Editing Legend of Turkina

{{Otheruses|the Clan Jade Falcon story|other uses|Turkina (disambiguation)}}
The '''Legend of Turkina''' is the tale of [[Elizabeth Hazen]] and her pet [[Jade_Falcon_(species)|jade falcon]], named Turkina.  It is also the story of her fight for vengeance after the death of General [[Aaron DeChavilier]].<ref name=JFSp10>''Jade Falcon Sourcebook'', p. 10 - "Legend of Turkina"</ref>

[[File:Elizabeth Hazen JFSB.png|right|thumb|500px|Elizabeth Hazen enraged]]

==History of the Jade Falcon==
After their arrival on the [[Pentagon Worlds]] and the long [[Operation Exodus|Exodus]] from the [[Inner Sphere]], the Star League-in-Exile colonists would face many challenges to their survival.  Among them was a predator on the planet [[Eden]] called the '''Serpent of Eden'''.  This venomous winged reptile-like creature attacked the herds of animals that the colonists brought along with them from Terra.  To combat this pest, scientists genetically engineered the peregrine falcon with genes from a gyrfalcon, designing it to survive the harsh environment of Eden and other Pentagon Worlds.  It was soon brought to [[Dagda (Clan System)|Dagda]] to combat similar pests.  One of the first of these Dagdan falcons to hatch was taken up and trained by Elizabeth Hazen, the garrison commander of Dagda.  She was well-known for her love of falcons, having trained in falconry on Terra in the years between the end of the [[Amaris Crisis]] and the Exodus. She would name her new falcon Turkina, in honor of a powerful wife of a Mongol Khan from Terra's ancient history.<ref name=JFSp9>''Jade Falcon Sourcebook'', p. 9 - "Legend of Turkina"</ref><ref>''Jade Falcon Sourcebook'', p. 9 - "Elizabeth Hazen"</ref>

==The Legend Begins==
During the following years, Hazen trained her jade falcon, becoming the first to do so.  She and Turkina would become minor celebrities throughout the colonies, one seldom seen without the other. In one story, Hazen challenged a land owner due to the excessive price he attached to a piece of property.  When the man threatened her with hints of violence, she pointed up in the sky at a circling dot, which then descended rapidly, swooping down with talons bared only inches from the man's face.  Some would say the bird read the mind of her mistress.  Regardless of this claim's veracity, the legend would continue to grow.<ref name=JFSp9/> 

As troubles began to escalate across the Pentagon Worlds, Turkina would become ill with a virus and died in spite of the skilled care of her mistress.  When riots on Eden evolved into full revolution in [[2801]], General [[Aleksandr Kerensky]] ordered General Aaron DeChavilier and Major Elizabeth Hazen to lead a force with the purpose of restoring order.  Once on the ground in the troubled region known as the Pokill Jungle, their force came under sudden and vicious attack.  Elizabeth Hazen's ''[[Black Knight]]'' fell into a concealed pit of oil that burst into flames, narrowly ejecting before she burnt up with her doomed 'Mech.  Struck by a bullet to her helmet, she would lose consciousness only to regain it in time to witness the valiant death of General DeChavilier.<ref name=JFSp10/>

==Legend: The Falcon's Vision==
The following part of this story is still told to all [[Clan Jade Falcon]] ''[[sibko]]s'', who memorize it and recite it upon graduation as warriors of their Clan.  This is the summary of writings handed down from the time, a beautifully-crafted tale called ''[[The Falcon Vision]]''.

In shock after seeing her commanding officer and lover<ref name=TC:WOKp90>''Field Manual: Crusader Clans'', p. 90 - "The Hatchling Years 2786 - 2821"</ref> killed by the rebels, Hazen would witness a vision of Turkina, her beloved jade falcon.  In this vision, Turkina spoke, asking her why she seemed to be giving up, and berating her for her lack of warrior spirit in that dire moment.  When Hazen attempte to disbelieve the vision, Turkina told her to take five feathers from her as proof of her existence, driving the point home by wounding her mistress' hand with the strike of her beak.  Hazen would later swear that once she realized what must be done, Turkina disappeared, only to reappear long enough to drop a sword into her hand, claiming it to be the very sword she once gave to Aaron DeChevilier, her love.<ref name=JFSp11>''Jade Falcon Sourcebook'', p. 11 - "Legend of Turkina"</ref>  

{{Quote|'''''Some are born to till the fields, some are destined to create.  You trained from birth to be a Warrior, just as I trained at your fist when I had barely escaped the shards of my shell. To turn your back on your destiny because you are frightened or sick of the hunt is an abomination against nature.'''''

(Excerpt)--'''Turkina to Elizabeth Hazen, from The Falcon's Vision'''<ref name=JFSp10/>}} 

With renewed spirit and rage borne from grief, Elizabeth Hazen would emerge from hiding and kill every rebel that she saw in bloody and brutal fashion.  She would go on to lead the survivors against the rebel stronghold, leading them to victory.  This event - as well as the events of the following weeks - would come to be known as the [[DeChavilier Massacre]], and they would lead directly to the [[Second Exodus]] after the death of the [[Great Father]].<ref name=JFSp11/>

==Legacy==
Told to generation after generation of young Jade Falcon warriors and recited in solemn ceremony, the Legend of Turkina continues to inspire warriors of her Clan.  Through it, Hazen is held up as the ultimate example of what a warrior is supposed to be.<ref name=JFSp9/><ref name=TC:WOKp90/> 

Turkina's name would be taken for the Jade Falcon command [[keshik]], known as the [[Turkina Keshik]].<ref name=JFSp10/>  Likewise, an assault-class [[OmniMech]] often used by the Falcons called the ''[[Turkina]]'' helps to keep the legend alive.

==Notes==
Clan Jade Falcon [[Loremaster]]s and historians would later point to two relics as "proof" of this tale's truth: five green feathers, and a ''katana'' with peculiar scratches halfway up the blade.  They claim the scratches were made by Turkina's talons.<ref name=JFSp11/>

==References==
<references/>

==See Also==
* [[Elizabeth Hazen]]
* [[DeChavilier Massacre]]
* [[Clan Jade Falcon]]

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Field Manual: Crusader Clans]]''
* ''[[Jade Falcon Sourcebook]]''

[[Category:Rumors]]