Background Information: Short Timeline and Faction-specific issues

[Dave Baughman]

Brief Timeline

3078 – The Furillo Conference: Allied leaders from across the Sphere meet with Devlin Stone to agree on a united strategy against the Word of Blake. It is decided that only unconditional surrender will be accepted, and that the Word of Blake will be completely dismantled after the war. After extended negotiations, Stone convinces all of the parties to agree that rather than reclaim the Word of Blake Protectorate's worlds for the conquering allies, a new Republic of the Sphere will be formed to ensure lasting stability in the Terran corridor. Some of the allies – notably the Capellans, who stand to lose their ancestral homeworld – are less enthusiastic than others.

3080 – The Falcon Breakthrough: Following a hard-fought series of battles for safcon with both Wolf Clans, the Jade Falcons reach Lyran space and demand a number of star systems for use as staging areas. On the eve of renewed war between the Lyrans and the Falcons – an event that might sunder the Alliance – Devlin Stone convinces the Archon (some say "blackmails") to grant six sectors to the Jade Falcons, allowing the crusader Clan to directly assault the Word of Blake Protectorate.

3082 – The Fall of Cor Caroli: As the Allies press deep into Word-held territory, disaster strikes. Leading his troops from the front, Devlin Stone's Atlas II is ambushed by Manei Domini headhunters and the Supreme Commander of the Allies is killed. Victor Steiner-Davion takes command of Stone's Army while David Lear does his best to hold the Allies together on the political front.

3085 – Victory at Terra: Humanity's homeworld falls to the Allied armies after almost a year of bitter fighting. Organized Blakist resistance in the Protectorate comes to an end, though the formal surrender will not come for another eight months, when the last Word of Blake Militia division capitulates on Acubens. The Protectorate is occupied by the Allies based on their invasion corridors during the Terran campaign, with the central region held under an international mandate. A provisional government is established as a caretaker regime until Stone's Republic can be realized.

3088 – The End of Circinus: Regulus, which had eschewed participating in the Terran Campaign to instead concentrate on destruction of the Blakist fortress of Circinus, finally accomplishes their goal. No quarter is offered, and Regulan air forces bombard Circinus from the air with nuclear weapons until the planet is incapable of supporting life.

3090 – The present day...

Key national issues:

CC/MOC:
1.   There is a strong sentiment within the CC's power elites that Devlin Stone coerced Sun-Tzu Liao by some unknown means to agree to the Republic Plan, and believe that the CC should unilaterally reclaim all of their historical territory from the occupied WOB protectorate.
2.   There is an ongoing territorial dispute with the Federated Suns over the Victoria sector, which was occupied by Capellan March troops during the early stages of the Jihad; at present both government claim the sector and have forces present – if the FS were to gain permanent control of this region it would cause a major loss of face for the Chancellor.

Clan Hell's Horses
1.   CHH is involved in an ongoing territorial dispute with the Jade Falcons over the Dark Nebula. The Horses have fought a number of trials for the system over the last four years, and the result has put both Clans in command of various areas of Camelot Command. The failure to eject the Falcons is a stain on the Horses' honor in the eyes of many warriors, who demand a final settlement to the matter.
2.   The Hell's Horses were unable for a variety of reasons to participate in the Terran Campaign, and are under pressure from the Warrior caste to acquire an occupation zone of their own to enhance their influence over the region. There is great concern that without a foothold in the Word of Blake Protectorate, the Horses will be unable to participate in any battle for control of Terra if the Alliance fails.

Clan Jade Falcon
1.   CJF has territorial disputes with the Hell's Horses at the Dark Nebula (see the Hell's Horses issues for full details) as well as a three-way 'cold war' with the Lyran Commonwealth and the Wolves-in-Exile over several star systems near Morges. To surrender any of these systems would be a major loss of honor for the Clan, and there is pressure from the Warrior caste to take the initiative and seize control of these systems.
2.   The lower castes are envious and disdainful of the 'freedoms' of the Protectorate citizens under Falcon occupation, and there is considerable pressure to impose the Clan social order onto these systems.

Clan Wolf
1.   Clan Wolf's warrior council has a strong interest in reducing the influence of the Jade Falcon clan, both on the international stage and within the Protectorate. There is considerable pressure for the Wolf Clan to take on a more aggressive leadership role within the Clans, and the Falcons are generally perceived as an impediment to this goal.
2.   The issue of relations with the Exiles is divisive within the Clan; some elements feel that the Exiles should be brought back into the fold to strengthen the Clan and further frustrate the Falcons' political situation. Other elements are deeply opposed to opening the door to a return to the Warden philosophy that nearly saw the Clan destroyed.

Clan Wolf-in-Exile
1.   As noted on the Falcon section, there is a major territorial dispute with the Falcons over ownership of the sectors near Morges. To some extent this dispute also extends to the Lyrans, as the final disposition of some of the systems in the event of a Falcon defeat is unclear. The Exiles, however, with so little territory of their own, cannot accept the loss of these systems easily.
2.   Across all sectors of the Clan, there is a general desire for clarification of the Exiles' relationship with the Lyran Commonwealth. The Arc Royal Accords created a vassal relationship between the Exiles and the LC, and younger warriors are chafing at the idea that they are beholden to an Inner Sphere monarch. Some elements of the Clan wish for greater autonomy or even a total break from the LC, while others seek closer ties in order to increase the Exiles' influence over Tharkad.

Draconis Combine
1.   The Black Dragon Society is a constant thorn in the side of the coordinator; any action that offends their conservative sensibilities could trigger disruptive actions on the part of the Society. So far, brutal suppression of any Black Dragons to act against the Coordinator has prevented the sort of chaos that afflicted the Combine during the Jihad, but it has not eliminated the problem.
2.   The Nova Cats caused considerable loss of face for the Combine during the Jihad and are presently confined to reservations within the Irece prefecture. The Nova Cats have repeatedly petitioned for the privilege of defending the Combine, but Luthien has thus far not responded, knowing that such a move would likely lead to a public backlash.
3.   See FS section re: border dispute.

Federated Suns
1.   The Federated Suns is involved with border disputes with the Capellan Confederation and the Draconis Combine over a number of cosmic sectors. For political reasons, the FS is unable to cede any of the systems, leading to a tense standoff with two of its largest neighbors.
2.   There is ongoing pressure from the FS nobility and from military officers who supported Victor during the civil war to prevent any Capellan "land grab" in the Word of Blake Protectorate.

FWL – Oriente-Andurien
1.   The Oriente-Andurien government is under constant pressure from the public to assert itself as the sole legitimate authority over the territory of the Free Worlds League, and to oppose any move by the other successor states to gain influence or political standing in the Sphere.
2.   Oriente-Andurien has notes several times the disparity in occupation zones relative to that of the Marik-Tamarind Commonwealth. There is a strong sentiment amongst the nobility that sector 2329 should have been awarded to Oriente-Andurien – which equates to pressure on the central government to advocate this position in Geneva.

FWL – Marik-Tamarind
1.   The Marik-Tamarind government is under constant pressure from the public to assert itself as the sole legitimate authority over the territory of the Free Worlds League, and to oppose any move by the other successor states to gain influence or political standing in the Sphere.
2.   The military-industrial complex of the Commonwealth was seriously damaged when it was agreed to allow Connought and Irian to become part of the Republic of the Sphere. There is heavy pressure from the various appendages of the Irian Corporate Cabal to regain control of these systems for the Free Worlds League in any final settlement of the Protectorate's territorial limits.

Lyran Commonwealth
1.   There is an ongoing territorial dispute, not just with the Jade Falcons but also to some extent with the Wolves-in-Exile, who seek to see the systems around Morges placed under their control once the Falcons are ejected. Many in the Estates-General are intent on seeing those systems return to direct Lyran rule once they are liberated.
2.   The occupation of Skye and its environs by the Jade Falcons is a divisive issue, with some parties in the Estates General calling for armed intervention to liberate those worlds and the "Edasich 15" and others insisting that the "perpetually treasonous" Skye region be left to its fate.

Rasalhague Dominion
1.   The Apartheid-like separation of Clan and Spheroid society in the Dominion is a source of constant discontent, but it is feared that any integration of society could cause a collapse of the Clan system of rule. The RD must always be careful to balance the interest of its Clan castes with the "aboriginal" Spheroid population to avoid loss of public support.
2.   The Ghost Bears have a number of long-term grudges with the Nova Cat clan; if the Cats are released from their exile in Irece prefecture, there would be considerable pressure in the warrior council to launch Trials of Grievance against the abjured Cats.

FWL - Regulan League
1.   The Regulus government is under constant pressure from the public to assert itself as the sole legitimate authority over the territory of the Free Worlds League, and to oppose any move by the other successor states to gain influence or political standing in the Sphere.
2.   Because they were fully committed on the periphery front and could not participate in the Terran Campaign, the Regulan League does not have an occupation zone in the Word of Blake Protectorate. Regular power elites feel that this is a considerable loss of prestige for their nation and exert pressure on the government to win a greater role in the occupation of the Blakist Protectorate.

Raven Alliance
1.   The Ravens were not able to participate in the Terran Campaign, and found themselves without a foothold in the WOB Protectorate. Knowing that any failure of the Alliance could lead to a race for Terra, some Raven warriors advocate for winning a greater role in the occupation force in the Protectorate.
2.   Over the last ten years, there have been a number of brief border conflicts with the Combine and the Federated Suns. Eager to demonstrate their martial superiority and keep their rivals in check, many younger warriors advocate raids and incursions against those two states.

Taurian Concordat
1.   The TC were used as Blakist pawns for a considerable part of the Jihad and lost most of their nation as a result. The TC has almost no direct influence over the fate of the Protectorate at the start of 3090, as they have no occupation zone; there is significant interest by TC power elites in gaining a more prestigious role in the occupation, in part to show that the TC is adequately punishing the Word's supporters.
2.   There is constant public fear of renewed "aggression" from the Federated Suns, which in the political arena takes the form of demands for strengthening the military and low-level warfare to "keep the Davions off guard."



Please note the faction issues left above are not neccessarily the course of action each faction must take, only reflections on current trends in terms of public interest.

[Fatebringer]

Reminder that these are the Faction Specific Goals.