BLOODNAME Bloodname refers to the surnname of each of the 800 warriors who stood with Nicholas Kerensky during the Exodus Civil War. These 800 are the foundation of the Clans' elaborate breeding program. The right to use one of these surnames has been the ambition of every Clan warrior since the system was established.
BLOODRIGHT The specific bloodname lineage is called a bloodright. Twenty-five bloodrights are attached to each bloodname.
CASTE Clan society is rigidly divided into five castes: warrior, scientist, merchant, technician and laborer. Each caste has many subcastes that are based on specialties within a professional field.
CLANS During the fall of the Star League, General Alekandr Kerensky, commander of the Regular Star League Army, led his forces out of the Inner Sphere in what is known as the First Exodus. After settling beyond the Periphery, more than 1.300 light years away from Terra, Kerensky and his followers settled in a cluster of marginally habitable star systems near a large global cluster that hid them from the Inner Sphere.
CRUSADERS The Crusaders believe Kerensky's words to mean that the Inner Sphere is theirs by right. Their goal is to retake Terra at whatever the cost, by whatever force or bloodshed necessary.
DEZGRA A fighting unit that disgraces itself is known as a dezgra unit. The name also refers to the ritual whereby that unit is marked and punished. Any unit that refuses orders, panics in the face of the enemy, or takes dishonorable action is desgraced.
ELEMENTAL Elementals are the elite, battle-suited infantry of the Clans. These men and women are giants, bred specifically to handle Clan-developed battle armour.
FREEBRITH One who is not a clone, one who was concieved by a woman.
KESHIK Keshik is the ruling military group of the Clans responsible for delegating all military orders, including the evaluation of a MechWarrior's eligibility for career advancement.
KHAN Each Clan elects two leaders or khans. One serves as the Clan's senior military commander and bureaucratic administrator. The second khan's position is less well defended. He or she is second-in-command, carrying out duties assigned by the first khan.
KURULTAI A kurultai is a Clan war council.
OVKHAN This is a term of respect for somone of higher rank.
QUAIFF/QUINEG The clan expression is placed at the end of rhetorical questions. If an affirmative answer is expected, quiaff is used. If the answer is expected to be negative, quineg is the proper closure.
THE REMEMBRANCE The Remembrance is an ongoing heroic saga detainling Clan history from the time of the Exodus from the Inner Sphere to the present day.
RISTAR The term refers to a particularly gifted warrior on his or her way to high position.
SIBKO A sibko consists of a group of children produced from the same male and female geneparents in the warrior caste eugenics program.
STRAVAG This is a Clan epithet, probably a combination of the Clan words stran, meaning independent, and vagon, meaning birthing.
SURKAI The surkai is the Right of Forgiveness. The Clans honor uniformitly of thought and belief about all else in their society.
TOUMAN This is the term given to the fighting army of a Clan.
TRIAL OF BLOODRIGHT This is a series of one-on-one, single elimination contests that determines who wins the right to use a bloodname.
TRIAL OF POSITION The Trial of Position determines a candidate's right to receive a higher Clan position or ranking. To qualify, all objectives of the trial muse be achieved.
THE WARDENS The Wardens are the Clan protectors of the Inner Sphere. They interpret the words of Kerensky to mean that they must aid and protect the Inner Sphere to bring its enlightenment.
ZELLBRIGEN This is the Clan word describing the body of rules used to regulate and ritualize duels. Zellbrigen means that combatants engage in one-on-one duels, even if both sides have many warriors.