bloodlines.<ref name=FMWC105>''Field Manual: Warden Clans'', p. 105</ref>
  
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The Scorpions' heavy losses ruled them out from participating in the final battles of the Dagda campaign.
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The Clan had much more trouble acquiring the technology behind [[OmniMechs]], however, which [[Clan Coyote]] debuted in [[2854]].  Three separate operations to seize the technology were frustrated as Coyote warriors would invoke ''[[zellbrigen]]'' to reduce the conflicts to a series of duels between warriors.  Though easily winning each full-scale battle, the result would be nullified as the Coyotes' superior machines allowed them to handily defeat the Scorpions in single combat.  It would take years before the Goliath Scorpions finally began fielding their own OmniMechs.<ref name=FMWC104/>
  
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===Rebuilding===
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===Seeker Movement===
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The Goliath Scorpions would be awarded a portion of Dagda to settle, setting up along the rocky coasts and on the ocean floors to create their first enclave.  Khan Elam utilized his skills as an engineer to construct extensive deep-sea mining facilities on Dagda, while the planetary defense base on Satan's Table was rebuilt and served as the Clan's primary home.  Similar resource-gathering efforts were started on [[Roche]] and [[Tokasha]] as territory was ceded to their control.  The Goliath Scorpions became famous for their ability to exploit overlooked or underutilized areas for resources, bringing in a steady supply of materials needed to rebuild following the Pentagon conquests. However, the Clan and its very character would be most influenced by a chance discovery on [[Babylon]].<ref name=FMWC103>''Field Manual: Warden Clans'', p. 103</ref>
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The Golden Century also saw the beginning of many other Goliath Scorpion traditions.  Loremaster [[Ethan Moreau]], having survived the effects of the goliath scorpion venom himself, petitioned Khan Dinour to institute a rite of initiation for young Scorpion warriors.  Each recruit would allow a goliath scorpion to sting them, thereby proving their fortitude.  The fatality rate from this rite, however, quickly became too much for the Clan to bear. In response, the scientist caste devised a drink called [[necrosia]], based upon the scorpion venom which, while safe to ingest in controlled quantities, kept the hallucinogenic side effects and allowed for "prophetic visions."<ref name=FMWC103/>
  
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In the days following the pacification of the Pentagon worlds, a patrol from [[Clan Ice Hellion]] discovered [[General]] [[Ethan Moreau]], sunburned and scared, atop a jagged obsidian rock in the Spiked Heart Desert.  While apparently suffering from the stings of a goliath scorpion, Moreau demanded he be given an audience to [[Nicholas Kerensky]], referring to his old friend as [[ilKhan]].  That someone not of the Clans would refer to Kerensky by this word has been attributed to the visionary power of the goliath scorpion's venom, though the truth of the incident is muddled by Goliath Scorpion mythology.  In any case, the Ice Hellions brought Moreau before Kerensky and the general, through parched lips, begged forgiveness from his friend for rejecting to join him on the [[Second Exodus]].  Kerensky accepted, and began the tradition of [[surkai]] among Clan members seeking forgiveness.<ref name=FMWC102>''Field Manual: Warden Clans'', p. 102</ref>
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The new Loremaster, [[Lan Kirov]], was inspired by Moreau to continue his brand of mysticism and quest for knowledge.  Within the next two decades, Kirov created a special cadre of warriors called Seekers, charged with finding artifacts of the lost Star League scattered throughout the Pentagon and [[Kerensky Cluster]]s and bringing them back to the Clan to serve as a basis for rebuilding the Star League.  The Seekers quickly became a force throughout Clan space, discovering many forgotten caches of and winning many duels for Star League technology and cultural items, which the Clan dutifully collected in order to study and understand the League and its highest ideals.<ref name=FMWC105/>
  
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Citing the likelihood of infirmity from his wounds, the Ice Hellions refused to take in the veteran [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]] and last survivor of the [[Gunslinger Program]].  Khan Elam therefore won the petition to take on Moreau as a trainer, though like others who refused the Second Exodus his genes were denied a place in the Clans' eugenics program.  Moreau also became Goliath Scorpion's first [[Loremaster]], writing down the lessons he learned into their portion of [[The Remembrance]].<ref name=FMWC103/>
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===Dragoon Compromise===
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When the vote to invade the Inner Sphere was brought before the Great Council in [[3000]], it came as a puzzling surprise, though the Clan's leadership quickly rejected the idea.  Siding with their close ally Clan Wolf and the [[Warden]] ideology, they believed the Inner Sphere was meant to be protected, not conquered and dominated.  As an alternative, they backed Wolf Khan [[Kerlin Ward]]'s [[Dragoon Compromise]], sending a force of volunteer [[trueborn]] and [[freeborn]] warriors to scout the Inner Sphere and determine its military readiness.  In an unforeseen move, Scorpion saKhan [[Ren Posavatz]] issued a ''batchall'' to train [[Wolf's Dragoons]] and won the bid unopposed.<ref name=FMWC106>''Field Manual: Warden Clans'', p. 106</ref>
  
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The Clan would take part in the Annihilation of [[Clan Wolverine]] in [[2823]] and again a decade later against [[Clan Widowmaker]].  Loremaster Moreau himself would take part in the last battle against the Widowmakers on Roche, as [[Clan Wolf]] had been given the right to Absorb the rebel Clan and pursued them to their final stronghold of Porthos.  The Scorpions would save the Wolves from a Widowmaker trap, with Khan Elam dying in a mysterious artillery strike that also killed the Widowmakers [[saKhan]], though Clan Wolf was initially outraged at the interference.  Khan [[Jerome Winson]] eventually accepted that Moreau's [[surkairede]] was an honor debt to his entire Clan, and so in thanks to their timely aid granted the Goliath Scorpions much of the Widowmaker enclave on Roche, including their massive military fortress the Spiderholm.<ref name=FMWC103/> A new Khan, [[Shandra Dinour]], would replace Elam as leader of the Goliath Scorpions and play an important role in shaping their future character.
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The elite [[1st Cateran (Clan Goliath Scorpion)|Heartvenom Cluster]], the Clan's special forces unit, trained the Dragoons for two years in unconventional tactics.  Drawing upon the Star League military doctrines and holovids stored within the Scorpion archives, they transformed the unit into an elite fighting force the equal of any front-line [[Cluster]].  Protestations against this methodology as being in opposition to Clan ideals fell on deaf ears, with Wolf Khan [[Kerlin Ward]] giving them his support and permission to depart in [[3004]].<ref name=FMWC106/>
  
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===The Golden Century===
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===Operation REVIVAL===
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During the [[Golden Century]] the Goliath Scorpions would help revolutionize Clan society with the creation of underwater industrial exoskeletons in [[2842]].  Known as "water elementals" to their laborer-caste operators, these suits allowed the Clan to harvest the mineral wealth buried beneath the planet's watery depths, which impressed visiting merchants from Clan Wolf.  In exchange for mineral rights to almost all of Dagda's oceans, Goliath Scorpion granted the Wolves the technology behind their diving suits, and used their new mineral wealth to become the planet's dominate industrial power and expand their colonies on Roche and Tokasha.<ref name=FMWC104>''Field Manual: Warden Clans'', p. 104</ref> The Scorpions were just as surprised as everyone else when the Wolves unveiled their [[Elemental (Battle Armor)|Elemental Battle Armor]] in [[2868]], though they quickly recognized where the technology had originated, and were equally impressed by their performance in battle.  Petitioning the Wolves for a reciprocal trade, the Scorpions acquired the design plans and twenty of the new suits in exchange for breeding rights to the Collesano, Baba and Shaffer Bloodlines.<ref name=FMWC105>''Field Manual: Warden Clans'', p. 105</ref>
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In the Trials to determine who would participate in the invasion, Clan Goliath Scorpion was left out of the initial wave, although they were able to take advantage of the situation.  With so many units away from the Homeworlds on their Crusade, many Seekers began searching through areas previously considered too heavily-defended.<ref name=FMWC107>''Field Manual: Warden Clans'', p. 107</ref>
  
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The Clan had much more trouble acquiring the technology behind [[OmniMechs]], however, which [[Clan Coyote]] debuted in [[2854]].  Three separate operations to seize the technology were frustrated as Coyote warriors would invoke [[zellbrigen]] to reduce the conflict to a set of duels between warriors. Though easily winning each full-scale battle, the result would be nullified as the Coyotes' superior machines allowed them to handily defeat the Scorpions in single combat.  It would take years before the Goliath Scorpions finally began fielding their own OmniMechs, taking them in a raid against [[Clan Fire Mandrill]]'s [[Kindraa Payne (Clan Fire Mandrill)|Payne kindraa]], by which time the other Clans were already fielding large numbers of OmniMechs.<ref name=FMWC104/>  In response to their poor showing, Khan Dinour instituted a series of gladiatorial tournaments based upon the [[Martial Olympiad]]s in what became known as the Circus Honorae, or Circle of Honor.  These tournaments would continue into the modern day as a means of sharpening warriors' dueling skills.<ref name=FMWC104/>
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The years following the [[Truce of Tukayyid]] saw great fluctuation within Clan society. For their part, Goliath Scorpion strengthening their bond with Clan Wolf as, in the wake of the [[Refusal War]] of [[3057]], the Scorpions gladly bid away an entire [[Trinary]] of [[Crusader Clans|Crusader]]-minded warriors to the Wolves. Their part in the [[Harvest Trials]] was rewarded with the gift of an ancient ''[[Mackie]]'' from [[Galaxy Commander]] [[Katya Kerensky (31st c.)|Katya Kerensky]]. The Scorpions stood by as [[Clan Smoke Jaguar]] was destroyed in the [[Great Refusal]], and in the period afterwards that become known as the [[Wars of Possession]] - the Absorption of [[Clan Burrock]], the defection of [[Clan Nova Cat]] and mass relocation of [[Clan Ghost Bear]] - the Scorpions played only a minor role and made few gains.<ref name=FMWC107/>
  
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The Golden Century also saw the beginning of many other Goliath Scorpion traditions.  Loremaster Moreau, having survived the effects of the goliath scorpion venom himself, petitioned Khan Dinour to institute a rite of initiation for young Scorpion warriors.  Each recruit would allow a goliath scorpion to sting them, thereby proving their fortitude.  The fatality rate from this rite, however, quickly became too much for the Clan to bear. In response the scientist caste devised a drink called ''necrosia'' based upon the scorpion venom which, while safe to ingest in controlled quantities, kept the hallucinogenic side affects and allowed for "prophetic visions."<ref name=FMWC103/>  It was in [[2845]] when Moreau, after one of these visions, gathered together the Clan's warriors and charged them to find a cache of Star League relics left behind by Clan Wolverine on [[Marshall]]. Five years of fruitless searching provided no clues, whereupon a patrol by the Ice Hellions found a grotto matching Moreau's description a mere two months later. Khan Dinour issued a [[batchall]] to take the site by force, and within the week drove off the Ice Hellions, revealing a sizable amount of Star League artifacts and weapons. The Ice Hellions however began a series of [[Trial of Possession|Trials of Possession]] for the cache which lasted a year with no clear winner.  This left both Clans vulnerable to elements of Clan Fire Mandrill seeking to take advantage of the situation.  Such was both side's anger at the interlopers, especially when the Fire Mandrills killed Loremaster Moreau after he requested [[hegira]], that they combined their forces to force the Mandrills to withdraw.  Coming to an understanding with each other, the Hellions were allowed to keep the Star League weaponry while the Scorpions took possession of the remaining contents and the caves themselves.<ref name=FMWC104/>
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===Great Refusal and Aftermath===
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Following the [[Great Refusal]] on 23 April 3060, Goliath Scorpion Khan [[Ariel Suvorov]] was both angry and disgusted at the Crusader Clans' failure to defeat the SLDF under Prince [[Victor Steiner-Davion]] on [[Strana Mechty]].<ref>''Forever Faithful'', pp. 56–61</ref> "The Crusaders have doomed us all by underestimating these Inner Spherers," she told her equally outraged senior commanders. Bound by the results of the Great Refusal like the other Clans, the Goliath Scorpions therefore had to "find a path in a universe now forced into peace."
  
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The new Loremaster, [[Lan Kirov]], was inspired by Moreau to continue his brand of mysticism and quest for knowledge.  Within the next two decades, Kirov created a special cadre of warriors called Seekers, charged with finding artifacts of the lost Star League scattered throughout the Pentagon and [[Kerensky Cluster]]s and bringing them back to the Clan in order to rebuild the League anew.  The Seekers quickly became a force throughout Clan space, discovering many forgotten caches of and winning many duels for Star League technology and cultural items, which the Clan dutifully collected in order to study and understand the League and its highest ideals.<ref name=FMWC105/>  However, the Seeker movement ran into trouble when it threatened to split the Clan's warrior caste.  Seekers had begun wearing their own uniforms, the silver and red clothing meant to distinguish them from the rest of the Clan, and expanded the Spiderholm fortress in [[2785]] to incorporate the Temple of the Nine Muses, a storehouse for Star League artifacts and the movement's unofficial headquarters.  When Loremaster Kirov called for the Seekers to begin searching the worlds of the [[Inner Sphere]], events finally came to a head.  With the split threatening to leave the Clan vulnerable to its enemies, saKhan Scott challenged Kirov for leadership of the movement, and in a legendary knife-fight defeated him despite being thirty years the Loremaster's senior. She forced the Seekers to swear an oath to the ideals of Kerensky before their own or be eliminated by their fellow Clansmen, before dying of her own wounds.<ref name=FMWC106>''Field Manual: Warden Clans'', p. 106</ref>
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[[Alpha Galaxy (Escorpión Imperio)]] Commander [[Rik Myers]], one of the Clan's most ambitious and aggressive leaders, viewed the new SLDF enclave on [[Huntress]] as a clear threat to the Clans and urged a preemptive strike against it.  He also wanted to act before the other Clans in reaping the spoils on Huntress, particularly surviving Smoke Jaguar warriors and their genes.  Khan Suvorov was more cautious though. Not wishing to trigger a massive SLDF retaliation in which the Goliath Scorpions would share the Smoke Jaguars' fate, she ordered Myers to come up with a more limited "middle ground" course of action that would demonstrate the Goliath Scorpions' strength to the other Clans without provoking a critical response from the Star League. She insisted that they had time and patience on their side.
  
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===The Great Debate===
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Myers returned to Suvorov with a plan ostensibly to capture [[Abysmal]] and its countless Smoke Jaguar artifacts still there for the taking.<ref>''Forever Faithful'', pp. 81–86</ref> Priority targets were an enlarged spaceport and warehouses built since the Clan invasion to hold Inner Sphere ''[[isorla]]''. Myers also suggested that the Goliath Scorpions might capture relics held by the [[Eridani Light Horse]], a storied SLDF unit that would undoubtedly be sent to defend the continent, and even take some of its MechWarriors as bondsmen, who would become living history among Goliath Scorpions."
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Such was the Clan's self-involvement that the growing split within the greater Clan society over the question of returning to the [[Inner Sphere]] went completely unnoticed.  When the vote to invade the Inner Sphere was brought before the Great Council in [[3000]], it came as a puzzling surprise, though the Clan's leadership quickly rejected the idea. Siding with their close ally Clan Wolf and the [[Warden]] ideology, they believed the Inner Sphere was meant to be protected, not conquered and dominated.  As an alternative, they backed Wolf Khan [[Kerlin Ward]]'s [[Dragoon Compromise]], sending a force of volunteer [[trueborn]] and [[freeborn]] warriors to scout the Inner Sphere and determine its military readiness.  In an unforeseen move, the Scorpion's saKhan [[Ren Posavatz]] issued a batchall to train [[Wolf's Dragoons]] and won the bid unopposed.<ref name=FMWC106/>
 
  
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The elite [[1st Cateran Cluster (Clan Goliath Scorpion)|Heartvenom Cluster]], the Clan's special forces unit, trained the Dragoons for two years in unconventional tactics.  Drawing upon the Star League military doctrines and holovids stored within the Scorpion archives, they transformed the unit into an elite fighting force the equal of any front-line [[Cluster]].  Protestations against this methodology as being in opposition to Clan ideals fell on deaf ears, with Wolf Khan [[Kerlin Ward]] giving them his support and permission to depart in [[3004]].<ref name=FMWC106/> A number of Goliath Scorpion volunteers accompanied the Dragoons on their mission, while [[Star Colonel]] [[Vlad Dinour]], commander of the Heartvenom Cluster, was won by Clan Wolf in a [[Trial of Possession]] and used to mold the [[4th Striker (Clan Wolf)|4th Striker Cluster]] along Scorpion lines, becoming a model assault unit for [[Epsilon Galaxy (Clan Wolf)|Epsilon Galaxy]].  Reports provided by the Dragoons and Scorpions on Inner Sphere tactical doctrine became of vital importance to the Wolves during the invasion.<ref name=FMWC107>''Field Manual: Warden Clans'', p. 107</ref>
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Myers' real aim though was to harvest the remainder of the Smoke Jaguar warrior caste and their Bloodlines. Capturing the Jaguars' heritage would, in his opinion, ensure that the Clan was never fully erased from history. And more secretly, Myers believed that taking possession of these warriors would enable him to challenge Khan Suvorov to a Trial of Position and become Khan.<ref>''Forever Faithful'', p. 165</ref> In order to to obscure the Clan's true interest the [[Abysmal Manufacturing Complex]] at Rakt-Jabada on Abysmal which produced ''[[Warhawk]]'' OmniMechs would be emphasized in the Goliath Scorpion ''[[batchall]]'' but it was only a secondary prize.
  
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When the [[ComStar]] Explorer Corps [[JumpShip]] ''Outbound Light'' accidentally discovered the world of [[Huntress]] in [[3048]], concern about the discovery of their homeworlds spurred the Clans into action.  [[Clan Smoke Jaguar|Smoke Jaguar]] Khan [[Leo Showers]] played upon these fears and rallied the Clans in a hasty Great Council vote to approve [[Operation Revival]]. Though the vote was passed by a wide margin, Goliath Scorpion leadership, in a show of disdain for Showers' brinkmanship, cast their vote with the toss of a coin.<ref name=FMWC107/>
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Even though Suvorov saw through Myers' manipulation she authorized the strike anyway and further ordered that the strike would not take place until after the bulk of the SLDF departed Clan space and returned to the Inner Sphere. Later, she scaled back the scope of Myers' plan, from taking the entire continent to establishing a 200 km circular enclave centered on the ''Warhawk'' factory and its attached spaceport.<ref name=FFp136ff>''Forever Faithful'', pp. 136–138</ref> out of concern that they might attract unwanted attention from other Clans and doubts about Myers' ability to administer such a large territory.
  
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===Operation Revival===
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On August 7, 3060 Myers' strike force jumped into the Huntress system, spearheaded by his flagship, the destroyer CGS ''Sagitta''.<ref name=FFp136ff /> Sir [[Paul Masters]], commanding officer of the [[Knights of the Inner Sphere]] and the remaining SLDF units on Huntress, accepted Myers' ''batchall'' and bid one battalion of combined ComStar and [[Eridani Light Horse]] units. The Goliath Scorpions bested the Star League in the ensuing fight, inflicting heavy losses on the combined ComStar/Eridani Light Horse forces.
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In the Trials to determine who would participate in the invasion, Clan Goliath Scorpion was left out of the initial wave, although they were able to take advantage of the situation.  With so many units away from the homeworlds on their Crusade, many Seekers began searching through areas previously considered too heavily-defended.  SaKhan Posavatz himself was nearly killed on the Smoke Jaguar world of [[Tranquil]] during one such raid, barely escaping from a terrible battle outside the city of Blood River.  He would later win a [[Trial of Possession]] against [[Clan Steel Viper]] in [[3049]] for the right to accompany them into the Inner Sphere, taking with him his retinue and a [[Star]] of 'Mechs.  Rising military tensions between the so-called Home Clans also saw in that same year Khan [[Nikolai Djerassi]] steping down from his post, announcing his intention to reshape the Clan's [[sibko]]s in preparation for conflict not only with the Inner Sphere, but with their fellow Clansmen as well.<ref name=FMWC107/>
 
  
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Posavatz would not return from his quest to discover Star League relics, disappearing during the fighting on [[Tukayyid]] when the Steel Vipers were forced to retreat from Devil's Bath. The sudden loss of leadership in the wake of defeat on Tukayyid was fortunately filled quickly.  Khan [[Ariel Suvorov]] promised to modernize the Clan's aerospace forces and expand their territory within the homeworlds, while saKhan [[Nelson Elam]] counseled a conservative strategy to bolster their defenses against their aggressive Clan brethren.  This mix of ideologies gave the Clan a focus and resiliency missing since the Golden Century.<ref name=FMWC107/>
+
Myers won for the Goliath Scorpions the Abysmal enclave, its ''Warhawk'' factory, spaceport, warehouses and the artifacts they held including all SLDF BattleMechs and vehicles dating back to the original Star League.  It was also the first time a Clan other than Smoke Jaguar had carved out a piece of its own on Huntress since the Jade Falcons ages before. However, some 3,000 former Smoke Jaguars of all castes whom Myers was really after, led by [[Paul Moon]], dramatically fled Huntress on August 24, 3060.<ref>''Forever Faithful'', pp. 165–167</ref> With the aid of Goliath Scorpion Watch, Myers learned that the refugees sought to save their annihilated Clan's essence and to start new lives for themselves on [[Wayside V]], the location of a former Smoke Jaguar resupply depot far down the Exodus Road.<ref>''Forever Faithful'', pp. 234–238</ref>
  
−
===Times of Turmoil===
+
Without Suvorov's authorisation or regard for provisions for the year-long trip, Myers took his elite [[35th Scorpion Cuirassiers (Escorpión Imperio)]] [[Cluster]] from Alpha Galaxy and foolishly pursued the prospective colonists. He and his fleet finally arrived at the Wayside V system on May 25, 3062.  When contacted by Moon, Myers issued his ''batchall'' in which he stated his intent to take the planet and refugees as isorla.<ref>''Forever Faithful'', p. 246</ref> Moon had no choice but to accept Myers' ''batchall'' but was able turn the tables on him. The former Smoke Jaguars, aided by [[Baldur]] and [[Inanna]] of the Nova Cats, decisively defeated Myers on June 2, 3062, in a narrow, steep-walled canyon called the "Straits."<ref>''Forever Faithful'', pp. 248–263</ref>
−
The years following the [[Truce of Tukayyid]] saw great fluctuation within Clan society.  For their part, Goliath Scorpion strengthening their bond with Clan Wolf as, in the wake of the [[Refusal War]] of [[3057]], the Scorpions gladly bid away an entire [[Trinary]] of [[Crusader]]-minded warriors to the Wolves.  Their part in the [[Harvest Trials]] was rewarded with the gift of an ancient ''[[Mackie]]'' from [[Galaxy Commander]] [[Katya Kerensky]]. The Scorpions stood by as [[Clan Smoke Jaguar]] was destroyed in the [[Great Refusal]], and in the period afterwards that become known as the [[Wars of Possession]] - the Absorption of [[Clan Burrock]], the defection of [[Clan Nova Cat]] and mass relocation of [[Clan Ghost Bear]] - the Scorpions played only a minor role and made few gains.<ref name=FMWC107/>
 
  
−
Chief among these was the capture of an enclave on [[Huntress]]' [[Abysmal Continent]], a move which gained them a ''[[Warhawk]]'' factory and several resource complexes, and the capture of Fort Fairchild and [[Tokasha MechWorks Alpha]] on Tokasha. However in a decisive defeat, which saw the loss of a WarShip and nearly a third of their territory on the planet, the fort and the MechWorks facility were both taken from the Scorpions by Clan Hell's Horses on April 13 in [[3065]]. The Scorpions also made efforts to improve their trading with [[Clan Snow Raven]] and reached out to [[Clan Jade Falcon]] for a military alliance.<ref name=FMU62>''Field Manual: Updates'', p. 62</ref><ref>''Field Manual: Updates'', p. 12</ref>
+
In the aftermath, Moon took as spoils all the BattleMechs, weapons, equipment, and vehicles Myers and the captured Goliath Scorpions brought with them to Wayside V and forced Myers and his personnel, including the JumpShip crews, to farm and tend livestock in order to raise enough food for their journey home.<ref>''Forever Faithful'', pp. 268–269</ref> Those who wanted to stay were allowed to, but those who returned had to purge their ships' maps of the location of Wayside V and never reveal its location.
 +
 
 +
Myers and most of the survivors from his Cluster returned to Huntress in March 3064 after doing their duty as prisoners of war on Wayside V, which they had begun calling "Myers' Folly".<ref>''Forever Faithful'', pp. 272–274</ref>  A week after the return, Khan Suvorov dressed down the ragged Myers, angrily reminding him that he risked and lost entire Cluster not for their Clan but for his ego with nothing to show for it in the end and that rarely has a warrior in any Clan ever failed as completely as him and still lived.
 +
 
 +
While Suvorov was considering his fate Myers managed to convince her that he learned from his mistakes and asked for a chance at redemption. Khan Suvorov took pity on Myers and agreed to give him that chance although future events will find him wanting once more.
 +
 
 +
===Absorption of the 71st Light Horse Regiment===
 +
In December 3067 Goliath Scorpions established contact with [[71st Light Horse Regiment]] of the [[Eridani Light Horse]] Brigade stationed in Lootera on [[Huntress]].<ref>''No Dust, No Wear'', p. 211</ref> With rapidly deteriorating situation in the Inner Sphere and dissolution of the [[Second Star League]] these mercenaries have found themselves in increasingly dire straits. [[Clan Diamond Shark]] was no longer able to provide them with provisions and communication with the Inner Sphere, they were running low on supplies and have been slowly picked apart by constant trials with neighbouring Clans.<ref>''No Dust, No Wear'', p. 210</ref>
 +
 
 +
As living relics of the original [[Star League]], the Light Horse had been the source of intense fascination to the Scorpions who wanted to learn about the Inner Sphere, it's people, worlds and history since their SLDF ancestors departed on their [[Operation EXODUS|exodus]].<ref>''Field Manual Updates'', p. 95</ref><ref>''No Dust, No Wear'', p. 212</ref> Khan Suvorov correctly recognized regiment's increasingly desperate situation brought on by isolation and upheaval in the Inner Sphere and authorized her merchants to provide these mercenaries with all needed supplies thus greatly alleviating their situation and helping foster friendly relations between ELH and Goliath Scorpions.<ref>''No Dust, No Wear'', p. 212</ref> Her ultimate goal was to absorb the the entire regiment into the Clan Goliath Scorpion but unlike other Clans on Huntress she intended to do it by offering them home among friends.<ref>''No Dust, No Wear'', p. 225</ref> During this time Suvorov also struck up close friendship with commander of 71st Light Horse Regiment Colonel [[Sandra Barclay]].
 +
 
 +
This progress will soon be jeopardized by problematic Galaxy Commander Rik Myers who went over his Khan's head and issued a challenge to 71st Light Horse Regiment for possession of Star League embassy on [[Strana Mechty]], enclave on Huntress, entire regiment and all their personnel and equipment in the hope of earning enough glory to be able to challenge Ariel Suvorov for the rank of Khan.<ref>''No Dust, No Wear'', p. 224</ref><ref>''No Dust, No Wear'', p. 230</ref>
 +
 
 +
Suvorov could not overturn this challenge but she offered advice to Barclay on how to select strategy and location in order to win and vowed to kill Meyers herself.<ref>''No Dust, No Wear'', p. 225</ref> She would be beaten to the punch by Barclay who would kill Meyers during subsequent trial in Shikari Jungle in late January 3068. Immediately upon Meyers' death his second-in-command would accept ''heigira'' from 71st Light Horse Regiment thus settling the matter.<ref>''No Dust, No Wear'', p. 232</ref>
 +
 
 +
In the following days Suvorov and Barclay came to an agreement on trial of absorption which would be carried out in four stages: non-lethal competitions between infantry and vehicle crews and live fire contests between aerospace and BattleMech pilots limited to direct-fire weapons and without physical attacks or aimed headshots. Trial would take place five months later in July 3068.<ref>''No Dust, No Wear'', p. 235</ref>
 +
 
 +
In February Barclay offered those among her ranks who wished to return to the Inner Sphere to evacuate alongside Star League embassy staff with handful of them accepting, mostly those who hoped to reunite with their dependants on [[Dieron]]. Later that spring they have received bleak news of orbital bombardments and nuclear attacks on Dieron by [[Word of Blake]] further solidifying understanding that they will never be able to go back.<ref>''No Dust, No Wear'', p. 236</ref>
 +
 
 +
During this period Scorpions and mercenaries grew closer and began learning much about each other with Scorpions spending more and more time in streets and shops of Lootera and many of the Light Horse no longer using contractions in their speech.  As both sides were preparing for the trial the 71st started accepting any former Smoke Jaguar who wanted to stay with the unit while Scorpions began pulling vintage and legacy BattleMechs out of storage for use in the trial as a sign of respect.<ref>''No Dust, No Wear'', pp. 236–237</ref>
 +
 
 +
Trial of Absorption took place as scheduled on 10 July 3068 with Scorpions achieving overall victory. In celebratory atmosphere and with great fanfare the 71st Light Horse Regiment of [[Eridani Light Horse]] was accepted into the Clan Goliath Scorpion.<ref>''Wars Of Reaving '', p. 38</ref>
  
 
===Jihad===
 
===Jihad===
−
At some point in [[3068]], Clan Goliath Scorpion took part of the [[71st Light Horse Regiment]] of the [[Eridani Light Horse]] Brigade as bondsmen.<ref>''Blake Ascending'', p. 288</ref><ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: 3070'', p. 128</ref> As living relics of the original [[Star League]], the Light Horse have been the source of intense fascination to the Scorpions. When [[Clan Diamond Shark]] could no longer provide communications and provisions, Khan [[Ariel Suvorov]] authorized the [[Seekers]] to approach the Star League embassy and its ELH garrison. Subsequently, the Scorpion merchant caste was allowed to provide those services to the mercenaries while inculcating them on Goliath Scorpion culture.
 
  
−
When the Jihad plunged the Inner Sphere into chaos and destruction, some of the remaining Star League embassy staff chose to be evacuated by the Diamond Sharks back to the [[Inner Sphere]]. The 71st Light Horse and other staff did not share those sentiments. Colonel [[Sandra Barclay]] used her newfound knowledge of Clan customs to declare a [[Trial of Possession]] for the Scorpions' [[Huntress]] enclave. If they lost, they offered themselves up to be Absorbed by the Clan. The Trial was a hard-fought victory for the Scorpions, whereupon they took the light battalion that remained as [[abtakha]] in what could be described as a celebratory atmosphere.
+
The Scorpions' participation in the struggle against [[Word of Blake]] during [[Jihad]] was limited due to their location at the time but still significant. In late 3059 one of their Seeker parties prevented Blakists from claiming the large cache of biological and nuclear weapons from a long-forgotten [[Rim Worlds Republic]] depot on a moon in the [[Heidelburg]] system at great personal sacrifice.<ref>''Spotlight On: Crimson Seeker Star'', p. 9</ref>   
 +
 
 +
Following the destruction of [[Ruins of Gabriel]] in [[Odessa]] system an unidentified Seeker party managed to land on the planet Odessa III and after scouring several locations around the capital including planet's HPG compound and the estates of the local ruling family they were able to collect the evidence that showed how ComStar and Word of Blake have undermined the planetary government for centuries.<ref>''Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 6'', p. 10</ref>
 +
 
 +
===The Wars of Reaving and Abjuration===
  
−
After going through their [[Trial of Position]]s, a few individuals were dispersed throughout the Scorpion [[Touman]], while the majority along with several Seekers were formed into two new Clusters, the [[1st Eridani Lancers|1st]] and [[2nd Eridani Lancers]]. It should be noted that unlike other Clans' Inner Sphere Abtakha, the Scorpions were apparently impressed enough with the ELH that they allowed the former mercenaries to continue using their surnames. Colonel Sandra Barclay managed to achieve the rank of Star Colonel and took command of the First Eridani Lancers.
+
The Scorpions emerged from the [[Wars of Reaving]] as the second most powerful Clan, having avoided much of the bloodshed and having Absorbed the last remains of [[Clan Ice Hellion]]. They had established forward outposts at [[Waypoint 531]] and resumed the Seekers' operations.
  
−
===Wars of Reaving===
+
In December 3078, the Scorpions defended [[Hector (system)|Hector]] against a [[Clan Cloud Cobra]] assault. During the fighting at the Bright Ledge genetic research station, one salvo from a Scorpion 'Mech blew the main bridge dropping half of the 73rd Cobra Guards into the ravine; the Cobras declared the remaining Scorpions ''[[dezgra]]'' and crushed them. Upon claiming their ''[[isorla]]'', they discovered that the Scorpion scientists, without authorization from the Khans or the Clan Council, had been experimenting with integrating [[Eridani Light Horse]] genes in the Clan legacies. The matter was brought to the [[Grand Council]], and a [[Trial of Abjuration]] was immediately approved. Despite this, the Clans moved slowly to carry it out, and this allowed the Scorpions to evacuate much of their assets to Waypoint 531. The forces left behind fought valiantly, but were ultimately defeated. The survivors gathered at Waypoint 531, then moved on to conquer the Umayyad Caliphate and Nueva Castile, forming the [[Escorpión Imperio]] in 3080. On the twilight of the Dark Age and the dawn of the IlClan Era, after the [[Hanseatic Crusade]], it would merge with the newly conquered Hanseatic League to form the Scorpion Empire
−
{{sectionstub}}
 
  
 
==Culture==
 
==Culture==
−
Clan Goliath Scorpion culture is devoted almost entirely to rebuilding the shattered Star League.  This obsession with searching the past to unlock the future is fulfilled through the use of ''necrosia'' and the Seeker tradition.
+
Clan Goliath Scorpion culture is devoted almost entirely to rebuilding the shattered Star League.  This obsession with searching the past to unlock the future is fulfilled through the use of [[necrosia]] and the Seeker tradition.
  
−
===Necrosia===
+
This Clan has more egalitarian attitudes towards its members than other ones do, stemming in part from the Scorpions' "living heraldry" tradition. Trueborn and bloodnamed warriors maintain their status at the top of the social hierarchy but are not put on the pedestal or viewed as pinnacle of evolution. Freeborn warriors are trained in freeborn sibkos and are routinely accepted into the warrior caste although majority of them serve as garrison troops and pirate hunters.<ref>''The Clans: Warriors of Kerensky'', p 82.</ref><ref>''Fields Manual Updates'', p. 62: "Goliath Scorpion Touman"</ref>
−
The use of goliath scorpion venom first began during the early years of the Golden Century, when candidates wishing to enter the Warrior Caste subjected themselves to a goliath scorpion's sting as proof of their physical and mental toughness. The result of these tests however left the Clan dangerously weak as far too many applicants died from the neurotoxin, while survivors reported intensely psychoactive dream-states, purportedly showing them glimpses of the future.<ref name=FMWC104>''Field Manual: Warden Clans'', p. 104</ref>
 
  
−
Wishing to cut down on the fatality rate while retaining its mystical properties, Goliath Scorpion scientists created ''necrosia'', an indigestible, luminous-green cocktail made from the venom. This complex mix of proteins and enzymes reduces the levels of histamine and alkaloids naturally present in the venom, while the hue is a result of the electrical milking process inadvertently capturing the florescent chemicals contained within the animal's tail. When consumed in controlled quantities necrosia is safe to drink and induces the same type of hallucinogenic visions as the natural venom, though whether these visions are actual glimpses of the future is a matter of disagreement between the Clan's warrior and scientist castes.<ref name=FMWC104/>
+
Relations between warriors and civilians are generally respectful. While civilians are still subject to warrior whims they are treated better than in most of the other Clans.<ref>''MechWarrior's Guide to the Clans'', p. 21. p. 58.</ref>
  
 
===Seekers===
 
===Seekers===
−
The Seeker movement was created by Loremaster Lan Kirov as a means for the Clan to fulfill its self-appointed goal of looking into the past to rebuild the future.  Seekers are independent nomadic warriors, operating outside the bounds of normal military hierarchy, charged with finding lost artifacts of the destroyed Star League.  It is by this method that Clan Goliath Scorpion has one of the largest collections of Star League knowledge, safely stored within the Temple of the Nine Muses beneath the fortress Spiderholm on Roche.  Permission must be granted for a warrior to embark on one of these quests, often the result of a necrosia-induced vision granting them the supposed location of an item, and prior to leaving they must take an oath known as the Rede of the Seeker.  If they failed to return to the Clan, the Seeker would be branded a [[Dark Caste|bandit]].<ref name=FMWC105/>
+
[[Image:SeekerCGS.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A Goliath Scorpion Seeker]]
 +
The Seeker movement was created by Loremaster [[Lan Kirov]] as a means for the Clan to fulfill its self-appointed goal of looking into the past to rebuild the future.  Seekers were independent nomadic warriors, operating outside the bounds of normal military hierarchy and charged with finding lost artifacts of the destroyed Star League.  It is by this method that Clan Goliath Scorpion has one of the largest collections of Star League knowledge, safely stored within the Temple of the Nine Muses beneath the fortress Spiderholm on Roche.  Permission must be granted for a warrior to embark on one of these quests, often the result of a necrosia-induced vision granting them the supposed location of an item, and prior to leaving they must take an oath known as the Rede of the Seeker.  If they failed to return to the Clan, the Seeker would be branded a [[Dark Caste|bandit]].  If they succeeded, particularly if their quest was of a novel or lengthy nature, a Seeker's return would win them immense recognition, potentially proving their suitability for a particular Bloodname or nomination to a command position.<ref name=FMWC105/>
  
−
Each Seeker, much like the knights-errant of medieval Europe, is allowed their own personal retainers, known as charges.  Charges could be drawn from the Clans' [[bondsmen]], along with other needed supplies, subject to standard Clan Trials and performed specific duties within the Seeker's retinue.  Warrior-caste bondsmen, given the title of Yeomen, perform the same tasks as normal bondsmen.  The title of Tinkers are given to technicians charged with vehicle maintenance and battlefield salvage. Laborer bondsmen, or Footmen, are charged with taking care of the Seeker's pets, known as familiars.  These familiars represent the warrior's traits or far-off worlds he's visited, with some familiars becoming associated with certain Bloodlines, and the practice has become common outside the Seeker movement.<ref name=FMWC105/>  The less-common Sutlers and Sages are merchant- and scientist-caste bondsmen who act as advisers for Seekers on particularly lengthy quests.  Most significant of all though are the Harbingers, artists who act as each Seeker's chief chronicler and artisan.  These artists, rarely praised within normal Clan society, can gain nearly the same respect as that of the warrior to whom they are bonded.<ref name=FMWC106/> These Charges and Familiars create a "living heraldry" that is used to recognize the warrior, even when they are veiled behind the standard Scorpion uniform.
+
Each Seeker, much like the knights errant of medieval Europe, was allowed their own personal retainers, known as charges.  These personal [[bondsmen]] could be drawn from any of the Clan's castes through the use of standard Clan [[Trials]], which themselves became something of a spectator sport within the Clan.  Potential charges for their part were motivated to excel in their duties and so possibly catch the eye of a Seeker.  In keeping with Clan cultural norms, it was considered highly dishonorable for a Seeker to acquire more charges than necessary, forcing them to strike a balance between quality and quantity.  In addition to charges, a Seeker could also fight Trials for supplies they might need, such as food or vehicles, taking these items as ''[[isorla]]''.<ref name=FMWC105/>
  
−
===Zulkari===
+
Within a Seeker's retinue each charge had a specific role.  Warrior-caste bondsmen, given the title of Yeomen, performed the same tasks as normal bondsmen.  The title of Tinkers were given to technicians charged with vehicle maintenance and battlefield salvage.  Laborer bondsmen, or Footmen, were charged with taking care of the Seeker's pets, known as familiars.  The less-common Sutlers and Sages were merchant and scientist caste bondsmen who acted as advisers for Seekers on particularly lengthy quests.  Most significant of all though were the Harbingers, artists who acted as each Seeker's chief chronicler and artisan.  These artists, rarely praised within normal Clan society, could gain nearly the same respect as that of the warrior to whom they were bonded.  These charges and familiars created a "living heraldry" that was used to recognize the warrior, even when they are veiled behind the standard Scorpion uniform, and became almost like an external [[Codex]].<ref name=FMWC105/>
−
When saKhan Scott fought Loremaster Kirov for control of the Seeker movement, she wielded a pair of sharp knives similar in form to the [[w:Zulfiqar|zulfiqar]] carried by the ancient [[Terra]]n prophet Muhammad.  In honor of her sacrifice, the Clan's leadership instituted the custom of carrying paired daggers modeled on Scott's weapons called ''zulkari''.  One zulkari is traditionally black-hilted with a golden tassel, while the other reverses this color scheme.<ref name=FMWC106/>
+
 
 +
====Familiars====
 +
Familiars were pets originally associated with the Seeker movement.  Essentially living trophies, a familiar could represent a characteristic which was admired by the warrior or represent a far-flung world she had visited in her travels.  Eventually certain familiars also became associated with specific Bloodlines, such as the graceful swans with the Dinours.  By the time of the Clan invasion the practice of keeping familiars had spread to other members of the warrior caste, and even among some members of the scientist and merchant castes.<ref name=FMWC105/>
 +
 
 +
===''Zulkari''===
 +
When saKhan [[Jenna Scott]] fought Loremaster Kirov for control of the Seeker movement to prevent the risk of the movement dividing the Clan, she wielded a pair of sharp knives similar in form to the ''[[w:Zulfiqar|zulfiqar]]'' carried by the ancient [[Terra]]n prophet Muhammad.  In honor of her Pyrrhic victory and death, the Clan's leadership instituted the custom of carrying paired daggers modeled on Scott's weapons called ''zulkari''.  One ''zulkari'' is traditionally black-hilted with a golden tassel, while the other reverses this color scheme.<ref name=FMWC106/>
  
 
===Dance of the Scars===
 
===Dance of the Scars===
 
This ritualized form of combat traces its lineage directly back to the infamous knife fight between saKhan Scott and Loremaster Kirov for control of the Seekers.  A modified [[Circle of Equals]], the dance of the scars requires the combatants to strike each other in a precisely-defined series of cuts.  The first two cuts must be made across each shoulder, followed by cuts across each wrist, and a final cut across the center of the chest.  The warrior to make the fifth and final cut on his opponent is declared the winner.  While normally conducted unarmored, a number of Scorpion warriors began challenging others to "dance the scars" while piloting 'Mechs in the years following the Clan invasion, considering these fights to be the ultimate show of honor.<ref name=FMWC106/>
 
This ritualized form of combat traces its lineage directly back to the infamous knife fight between saKhan Scott and Loremaster Kirov for control of the Seekers.  A modified [[Circle of Equals]], the dance of the scars requires the combatants to strike each other in a precisely-defined series of cuts.  The first two cuts must be made across each shoulder, followed by cuts across each wrist, and a final cut across the center of the chest.  The warrior to make the fifth and final cut on his opponent is declared the winner.  While normally conducted unarmored, a number of Scorpion warriors began challenging others to "dance the scars" while piloting 'Mechs in the years following the Clan invasion, considering these fights to be the ultimate show of honor.<ref name=FMWC106/>
 +
 +
''On the Black Seam they dance,''<br />
 +
''moonlit steel gleaming in the twilight.''<br />
 +
''Black and gold, red and silver,''<br />
 +
''their clothes stir the still night air.''<br />
 +
''Five steps taken, five cuts drawn,''<br />
 +
''the Scars of Moreau's tribulation.''<br />
 +
''These pay heed to our debt, to our past,''<br />
 +
''reborn with the death of our Mother.''<br />
 +
:-''The Remembrance (Clan Goliath Scorpion), Passage 316, Verse 12, Lines 1-8.''{{cn}}
  
 
==Military==
 
==Military==
 
{{main|Clan Goliath Scorpion Touman}}
 
{{main|Clan Goliath Scorpion Touman}}
−
Goliath Scorpion's [[Touman]] is surprisingly regimented, especially given the solitary nature of their Seeker tradition.  Each [[Cluster]] and [[Trinary]] is mixed forced composed of varying levels of [[BattleMech]]s, [[Aerospace Fighter]]s and [[Elemental]]s.  'Mech [[Star]]s are typically light to heavy-weight machines fast enough to envelop the enemy's flanks while providing the main knockout punch during ground assaults.  Aerospace Stars are dominated by heavy fighters for ground-support missions, while Elementals are trained to act in concert with 'Mechs and fighters, as well as perform paradrops into contest combat zones.  The newly-developed [[Undine]] Battle Armor also allows the Clan to combat enemies in underwater environments.<ref name=FMWC109>''Field Manual: Warden Clans'', p. 109</ref>
+
The [[Clan Goliath Scorpion Touman|Goliath Scorpion ''touman'']] was surprisingly regimented, especially given the solitary nature of their Seeker tradition.  Each [[Cluster]] and [[Trinary]] was a mixed force composed of varying levels of [[BattleMech]]s, [[aerospace fighter]]s, and [[Elemental]]s.  'Mech [[Star]]s were typically light to heavy-weight machines fast enough to envelop the enemy's flanks while providing the main knockout punch during ground assaults.  Aerospace Stars were dominated by heavy fighters for ground-support missions, while Elementals were trained to act in concert with 'Mechs and fighters, as well as perform paradrops into contested combat zones.  The newly-developed [[Undine]] battle armor also allowed the Clan to combat enemies in underwater environments.<ref name=FMWC109>''Field Manual: Warden Clans'', p. 109</ref>
 +
 
 +
Laser weapons were prized by the Clan, both for their precision and lack of ammunition requirements (qualities also useful for the nomadic Seekers), while missile weapons were seen as the tools of the unskilled. [[Targeting Computer]]s were used extensively as well, though warriors would often disable parts of these systems in order to showcase their true skill.  This display of a warrior's skill was highly prized within the Clan, especially in the honor duels governed by ''[[zellbrigen]]''. Clan Goliath Scorpion was stricter in upholding ''zellbrigen'' than even [[Clan Jade Falcon]] or [[Clan Blood Spirit]], in spite of the lessons learned during the Clan Invasion.<ref name=FMWC109/> In an example of how much they value individual dueling, the Clan instituted a series of gladiatorial tournaments based upon the [[Martial Olympiad]]s in what became known as the Circus Honorae, or Circle of Honor, since the Golden Century. Initiated by Khan Sandra Dinour and saKhan Lan Kirov in response to their Clan’s lackluster performance in securing OmniMech technology, these tournaments would be continued into the modern day as a means of sharpening warriors' dueling skills.<ref name=FMWC104>''Field Manual: Warden Clans'', p. 104</ref>
  
−
Laser weapons are prized by the Clan, both for their precision and lack of ammunition requirements (qualities also useful for the nomadic Seekers), while missile weapons are seen as the tools of the unskilled. [[Targeting Computer]]s are used extensively as well, though warriors will often disable parts of these systems in order to showcase their true skill.  This display of a warrior's skill is highly prized within the Clan, especially in the honor duels governed by ''[[zellbrigen]]''. Goliath Scorpion is stricter in upholding ''zellbrigen'' than even [[Clan Jade Falcon]] or [[Clan Blood Spirit]]s, despite the lessons learned during the Clan Invasion.<ref name=FMWC109/>
+
For all its strengths, Goliath Scorpion military doctrines were predictable and focused entirely on ground operations.  While enjoying a respectable number of [[WarShip]]s and similar craft, they lacked the experience or assets to combat against an experienced and determined opponent willing to challenge their control of the aerospace realm.  Perhaps the biggest flaw in their doctrine, contrary to the individualistic nature of their Seekers, was the tendency of [[Galaxy Commander]]s to micromanage their forces, resulting in a lack of initiative among the lower ranks.<ref name=FMU62>''Field Manual: Updates'', pp. 62–63</ref>
  
−
For all its strengths, Goliath Scorpion military doctrines are predictable and focused entirely on ground operations.  While enjoying a respectable number of [[WarShip]]s and similar craft, they lack the experience or assets to combat against an opponent challenging their control of the aerospace realm.  Perhaps the biggest flaw in their doctrine, contrary to the individualistic nature of their Seekers, is the tendency of [[Galaxy Commander]]s to micromanage their forces, resulting in a lack of initiative among the lower ranks.<ref name=FMU62/>
+
== Bloodnames ==
 +
{{main|List of Bloodnames#Scorpion Empire (Clan Goliath Scorpion)}}
 +
{{Category|Clan Goliath Scorpion Bloodnames}}
  
 
==Inter-Clan Relations==
 
==Inter-Clan Relations==
−
Prior to the Schism, the Goliath Scorpions were loyal allies of [[Clan Wolf]], though the creation of [[Clan Wolf-in-Exile]] has muddied this relationship.  They also have profitable dealings with [[Clan Snow Raven]] and [[Clan Ghost Bear]].  However, [[Clan Fire Mandrill]] is especially hated by the Goliath Scorpions for the brutal murder of their first Loremaster and, ironically, they dismiss [[Clan Nova Cat]]'s version of mysticism as nonsense.<ref>''Field Manual: Warden Clans'', p. 110</ref>
+
Clan Goliath Scorpion had relatively few friends or enemies for most of their history.  In part this was due to the fact their nomadic nature left their territory relatively underdeveloped by Clan standards.  While this caused them to be seen as backwards economically and militarily by the other Clans, it also meant there were much fewer targets to fight over and so less inclination to raid their space.
−
 
 
−
==Leaders of Clan Goliath Scorpion==
 
  
−
===Khans===
+
{| class="wikitable" border="1"; text-align:center;
 +
|-
 +
!Clan Name
 +
!Symbol
 +
!Relationship
 +
!Reason
 +
|-
 +
|'''[[Clan Wolf]]'''
 +
|[[Image:Clan Wolf logo.png|100px]]
 +
|Ally
 +
|Prior to the schism, the Goliath Scorpions were loyal allies of [[Clan Wolf]], although this was very much a one-sided relationship.  The sundering of the Wolves and creation of [[Clan Wolf-in-Exile]] did cause the Goliath Scorpions to start second-guessing this state of affairs.
 +
|-
 +
|'''[[Clan Sea Fox]]'''
 +
|[[Image:Clan Sea Fox Logo.png|100px]]
 +
|Ally
 +
|After the formation of the Scorpion Empire and the arrival of Tiburon Khanate in former Hansa space in search of BattleMech schematics and resources to obtain, Hellion Galaxy was able to challenge them to an honorable Clan Trial before tracking them back to the Chaine Cluster. The formation of a trade enclave in the Chainelane Isles and establishment of joint anti-piracy patrols served to benefit both sides while pacifying the region. The Clan would also exchange public news to the Empire on the political developments in the Inner Sphere. Interactions between the two Clans are characterized by healthy competition alongside mutual respect.
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
−
* [[Cyrus Elam]], 2802-2823 (Killed during the [[Widowmaker Absorption]])
+
{| class="wikitable" border="1"; text-align:center;
 +
|-
 +
!Clan Name
 +
!Symbol
 +
!Relationship
 +
!Reason
 +
|-
 +
|'''[[Clan Fire Mandrill]]'''
 +
|[[Image:Clan Fire Mandrill.jpg|100px]]
 +
|Enemy
 +
|[[Clan Fire Mandrill]] was hated for the brutal murder of their first Loremaster, [[Ethan Moreau]] by [[Kindraa Mattila-Carrol]].
 +
|-
 +
|'''[[Clan Ice Hellion]]'''
 +
|[[Image:Clan Ice Hellion.jpg|100px]]
 +
|Enemy
 +
| [[Clan Ice Hellion]] was considered one of the few mortal enemies of the Goliath Scorpions, although this would end when they absorbed the remnants of that Clan.
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
Following their Abjuration from Clan Space after the [[Wars of Reaving]] in 3078 and creation of the Escorpion Imperio (and later the Scorpion Empire), the remaining Home Clans are their only enemies due to the growing [[Bastions|Bastion]] philosophy. As such, the Scorpions would spend most of their time dispelling Umayyad rumors and killing and/or expelling [[Home Clan]] Watch agents from their realm during the following years.
  
−
* [[Shandra Dinour]], 2823-???
+
Ironically, they dismissed [[Clan Nova Cat]]'s version of mysticism as nonsense.<ref name=CWoK83>''The Clans: Warriors of Kerensky'', pp. 82–83</ref><ref>''Field Manual: Warden Clans'', pp. 109–110</ref>
  
−
* [[Nikolai Djerassi]], ???-3052 (Stepped down after the [[Battle of Tukayyid]])
+
==Rulers==
  
−
* [[Ariel Suvorov]], 3052-3079 (Died in the [[Trial of Refusal]] against the Scorpion Abjurement)
+
===Khans===
−
 
 
−
* [[Colin Yeh]], 3079-??? (Became the first Khan of La [[Escorpion del Imperio]])
 
  
 +
See: [[Khan of Clan Goliath Scorpion]]
  
 
===saKhans===
 
===saKhans===
  
−
* [[Jenna Scott]], 2802-??? (Died after Trial against Loremaster Lan Kirov)
+
See: [[SaKhan of Clan Goliath Scorpion]]
−
 
 
−
* [[Ren Posavatz]], ???-3052 (Disappeared during the Viper campaign on [[Tukayyid]])
 
−
 
 
−
* [[Nelson Elam]], 3052-February 3071 (Died during [[Trial of Refusal]] against ilKhan [[Garret Sainze]])
 
−
 
 
−
* [[Kelton Myers]], February 3071-March 3074 (Died during [[Trial of Absorption]] of the [[Ice Hellions]])
 
−
 
 
−
* [[Connor Rood]], March 3074-??? (Became the first saKhan of La Escorpion del Imperio)
 
  
 
===Loremasters===
 
===Loremasters===
  
−
* [[Ethan Moreau]], ???-2845 (Killed by [[Clan Fire Mandrill]])
+
See: [[Loremaster of Clan Goliath Scorpion]]
−
 
 
−
* [[Lan Kirov]], 2845-???
 
−
 
 
−
* [[Kyrie Ben-Shimon]], ???-March 3073 (Killed covering the withdrawal of Gamma Galaxy from [[Foster]] against [[Clan Coyote]])
 
−
 
 
−
* [[Colin Yeh]], March 3073-3079 (Promoted to Khan after the loss of Khan Suvorov)
 
  
−
* [[Sargon Ben-Shimon]], 3079-??? (Became the first Loremaster of La Escorpion del Imperio)
+
===Chiefs of the Watch===
 +
* [[Rife Nagy]], ca. [[3060]]-[[3064]] era
  
 
==Era Specific Data==
 
==Era Specific Data==
 
===3061===
 
===3061===
−
Affiliation: Warden <br />
+
Affiliation: Warden<br />
−
Capital: [[Roche]] <br />
+
Capital: [[Roche]]<br />
−
Population (Clan space): 67.238.000 (3060) <br />
+
Population (Clan space): 67,238,000 (3060)<br />
−
Population growth rate: 2.4 percent (84/60) <br />
+
Population growth rate: 2.4 percent (84/60)<br />
−
Self-Sufficiency Index: 91 percent <br />
+
Self-Sufficiency Index: 91 percent<br />
  
−
'''Leaders''' <br />
+
'''Leaders'''<br />
−
Khan: [[Ariel Suvovrov]] <br />
+
Khan: [[Ariel Suvorov]]<br />
−
saKhan: [[Nelson Flam]] <br />
+
saKhan: [[Nelson Elam]]<br />
−
Loremaster: [[Kyrie Ben-Shimon]] <br />
+
Loremaster: [[Kyrie Ben-Shimon]]<br />
−
Scientist-General: Germon (Wilkinson) <br />
+
Scientist-General: Germon (Wilkinson)<br />
−
Merchant Factor: [[Palos]] <br />
+
Merchant Factor: [[Palos (Character)]]<br />
−
Master Technician: [[Noam]] <br />
+
Master Technician: [[Noam]]<br />
−
Senior Laborer: [[Suu]] <br />
+
Senior Laborer: [[Suu]]<br />
 +
Chief of the Watch: [[Rife Nagy]]<br />
  
−
'''Military''' <br />
+
'''Military'''<br />
−
Clusters: 24<ref>''Field Manual: Warden Clans'', p. 164</ref> <br />
+
Clusters: 24<ref>''Field Manual: Warden Clans'', p. 164</ref><br />
−
WarShips: 17 <br />
+
WarShips: 17<br />
  
−
'''Clan Space Worlds''' <br />
+
'''Clan Space Worlds'''<br />
−
[[Dagda (Clan)|Dagda]] (29 percent) <br />
+
[[Dagda (Clan System)|Dagda]] (29 percent)<br />
−
[[Huntress]] (18 percent) <br />
+
[[Huntress]] (18 percent)<br />
−
[[Marshall]] (36 percent) <br />
+
[[Marshall]] (36 percent)<br />
−
[[Roche]] (83 percent) <br />
+
[[Roche]] (83 percent)<br />
−
[[Strana Mechty]] (7 percent) <br />
+
[[Strana Mechty]] (7 percent)<br />
−
[[Tokasha]] (23 percent) <br />
+
[[Tokasha]] (23 percent)<br />
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
 
<references/>
 
<references/>
−
 
  
 
==Bibliography==
 
==Bibliography==
−
*''[[Blake Ascending]]''
+
* ''[[Blake Ascending]]''
−
*''[[Field Manual: Warden Clans]]''
+
* ''[[The Clans: Warriors of Kerensky]]''
−
*''[[Field Manual: Updates]]''
+
* ''[[Field Manual: Updates]]''
−
*''[[Historical: Operation Klondike]]''
+
* ''[[Field Manual: Warden Clans]]''
−
*''[[Jihad Hot Spots: 3070]]''
+
* ''[[Forever Faithful]]''
−
 
+
* ''[[Historical: Operation Klondike]]''
 +
* ''[[Jihad Hot Spots: 3070]]''
 +
* ''[[MechWarrior's Guide to the Clans]]''
 +
* ''[[Operational Turning Points: Hanseatic Crusade]]''
 +
* ''[[Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 6]]''
 +
* ''[[Spotlight On: Crimson Seeker Star]]''
  
 
[[Category: Clans]]
 
[[Category: Clans]]

Latest revision as of 21:38, 10 February 2024

Clan Goliath Scorpion Logo
Clan Goliath Scorpion
Faction Profile
Time period: 2807 – 3078
Classification: Clan
Controlled systems: 2[citation needed]
Capital world: Roche (formerly)
Ruler title: Khan
Military: Clan Goliath Scorpion touman
Secret Service: Clan Goliath Scorpion Watch

Clan Goliath Scorpion was one of the original twenty Clans founded by Nicholas Kerensky, named after the Goliath Scorpions found on Babylon. Staunch Wardens, the Goliath Scorpions value precision over brute force, while believing strongly in visions and quests. They take necrosia, a drug based on the venom of the goliath scorpion, to aid in these visions. This Clan believed in looking to the past in order to rebuild the Star League, piece by piece, though their obsession with this goal blinded them to outside events on occasion. They were known for their wider acceptance of freeborn troops in their warrior caste.[1] The Goliath Scorpions famously provided Clan Wolf the deep-sea diving Exoskeletons which would serve as the progenitors for modern battle armor. After the Wars of Reaving they were Abjured and expelled from Clan Space. They then conquered Nueva Castile in the Deep Periphery and renamed it Escorpión Imperio. With the conquest of the Hanseatic League, it would evolve into the Scorpion Empire amidst the Dark Age and the ilClan Era.

History[edit]

Main article: History of Clan Goliath Scorpion

Founding[edit]

The Scorpions' first Khan was Cyrus Elam, a former member of the SLDF Corps of Engineers, chosen to lead his Clan because of innovative tactics he demonstrated in training on Strana Mechty. His saKhan was Jenna Scott, a young infantry commander known for predicting her enemies' movements. Under their Khan's instruction, the fledgling Clan developed flexible combat tactics and fielded combined-arms forces. They would soon come to embody their totem animal and earn a fearsome reputation for swift and deadly strikes.[2][3]

The Scorpions were assigned to retake the world of Dagda in Operation KLONDIKE. The Cluster made the first landing on Dagda, and faced off against the McMillan Collective, the best-equipped and best-led faction on the planet. They then faced The Chosen, a doomsday cult who thought to ride out the war in an upland mining facility-turned-monastery. They also cleared seaborne atolls and faced the Drakkars on the Tenno continent. The Scorpions' heavy losses ruled them out from participating in the final battles of the Dagda campaign.[4]

The Goliath Scorpions would be awarded a portion of Dagda to settle, setting up along the rocky coasts and on the ocean floors to create their first enclave. Khan Elam utilized his skills as an engineer to construct extensive deep-sea mining facilities on Dagda. Similar resource-gathering efforts were started on Roche and Tokasha as territory was ceded to their control.[5]

The Clan would play a role in the Annihilation of Clan Wolverine in 2823 and again a decade later in the Absorption of Clan Widowmaker. Although Clan Wolf had been given the right to Absorb the rebel Clan by themselves, both Khan Elam and Loremaster Moreau would take part in the last battle against the Widowmakers on Roche, where the Widowmakers had been pursued to their final stronghold of Porthos.[5]

Golden Century[edit]

During the Golden Century the Goliath Scorpions would help revolutionize Clan society with the creation of underwater industrial exoskeletons in 2842. Known as "water elementals" to their laborer-caste operators, these suits allowed the Clan to harvest the mineral wealth buried beneath the planet's watery depths.[6]

The Scorpions were just as surprised as everyone else when the Wolves unveiled their Elemental battle armor in 2868, though they quickly recognized where the technology had originated, and were equally impressed by their performance in battle. Petitioning the Wolves for a reciprocal trade, the Scorpions acquired the design plans and twenty of the new suits in exchange for breeding rights to the Collesano, Baba and Shaffer Bloodlines.[7]

The Clan had much more trouble acquiring the technology behind OmniMechs, however, which Clan Coyote debuted in 2854. Three separate operations to seize the technology were frustrated as Coyote warriors would invoke zellbrigen to reduce the conflicts to a series of duels between warriors. Though easily winning each full-scale battle, the result would be nullified as the Coyotes' superior machines allowed them to handily defeat the Scorpions in single combat. It would take years before the Goliath Scorpions finally began fielding their own OmniMechs.[6]

Seeker Movement[edit]

The Golden Century also saw the beginning of many other Goliath Scorpion traditions. Loremaster Ethan Moreau, having survived the effects of the goliath scorpion venom himself, petitioned Khan Dinour to institute a rite of initiation for young Scorpion warriors. Each recruit would allow a goliath scorpion to sting them, thereby proving their fortitude. The fatality rate from this rite, however, quickly became too much for the Clan to bear. In response, the scientist caste devised a drink called necrosia, based upon the scorpion venom which, while safe to ingest in controlled quantities, kept the hallucinogenic side effects and allowed for "prophetic visions."[5]

The new Loremaster, Lan Kirov, was inspired by Moreau to continue his brand of mysticism and quest for knowledge. Within the next two decades, Kirov created a special cadre of warriors called Seekers, charged with finding artifacts of the lost Star League scattered throughout the Pentagon and Kerensky Clusters and bringing them back to the Clan to serve as a basis for rebuilding the Star League. The Seekers quickly became a force throughout Clan space, discovering many forgotten caches of and winning many duels for Star League technology and cultural items, which the Clan dutifully collected in order to study and understand the League and its highest ideals.[7]

Dragoon Compromise[edit]

When the vote to invade the Inner Sphere was brought before the Great Council in 3000, it came as a puzzling surprise, though the Clan's leadership quickly rejected the idea. Siding with their close ally Clan Wolf and the Warden ideology, they believed the Inner Sphere was meant to be protected, not conquered and dominated. As an alternative, they backed Wolf Khan Kerlin Ward's Dragoon Compromise, sending a force of volunteer trueborn and freeborn warriors to scout the Inner Sphere and determine its military readiness. In an unforeseen move, Scorpion saKhan Ren Posavatz issued a batchall to train Wolf's Dragoons and won the bid unopposed.[8]

The elite Heartvenom Cluster, the Clan's special forces unit, trained the Dragoons for two years in unconventional tactics. Drawing upon the Star League military doctrines and holovids stored within the Scorpion archives, they transformed the unit into an elite fighting force the equal of any front-line Cluster. Protestations against this methodology as being in opposition to Clan ideals fell on deaf ears, with Wolf Khan Kerlin Ward giving them his support and permission to depart in 3004.[8]

Operation REVIVAL[edit]

In the Trials to determine who would participate in the invasion, Clan Goliath Scorpion was left out of the initial wave, although they were able to take advantage of the situation. With so many units away from the Homeworlds on their Crusade, many Seekers began searching through areas previously considered too heavily-defended.[9]

The years following the Truce of Tukayyid saw great fluctuation within Clan society. For their part, Goliath Scorpion strengthening their bond with Clan Wolf as, in the wake of the Refusal War of 3057, the Scorpions gladly bid away an entire Trinary of Crusader-minded warriors to the Wolves. Their part in the Harvest Trials was rewarded with the gift of an ancient Mackie from Galaxy Commander Katya Kerensky. The Scorpions stood by as Clan Smoke Jaguar was destroyed in the Great Refusal, and in the period afterwards that become known as the Wars of Possession - the Absorption of Clan Burrock, the defection of Clan Nova Cat and mass relocation of Clan Ghost Bear - the Scorpions played only a minor role and made few gains.[9]

Great Refusal and Aftermath[edit]

Following the Great Refusal on 23 April 3060, Goliath Scorpion Khan Ariel Suvorov was both angry and disgusted at the Crusader Clans' failure to defeat the SLDF under Prince Victor Steiner-Davion on Strana Mechty.[10] "The Crusaders have doomed us all by underestimating these Inner Spherers," she told her equally outraged senior commanders. Bound by the results of the Great Refusal like the other Clans, the Goliath Scorpions therefore had to "find a path in a universe now forced into peace."

Alpha Galaxy (Escorpión Imperio) Commander Rik Myers, one of the Clan's most ambitious and aggressive leaders, viewed the new SLDF enclave on Huntress as a clear threat to the Clans and urged a preemptive strike against it. He also wanted to act before the other Clans in reaping the spoils on Huntress, particularly surviving Smoke Jaguar warriors and their genes. Khan Suvorov was more cautious though. Not wishing to trigger a massive SLDF retaliation in which the Goliath Scorpions would share the Smoke Jaguars' fate, she ordered Myers to come up with a more limited "middle ground" course of action that would demonstrate the Goliath Scorpions' strength to the other Clans without provoking a critical response from the Star League. She insisted that they had time and patience on their side.

Myers returned to Suvorov with a plan ostensibly to capture Abysmal and its countless Smoke Jaguar artifacts still there for the taking.[11] Priority targets were an enlarged spaceport and warehouses built since the Clan invasion to hold Inner Sphere isorla. Myers also suggested that the Goliath Scorpions might capture relics held by the Eridani Light Horse, a storied SLDF unit that would undoubtedly be sent to defend the continent, and even take some of its MechWarriors as bondsmen, who would become living history among Goliath Scorpions."

Myers' real aim though was to harvest the remainder of the Smoke Jaguar warrior caste and their Bloodlines. Capturing the Jaguars' heritage would, in his opinion, ensure that the Clan was never fully erased from history. And more secretly, Myers believed that taking possession of these warriors would enable him to challenge Khan Suvorov to a Trial of Position and become Khan.[12] In order to to obscure the Clan's true interest the Abysmal Manufacturing Complex at Rakt-Jabada on Abysmal which produced Warhawk OmniMechs would be emphasized in the Goliath Scorpion batchall but it was only a secondary prize.

Even though Suvorov saw through Myers' manipulation she authorized the strike anyway and further ordered that the strike would not take place until after the bulk of the SLDF departed Clan space and returned to the Inner Sphere. Later, she scaled back the scope of Myers' plan, from taking the entire continent to establishing a 200 km circular enclave centered on the Warhawk factory and its attached spaceport.[13] out of concern that they might attract unwanted attention from other Clans and doubts about Myers' ability to administer such a large territory.

On August 7, 3060 Myers' strike force jumped into the Huntress system, spearheaded by his flagship, the destroyer CGS Sagitta.[13] Sir Paul Masters, commanding officer of the Knights of the Inner Sphere and the remaining SLDF units on Huntress, accepted Myers' batchall and bid one battalion of combined ComStar and Eridani Light Horse units. The Goliath Scorpions bested the Star League in the ensuing fight, inflicting heavy losses on the combined ComStar/Eridani Light Horse forces.

Myers won for the Goliath Scorpions the Abysmal enclave, its Warhawk factory, spaceport, warehouses and the artifacts they held including all SLDF BattleMechs and vehicles dating back to the original Star League. It was also the first time a Clan other than Smoke Jaguar had carved out a piece of its own on Huntress since the Jade Falcons ages before. However, some 3,000 former Smoke Jaguars of all castes whom Myers was really after, led by Paul Moon, dramatically fled Huntress on August 24, 3060.[14] With the aid of Goliath Scorpion Watch, Myers learned that the refugees sought to save their annihilated Clan's essence and to start new lives for themselves on Wayside V, the location of a former Smoke Jaguar resupply depot far down the Exodus Road.[15]

Without Suvorov's authorisation or regard for provisions for the year-long trip, Myers took his elite 35th Scorpion Cuirassiers (Escorpión Imperio) Cluster from Alpha Galaxy and foolishly pursued the prospective colonists. He and his fleet finally arrived at the Wayside V system on May 25, 3062. When contacted by Moon, Myers issued his batchall in which he stated his intent to take the planet and refugees as isorla.[16] Moon had no choice but to accept Myers' batchall but was able turn the tables on him. The former Smoke Jaguars, aided by Baldur and Inanna of the Nova Cats, decisively defeated Myers on June 2, 3062, in a narrow, steep-walled canyon called the "Straits."[17]

In the aftermath, Moon took as spoils all the BattleMechs, weapons, equipment, and vehicles Myers and the captured Goliath Scorpions brought with them to Wayside V and forced Myers and his personnel, including the JumpShip crews, to farm and tend livestock in order to raise enough food for their journey home.[18] Those who wanted to stay were allowed to, but those who returned had to purge their ships' maps of the location of Wayside V and never reveal its location.

Myers and most of the survivors from his Cluster returned to Huntress in March 3064 after doing their duty as prisoners of war on Wayside V, which they had begun calling "Myers' Folly".[19] A week after the return, Khan Suvorov dressed down the ragged Myers, angrily reminding him that he risked and lost entire Cluster not for their Clan but for his ego with nothing to show for it in the end and that rarely has a warrior in any Clan ever failed as completely as him and still lived.

While Suvorov was considering his fate Myers managed to convince her that he learned from his mistakes and asked for a chance at redemption. Khan Suvorov took pity on Myers and agreed to give him that chance although future events will find him wanting once more.

Absorption of the 71st Light Horse Regiment[edit]

In December 3067 Goliath Scorpions established contact with 71st Light Horse Regiment of the Eridani Light Horse Brigade stationed in Lootera on Huntress.[20] With rapidly deteriorating situation in the Inner Sphere and dissolution of the Second Star League these mercenaries have found themselves in increasingly dire straits. Clan Diamond Shark was no longer able to provide them with provisions and communication with the Inner Sphere, they were running low on supplies and have been slowly picked apart by constant trials with neighbouring Clans.[21]

As living relics of the original Star League, the Light Horse had been the source of intense fascination to the Scorpions who wanted to learn about the Inner Sphere, it's people, worlds and history since their SLDF ancestors departed on their exodus.[22][23] Khan Suvorov correctly recognized regiment's increasingly desperate situation brought on by isolation and upheaval in the Inner Sphere and authorized her merchants to provide these mercenaries with all needed supplies thus greatly alleviating their situation and helping foster friendly relations between ELH and Goliath Scorpions.[24] Her ultimate goal was to absorb the the entire regiment into the Clan Goliath Scorpion but unlike other Clans on Huntress she intended to do it by offering them home among friends.[25] During this time Suvorov also struck up close friendship with commander of 71st Light Horse Regiment Colonel Sandra Barclay.

This progress will soon be jeopardized by problematic Galaxy Commander Rik Myers who went over his Khan's head and issued a challenge to 71st Light Horse Regiment for possession of Star League embassy on Strana Mechty, enclave on Huntress, entire regiment and all their personnel and equipment in the hope of earning enough glory to be able to challenge Ariel Suvorov for the rank of Khan.[26][27]

Suvorov could not overturn this challenge but she offered advice to Barclay on how to select strategy and location in order to win and vowed to kill Meyers herself.[28] She would be beaten to the punch by Barclay who would kill Meyers during subsequent trial in Shikari Jungle in late January 3068. Immediately upon Meyers' death his second-in-command would accept heigira from 71st Light Horse Regiment thus settling the matter.[29]

In the following days Suvorov and Barclay came to an agreement on trial of absorption which would be carried out in four stages: non-lethal competitions between infantry and vehicle crews and live fire contests between aerospace and BattleMech pilots limited to direct-fire weapons and without physical attacks or aimed headshots. Trial would take place five months later in July 3068.[30]

In February Barclay offered those among her ranks who wished to return to the Inner Sphere to evacuate alongside Star League embassy staff with handful of them accepting, mostly those who hoped to reunite with their dependants on Dieron. Later that spring they have received bleak news of orbital bombardments and nuclear attacks on Dieron by Word of Blake further solidifying understanding that they will never be able to go back.[31]

During this period Scorpions and mercenaries grew closer and began learning much about each other with Scorpions spending more and more time in streets and shops of Lootera and many of the Light Horse no longer using contractions in their speech. As both sides were preparing for the trial the 71st started accepting any former Smoke Jaguar who wanted to stay with the unit while Scorpions began pulling vintage and legacy BattleMechs out of storage for use in the trial as a sign of respect.[32]

Trial of Absorption took place as scheduled on 10 July 3068 with Scorpions achieving overall victory. In celebratory atmosphere and with great fanfare the 71st Light Horse Regiment of Eridani Light Horse was accepted into the Clan Goliath Scorpion.[33]

Jihad[edit]

The Scorpions' participation in the struggle against Word of Blake during Jihad was limited due to their location at the time but still significant. In late 3059 one of their Seeker parties prevented Blakists from claiming the large cache of biological and nuclear weapons from a long-forgotten Rim Worlds Republic depot on a moon in the Heidelburg system at great personal sacrifice.[34]

Following the destruction of Ruins of Gabriel in Odessa system an unidentified Seeker party managed to land on the planet Odessa III and after scouring several locations around the capital including planet's HPG compound and the estates of the local ruling family they were able to collect the evidence that showed how ComStar and Word of Blake have undermined the planetary government for centuries.[35]

The Wars of Reaving and Abjuration[edit]

The Scorpions emerged from the Wars of Reaving as the second most powerful Clan, having avoided much of the bloodshed and having Absorbed the last remains of Clan Ice Hellion. They had established forward outposts at Waypoint 531 and resumed the Seekers' operations.

In December 3078, the Scorpions defended Hector against a Clan Cloud Cobra assault. During the fighting at the Bright Ledge genetic research station, one salvo from a Scorpion 'Mech blew the main bridge dropping half of the 73rd Cobra Guards into the ravine; the Cobras declared the remaining Scorpions dezgra and crushed them. Upon claiming their isorla, they discovered that the Scorpion scientists, without authorization from the Khans or the Clan Council, had been experimenting with integrating Eridani Light Horse genes in the Clan legacies. The matter was brought to the Grand Council, and a Trial of Abjuration was immediately approved. Despite this, the Clans moved slowly to carry it out, and this allowed the Scorpions to evacuate much of their assets to Waypoint 531. The forces left behind fought valiantly, but were ultimately defeated. The survivors gathered at Waypoint 531, then moved on to conquer the Umayyad Caliphate and Nueva Castile, forming the Escorpión Imperio in 3080. On the twilight of the Dark Age and the dawn of the IlClan Era, after the Hanseatic Crusade, it would merge with the newly conquered Hanseatic League to form the Scorpion Empire

Culture[edit]

Clan Goliath Scorpion culture is devoted almost entirely to rebuilding the shattered Star League. This obsession with searching the past to unlock the future is fulfilled through the use of necrosia and the Seeker tradition.

This Clan has more egalitarian attitudes towards its members than other ones do, stemming in part from the Scorpions' "living heraldry" tradition. Trueborn and bloodnamed warriors maintain their status at the top of the social hierarchy but are not put on the pedestal or viewed as pinnacle of evolution. Freeborn warriors are trained in freeborn sibkos and are routinely accepted into the warrior caste although majority of them serve as garrison troops and pirate hunters.[36][37]

Relations between warriors and civilians are generally respectful. While civilians are still subject to warrior whims they are treated better than in most of the other Clans.[38]

Seekers[edit]

A Goliath Scorpion Seeker

The Seeker movement was created by Loremaster Lan Kirov as a means for the Clan to fulfill its self-appointed goal of looking into the past to rebuild the future. Seekers were independent nomadic warriors, operating outside the bounds of normal military hierarchy and charged with finding lost artifacts of the destroyed Star League. It is by this method that Clan Goliath Scorpion has one of the largest collections of Star League knowledge, safely stored within the Temple of the Nine Muses beneath the fortress Spiderholm on Roche. Permission must be granted for a warrior to embark on one of these quests, often the result of a necrosia-induced vision granting them the supposed location of an item, and prior to leaving they must take an oath known as the Rede of the Seeker. If they failed to return to the Clan, the Seeker would be branded a bandit. If they succeeded, particularly if their quest was of a novel or lengthy nature, a Seeker's return would win them immense recognition, potentially proving their suitability for a particular Bloodname or nomination to a command position.[7]

Each Seeker, much like the knights errant of medieval Europe, was allowed their own personal retainers, known as charges. These personal bondsmen could be drawn from any of the Clan's castes through the use of standard Clan Trials, which themselves became something of a spectator sport within the Clan. Potential charges for their part were motivated to excel in their duties and so possibly catch the eye of a Seeker. In keeping with Clan cultural norms, it was considered highly dishonorable for a Seeker to acquire more charges than necessary, forcing them to strike a balance between quality and quantity. In addition to charges, a Seeker could also fight Trials for supplies they might need, such as food or vehicles, taking these items as isorla.[7]

Within a Seeker's retinue each charge had a specific role. Warrior-caste bondsmen, given the title of Yeomen, performed the same tasks as normal bondsmen. The title of Tinkers were given to technicians charged with vehicle maintenance and battlefield salvage. Laborer bondsmen, or Footmen, were charged with taking care of the Seeker's pets, known as familiars. The less-common Sutlers and Sages were merchant and scientist caste bondsmen who acted as advisers for Seekers on particularly lengthy quests. Most significant of all though were the Harbingers, artists who acted as each Seeker's chief chronicler and artisan. These artists, rarely praised within normal Clan society, could gain nearly the same respect as that of the warrior to whom they were bonded. These charges and familiars created a "living heraldry" that was used to recognize the warrior, even when they are veiled behind the standard Scorpion uniform, and became almost like an external Codex.[7]

Familiars[edit]

Familiars were pets originally associated with the Seeker movement. Essentially living trophies, a familiar could represent a characteristic which was admired by the warrior or represent a far-flung world she had visited in her travels. Eventually certain familiars also became associated with specific Bloodlines, such as the graceful swans with the Dinours. By the time of the Clan invasion the practice of keeping familiars had spread to other members of the warrior caste, and even among some members of the scientist and merchant castes.[7]

Zulkari[edit]

When saKhan Jenna Scott fought Loremaster Kirov for control of the Seeker movement to prevent the risk of the movement dividing the Clan, she wielded a pair of sharp knives similar in form to the zulfiqar carried by the ancient Terran prophet Muhammad. In honor of her Pyrrhic victory and death, the Clan's leadership instituted the custom of carrying paired daggers modeled on Scott's weapons called zulkari. One zulkari is traditionally black-hilted with a golden tassel, while the other reverses this color scheme.[8]

Dance of the Scars[edit]

This ritualized form of combat traces its lineage directly back to the infamous knife fight between saKhan Scott and Loremaster Kirov for control of the Seekers. A modified Circle of Equals, the dance of the scars requires the combatants to strike each other in a precisely-defined series of cuts. The first two cuts must be made across each shoulder, followed by cuts across each wrist, and a final cut across the center of the chest. The warrior to make the fifth and final cut on his opponent is declared the winner. While normally conducted unarmored, a number of Scorpion warriors began challenging others to "dance the scars" while piloting 'Mechs in the years following the Clan invasion, considering these fights to be the ultimate show of honor.[8]

On the Black Seam they dance,
moonlit steel gleaming in the twilight.
Black and gold, red and silver,
their clothes stir the still night air.
Five steps taken, five cuts drawn,
the Scars of Moreau's tribulation.
These pay heed to our debt, to our past,
reborn with the death of our Mother.

-The Remembrance (Clan Goliath Scorpion), Passage 316, Verse 12, Lines 1-8.[citation needed]

Military[edit]

Main article: Clan Goliath Scorpion Touman

The Goliath Scorpion touman was surprisingly regimented, especially given the solitary nature of their Seeker tradition. Each Cluster and Trinary was a mixed force composed of varying levels of BattleMechs, aerospace fighters, and Elementals. 'Mech Stars were typically light to heavy-weight machines fast enough to envelop the enemy's flanks while providing the main knockout punch during ground assaults. Aerospace Stars were dominated by heavy fighters for ground-support missions, while Elementals were trained to act in concert with 'Mechs and fighters, as well as perform paradrops into contested combat zones. The newly-developed Undine battle armor also allowed the Clan to combat enemies in underwater environments.[39]

Laser weapons were prized by the Clan, both for their precision and lack of ammunition requirements (qualities also useful for the nomadic Seekers), while missile weapons were seen as the tools of the unskilled. Targeting Computers were used extensively as well, though warriors would often disable parts of these systems in order to showcase their true skill. This display of a warrior's skill was highly prized within the Clan, especially in the honor duels governed by zellbrigen. Clan Goliath Scorpion was stricter in upholding zellbrigen than even Clan Jade Falcon or Clan Blood Spirit, in spite of the lessons learned during the Clan Invasion.[39] In an example of how much they value individual dueling, the Clan instituted a series of gladiatorial tournaments based upon the Martial Olympiads in what became known as the Circus Honorae, or Circle of Honor, since the Golden Century. Initiated by Khan Sandra Dinour and saKhan Lan Kirov in response to their Clan’s lackluster performance in securing OmniMech technology, these tournaments would be continued into the modern day as a means of sharpening warriors' dueling skills.[6]

For all its strengths, Goliath Scorpion military doctrines were predictable and focused entirely on ground operations. While enjoying a respectable number of WarShips and similar craft, they lacked the experience or assets to combat against an experienced and determined opponent willing to challenge their control of the aerospace realm. Perhaps the biggest flaw in their doctrine, contrary to the individualistic nature of their Seekers, was the tendency of Galaxy Commanders to micromanage their forces, resulting in a lack of initiative among the lower ranks.[40]

Bloodnames[edit]

Main article: List of Bloodnames § Scorpion Empire (Clan Goliath Scorpion)

Category:Clan Goliath Scorpion Bloodnames

Inter-Clan Relations[edit]

Clan Goliath Scorpion had relatively few friends or enemies for most of their history. In part this was due to the fact their nomadic nature left their territory relatively underdeveloped by Clan standards. While this caused them to be seen as backwards economically and militarily by the other Clans, it also meant there were much fewer targets to fight over and so less inclination to raid their space.

Clan Name Symbol Relationship Reason
Clan Wolf Clan Wolf logo.png Ally Prior to the schism, the Goliath Scorpions were loyal allies of Clan Wolf, although this was very much a one-sided relationship. The sundering of the Wolves and creation of Clan Wolf-in-Exile did cause the Goliath Scorpions to start second-guessing this state of affairs.
Clan Sea Fox Clan Sea Fox Logo.png Ally After the formation of the Scorpion Empire and the arrival of Tiburon Khanate in former Hansa space in search of BattleMech schematics and resources to obtain, Hellion Galaxy was able to challenge them to an honorable Clan Trial before tracking them back to the Chaine Cluster. The formation of a trade enclave in the Chainelane Isles and establishment of joint anti-piracy patrols served to benefit both sides while pacifying the region. The Clan would also exchange public news to the Empire on the political developments in the Inner Sphere. Interactions between the two Clans are characterized by healthy competition alongside mutual respect.
Clan Name Symbol Relationship Reason
Clan Fire Mandrill Clan Fire Mandrill.jpg Enemy Clan Fire Mandrill was hated for the brutal murder of their first Loremaster, Ethan Moreau by Kindraa Mattila-Carrol.
Clan Ice Hellion Clan Ice Hellion.jpg Enemy Clan Ice Hellion was considered one of the few mortal enemies of the Goliath Scorpions, although this would end when they absorbed the remnants of that Clan.

Following their Abjuration from Clan Space after the Wars of Reaving in 3078 and creation of the Escorpion Imperio (and later the Scorpion Empire), the remaining Home Clans are their only enemies due to the growing Bastion philosophy. As such, the Scorpions would spend most of their time dispelling Umayyad rumors and killing and/or expelling Home Clan Watch agents from their realm during the following years.

Ironically, they dismissed Clan Nova Cat's version of mysticism as nonsense.[41][42]

Rulers[edit]

Khans[edit]

See: Khan of Clan Goliath Scorpion

saKhans[edit]

See: SaKhan of Clan Goliath Scorpion

Loremasters[edit]

See: Loremaster of Clan Goliath Scorpion

Chiefs of the Watch[edit]

Era Specific Data[edit]

3061[edit]

Affiliation: Warden
Capital: Roche
Population (Clan space): 67,238,000 (3060)
Population growth rate: 2.4 percent (84/60)
Self-Sufficiency Index: 91 percent

Leaders
Khan: Ariel Suvorov
saKhan: Nelson Elam
Loremaster: Kyrie Ben-Shimon
Scientist-General: Germon (Wilkinson)
Merchant Factor: Palos (Character)
Master Technician: Noam
Senior Laborer: Suu
Chief of the Watch: Rife Nagy

Military
Clusters: 24[43]
WarShips: 17

Clan Space Worlds
Dagda (29 percent)
Huntress (18 percent)
Marshall (36 percent)
Roche (83 percent)
Strana Mechty (7 percent)
Tokasha (23 percent)

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Fields Manual Updates, p. 62: "Goliath Scorpion Touman"
  2. ↑ Historical: Operation Klondike, p. 80: "Clan Goliath Scorpion Cluster"
  3. ↑ Field Manual: Warden Clans, p. 101
  4. ↑ Historical: Operation Klondike, pp. 80–86
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Field Manual: Warden Clans, p. 103
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Field Manual: Warden Clans, p. 104
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Field Manual: Warden Clans, p. 105
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Field Manual: Warden Clans, p. 106
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Field Manual: Warden Clans, p. 107
  10. ↑ Forever Faithful, pp. 56–61
  11. ↑ Forever Faithful, pp. 81–86
  12. ↑ Forever Faithful, p. 165
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Forever Faithful, pp. 136–138
  14. ↑ Forever Faithful, pp. 165–167
  15. ↑ Forever Faithful, pp. 234–238
  16. ↑ Forever Faithful, p. 246
  17. ↑ Forever Faithful, pp. 248–263
  18. ↑ Forever Faithful, pp. 268–269
  19. ↑ Forever Faithful, pp. 272–274
  20. ↑ No Dust, No Wear, p. 211
  21. ↑ No Dust, No Wear, p. 210
  22. ↑ Field Manual Updates, p. 95
  23. ↑ No Dust, No Wear, p. 212
  24. ↑ No Dust, No Wear, p. 212
  25. ↑ No Dust, No Wear, p. 225
  26. ↑ No Dust, No Wear, p. 224
  27. ↑ No Dust, No Wear, p. 230
  28. ↑ No Dust, No Wear, p. 225
  29. ↑ No Dust, No Wear, p. 232
  30. ↑ No Dust, No Wear, p. 235
  31. ↑ No Dust, No Wear, p. 236
  32. ↑ No Dust, No Wear, pp. 236–237
  33. ↑ Wars Of Reaving , p. 38
  34. ↑ Spotlight On: Crimson Seeker Star, p. 9
  35. ↑ Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 6, p. 10
  36. ↑ The Clans: Warriors of Kerensky, p 82.
  37. ↑ Fields Manual Updates, p. 62: "Goliath Scorpion Touman"
  38. ↑ MechWarrior's Guide to the Clans, p. 21. p. 58.
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 Field Manual: Warden Clans, p. 109
  40. ↑ Field Manual: Updates, pp. 62–63
  41. ↑ The Clans: Warriors of Kerensky, pp. 82–83
  42. ↑ Field Manual: Warden Clans, pp. 109–110
  43. ↑ Field Manual: Warden Clans, p. 164

Bibliography[edit]

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