Ilkasur Shogunate

Ilkasur Shogunate
State Profile
Capital world: Kito on Arcadia[1]
Controlled system(s): 0
Government
Head of State Shogun[1]
Military

The Ilkasur Shogunate was one of the Pentagon Powers, a collection of warlord states living in the ruins of the Star League in Exile. Ikasur occupied a portion of Arcadian's western continent.

History[edit]

The Ilkasur Shogunate originated as a Draconis Combine nationalist group.[2] The first Shogun of Ilkasur, Teppen Samsonov, forged the originally loose coalition of warlords into a state based off feudal Europe and Japan. The Shogunate was a warrior culture that elevated soldiers, especially mechwarriors, above the common people. Despite this, Ilkasur treated civilians well enough that the common citizen of the nearby and more oppressive Nation of Hastur actively hoped for conquest by the Shogunate, which led to the Shogunate's policy of guerilla warfare against its larger neighbour.[1]

By the time of Operation Klondike, Samsonov had been forced from his position by age and infirmity, leading to his replacement by Shogun Wiki'i Leonov.[1] The Shogunate's army was on campaign against Hastur as the Clans invaded Arcadia, and by pure coincidence the bulk of their forces were encamped just a few kilometers away from their planned drop zone. Clan Ghost Bear chose to ignore their assigned role as first in to the drop zone in favor of dropping directly onto the Nation of Hastur's capital, giving the Shogunate time to scramble its aerospace fighters before the other clans made planetfall. Shogunate forces inflicted heavy losses on Clan Star Adder, killing their Khan Absalom Truscott and disabling about half of the Adder machines, but Shogunate commander Hinke al-Paz ordered her forces to retreat after they began to run out of ammunition. The death of Truscott ended the Clans willingness to operated in a single shared command structure, significantly shaping the future conquest of Arcadia.[2]

Clans Steel Viper and Blood Spirit were able to quickly conquer Ilkasur, in part because of the Shogunate forces preference for honorable duels fought outside their settlements. Shogunate warriors would also willingly submit to those who defeated them and administer conquered territory on their behalf, allowing the Clans to keep moving to their next targets with only minimal delay. After three weeks of combat that presaged the future zellbrigen Steel Viper forces reached the Shogunate capital of Kito, prompting Shogun Leonov to issue saKhan Steven Breen what would become the first Batchall in clan history. When Leonov's forces were defeated in this proxy battle, the Shogunate as a whole surrendered.[1]

Ilkasur's people were fortunate. Their warriors had fought honorably, delivered the Clans enough defeats to earn their respect, and they already shared many of the ideals promoted by Nicholas Kerensky. This meant they received unusually lenient treatment from the victors. No subject of the Shogun was charged for treason commited before or during the Pentagon Civil War, former citizens of the Shogunate would be placed in charge of Arcadia after Klondike, and Shogunate bondsmen were the first warriors from outside the Clans to ever be accepted into the Warrior Caste. The precedents set in the campaign against Ilkasur forever altered how the clans would wage war, and the Shogunate played a significant role in shaping the culture of the three clans who fought them. Official clan histories though deny the role of any but Nicholas Kerensky and the founding Khans in shaping the Clans, despite Shogunate influence remaining visible centuries later.[1]

Notes[edit]

Ilkasur Shogunate forces have special rules on page 150 of Historical: Operation Klondike

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Historical: Operation Klondike, pp. 54-55: "Opposites Complement"
  2. 2.0 2.1 Historical: Operation of Klondike, pp. 50-51: "West Arcadia"

Bibliography[edit]