List of BattleTech characters

The fictional BattleTech universe is populated by a wide variety of interesting characters. These characters are mostly nobility, as BattleTech has strong politics in its story.

Inner Sphere

Characters who are primarily associated with the Inner Sphere.

Candace Allard-Liao

Oldest daughter of Maxmillian Liao, she was an accomplished MechWarrior before injuries forced her into less active roles. Eventually she met Davion spy Justin Xiang on Sian in 3027. In 3029 at the end of the Fourth Succession War, she escaped with the rescue mission sent for 'Xiang' (Allard), broke off the St. Ives Compact from the battered Confederation, and married Allard. Surviving the assassin that killed her husband, she secretly traveled to Sian while she was believed dead, to kill her sister Romano and place Sun-Tzu Liao on the throne, seeing him as the best option for the Confederation. She has led the Compact in its re-integration into the Capellan Confederation as the St. Ives Commonality, and is among the oldest major players in the Inner Sphere.

Justin Allard

Full name: Justin Xiang Allard, Hanse Davion's Minister of Information. He's the son of Quintus Allard and for a time, a spy on Sian. He masqueraded as a traitor to the Federated Suns and went to Solaris VII, becoming Champion of the games there. Attracting the interest of the Capellan Confederation, he became an important figure in the Maskirovka and his information was largely responsible for the magnitude of the Federated Suns' victories over the Capellan Confederation in the Fourth Succession War. Falling in love with Chancellor Maximilian Liao's eldest daughter, Candace, they left Sian and Candace's holding in the St. Ives Commonality seceded from the Confederation. They had four children: Kai, Kuan-Yin, Cassandra, and Quintus. Taking over his father's job, Justin became Minister of Information, Intelligence and Operations, until his assassination by a Liao terrorist sent by Chancellor Romano Liao.

Kai Allard-Liao

Eldest child of Justin Allard and Candace Allard-Liao. Served with the 10th Lyran Guards during the Clan invasion and engineered the destruction of the Falcon Guards on Twycross. Became champion of Solaris VII, a world famous for its BattleMech Tourneys.

Later he led the First St. Ives Lancers during Operation Bulldog. After the end of the operation he joined Victor Steiner-Davion for the Great Refusal on Strana Mechty where he defeated Khan Vlad Ward of the Wolf Clan and achieved a draw against the Wolf Binary. He was released on his honor by his cousin Sun-Tzu Liao following the St. Ives capitulation to the Capellan Confederation. At some point in 3067 he was rescued or possibly kidnapped by the Bounty Hunter and was sighted in the company of Duke George Hasek of the Federated Suns just prior to the Duke's assault against the Capellan Confederation. He was rescued by Death commandos during Capellan counterattack. His subsequent actions currently remain unknown, however he was killed in the late 3090s on Liao during the Capellan Crusades against the Republic of the Sphere. He was quite possibly the best MechWarrior of his age, with the possible exception of Natasha Kerensky or Phelan Kell.

Jerome Blake

The last Minister of Communications in the Star League. Reformed the Ministry of Communications into ComStar and preserved Terra from the firestorm of the Succession Wars. His works are often quoted by ComStar adepts, especially members of the splinter group Word of Blake.

The Bounty Hunter

A mysterious figure who appeared in the late 2900s, and wears a unique PA(L) (Power Armor - Light) suit. He/she initially only took contracts on notorious criminals, who were more often than not brought back dead. Always a MechWarrior, he/she usually pilots a Marauder which was originally Natasha Kerensky's. Further, Natasha's signature Warhammer is said to be the Bounty Hunter's original mech. More recently he has a Marauder II and a Mad Cat. His mechs are always painted a bright green with currency symbols painted on it. His/her mech is a feared sight on the battlefield. He/she has been active for close to a century leading to speculation that the Bounty Hunter PA(L) suit, 'Mech, and mythos are passed from parent to child or from person to person via the death of the former.

Within the game, the "Bounty Hunter" legend was the topic of a "A-Team" style vid show. This led to greater fame for the legendary character.

Outside of the fiction, the evolution of the character has become a controversial one. Originally a mercenary MechWarrior/Gun-for-hire, the Bounty Hunter has been inevitably compared to Boba Fett of Star Wars and also the Dread Pirate Roberts. The introduction of powered body armor(PA) and the proliferation of this technology, leading to the Bounty Hunter's ownership of a PA(L) suit, has inadvertently served to reinforce the Boba/Jango Fett possibility among a number of fans.

Grayson Death Carlyle

Founder of the mercenary command known as the Gray Death Legion. Known for his innovative battlefield tactics. Pioneered the use of anti-BattleMech infantry. Died in 3065 of cancer. In 3028, on the eve of the Fourth Succession War, Carlyle's Gray Death Legion discovered the Helm Star League Library Core on planet Helm in the Free Worlds League.

Archer Christifori

A Major General of the FedCom Civil War, Christifori began his military career in the Clan Wars under Victor Steiner-Davion, winning the Star League Medal of Honor for his bravery during a drop against Clan forces.He was only one of the two Task Force Bulldog warriors awarded this. He later fought for Victor during the FedCom Civil War. Christifori began his involvement in the war because of the death of his sister. He formed his unit the Archer's Avengers (A2 for short) and successfully took Thorin and Muphrid in 3063 and later, after collaboration with the mercenary unit Snord's Irregulars, Odessa. In 3064-3065 Christifori also led Operation Audacity with A2, Phelan Kell and his Clan Wolf-in-Exile and Adam Steiner and his forces. This operation was designed to check the untimely invasion of the Inner Sphere by Clan Jade Falcon during the FedCom Civil War. This was done by jumping deep into the Jade Falcon occupation zone and taking worlds behind their lines.

His trademark Battlemech is a modified Penetrator, making use of captured Clan Extended Range Large Laser technology that was salvaged from Clan space. Clan technology has consistently given him an advantage over many Inner Sphere pilots.

Plotlines also suggest that he is romantically involved with his XO Colonel Katya Chaffee, a native of Thorin and a victim of neural feedback damage.

Hanse Davion

Known also by his nickname of "The Fox", for his shrewd and cunning military and political strategies. The leader of House Davion in the initial setting, he was famous for several accomplishments. After a raid obtaining thousands of books in the early 31st century, he founded the New Avalon Institute of Science, the first new college of science in the Inner Sphere in centuries. In 3022, he signed the Federated Suns-Lyran Commonwealth, or Fed Com, Accords with Katrina Steiner, laying the foundation for the union of the Federated Suns with the Lyran Commonwealth and his marriage to Katrina's daughter, Melissa.

After the marriage, he launched the Fourth Succession War, and conquered much of the Capellan Confederation. He had five children: Victor Ian, Katherine Morgan (later adopted her maternal grandmother's name of Katrina), Peter Ardan, Arthur, and Yvonne.

In 3039 he turned the might of the united armies of the Federated Commonwealth against the Draconis Combine. However his assaults were undermined by ComStar's covert aid to the DCMS and a tactically brilliant counter-attack, directed by Theodore Kurita that lead to the loss of critical logistical centers, most notably the BattleMech Factories on the planet Quentin. This disastrous turn of events brought the assault on the Combine to a premature halt, led to a stalemate between the Federated Commonwealth and the Draconis Combine and resulted in a unofficial cease-fire between both nations that lasted until 3062.

Publicly, Hanse claimed victory in the War of 3039, as the conflict became known. Indeed, he had succeeded in recapturing several worlds that had been lost to House Kurita in the First Succession War. However privately he admitted that he had been strategically beaten and showed a genuine respect for Theodore Kurita.

In 3050 Hanse again directed the Federated Commonwealth in battle. This time against the clan invasion. Later he took part in the Outreach summit that lead to a detente ceasefire among the Successor States.

His respect for Theodore Kurita combined with strategic considerations lead him to order the Kell Hounds and Wolf Dragoons to Luthien, capital of the Draconis Combine, to bolster the world's defenses against the Clan assault. The Battle of Luthien ended in defeat for Clan Smoke Jaguar and Clan Nova Cat and saved the command integrity of the DCMS. That it was Hanse that ensured the survival of the Federated Suns' most hated enemy speaks tantamount to his visionary political and strategic acumen.

The constant pressure he was under during the clan invasion however, eventually proved too much and he died from a stress-related heart attack in 3052.

Ardan Sortek

Prince's Champion and close personal friend of Hanse Davion. Ardan discovered Maximillian Liao's plot to replace Hanse with a double in 3025.

Ceased to be Prince's Champion upon Hanse Davion's death in 3052, whereupon he was replaced by Galen Cox, reinstated after Cox's apparent death and finally replaced again by Simon Gallagher under Katherine Steiner-Davion's regime, being forced into exile alongside Prince Victor Steiner-Davion and Jerrard Cranston. All of whom served with the Star League Defense Force for the next several years.

He became the primary opponent of Katherine's rule, alongside Dukes Eric Dresari, Morgan Kell, Petyr VanLees and Harrison Bradford, until the assassination of Arthur Steiner-Davion. Arthur's death drove Ardan and his cousin, Bishop Sortek (C.O. of the Davion Royal Guard) to openly revolt, sparking the Federated Commonwealth Civil War. He then became Precentor Martial Victor's second-in-command of the Allied Davion forces in the civil war.

Sortek died in late April 3067, while in his Templar OmniMech, saving Victor's life from a loyalist head-hunting attack during the final battle of New Avalon, the culminating battle of the civil war.

One of the first characters introduced in the first Battletech novel, The Sword and Dagger, he was also one of the last to die in the final novel of the original series, Endgame. Effectively, this makes him the longest running character in the original series of Battletech novels before the start of the Mechwarrior: Dark Age novel series.

Anastasius Focht

Also known as Frederick Steiner. A member of House Steiner, Frederick was used by Aldo Lestrade as a contender for the throne of the Lyran Commonwealth while Aldo would pull the strings. He was commander of the Tenth Lyran Guards during the Fourth Succession War and led a suicidal mission against the Draconis Combine on Dromini IV. Offering himself to Kanrei Theodore Kurita, Frederick saved the lives of his men, though everyone thought him dead. Frederick Steiner joined ComStar under the name Anastasius Focht (German: He who fought, reborn) and became their first Precentor Martial, head of the ComGuards. Focht was dispatched by Primus Myndo Waterly to be their liaison with the Clans. He quickly established a rapport with Khan Ulric Kerensky of the Wolf Clan. Upon discovering that the Clans sought to conquer Terra, home of ComStar, Focht gathered the ComGuards and issued a challenge for a proxy battle on Tukayyid, a world in the Free Rasalhague Republic. If ComStar won, the Clans would move no closer to Terra for the next fifteen years. If the Clans won, ComStar would surrender Terra, join the Clans, and deny their communications services to the Inner Sphere. Focht challenged the seven invading clans and succeeded in defeating Clans Smoke Jaguar, Nova Cat, Steel Viper, Diamond Shark, achieving a draw with Clans Jade Falcon and Ghost Bear, and was defeated by Clan Wolf. Winning four out of the seven battles meant the ComStar won the battle. Focht then deposed the mad Primus Myndo Waterly and worked to reform ComStar. He worked to preserve the truce and keep the Successor States ready for when the Truce runs out.

Morgan Kell

Founder of the Kell Hounds Mercenary unit along with brother Patrick Kell. Cousin of Arthur Luvon, the husband of Archon Katrina Steiner. Rescued the body of Prince Ian Davion by using the Phantom 'Mech skill in single combat against the commander of the Second Sword of Light. After that incident he reduced the Kell Hounds to a single battalion and went to a MechWarrior monastery, the St. Marinus House on the planet Zaniah. After the death of Patrick Kell at the hands of Yorinaga Kurita (the man that Morgan defeated years earlier) he re-formed the Kell Hounds and defeated Kurita. During the Clan invasion he lost his son Phelan to the Wolf Clan on The Rock and led the Kell Hounds on Luthien alongside the Wolf's Dragoons. After the Refusal War between the Wolves and Falcons he created the Arc-Royal Defense Cordon on the border area with Clan Jade Falcon. His son Phelan Kell returned as Khan of the Wolves-in-Exile (Warden Faction). Notable units in the Cordon are the 4th Skye Rangers, 17th Skye Rangers, the entire Wolf-in-Exile touman, Blue Star Irregulars, the Dioscuri, and the Kell Hounds. He is the only Mechwarrior alive with the frightening Phantom Mech ability.

Phelan Kell

Also known as Phelan Ward Khan of the Wolves-in-Exile and one of the best MechWarriors of the era alongside Kai-Allard Liao, and his cousin Victor Steiner-Davion. Son of Morgan Kell and Salome Ward-Kell, he was a mercenary brat with the Kell Hounds until he went to the Naglering Military Academy, where he was forced out following a botched rescue of school children in a Glacier Reserve after the death of his mentor. Captured by Clan Wolf in 3049 while chasing pirates coreward of the Free Rasalhauge Republic and Lyran Commonwealth, he was adopted into the Warrior Caste after saving Khan Ulric Kerensky when the Wolf Clan Flagship was rammed by a Free Rasalhague Republic pilot. During this time, he gained the enemy Vlad of the Wards, partially because both were potential rivals for the Ward honorific surname. After his heroism at Tukayyid, he earned the Ward name after defeating Vlad, becoming, at that time, the only non genetically engineered person to hold one, and was elected saKhan of the Wolves at the age of twenty-two. During the Refusal War between Clans Wolf and Jade Falcon, he led a cross section of Clan Wolf to the Inner Sphere under Ulric's orders, forming Clan Wolf in Exile. He led a contingent during Operation Bulldog, and during the Federated Commonwealth Civil War, he fought off the Jade Falcons and supported Peter Steiner-Davion's claim on the Lyran Alliance.

Hohiro Kurita

Son of Theodore Kurita and Tomoe Sakade, scion of House Kurita and future Coordinator of the Draconis Combine.

Stationed on Turtle Bay with the Fourteenth Legion of Vega when Clan Smoke Jaguar struck the Combine in 3050. He was captured by the Jaguars, only to be freed by Chu-i Shin Yodama and the local Yakuza. He was then posted with the elite Genyosha and bested the Smoke Jaguars on Wolcott. He later led the Genyosha as part of Prince Victor's relief force to the Lyran world of Coventry in 3058 which was then under assault by Clan Jade Falcon.

Hohiro was later appointed the Commanding-General of the Star League Defense Force(3062-3067). He maintained that post until the Star League's dissolution in November 3067.

Omiko Kurita

Daughter of Theodore Kurita and lover of Victor Ian Steiner-Davion. Assassinated during the Federated Commonwealth Civil War by the same assassin who killed Melissa Steiner-Davion and Ryan Steiner. Secretly gave birth to Victor's child before dying. Mother of Sir Kitsune (Fox) Kurita of the Republic of the Sphere. (Confirmed in the first MechWarrior: Dark Age novel, Ghost War.)

Takashi Kurita

Coordinator of the Draconis Combine: bitter enemy of Hanse Davion. Father of Theodore Kurita. Takashi was a strict conservative samurai and a firm believer in the Dictum Honorium. He strongly resisted his son Theodore's political and military reforms but eventually accepted them when Theodore succeeded in repulsing the Federated Commonwealth assault in 3039. In 3052 he committed Seppuku so that Theodore could assume the throne as Coordinator of the Draconis Combine.

Theodore Kurita

Successor Lord of the Draconis Combine. Son of Coordinator Takashi Kurita, with whom he had a long power struggle until Takashi's suicide in the early 3050s. Married to Tomoe Sakade. Father of Omi, Hohiro, and Minoru Kurita. Elected the second First Lord of the reconstituted Star League on Whitting in 3061.

Yorinaga Kurita

A distant cousin of Takashi Kurita, he defeated Hanse Davion's older brother, Ian, but was unable to capitalize on the victory due to the actions of Morgan Kell. After being defeated in 3013 by Morgan on Mallory's World, he retired to a monastery, where he waited until 3025 when Takashi gave him permission to commit Seppuku, provided he first formed an elite unit, the Genyosha, to destroy Morgan Kell and his Hounds. He committed ritual suicide at the end of the Fourth Succession War, after failing to kill Kell.

Aldo Lestrade

A scheming Lyran noble in the 3025 period, his attempts to break the Lyran Commonwealth apart lead to an assassination attempt on Katrina Steiner and Melissa Steiner-Davion, thwarted by Melissa's double. This lead to his and Frederick Steiner's downfall. He was killed by his illegitimate son, Clovis Holstein.

Maximilian Liao

Chancellor of the Capellan Confederation during its darkest days in the Fourth Succession War. Leader of a nation continually at war with House Davion and the Federated Suns after the dissolution of the Star League, Maximilian Liao almost managed to substitute a mind-wiped double for Prince Hanse Davion of the Federated Suns prior to 3025, during the Galtor Campaign. Only ingenuity on the part of Ardan Sortek and the security system on Hanse's BattleMaster 'Mech allowed Hanse to reclaim his identity and kingdom. Hanse used this act by Maximilian Liao to justify the Fourth Succession War. He succumbed to mental instability and eventually died in a mental institution after the war.

Romano Liao

Second daughter of Maximilian Liao, she took control of the Capellan Confederation after the Fourth Succession War, displacing her father. She was considered by many to be insane, and was the almost the image of the insane despot, putting people to death for no reason at all. After successfully having her brother-in-law Justin Allard assassinated, her sister Candace Allard-Liao assassinated her and placed Sun-Tzu Liao on the throne of the Confederation.

Sun-Tzu Liao

Son of the insane Romano Liao; he became Chancellor of the Capellan Confederation after the assassination of his mother. Shortly thereafter he became engaged to the daughter of Captain-General Thomas Marik of the Free Worlds League, Isis Marik. Fully aware that the engagement was purely political in nature and would eventually prove moot because of the circumstances of Isis' birth and Marik's attempts to bear another heir to his throne, he began looking elsewhere for allies/pawns he could use. Sun-Tzu also was partly responsible for the Marik-Liao Offensive of 3057 on the Federated Commonwealth after discovering the death of Marik's son and replacement with a double by Prince Victor Steiner-Davion. Years later when focus again shifted towards the threat of the Clans, Sun-Tzu impressively used both Victor Steiner-Davion and Katrina Steiner-Davion's mistrust against one another to attain the title of the first elected First Lord of the newly formed Star League. As such, he is often referred to by most Capellans as the "Defeater of the Clans" despite his role being largely ceremonial.

In his final year as First Lord, Sun-Tzu decided that the time was ripe for the Confederation to reclaim its lost glory, and started a phenomenal movement known as "Xin Sheng" (New Birth) throughout the Confederation. Having gained the trust of Magistracy of Canopus by aiding them against the Toyama Faction of the Word of Blake and gaining the trust and affections of its young heiress, Naomi Centrella, Sun-Tzu instigated a war with the St.Ives Compact a Pro-Davion state ruled by his aunt Candance Allard-Liao by having an agent implanted within one of the Compact's prestige regiments, the Blackwind Lancers. The Lancers attacked a Confederation border world during the Chancellor's tour of bordering planets along with Isis. Isis was separated from Sun-Tzu only to be rescued by members of the Confederation's House Hiritsu. Declaring this attack an act of war, Sun-Tzu began his assault on the Compact along with his Canopian allies. Everything seemed to be working out just the way the Chancellor had planned.

However the war hardly went the way Sun-Tzu had imagined it, partly due to the Chancellor's refusal to concentrate solely on the St.Ives conflict. Rather, he chose to fight on two fronts with his forces reclaiming worlds in both the Chaos March and the St.Ives Compact:

"Always it must be one way or the other. Always either capitulation or compromise, if you are the Confederation. Give up Chesterton. Give up Tikonov. Give up St.Ives. Vilify the Confederation when it fight for its very survival. Recognize Chaos March realms as legitimate states rather allow the Confederation to reclaim what only rightfully belongs to it. No more."-From Battletech: The Killing Fields by Loren L. Coleman

In spite or anger, Sun-Tzu also broke off his ten-year engagement with Isis Marik sending her away despite the fact that Isis did truly love him. She would later appear at Victor Steiner-Davion's side and would eventually marry him.

Opposition also appeared in the form of Star League forces, Federated Commonwealth units, elements of the Com Guards, the Free Capella Movement led by his uncle Tormano and the newly formed SLDF Nova Cats. It was clear that Victor Steiner-Davion acting as Precentor-Martial of the Com Guards and commander of SLDF was not about to let Sun-Tzu have his way. Also, the deadly deep strikes of the 1st St.Ives Lancers led by Kai Allard-Liao continued to hurt the Confederation. But these weren't the only problems that plagued the Chancellor. His greatest nightmare would nearly destroy the dreams of his newly reborn Confederation

Black May

Sun-Tzu's older sister Kali Liao was the head of the death-worshiping Thugee cult. Much like Romano had been before, Kali was insane and had often been a cat's paw in many of Sun-Tzu's machinations. The St.Ives conflict proved no different when Kali unleashed a massive Nerve gas attack on several St.Ives worlds. With the Kentares Massacre and the Turtle Bay incident fresh in his mind, Sun-Tzu feared that the other Great Houses would use it as a rallying call against his Confederation. Quickly he liaisoned with his aunt Candance and pulled as many resources as possible from the war to deal with the Thugee however the damage had been done, with the Gas attacks claiming the lives of thousands including Tormano Liao. The incident damaged the Confederation's already fragile image, forever known as Black May.

The Trinity Alliance&Victory

The war resumed shortly after the Black May attacks and Kali's trial in the Star League but it became more erratic and brutal. Seeking to bring the war to a swift end, Sun-Tzu sought the aid of another Periphery state in the form of the Taurian Concordat whom bore a grudge against House Davion. With the promise of power and opportunities being offered by the Confederation, the Concordat agreed to form what Sun-Tzu named the "Trinity Alliance". Utilizing the resources of all three states, Sun-Tzu was finally able to deal the crushing blow to the Compact by taking the capital world of St.Ives, ending the bloodied two-year conflict that had claimed the lives of thousands of Capellans. The Confederation was whole again and more importantly, the Capellan people felt strong again, no longer the nation that Hanse Davion broke. Xin Sheng had finally been realized to its fullest.

The Later Years

Sun-Tzu would continue to be active in Inner Sphere politics, helping the Taurian Concordat gain membership to the Star League and prevent Katrina Steiner-Davion from becoming First Lord. During the FedCom Civil War, he pledged his support for Victor Steiner-Davion but this was simply a means for him to solidify his grip on a former Capellan world in FedCom territory, Tikonov. During the Word of Blake Jihad, Sun-Tzu led his Confederation in a war of survival against the Blakists, nearly alone, save for its only allies the Canopians before Devlin Stone came to aid them. He would apparently die on Liao shortly thereafter during "The Slaughter of Liao" or, as Capellans remember it, as "The Night of Screams" when he supposedly ascended to Godhood. Sun-Tzu is remembered as a dangerous enemy, a shrewd politician on par if not greater than Katrina Steiner. Unlike Victor Steiner-Davion, who was more respected for being active on the battlefield, Sun-Tzu was respected for his unpredictable cunning, able to play the role of a fool in one moment and an implacable foe in the next. He gave the Capellan people their pride back and rebuilt a nation on the verge of collapse and is forever remembered by Capellans as the Celestial Wisdom, Father of the Capellan State. He married the Canopian heir, Naomi Centrella, and was also the father of Daoshen Liao and Ilsa Centrella.

Janos Marik

Captain-General of the Free Worlds League in the 3025 era. Prosecuted war ineffectively during the Fourth Succession War, losing territory to the nascent Tikonov Free Republic (later absorbed into the Federated Commonwealth). He was assassinated in 3035 by his nephew Duncan.

Thomas Marik

Son of Janos Marik from his first wife, Hilda Lauber. Captain-General of the Free Worlds League from 3036 until it hoplelessly fractured during the 3070s. A former ComStar acolyte, Thomas was rescued from Duncan Marik's bomb attack by ComStar; he apparently "returned" in 3036 to claim the Captain-Generalcy. Led the Free Worlds League to greater unity, economic prosperity and centralization than it had ever experienced, and in 3057 recovered worlds lost by Janos Marik some twenty years prior. However, Federated Commonwealth agents have secretly proved that the current "Thomas Marik" is actually a double (one in a series of body-double plot twists in the BattleTech universe); novels have subsequently revealed that he is controlled by, or allied to, the Word of Blake. The true Thomas Marik's whereabouts are unknown, but he is widely speculated also to be a member, or possibly a pawn, of the Word of Blake. Recently as of Hotspots: 3070, it is now generally and believed that he is the shadowy figure known as the Master in the Word of Blake.

Frederick Steiner

See Anastasius Focht.

Katrina Steiner

Special note: Not Katherine Steiner-Davion; Katrina is Katherine's grandmother. (Katherine is Victor's sister)

A sickly child, Katrina Steiner surprised her doctors by going on to pilot a BattleMech at the tender age of 12. Graduating from the Nagelring academy in 2994 at just 18, she was posted to the 3rd Arcturan Lancers as an infantry officer and later went through various posting in different military branches. Her stated reason for this was to become well acquainted with all of them. Despite her meandering career path, by 3004 she had risen to the rank of Hauptmann-General.

She disappeared briefly in 3005 before reemerging on Tharkad a year later, seemingly changed and more hostile to her uncle, then Archon Alessandro Steiner.

This, combined with Alessandro's foolish military strategies, led directly to Katrina's coup d'etat against him in 3008 and her subsequent appointment as Archon of the Lyran Commonwealth.

In 3020, Archon Katrina hoped to bring about a diplomatic solution to the Succession Wars. This peace proposal was rejected by all the Successor States but marked a beginning of a cordial relationship with First Prince Hanse Davion and the Federated Suns. By 3022 Katrina and Hanse had signed an alliance treaty between their respective nations and the Archon had willingly betrothed her daughter, Melissa to the First Prince.

She died peacefully at the age of 63, in 3039.

Nondi Steiner

Younger sister of the original Katrina Steiner, Nondi lacked her sister's interest in politics and largely stayed out of the discord between Katrina and Alessandro in 3005.

She embarked on a military career, like her elder sister and also became a Hauptmann-General. However she was a firm Lyran supremacist, highly skeptical of Katrina's peace proposals of the 3020s and hostile to the alliance with the Federated Suns.

She remained distant from the political machinations of the Federated Commonwealth but became enamored of Katherine Steiner-Davion's "Steiner First" attitude. She became General of the Armies following Katherine's secession of the Lyran half of the Federated Commonwealth, but remained blind to her great-niece's megalomaniacal actions, supporting her to the very end. She was killed at the age of 86 in single combat in Tharkad City with her great-nephew, Peter Steiner-Davion. However in the in one of the endings to the game MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries, the player takes part in the battle and can kill her, though an after battle narration says that regardless of who actually killed Nondi, history gives Peter the credit.

Melissa Steiner

Later Melissa Steiner-Davion.

Daughter of Katrina Steiner and wife of Hanse Davion, Melissa Arthur Steiner-Davion became Archon of the Lyran half of the Federated Commonwealth. She was nearly universally beloved by friends, allies, and even enemies. The Lyran people in particular loved her dearly. Which is partially why at 7:21PM, on the 19th of June, 3055, on Tharkad during a banquet she was attending, her assassination, broadcast live across the Inner Sphere, shocked all; even reaching into Clan space, where Phelan Ward learned of Melissa's death, along with the death of his own mother and the maiming of his father via the same bombs. The actual bombs used for the assassination were constructed from four flower pots housing flowering Mycosia pseudoflora plants. (Genetically-engineered versions of the Mycosia blossoms which Hanse Davion had shipped to Terra for his and Melissa's wedding, years before.) Mycosia, the naturally-occurring variety of the plant, blooms only once a year on the planet Andalusia, for a short period. The petals are green. After their surprise appearance at Melissa's wedding, she adopted them as her favorite; seldom appearing in public without some token reminder of the blossoms; more after Mycosia pseudoflora variants were developed that were tolerant of environments other than Andalusia. The pots themselves were clay explosives, activated remotely and detonated by a water absorption timer; when the flowers were watered just before the banquet, the timer was set to go off during her speech.

Ryan Steiner

Second cousin to Melissa Steiner, he fomented secessionist sentiment in the Isle of Skye, a region of the Lyran Commonwealth (later Federated Commonwealth). He was implicated, along with Katherine Steiner-Davion, in Melissa Steiner-Davion's assassination and was in turn assassinated under orders from Victor Steiner-Davion in 3055.

Katherine (Katrina) Steiner(-Davion)

Full name: Katherine Morgan Steiner-Davion.

Previously known as: Archon-Princess Katherine Morgan Steiner-Davion.

Special note: Not Katrina Steiner; Katherine is Katrina's granddaughter, but has taken to calling herself Katrina to reap the benefits of her grandmother's reputation, through association.

Implicated in her mother's assassination, Katherine sought to supplant her elder brother, Victor as the ruler of the Federated Commonwealth. Katherine eventually succeeded in assuming control of the Lyran half of the Federated Commonwealth during the Marik-Liao invasion of 3057, which she renamed the Lyran Alliance and proclaimed it separate from the Federated Commonwealth. She later took control of the Federated Suns' half of the FedCom when Victor Steiner-Davion left for the Clan homeworlds. She succeeded by misleading and then deposing her younger sister, Yvonne. She had finally attained her goal and proclaimed herself the Archon-Princess, even though she had technically only usurped her sister's regency.

This action led to the FedCom Civil War, when her brother Victor, having returned, sought to remove her from power following the assassination of Arthur Steiner-Davion and Victor's presumption of her guilt. After five years of fighting, Katherine and her loyalist forces surrendered to Victor's Allied forces on the 20 April 3067.

Following her removal from power Katherine was handed over to Khan Vlad Ward of Clan Wolf for his promise not to attack the Inner Sphere.

Victor Steiner-Davion

Full name: Victor Ian Steiner-Davion.

Previously known as: Archon-Prince Victor Ian Steiner-Davion.

As the first child of Hanse Davion and Melissa Steiner, he was inherited the most powerful realm of the Inner Sphere, the Federated Commonwealth.

During the initial invasion by the Clans, his unit the 12th Donegal Guards was destroyed on Trellwan (Trell 1) by the Jade Falcons and against his wishes he was ordered to personally withdraw.

Victor now took personal command of a battalion of the 10th Lyran Guards and rallied his forces, this time on the world of Twycross. The Federated Commonwealth forces achieved victory in the battle when Kai Allard-Liao, then serving in the AFFC, single-handedly destroyed a Clan unit that had executed a flanking maneuver that would have overrun the FedCom positions.

After Twycross, Victor and the other heirs and rulers of the Inner Sphere were invited to Outreach by Jaime Wolf. Once there, the origins of the Clans were revealed, and tentative truces were made between the powers of the Inner Sphere to combat the Clan menace.

The Clan invasion began again in late 3051 and again the forces of the Inner Sphere found themselves forced to retreat.

Victor, defending the world of Alyina, once more faced the Jade Falcons. Here they were again overrun, but Victor and the 10th were able to withdraw.

With the Clans stalled by the ongoing Battle of Tukayyid, Victor answered Omi Kurita's personal plea to rescue her brother Hohiro, who, along with his forces, was fighting a losing battle on Teniente against Clan Smoke Jaguar. Victor led the 10th Lyran into battle and successfully extracted Hohiro and his troops.

During the initial years after the Truce of Tukayyid, Hanse Davion died of an apparent heart attack, and shortly after Melissa Steiner was killed in an assassination plotted by Victor's sister, Katherine Steiner-Davion (labeling herself Katrina to appeal to the Steiner half of the Federated Commonwealth). His ill-fated attempt to replace the recently cancer deceased Joshua Marik with a double infuriated Thomas Marik when it was discovered and led to a retaliatory assault by Free Worlds League and Capellan Confederation troops in 3057.

Katherine Steiner-Davion, though already privately implicated in her mother's assassination, used this opportunity and a rarely known clause within the Federated Commonwealth treaty to secede the Lyran half of the realm and abandoned the nominally Lyran Sarna March to the FWL and CapCon assault.

One year later, in 3058, a Jade Falcon incursion into the Lyran Alliance prompted Katherine to request aid from all nations across the Inner Sphere, while secretly withholding crucial intelligence in the hope that her enemies, specifically Victor, would be killed in the ensuing slaughter.

Victor, however, became aware of the size of the Falcon forces on Coventry and, instead of fighting, negotiated 'Hegira' a peaceful withdrawal, by the Jade Falcons, in the town of Whitting. This unified response to a Clan assault laid the foundations for what became known as the Whitting Conference and the subsequent reformation of the Star League.

After the Whitting Conference, Victor led the armies of the Inner Sphere to destroy Clan Smoke Jaguar in Operation: Bulldog. The offensive was successful and Victor traveled to the Clan Homeworlds, where he declared and won a Trial of Refusal against the Clan invasion of the Inner Sphere. During this time period, his sister Katherine Steiner-Davion launched a bloodless coup d'état against his regent and younger sister, Yvonne, removing him from the throne of the Federated Commonwealth.

Now deposed, he retired to Luthien before joining ComStar and replacing the retiring Anastasius Focht as Precentor Martial. Seemingly content to remain out of Inner Sphere politics, Victor was thrust into conflict with his sister Katherine after the assassination of their younger brother Arthur in late 3062. Victor set aside his role as Precentor Martial and for the next five years led his supporters in the FedCom Civil War. Personal tragedy again struck him when Omi Kurita was assassinated on the orders of his sister. After defeating Katherine, he relinquished his claims to the thrones of two nations and returned to ComStar. Yvonne Steiner-Davion was made Regent of the Federated Suns and Peter was made Archon of the Lyran Alliance.

Not long after this, the Word of Blake launched their Jihad, bringing destruction to much of the Inner Sphere. Victor, as Precentor Martial of ComStar, was a leader in this conflict.

Eventually becoming a Paladin within the Republic of the Sphere, Victor went on to lead a full life within the Republic's borders. He was murdered on 26 November 3134 on the orders of a cadre of Republic Senators, led by Geoffrey Mallowes of Skye, in Sante Fe on Terra. He was 104. He is survived by several children and grandchildren, including Kitsune Kurita, his illegitimate son with Omi Kurita and Nessa Davion, daughter of Burton Davion who is Victor's son with Isis Marik.

Galen Cox (Jerrard Cranston)

Originally a Lyran officer in the 12th Donegal Guards, he became Victor Steiner-Davion's Adjutant and close personal friend. He evacuated Victor against the Prince's will from the debacle on Trellwan (Trell I) and again served Victor's adjutant in the 10th Lyran Guards. He fought under Victor's command in the fighting on Twycross, Alyina and Teniente before being appointed Prince's Champion by Victor upon First Prince Hanse Davion's death in 3052.

He became engaged to Katherine Steiner-Davion in 3054. However in April 3056, on Solaris VII, he was believed killed in a bomb assassination ordered by Ryan Steiner.

In actual fact he had been spared when MIIO Agents had linked his fiancee, Katherine to the bomb assassination of Melissa Steiner-Davion and in turn discovered the warning passed on to her by a mole she had placed in Ryan Steiner's staff.

Cox re-emmerged into public life several months later after undergoing cosmetic surgery to disguise his real identity. Under the alias of Jerrard Cranston, he became the new head of MIIO following the second retirement of Quintus Allard.

He accompanied Prince Victor into exile following Katherine's Coup against Regent Yvonne Steiner-Davion. Being formally appointed Director of Intelligence for the Star League Defense Force later the same year.

At the conclusion of the Federated Commonwealth Civil War his true identity was publicly revealed.

Devlin Stone

Little is known about the early life of Devlin Stone. ComStar had no records of his existence until the early 3070s, when he led an insurrection at a Word of Blake prison camp on the world of Kittery. It is in that prison camp that he came into contact with David Lear, son of Kai Allard-Liao. Through David, Devlin met many of the leaders of the Inner Sphere and some of the Clans. Stone prosecuted a hard-fought military campaign that culminated in the liberation of Terra in the 3080s. After the Word of Blake's Jihad was defeated, Stone struck a bargain with all of the Great Houses except the Capellan Confederation to cede control of some of their worlds nearest Terra so that Stone could create his own nation, the Republic of the Sphere. He proved that he had no problem using military force when he took the planets from the Capellans that they had refused to hand over.

Stone benevolently led the Republic of the Sphere as its Exarch until 3130, when he mysteriously disappeared, promising to return again should he be needed. Shortly thereafter, the HPG network was knocked out, leading to Sphere-wide chaos. Despite that, Stone has yet to reappear.

Julian Tiepolo

Primus of ComStar in the initial setting before Myndo Waterly. Worked to introduce the Federated Commonwealth Accord and the Concord of Kapteyn to force continue the fighting. He suffered a massive heart attack that lead to his replacement by Waterly.

Conrad Toyama

The successor to Jerome Blake as head of Comstar. He was responsible for creating the rituals and religion of Blake that would become the hallmarks of Comstar. He was also rumored to have assassinated his predecessor.

Myndo Waterly

Successor to Primus Julian Tiepolo after his death in 3029. Plotted takeover of the Inner Sphere in the ill-fated Operation Scorpion (3052); immediately after its failure she was assassinated by Precentor Martial Anastasius Focht. Waterly's death triggered the Comstar-Word of Blake schism.

Jaime Wolf

Co-founder of the mercenary unit Wolf's Dragoons with brother Joshua Wolf. A former member Clan Wolf, he was a freeborn warrior who, along with his brother Joshua and the infamous Natasha Kerensky, led a long-term reconnaissance mission for the Clans to determine the state of readiness of the Inner Sphere. Wolf served Anton Marik during the Marik Civil War, which cost him the life of his brother, his wife, and 2 of his sons. He later fought for House Kurita, but the treacherous actions of Warlord Grieg Samsonov turned him against the Draconis Combine and Takashi Kurita. Later, he signed on with Hanse Davion, who turned over the world of Outreach to the Dragoons for their service. Wolf later revealed his origins during the early years of the Clan Invasion and trained the Successor State heirs in anti-Clan tactics. Wolf also led his Dragoons to help repel the Smoke Jaguar-Nova Cat assault on Luthien. Wolf is generally regarded as a cautious warrior, and pilots a customized 70-ton Archer BattleMech painted blue and gold. Jaime Wolf was killed on 18 October 3067 during the attack on Outreach by rogue mercenaries hired by the Word of Blake and led by Colonel Wayne Waco.

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The Clans

Characters who are primarily associated with the Clans. Clan naming conventions differ from the more traditional of ones of the Inner Sphere; a Clansman is given only one name at the beginning of his or her life. No surnames are given; they must be earned through combat, later in life. They must be sponsored by a commanding officer in order to compete for a "bloodname," which surnames are called (This article therefore orders them by first name instead of last name.)

Aidan Pryde

From the Ramon Mattlov- Tania Pryde Sibko, Aidan was defeated in his Trial of Position to become a warrior and was given an unprecedented chance to win a second Trial by disguising himself as a freeborn warrior. He eventually ended the charade and entered a Trial of Bloodright to win a chance for the Pryde bloodname. Triumphant, but tainted due to his freeborn connections, he was made commander of a unit as tainted as him, the Jade Falcon Guards, who were all but declared dezgra after their defeat on Twycross. His daring allowed the Falcons to hold their own on Tukayyid, though was martyred there in the defense of his Falcon Guards Cluster. He became an unquestioned hero in the Clan, with his genes being used immediately in the Clan breeding program instead of being subjected to the customary waiting period. His freeborn daughter, Diana, was saved by his sacrifice on Tukayyid, though he only knew her as such at the very end of his life. He attained further honor posthumously, as Diana became Diana Pryde, the second canon freeborn with a bloodname.

Aleksandr Kerensky

The Star League general who liberated Terra from the rule of the usurper Amaris. Afterwards he led the majority of the SLDF (The Star League Defense Force) beyond the Periphery of the Inner Sphere, to eventually create the Clans.

Aleksandr attended Tharkad University, before he became the greater man that he would become. His exploits there eventually landed him a spot in the Nagelring. His rapid ascent through the ranks, as well as his own personal charisma and integrity, made him well-loved and famous among his troops and throughout the Star League. Aleksandr Kerensky was the leader of the army of the Star League until it's collapse in 2784. After the fall of the Star League, which he and his armies labored mightily to prevent, fed up with disputes between the various houses composing the Star League, each declaring it's own Star Lord, he took 80% of the Star League Defense Forces (SLDF) (composed of the best Battlemechs in the galaxy), he led the SLDF on an Exodus out into the Deep Periphery, far out of the reach of any of the scouts of the Inner Sphere, to keep the five Great Houses from using them to their own ends. It was his dream of someday returning to conquer the Inner Sphere and reunite it under one rulership. Upon his death, his son, Nicholas Kerensky created The Clans in a second exodus. The descendants of the SLDF would become the Clans.

Lincoln Osis

Smoke Jaguar Elemental who became Khan of his Clan during the invasion and later became the last ilKhan of the Clans. He presided over the death of his Clan when the Smoke Jaguars were pushed out of the Inner Sphere and were annihilated on their homeworld of Huntress. Osis himself was killed by Victor Steiner-Davion on Strana Mechty.

Marthe Pryde

Growing up in the same sibko as Aidan Pryde, she won her Trial of Position by turning on Aidan and defeating him. She subsequently rose through the ranks to become Khan of her Clan after Khans Vandervahn Chistu and Elias Crichell were killed for dishonorable conduct. She led the Jade Falcon assault on the Lyran world of Coventry and has cooperated with Vladimir Ward of Clan Wolf, the Jade Falcons' hated rivals, to keep their Clans alive and replenish themselves.

Natasha Kerensky

A bio-engineered Wolf Clan Warrior, she was with the Wolf's Dragoons during the intelligence mission until the Clan invasion, when she left the Dragoons to advise the Clans to retreat. Upon Ulric Kerensky's elevation to ilKhan, she was named senior Khan of the Wolves, despite a dispute of legal status. She died in late 3057 during single combat against the Jade Falcon warrior Joanna on the planet Twycross. Also known by her nickname of "The Black Widow". The best and deadliest MechWarrior of the 31st century, with the possible exception of Kai Allard-Liao.

Nicholas Kerensky

Son of Aleksandr Kerensky, and the man who formed the Clans from the remnants of the Star League Defense Force. Nicholas led the original 20 Clans into the Second Exodus to the future Clan Capital world of Strana Mechty. They trained for months and eventually launched Operation Klondike and re-took the Pentagon Worlds from the rebel factions. Nicholas was killed years later during the Clan Widowmaker Absorption Trials by the Widowmaker Khan Carl Jorgennsen.

Phelan Ward

See Phelan Kell.

Ulric Kerensky

A staunch Warden, Ulric was Khan of the Wolves and was the only Khan to oppose the invasion of the Inner Sphere and did not partake in the boasting and overly confident predictions of an easy victory. His foresight was proven correct when the Clans went against stauncher resistance than they anticipated. Ulric's cunning made sure the Wolves did not suffer the same fate. Determined that the only way to stop the Crusaders was to outdo them, he led the Wolves on a quick-paced invasion that culminated with the seizure of key worlds such as Radstadt, Skondia, and Rasalhague. When the ilKhan was killed at Radstadt, Ulric was elected by the Crusaders in an attempt to control him. They failed. Ulric negotiated the Battle of Tukayyid with Precentor Martial Anastasius Focht of ComStar, but because the other Khans did not heed his warnings, they all failed to overcome their foes and win their objectives. The Wolves triumphed. Ulric held the clans to their Truce for seven years before a cynical charge of treason and genocide was leveled against him by the Crusaders. Stripped of his position as ilKhan, Ulric's Trial of Refusal against the Jade Falcons ravaged them and blunted the renewal of the invasion. Ulric Kerensky was killed on Wotan by Jade Falcon saKhan Vandervahn Chistu in a cowardly ambush that violated Clan Law.

Vladimir Ward

A member of House Ward and a staunch Crusader, Vlad captured Phelan Kell on The Rock only to discover that Phelan had a claim to the House of Ward. Phelan and Vlad fought each other during a Trial of Bloodright for a Ward Bloodname. Vlad lost. Embittered, Vlad attempted to undo the Truce of Tukayyid by bringing down Ulric Kerensky by joining a Crusader attempt to slander him. Ironically, during the Refusal War, Vlad became awed and respectful of Ulric though he was a Warden. Enraged by Chistu's cowardly murder of Ulric, Vlad goaded him into a Trial of Grievance where he killed the scheming Jade Falcon. As a reward, Khan Elias Crichell undid Chistu's declaration that the Wolves had been absorbed and created Clan Jade Wolf. Vlad won a Ward bloodname and became Khan of the new Wolves. He challenged Crichell in the Grand Council when he was elected ilKhan and slew him. Vlad re-created Clan Wolf and has since bided his time, rebuilding their strength. His actions during the Great Refusal made sure the Wolves were not bound by it. His Wolves are now the only Crusader Clan legally able to renew the war, once the Truce of Tukayyid runs out.