Warden Clans
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The Warden Clans were those Clans who adhered to the Warden ideology in Clan politics. The essence of the Warden ideal was that Aleksandr and Nicholas Kerensky had never intended for the Clans to reestablish the Star League by force or conquer the Inner Sphere, but to remain aloof from its corrupting influence while standing ready to intervene should the Inner Sphere require saving from an existential threat.
The Wardens succeeded for decades in preventing the Crusaders from spearheading an invasion of the Inner Sphere until an unforeseen event in 3048 finally resulted in a Crusader-led assault upon the Great Houses. The ultimate failure of that invasion, eventually defeated in accordance with the Clans' own laws, left the Wardens temporarily triumphant before events after 3060 saw the Crusader-Warden divide rendered moot by a permanent rupture between the Home and Invading Clans.
Contents
History
Origins
The Warden philosophy was adhered to by all of the Clans throughout the Golden Century, though the term 'Warden' itself didn't come into use until the Crusader ideology arose in opposition to it. Derived from a passage in Nicholas Kerensky's diaries - “to ward the Inner Sphere from all outside forces until that time when the Star League is reborn” - this doctrine mandated that the Clans' superior culture was to remain isolated from potential corruption and the barbarian influence of the Great Houses, only to intervene if an 'outside threat' were to menace the Inner Sphere. The Wardens never provided a definitive answer as to what such an 'outside threat' might be, but some suggested nonhuman enemies from beyond known space while others spoke of countering a human tyranny so vile that it transcended the bounds of decency.[1]
A gradual change in the Clans' political landscape first became noticeable in the mid- to late 2900s as the Golden Century transitioned to the Political Century. The increasing disunity between the Clans, coupled with support for a return to the Inner Sphere from the civilian castes who suffered most in the harsh worlds of Clan Space, led to a new ideology arising: that of the Crusaders. Decades of Grand Council neutrality on the issue finally ended in 2980, when the first Clan to declare itself for the new movement, the Jade Falcons, presented a formal proposal for an invasion of the Inner Sphere.[2]
Stemming the Crusader Tide
Operation Revival
The Refusal War
The Great Refusal
Post-Wars of Reaving
Membership
Though its membership changed over the years, Clans Wolf and Coyote led the Warden bloc from its beginnings until after the Refusal War, when the Wolves were split between a reborn Crusader-dominated Clan Wolf and the Abjured Clan Wolf in Exile who continued to support the Warden cause. Clan Goliath Scorpion traditionally supported the Warden cause as well, while the majority of Clan Cloud Cobra's cloisters were inclined towards the Warden philosophy.
While nominally Warden, Clans Snow Raven and Steel Viper were in reality fence-straddlers. The Ravens would support Crusader motions that suited their goals, while the Vipers agreed with the Crusader aim of returning to the Inner Sphere and restoring the Star League under Clan leadership.
Clans Diamond Shark and Nova Cat, while pro-Crusader for much of their history, were motivated by benevolent intentions towards the Inner Sphere and so moved into the Warden camp after the Battle of Tukayyid. The Ghost Bears were also Crusaders until some time prior to the Great Refusal, when they officially announced their shift to the Warden stance.
While considered a Crusader Clan, some of Clan Fire Mandrill's Kindraa were supporters of the Warden philosophy. During the 3050s and early 3060s, the rank and file of Clan Hell's Horses were pro-Warden despite their Clan's staunch Crusader leadership. After 3063, the Horses would effectively shift to the Warden camp.
List of Warden Clans from c. 3050 to c. 3067
- Clan Cloud Cobra
- Clan Coyote
- Clan Diamond Shark (Crusader prior to Tukayyid)
- Clan Ghost Bear (Crusader until Great Refusal)
- Clan Goliath Scorpion
- Clan Hell's Horses (Crusader until Khan Malavai Fletcher's death in 3065)
- Clan Nova Cat (Crusader before Operation Bulldog)
- Clan Snow Raven (officially Warden, opportunistic supporter of Crusader policies)
- Clan Steel Viper (shared some Crusader goals)
- Clan Wolf (Crusader after Refusal War)
- Clan Wolf in Exile (extant after the Refusal War)