Mara Selencia
Sarna News
- HEXTECH Review - Wave 3 Brings More Urban Options To Your Battlefield
- Your BattleTech News Round-Up For March, 2024
- Crashing 'Mechs With Jennifer Brozek, Author Of The Rogue Academy Trilogy
- Getting The Word Out With Rem Alternis, Catalyst Community & Marketing Director
- Bad 'Mechs - Yeoman
- Read more →
Mara Selencia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal | |
| Affiliation | Draconis Combine |
| Profile | |
| Profession | Abbess of the Order of the Five Pillars |
Mara Selencia was a citizen of the Draconis Combine who rose to the position of Abbess of the Order of the Five Pillars.[1]
History[edit]
Mara Selencia was born in 3035 to unknown parents; those parents gave her over to the Order of the Five Pillars on her first birthday, and as a consequence Mara grew up knowing nothing but service to the Draconis Combine and the protection of the people of the Combine and the spiritual honor of the Dragon through the work of the Order.[1]
Although the enigmatic Order was an unofficial branch of the Combine government, its power waxed and waned depending on the laws - or whims - of the Coordinator. When Omi Kurita, daughter of Coordinator Theodore Kurita, was assassinated in 3065 the Order was reduced to near shambles; hugely popular with the people as well as being the Keeper of House Honor, Omi's death crippled the morale of those within the Order and the fallout from her death continued to resonate through the Order a decade later.[1]
Omi's successor, Abbess Tomade Yamiro, died peacefully in her sleep in 3074 while visiting the site of a new Pillar complex on New Samarkand, the temporary capital of the Combine following the invasion of Luthien early in the Jihad. Mara was in charge of the Field Operations arm of the Order at the time, and was selected to assume the position of Abbess with the death of Abbess Yamiro.[1]
The Field Operations arm of the Order was highly skilled at its work, as was its closest counterpart, the DEST forces within the Internal Security Force. While DEST forces tended to use brute strength and violence to achieve their ends, those operatives from the Order working within the Field Operations arm were known for generally using less aggressive but equally effective methods such as diplomacy, manipulation and seduction to achieve their ends; the fanaticism and loyalty of those operatives rivalled that of their DEST counterparts. However, during Abbess Yamiro's tenure as Abbess a wedge began to appear between the ISF and the Order, and field agents found it increasingly difficult to carry out local operations, leading to the ISF to either act on their own or walk away from operations. A number of joint Order/ISF operations conducted between 3065 and 3074 involved "accidents" that served to deepen that wedge, with the number of incidents increasing throughout 3074. When Order operations did go ahead they were generally a success, although this was due to the staff working under Mara, who were conservative but aggressive. With the death of Abbess Yamiro the suspicions the ISF had regarding her loyalty were rendered moot, and there was the prospect that relations between the two organizations would improve.[1]
Since becoming Abbess Mara took a number of steps to try and mend the rift between the Order and ISF, although her efforts had met with little success by 3076. Mara was well-known for her tenacity and her inability to accept "no" as an answer, making it likely that efforts would continue.[1]
Mara was described as small of frame but elegant of stature, and was known for her rigid adherence to standard cultural protocol; she also apparently exuded both cultural plurality and refinement of the Japanese dictum.[1] She was a highly successful field operative prior to becoming Abbess, and was highly skilled in espionage skills that didn't involve combat, including but not limited to negotiation, persuasion and seduction. Her position as Abbess ensured that she had access to both highly placed military officers and intelligence on many senior corporate personnel.[2]
Notes[edit]
- Order of the Five Pillars Abbess Tomade Yamiro was supposedly revealed as a member of the Black Dragon Society, where she was purportedly known as 'Tiger's Eye'. However, no one by the name of 'Tiger's Eye' appears as a speaker on any transcripts of the group's meetings, nor is the name even mentioned.
Based on circumstantial evidence, a fan theory posits that the Black Dragon Society falsely fingered Tomade Yamiro as a member, to free the way for an actual member or associate of the group: Mara Selencia. This theory also casts doubt on whether Tomade Yamiro really died peacefully in her sleep.
Rules[edit]
3076[edit]
- Mara Selencia suffers a -2 modifier to all Checks when dealing with the Internal Security Force due to the ongoing rivalry between the two organizations.[2]