MERCENRAY UNITS BRIEFING
(note: all infos here have been taken from official BattleTech books, mostly
from the Field Manual: Mercenaries sourcebook)
---------------
--KELL HOUNDS--
---------------
Founded my Morgan and Patrick Kell in 3010, the Kell Hounds always had a great
financial wealth, as the Kell family has ties with the Steiner family.
The Kell Hounds, when the Clan invasion begun, had 3 full regiments of the most
advanced machines in the Inner Sphere, but this was not enough to avoid that
Phelan Kell, son of Morgan, was captured by Clan Wolf during an anti-pirate
operation in the Periphery.
The Kell Hounds, along with the Wolf's Dragoons, fought in every major
engagement of the Clan Invasion and in Operation Bulldog, where they displayed
incredible skills even when facing men and women bred to wage war.
Meanwhile, Phelan Kell became Khan of Clan Wolf, and later guided the Warden
faction of the Clan to Arc-Royal, homeplanet of the Kell Hounds and the Kell
family. The two armies lived together since then, and this gave both sections
some benefits: Clan Wolf-in-exile now has full prodcution facilities and a
homeplanet, and the Kell Hounds have limited access to Clan technologies.
The coming of Clan Wolf on Arc-Royal and the Civil War also made the Kell
Hounds secede almost every contact with the Steiner family, and declared
themselves neutral to the matter (though both Phelan and Morgan poses greater
faith in Victor Davion than Katrina); not enough, they formed the ARDC,
Arc-Royal Defense Cordon, a congregation of few planets that constantly wath
for Clan invasions in the Inner Sphere.
Playing with the Kell Hounds mean that most technology will be Inner Sphere
oriented, with few Clan items and chassised to buy; most Clan-tech will be
acquired through salvage; Inner Sphere 'Mech tend to be Steiner-based, so
expect some rude firepower from almost every single chassis bought in the free
market.
Hounds players start with 1 Flea, 1 Osiris and 2 Wolfhounds and 5.500.000
C-Bills. They have access to Clan technology earlier than the Legion or the
Highlanders, but do not have immediate access to it like the Dragoons.
-------------------
--WOLF'S DRAGOONS--
-------------------
The Wolf's Dragoons literally appeared in the Inner Sphere in April 3005 and
were hired by the Federated Suns. This unknown mercenary unit had warriors of
great skill and was armed with only Star League-era BattleMechs, machines and
technologies long lost by the Successor States. Then, the Dragoons fight for
and against every Great House of the Inner Sphere; in 3050, when the Clans
attacked for the first time, the Dragoons summoned all Successor Lords to their
planet, Outreach, gave to them by Hanse Davion for their exceptional braveness,
and uncovered a shocking secret: the Wolf's Dragoons were formed by the Clans
to probe the strenght and weakness of the Inner Sphere, in order to gather more
informations in case of an invasion. Even before then, in 3019, the Wolf's
Dragoon ceased all contacts with the Clans, with a final task gave by Khan
Kerlin Ward of Clan Wolf: to train the Inner Sphere against the Clans. When in
3051 the Clan invasion begun again, the Dragoons stood against the Clans
side-by-side by the now-united Great Houses and later with the new Star League.
The Wolf's Dragoons have also insituted the MRBC and offer several types of
alternate services (technical, training, etc etc) for every mercenary unit
subscribed to the MRBC.
As for now, the Wolf's Dragoons have took no position in the FedCom Civil War.
As the Wolf's Dragoons have full blueprints and manufacturing facilities to
produce Clan-level technology, it is garaunteed that they won't face any kind
of threat out-gunned or out-classed. Dragoon players will always found their
free-market screen with Clan chassis and weapons; this means a great advantage,
but also a more oculate use of the money gained: it is easy to find yourself
out of money "just" beacuse you bought a Daishi and 5 ER PPCs. Inner Sphere
'Mechs came from all over the Inner Sphere, and you'll be able to choose from
the entire stack of 'Mechs with relative freedom.
Dragoon players start with 2 Cougars, 4 Fleas and 2 Ullers and 4.500.000
C-Bills plus some Clan-tech weapons.
---------------------
--GRAY DEATH LEGION--
---------------------
The Gray Death Legion is very famous for one thing: the Star League memory core
they retrieved on Helm, which gave them access to blueprints for infantry
armors and Lost-Tech weapons, as well as civilian technologies that aided the
entire Inner Sphere.
However, aside this technological edge, the Gray Death Legion is renowed for
its resourcefulness and heoric stands.
Founded in 3024 by Grayson Death Carlyle, which led a former Lyran unit against
a Draconis Combine commando on Trell I; starting with a 'Mech and a motorized
infantry unit, the unit captured Combne supplies and 'Mechs, eventually driving
them off-planet.
The Legion is one of the few mercenary units that escaped the Clan's fury and
gave them a partial defeat, having retreated succesfully from Sudeten against
the Jade Falcons.
In 3056, Carlyle swore an oath of fealty to Victor Davion, which gave them the
world of Glengarry as landhold. However, Skie separatists attacked when the
Colonel was still on Tharkad; the Legion drove back the assault, but a very
high cost.
The Legion rebuilt, but the newly formed Lyran Alliance striked at them, as the
governement cited that the Legion was siding with Caledonian rebels. The Legion
hold again, and again, was on the verge of destruction.
Katrina Steiner recognized Glengarry as the Legion landhold, in exchange of a
pledge of loyality, but there's little reason that the Legion would keep it
until the end of the Civil War.
Thanks to their Star League memory core and alliance with the Lyran
Commonwealth, the Legion has access to some of the most advanced Inner Sphere
weapons, and can start with full access to X-Pulse Lasers; they also have
access to Lyran 'Mechs, which gave them a great firepower in exchange of
tactical flexibility and speed.
Legion players start with 1 Raven, 1 Owens, 1 Osiris, 1 Hellspawn and 1 Flea
and 8.000.000 C-Bills plus some Lost-tech weapons.
------------------------
--NORTHWIND HIGLANDERS--
------------------------
The Highlanders can be easily defined the oldest and most respected mercenary
unit in the Inner Sphere.
The unit's most recent origins date back to the Black Watch Regiment, the
finest regiment in the Star League Defense Force, which often acted as
bodyguard for the Star League current First Lord.
The Northwind Highlanders were however split apart by the decision to formally
join the Capellan Confederation's army. Part of the Highlanders didn't agreed,
and left the planet in a self-imposed exile. This part of the original unit,
split into regiments and served different Houses and different times,
effectively marking the birth of the Northwind Highlanders mercenary unit.
When the self-exiled part of the original Highlanders felt that was time to
reconciliate in 2841 (during the Second Succesion War), their homeworld,
Northwind, fell under the attack of the AFFS, which captured the world and
decimated the regiments on-planet.
The remaining forces began to wander in the Inner Sphere.
Shortly after the begininng of the Fourth Succession War, the Highlanders swore
loyality to the Federated Suns, entering the racks of the AFFS military (with
some privileges) and finally returning on their homeworld.
When the Clans begun their invasion, the Highlanders continued to garrison
Northwind (a key planet near Terra, which united the Lyran and Federated part
of the now-Federated Commonwealth). Only after the Truce of Tukayyid in 3052
the Highlanders where moved near the Clan border, but Hanse Davion's promises
of a short stay proved wrong, and when the Capellan Confederation launched an
attack to regain all planets lost in the Succession Wars, the Highlanders
returned on their homeworld and declared independence from all Houses.
When the Star League reborn with the task of stopping the Clans once for all,
part of the Highlanders joined Victor Davion's forces and helped in the
annihilation of the Smoke Jaguars.
Highlanders players start with 2 Chimeras, 2 Fleas, 2 Osirises and 2 Ravens and
6.500.000 C-Bills. Northwind Highlanders also have contract payments raised by
approx 20%, making the unit well suited for beginners or someone not good with
finances.