I've been accused at times of taking this whole 'Clan business' too seriously, a charge that I had no choice but to plead guilty to. Since those days, I, consciously or unconsciously, have tried to 'lighten up' a bit, and not treat Mech2 clan life on Mplayer as life-or-death.

One aspect of clan life I still enjoy, however, is speaking like a clansman; not excluding all contractions, but using words and terms unique to the BattleTech clans. In that vein, I've decided to post this guide to that terminology, for anyone who wishes to learn it.

Abtahka - A warrior taken in combat, adopted by the clan and made a warrior again.

Aff - Affirmative, or "yes".

Batchall - Clan ritual method of 'bidding' for a battle. Since the Clans abhor waste, the Commander or warrior with the lowest-force bid usually is granted permission to pursue the battle with the forces he/she has bid.

Binary - Two Star's of MechWarriors, or the equivalent in Elementals.

Bloodname - A surname earned in Clan ritual combat. All Clanfolk of the warrior caste are given 1 name; the Trial of Bloodright allows the best warriors to compete for right to wear the surname of one of Kerensky's original Star League followers.

Bloodright (Trial of) - Clan ritual combat wherein the winner earns the right to a Bloodname.

Bondsman, Bondswoman - A person 'taken' by a Clan, as a result of a lost battle. More than a slave or isorla, less than abtahka, bondsmen or women have a function to perform within the warrior caste; indeed, their duty is to the clan warrior who 'claimed' them. When that warrior believes that fidelity and trustworthiness is established beyond doubt, the bondcord (a nylon wrist cord worn as a symbol of bondsman status) is cut, and the bondsman or woman becomes a free member of the clan.

Caste - Sociopolitical group (or level) within a race. In Clan society, the warrior caste is paramount, with all other castes (scientist, merchant, laborer, technician, etc.) deemed below them, and thus subservient to the warrior caste.

Dezgra - A state of clan disgrace and dishonor from which there is no return. When a warrior so disgraces themselves as to be declared 'dezgra', they no longer exist in the clan's eyes.

Freebirth, Freeborn - A non-Clanner. As Clansfolk are all artificially gestated, the concept of being born naturally of man and woman is abhorrent to them; the term is also used as an epithet. For Mplayer purposes, the term denotes a player not clan-affiliated.

Isorla - Any trophy or item taken after a victorious battle; the 'spoils' of war.

Kurultai - The clan's war council; usually, this amounts to the Keshik.

Loremaster - The clan's official historian, and keeper of the Remembrance.

Neg - Negative, or "no".

Quiaff/Quineg - A rhetorical clan expression, used at the end of a question; expecting a positive response, use "quiaff?", and a negative one, "quineg?"

Position, Trial of - A clan ritual combat, where the stakes are the rank of the higher-ranked officer.

Remembrance - The ongoing history of a clan.

Ristar - An up-and-coming clan warrior, one whose career is "on the rise".

Savashri - A clan epithet.

Seyla - A clan expression of solemn unity and agreement.

Stravag - A clan epithet.

Surat - A small flying rodent, also used as a clan epithet.

Trothkin - Clan expression roughly translating as "family"; an extended sibko or group of peers among clan warriors.

Truebirth, Trueborn - A clansman or woman, one born in the clan fashion.