Clan Coyote

Property "Update Needed From" (as page type) with input value "Historical: Operation Klondike]], Era Digest: Golden Century, Wars of Reaving, [[The Wars of Reaving Supplemental" contains invalid characters or is incomplete and therefore can cause unexpected results during a query or annotation process.

Clan Coyote
Faction Profile
Time period:	2807 – Present
Classification:	Clan
Controlled systems:	10 (2 at 100%)
Capital world:	Kirin; used to be Tamaron
Ruler title:	Khan
Military:	Clan Coyote Touman
Secret Service:	Clan Coyote Watch

Clan Coyote was one of the original twenty Clans founded by Nicholas Kerensky. They proudly take as their totem animal the coyotes brought with the Star League exiles from Terra, which can now be found on Tamaron and many other worlds of the Kerensky Cluster. Forged by Khan Dana Kufahl, a member of an anti-Amaris resistance movement on Terra called the "Spirit of the Coyotes", the Clan cultivates a tradition based on Native American mysticism, and were the first to practice zellbrigen, well before ilKhan Nicholas Kerensky codified the tradition. Their most significant and revolutionary contribution to Clan society was the introduction of the OmniMech in 2854. Traditionally one of the strongest Clans and the closest ally of Clan Wolf, many events of the late 30th and 31st centuries have weakened their position, although politically they have remained staunch Wardens well into the Operation Revival era and beyond. Though they would dramatically regain much of their strength in the later portion of the 31st century, much of it was due to the influence of the Society. This influence and the subsequent treasonous actions of many Coyotes would cost the Clan dearly as the Wars of Reaving came to their bloody conclusion, nearly forfeiting their Clan's very existence. As a result, the Coyotes would face vastly different circumstances than what they had known during the previous centuries, being a Clan that has been through the fires of their own near-destruction, and after that a deep cleansing of their spirit. The Coyotes of the post-Reaving era have essentially been reborn, both as a Clan and as individual warriors. Much like their totem, they would survive and continue their journey as the Clans enter a new age.

History

Formative Years

When Nicholas Kerensky led his Second Exodus from the Pentagon Worlds, Dana Kufahl was among those who followed him. She had been born on Terra in 2772 and grew up during the bloody reign of Stefan Amaris. Her parents were former members of the Terran Security Forces who joined a resistance cell that included SLDF survivors and Native American tribespeople. When they were killed in an ambush the tribe adopted and taught her their ways until the day of liberation finally came. She joined Aleksandr Kerensky on the initial Exodus from the Inner Sphere and attended the military academy on Dagda, where she met and fell in love with Andery Kerensky. The two served in the SLDF, with Kufahl part of an exploration team charting new worlds. It was on the recently-discovered world of Foster that Kufhal had her first vision: a knight in resplendent armor, suddenly consumed by a darkness that began to grow without end. The warning came too late though, as Aleksandr Kerensky was dead and civil war had begun by the time she contacted her ship.

On Strana Mechty Nicholas Kerensky chose Kufahl to be the first Khan of Clan Coyote with Kesar Jerricho as her saKhan. Gerek Tchernovkov, an armor officer of the 146th Royal BattleMech Division, was chosen by the Clan's own warriors to serve as their Pack Master, a position which evolved into that of Loremaster. Khan Kufahl took the Clan into the Broken Sea, a vast equatorial desert, where for three months she led them in tribal rituals in order to cleanse their soul. It was during this time that Kufahl and her warriors witnessed a portent that would shape the Clan for centuries to come, when a pack of wolves and coyotes worked together to bring down a herd of prey. Upon their return Dana related the episode to her lover Andrey and Nicholas, who quickly understood the significance of what she saw as well. The two Clans formed close ties with each other, fighting mock battles together and mingling openly outside of training, forming a bond that would last generations.

Operation Klondike

By 2821, the Clans were deemed ready to return to the Pentagon Worlds. A full reconnaissance survey had been conducted by a team led by Khan Absalom Truscott of Clan Star Adder, called Operation: Sable Sun. Truscott also used this time to formulate the over-all plan of conquest which was adopted by ilKhan Kerensky, a plan titled Operation Klondike.

Clan Coyote was selected for the drop onto Babylon, along with three other Clans. Their ranks were filled almost entirely with heavy and assault-class BattleMechs, making them the primary hitting power on the planet. But what could have been a smooth, if not well-planned operation got off to a bad start from the very beginning and never fully recovered, though the Clans would still go on to victory.

Camlaan

With the intention of knocking out the largest power on the planet to cow the rest into submission, all four Clans landed on the continent of Solath, in the vicinity of the city of Camlaan. Nothing would go according to even this simple plan. The Clans met stiff resistance and counter attacks from reinforcements coming in from every direction, effectively separating Clan Ice Hellion and Clan Cloud Cobra from the main body. Clan Coyote and Clan Sea Fox were left to carry out the assault. Penetrating Camlaan's outer defenses, they pushed deep into the city as reinforcements poured in from the northern and western approaches. Sea Fox Star Colonel Karen Nagasawa, an Aerospace Fighter pilot, saw the danger approaching the Clans' flanks, strafing and bombing the incoming 'Mechs with her Aerospace Fighter Stars, while issuing orders for all Clan forces to target the weak spots that she saw from above. Khan Kufahl took grave exception to this presumption of authority - as well as what Kufahl considered to be dishonorable tactics - and ordered her forces to gather on a hill near the center of the city, a hill that would come to be known as "Kufahl's Promenade". Her Coyotes stood by and watched as the Sea Foxes faced the battle for Camlaan alone. Though the Foxes would claim victory by the next day, it came at the cost of their Khan, David Kalasa. The greater cost of these events to the operation as a whole would be a deep distrust for the Coyotes from their sister Clans - especially the embittered Sea Foxes.

After Camlaan, the Coyotes were left largely to their own devices. They would take the sparsely populated northern expanses of Solath over the next few months, facing little to no resistance during their long march through the vast mountain and desert wastes.

Abyssinia

The continent of Abyssinia did not seem to offer very many chances for honor, though the Coyotes had no choice in the matter, as they had taken the longest to finish their stretch of Solath. In this case, looks were deceiving. For this leg of the operation, Khan Kufahl ordered the Coyote force to be split into three commands, each bringing dozens of tiny settlements under Coyote control. The first two groups would follow her and saKhan Kesar Jerricho respectively. At a large settlement called Luyden, saKhan Jerricho bid 23 warriors for the battle, defeating nearly twice their number of opponents to win the city. At another large city called Ponomia, Khan Kufahl won with a bid 17 warriors for the fight, only to fight a brutal and lengthy battle to secure the city.

Reunion

The third group was under the command of Star Captain Gerek Tchernovkov. As the campaign progressed, he would receive an invitation to meet with the leaders of the city of Versailles. The invitation asked for him specifically by name, something that gave Star Captain Tchernovkov feelings of trepidation, though he accepted it. Leading his Binary to the city, Gerek Tchernovkov was completely surprised to find himself face to face with his twin brother, Richard Tchernovkov, a brilliant scientist and leader of a scientific community centered at Versailles. The two brothers talked all that day and all of the next. At the dawn of the third day, Gerek Tchernovkov sent a message to Khan Kufahl, bidding himself to take the city of Versailes, and inviting both of his Khans to tour the city.

Tragic Aftermath

After the campaign ended, Khan Kufahl was nearly crippled with grief when she heard the news about Andery Kerensky's death on Eden. Dana Kufahl would fall into a deep depression punctuated by periods of extreme mania. These erratic mood swings began to take their toll on her Clan. Unable to bear seeing the Coyotes suffer further losses due to Khan Kufahl's impaired ability to properly lead her forces through her overwhelming grief, saKhan Jerricho knew something had to be done. Not wishing to shame or otherwise harm his Khan, Jerricho challenged Dana Kufahl to a Trial of Possession for the Khanship of Clan Coyote and won. Freed from the bonds of leadership but without any loss of honor or dignity, Dana Kufahl then disappeared into the deserts of Strana Mechty, seeking healing in solitude and ancient tribal ritual. After a time she returned to her Clan, becoming an adviser, and also serving as ambassador to the rest of the Clans until her death in 2855.

The Road to War

By the end of the Golden Century a great debate had begun within Clan society, between those who wished to return to the Inner Sphere as conquerors, or Crusaders, and those who wished to remain and protect it from outside threats, or Wardens. Within Clan Coyote opinion was split between the two camps and a political tug-of-war broke out which would last for two decades until 2967. In what became known as the Blood Scandal, Crusader-minded warriors conspired with saKhan Carson Graves and other warriors of Clan Star Adder to perform a coup d'etat against the Warden-minded Coyote leadership, but the plot was discovered by Coyote Khan Tatiana Steele before it could be carried out. The eight conspiring Bloodname Houses were effectively Annihilated with the execution of nearly two thousand warriors and their offspring, and saKhan Graves was handed over by the Star Adders to be executed and his genetic legacy destroyed as surkairede. However the Star Adders refused to hand over Graves' co-conspirators or their Bloodlines for similar punishment, an affront which became the basis for the ongoing feud between the Coyotes and Adders.

With their ranks cleansed of treason the Coyotes worked with the Wolves to form a powerful political bloc within the Grand Council to oppose the Jade Falcons, Smoke Jaguars and Star Adders in what became known as the Political Century. While the Wardens were successful in postponing the Crusaders' desire to conquer, including the Coyote-backed Dragoon Compromise which sent Wolf's Dragoons into the Inner Sphere, mounting pressure both politically and militarily began taking its toll. The Coyotes in particular became the target of the Crusaders, as well as the opportunistic Cloud Cobras, and after decades of constant fighting by 3045 their territory had been reduced to a quarter of its previous size. In an effort to regain lost territory and political clout within the Grand Council, Khan Robin Steele led several campaigns against Clan Snow Raven, but in the end the effort only served to weaken both Clans and leave them out of the inevitable invasion. When Smoke Jaguar Khan Leo Showers revealed the discovery of an Inner Sphere ship, the Outbound Light, within Clan space, the Crusaders were finally able to push through the Grand Council their motion to attack.

Aftermath of the Invasion

Like many other Clans, the Coyotes were forced to watch from the sidelines as Operation Revival begun with the Invading Clans smash into the Inner Sphere, taking world after world with seeming ease. As news began to trickle back of defeats at the hands of the "barbarians", however, the mood within Clan space began to change, until finally the disaster at the Battle of Tukayyid in 3052 put a hard stop to any ambitions of further conquest. It also led to the election of Sullivan Koga and Pazi Tchernovkov, hard-line Wardens, as the Coyotes' new Khan and SaKhan. Khan Koga in particular began a serious of reforms within the Coyotes' depleted military forces, over the objections of many within the Clan, to try and regain its former strength.

Clan Coyote sided with the Wolves when the Jade Falcons brought charges of treason against them in the Grand Council, but could only watch as the Refusal War split their closest ally in two. The Clan willing stood on the sidelines during the Burrock Absorption and the Star League assault on Clan Smoke Jaguar so that long-time adversaries could be weakened or destroyed. With the destruction of the Smoke Jaguars, the Coyotes seized what they could of their former enemy's remnants, all too cognizant of their weakened state and wishing to avoid protracted battles. Their assault on Huntress lasted just long enough to gain the Jaguars' ProtoMech technology before they quickly withdrew, while the campaign on Londerholm netted a portion of the planet but left them in constant struggle with Clan Ice Hellion. On Brim, the Coyotes found Clan Nova Cat had already been driven off the planet by their hated foes the Star Adders and Cloud Cobras but attacked regardless. Several weeks of fighting proved inconclusive as Star Adder reinforcements continued to pour in, and when the Cloud Cobras threatened to cut the attack force off Khan Koga finally ordered the Coyotes to withdraw. It was also during the Brim assault that the Coyotes' Loremaster Clarissa Jerricho led a multi-Clan task force against the Cloud Cobras' Diet on Babylon, hoping to eliminate that Clan's leadership, but the attack failed.

Two weeks after the disaster on Brim Khan Koga was killed in a follow-up attack on Huntress for additional Smoke Jaguar resources to assist in their ProtoMech development. In the resulting vacuum saKhan Silas Kufahl rose to lead the Clan, but as an outspoken critic of Koga's reform policies Kufahl had many enemies. Dozens of warriors challenged him in Trials of Grievance and Possession, challenges which left the Clan's leadership blind to outside threats, and in a surprise move Jade Falcon warriors successfully landed on Tamaron itself and seized the Landen 'Mech Production Complex in just a few days. In the resulting shock from such a bold move the disperate factions rallied around Galaxy Commander Raven Clearwater, a long-time opponent of Kufahl, who successfully drove off the Falcons in two short, decisive battles. Shortly thereafter Clearwater and Kufahl fought a Trial to end the bickering, and while Kufhal barely win the challenge Clearwater was elected saKhan the same day. The two would put aside their differences and work together to continue the reforms Koga began.

Culture

The traditions of Clan Coyote trace directly back to Dana Kufhal, who infused her Clan with the mystic wisdom she learned as a child and particular reverence for its totem animal. While there is no requirement for Coyote warriors to partake in these ceremonies, those looking to climb up the chain of command willingly take part in them. These rituals were traditionally practiced only on Strana Mechty, however as the Coyote's territorial size increased combined with practicalities of space travel, the Clan's leadership was forced to allow them to be performed on any planet. This also prompted whole packs of coyotes to be transported to each Coyote world in order to properly carry out these rituals. Each one has its own purpose and meaning, though these too have evolved over the years, and many warriors can fulfill the requirements of multiple ceremonies even when only completing one.

Communion with the Coyote

This ritual grew out of Dana Kufahl's desire to impart her warriors with a sense of the wonder and power of nature. Typically it involves groups of Coyote warriors living in the wild for extended lengths of time so that they may better understand the intricacies of life. For example, Pack Masters customarily take their warrior cadets to live off the land for a month at a time to learn how to survive and bond with their fellow trainees, while some commanders will lead their entire unit in the Communion to celebrate after winning a difficult battle. Some Coyote warriors will undertake the Communion by themselves, but will almost always undergo the rite later in life as part of a group.

The Hunt

The Hunt began when two Coyote warriors, undertaking the Communion after having survived Operation Klondike, were suddenly attacked by a pack of coyotes. As the story goes the two unarmed warriors managed to slay five of the animals before being rendered unconscious and woke up to find themselves surrounded by the pack. Apparently impressed by their fighting skills, the coyotes adopted and hunted with them for the rest of their Communion, with the warriors returning many times afterward and bringing along new companions as well. Over the next two centuries the ritual evolved somewhat, to where small groups of Coyote warriors would search the wilds for a pack of coyotes, with individuals picking one animal to stalk and kill by themselves, as a test of their skill. Since the beginning of the 31st Century, no warrior of Galaxy Commander rank or higher has not succeeded in at least one Hunt.

Vision Quest

This ritual also began with Dana Kufhal when she had her first vision of the Great Father's death and the start of the Pentagon Civil War. As with Khan Kufhal, the warrior must be at peace with themselves, pure of thought and free of emotion, in order to undergo a Vision Quest. Only when the mind's natural barriers have been dropped can their senses perceive beyond normal comprehension. However, few have ever had a true Vision Question, and those who set out to deliberate experience one always fail. Of those who have undertaken one, the received Visions are often described as glimpses into the future or the true intentions of another person's actions, and are typically of great significance to Clan Coyote or of all Clan society. Most warriors who experience Vision Quests tend to do so during a Communion.

Military

Main article: Clan Coyote Touman

Traditionally the Coyotes had one of the largest toumans of all the Clans and, as the developers of the OmniMech, fielded overwhelming numbers of these 'Mechs, even in second-line units. Preferences for heavy and assault-class machines gave Coyote units tremendous firepower at the cost of maneuverability, while the Clan's Khans maintained a "hands on" approach to command even at the Galaxy level. During major operations the saKhan personally led the units involved while the Khan observed and directed from a centralized command post; however for smaller engagements the Khans allowed subordinates to command as they saw fit, offering only advice and strategic support. Each Galaxy Commander was expected to lead these operations much as the Khans directed larger ones.

Events leading up to and after Operation Revival however saw the Coyotes take heavy loses, loses which would force a change in their attitude to freeborn warriors. Previously freeborns were almost unheard-of in line units, as the Clan was more than capable of replenishing loses with trueborn warriors and attitudes towards them bordered on contempt. With increases in both combat losses and sibko training-camp drop-outs, the Khans took the unprecedented move of ending the ban on freeborns serving in line units. The resulting uproar finally subsided when the freeborns proved adequate in battle and replenished the Coyote's depleted touman to capacity by 3061, though many truborns still looked down on them. By 3067 the touman had increased in strength, though it still paled in comparison to its height before the Invasion, and while still favoring heavy and assault machines efforts at diversity had seen the use more units of smaller and lighter size. However, even with the creation of superior conventional BattleMech designs like the Rabid Coyote, many warriors still refused to give up their OmniMechs.

Allies and enemies

The Coyotes were staunch allies of the Wolves until the Refusal War when the traditional Coyote-Wolf ties were weakened by the removal of the Warden Wolves to the Inner Sphere and the ascension of the Crusaders in the reborn Wolf Clan. They also maintain close relations with the Diamond Sharks and Ghost Bears, despite the latter's relocation to the Inner Sphere, and while differing in their political views the Coyotes still maintain respect and honor for the Hell's Horses, which the Horses return.

The Fire Mandrill still harbor a grudge over the destruction of Kindraa Smythe-Jewel, though Kindraa Payne enjoys good relations with the Coyotes, a fact which has transferred to their new-found allies the Blood Spirits. The Coyotes were also long-time enemies Smoke Jaguars before their destruction and the Jade Falcons. However they reserve the spot of most hated enemies for the Star Adders and Cloud Cobras, the former for their role in the Blood Scandal, the latter for the assassination of ilKhan Tchernovkov.

Rulers

Khans

• Dana Kufahl, 2807 - 2822
• Kesar Jerricho, 2822 - 2845
• Gerek Tchernovkov, 2845 - 28??
• Manfred Hollifield, 28?? - 28??
• Kevin McTighe, 28?? - ????
• Corian Tchernovkov, ???? - 2920
• Judas Levien, 29?? - 2949
• James Kielman, 2949 - 29??
• Tatiana Steele, 29?? - ????
• Terrence Kufahl, ???? - ????
• Robin Steele, 30?? - 30??
• Sullivan Koga, 3052 - 3062
• Silas Kufahl, 3062 - 3072
• Elliot McKibben, 3072 - 3074
• Leo Koga, 3074 - current (3085)

saKhans

• Kesar Jerricho, 2807 - ????
• Gerek Tchernovkov, ???? - ????
• Katarina Steele, 28?? - ????
• James Kielman, ???? - 2949
• Gunnar Koga, 2976 - ????
• Pazi Tchernovkov, ???? - 3056
• Silas Kufahl, 3056 - 3067
• Raven Clearwater, 3062 - 3074
• Laura McTighe, 3074 - current (3085)

Loremasters

• Gerek Tchernovkov, 28?? - 2822
• Silas Kufahl, 3053 - 3056
• Clarissa Jerricho, 3056 - ????
• Carl Heller, ???? - current (3085)

Era Specific Data

Coyote Demographics
Affiliation: Warden

Clan Space Worlds:
Babylon (27 percent)
Delios (36 percent)
Foster (40 percent)
Londerholm (32 percent)
Hoard (39 percent)
New Kent (19 percent)
Tamaron (100 percent)
Capital: Tamaron

Population (Clan Space): 73,360,000 (3060)
Population growth rate: 1.9 percent (60/41)
Self-Sufficiency Index: 91 percent

Leaders:
Khan: Sullivan Koga
saKhan: Silas Kufahl
Loremaster: Clarissa Jerricho
Scientist-Gneral: Ricarda (Remer)
Merchant Factor: Kavindra
Master Technician: Onyda
Senior Laborer: Hillard

Military:
Clusters: 35
WarShips: 12

Bibliography

• Historical: Operation Klondike
• The Wars of Reaving
• Field Manual: Update
• Field Manual: Warden Clans

---

The text in this article is based on this revision of the Wikipedia article "Clan Coyote" used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. See the BattleTechWiki's copyright notice.