Ian Dresari

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Ian Dresari
Character Profile
Born ca. 3031 (implied; see Notes)
Died unknown
Affiliation House Dresari
Profession Duke of Kentares IV
Parents Eric Dresari (father)
Siblings Joanna Dresari


Ian Dresari was a noble from the Federated Commonwealth world of Kentares IV. He became Duke following the murder of his father, Duke Eric Dresari, by Katherine Steiner-Davion supporters (the 5th Donegal Guards under Lord Marcus Roland[1]). The young Duke arrived on-world at the head of a "not insignificant BattleMech force filled with ex-AFFC officers and Chaos March mercenaries," defeated the 5th and the Clovis DMM within three months, and subsequently secured his rule, which included defending the world against the "occasional attack"[2] until ca. October 3064.[3]

Canonicity

The character of Ian Dresari is fully canonical owing to being (briefly) mentioned in the FedCom Civil War sourcebook that also notes the murder of his father Eric Dresari at the hands of Steiner loyalists. However, he was more or less just a footnote in that (canonical) source.

Ian Dresari was also the protagonist and main character of the MechWarrior IV computer game and the main opponent in its expansion pack, MechWarrior 4: Black Knight. Wile these games provide most of the information available about the character, they do not fall under the current criteria for Canon, and must be regarded as apocryphal instead along with their portrayal of Ian Dresari.

Apocryphal Content Starts

The information after this notice comes from apocryphal sources; the canonicity of such information is uncertain.
Please view the reference page for information regarding their canonicity.

Biography

Ian Dresari was the son of Duke Eric Dresari, noble ruler of Kentares and a highly vocal political enemy of Archon Katherine Steiner-Davion. Ian was also the nephew of Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth Colonel Sir Peter Dresari, a MechWarrior commander in the Fourth Davion Guards, who held the noble title of Duke Sharpe, and was the brother of Duke Eric. Colonel Peter Dresari was the original leader of the anti-Steiner resistance on Kentares, but was later brutally murdered, leaving command of the resistance to his nephew Ian.

Exile

With two older brothers, Ian was far enough down the line of succession that he knew he was not destined for the planetary throne. Feeling overshadowed by his family and their noble history and reputation, with no way to distinguish himself, he adopted a profligate lifestyle that caused his father, Duke Eric, to disown him in disgust, though Ian's younger sister Joanna begged him not to.

Now that the pressure was on Ian, he joined the military and went to where the action was - the Clan Wars. At first he was only there for the excitement, but he soon matured into a fine soldier; he began to make something of himself, and to accomplish on both a personal and a larger scale.[4]

AFFC Leftenant Ian Dresari was a member of Operation Bird Dog, when he participated in the Star League Defense Force invasion of Port Arthur, and later served during Operation Bulldog and part of Task Force Serpent.

Return Home

See also: MechWarrior 4

After the murder of Duke Eric Dresari in late 3062 at the hands of Lord Marcus Roland, Ian returned to his homeworld, under the command of his uncle, Peter Dresari. After Peter was killed by lyran officer Duncan Burke, Ian, as the last Dresari with the resistance, was forced to take the nominal command of the unit. Only later was discovered than his sister Joanna was still alive, leading the local resistance, and staged a guerrilla war alongside his sister against the Steiner Loyalist forces to regain control of Kentares.

After defeating his treacherous cousin William and driving the Steiner forces off world, Ian was pronounced Duke of Kentares.

There is an alternate ending in which Ian does not abandon his sister and instead saves her. Once the Steiner forces have been defeated, Ian gives rule of Kentares to his sister and leaves with his forces to join the fight against Katrina Steiner off world. However, the add-on Black Knight Legion (where the player, now playing as the eponymous mercenary unit, has to depose Duke Ian Dresari) establishes that this was not Ian's choice.

Tyrant

Shortly after Ian was confirmed as Duke, House Steiner used propaganda broadcasts and deviously planned attacks to make it appear that Duke Ian was responsible for the destruction of the planet's cities, killed numerous innocent civilians, disbanded the Kentares Senate in revenge for two of their Senators turning against him, suspended civil liberties by declaring planetwide martial law and even claimed that Duke Ian had turned his back on the Davions and was cooperating with the Lyrans. As a result, most of the people of Kentares rebelled against their Duke and labelled him a tyrant, little different from his Loyalist predecessors.

House Steiner ordered one of their mercenary liaisons, Major Clarissa Dupree, to hire the Black Knight Legion to kill Dresari and his closest supporters and take back the planet for "Archon Katrina". The Legion succeeded in their mission on Kentares, believing they had killed Duke Ian.

(It has been suggested that the fight against the Black Knight Legion is covered under the "occasional attacks" mentioned in the FedCom Civil War sourcebook.)

DCMS Reprisal

It turned out that the Black Knight Legion had failed to kill Duke Ian, as he was still alive in January 3065, nearly two years after his supposed "death".

During the FedCom Civil War, Duke James Sandoval of the Federated Commonwealth's Draconis March (where Kentares IV is located) attempted an unauthorized invasion of the Draconis Combine, his family's longtime enemy. When this invasion failed, generals of the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery organized a counterattack against Duke Sandoval and his Draconis March. One of the planets chosen as a reprisal target was Kentares IV, long considered a grievous stain upon the honor of the Combine.

The Third Benjamin Regulars were assigned to erase that stain of honor by capturing Kentares for the Combine. On January 23, 3065, the Regulars landed on Kentares and immediately engaged Duke Ian and his Kentares DMM in battle. Although Ian and the DMM were determined to hold off the Regulars, the DMM was heavily outnumbered and outgunned.

Salvation for Duke Ian and the DMM came in the form of the pro-Victor Tenth Lyran Guards, who were en route to Tikonov to assist Prince Victor, but were forced to make an unscheduled stop in the Kentares system due to sabotage of their JumpShips. Marshal James McFarland, commander of the Tenth, decided to assist the beleaguered Duke Ian. A week later, the surviving Third Benjamin Regulars were forced to surrender and were imprisoned on Kentares.[5]

BattleMechs

Ian Dresari piloted a Shadow Cat, probably a war trophy from the war of the clans, during the first phase of the campaign to liberate his world of Steiner's rule. After becoming the Duke of Kentares, he would pilot a Dire Wolf that he claimed from the fallen Evanda Castro, until his defeat at the hands of the Black Knight Legion.

Titles and Positions

Preceded by Duke of Kentares IV
3063 - ????
Succeeded by

Notes

  • Jules Gonzales noted that Ian had "served during the Clan War". Ian told Karl Sonntag how he used artillery strikes against Clan Smoke Jaguar on Port Arthur.
  • In the computer game, Ian Dresari was portrayed by actor Troy Norton. At the time of filming the scenes in 2000, Troy Norton (born in 1969) was 31 years old. This would suggest Ian Dresari's age to be around 31 at the beginning of MechWarrior 4: Vengeance (set in late 3062), in turn loosely suggesting his birth date might be around the year 3031.

Apocryphal Content Ends

References

  1. FedCom Civil War, pp. 25-26
  2. FedCom Civil War, p. 82
  3. Based on the comment on p. 82 of the FedCom Civil War sourcebook that he defended the world for the remainder of Wave Two and throughout Wave Three; according to p. 122, Wave Four began in November 3064.
  4. [1]
  5. FedCom Civil War, p. 137
  6. Handbook: House Davion, p. 99, "Kentares IV"

Bibliography