IlKhan of the Clans

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Q: Do you swear upon the words of the Great Kerensky that you will follow the ordained trail through the black firmament of space, the trail that will ultimately lead us back to Terra to restore all that was good and pure in the Star League? A: Aff. I swear my blood future upon it. — From the ilKhan oath-taking ceremony

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Description

The ilKhan is the "Khan of Khans" within the Clan political structure. This Khan serves as the supreme leader of the Clans.

When the Clans face a time of crisis or all need to coordinate their efforts towards a common objective, each Clan forms a kurultai and the Khans from each Clan then form a Grand Kurultai. The Grand Kurultai then internally elects a Khan to become the ilKhan who serves as an arbiter between Clans during the time of his or her mandate, acting with the power of the Grand Council. The ilKhan enjoys wide-ranging but not absolute power, as he or she is accountable to the Grand Council. When the Martial code is in effect, however, the ilKhan may operate virtually unhindered.

In theory the ilKhan may not interfere with matters that are internal to a specific Clan or privilege their former Clan over others. In practice some ilKhans have failed in this regard, most notably former Cloud Cobra Khan Tobias Khatib, who with increasing brazenness favored his former Clan at the expense of the others before his deposition, and Lincoln Osis, who even after his election as ilKhan apparently remained Khan of Clan Smoke Jaguar as well and acted as such, attempting to use the other Clans to bolster the failing Jaguars before their annihilation. Brett Andrews similarly retained his position as Khan of Clan Steel Viper, and had his motives and legitimacy called into question as well.

After Nicholas Kerensky's death the position of ilKhan became less powerful and less prestigious over time, and following Tobias Khatib's indictment and execution in 2947 lapsed completely for a century. The arrival of the Outbound Light in Clan space in 3048 and resulting invasion of the Inner Sphere led to a revival of the role from 3049 to c. 3075, first to lead the invasion itself and then to handle the crises resulting from that invasion's failure.

The power of the position also eroded due to increasingly complex political situation among the Clans. When Leo Showers was voted ilKhan in 3048, he presided over sixteen Clans. Less than 20 years later, when Hannibal Banacek of the Star Adders stepped down following the Annihilation of Clan Steel Viper, the number of Clans following him numbered only six. Similarly, when Alaric Ward claimed Terra and the title of ilKhan in 3151, no Clans broke the silence coming from the Kerensky Cluster to acknowledge his claims, only those who had been driven from the Clan Homeworlds and formed the Council of Six.

By 3250 an unnamed individual held the position once more.

Roll of ilKhans

	Name	Original Clan	Years	Notes
1.	Nicholas Kerensky	Wolf	2815 – 2834	Founder of the Clans.
2.	Jerome Winson	Wolf	2834 – 2851	Provided unity for the nascent Clans after Nicholas Kerensky's murder and oversaw dawn of the Golden Century.
3.	Zenos Danforth	Burrock	2858 – 2870	Oversaw the Trials of Possession over OmniMech technology and the Absorption of Clan Mongoose by Clan Smoke Jaguar.
4.	Victoria Ward	Wolf	2873 – 2891	Elected to counter a rise in inter-Clan strife. Provided eighteen years of stability before stepping down.
5.	Corian Tchernovkov	Coyote	2920 – 2934	Elected to improve inter-Clan relations after Ghost Bear-Hell's Horses feud erupted, but died in a 'testing accident' before accomplishing this.
6.	Tobias Khatib	Cloud Cobra	2935 – 2947	Charged with continuing Corian Tchernovkov's mandate but favored his own Clan's goals above the Clans as a whole. When evidence was revealed linking him to Tchernovkov's death Khatib was stripped of rank and executed.
7.	Leo Showers	Smoke Jaguar	3048 – 3051	Led the Clan Invasion of the Inner Sphere before being killed over Radstadt.
8.	Ulric Kerensky	Wolf	3051 – 3058	ilKhan during the Battle of Tukayyid and subsequent truce period. Murdered in an ambush during Refusal War.
9.	Elias Crichell	Jade Falcon	3058	Elected in the field and immediately killed by Clan Wolf Khan Vlad Ward in a Trial of Grievance over his warrior qualifications.
10.	Lincoln Osis	Smoke Jaguar	3058 – 3060	Elected to lead a renewed invasion, but instead forced to deal with the Annihilation of Clan Smoke Jaguar and the loss of the Great Refusal. Killed during the latter.
11.	Garrett Sainze	Fire Mandrill	3071	Elected to lead a new invasion of the Inner Sphere, but was soon killed in a Trial of Refusal over his lackluster leadership.
12.	Brett Andrews	Steel Viper	3071 – 3075	Intended to lead new assault against Inner Sphere, but instead triggered the Wars of Reaving and The Society's revolt. Killed by Hannibal Banacek due to his honorless behavior.
13.	Hannibal Banacek	Star Adder	3075 – 3076	Oversaw the Steel Viper Annihilation, then resigned.
14.	Alaric Ward	Wolf	3151	Won the ilClan Trials for Terra against the Jade Falcons. Became ilKhan of the reborn Star League after the end of the Dark Age Era
?	Unnamed individual	Unknown Clan	3250	ilKhan of the reborn Star League a century after its foundation.

Bibliography

• The Clans: Warriors of Kerensky
• Hour of the Wolf (novel)
• Technical Readout: Succession Wars
• The Wars of Reaving