Editing Ethan Moreau

{{InfoBoxCharacter
| image               = Ethan Moreau.jpg
| caption             = 
| name                = Ethan Moreau
| birthdate           = [[2747]]
| died                = [[2851]]
| othernames          = 
| affiliation         = [[Clan Goliath Scorpion]]
| rank                = 
| title               = 
| position            = [[Loremaster of Clan Goliath Scorpion|Loremaster]]
| profession          = [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]]
| parents             = 
| siblings            = 
| spouse              = 
| children            = 
}}

'''Ethan Moreau''' (born [[2747]]<ref name="OTP:WAp12">''Operational Turning Points: Widowmaker Absorption'', p. 12, "Ethan Moreau"</ref> - died [[2851]])<ref name=FM:WCp103,104>''Field Manual: Warden Clans'', p. 103, 104, "The Golden Time"</ref> was a [[Star League Defense Force]] officer and [[Gunslinger Program|Gunslinger]] who would stay behind on the [[Pentagon Worlds]] during [[Nicholas Kerensky]]'s [[Second Exodus]].  After a show of great contrition he would be forgiven by the [[Ilkhan]] and allowed to join [[the Clans]]. He would rise to be the first [[Loremaster]] of [[Clan Goliath Scorpion]] within two years of his adoption, though he would never be allowed to have his genes added to the Clans' eugenics program.  He died in battle against the [[Clan Fire Mandrill|Fire Mandrills]].

==History==
Ethan Moreau was born in the [[Free Worlds League]]’s province of [[Abbey District]] and was influenced by witnessing the [[Star League Defense Force]]'s protection of his home region from bandit attacks.<ref name="OTP:WAp12"/>


=== Star League Service ===
Moreau graduated from the [[Star League]]'s [[Gunslinger Program]], and was an extremely capable [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]].  He held the rank of [[Major]] during the [[Operation Liberation|Liberation of Terra]], distinguishing himself in battle and earning a promotion to [[General]], as well as command of the elite [[81st BattleMech Division]].<ref name=FM:WCp102,103>''Field Manual: Warden Clans'', p. 102, 103, "The Scorpion's Vision"</ref> He was considered to be a conscientious man and was well respected by the troops he led.<ref name="OTP:WAp12"/>

=== The Exodus Road and Babylonian Honor ===
Ethan Moreau joined [[Aleksandr Kerensky]]'s [[Operation Exodus|Exodus]] from the [[Inner Sphere]].  He was commander of the defenses on the [[Pentagon Worlds|Pentagon World]] of [[Babylon]], a position he held when the rebellions broke out after the [[DeChavilier Massacre]].  With the death of Aleksandr Kerensky and the leadership of the Star League in Exile, Moreau ultimately refused to accompany [[Nicholas Kerensky]] on the [[Second Exodus]].  He wrote to the future [[ilKhan]] a heartfelt letter where he explained he was tired of running away from war, as well as the journey of the [[Exodus Road]] in general. He felt that his honor required his service on Babylon and that he would try to keep the SLDF flame alive during the dark years of the [[Pentagon Civil War]].<ref name=FM:WCp102,103/><ref name="OTP:WAp12"/>

When rebels overran the 81st's headquarters only two weeks after Nicholas Kerensky's followers departed, Ethan Moreau was originally misreported as dead. He stayed and defended against the rising tide of combatants divided between Inner Sphere factional loyalties. Throughout the long years of civil war, he rallied the remnants of his forces against the two primary rebel factions. When the factions united just before the arrival of the [[Clans]] in [[2821]], his unit was swept into the deserts, scattered to fate.<ref name=FM:WCp102,103/>

=== Redemption and the Scorpion ===
Ethan Moreau wandered for an indeterminable length of time through the deserts and wastes, his days spent in contemplation and introspection. After the conclusion of [[Operation Klondike]], as the period called [[The Coursing]] began in [[2822]], he would be found by an [[Clan Ice Hellion|Ice Hellion]] patrol.  He had climbed to the top of an obsidian spire (now known as Moreau's Dagger), a rock formation common in the Babylonian badlands, and was screaming in delirium. In his wandering he had been stung multiple times by Babylonian [[Goliath_Scorpion_(species)|goliath scorpion]]s, a large arachnid inhabiting the desert wastelands with a highly toxic venom, often causing death and brain damage to survivors, and having hallucinogenic properties. When the patrol was close enough to hear him, they heard him yell, "Bring me to the ilKhan, I must see him!"<ref name=FM:WCp102,103/><ref name="OTP:WAp12"/> 

All of this was a surprise to the warriors of the patrol. The fact that Nicholas Kerensky was officially called by the title [[ilKhan]] was not common knowledge outside of the Clans at that time.  When he was brought before Kerensky, he fell to his knees and told of how he had perpetrated a great folly by staying behind when the call for the Second Exodus was issued. He begged forgiveness for his mistake; Kerensky agreed. Moreau then swore an oath (later called a ''[[surkairede]]'') to do everything he could to protect Kerensky and his descendants.<ref name=FM:WCp102,103/><ref name="OTP:WAp12"/> (This was the origin of the ''[[surkai]]'' tradition, whereby a [[Clan]] member can admit his or her mistake and beg forgiveness from a superior -or even ask for punishment for wrongs- all with little or no loss of honor to either party.<ref>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', p. 98, "Aftermath"</ref><ref name=TC:WOKp82>''The Clans: Warriors of Kerensky'', p. 82, "Clan Goliath Scorpion, History"</ref>)

Though the Ice Hellions would dismiss him as infirm and damaged by the scorpion venom, another Clan was interested in his abilities. Being one of the few survivors from the elite [[Gunslinger Program]] still held some advantages for Moreau.  At the petition of [[Khan]] [[Cyrus Elam]], who wanted to use him as an instructor for his Clan's newest warriors, Moreau was inducted into [[Clan Goliath Scorpion]] in a ceremony that the ilKhan himself attended.  This occasion became the basis for the modern [[Ritual of Adoption]], and has been observed ever since by the Clans. His adoption was not without a condition: Moreau would never be allowed to contribute to the Clan eugenics program. He would be allowed to keep his full name, though in later generations warrior caste adoptees would take the name of their respective Clan as their surname.<ref name=FM:WCp102,103/><ref>''Era Digest: Golden Century'', p. 13, "Ritual of Adoption"</ref>

Upon being adopted, Ethan Moreau was charged with the task of writing down every recollection and thought about what had occurred during the long civil war.  His writings were incorporated into the Goliath Scorpion ''[[Remembrance]]'' and served as an object lesson on the futility of the Pentagon Civil War and a glimpse at the horrors that took place as told by an eyewitness to the events. He also steeped himself in the study of Clan law and tradition, as well as the writings of the ilKhan and his supporters. By [[2824]], he was named the first [[Loremaster]] of Clan Goliath Scorpion after only two years in service.<ref name=FM:WCp102,103/>

=== Trial and Travail During the Golden Century ===
In [[2834]], twelve years after the end of Operation Klondike, [[Clan Wolf]] was in the midst of a [[Trial of Absorption]] against the hated [[Clan Widowmaker]].  The [[Trial of Refusal|Refusal]] took place on [[Ironhold]]. The bitter conflict would boil over when an escalating chain of events ended with the death of the ilKhan after a [[large laser]] on Khan [[Cal Jorgensson]]'s '[[Mech]] discharged into his cockpit.<ref name=FM:WCp102,103/>  

Quickly destroying or capturing every Widowmaker asset in reach, soon only the Widowmaker capitol on the colony world [[Roche]] was all that remained for the Wolves to seize.  The Goliath Scorpions likewise had an enclave on that world and had been watching events unfold.  When Wolf forces dropped onto the world to face what they thought was the last [[Trinary]] of Widowmaker warriors, two more Trinaries crept out from cover to ambush the unsuspecting Wolves.<ref name=FM:WCp102,103/> 

Loremaster Ethan Moreau (commanding the [[3rd Scorpion Cuirassiers (Escorpión Imperio)|Third Scorpion Cuirassiers]]) and Khan Elam of the Goliath Scorpions saw the scene unfolding.  Moreau soon charged in his ''[[Black Knight]]'' toward the [[Roche#Planetary_History|Porthos]] battlefield, intent upon honoring his ''surkairede'' to defend Kerensky, with his Khan and several more Scorpion 'Mechs following as quickly as they could.  In the ensuing battle, [[Cyrus Elam|Khan Elam]] would die along with Widowmaker [[saKhan]] [[Kyle Vordermark]] while dueling each other, as Moreau fought and actively fulfilled his ''surkairede'', surviving the fighting to see the last of the Widowmakers finished.  Khan Winson was initially furious with Ethan Moreau and the rest of the Goliath Scorpions for interfering in what he saw as his trial, but he would eventually forgive him and come to the understanding that Moreau had simply upheld his oath, and that his ''surkairede'' extended to all of Clan Wolf, something which saved many Wolf warriors from a cowardly trap.<ref name=OTPWA_15>''Operational Turning Points: Widowmaker Absorption'', p. 15, "Third Scorpion Cuirassiers"</ref>
<ref name=FM:WCp102,103/><ref name=OTPWA_9>''Operational Turning Points: Widowmaker Absorption'', p. 9, "Untangling the Web"</ref>

=== Extraordinary Visions and Final Days ===
As the [[Golden Century]] progressed, the [[Clan Goliath Scorpion Touman|Goliath Scorpion Touman]] found itself with a large influx of warriors, more than they could equip.  Loremaster Moreau suggested a new test to thin out the ranks.  Each of the young warriors would subject themselves to the sting of a goliath scorpion to prove their worthiness physically and mentally, but also as an echo of certain ancient [[Terra]]n warrior rituals.  While this proved an excellent way to weed out the weak, it killed too many warriors, endangering the Clan's genetic stability. Khan [[Shandra Dinour]] was intrigued by the reported visions that the survivors had witnessed, but still considered the cost too high to continue using the ritual.<ref name=FM:WCp103,104/> 

After a two-year effort ordered by Khan Dinour, the Goliath Scorpion scientists invented a less-deadly alternative, [[Necrosia]]. A green luminous liquid, it had the hallucinogenic "vision" effects of the scorpion venom, but without an overwhelming fatality rate.  It soon became very popular with the young warriors, who claimed it allowed them to see the future when looking at things from the past.<ref name=FM:WCp103,104/> 

In [[2845]], Loremaster Moreau spoke to the Scorpion [[Bloodname]]d warriors, telling them about a vision that he had of the future.  He said he was shown a great vision of how the Goliath Scorpions would restore the Star League.  He instructed each of the warriors present to go to [[Tokasha]], one of their colony enclaves, and scour the planet for a cache left behind by the [[Not-Named Clan]], and that this would be the first key to their eventual dominance.  The warriors searched Tokasha for years, making their Clan neighbors upset at their disregard for boundaries, but finding no cache.<ref name=FM:WCp103,104/>

When Khan Dinour caught word of how a cache captured by Clan Ice Hellion fit Loremaster Moreau's description, she immediately offered a ''[[batchall]]'' to obtain it.  After a successful [[Trial of Possession]] by the Scorpions, the Ice Hellion Khan [[Grosse Lienet]] issued a counterchallenge.  A year of struggle ensued with no clear victor.  Then in early [[2851]], elements of [[Clan Fire Mandrill]] attacked in an attempt to wrest control of the facility away from the two distracted combatants. Angered at the intrusion, the Scorpions and Hellions teamed together to drive off the Fire Mandrills. In one fateful battle between Goliath Scorpion and forces of Mandrill [[Kindraa Mattila-Carrol]], Loremaster Moreau's 'Mech became stuck in a swamp area; he realized he could no longer fight and asked ''[[hegira]]'' of his opponents.  A young warrior approached and killed Ethan Moreau with a [[gauss rifle]] shot to the head of his ''[[Black Knight]]''.  Kindraa Mattila-Carrol would never be forgiven for this dishonorable action, but the damage could not be undone.  Ethan Moreau, Loremaster and Gunslinger, was dead.<ref name=FM:WCp103,104/><ref>''Era Digest: Golden Century'', p. 9, "Bad Blood"</ref><ref name="OTP:WAp12"/>

== Legacy ==
Ethan Moreau is called an unofficial founder of Clan Goliath Scorpion.<ref name=TC:WOKp82/>  Though the [[Clan Burrock|Burrock]] (now [[Clan Star Adder|Star Adder]]) Bloodname Moreau is from an unrelated progenitor, it is one of the most sought after lines in all of the Clans by the warriors of the [[Clan Goliath Scorpion]], simply because it is the name of their beloved first Loremaster.<ref name=FM:WCp102,103/>

Considered to be a great mystic, Ethan Moreau would pass on his vision to future warriors, rather than his genes.  The rituals he started lead the Goliath Scorpions to seek out the past in order to find the future. Each Goliath Scorpion seeker owes a debt of gratitude to Ethan Moreau, by the simple fact that without his extraordinary insights, his Clan might not have chosen its current path.  Seekers should well know that they are each his inheritors.<ref name=FM:WCp103,104/>

==BattleMechs==
Ethan's only known 'Mech was a [[Black Knight]].

==Titles and Positions==
{{s-start}}
{{s-bef|before= None}}
{{s-title|title=[[Loremaster of Clan Goliath Scorpion]]|years=[[2824]] - [[2851]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Lan Kirov]]<ref name=FM:WCp103,104/>}}
{{s-end}}

== Rules ==
<div class="gamerules">
*''per ''Operational Turning Points: Widowmaker Absorption'', p. 12'':
: '''Special abilities''': Sniper, Marksman
: '''Traits''': Poison Resistance, Toughness
: '''Compulsion''': -2 TP
: '''Skill Rolls''': Negotiation (+4), Leadership (+4)
</div>

== References == 
<references/>

== Bibliography ==
* ''[[The Clans: Warriors of Kerensky]]''
* ''[[Era Digest: Golden Century]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: Warden Clans]]''
* ''[[Historical: Operation Klondike]]''
* ''[[Operational Turning Points: Widowmaker Absorption]]''

[[Category:Clan Goliath Scorpion Characters|Ethan]]
[[Category:Gunslingers|Moreau,Ethan]]
[[Category:Loremasters|Ethan]]
[[Category:Star League Characters|Moreau, Ethan]]
[[Category:Notable Black Knight pilots|Moreau, Ethan]]