Mitchell Loris

Mitchell Loris
Mitchell Loris
Character Profile
Born 11 April 2765[1]
Affiliation Clan Mongoose
Profession Khan


Mitchell Loris was the first Khan of Clan Mongoose. He was noted as a shrewd and conniving politician, and encouraged his Clan to take what they wanted by either subtle or ruthless means.

History

Early Life

Born on Tikonov, Mitchell Loris was too young to serve in uniform against Stefan Amaris during the war against the Usurper, but his personal charms and self-proclaimed status as an orphan enabled the young Loris to be adopted by SLDF troops. Partaking in Aleksandr Kerensky's Exodus, Loris grew from a mascot and scrounger into a gifted officer of the Logistics Corps. Rising swiftly through the ranks due to his organizational and diplomatic skills, Colonel Loris elected to follow Nicholas Kerensky to Strana Mechty when the Star League in Exile collapsed into internecine warfare.[1]

Khan Loris

When the Clans were formed, Mitchell Loris became the first Khan of Clan Mongoose despite his lack of combat experience. While he evidently possessed enough skill as a warrior to pass his Trial of Position, Loris' main service as Khan was in diplomatic and administrative functions. These talents gained him the favor of ilKhan Kerensky, though Loris' rivals claimed that the Mongoose Khan employed his charisma on behalf of his own Clan in rather disreputable ways.[1]

Campaigning on Circe during Operation KLONDIKE, Khan Loris' diplomacy proved to be an asset overall as he successfully kept disagreements between other Khans from negatively impacting the Clan conquest of that world. The Mongoose campaign also seemed to confirm Loris' lack of martial abilities, since he delegated operational command to his saKhan Borislav Sais.[1] Loris focused on strategic and logistical concerns, and coordinating with the other Clans, though he did see combat several times.[2]

Shortly after the Trial of Annihilation against Clan Wolverine in 2823, Khan Loris attempted to take over Clan Snow Raven; the Ravens had been badly damaged due to Wolverine counterattacks, especially the destruction of the Snow Raven capital of Dehra Dun by a tactical nuclear weapon. Snow Raven Khan Stephen McKenna responded to Loris' scheming by threatening to turn over to the Grand Council incriminating tapes of recorded conversations between Loris and Clan Wolverine Khan Sarah McEvedy, thus depicting Loris as a collaborator with the enemy of the Clans. Loris had no choice but to back off and leave the Ravens alone.[3]

Unable to take advantage of a weakened Clan, Loris decided to turn his Warrior Caste against another target, namely Clan Blood Spirit. The Spirits were a resource-poor Clan with a weak touman, and Loris decided he would take what few assets the Spirits had. What made the Mongoose raids particularly heinous was that Loris ordered his warriors to ignore the Clan rules of engagement, or zellbrigen. As a result of these incessant raids, not only by the Mongoose but also Clan Burrock, Clan Blood Spirit became insular and distrusting of the other Clans.[4]

Death and Legacy

The date and cause of Loris' death is unknown, but Loris had died or retired by 2844 as Davis Riley was Khan of Clan Mongoose that year.

While Khan Loris' use of diplomacy and political skullduggery initially served the interests of Clan Mongoose, ultimately his influence put that Clan on the path to destruction at the hands of its more traditionalist enemies.[1] Loris' successors proved to be less adept than he in the use of politics to achieve the Clan's goals, and by 2868 Clan Mongoose's blatant politicking ironically led to a total lack of allies willing to contest Clan Smoke Jaguar's demand for a Trial of Absorption against the dishonorable Clan.

The fate of Mitchell Loris' descendants following the destruction of his Clan is unknown. While the Jaguars refused to utilize any Mongoose genetic legacies, Clan Cloud Cobra secured the legacies of eleven Mongoose Bloodnames but whether that of Loris was among them is unknown[5][6]

Notes

Shortly after the Annihilation of Clan Wolverine, there was a strong rumor that Loris was directly responsible. It was said Loris ordered the detonation of two tactical nuclear devices at the Raven genetic repository in Dehra Dun, then used his political scheming expertise to frame the Wolverines for the deed.[citation needed] The real reason behind the nuclear destruction of Dehra Dun is not public knowledge, since the Clan Grand Council covered up the truth (see Betrayal of Ideals).

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Historical: Operation Klondike, p. 114: "Mitchell Loris Profile"
  2. Historical: Operation Klondike, p. 71
  3. Field Manual: Warden Clans, p. 128: "Legacy of War"
  4. Field Manual: Crusader Clans, p. 22
  5. Invading Clans, p. 50
  6. Field Manual: Warden Clans, p. 22

Bibliography