Clan Ice Hellion. To the rest of the Clans, these words conjure many images. Some see a Clan that attempts to emulate its namesake to a fault. Others see a group of soldiers without a sense for tactics or the ability to construct a balanced army. Some even think of us as honorless warriors who refuse to follow respected Clan tradition. To them we are more hungry for conquest of our fellow Clans than committed to the vision set forth by Nicholas Kerensky. These perceptions are inaccurate, but understandable in light of our Clan's often unstable and inconsistent history. Our present strength, however, balances the less fortunate episodes in our past, and, as this page will show, we have always acted with true honor even when others did not see it.

The founders of Clan Ice Hellion chose to mimic their totem animal's speed and pack mentality. Using light and medium 'Mechs and aerospace fighters, they served as scouts in Operation Klondike. This role led to some friction with Nicholas Kerensky, as the Hellions felt he had denied them the fights they deserved. The Clan still bears this proverbial chip on the shoulder, aggressively defending its martial abilities.

Light but powerful, the Ice Hellions did well in the early years after the Pentagon campaign, using their speed to devastating effect in various conflicts with other Clans. The other Clans soon developed effective counter-tactics, however, and the Hellions found themselves assailed from all sides. For a time, Hellion saKhan Lucius Moore was a hero to his Clan for his seeming ability to win in hopeless situations. Then senior Khan Cage discovered that Moore was using drugs to enhance his troops' abilities. Enraged at what he took as a grievous slight against the Clan eugenics program, Cage brought charges before the Grand Council and called for a Trial of Grievance against Moore. The fighting that followed was essentially a civil war within the Hellions, costing them 60 percent of their strength but freeing them of the taint of saKhan Moore's dishonorable actions. Other Clans probed the Hellions' weakness, but the Hellions fended them off. To compensate for their lower numbers, they developed several new technologies, including the enhanced formula endo steel and ferro fibrous armor used in modern OmniMechs.

In the debate over whether or not to invade the Inner Sphere, the Ice Hellions were avid Crusaders. When the Grand Council agreed to the Warden sponsored Dragoon Compromise in the year 3000, Hellion Khan Jena Norizuchi was outraged. Going against the Grand Council's decision, she prepared to launch a pre-emptive invasion of the Inner Sphere. SaKhan Ernest Wick declared a secret Trial of Grievance against her for going against the Council's mandate, and once again the Ice Hellions found themselves fighting a civil war. The details of this so-called secret Trial did not emerge until recently, save that saKhan Wick won and the Hellions kept faith with the Grand Council.

When the call finally went out for the Invasion in 3048, the Hellions fared poorly in the Trials for inclusion in the invasion force. Outraged, many Hellion warriors vented their frustration in the "Hellion's Fury" campaign. These series of raids throughout Clan space netted the Hellions many resources and much territory, but also alienated them from many of their fellow Home Clans.

In recent years, Khan Asa Taney has attempted to use the dissatisfaction among the Home Clans to form a coalition that would elect him ilKhan and elevate the Hellions to Invading Clan status. Even after the Khans of the Invading Clans destroyed his power base, Taney remained close to the centers of power, and was one of the four Khans who accompanied the ilKhan when they met with Victor Steiner-Davion to negotiate the Great Refusal. During that Trial, the Hellions met the Nova Cats and were shattered. Khan Taney was badly injured by Nova Cat Khan Severen Leroux, and only returned to active duty in November of 3060.

Ice Hellion society follows Clan traditions, with warriors regarded as clearly superior to the civilian castes. Inter-caste relations remain generally even, though the warriors distrust the merchant caste. Believing merchant ways inherently corrupt, the Clan Council assigns troops to escort and keep watch over all merchant vessels.

The people of Clan Ice Hellions are hard working, thriving on the marginal worlds that the Clan claim as their own. This work ethic has forged strong bonds within the technician and laborer castes. Both know that the other castes undervalue them, and are thus very supportive of each other. Family units show similarly strong ties, as do work groups and military units. Appreciation of others' abilities within the family or unit is a natural extension of the bond within Hellion "packs" (as they frequently term their various subgroups), and this willingness to recognize the talents of others has made performance arts a common pastime.

Bondsman are a feature of Hellion life, particularly civilians taken in raids or when acquiring territory. Expansionistic and belligerent, the Hellions know that bondsmen are living evidence of their military strength. However, few captured warriors are allowed to become abtakha, principally because of problems adapting to the Hellions emphasis on speed and other unique battle tactics.

The idealization of speed colors all aspects of Ice Hellion life. The Hellions place considerable emphasis on first impressions and snap judgments rather than long term contemplation and its associated second guessing. Such an attitude often works well in combat, where swift reaction time can mean the difference between life and death; in politics or business, however, it can pose major problems. The Hellion's do not think things through, which has hurt their mercantile concerns as well as their leaders' political ambitions.

Almost all members of this Clan are strong believers in technology, but none more so than the warriors. Anything that enhances their machines' speed or a warrior's reaction time, more powerful engines, lighter components or EI implants, is much prized in Clan Ice Hellion.

The Hellions despise the necessity of including freeborns in their combat units, but the small size of their touman compared with the size of their territories requires this practice. Trueborn and Freeborn warriors rarely mix, forming their own units and serving distinct roles. The Hellions even train their freeborns in separate camps from trueborn warriors. Most freeborns serve in flurry units, militias that contain regular armor and infantry and that bulk out the Hellion Touman. The Hellions acquired Elementals and battle armor late, and so have a poor opinion of them.

The Hellions place less emphasis on sibkos than other Clans, breaking them up during training to foster self reliance among the troops. They believe that by weakening the links to the sibko, a new warrior will develop stronger ties to his or her new unit.

Aside from their penchant for speed, Hellion warriors are best known (and much derided) for their ability to "talk a good fight." The Wolves take particular enjoyment in baiting the Hellions for this habit.

The Ice Hellions believe so much in their own strength that they see little need to develop alliances with other Clans. They occasionally form alliances of convenience, but nothing that lasts beyond a single campaign or event.

Despite the Hellion's Fury campaign, the Clan has no real enemies. They share a mutual antipathy with the Wolves, who regard the Hellions as ineffectual and who often refer to them as "rime-stoast" (a type of weasel). The Hellions understandably dislike the Wolves for this attitude, and also for Khan Vlad Ward's dismissal of Asa Taney's efforts to advance the Hellion cause. Despite Taney's incapacity after the Great Refusal, this antipathy looks set to develop into a full blown feud.

Worlds: 11 (10 shared, 1 exclusive)