Von Strang's World

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Von Strang's World

Note: X and Y are coordinates (light years on XY plane) relative to Terra at (0, 0)

Von Strang's World
System Information
X:Y Coordinates-160.065 : 515.891[e]
Spectral classF5III[1]
Recharge station(s)None[1]

The system named Von Strang's World was home to at least one habitable world, Von Strang's World IV, and as at 3145 was located in the Periphery region known as The Barrens.[2][3]

System Description

The system named Von Strang's World is located near the Cryfder and Givrodat systems[4][5] and consists of a class F5III primary orbited by at least four planets.[1]

System History

Originally named Erin, Von Strang's World was either colonised by the Rim Worlds Republic during the Star League era at some point after the end of the Reunification War, or was an already-inhabited system that was incorporated into the Republic's Apollo Province during this period and which was considered significant enough to have its location recorded by Inner Sphere nations.[6][4][5]

During the collapse of the Rim Worlds Republic following the Republic-Commonwealth War the Erin system was conquered by Baron Nico Von Strang, who renamed Erin as Von Strang's World, the capital world of the one-planet Periphery nation known as the Barony of Strang.[7]

Von Strang's World IV

Template:InfoBoxPlanetStandard Von Strang's World IV - more commonly known simply as Von Strang's World, and previously as Erin - is the fourth planet in the system and for several centuries was the administrative capital of the Barony of Strang - as well as the only planet within that bandit kingdom.[1]

Planetary History

Star League Era

During the rule of First Consul Tadeo Amaris in the twenty-seventh century either naval dry-dock facilities were constructed in the Erin system, or existing port facilities were expanded, to create a naval facility capable of supporting, maintaining and refurbishing WarShips. The naval facilities in Erin remained in place and functioning in the twenty-eighth century, and during the closing years of the Star League era the orbiting port facilities at Erin constituted one of only three facilities confirmed as existing in Rim Worlds Republic space, according to Star League Defense Force intelligence. The other facilities known to be operating at the time were another Rim Worlds Army facility in the Star's End system, and the covert but limited facilities known as Camelot Command in the Dark Nebula, constructed and operated in secret by the SLDF.[8]

Amaris Civil War

Following the coup launched by Stefan Amaris the Star League Defense Force withdrew from combating the Periphery Uprising and assaulted the Rim Worlds Republic, as Commanding General Aleksandr Kerensky knew that a secure base of operations to support and supply the SLDF would be sorely needed for any future campaign to liberate the Terran Hegemony, and conquering the Republic also cut off supply lines into Hegemony space - rechristened the Amaris Empire by Amaris. A key part of the campaign was the need to secure military bases - both ground-based and naval - and in 2768 the naval facilities in the Star's End system and at Erin were targeted by the SLDF. The SLDF attacked and secured the facilities in the Star's End system first, capturing the facilities intact; whereas the Star's End facilities had been operated as an SLDF fleet base at one point, before being taken over as the center of operations for the RWA black water navy, the orbital facilities at Erin were a civilian operation.[8]

Whilst the port facilities at Erin were notionally less well defended that those at Star's End because of their civilian operation and use, the defenders had more time to prepare for the SLDF invasion, whereas the appearance of an SLDF naval flotilla in the Star's End system had caught the defenders there by surprise. When the SLDF attempted to secure the Erin facilities, they discovered that the shipyards had received enough advance warning to allow the defenders to rig them for demolition; the SLDF attempted to capture the facilities, but the defenders were able to destroy close to three-fifths of the port. The remaining portions of the shipyard began to fall out of orbit, as the defenders had sabotaged the station keeping drives; that would have been enough to destroy the shipyards, if it hadn't been for the crew of the SLS Bamborough, an Aegis-class heavy cruiser and some quick thinking on the part of the SLDF Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams. The Bamborough positioned itself so that its own engines could push the shipyard facilities into a higher orbit while the EOD teams worked; the maneuver was highly unorthodox, and both the Bamborough and the shipyards took significant damage in the process, but it was enough to prevent the shipyards being destroyed and earned the crew praise from General Kerensky.[8]

Shortly after the Rim Worlds Republic's post-Amaris government was shattered in 2775, what was left of the Republic was further decimated by the Lyran Commonwealth. The planet became a rallying point for a number of refugees fleeing from the Republic-Commonwealth War. Among these refugees were various Amaris strongmen and loyalists. One such individual was a man named Baron Nico Von Strang; he conquered Erin and renamed it for himself. Baron Von Strang then made it the capital of his one-system periphery kingdom known as the Barony of Strang, and it became a haven for fleeing Amaris loyalists - and rapidly became infamous as the home of one of the most bloodthirsty regimes in a region noted for its plethora of bandit kingdoms.[7] Nico Von Strang was a relation of Colonel Gunthar Strang, the commanding officer of the Eighteenth Amaris Chasseurs, one of the last BattleMech forces to have been defeated by the SLDF during the Amaris Civil War, and the assorted Barons Von Strang who followed Nico traced their ancestry to Gunthar Strang for three centuries afterwards.[1]

Third Succession War

By the end of the Third Succession War Von Strang's World was home to two distinct classes amongst the population, one being made up of literate artisans, and the other made of up feudal laborers devoted to constructing and maintaining the hundreds of fortifications established by the Von Strangs across the surface of the planet. It wasn't clear if the fortifications had begun to appear as a necessary defensive measure, but by the early thirty-first century the construction of new facilities and the maintenance of existing fortifications had become an archaic social imperative used by the Von Strang's to control the population, keeping them subordinate to the desires of the Baron. The Von Strang's continued to control the local diamond mines throughout their dominance of the planet, using a combination of personal wealth and the profits from the diamond mines to periodically tempt or lure individual MechWarriors into taking up service with the Barony of Strang.[1]

The resident Baron at the end of the Third Succession War was Baron Otto Von Strang, who personally cherished dreams of launching a Holy War of Redemption, in which he would reclaim the Republic. Otto Von Strang despised the Star League and extended that prejudice to encompass all things originating from the Inner Sphere; items or people originating from the Inner Sphere were subject to immediate confiscation or imprisonment when discovered. Continuing to preach of an "inevitable" invasion of Von Strang's World by the Inner Sphere, Otto Von Strang continued to ensure that the population remained locked into a feudal relationship with the various local Wardens, providing continued labor and services in exchange for food. To further his plans for a Holy War, Von Strang had managed to build up his military forces to more than a battalion of 'Mechs supported by two DropShips and a single JumpShip, and he had launched a number of raids against outposts on the border of the Lyran Commonwealth.[1]

Clan Invasion

Having begun Operation REVIVAL, their planned invasion of the Inner Sphere the Clans discovered that the Periphery contained a world named after a notorious League era villain. Von Strang's World's namesake had been and still was considered an inhumane war criminal of the Amaris army. The Clans hoped to seek revenge on Colonel Gunthar Von Strang's descendants, and Clan Jade Falcon won the bid to take Von Strang's World, led by its senior Khan Elias Crichell. When they arrived in the system in 3049, the Clan's hopes were realized. They issued a batchall to the planet but only received a vitriolic rebuke from its ruler, Baron Stepan Von Strang. Khan Crichell's forces landed on the planet after fending off the Baron's aerospace forces. The Khan and his Turkina Keshik found that the Baron's Guard Division was formidable and well prepared for an invasion. The Falcon forces were led astray and slowed down by Amaris City's well-armed fortifications and cul-de-sac traps in the city's valley. After the Jade Falcons penetrated and disabled the fortifications, they pushed ahead into the city.[9]

The Falcons were nearly outmaneuvered by the Baron's forces, but a Jade Falcon recon fighter happened to discover the Baron's 'Mech and tank forces attempting to flank the Khan's 'Mech forces. The Jade Falcon 'Mech and Elemental forces were able to overcome the Guard Division, with Khan Crichell single-handedly killing Baron Stepan in a one-on-one duel between their 'Mechs. Afterwards, the city was renamed Unity City as a slap in the face of the population and its pro-Amaris descendants. The Jade Falcons then hoisted the body of the planet's late leader onto a flag pole at his palace along with the banners of the Star League and Clan Jade Falcon.[9]

Ice Hellion Invasion

During the Jihad, Clan Ice Hellion launched its military campaign to capture worlds from the Jade Falcons. In September of 3071 elements of the Ice Hellion's Beta Galaxy swiftly took Von Strang's World from its Jade Falcon defenders. However, in November, elements of Clan Hell's Horses Iota and Theta Galaxies overpowered the Ice Hellion garrison forces and took control of planet in turn.[10][11][12]

Clan Withdrawal

In the mid-3080's Clan Hell's Horses withdrew from their Periphery holdings en masse. The citizens of Von Strang's World had eventually embraced the Clan caste-based lifestyle, and swiftly established their own pseudo-caste system based on the one used by the Clans once left to their own devices. When the Horses left, a series of Trials took place and created a new warrior caste. These warriors used their pre-Clan surnames to establish their own Bloodnames, and they also created their own breeding program to rapidly boost their population - although lacking iron wombs, their program relied on traditional methods and the strict enforcing of breeding pairs. The scattered salvage from the various battles between the Hell's Horses, Ice Hellions and Jade Falcons left plenty for the warlike elements of the population to seize to equip themselves with. After the Horse withdrawal, Clan Diamond Shark merchants were the primary source of information and trade, with Von Strang's World's diamond mines being of interest the mercantile Clan; the inevitable - and incessant - demands for Trials issued by the warlike warrior caste on the planet were countered or constrained by offers of JumpShip access and high technology, as the new rulers of Von Strang's World lacked any DropShips or JumpShips of their own. Given the highly aggressive nature of the new warrior caste on Von Strang's World, it was considered likely that if they were to acquire access to interstellar transport, Von Strang's World would swiftly become a serious hazard to other proto-states in the region as they would inevitably launch Clan-inspired Trials against their neighbours. Without interstellar transport, the minimal construction facilities available on Von Strang's World suggested that the local warrior caste would instead swiftly erode its own combat capabilities through constant Trialling.[13]

In addition to selling basic military equipment to the residents of Von Strang's World, various Clans assisted in constructing a massive fortress on the planet, similar to those being constructed on various other planets within The Barrens; effectively modern Castles Brian, the intent behind building these massive facilities, hardened against orbital bombardment, was unclear but noteworthy.[14]

Political Affiliation

invalid names, e.g. too many

Planetary Rulers

Ca. 2780

  • Baron Nico Von Strang[35]

3028

  • Baron Otto Von Strang[1]

3049

  • Baron Stepan Von Strang (3049)[36]

3095

  • Khan Richard Anderson[37]

Military Deployment

3049

  • Von Strang's Guard Division[9]

Geography

Von Strang's World is a temperate world, but lacks natural resources.[1]

Planetary Locations

  • Unity City: the planetary capital city; originally named Amaris City, the name of the city was changed after the Clan Invasion in 3049.[1][38]

Nearby Systems

Systems within 60 light-years (distance in light years)
Closest systems first:
Cryfder 23.0 Givrodat 28.1 Vannes 33.3 Beowulf 37.0
Botany Bay 37.3 Caillinius 38.1 Last Chance 38.8 Battaraigi 39.4
Fredotto 47.3 Placida 49.3 Dirkel 50.3 Gotterdammerung 53.9
Ingvolstand 54.7 Blackstone 55.7 Paran 55.9

Notes

It was confirmed that Erin and Von Strang's World were one and the same by the Catalyst Game Labs writing staff. A transcript of the details is available on this article's Talk page.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 The Periphery, p. 127, "Von Strang's World"
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Era Report: 3145, p. 39, "Inner Sphere Map - [3145]"
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Field Manual: 3145, p. VI, "Inner Sphere - 3145"
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 25, "Rim Worlds Republic At the Fall of the Star League [2750]"
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Era Report: 2750, p. 36, "Inner Sphere - [2750] Map"
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Historical: Reunification War, p. 158, "Inner Sphere - [2596] Map"
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 37, "The Republic-Commonwealth War" - Strong man Baron Von Strang's conquers and names Von Strang's world.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 107-108, "High and Low"
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Jade Falcon Sourcebook, pp. 22-23, "The Barony of Strang" - Von Strang's World fight with Clan Jade Falcon.
  10. ↑ Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 29, 31, "Operation Ice Storm" - Von Strang's World taken by Ice Hellions from the Falcon, only to be given back by Hell's Horses.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Jihad Hot Spots: 3076, p. 17, "Timeline of the Jihad"
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 50, "The Jihad In Review"
  13. ↑ Interstellar Players 3: Interstellar Expeditions, pp. 41-42, "Von Strang's World
  14. ↑ Interstellar Players 3: Interstellar Expeditions, p. 42, "Kings of the Castles"
  15. ↑ Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 18, "Rim Worlds Republic after Age of War - [2571] Map"
  16. ↑ Field Manual: SLDF, p. vii, "Inner Sphere - [2764] Map"
  17. ↑ Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 10, "Inner Sphere - [2765] Map"
  18. ↑ Field Report 2765: Periphery, p. 38, "Rim Worlds Army Deployment Map - [2765]"
  19. ↑ Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 104, "Rim Worlds Republic - [2767] Map"
  20. ↑ First Succession War (Source Book), pp. 24-25, "Inner Sphere - [2786] Map"
  21. ↑ Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2, p. 122-123, "Inner Sphere - [2822] Map"
  22. ↑ First Succession War (Source Book), pp. 112-113, "Inner Sphere - [2822] Map"
  23. ↑ The Periphery (sourcebook), p. vii, "Maps of the Periphery"
  24. ↑ Era Report: 3052, p. 10, Inner Sphere [3050] Map
  25. ↑ Era Report: 3052, p. 22, Inner Sphere [3052] Map
  26. ↑ Era Report: 3062, p. 10, Inner Sphere - [3057] Map
  27. ↑ Era Report: 3062, p. 29, "Inner Sphere - [3063] Map"
  28. ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 42, "Inner Sphere - [3067] Map"
  29. ↑ Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 64, "Inner Sphere - [3075] Map"
  30. ↑ Field Report: Clans, p.27, "Clan Wolf/Clan Hell's Horses Deployment Map - [August 3079]"
  31. ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 62, "Inner Sphere - [3081] Map"
  32. ↑ Field Manual: 3085, p. vii, "Inner Sphere - [3085] Map"
  33. ↑ Map of the Inner Sphere 3130
  34. ↑ Era Report: 3145, p. 11, "Inner Sphere Map - [3135]"
  35. ↑ Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 37, "The Republic-Commonwealth War" - Von Strang's namesake give full name and approximately when.
  36. ↑ Jade Falcon Sourcebook, pp. 22-23, "The Barony of Strang" - Last ruler of Von Strang's World named in Jade Falcon invasion.
  37. ↑ Interstellar Players 3: Interstellar Expeditions, p. 41-42, "Von Strang's World"
  38. ↑ Jade Falcon Sourcebook, pp. 22-23, "The Barony of Strang" - Falcon's rename Amaris City after fall Star League's Capital City.

Bibliography

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