Difference between revisions of "Northwind"

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{{Update Needed|[[Chaos March (sourcebook)]], [[Era Digest: Dark Age]], [[Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2]]}}
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{{Update Needed|[[Chaos March (sourcebook)]]|[[Grey Watch Protocol]]}}
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'''Northwind''' is a system located two jumps from [[Terra]]. It is the homeworld of the famed [[Northwind Highlanders]] [[mercenary unit]] and the [[Northwind Military Academy]].
 
 
 
{{InfoBoxSystem
 
{{InfoBoxSystem
| image              = Northwind_Neighbors.png
+
| image              = Northwind_3151.svg
| caption            = Northwind neighbouring systems
+
| caption            = Northwind [[#Nearby_Systems|nearby systems]]
 
| name                = Northwind
 
| name                = Northwind
| coord              = 34.12:-2.89{{e}}
+
| coord              = 34.118 : -2.891{{e}}
| stars              =  
+
| stars              =
| class              = G2I<ref name=DARW57>'' Dark Age: Republic Worlds (3130)'', p. 57, "Northwind"</ref>
+
| class              = G2I<ref name=DARW60>''Dark Age: Republic Worlds (3130)'', p. 60: "Northwind"</ref>
| recharge            = 8<ref name=CMp44/>
+
| recharge            = 183 hours
| recharge stations  = Zenith, Nadir<ref name=CMp44>''Chaos March (sourcebook)'', p. 44, "Northwind"</ref>
+
| recharge stations  = Zenith, Nadir<ref name=CMp44>''Chaos March'', p. 44: "Northwind"</ref>
| planets            = 5<ref name=DARW57/>
+
| planets            = 5<ref name=DARW60/>
 
}}
 
}}
 +
__TOC__
  
''Note: X and Y are coordinates (light years on XY plane) relative to [[Terra]] at (0, 0)
+
==System Description==
 +
Northwind is located near the [[Lockdale]] and [[New Stevens]] systems.
  
 +
<!-- Commented out due to lack of information
 +
==System History==
 +
-->
 +
==Political Affiliation==
 +
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
 +
* [[2271]] - Inhabited world<ref name="HB:HMp16">''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 16</ref>
 +
* [[2319]] - [[Terran Hegemony]]<ref name=HB:HK>''Handbook: House Kurita'', p. 18</ref>
 +
* [[2366]] - Terran Hegemony<ref name="HB:HLp17">''Handbook: House Liao'', p. 17</ref>
 +
* [[2571]] - Terran Hegemony<ref name="HB:HLp25">''Handbook: House Liao'', p. 25</ref>
 +
* [[2596]] - Terran Hegemony<ref name="H:RWp159">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 159</ref>
 +
* [[2750]] - Terran Hegemony<ref name="ER:2750p37">''Era Report: 2750'', p. 37</ref>
 +
* [[2765]] - Terran Hegemony<ref name="H:LoTV1p11>''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1'', p. 11</ref>
 +
* [[2771]] - [[Amaris Empire]]<ref name="H:LoTV1p138">''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1'', p. 138</ref>
 +
* [[2774]] - Amaris Empire<ref name="H:LoTV1p138"/>
 +
* [[2786]] - Terran Hegemony<ref name="FSW(SB)p25">''First Succession War'', p. 25</ref>
 +
* [[2822]] - [[Capellan Confederation]]<ref name="FSW(SB)p113">''First Succession War'', p. 113</ref>
 +
* [[2841]] - [[Federated Suns]]<ref name=NHsp-08>''Northwind Highlanders'', p. 8</ref>
 +
* [[3025]] - Federated Suns<ref name=HD133/>
 +
* [[3029]] - Federated Suns<ref name="FSWv1p78"/>
 +
* [[3030]] - Federated Suns{{cn}}
 +
* [[3040]] - [[Federated Commonwealth]]<ref>''Historical: War of 3039'', p. 133</ref>
 +
* [[3050]] - Federated Commonwealth<ref>''Era Report: 3052'', p. 11</ref>
 +
* [[3052]] - Federated Commonwealth<ref>''Era Report: 3052'', p. 23</ref>
 +
* [[3057]] - Federated Commonwealth<ref>''Era Report: 3052'', pp. 10–11</ref>
 +
* [[3058]] - Independent world<ref>''Handbook: House Liao'', p. 60</ref>
 +
* [[3063]] - Independent world<ref>''Era Report: 3062'', p. 29</ref>
 +
* [[3067]] - Independent world<ref>''Handbook: House Liao'', p. 68</ref>
 +
* [[3075]] - [[Word of Blake Protectorate]]<ref>''Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents'', pp. 64–65</ref>
 +
* [[3081]] - [[Republic of the Sphere]]<ref>''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 63</ref>
 +
* [[3085]] - Republic of the Sphere<ref>''Field Manual: 3085'', p. vii: "Inner Sphere - October 3085" (Map)</ref>
 +
* [[3132]] - Republic of the Sphere<ref name=DAINNp40>''Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN'', p. 40</ref>
 +
* [[3135]] - Republic of the Sphere<ref>''Era Report: 3145'', p. 11</ref>
 +
* [[3145]] - Republic of the Sphere<ref name="ER:3145p38">''Era Report: 3145'', p. 38</ref>
 +
* [[3151]] - Republic of the Sphere<ref>''Shattered Fortress'', pp. 102–103</ref>
 +
{{div col end}}
  
{{InfoBoxPlanetStandard
+
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 +
==Northwind II==
 +
{{InfoBoxPlanet
 
| image              = Northwind.jpg
 
| image              = Northwind.jpg
| caption            = Orbital view of Northwind
+
| name                = Northwind II
| name                = Northwind
+
| othernames          =  
| position            = 2<ref name=DARW57/>
+
| position            = Second<ref name=DARW60/>
| distance            = 12 days<ref name=DARW57/><ref name=CMp44/>
+
| distance            = 12 days<ref name=DARW60/><ref name=CMp44/>
| moons              = 2 (Dublin and Glasgow)<ref name=DARW57/>
+
| moons              = 2 (Dublin, Glasgow)<ref name=DARW60/>
| day                =
+
| gravity            = 1.01<ref name=DARW60/>
| gravity            = 1.01<ref name=DARW57/>
+
| pressure            = Thin (Breathable)<ref name=DARW60/>
| pressure            = Thin (Breathable)<ref name=DARW57/>
+
| temperature        = 32°C<ref name=DARW60/>
| temperature        = 32°C<ref name=DARW57/>
+
| water              = 75%<ref name=DARW60/>
| water              = 75%<ref name=DARW57/>
+
| life                = Reptiles<ref name=DARW60/>
| life                = Reptiles<ref name=DARW57/>
+
| continents          = 3 (New Lanark, Kearny, Halidon)<ref name=MS17>''Mercenaries Supplemental'', p. 17</ref>
| date                =  
+
| colonized          =
| year                = 3130<ref name=DARW57/>
+
| demonym            =
| ruler              = Daniel Campbell (Governor)<ref name=DARW57/><br>Finnegan Cochrane (Planetary Legate)<ref name=DARW57/>
+
| language            =
| capital            = Tara<ref name=DARW57/>
+
| religion            =
| population          = 998,268,000<ref name=DARW57/>
+
| population          = 998,268,000 (3130)<ref name=DARW60/><ref name=DARoSp8>''Dark Age: Republic of the Sphere'', p. 8: "Prefecture III"</ref>
| USIIR              =
+
| ruler              =
 +
| political          = [[Planetary Governor of Northwind|Planetary Governor]]
 +
| commander          = Legate [[Finnegan Cochrane]] (3130)<ref name=DARW60/><ref name=DARoSp8/>
 +
| capital            = Tara<ref name=DARW60/>
 
| hpg                = B<ref name=CMp44/>
 
| hpg                = B<ref name=CMp44/>
 +
| hpgrep              =
 
}}
 
}}
 +
===Planetary History===
 +
====Early history====
 +
Northwind was purchased by Clan Stuart during the [[Exodus (2242)|Exodus]] and named for the Clan's old home in Scotland. The Stuarts were joined by the Highlanders, the last vestiges of Scotland's independent military.<ref>''Northwind Highlanders'', p. 6: "Ancient Origins"</ref> To prove their worth, the Highlanders founded Kearny, a mining town.<ref>''Northwind Highlanders'', p. 7: "A New Beginning"</ref>
 +
 +
Having become independent as a result of the Demarcation Declaration, Northwind was subsequently added to the resurgent Terran Hegemony; whilst some worlds joined the Hegemony during its early years as a result of diplomatic and trade incentives, many more were conquered in "campaigns of persuasion" launched by [[Director-General of the Terran Hegemony|Director-General]] [[James McKenna]], the first of which began in [[2316]] and ended with the capture of [[Towne]] in [[2317]]. Northwind was one of the worlds added to the Hegemony during or around the time of this first military campaign.<ref name="HB:HMp16"/><ref name="TSLp16">''The Star League'', p. 16: "Terra's Errant Flock"</ref><ref name="HB:HKp18">''Handbook: House Kurita'', p. 18: "Draconis Combine Founding [2319]"</ref>
 +
 +
In [[2362]], the Clan Elders that ruled Northwind elected to raise a standing army, the [[Northwind Highlanders]].<ref name="MS:16">''Mercenaries Supplemental'', p. 16</ref> The Highlanders became an elite [[mercenary unit]]. Because of this, many aspiring mercenaries traveled to Northwind to learn the trade and employers frequented the planet to hire the Highlanders, creating an informal [[hiring hall]].<ref name="MS:16"/>
  
'''Northwind''' is a planet located two jumps from [[Terra]]. It is the homeworld of the famed [[mercenary unit]] the [[Northwind Highlanders]] and [[Northwind Military Academy]].
+
====Amaris Civil War====
 +
[[Stefan Amaris]] forces attacked Northwind during the [[Amaris Coup]]. In their initial attack, the Republicans were more successful than on [[New Dallas]]: they crippled three Highlander regiments on the first day, driving the survivors into hiding, and a week later, Northwind was effectively under Amaris thumb. But the Republican forces were only partially successful; as Northwind was a staunchly pro-[[House Cameron|Cameron]] world, they were met with derision and hostility by the locals. The Highlanders quickly formed resistance groups—the most united planetary resistance within the Hegemony. Despite Amaris moving more and more forces onto the planet to fight the insurgents, he never subdued them; the population continued to resist, and with the help of the [[Secret Fleet (Star League)|Secret Fleet]], the resistance was always well manned and supplied.<ref name=H:LoT2p38>''Historical: Liberation of Terra 2'', p. 38</ref>
  
==Owner History==
+
In [[2775]], the SLDF finally arrived to liberate the planet: as soon the [[3rd Army (Star League)|Third Army]] arrived in-system, the [[Northwind Covenanters]] resistance movement struck hard against the Amaris forces and government with every man they could muster, preoccupying them so they were unable to respond effectively to the landing SLDF forces. In the first few days, the Amaris troops launched nuclear attacks against [[LXIX Corps (Star League)|LXIX Corps]] and some of the largest cities on planet before losing access to their strategic reserves. Later they used civilians to shield their movements, enraging the population even more. By the end of June, the Amaris garrison was broken, but not before the Covenanters also ceased to be an effective force. The remaining Amaris forces entrenched inside the planet's lone [[Castle Brian]] were cleared out by LXIX Corps by the beginning of [[2776]].<ref name=H:LoT2p38-39>''Historical: Liberation of Terra 2'', pp. 38–39</ref>
* [[2271]] - Inhabited world <ref name="HB:HMp16">''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 16, "Free Worlds League Founding [2271]"</ref>
 
* [[2319]] - [[Terran Hegemony]] <ref name=HB:HK>''Handbook: House Kurita'', p. 18, "Draconis Combine Founding - 2319"</ref>
 
* [[2366]] - Terran Hegemony <ref name="HB:HLp17">''Handbook: House Liao'', p. 17, "Capellan Confederation Foundation [2366]]"</ref>
 
* [[2571]] - Terran Hegemony <ref name="HB:HLp25">''Handbook: House Liao'', p. 25, "Capellan Confederation After Age of War [2571]]"</ref>
 
* [[2596]] - Terran Hegemony <ref name="H:RWp159">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 159, "Inner Sphere - 2596"</ref>
 
* [[2750]] - Terran Hegemony <ref name="ER:2750p37">''Era Report: 2750'', p. 37, "Inner Sphere - 2750"</ref>
 
* [[2765]] - Terran Hegemony <ref name="H:LoTV1p11>''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1'', p. 11, "Inner Sphere - 2765"</ref>
 
* [[2771]] - [[Amaris Empire]] <ref name="H:LoTV1p138">''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1'', p. 138, "Operation LIBERATION Wave 1 [July 2772 - December 2774]"</ref>
 
* [[2774]] - Amaris Empire <ref name="H:LoTV1p138"/>
 
* [[3025]] - [[Federated Suns]]<ref name=HD133/>
 
* [[3030]] - Federated Suns {{cn}}
 
* [[3040]] - [[Federated Commonwealth]] <ref>''Historical: War of 3039'', p. 133, "Inner Sphere - 3040"</ref>
 
* [[3052]] - Federated Commonwealth {{cn}}
 
* [[3057]] - Independent world {{cn}}
 
* [[3062]] - Independent world {{cn}}
 
* [[3067]] - Independent world {{cn}}
 
* [[3130]] - [[Republic of the Sphere]] <ref name=DARW57/><ref name="MOTIS3130">''Map of the Inner Sphere 3130''</ref>
 
  
==Geography==
+
====Second Succession War====
Northwind is composed of three continents: New Lanark, Kearny, and Halidon. All three continents have roughly the same level of development.<ref name=MS17>''Mercenaries Supplemental'', p. 17</ref>
+
After the fall of the [[Star League]], Northwind was fought over by the [[Successor States]]. The Highlander regiments became a mercenary unit in service to the [[Capellan Confederation]], though some regiments were able to continue to garrison Northwind.<ref name=NHp8a>''Northwind Highlanders'', p. 8: "Troubled Times"</ref>
  
New Lanark is the largest landmass, the location of the capital city of Tara and [[Northwind Military Academy]]. Each of those locales is situated near the Tilman River. Tara, formerly Cromarty City, is home for over two million inhabitants in [[3067]]. The Castle, a [[Star League]]-era fort that serves as the command center for the Northwind Highlanders, is also located within Tara. The planetary capital's architecture is inspired by pre-spaceflight Scotland, with cobblestone streets and bountiful taverns. Situated within the city is Peace Park, so dedicated by the [[First Lord]] of the Star League in [[2657]]. Tara is serviced by Kohler Spaceport.<ref name=MS17 />
+
Northwind was conquered by the [[Federated Suns]] during the [[Second Succession War]]. In [[2841]], [[House Davion]] sent an invasion force that [[Battle of Northwind (2841)|overwhelmed]] the defending [[Stuart's Highlanders]] and [[Third Kearny Highlanders]]. The Highlander regiments fought to the last, but it was not enough.<ref name=NHp8b>''Northwind Highlanders'', p. 8: "The Darkest Hour"</ref><ref name=H:HDp60>''Handbook: House Davion'', p. 60</ref>
  
Kearny, the second largest continent, is home to the world's second most populous city of the same name.<ref name=MS17 />
+
====Fourth Succession War====
 +
Although [[Coordinator]] [[Takashi Kurita]] had focused his attentions on [[Wolf's Dragoons]] in the early stages of the [[Fourth Succession War]], the pleas for assistance from [[Chancellor]] [[Maximilian Liao]] prompted him to plan two targeted offensives against the Federated Suns. One of these was a strike against Northwind, a world the [[DCMS]] believed it could use as a springboard for attacks against other worlds in the region near [[Terra]] in an effort to isolate the Federated Suns and [[Lyran Commonwealth]] from each other. Assigned to the offensive were the [[Fifth Sword of Light]], [[Thirty-sixth Dieron Regulars]] and the [[Genyosha]]; defending Northwind at the time were the [[Fifth Deneb Light Cavalry]] [[RCT]] and two mercenary units, [[Bradley's Bravos]]—a part of the [[Kell Hounds]]—and [[Team Banzai]].<ref name="FSWv1p78"/>
 +
 
 +
The DCMS landings concentrated on the region around the Cairngorm Mountains on New Lanark, landing close to the city of Cromarty, which was the largest city on New Lanark and home to Northwind's [[AFFS]] garrison. The garrison initially managed to fight the DCMS forces to a standstill, highlighting that the battle for control of Northwind would be long and hard-fought. After the initial battles DCMS forces poisoned the reservoir supplying Cromarty, in a strategy believed to have been devised by [[General]] [[Palmer Conti]], the commanding officer of the Fifth Sword of Light.<ref name="FSWv1p78"/>
 +
 
 +
Within a day of the reservoir being poisoned people in Cromarty were being hit by ptomaine poisoning, and while vaccinations and treatment saved some, the city was soon overwhelmed by the number of sick and dying people, with half of the Fifth Deneb Light Cavalry infected. By the time the defenders determined that the reservoir was the source and shut off the water supply, five thousand people were dead; the pressure on the city was intense, with bodies being burned in building furnaces, and the Thirty-sixth Dieron Regulars used the opportunity to launch an attack. While half the Fifth Deneb Light Cavalry had been incapacitated, the other half were still fit for duty, along with both mercenary commands, due to their water being drawn from a well, rather than the city supply; the defenders managed to rebuff the attack, but the senior active officer from the Fifth, [[Major]] Collins, was lured into pursuing the Thirty-sixth as they retreated and led his forces into an ambush in which the Fifth Sword of Light overran the Light Cavalry and scattered the surviving warriors.<ref name="FSWv1p78"/>
 +
 
 +
Dr. Banzai led Team Banzai in an attempt to save the Light Cavalry, only to be blocked by the Genyosha, who inflicted heavy damage on the mercenaries and incapacitated Dr. Banzai himself as he attempted to fight three assault [['Mech]]s alone. The surviving elements of Team Banzai withdrew into the Rockspires region of the Cairngorm Mountains with all of the surviving members of Bradley's Bravos and the Light Cavalry they could find, preparing to fight a last stand.<ref name="FSWv1p78"/>
 +
 
 +
The defending forces didn't know that negotiations had been conducted in secret between [[First Prince]] [[Hanse Davion]] and the four regiments of the Northwind Highlanders, using General [[Ardan Sortek]] and the Clan Stuart Elders as proxies. Prince Davion convinced the Northwind Highlanders to leave the service of the Capellan Confederation in exchange for garrisoning Northwind and certain other concessions. The [[Northwind Agreement]] was signed in December [[3028]] and the Highlanders abandoned their positions along the Capellan-Suns border and returned to their ancestral homeworld. They arrived on 12 January [[3029]] and immediately began engaging the DCMS forces on the planet, forcing them to retreat and saving the survivors of the AFFS garrison.<ref>''NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1'', p. 40: "Overview"</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Davion'', p. 79: "Timeline: Fourth Succession War through the Clan Invasion"</ref><ref>''Northwind Highlanders'', pp. 9, 24: "Homecoming" and "Situation"</ref>
 +
 
 +
The presence of four regiments of experienced Highlander regiments on Northwind, all keen to prove their value to their new liege effectively blocked the DCMS campaign in the Terran region stillborn.<ref name="FSWv1p78"/>
 +
 
 +
====Operation GUERRERO====
 +
Northwind remained peaceful until [[3057]]. In conjunction with [[Operation GUERRERO]] and the Capellan offensive against the [[Federated Commonwealth]], [[Chancellor]] [[Sun-Tzu Liao]] dispatched [[Loren Jaffray]] to offer to recognize the independence of Northwind. Jaffray, a [[Death Commando]] and a descendant of a former Highlander who remained with the [[CCAF]], was on a covert operation to destroy the Highlanders, or at least deprive the Federated Commonwealth of their services. Jaffray's mission was helped by the Highlanders' increasing dissatisfaction with the [[AFFC]]. [[MacLeod's Regiment]] was the only Highlander unit on world when Jaffray made his offer. The regiment was split, sparking a civil war within it. The [[Third Royal Guards]] were called in to help the Commonwealth supporters, but the pro-independence faction was able to hold out until [[Stirling's Fusiliers]] returned to help. The combined Highlander force destroyed the Third Royals. Northwind had achieved independence, and it would become a bastion of stability in the [[Chaos March]].<ref name=NHp10>''Northwind Highlanders'', p. 10: "Independence at Last"</ref>
 +
 
 +
==== Jihad ====
 +
In [[3066]], the Northwind Highlanders joined [[Jaime Wolf]]'s [[Allied Mercenary Command]], putting them in direct opposition to [[Word of Blake]] and the expanding [[Word of Blake Protectorate]].<ref>''Dawn of the Jihad'' and ''Blake Ascending'', p. 24</ref> In September [[3067]], four Clan elders died under mysterious circumstances. The Highlanders who were away from Northwind immediately broke their contracts to return home to vote on new leaders.<ref>''Dawn of the Jihad'' & ''Blake Ascending'', p. 28: "War Strikes Mercenaries!"</ref><ref>''Dawn of the Jihad'' & ''Blake Ascending'', pp. 29–30: "Northwind Highlanders Returning Home"</ref> In December 3067, Word of Blake naval forces jumped into the Northwind system as part of their [[Jihad]]. Blakist naval assets began a blockade while ground assets seized the [[HPG]] station.<ref name="DotJp33">''Dawn of the Jihad'' & ''Blake Ascending'', p. 33: "Northwind Blockade"</ref><ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: 3070'', pp. 11–12, and ''Blake Ascending'', pp. 171–172: "Timeline of the Jihad"</ref> The HPG station was taken offline on 9 November [[3068]] at the same time that rumors of an orbital bombardment of the planet's surface began to circulate.<ref name="J:FRp46">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 46: "The Jihad in Review"</ref><ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: 3070'', pp. 32–33, and ''Blake Ascending'', pp. 192–193: "Northwind Silenced"</ref><ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: 3072'', p. 11: "Timeline of the Jihad''</ref> WoB forces destroyed at least two [[JumpShips]] belonging to the [[First Kearny Highlanders]], the ''[[Edinborough Express]]'' and the ''[[Highland Courier]]''. This was seen by the independent JumpShip ''[[Beautiful Harvest]]''.<ref name=WoB_destroy_NH_JumpShip>''Word of Blake Ships Destroy Highlander JumpShips''</ref> At that time the only WoB ship identified was the WBS ''[[Hidden Meaning]]''.<ref name="DotJp33"/>
  
Halidon is the smallest continent on Northwind. It is home to the aerospace annex of NMA. The planet's secondary spaceport services Halifax City.<ref name=MS17 />
+
The Word of Blake ceased to exert any control over Northwind in December [[3077]], when liberation forces from the allied coalition arrived to find that the Northwind population had evidently been the victims of an elaborate, long-term deception; the population believed that the Word of Blake had placed their world under an impenetrable blockade, a deception sustained through the Word's destruction of all of Northwind's satellite comms net, aerospace assets and the planetary HPG. Instead of a world nuked from orbit like Outreach, the coalition forces instead found no Word presence in the system. The Highlanders then joined the fight against the Blakists for the remaining of the Jihad.<ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: Terra'', p. 56: "The Mysterious Case of Northwind"</ref><ref name="J:FRp58">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 58: "The Jihad in Review"</ref>
  
==History==
+
====Dark Age====
Northwind was purchased by Clan Stuart during the [[Exodus (2242)|Exodus]] and named for the Clan's old home in Scotland. The Stuarts were joined by the Highlanders, the last vestiges of Scotland's independent military.<ref>''Northwind Highlanders'', p. 6, "Ancient Origins"</ref> To prove their worth, the Highlanders founded Kearny, a mining town.<ref>''Northwind Highlanders'', p. 7, "A New Beginning"</ref>
+
When the Jihad ended, Northwind joined [[Devlin Stone]]'s [[Republic of the Sphere]] with the bulk of the Highlanders joining the Republic's armed forces.<ref name=DARW60/> However, by the end of December [[3079]], Northwind was among the more than twenty planets to have suffered an outbreak of the [[Redburn Virus]] and only one of eight to suffer from an infection rate of more than 150 per 100,000 people, as well as a mortality rate of more than 30 per 100,000 from the virus.<ref name="J:FRp13">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 13: "Plagued by Blake"</ref>
  
Having become independent as a result of the Demarcation Declaration, Northwind was subsequently added to the resurgent Terran Hegemony; whilst some worlds joined the Hegemony during its early years as a result of diplomatic and trade incentives, many more were conquered in "campaigns of persuasion" launched by [[Director-General]] [[James McKenna]], the first of which began in [[2316]] and ended with the capture of [[Towne]] in [[2317]]. Northwind was one of the worlds added to the Hegemony during or around the time of this first military campaign.<ref name="TSLp16">''The Star League'', p. 16, "Terra's Errant Flock"</ref><ref name="HB:HMp16">''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 16, "Free Worlds League Founding [2271]"</ref><ref name="HB:HKp18">''Handbook: House Kurita'', p. 18, "Draconis Combine Founding [2319]"</ref>
+
By July [[3132]], Northwind was a significant tourist destination, its capital Tara attracting particular attention.<ref name=DAINNp40/> That month, starting on the 9th, the planet hosted the Borderless Security Conference, also called the Cross-Prefecture Defense Conference. Officials from five prefectures attended, including [[Aaron Sandoval II|Aaron Sandoval]] on his own behalf, the Legate of [[Terra]] on behalf of Exarch [[Damien Redburn]], and [[Tokada Imurra]] on behalf of [[Katana Tormark]].<ref>''Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN'', p. 27: "Campbell Welcomes Sandoval to Borderless Security Conference on Northwind"</ref>
  
In [[2362]] the Clan Elders that ruled Northwind elected to raise a standing army, the [[Northwind Highlanders]].<ref>''Mercenaries Supplemental'', p. 16, "Northwind"</ref> The Highlanders became an elite [[mercenary unit]]. Because of this, many aspiring mercenaries traveled to Northwind to learn the trade and employers frequented the planet to hire the Highlanders, creating an informal [[hiring hall]].<ref>''Mercenaries Supplemental'', p. 16, "Northwind: Off the Beaten Path"</ref>
+
On 7 June [[3133]],<ref name="ED:DAp10">''Era Digest: Dark Age'', p. 10: "Dark Age Timeline"</ref> Northwind was attacked by the [[Steel Wolves]] under the command of their new leader, [[Anastasia Kerensky]]. The Northwind Highlanders successfully repulsed the attack despite [[Tara Campbell]]'s forces being distributed throughout the Prefecture.<ref name="ED:DAp7">''Era Digest: Dark Age'', p. 7: "Important Military Actions of 3133"</ref> Although the first major Steel Wolves action launched under the command of the former [[Clan Wolf-in-Exile]] warrior was a failure, Anastasia Kerensky would return to Northwind.<ref name="ED:DAp8">''Era Digest: Dark Age'', p. 8: "3133: Maneuvers"</ref> Her second invasion of Northwind, launched on 17 February [[3134]],<ref name="ED:DAp10"/> was no more successful than her attack the year before but did spark a chain of events that led ultimately to the death of [[Ezekiel Crow]], the infamous Black Paladin,<ref name="ED:DAp10"/><ref name="ED:DAp9"/> as well as prompting Kerensky to launch her subsequent attack on [[Terra]].<ref name="ED:DAp9">''Era Digest: Dark Age'', p. 9: "Important Military Actions of 3134"</ref>
  
After the fall of the [[Star League]], Northwind was fought over by the [[Successor States]]. The Highlander regiments became a [[mercenary unit]] in service to the [[Capellan Confederation]], though some regiments were able to continue to garrison Northwind.<ref>''Northwind Highlanders'', p. 8, "Troubled Times"</ref>
+
The planet's HPG station was one of the few working inside the Republic of the Sphere in [[3135]].<ref name=EDDAp4>''Era Digest: Dark Age'', p. 4: "Functional Republic HPGs as of 01 January 3135"</ref> After the establishment of [[Fortress Republic]], Northwind stayed safe for about a decade inside [[The Wall]]; however, in [[3149]], [[Devlin Stone]] brought down the Wall and the Fortress Republic Space was invaded by two Clans and two states, targeting Northwind to take its functional HPG.<ref>''Shattered Fortress'', p. 101</ref> The [[Battle of Northwind (3150)|Battle of Northwind]], or [[Operation CLARITY]] for the Capellan Confederation, was launched in November 3150. The Capellan forces—three CCAF regiments and [[Warrior House Imarra]]—outnumbered the defenders. Even the appearance of a new Highlander unit, the secret [[Grey Watch]] defense regiment, or the arrival of Tara Campbell and her Highlander battalion weren't enough to defeat the invaders, especially when they received assistance from two Kuritan regiments in December: the [[Fourth Dieron Regulars]] and a new unit, the [[Hikage]].<ref>''Shattered Fortress'', p. 96</ref> But the two Houses didn't cooperate and Republican agents pitted them against each other. All the invaders retreated after the HPG station was blown, not realizing that only the upper parts of the complex were destroyed and could have been rebuilt. Soon after, the bulk of the Highlanders departed to defend Terra.<ref>''Shattered Fortress'', p. 97</ref>
  
Northwind was conquered by the [[Federated Suns]] during the [[Second Succession War]]. In [[2841]], [[House Davion]] sent an invasion force that overwhelmed the defending [[Stuart's Highlanders]] and [[3rd Kearny Highlanders|Third Kearny Highlanders]]. The Highlander regiments fought to the last, but it was not enough.<ref>''Northwind Highlanders'', p. 8, "The Darkest Hour"</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Davion'', p. 60</ref>
+
====ilClan Era====
 +
After the [[Battle of Terra (3151)|Battle of Terra]], Northwind was constantly attacked by Capellan mercenaries, who succeeded in keeping the Highlanders busy and slowly weakening them.<ref>''Perception of Victory'' </ref>
  
During the [[Fourth Succession War]], the Federated Suns convinced the Northwind Highlanders to leave the service of the Capellan Confederation in exchange for garrisoning Northwind. The Northwind Agreement was signed in December [[3028]] and the Highlanders abandoned their positions along the Capellan-Suns border and returned to their ancestral homeworld. They arrived on 12 January [[3029]] and quickly dispatched a Combine military presence that was in-system that included the [[Fifth Sword of Light]] and the [[Thirty-Sixth Dieron Regulars]].<ref>''NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1'', p. 40, "Overview"</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Davion'', p. 79, "Timeline: Fourth Succession War through the Clan Invasion"</ref><ref>''Northwind Highlanders'', p. 9, "Homecoming" & p. 24, "Situation"</ref>
+
But that changed after the surviving Highlanders returned to Northwind. There, The Twelfth Hastati were dissolved and re-formed the First Kearny Highlanders. The Grey Watch was reinforced and remained stationed on Northwind, now an independent world.<ref>''Shrapnel'', issue #11, pp. 77–78</ref>
  
Northwind remained peaceful until [[3057]]. In conjunction with [[Operation Guerrero]] and the Capellan offensive against the [[Federated Commonwealth]], [[Chancellor]] [[Sun-Tzu Liao]] dispatched [[Loren Jaffray]] to offer to recognize the independence of Northwind. Jaffray, a [[Death Commando]] and a descendant of a former Highlander who remained with the [[CCAF]], was on a covert operation to destroy the Highlanders, or at least deprive the Federated Commonwealth of their services. Jaffray's mission was helped by the Highlanders' increasing dissatisfaction with the [[AFFC]]. [[MacLeod's Regiment]] was the only Highlander unit on world when Jaffray made his offer. The regiment was split, sparking a civil war within it. The [[Third Royal Guards]] were called in to help the Commonwealth supporters, but the pro-independence faction was able to hold out until [[Stirling's Fusiliers]] returned to help. The combined Highlander force destroyed the Third Royals. Northwind had achieved independence and became a bastion of stability in the [[Chaos March]].<ref>''Northwind Highlanders'', p. 10, "Independence At Last"</ref><ref>''Highlander Gambit''</ref>
+
===Military Deployment===
 +
{{columns-start|num=3}}
 +
====2786====
 +
* [[Third Kearny Highlanders]]<ref name="FSWp136">''First Succession War'', p. 136: "First Succession War Deployment Table - CCAF"</ref>
 +
* [[Stuart's Highlanders]]<ref name="FSWp136"/>
  
In [[3066]], the Northwind Highlanders joined [[Jaime Wolf]]'s [[Allied Mercenary Command]], putting them in direct opposition to [[Word of Blake]] and the expanding [[Word of Blake Protectorate]].<ref>''Dawn of the Jihad'' & ''Blake Ascending'', p. 24</ref> In September [[3067]], four Clan elders died under mysterious circumstances. The Highlanders who were away from Northwind immediately broke their contracts to return home to vote on new leaders.<ref>''Dawn of the Jihad'' & ''Blake Ascending'', p. 28, "War Strikes Mercenaries!"</ref><ref>''Dawn of the Jihad'' & ''Blake Ascending'', pp. 29-30, "Northwind Highlanders Returning Home"</ref> In December 3067, Word of Blake naval forces jumped into the Northwind system as part of their [[Jihad]]. Blakist naval assets began a blockade while ground assets seized the HPG station.<ref>''Dawn of the Jihad'' & ''Blake Ascending'', p. 33, "Northwind Blockade"</ref><ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: 3070'', pp. 11-12 & ''Blake Ascending'', pp. 171-172, "Timeline of the Jihad"</ref> The HPG station was taken offline on the 9th of November [[3068]] at the same time that rumors of an orbital bombardment of the planet's surface began to circulate.<ref name="J:FRp46">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 46, "The Jihad In Review"</ref><ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: 3070'', pp. 32-33, & ''Blake Ascending'', pp. 192-193, "Northwind Silenced"</ref><ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: 3072'', p. 11, "Timeline of the Jihad''</ref>  
+
====2821====
 +
* Third Kearny Highlanders<ref name="FSWp136"/>
 +
* Stuart's Highlanders<ref name="FSWp136"/>
  
The Word of Blake ceased to exert any control over Northwind in December [[3077]], when liberation forces from the allied coalition arrived to find that the Northwind population had evidently been the victims of an elaborate, long-term deception; the population believed that the Word of Blake had placed their world under an impenetrable blockade, a deception sustained through the Word's destruction of all of Northwind's satellite comms net, aerospace assets and the planetary HPG. Instead of a world nuked from orbit like Outreach, the coalition forces instead found no Word presence in the system.<ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: Terra'', p. 56, "The Mysterious Case of Northwind"</ref><ref name="J:FRp58">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 58, "The Jihad in Review"</ref>
+
====2841====
 +
* Third Kearny Highlanders<ref name=NHsp-08/>
 +
* Stuart's Highlanders<ref name=NHsp-08/>
  
When the Jihad ended, Northwind joined [[Devlin Stone]]'s [[Republic of the Sphere]].<ref name=DARW57 /> However, by the end of December 3079 Northwind was one of more than twenty planets to have suffered an outbreak of the [[Redburn Virus]], and one of eight to suffer from an infection rate of more than 150 out of every 100,000 people, as well as a mortality rate of more than 30 per 100,000 from the virus.<ref name="J:FRp13">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 13, "Plagued By Blake"</ref>
+
====2865====
 +
* [[First Kearny Highlanders]]<ref>''House Liao (The Capellan Confederation)'', p. 81</ref>
  
==Planetary Garrison==
+
====3025====
===3025===
+
* [[Fifth Deneb Light Cavalry]] [[RCT]]<ref name=HD133>''House Davion (The Federated Suns)'', p. 133: "Unit Deployment Table"</ref><ref name="NAIS4SWp11">''NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1'', p. 11: "Operation RAT"</ref>
* [[5th Deneb Light Cavalry|Fifth Deneb Light Cavalry]] [[RCT]]<ref name=HD133>''House Davion (The Federated Suns)'', p. 133, "Unit Deployment Table"</ref><ref name="NAIS4SWp11">''NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1'', p. 11, "Operation RAT"</ref>
 
  
===3028===
+
====3028====
 
* Fifth Deneb Light Cavalry RCT<ref name="NAIS4SWp11"/>
 
* Fifth Deneb Light Cavalry RCT<ref name="NAIS4SWp11"/>
 
+
* [[Bradley's Bravos]]<ref name="FSWv1p78">''NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1'', pp. 78–79: "Northwind"</ref>
===3038-3040===
+
* [[Team Banzai]]<ref name="FSWv1p78"/>
* [[Northwind Highlanders]]<ref name="H:Wo3039p141">''Historical: War of 3039'', p. 141, "Deployment Table"</ref>
+
{{column}}
 +
====3038–3040====
 +
* [[Northwind Highlanders]]<ref name="H:Wo3039p141">''Historical: War of 3039'', p. 141: "Deployment Table"</ref>
 
:* [[MacLeod's Regiment|MacLeod's Highlanders]]<ref name="H:Wo3039p141"/>
 
:* [[MacLeod's Regiment|MacLeod's Highlanders]]<ref name="H:Wo3039p141"/>
 
:* [[Stirling's Fusiliers]] (until end of [[3039]])<ref name="H:Wo3039p141"/>
 
:* [[Stirling's Fusiliers]] (until end of [[3039]])<ref name="H:Wo3039p141"/>
:* [[1st Kearny Highlanders|First Kearny Highlanders]]<ref name="H:Wo3039p141"/>
+
:* [[First Kearny Highlanders]]<ref name="H:Wo3039p141"/>
:* [[2nd Kearny Highlanders|Second Kearny Highlanders]]<ref name="H:Wo3039p141"/>
+
:* [[Second Kearny Highlanders]]<ref name="H:Wo3039p141"/>
  
===3050===
+
====3050====
 
* Northwind Highlanders<ref name=20YU19/>
 
* Northwind Highlanders<ref name=20YU19/>
:* MacLeod's Highlanders<ref name=20YU19>''20 Year Update'', p. 19, "Federated Commonwealth Deployment Table"</ref>
+
:* MacLeod's Highlanders<ref name=20YU19>''20 Year Update'', p. 19: "Federated Commonwealth Deployment Table"</ref>
 
:* Stirling's Fusiliers<ref name=20YU19/>
 
:* Stirling's Fusiliers<ref name=20YU19/>
 
:* Second Kearny Highlanders<ref name=20YU19/>
 
:* Second Kearny Highlanders<ref name=20YU19/>
  
===3054===
+
====3054====
* Second Kearny Highlandeer (1st and 2nd [[Battalion]])<ref>''Objective Raids'', p. 13, "Deployment Table - 3054"</ref>
+
* Second Kearny Highlanders (First and Second [[Battalion]]s)<ref>''Objective Raids'', p. 13: "Deployment Table - 3054"</ref>
  
===3058===
+
====3058====
* Northwind Highlanders<ref name=CMp44>''Chaos March'', p. 44</ref>
+
* Northwind Highlanders<ref name=CMp44/>
:* MacLeod's Highlanders (1 Battalion)<ref name=CMp44/>
+
:* MacLeod's Highlanders (Battalion)<ref name=CMp44/>
:* Stirling's Fusiliers(2 Battalions)<ref name=CMp44/>
+
:* Stirling's Fusiliers (2 Battalions)<ref name=CMp44/>
 
:* First Kearny Highlanders<ref name=CMp44/>
 
:* First Kearny Highlanders<ref name=CMp44/>
 
:* Second Kearny Highlanders<ref name=CMp44/>
 
:* Second Kearny Highlanders<ref name=CMp44/>
 +
{{column}}
 +
====3067====
 +
* Second Kearny Highlanders<ref name=MS70>''Mercenaries Supplemental'', p. 70: "Mercenary Deployment Table"</ref>
 +
 +
====3085====
 +
* First Kearny Highlanders<ref name="FM:3085p186">''Field Manual: 3085'', p. 186: "RAF Deployment Table - 3085"</ref>
 +
:- At this time, the First Kearny was at 50% of full strength, with 73% of their equipment featuring upgraded technology.
 +
 +
====3145====
 +
* [[XII Hastati Sentinels]]<ref name=FM:3145p144>''Field Manual: 3145'', p. 144: "Republic Armed Forces - Hastati Sentinels"</ref>
 +
* [[Grey Watch]]<ref>''Shattered Fortress'', p. 105: "New unit profiles - The Grey Watch (Republic/Merc)"</ref>
  
===3067===
+
====3151====
* Northwind Highlanders<ref name=MS70/>
+
* [[First Kearny Highlanders]]<ref>''Shrapnel'', issue #11, pp. 77–78</ref>
:* Second Kearny Highlanders<ref name=MS70>''Mercenaries Supplemental'', p. 70, "Mercenary Deployment Table"</ref>
+
* [[Grey Watch]]<ref>''Shrapnel'', issue #11, p. 78</ref>
 +
{{columns-end}}
  
===3085===
+
===Geography===
* Northwind Highlanders<ref name="FM:3085p186"/>
+
Northwind is composed of three continents: New Lanark, Kearny, and Halidon. All three continents have roughly the same level of development.<ref name=MS17/>
:* First Kearny Highlanders<ref name="FM:3085p186">''Field Manual: 3085'', p. 186, "RAF Deployment Table - 3085"</ref>
 
:- At this point in time, the First Kearny was at 50% of full strength, with 73% of their equipment featuring upgraded technology.
 
  
===3145===
+
New Lanark is the largest landmass, the location of the capital city of Tara and [[Northwind Military Academy]]. Each of those locales is situated near the Tilman River. Tara, formerly Cromarty City, is home for over two million inhabitants in [[3067]]. The Castle, a [[Star League era]] fort that serves as the command center for the Northwind Highlanders, is also located within Tara. The planetary capital's architecture is inspired by pre-spaceflight Scotland, with cobblestone streets and bountiful taverns. Situated within the city is Peace Park, so dedicated by the [[First Lord]] of the Star League in [[2657]]. Tara is serviced by Kohler Spaceport.<ref name=MS17 />
* [[XII Hastati Sentinels]]<ref name=FM:3145p144>''Field Manual: 3145'', p. 144, "Republic Armed Forces - Hastati Sentinels"</ref>
 
  
==Manufacturing Center==
+
Kearny, the second largest continent, is home to the world's second most populous city of the same name.<ref name=MS17 />
* [[Bulldog Enterprises]]
+
 
* [[Cosara Weaponries]]
+
Halidon is the smallest continent on Northwind. It is home to the aerospace annex of NMA. The planet's secondary spaceport services Halifax City.<ref name=MS17 />
 +
 
 +
===Planetary Locations===
 +
*New Lanark (Continent)
 +
**Caithness Woods: a few acres of woods southwest of Tara<ref name=HGc12>''Highlander Gambit, ch. 12''</ref>
 +
**Liddisdale (Town)
 +
**Rockspire Mountains
 +
***Castle Northwind - SLDF Fortress N001<ref>''Highlander Gambit''</ref>
 +
***Red Ledge Pass
 +
**** Killie Burn: small town along the main road through Red Ledge Pass<ref name=SHp38/>
 +
**** Harlaugh: small town along the main road through Red Ledge Pass<ref name=SHp38/>
 +
**** Liddisdale: small town along the main road through Red Ledge Pass<ref name=SHp38/>
 +
**Strathconnor: a moorland region<ref name=DAINNp40/>
 +
***Tilman Gorge<ref name=DAINNp40/>
 +
***Willesdon<ref name=DAINNp40/>
 +
****Dunmore Hotel<ref name=DAINNp40/>
 +
****Willesdon Falls<ref name=DAINNp40/>
 +
**Tara: Capital city
 +
***Fairfield: a suburb of Tara that is northwest of the capital<ref name=SHp139/><ref name=TSp245/>
 +
***The Fort (Military base)
 +
***Hall of the Clans: built in the [[twenty-second century]]<ref name=DAINNp40/>
 +
***Highland Royal Hotel: a 500-room hotel located near the core of Tara<ref name=DAINNp40/>
 +
****Stuart Restaurant<ref name=DAINNp40/>
 +
***Kohler Spaceport
 +
***Montgomery Institute: a modern art gallery<ref name=DAINNp40/>
 +
***New Barracks
 +
***Prefectural Assembly: built circa 3102<ref name=DAINNp40/>
 +
***St. Patrick's Cathedral<ref name=Duffy_Perishes_in_Gale/>
 +
*Kearny (Continent)
 +
**Kearny City
 +
**Oilfield Coast
 +
***Fort Barrett<ref name=SHp110/>
 +
***Benderville (south of Fort Barrett)<ref name=SHp141/>
 +
*Halidon (Continent)
 +
**Argyle Islands: an archipelago surrounding Halidon; windswept, desolate, and with limited amenities<ref name=DAINNp40/>
 +
***Loch Kinnis: a holiday village with a shuttle connection to Halidon Port<ref name=DAINNp40/>
 +
**Camp Jaffray (Military Base)
 +
**Halidon Port<ref name=DAINNp40/>
 +
**Halifax City
 +
 
 +
Continent not specified
 +
* Arden: a coastal town<ref name=Duffy_Perishes_in_Gale>''Duffy Perishes in Gale''</ref>
 +
* Port Eldenbury<ref name=accident_or_conspiracy>''Highlander Deaths: Accident or Conspiracy?''</ref>
 +
* [[Republic MechWarrior Academy]]<ref name=DARoSp28>''Dark Age: Republic of the Sphere'', p. 28: "Damien Redburn"</ref>
 +
* Jaffray Interplanetary Spaceport<ref name=DARoSp28/>
 +
 
 +
===Industrial Centers===
 +
* [[Bulldog Enterprises]]{{cn}}
 +
* [[Cosara Weaponries]]{{cn}}
 +
* [[MatherTechno Incorporated]]<ref name=TRO3025p42>''Technical Readout: 3025'', p. 42</ref>
 +
* [[Tyson and Varney Limited]]<ref name=SHp139/><ref name=TSp245/>
 +
<!-- Commented out due to lack of information
 +
===Local Flora and Fauna===
 +
 
 +
===Image gallery===
 +
-->
 +
 
 +
==Notes==
 +
* ''House Liao (The Capellan Confederation)'' states that the Capellan [[Fourth Tau Ceti Rangers]] fought against [[Draconis Combine]] forces in defense of Northwind during the late [[twenty-ninth century]]. Since it has subsequently been established (in the sourcebooks ''Northwind Highlanders'' and ''Handbook: House Davion'') that Northwind fell to the Federated Suns in [[2841]] and that House Liao never made any attempt to reclaim the planet, it is safe to assume this has been [[Canon#Retcon|retconned]].<ref>''House Liao (The Capellan Confederation)'', p. 98</ref>
 +
* During the Dark Age era, circa [[3133]], Northwind is home to Tyson and Varney Limited, a manufacturer of Mining and ConstructionMechs.  This company also holds a contract with Northwind to retrofit these and other IndustrialMechs into combat models.  They may also produce ForestryMechs; though this is not clear in the source.  Their main plant is in Fairfield,<ref name=SHp139>''A Silence in the Heavens'', p. 139</ref> a suburb of Tara that is northwest of the capital.<ref name=TSp245>''Truth and Shadows'', p. 245</ref>
 +
* The small towns of Killie Burn, Harlaugh and Liddisdale reside along the main road through Red Ledge Pass in the Rockspire Mountains located on the continent of New Lanark.  All were badly damaged during the battle of Red Ledge Pass.<ref name=SHp38>''A Silence in the Heavens'', p. 38</ref>
 +
* Fort Barrett resides on the Oilfields Coast of the continent of Kearney very close to the equator.<ref name=SHp110>''A Silence in the Heavens'', p. 110</ref>  This fort serves as a post for Highlander forces.  The troops stationed here provide law and order in this remote region of the continent.  A midsize town has developed around the fort and has begun to thrive thanks to the growing offshore oil drilling.<ref name=SHp30>''A Silence in the Heavens'', p. 30</ref>  The smaller villages, including one called Benderville, dot the coast south of Fort Barrett.<ref name=SHp141>''A Silence in the Heavens'', p. 141</ref>
 +
 
 +
==Map Gallery==
 +
<div class="system-map-gallery"></div>
  
 
==Nearby Systems==
 
==Nearby Systems==
{|class="wikitable" width='800' style="background: #gray; text-align:center; border: 1px solid black;"
+
<!-- NOTE: This table is automatically generated by BattleTechWiki:Project_Planets/Mapping, and any edits to this section may be overwritten at any time by a bot -->
! colspan="10" | Systems within 60 light-years (distance in light years)<br> Closest systems first:
+
{|class="wikitable nearby-systems" style="background: #gray; text-align:center; border: 1px solid black;"
 +
! colspan="8" | Closest 84 systems (82 within 60 light-years)<br>Distance in light years, closest systems first:
 +
|-
 +
| class="lessthan30" | [[Lockdale]]
 +
| class="lessthan30" | 8.2
 +
| class="lessthan30" | [[New Stevens]]
 +
| class="lessthan30" | 12.2
 +
| class="lessthan30" | [[Epsilon Indi]]
 +
| class="lessthan30" | 13.6
 +
| class="lessthan30" | [[Fomalhaut]]
 +
| class="lessthan30" | 15.6
 +
|-
 +
| class="lessthan30" | [[Saffel]]
 +
| class="lessthan30" | 17.0
 +
| class="lessthan30" | [[Small World]]
 +
| class="lessthan30" | 18.1
 +
| class="lessthan30" | [[Quentin]]
 +
| class="lessthan30" | 19.3
 +
| class="lessthan30" | [[Errai]]
 +
| class="lessthan30" | 19.5
 +
|-
 +
| class="lessthan30" | [[Sheratan]]
 +
| class="lessthan30" | 19.8
 +
| class="lessthan30" | [[Caph]]
 +
| class="lessthan30" | 21.3
 +
| class="lessthan30" | [[Ingress]]
 +
| class="lessthan30" | 22.1
 +
| class="lessthan30" | [[Nirasaki]]
 +
| class="lessthan30" | 22.2
 +
|-
 +
| class="lessthan30" | [[Bryant]]
 +
| class="lessthan30" | 23.4
 +
| class="lessthan30" | [[Epsilon Eridani]]
 +
| class="lessthan30" | 24.2
 +
| class="lessthan30" | [[Fletcher (CC)|Fletcher]]
 +
| class="lessthan30" | 24.2
 +
| class="lessthan30" | [[Helen]]
 +
| class="lessthan30" | 26.7
 +
|-
 +
| class="lessthan30" | [[Dieron]]
 +
| class="lessthan30" | 28.2
 +
| class="lessthan30" | [[New Home]]
 +
| class="lessthan30" | 28.6
 +
| class="lessthan30" | [[Styx]]
 +
| class="lessthan30" | 29.6
 +
| class="lessthan30" | [[Deneb Algedi]]
 +
| class="lessthan30" | 29.8
 +
|-
 +
| class="over30" | [[Altair]]
 +
| class="over30" | 30.3
 +
| class="over30" | [[Ruchbah]]
 +
| class="over30" | 30.6
 +
| class="over30" | [[Keid]]
 +
| class="over30" | 31.9
 +
| class="over30" | [[Deneb Kaitos]]
 +
| class="over30" | 32.1
 +
|-
 +
| class="over30" | [[Terra Firma]]
 +
| class="over30" | 32.9
 +
| class="over30" | [[Kawich]]
 +
| class="over30" | 33.1
 +
| class="over30" | [[Terra|Sol]]
 +
| class="over30" | 34.2
 +
| class="over30" | [[Pokhara]]
 +
| class="over30" | 34.4
 +
|-
 +
| class="over30" | [[Woodstock]]
 +
| class="over30" | 35.3
 +
| class="over30" | [[Acamar]]
 +
| class="over30" | 36.1
 +
| class="over30" | [[Towne]]
 +
| class="over30" | 36.8
 +
| class="over30" | [[Inglesmond|New Britain]]
 +
| class="over30" | 36.8
 +
|-
 +
| class="over30" | [[Sirius]]
 +
| class="over30" | 37.0
 +
| class="over30" | [[Rigil Kentarus]]
 +
| class="over30" | 37.4
 +
| class="over30" | [[Addicks]]
 +
| class="over30" | 37.4
 +
| class="over30" | [[Athenry]]
 +
| class="over30" | 37.7
 +
|-
 +
| class="over30" | [[Nopah]]
 +
| class="over30" | 38.4
 +
| class="over30" | [[Brownsville]]
 +
| class="over30" | 38.6
 +
| class="over30" | [[Nashira]]
 +
| class="over30" | 38.9
 +
| class="over30" | [[Procyon]]
 +
| class="over30" | 40.0
 +
|-
 +
| class="over30" | [[Ankaa]]
 +
| class="over30" | 41.1
 +
| class="over30" | [[Asta]]
 +
| class="over30" | 41.3
 +
| class="over30" | [[Basalt]]
 +
| class="over30" | 41.3
 +
| class="over30" | [[Hean]]
 +
| class="over30" | 42.2
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Lockdale]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Killbourn]]
| 11.62
+
| class="over30" | 42.3
| [[New Stevens]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Al Na'ir]]
| 14.97
+
| class="over30" | 42.9
| [[Epsilon Indi]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Bex]]
| 17.58
+
| class="over30" | 43.2
| [[Fomalhaut]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Carver]]
| 21.47
+
| class="over30" | 43.4
| [[Small World]]
 
| 21.71
 
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Nirasaki]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Telos]]
| 22.49
+
| class="over30" | 44.3
| [[Saffel]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Pike (system)|Pike]]
| 23.27
+
| class="over30" | 44.4
| [[Caph]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Bharat]]
| 23.53
+
| class="over30" | 46.0
| [[Errai]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Murchison]]
| 24.76
+
| class="over30" | 46.5
| [[Sheratan]]
 
| 25.33
 
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Quentin]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Capolla]]
| 27.14
+
| class="over30" | 46.5
| [[Ingress]]
+
| class="over30" | [[New Earth|Tau Ceti]]
| 31.27
+
| class="over30" | 46.9
| [[Bryant]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Yorii]]
| 31.28
+
| class="over30" | 48.5
| [[Fletcher (ROTS)|Fletcher]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Tigress]]
| 33.33
+
| class="over30" | 48.5
| [[Epsilon Eridani]]
 
| 34.12
 
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Deneb Algedi]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Kervil]]
| 35.93
+
| class="over30" | 48.9
| [[Helen]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Outreach]]
| 36.26
+
| class="over30" | 49.0
| [[New Home]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Arboris]]
| 36.710
+
| class="over30" | 49.4
| [[Styx]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Nanking]]
| 36.712
+
| class="over30" | 50.2
| [[Terra]]
 
| 37.01
 
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Inglesmond]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Hamal]]
| 37.14
+
| class="over30" | 50.9
| [[Keid]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Ozawa]]
| 38.26
+
| class="over30" | 51.0
| [[Addicks]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Imbros]]
| 39.52
+
| class="over30" | 51.7
| [[Dieron]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Dyev]]
| 39.72
+
| class="over30" | 52.1
| [[Deneb Kaitos]]
 
| 40.58
 
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Acamar]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Alpha Eridani]]
| 41.09
+
| class="over30" | 52.3
| [[Sirius]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Azha]]
| 41.65
+
| class="over30" | 52.4
| [[Altair]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Chaville]]
| 41.93
+
| class="over30" | 52.6
| [[Terra Firma]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Biham]]
| 42.39
+
| class="over30" | 54.7
| [[Rigil Kentarus]]
 
| 42.40
 
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Ruchbah]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Slocum]]
| 43.16
+
| class="over30" | 54.9
| [[Woodstock]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Hechnar]]
| 43.94
+
| class="over30" | 56.0
| [[Bex]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Ancha]]
| 45.18
+
| class="over30" | 56.9
| [[Towne]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Genoa]]
| 46.00
+
| class="over30" | 57.1
| [[Kawich]]
 
| 46.27
 
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Ankaa]]
+
| class="over30" | [[New Florence]]
| 47.04
+
| class="over30" | 57.2
| [[Procyon]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Rocky]]
| 47.33
+
| class="over30" | 57.8
| [[Pokhara]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Elgin|Chisholm]]
| 47.99
+
| class="over30" | 58.1
| [[Kervil]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Graham]]
| 48.86
+
| class="over30" | 58.1
| [[Nashira]]
 
| 50.02
 
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Athenry]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Yangtze]]
| 50.42
+
| class="over30" | 58.3
| [[Hean]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Xi Ursae_Majoris|Xi Ursae Majoris]]
| 52.20
+
| class="over30" | 58.5
| [[New Earth]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Tybalt]]
| 52.48
+
| class="over30" | 58.5
| [[Telos IV]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Thorin]]
| 52.99
+
| class="over30" | 58.7
| [[Nopah]]
 
| 53.76
 
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Brownsville]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Hsien]]
| 54.63
+
| class="over30" | 58.8
| [[Killbourn]]
+
| class="over30" | [[Galatia]]
| 55.24
+
| class="over30" | 59.1
| [[Pike IV]]
+
| class="over60" | [[Sadachbia]]
| 56.09
+
| class="over60" | 60.5
| [[Ozawa]]
+
| class="over60" | [[Ronel]]
| 56.31
+
| class="over60" | 61.5
| [[Carver V]]
 
| 57.39
 
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Arboris]]
 
| 57.64
 
| [[Basalt]]
 
| 58.12
 
| [[Asta]]
 
| 58.43
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
 
|}
 
|}
 
==Notes==
 
''House Liao (The Capellan Confederation)'' states on page 98 that the Capellan [[4th Tau Ceti Rangers]] fought against [[Draconis Combine]] forces in defense of Northwind during the late 29th century. Since it has subsequently been established (in ''Northwind Highlanders'' and ''Handbook: House Davion'') that Northwind fell to the Federated Suns in 2841 and that House Liao never made any attempt to reclaim the planet, it is safe to assume this has been [[Canon#Retcon|retconned]].
 
 
During the Dark Age era, circa 3133, Northwind is home to Tyson and Varney, Limited who manufactures Mining and ConstructionMechs.  During this time period they also have a contract with Northwind to retrofit these work 'Mechs into combat models.  They may also produce ForestryMechs; though this isn't clear in the source.  Their main plant is in Fairfield.<ref>''A Silence In The Heavens'' p. 139</ref>
 
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
Line 271: Line 470:
  
 
==Bibliography==
 
==Bibliography==
 +
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
 
* ''[[20 Year Update]]''
 
* ''[[20 Year Update]]''
 +
* ''[[List of Solaris Broadcasting Co. articles#HIGHLANDER DEATHS: ACCIDENT OR CONSPIRACY.3F|BattleCorps Solaris Broadcasting Co., 01/09/3067: "Highlander Deaths: Accident or Conspiracy?"]]''
 +
* ''[[List of Solaris Broadcasting Co. articles#Caravel Accident Claims Duffy .5B3 of 3.5D|BattleCorps Solaris Broadcasting Co., 30/08/3067: "Caravel Accident Claims Duffy [3 of 3]"]]''
 +
* ''[[List of Solaris Broadcasting Co. articles#NORTHWIND BLOCKADE|BattleCorps Solaris Broadcasting Co., 23/11/3067: "Northwind Blockade"]]''
 +
* ''[[List of Solaris Broadcasting Co. articles#Word of Blake Ships Destroy.E2.80.A6|BattleCorps Solaris Broadcasting Co., 18/12/3067: "Word of Blake Ships Destroy..."]]''
 
* ''[[Blake Ascending]]''
 
* ''[[Blake Ascending]]''
* ''[[Chaos March (sourcebook)]]''
+
* ''[[Chaos March (sourcebook)|Chaos March]]''
 +
* ''[[Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN]]''
 +
* ''[[Dark Age: Republic of the Sphere]]''
 
* ''[[Dark Age: Republic Worlds (3130)]]''
 
* ''[[Dark Age: Republic Worlds (3130)]]''
 
* ''[[Dawn of the Jihad]]''
 
* ''[[Dawn of the Jihad]]''
 +
* ''[[Era Digest: Dark Age]]''
 
* ''[[Era Report: 2750]]''
 
* ''[[Era Report: 2750]]''
 +
* ''[[Era Report: 3052]]''
 +
* ''[[Era Report: 3062]]''
 +
* ''[[Era Report: 3145]]''
 
* ''[[Field Manual: 3085]]''
 
* ''[[Field Manual: 3085]]''
 
* ''[[Field Manual: 3145]]''
 
* ''[[Field Manual: 3145]]''
 +
* ''[[First Succession War (sourcebook)|First Succession War]]''
 +
* ''[[Grey Watch Protocol]]'' (novel)
 
* ''[[Handbook: House Davion]]''
 
* ''[[Handbook: House Davion]]''
 +
* ''[[Handbook: House Liao]]''
 
* ''[[Handbook: House Marik]]''
 
* ''[[Handbook: House Marik]]''
* ''[[Highlander Gambit]]''
+
* ''[[Highlander Gambit]]'' (novel)
 
* ''[[Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1]]''
 
* ''[[Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1]]''
 +
* ''[[Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2]]''
 
* ''[[Historical: Reunification War]]''
 
* ''[[Historical: Reunification War]]''
 
* ''[[Historical: War of 3039]]''
 
* ''[[Historical: War of 3039]]''
Line 293: Line 507:
 
* ''[[Jihad Hot Spots: 3072]]''
 
* ''[[Jihad Hot Spots: 3072]]''
 
* ''[[Jihad Hot Spots: Terra]]''
 
* ''[[Jihad Hot Spots: Terra]]''
* ''[http://home.ifi.uio.no/~oysteint/btech/maps/IS_3130.pdf Map of the Inner Sphere 3130]''
+
* ''[[Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents]]''
 
* ''[[Mercenaries Supplemental]]''
 
* ''[[Mercenaries Supplemental]]''
 
* ''[[NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1]]''
 
* ''[[NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1]]''
 
* ''[[Northwind Highlanders (scenario pack)|Northwind Highlanders]]''
 
* ''[[Northwind Highlanders (scenario pack)|Northwind Highlanders]]''
 
* ''[[Objective Raids]]''
 
* ''[[Objective Raids]]''
* ''[[Warrior: Riposte]]''
+
* ''[[Shattered Fortress]]''
* ''[[Warrior: Coupé]]''
+
* ''[[A Silence in the Heavens]]'' (novel)
 +
* ''[[Truth and Shadows]]'' (novel)
 +
* ''[[Warrior: Coupé]]'' (novel)
 +
* ''[[Warrior: Riposte]]'' (novel)
 +
{{div col end}}
  
[[Category:Planets|Northwind]]
+
[[Category:Systems|Northwind]]
[[Category: Amaris Empire Planets]]
+
[[Category: Amaris Empire Systems]]
[[Category: Chaos March Planets]]
+
[[Category: Chaos March Systems]]
[[Category: Federated Commonwealth Planets]]
+
[[Category: Federated Commonwealth Systems]]
[[Category: Federated Suns Planets]]
+
[[Category: Federated Suns Systems]]
[[Category: Independent Planets]]
+
[[Category: Independent Systems]]
[[Category: Republic of the Sphere Planets]]
+
[[Category: Republic of the Sphere Systems]]
[[Category: Terran Hegemony Planets]]
+
[[Category: Terran Hegemony Systems]]
 +
[[Category: Hiring Hall Worlds]]

Latest revision as of 14:07, 23 March 2024

Northwind is a system located two jumps from Terra. It is the homeworld of the famed Northwind Highlanders mercenary unit and the Northwind Military Academy.

Northwind
Northwind 3151.svg
System Information
X:Y Coordinates34.118 : -2.891[e]
Spectral classG2I[1]
Recharge time183 hours
Recharge station(s)Zenith, Nadir[2]
Planet(s)5[1]

System Description[edit]

Northwind is located near the Lockdale and New Stevens systems.

Political Affiliation[edit]


Northwind II[edit]

Northwind II
Northwind.jpg
Astrophysical
System positionSecond[1]
Jump Point distance12 days[1][2]
Moons2 (Dublin, Glasgow)[1]
Geophysical
Surface gravity1.01[1]
Atmospheric pressureThin (Breathable)[1]
Equatorial temperature32°C[1]
Surface water75%[1]
Highest native lifeReptiles[1]
Landmasses3 (New Lanark, Kearny, Halidon)[30]
History and Culture
Population998,268,000 (3130)[1][31]
Government and Infrastructure
Political LeaderPlanetary Governor
Military CommanderLegate Finnegan Cochrane (3130)[1][31]
CapitalTara[1]
HPG ClassB[2]

Planetary History[edit]

Early history[edit]

Northwind was purchased by Clan Stuart during the Exodus and named for the Clan's old home in Scotland. The Stuarts were joined by the Highlanders, the last vestiges of Scotland's independent military.[32] To prove their worth, the Highlanders founded Kearny, a mining town.[33]

Having become independent as a result of the Demarcation Declaration, Northwind was subsequently added to the resurgent Terran Hegemony; whilst some worlds joined the Hegemony during its early years as a result of diplomatic and trade incentives, many more were conquered in "campaigns of persuasion" launched by Director-General James McKenna, the first of which began in 2316 and ended with the capture of Towne in 2317. Northwind was one of the worlds added to the Hegemony during or around the time of this first military campaign.[3][34][35]

In 2362, the Clan Elders that ruled Northwind elected to raise a standing army, the Northwind Highlanders.[36] The Highlanders became an elite mercenary unit. Because of this, many aspiring mercenaries traveled to Northwind to learn the trade and employers frequented the planet to hire the Highlanders, creating an informal hiring hall.[36]

Amaris Civil War[edit]

Stefan Amaris forces attacked Northwind during the Amaris Coup. In their initial attack, the Republicans were more successful than on New Dallas: they crippled three Highlander regiments on the first day, driving the survivors into hiding, and a week later, Northwind was effectively under Amaris thumb. But the Republican forces were only partially successful; as Northwind was a staunchly pro-Cameron world, they were met with derision and hostility by the locals. The Highlanders quickly formed resistance groups—the most united planetary resistance within the Hegemony. Despite Amaris moving more and more forces onto the planet to fight the insurgents, he never subdued them; the population continued to resist, and with the help of the Secret Fleet, the resistance was always well manned and supplied.[37]

In 2775, the SLDF finally arrived to liberate the planet: as soon the Third Army arrived in-system, the Northwind Covenanters resistance movement struck hard against the Amaris forces and government with every man they could muster, preoccupying them so they were unable to respond effectively to the landing SLDF forces. In the first few days, the Amaris troops launched nuclear attacks against LXIX Corps and some of the largest cities on planet before losing access to their strategic reserves. Later they used civilians to shield their movements, enraging the population even more. By the end of June, the Amaris garrison was broken, but not before the Covenanters also ceased to be an effective force. The remaining Amaris forces entrenched inside the planet's lone Castle Brian were cleared out by LXIX Corps by the beginning of 2776.[38]

Second Succession War[edit]

After the fall of the Star League, Northwind was fought over by the Successor States. The Highlander regiments became a mercenary unit in service to the Capellan Confederation, though some regiments were able to continue to garrison Northwind.[39]

Northwind was conquered by the Federated Suns during the Second Succession War. In 2841, House Davion sent an invasion force that overwhelmed the defending Stuart's Highlanders and Third Kearny Highlanders. The Highlander regiments fought to the last, but it was not enough.[40][41]

Fourth Succession War[edit]

Although Coordinator Takashi Kurita had focused his attentions on Wolf's Dragoons in the early stages of the Fourth Succession War, the pleas for assistance from Chancellor Maximilian Liao prompted him to plan two targeted offensives against the Federated Suns. One of these was a strike against Northwind, a world the DCMS believed it could use as a springboard for attacks against other worlds in the region near Terra in an effort to isolate the Federated Suns and Lyran Commonwealth from each other. Assigned to the offensive were the Fifth Sword of Light, Thirty-sixth Dieron Regulars and the Genyosha; defending Northwind at the time were the Fifth Deneb Light Cavalry RCT and two mercenary units, Bradley's Bravos—a part of the Kell Hounds—and Team Banzai.[15]

The DCMS landings concentrated on the region around the Cairngorm Mountains on New Lanark, landing close to the city of Cromarty, which was the largest city on New Lanark and home to Northwind's AFFS garrison. The garrison initially managed to fight the DCMS forces to a standstill, highlighting that the battle for control of Northwind would be long and hard-fought. After the initial battles DCMS forces poisoned the reservoir supplying Cromarty, in a strategy believed to have been devised by General Palmer Conti, the commanding officer of the Fifth Sword of Light.[15]

Within a day of the reservoir being poisoned people in Cromarty were being hit by ptomaine poisoning, and while vaccinations and treatment saved some, the city was soon overwhelmed by the number of sick and dying people, with half of the Fifth Deneb Light Cavalry infected. By the time the defenders determined that the reservoir was the source and shut off the water supply, five thousand people were dead; the pressure on the city was intense, with bodies being burned in building furnaces, and the Thirty-sixth Dieron Regulars used the opportunity to launch an attack. While half the Fifth Deneb Light Cavalry had been incapacitated, the other half were still fit for duty, along with both mercenary commands, due to their water being drawn from a well, rather than the city supply; the defenders managed to rebuff the attack, but the senior active officer from the Fifth, Major Collins, was lured into pursuing the Thirty-sixth as they retreated and led his forces into an ambush in which the Fifth Sword of Light overran the Light Cavalry and scattered the surviving warriors.[15]

Dr. Banzai led Team Banzai in an attempt to save the Light Cavalry, only to be blocked by the Genyosha, who inflicted heavy damage on the mercenaries and incapacitated Dr. Banzai himself as he attempted to fight three assault 'Mechs alone. The surviving elements of Team Banzai withdrew into the Rockspires region of the Cairngorm Mountains with all of the surviving members of Bradley's Bravos and the Light Cavalry they could find, preparing to fight a last stand.[15]

The defending forces didn't know that negotiations had been conducted in secret between First Prince Hanse Davion and the four regiments of the Northwind Highlanders, using General Ardan Sortek and the Clan Stuart Elders as proxies. Prince Davion convinced the Northwind Highlanders to leave the service of the Capellan Confederation in exchange for garrisoning Northwind and certain other concessions. The Northwind Agreement was signed in December 3028 and the Highlanders abandoned their positions along the Capellan-Suns border and returned to their ancestral homeworld. They arrived on 12 January 3029 and immediately began engaging the DCMS forces on the planet, forcing them to retreat and saving the survivors of the AFFS garrison.[42][43][44]

The presence of four regiments of experienced Highlander regiments on Northwind, all keen to prove their value to their new liege effectively blocked the DCMS campaign in the Terran region stillborn.[15]

Operation GUERRERO[edit]

Northwind remained peaceful until 3057. In conjunction with Operation GUERRERO and the Capellan offensive against the Federated Commonwealth, Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao dispatched Loren Jaffray to offer to recognize the independence of Northwind. Jaffray, a Death Commando and a descendant of a former Highlander who remained with the CCAF, was on a covert operation to destroy the Highlanders, or at least deprive the Federated Commonwealth of their services. Jaffray's mission was helped by the Highlanders' increasing dissatisfaction with the AFFC. MacLeod's Regiment was the only Highlander unit on world when Jaffray made his offer. The regiment was split, sparking a civil war within it. The Third Royal Guards were called in to help the Commonwealth supporters, but the pro-independence faction was able to hold out until Stirling's Fusiliers returned to help. The combined Highlander force destroyed the Third Royals. Northwind had achieved independence, and it would become a bastion of stability in the Chaos March.[45]

Jihad[edit]

In 3066, the Northwind Highlanders joined Jaime Wolf's Allied Mercenary Command, putting them in direct opposition to Word of Blake and the expanding Word of Blake Protectorate.[46] In September 3067, four Clan elders died under mysterious circumstances. The Highlanders who were away from Northwind immediately broke their contracts to return home to vote on new leaders.[47][48] In December 3067, Word of Blake naval forces jumped into the Northwind system as part of their Jihad. Blakist naval assets began a blockade while ground assets seized the HPG station.[49][50] The HPG station was taken offline on 9 November 3068 at the same time that rumors of an orbital bombardment of the planet's surface began to circulate.[51][52][53] WoB forces destroyed at least two JumpShips belonging to the First Kearny Highlanders, the Edinborough Express and the Highland Courier. This was seen by the independent JumpShip Beautiful Harvest.[54] At that time the only WoB ship identified was the WBS Hidden Meaning.[49]

The Word of Blake ceased to exert any control over Northwind in December 3077, when liberation forces from the allied coalition arrived to find that the Northwind population had evidently been the victims of an elaborate, long-term deception; the population believed that the Word of Blake had placed their world under an impenetrable blockade, a deception sustained through the Word's destruction of all of Northwind's satellite comms net, aerospace assets and the planetary HPG. Instead of a world nuked from orbit like Outreach, the coalition forces instead found no Word presence in the system. The Highlanders then joined the fight against the Blakists for the remaining of the Jihad.[55][56]

Dark Age[edit]

When the Jihad ended, Northwind joined Devlin Stone's Republic of the Sphere with the bulk of the Highlanders joining the Republic's armed forces.[1] However, by the end of December 3079, Northwind was among the more than twenty planets to have suffered an outbreak of the Redburn Virus and only one of eight to suffer from an infection rate of more than 150 per 100,000 people, as well as a mortality rate of more than 30 per 100,000 from the virus.[57]

By July 3132, Northwind was a significant tourist destination, its capital Tara attracting particular attention.[26] That month, starting on the 9th, the planet hosted the Borderless Security Conference, also called the Cross-Prefecture Defense Conference. Officials from five prefectures attended, including Aaron Sandoval on his own behalf, the Legate of Terra on behalf of Exarch Damien Redburn, and Tokada Imurra on behalf of Katana Tormark.[58]

On 7 June 3133,[59] Northwind was attacked by the Steel Wolves under the command of their new leader, Anastasia Kerensky. The Northwind Highlanders successfully repulsed the attack despite Tara Campbell's forces being distributed throughout the Prefecture.[60] Although the first major Steel Wolves action launched under the command of the former Clan Wolf-in-Exile warrior was a failure, Anastasia Kerensky would return to Northwind.[61] Her second invasion of Northwind, launched on 17 February 3134,[59] was no more successful than her attack the year before but did spark a chain of events that led ultimately to the death of Ezekiel Crow, the infamous Black Paladin,[59][62] as well as prompting Kerensky to launch her subsequent attack on Terra.[62]

The planet's HPG station was one of the few working inside the Republic of the Sphere in 3135.[63] After the establishment of Fortress Republic, Northwind stayed safe for about a decade inside The Wall; however, in 3149, Devlin Stone brought down the Wall and the Fortress Republic Space was invaded by two Clans and two states, targeting Northwind to take its functional HPG.[64] The Battle of Northwind, or Operation CLARITY for the Capellan Confederation, was launched in November 3150. The Capellan forces—three CCAF regiments and Warrior House Imarra—outnumbered the defenders. Even the appearance of a new Highlander unit, the secret Grey Watch defense regiment, or the arrival of Tara Campbell and her Highlander battalion weren't enough to defeat the invaders, especially when they received assistance from two Kuritan regiments in December: the Fourth Dieron Regulars and a new unit, the Hikage.[65] But the two Houses didn't cooperate and Republican agents pitted them against each other. All the invaders retreated after the HPG station was blown, not realizing that only the upper parts of the complex were destroyed and could have been rebuilt. Soon after, the bulk of the Highlanders departed to defend Terra.[66]

ilClan Era[edit]

After the Battle of Terra, Northwind was constantly attacked by Capellan mercenaries, who succeeded in keeping the Highlanders busy and slowly weakening them.[67]

But that changed after the surviving Highlanders returned to Northwind. There, The Twelfth Hastati were dissolved and re-formed the First Kearny Highlanders. The Grey Watch was reinforced and remained stationed on Northwind, now an independent world.[68]

Military Deployment[edit]

2786[edit]

2821[edit]

  • Third Kearny Highlanders[69]
  • Stuart's Highlanders[69]

2841[edit]

  • Third Kearny Highlanders[13]
  • Stuart's Highlanders[13]

2865[edit]

3025[edit]

3028[edit]

3038–3040[edit]

3050[edit]

  • Northwind Highlanders[73]
  • MacLeod's Highlanders[73]
  • Stirling's Fusiliers[73]
  • Second Kearny Highlanders[73]

3054[edit]

3058[edit]

  • Northwind Highlanders[2]
  • MacLeod's Highlanders (Battalion)[2]
  • Stirling's Fusiliers (2 Battalions)[2]
  • First Kearny Highlanders[2]
  • Second Kearny Highlanders[2]

3067[edit]

  • Second Kearny Highlanders[75]

3085[edit]

  • First Kearny Highlanders[76]
- At this time, the First Kearny was at 50% of full strength, with 73% of their equipment featuring upgraded technology.

3145[edit]

3151[edit]

Geography[edit]

Northwind is composed of three continents: New Lanark, Kearny, and Halidon. All three continents have roughly the same level of development.[30]

New Lanark is the largest landmass, the location of the capital city of Tara and Northwind Military Academy. Each of those locales is situated near the Tilman River. Tara, formerly Cromarty City, is home for over two million inhabitants in 3067. The Castle, a Star League era fort that serves as the command center for the Northwind Highlanders, is also located within Tara. The planetary capital's architecture is inspired by pre-spaceflight Scotland, with cobblestone streets and bountiful taverns. Situated within the city is Peace Park, so dedicated by the First Lord of the Star League in 2657. Tara is serviced by Kohler Spaceport.[30]

Kearny, the second largest continent, is home to the world's second most populous city of the same name.[30]

Halidon is the smallest continent on Northwind. It is home to the aerospace annex of NMA. The planet's secondary spaceport services Halifax City.[30]

Planetary Locations[edit]

  • New Lanark (Continent)
    • Caithness Woods: a few acres of woods southwest of Tara[81]
    • Liddisdale (Town)
    • Rockspire Mountains
      • Castle Northwind - SLDF Fortress N001[82]
      • Red Ledge Pass
        • Killie Burn: small town along the main road through Red Ledge Pass[83]
        • Harlaugh: small town along the main road through Red Ledge Pass[83]
        • Liddisdale: small town along the main road through Red Ledge Pass[83]
    • Strathconnor: a moorland region[26]
    • Tara: Capital city
      • Fairfield: a suburb of Tara that is northwest of the capital[84][85]
      • The Fort (Military base)
      • Hall of the Clans: built in the twenty-second century[26]
      • Highland Royal Hotel: a 500-room hotel located near the core of Tara[26]
        • Stuart Restaurant[26]
      • Kohler Spaceport
      • Montgomery Institute: a modern art gallery[26]
      • New Barracks
      • Prefectural Assembly: built circa 3102[26]
      • St. Patrick's Cathedral[86]
  • Kearny (Continent)
    • Kearny City
    • Oilfield Coast
      • Fort Barrett[87]
      • Benderville (south of Fort Barrett)[88]
  • Halidon (Continent)
    • Argyle Islands: an archipelago surrounding Halidon; windswept, desolate, and with limited amenities[26]
      • Loch Kinnis: a holiday village with a shuttle connection to Halidon Port[26]
    • Camp Jaffray (Military Base)
    • Halidon Port[26]
    • Halifax City

Continent not specified

Industrial Centers[edit]

Notes[edit]

  • House Liao (The Capellan Confederation) states that the Capellan Fourth Tau Ceti Rangers fought against Draconis Combine forces in defense of Northwind during the late twenty-ninth century. Since it has subsequently been established (in the sourcebooks Northwind Highlanders and Handbook: House Davion) that Northwind fell to the Federated Suns in 2841 and that House Liao never made any attempt to reclaim the planet, it is safe to assume this has been retconned.[92]
  • During the Dark Age era, circa 3133, Northwind is home to Tyson and Varney Limited, a manufacturer of Mining and ConstructionMechs. This company also holds a contract with Northwind to retrofit these and other IndustrialMechs into combat models. They may also produce ForestryMechs; though this is not clear in the source. Their main plant is in Fairfield,[84] a suburb of Tara that is northwest of the capital.[85]
  • The small towns of Killie Burn, Harlaugh and Liddisdale reside along the main road through Red Ledge Pass in the Rockspire Mountains located on the continent of New Lanark. All were badly damaged during the battle of Red Ledge Pass.[83]
  • Fort Barrett resides on the Oilfields Coast of the continent of Kearney very close to the equator.[87] This fort serves as a post for Highlander forces. The troops stationed here provide law and order in this remote region of the continent. A midsize town has developed around the fort and has begun to thrive thanks to the growing offshore oil drilling.[93] The smaller villages, including one called Benderville, dot the coast south of Fort Barrett.[88]

Map Gallery[edit]

Nearby Systems[edit]

Closest 84 systems (82 within 60 light-years)
Distance in light years, closest systems first:
Lockdale 8.2 New Stevens 12.2 Epsilon Indi 13.6 Fomalhaut 15.6
Saffel 17.0 Small World 18.1 Quentin 19.3 Errai 19.5
Sheratan 19.8 Caph 21.3 Ingress 22.1 Nirasaki 22.2
Bryant 23.4 Epsilon Eridani 24.2 Fletcher 24.2 Helen 26.7
Dieron 28.2 New Home 28.6 Styx 29.6 Deneb Algedi 29.8
Altair 30.3 Ruchbah 30.6 Keid 31.9 Deneb Kaitos 32.1
Terra Firma 32.9 Kawich 33.1 Sol 34.2 Pokhara 34.4
Woodstock 35.3 Acamar 36.1 Towne 36.8 New Britain 36.8
Sirius 37.0 Rigil Kentarus 37.4 Addicks 37.4 Athenry 37.7
Nopah 38.4 Brownsville 38.6 Nashira 38.9 Procyon 40.0
Ankaa 41.1 Asta 41.3 Basalt 41.3 Hean 42.2
Killbourn 42.3 Al Na'ir 42.9 Bex 43.2 Carver 43.4
Telos 44.3 Pike 44.4 Bharat 46.0 Murchison 46.5
Capolla 46.5 Tau Ceti 46.9 Yorii 48.5 Tigress 48.5
Kervil 48.9 Outreach 49.0 Arboris 49.4 Nanking 50.2
Hamal 50.9 Ozawa 51.0 Imbros 51.7 Dyev 52.1
Alpha Eridani 52.3 Azha 52.4 Chaville 52.6 Biham 54.7
Slocum 54.9 Hechnar 56.0 Ancha 56.9 Genoa 57.1
New Florence 57.2 Rocky 57.8 Chisholm 58.1 Graham 58.1
Yangtze 58.3 Xi Ursae Majoris 58.5 Tybalt 58.5 Thorin 58.7
Hsien 58.8 Galatia 59.1 Sadachbia 60.5 Ronel 61.5

References[edit]

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 Dark Age: Republic Worlds (3130), p. 60: "Northwind"
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Chaos March, p. 44: "Northwind"
  3. 3.0 3.1 Handbook: House Marik, p. 16
  4. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 18
  5. Handbook: House Liao, p. 17
  6. Handbook: House Liao, p. 25
  7. Historical: Reunification War, p. 159
  8. Era Report: 2750, p. 37
  9. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 11
  10. 10.0 10.1 Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 138
  11. First Succession War, p. 25
  12. First Succession War, p. 113
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 Northwind Highlanders, p. 8
  14. 14.0 14.1 House Davion (The Federated Suns), p. 133: "Unit Deployment Table"
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 15.7 NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1, pp. 78–79: "Northwind"
  16. Historical: War of 3039, p. 133
  17. Era Report: 3052, p. 11
  18. Era Report: 3052, p. 23
  19. Era Report: 3052, pp. 10–11
  20. Handbook: House Liao, p. 60
  21. Era Report: 3062, p. 29
  22. Handbook: House Liao, p. 68
  23. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, pp. 64–65
  24. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 63
  25. Field Manual: 3085, p. vii: "Inner Sphere - October 3085" (Map)
  26. 26.00 26.01 26.02 26.03 26.04 26.05 26.06 26.07 26.08 26.09 26.10 26.11 26.12 26.13 26.14 Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 40
  27. Era Report: 3145, p. 11
  28. Era Report: 3145, p. 38
  29. Shattered Fortress, pp. 102–103
  30. 30.0 30.1 30.2 30.3 30.4 Mercenaries Supplemental, p. 17
  31. 31.0 31.1 Dark Age: Republic of the Sphere, p. 8: "Prefecture III"
  32. Northwind Highlanders, p. 6: "Ancient Origins"
  33. Northwind Highlanders, p. 7: "A New Beginning"
  34. The Star League, p. 16: "Terra's Errant Flock"
  35. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 18: "Draconis Combine Founding [2319]"
  36. 36.0 36.1 Mercenaries Supplemental, p. 16
  37. Historical: Liberation of Terra 2, p. 38
  38. Historical: Liberation of Terra 2, pp. 38–39
  39. Northwind Highlanders, p. 8: "Troubled Times"
  40. Northwind Highlanders, p. 8: "The Darkest Hour"
  41. Handbook: House Davion, p. 60
  42. NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1, p. 40: "Overview"
  43. Handbook: House Davion, p. 79: "Timeline: Fourth Succession War through the Clan Invasion"
  44. Northwind Highlanders, pp. 9, 24: "Homecoming" and "Situation"
  45. Northwind Highlanders, p. 10: "Independence at Last"
  46. Dawn of the Jihad and Blake Ascending, p. 24
  47. Dawn of the Jihad & Blake Ascending, p. 28: "War Strikes Mercenaries!"
  48. Dawn of the Jihad & Blake Ascending, pp. 29–30: "Northwind Highlanders Returning Home"
  49. 49.0 49.1 Dawn of the Jihad & Blake Ascending, p. 33: "Northwind Blockade"
  50. Jihad Hot Spots: 3070, pp. 11–12, and Blake Ascending, pp. 171–172: "Timeline of the Jihad"
  51. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 46: "The Jihad in Review"
  52. Jihad Hot Spots: 3070, pp. 32–33, and Blake Ascending, pp. 192–193: "Northwind Silenced"
  53. Jihad Hot Spots: 3072, p. 11: "Timeline of the Jihad
  54. Word of Blake Ships Destroy Highlander JumpShips
  55. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 56: "The Mysterious Case of Northwind"
  56. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 58: "The Jihad in Review"
  57. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 13: "Plagued by Blake"
  58. Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 27: "Campbell Welcomes Sandoval to Borderless Security Conference on Northwind"
  59. 59.0 59.1 59.2 Era Digest: Dark Age, p. 10: "Dark Age Timeline"
  60. Era Digest: Dark Age, p. 7: "Important Military Actions of 3133"
  61. Era Digest: Dark Age, p. 8: "3133: Maneuvers"
  62. 62.0 62.1 Era Digest: Dark Age, p. 9: "Important Military Actions of 3134"
  63. Era Digest: Dark Age, p. 4: "Functional Republic HPGs as of 01 January 3135"
  64. Shattered Fortress, p. 101
  65. Shattered Fortress, p. 96
  66. Shattered Fortress, p. 97
  67. Perception of Victory
  68. Shrapnel, issue #11, pp. 77–78
  69. 69.0 69.1 69.2 69.3 First Succession War, p. 136: "First Succession War Deployment Table - CCAF"
  70. House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 81
  71. 71.0 71.1 NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1, p. 11: "Operation RAT"
  72. 72.0 72.1 72.2 72.3 72.4 Historical: War of 3039, p. 141: "Deployment Table"
  73. 73.0 73.1 73.2 73.3 20 Year Update, p. 19: "Federated Commonwealth Deployment Table"
  74. Objective Raids, p. 13: "Deployment Table - 3054"
  75. Mercenaries Supplemental, p. 70: "Mercenary Deployment Table"
  76. Field Manual: 3085, p. 186: "RAF Deployment Table - 3085"
  77. Field Manual: 3145, p. 144: "Republic Armed Forces - Hastati Sentinels"
  78. Shattered Fortress, p. 105: "New unit profiles - The Grey Watch (Republic/Merc)"
  79. Shrapnel, issue #11, pp. 77–78
  80. Shrapnel, issue #11, p. 78
  81. Highlander Gambit, ch. 12
  82. Highlander Gambit
  83. 83.0 83.1 83.2 83.3 A Silence in the Heavens, p. 38
  84. 84.0 84.1 84.2 A Silence in the Heavens, p. 139
  85. 85.0 85.1 85.2 Truth and Shadows, p. 245
  86. 86.0 86.1 Duffy Perishes in Gale
  87. 87.0 87.1 A Silence in the Heavens, p. 110
  88. 88.0 88.1 A Silence in the Heavens, p. 141
  89. Highlander Deaths: Accident or Conspiracy?
  90. 90.0 90.1 Dark Age: Republic of the Sphere, p. 28: "Damien Redburn"
  91. Technical Readout: 3025, p. 42
  92. House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 98
  93. A Silence in the Heavens, p. 30

Bibliography[edit]