Elias Crichell

Elias Crichell
Personal
Born	2992
Died	2 January 3058
Affiliation	Clan Jade Falcon
Profile
Rank	ilKhan
Profession	MechWarrior

Elias Crichell was Khan of Clan Jade Falcon during the Clan Invasion, and was nicknamed the "Jade Hawk" amongst his warriors. He briefly became ilKhan before his death at the hands of Vlad Ward. He was replaced as Khan by Marthe Pryde.

History

Early Life

Elias was born on the Clan world of Gatekeeper in a second-rate sibko at the Red Fist Communal Birthing Facilities. His birth was conceived from unremarkable warriors' DNA, and he was treated as a low-birth warrior.

His sibko transferred to Ironhold where they received their military training. Elias was the only one of his sibko to survive the training to become a MechWarrior, where he bested two of his surviving sibkin in their Trial of Position. Allegedly, his victory was questioned, taking several hours to decide the deed worthy of the honor due to the outcome of his Trial.

Early Military Career & Rise to Power

He was assigned to Peregrine Galaxy where he began his military career. In his first years with the Peregrine, he fought and won inter-Clan skirmishes and duels where he began to build his reputation. He particularly focused on Clan Wolf, and was known for disputes with them. In one of the highlights of these clashes with the Wolves, he fought and won a duel with a Bloodnamed Wolf warrior while he himself had not yet earned a Bloodname. The Wolves developed an animosity toward him during this time.

During this time, he had begun to make his way into Clan politics, and gained the ear of elite Falcon Warriors. By the time he had earned the rank of Star Captain, he had begun to gain influence with other Crusader political party.

He traveled to many Falcon enclaves, working to rally support for the Crusader cause. His political rise gained the notice of the aging Khan Yvonne Hazen, who had begun to look for a successor and saw a worthy candidate in young Star Captain Elias.

She indirectly began to help Elias overcome the barriers that would have prevented him from rising to reach her rank. Despite his age and lack of blood connecting him to the Founders, she eased the way for him by first giving him the rank of Star Colonel in 3020. He was given command of the Turkina Keshik after Khan Hazen retired from commanding the unit. After a year spent commanding the elite of the Clan, he earned the Crichell Bloodname. Elias' rise to such a prominent posting with the Clan's touman sparked animosity between him and the other Khan of the Falcons, Sejanus Buhallin. Elias' mentor, Khan Hazen, did not interfere with these growing tensions, which she saw as healthy competition between rivals.

In 3028, Wolf's Dragoons ceased sending reports to the Clan council. SaKhan Buhallin and his supporters were among the only ones who considered reports sent by the Dragoons seriously. Elias took advantage of the opportunity and used Buhallin's support of the Dragoons' "failed" recon mission against him. Elias then successfully navigated the political fallout that caused, and used it to position himself as Khan Hazen's chosen successor. Painting Buhallin as a Warden supporter with sympathies toward freeborns, Crichell manipulated Buhallin into a series of challenges for 'Mech duels. However, Khan Hazen stepped in, calling an end to the conflict, but in so doing she shamed Buhallin as the instigator of it.

This effectively spelled the end for Buhallin's support, and Elias was appointed as Hazen's successor. Buhallin died a few months later in an ammunition explosion in his 'Mech, which allegedly was linked to Elias's supporters. After Buhallin's death, Elias was installed as junior Khan to Hazen.

Late Career & Clan Invasion

He presided over the Trials of Aidan, Joanna and Ter Roshak in the conspiracy to conceal Aidan's identity. After a guilty verdict and a successful Trial of Refusal by the defendants, Aidan would ultimately go on to win the "Pryde" Bloodname.

“	This day, fellow Khans, will be remembered years from now as the dawning of mankind's rebirth. No longer must these barbarian hordes suffer through the dark, violent night of their own folly. We are returning; we are the sun of righteousness that will illuminate those who dream of peace, and burn to ashes the demons and devils responsible for the darkness.	”
	— Khan Elias Crichell, to the Clan Grand Council, November 3048

In 3048, Khan Crichell used his political savvy to petition the Grand Council to proceed with the invasion of the Inner Sphere. He used information from the recent capture of the ComStar JumpShip, Outbound Light, to play on the Council's fears of the Inner Sphere maybe about to re-form the Star League without them. After winning a Trial of Refusal with Clan Wolf on Strana Mechty over their objections proceed with the invasion. After Clan Smoke Jaguar Khan Leo Showers' elevation to ilKhan, the senior Falcon Khan Hazen retired, making Crichell senior and leading Khan of the Falcons.

Some of Crichell's first acts proved him to be even more ruthless and conservative than his predecessor. He strengthened the ties to the Smoke Jaguars, exchanging land (such as Falcon Eyrie on Huntress), supplies, and genetic material. Shuffling of the Jade Falcon's upper echelon officers allowed him to reinforce his own position with supporters but later cost the Clan military effectiveness. Crichell revoked the power of Inter-Caste Councils and their arbitration powers that did not rest in the hands of the Warrior Caste. Brutally putting down a strike by lower caste workers, Khan Crichell attempted to justify this action by reinstating the Grace of Preeminence Clause, an edict by Nicholas Kerensky in concert with Lisa Buhallin that gave the warriors the sole legal power at the head of Clan society. Though Crichell's strength was not as a warrior, he was an excellent political operator and was able to resolve the logistical difficulties the Falcons experienced fairly quickly. Many of his most ruthless actions were blamed on Crichell's shame at his mediocre Bloodheritage and overcompensating to not be accused of undeserving of such a high rank.

Throughout most of the Clan Invasion, the Jade Falcons proved unstoppable, though as senior Khan, Crichell developed a reputation for successfully blaming his junior saKhan for any and all setbacks. This included the debacle of the Battle of Twycross in 3050, the first defeat the Clans had suffered at the hands of Inner Sphere soldiers. This led to the removal of saKhan Timur Malthus and the disgrace of the entire Malthus bloodline. Vandervahn Chistu would take his place. Throughout his tenure, Crichell was perfectly willing to allow his saKhans to handle the day-to-day details of the Clan's plans, knowing it would insulate him from the stigma of failure.

The Battle of Tukayyid was a tremendous setback to the Clans, but Crichell and Chistu successfully began rebuilding their touman, with greater speed than most other invading Clans. In 3054, he ordered an invasion of the world of Morges, which was ultimately turned back by FedCom troops with support from Wolf's Dragoons.

The Refusal War

“	I do not agree at all with what Ulric and his people are doing. As ilKhan, he has led our people down the road to ruin. Through these damnable Trials of Refusal, he is wasting resources and waste is something that a true Warrior cannot tolerate for long. He has turned his back on our very way of life, and I look forward to what our people shall do to him in the field. The fights will be quick and glorious; then we can turn our attention to where it belongs: Terra. But heed this. The Wolves, despite what we think of them, are Clan. As Clan, we shall treat them with honor. Then we will crush their throats and put an end to this mindless truce...	”
	— Khan Elias Crichell, prior to the Battle for Wotan

Never content with the Treaty of Tukayyid, Crichell and his fellow Crusaders trumped up charges to remove Ulric Kerensky from office as ilKhan in 3057. Though successful, Ulric declared a Trial of Refusal, bidding the entire Wolf Clan touman in the attempt. The Refusal War, conducted primarily by Chistu, had different goals for each side. The Wolves were determined to damage the Falcons to the point they could no longer continue the invasion. The Falcons sought to make the Wolves overextend themselves, and to cripple and destroy their leadership. To that end, the Falcons repeatedly sent second-line units against the front-line Wolf Clusters. Predictably, the second-line units were destroyed but the constant campaign did, in fact, wear down the front-line Wolf troops. Natasha Kerensky was killed on Twycross, while Ulric was killed in an ambush by Chistu on Wotan. Phelan Kell took two Galaxies and left for the Inner Sphere. His Wolves and the Kell Hounds defeated the Falcons sent after them on Morges, and eventually formed Clan Wolf-in-Exile.

Crichell initially planned to absorb the entire remaining Wolf Clan into the Jade Falcons. However, when Vlad emerged from the rubble on Wotan with the evidence that Chistu had killed Ulric dishonorably, Crichell finally saw his chance to remove a potential threat to his position. Vlad defeated and killed Chistu in single combat, and the Wolves remained independent of the Falcons, albeit they were renamed Clan Jade Wolf.

ilKhan and Death

On January 2, 3058, Crichell, with Marthe Pryde installed as his new saKhan, was voted ilKhan of the Clans. Immediately following his election, Vlad Ward of Clan Jade Wolf challenged him to meet in a Trial of Grievance; Vlad challenged not the result of the vote elevating him to ilKhan, but Crichell's credentials as a Warrior directly. Chance determined the combat would be hand-to-hand. The younger and more capable Vlad easily defeated Crichell, despite Vlad having smashed his arm cast in a show of fortitude moments earlier. Thus, the Jade Wolves returned to simply being called the Wolf Clan. Marthe Pryde would succeed Crichell as Khan of the Jade Falcons, while Lincoln Osis would eventually succeed him as ilKhan.

Legacy

Elias was responsible for engineering the downfall of the original Clan Wolf through the Refusal War. Through his machinations Crichell was successful in weakening the Warden Clan, killing their leadership and dividing a permanent wedge between it. Although his victory over Ulric and his Wolves was a noteworthy feat, it was short-lived by his creation of Clan Jade Wolf. Vlad Ward used the new clan to gain influence and exposed Elias' lack of fighting prowess, defeating him in a trial. As a result of his actions, Clan Jade Falcon lost a few worlds pushing them back from Terra and Elias Crichell would be known in Clan history as having the shortest reign as ilKhan (a feat that would later be shared with Garret Sainze two decades later).

BattleMechs

Crichell was known to pilot a Summoner OmniMech during the invasion.

Quotes

“	In Clan politics, success has more to do with speed, persistence, and aggressiveness than with less important qualities such as intelligence, morality, and soul.	”
	— Elias Crichell in conversation

“	Our forces will use Operation Revival to attack in much the same way an unseen falcon strikes at a fat, flying pigeon; with paralyzing surprise, undeniable momentum, and unstoppable force. We will leave behind only a haze of blood and a flurry of feathers.	”
	— Elias Crichell in a speech to his commanding officers

“	If the rest of the Inner Sphere offers us only as much resistance as the defenders we have just faced, we will soon stand on the sacred ground of Terra.	”
	— Khan Elias Crichell

Notes

• It was indicated from a conversation between Elias and Vandervahn Chistu that he had intimate knowledge of the Red Corsair affair, to the point where he insisted that Chistu not even mention her.

Gallery

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  Khan Elias Crichell, ca. 3050

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  Khan Elias Crichell, ca. 3057

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  Khan Elias Crichell, ca. 3058

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  Khan Elias Crichell

Bibliography

• Bloodname (novel)
• Bred for War (novel)
• Dark Age: Touring the Stars (3130)
• Era Report: 3052
• The Falcon and the Wolf
• Jade Falcon Sourcebook
• Malicious Intent (novel)