Clan Smoke Jaguar ----> History: Original Clans

CLAN BURROCK

Original Clans

Nicholas Kerensky named the original Clans after beasts, entities, or attributes he felt would inspire his warriors. Each exemplifies some worthy feature that he wished his warriors to reflect. Wolves, for example, were admired for their cunning and stealth.

Seventeen Clans remain of the original 20. Two of the missing Clans were absorbed by other Clans through trials and Grand Council rulings. The third Clan is spoken of only as the "Not-Named Clan," the reasons for which are discussed in the main body of this text. Suffice it to say that the crime committed was considered so heinous that all mention of the Clan was purged from the official history of the Clans. Following is a list of the original 20 Clans and the origin of their names.

Blood Spirit: This name honors the esprit de corps that held together the 800 Bloodnamed warriors during the horrors of the Exodus Civil War.

Burrock: This Clan is named for the burrock, a large invertebrate indigenous to Eden. The burrock is capable of burrowing through solid rock. It excretes a powerful, acidic mucous which allows it to move through rock.

Cloud Cobra: The cloud cobra was introduced to Arcadia and adapted quickly to its new environment. It evolved to prey on fauna in the planet's misty jungles.

Coyote: This Strana Mechty carnivore descended from coyotes found on the North American continent on Terra. This coyote is larger and apparently much more intelligent than the Terran species, perhaps because of genetic engineering.

Fire Mandrill: This name is taken from a primate introduced to Eden whose aggressiveness and fire-red fur were admired by warriors.

Ghost Bear: This Clan is named for the arctic bear that inhabits Strana Mechty's southern hemisphere. It is admired for its strength and cunning.

Goliath Scorpion: The large Babylon arthropod for which this Clan is named uses lethal poison to kill its prey. Many of the early settlers lost their lives to this creature. It is admired for its suicidal defense of its nest.

Hell's Horses: In an attempt to genetically adapt horses to life in the deserts of Circe, Clan scientists bred carnivorous horses of uncontrollable aggressiveness. The prototypes of these horses were intended to be terminated, but a tender- hearted warrior set them free to live and breed in the deserts. These horses have a peculiar fascination for Circe's many caves. The Clan has embraced the aggressiveness and hardy stock of its namesake.

Ice Hellion: Even though this cunning pack predator of Hector's snowy mountains preyed on the first Clan explorers, it was admired for its lithe shape and blindingly white fur.

Jade Falcon: The jade falcon is a large bird that was genetically altered from a Terran peregrine to live in the jungles of Eden. It has a distinctive, shimmering, emerald-green plumage and an ear-piercing cry.

Mongoose: One of the absorbed Clans, the Mongoose was named after the sinuous predator found on the planet Shadow. It stalked and killed that world's large, dangerous venom worms, which endeared it to the Clan.

Nova Cat: The Dagda feline whose mane stands on end (like a sudden nova) whenever it is alarmed was the inspiration for this Clan name. Its mane is tipped with barbs containing a substance poisonous to most creatures. The nova cat is admired for its alert response to danger.

Sea Fox: This Clan takes its name from the seal-like reptilian predator of Strana Mechty's freshwater oceans. The sea fox appears to honor its prey by bellowing and then bowing, as though in respect for its kill.

Smoke Jaguar: Smoke jaguar is an altered Terran jaguar let loose in the jungles of Strana Mechty, so named because its fur looks like grayish smoke. Nicholas Kerensky held up the smoke jaguar as the epitome of unadulterated aggressiveness, citing as proof the animal's ferocity and its habit of springing on its prey from above.

Snow Raven: This Clan name was inspired by the huge ravens inhabiting Strana Mechty's southern tundra. The warriors honor the creature's unwillingness to waste anything the tundra offers them, the sign of a true survivor.

Star Adder: The star adder is a genetically altered adder that was released into the northern steppes of Strana Mechty to control the disease-carrying crana, a rodent-sized insect. The snake's shimmering black scales, peppered with white spots, might be reason enough to call it the star adder. The real source of its name, however, is its nightly rearing and swaying in response to almost constant stellar displays resembling the aurora borealis.

Steel Viper: This clan name refers to the tenacious Arcadian snake that coils around its victims in a solid grip, then slowly releases a poison. The word steel refers both to its unyielding embrace and the rigidity of its victims once they have been thoroughly poisoned.

Widowmaker: The second absorbed Clan was named for the black widow spiders accidentally released into the jungles of Eden, where they grew to three times their Terran size. Their aggressiveness and the strength of their poison increased at the same rate.

Wolf: Though nearly twice the size of their progenitors, the Strana Mechty wolf is otherwise identical to Terran wolves. Wolf packs roam both the northern and southern continents, and the Kerenskys considered them the epitome of the warrior spirit.

Wolverine: Wolverines were introduced to the forests of Strana Mechty, where they flourished, growing in size and ferocity. They were admired by warriors because they stood their ground against any intruder, no matter what its size or strength. The Wolverine Clan is the Not-Named Clan, which was annihilated.