Power is a goal. Pleasure is eternal. Welcome to Canopus.

[Maelwys]

To understand the Ebon Magistrate, you have to understand the Magistracy Intelligence Ministry as well.

Its not just the EM that have been surprisingly effective and well funded, its been the entire MIM that's been surprising effective and well funded. I think Guide to Covert Ops (Ug) even mentions teams acting in the Draconis Combine.

The Ebon Magistrate is a secretive branch of the MIM that operates in cells, and may be outside the normal MIM chain of command as well, answering directly to the Magestrix. They supposedly have few family ties, and can be trained in anything from unarmed combat to BattleMech combat (and possibly a little of all of the above).

The big thing that sets them apart however is their use of cybernetics. Its only hinted at in IC writeups, but OOC writeups and other storylines confirm it.

Which is where the questions really begin to start. Did the Magistracy know about the MD, and did they create something specifically to fight it? Did they decide to create it simply because their allies, the CapCon, had developed some of the useful cybernetics (like dermal armor) and the Magistracy decided that they could make use of it as well with their advanced medical technology (and or a history of using non-combat cybernetics that let them adapt to the use of combat cybernetics easier)? Is it something else (one of the ISP books links the Ebon Magistrate with the Genecaste of all things)?

I mean, if you were told your allies the CapCons were experimenting with Death Commandos with cybernetic armor and possibly weaponry, you might consider the same thing.

So at its core, the Ebon Magistrate is simply a covert Operations group that uses cybernetics to do their job better.

Why exactly they were created when the Magistracy Intelligence Ministry already had an Active Response Corps is what isn't known exactly.

The Ebon Magistrate may have been around for centuries.  They were so good, that no one noticed that they existed until the 3060s.

Well, I suppose that's theoretically possible, but most of the source data seems to indicate a more modern, 3050s-3060's creation. But anything is possible.

And of course, the possible biggest herring of them all is that "Ebon" was one of the Wolverine bloodnames, IIRC.

[Archangel]

Why exactly they were created when the Magistracy Intelligence Ministry already had an Active Response Corps is what isn't known exactly.

I believe the Ebon Magistrate is a subdivision of the Active Response Corps but operates outside the normal chain of command making them comparable to the ISF's Sons of the Dragon.

[Maelwys]

There's nothing to indicate that its a subdivision of the ARC as far as I know. It might make sense that it would be, but I've always seen it listed as its own Division, even with its own commander.

What kind of interests me is if we're going to see more cybernetics coming out of the EM. Not necessarily brand new, but I'd like to see their usage continue, especially some of the more advanced or odd MD ones.

[Archangel]

There's nothing to indicate that its a subdivision of the ARC as far as I know. It might make sense that it would be, but I've always seen it listed as its own Division, even with its own commander.

"A fairly recent development, the Ebon Magistrate is, beyond a doubt, the most mysterious and worrisome subdivision within the MIM." (A Guide to Covert Ops, p90)

What kind of interests me is if we're going to see more cybernetics coming out of the EM. Not necessarily brand new, but I'd like to see their usage continue, especially some of the more advanced or odd MD ones.

You won't see anything.  They are too good.   ;)

[Maelwys]

"A fairly recent development, the Ebon Magistrate is, beyond a doubt, the most mysterious and worrisome subdivision within the MIM." (A Guide to Covert Ops, p90)

I'm loathe to give any credit to Guide to Covert Ops :)

Though I will point out that in that same passage, they tell us that the Magistrate's director is General Elan Karagan, while the ARC's director is a Colonel. Being a General puts him at the same rank as the overall head of the MIM.

I wonder if the whole "subdivision" comment might be someone getting it wrong, or it might be that way on paper, just to perhaps hide the EM, or hide the funding going to it.

[False Son]

Weren't the Ebony and Eyleuka built with the EM's operators in mind?

[Moonsword]

Not that I can tell from going over the TRO entries.  Even the Ebony doesn't have any commentary to that effect although the fact that it's assumed to be named for the Ebon Magistrate is probably significant.  Significant of what is a bit of a question, though.  Keep in mind that TRO3085 was written by the Republic's DMI, so they may not actually know the truth.

[Maelwys]

There's no proof of that. The Ebony has a similar name, and talks about the EM in the fluff, but only mentions its being a "namesake." There isn't anything that says "The Ebon Magistrate is using the Ebony..." or "This was designed for the EM."

The Eyleuka was designed due to a perceived reliance on Capellan `Mechs, but it wasn't going anyplace fast. Then the Capellans stepped in to help. Its mentioned that the Cappies were looking for design for "Special Operations Units" (whatever that means). After that, the Eyleuka was designed by committee.

Now, what might be potentially interesting, and maybe a red herring, or reading into it too much, or an authors OOC preference, but it seems like the Magistracy built quite a few designs with small cockpits. Which we also saw with alot of WoB designs that were geared towards the MD with the VDNI.

Personally I think it would be sort of silly to design a unit that's used 100 times with normal pilots, and once with a VDNI pilot, so I doubt that's the case with the Magistracy designs, but it was something that popped up in my mind for a moment when I saw the small cockpits all over the place.

[Archangel]

Though I will point out that in that same passage, they tell us that the Magistrate's director is General Elan Karagan, while the ARC's director is a Colonel. Being a General puts him at the same rank as the overall head of the MIM.

One, they are not listed among the MIM's departments list on that same page.  Two, if you want a unit to operate outside the chain of command and prevent another MIM from trying to utilize them for one of their operations, putting an officer of superior rank in charge of the subdivision makes sense.  Third, the head of the EM reports directly to the Magestrix and having that person be a General rather than a colonel helps the EM maintain its covert nature.  A General reporting to the Magestrix would just seem as business as usual.

I wonder if the whole "subdivision" comment might be someone getting it wrong, or it might be that way on paper, just to perhaps hide the EM, or hide the funding going to it.

If they got that wrong, then how much more likely is it that they got the name and rank of the EM's commanding officer wrong.

[tassa_kay]

Where is McEvedy's Folly in relation to the Magistracy? The True Wolverine Believer in me is curious.

[Archangel]

Where is McEvedy's Folly in relation to the Magistracy? The True Wolverine Believer in me is curious.

It's about 150 lightyears antispinward of Kassandra's Memory.  It appears on a map in Jihad Final Reckoning (p42 and p62).  On page 62, its marked as a dead/dying world.

[Maelwys]

Of course, if you really want to stroke the Wolverine/MoC conspiracy theories, there's the picture on page 118 of the Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents that has the Wolverine path going through the Magistracy and apparently stopping around Cresson before turning south.

[tassa_kay]

Who knows what else might lurk in the Canopian Ruins, or beyond?

[Archangel]

Who knows what else might lurk in the Canopian Ruins, or beyond?

For that you want to read ISP3. Plenty of material on deeper periphery colonies/societies/etc there.

Update:  Sorry nothing on Clan Wolverine colonies that I saw.

[Maelwys]

Actually, I was just thinking, that if you wanted another "Wolverine Conspiracy." The Wolverines left Clan space when their genetics program was relatively young.

But over the years, someone's been stripping the planet's labs of material. Maybe the Wolverine's own genetic work needed a kickstarter after traveling so far with a small population.

edit
And by "stripping the planet's" I mean "Frobisher" from ISP 3, since that post doesn't make much sense unless I name the planet.
/edit

[tassa_kay]

For that you want to read ISP3. Plenty of material on deeper periphery colonies/societies/etc there.

Update:  Sorry nothing on Clan Wolverine colonies that I saw.

Oh, I know, believe me. The opening fiction was a pretty good morsel of canon, though. :)

[False Son]

This thread got me digging into Ebon Magistrate material.  Interesting stuff.  It could all be rumors intended to create confusion and caution among the Magistracy's potential enemies.  Or, it could be something rather nefarious and worth watching.  How fun would it be if the next insidious threat to the Inner Sphere actually came from freewheeling MoC?

One of the theories that has me interested was the involvement of the Duchy of Andurien in rescuing Naomi.  As far I know, no explanation has been given as to how DoA knew where and when the WoB forces were.  Is it possible it was a long term plot to get Andurien involved with Canopus and Sian.  They would never help the Confederation at the time, and this was an effort to bring all parties together.  Ebon Magistrate seems like the group capable of putting such an operation together.  They were tracking the movements of Shadow Divisions well enough to ambush one with Capellan assistance.

[jimdigris]

How fun would it be if the next insidious threat to the Inner Sphere actually came from freewheeling MoC?

I would heartily approve of that. O0

[Maelwys]

This thread got me digging into Ebon Magistrate material.  Interesting stuff.  It could all be rumors intended to create confusion and caution among the Magistracy's potential enemies.  Or, it could be something rather nefarious and worth watching.  How fun would it be if the next insidious threat to the Inner Sphere actually came from freewheeling MoC?

Well, its more than confirmed that they're out there using cybernetics.

As for the Magistracy being the next insidious threat...well, it would seem to go against the MoC as it is now, but might be interesting. Of course, they'd get pretty heavily smacked down if they tried to go up against more than a House. Even with their larger army they're still about half of a major power at the moment.

[False Son]

With the people of Frobisher being mentioned as in contact with the Magistracy and seeking help, it makes me wonder if there is a connection to the Genecaste connection.  Was it a case of the Magistracy seeking out the Genecaste's knowledge of genetic manipulation to stabilize the runaway mutations of the Frobisher population?

[tassa_kay]

Genecaste?

[Maelwys]

One of the horror stories of the original ISP that linked to the Magistracy's Ebon Magistrate was the genecaste, which is basically a bunch of ultra engineered humans. We're talking going beyond what the Clans did, allowing people to live on marginally hospitable worlds, like giving someone lighter frame and wings to take advantage of the low gravity. Kind of the nightmare example.

Kind of exactly like what Frobisher is, which makes me think that Frobisher might be the core of truth behind the genecaste rumors.

It might not be that the Magistracy is looking to the genecaste for help with the people of Frobisher, but that the people of Frobisher have become the genecaste through stories and legends.

[Archangel]

Basically instead of terraforming worlds they genetically alter humans to suit the environment.  Some have been altered beyond the point of where they are still considered human.

[False Son]

And they did it to hide from the Clans.  Which means the Ebon Magistrate is active in proximity to the homeworlds.  You know, if they really were out there.

[Kit deSummersville]

Or the genecaste has ranged far.

[tassa_kay]

What do you mean, they did it to hide from the Clans?

[Maelwys]

Well, keep in mind this is from one of the ISP books, which is "tabloid until proven otherwise" but the original story behind the genecaste was that they were Dark Caste/Bandit caste members that went to extremes to hide so they weren't exterminated by the Clanners.

[tassa_kay]

Oh, okay. I see I'm gonna have to dust off my copy of ISP and actually read that section!

[Archangel]

Well, keep in mind this is from one of the ISP books, which is "tabloid until proven otherwise" but the original story behind the genecaste was that they were Dark Caste/Bandit caste members that went to extremes to hide so they weren't exterminated by the Clanners.

Come on now.  Everybody knows that the article about Elvis Presley performing at Danai Liao-Centrella's birthday is TRUE!  The Capellan Chancellor ordered him taken out of chryogenic suspension especially for Danai's birthday!   ;D

[tassa_kay]

If Danai listens to anything, it's Cantopop.

Also, Daoshen has better taste.