Kampfgruppe Steiner Operation: Götterdämmerung or how we survived the Dark Age.

[Angrii]

Agreed, and remember the Jade Falcons did capture a few sibkos of Ghost Bear troops so hopefully whoever writes their future does just wash away the Ghost Bear influence and make them all hard core Jade Falcons.  However the fact that a warrior even suggested that a freeborn could get a Bloodname shows how much the attitude towards freeborns have shifted.

I'd actually rather like to see the influx of young Bears create a new culture for the Falcons. It would be rather boring to see them revert to their lawful stupid, hardliner mentality of the pre-Mongol era. Jiyi's willingness to think outside the box, use subterfuge, and respect Freeborns and lower castes gives me hope we'll see something completely new and compelling, from a story point of view. I'd love to actually want to root for the Falcons for once...

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

I'd actually rather like to see the influx of young Bears create a new culture for the Falcons. It would be rather boring to see them revert to their lawful stupid, hardliner mentality of the pre-Mongol era. Jiyi's willingness to think outside the box, use subterfuge, and respect Freeborns and lower castes gives me hope we'll see something completely new and compelling, from a story point of view. I'd love to actually want to root for the Falcons for once...

Yeah, we've already got the Falcons on Terra to do the whole stick-up-the-butt lawful stupid old school Falcons routine.  Not much point in Jiyi's Falcons existing if they're just going to do the exact same thing.

[Ruger]

The two Elements of Treason books did an effective job of making sympathetic cases for both the new Tamar Pact and the Vesper Marches. I went into both viewing the protagonists as traitors to their nation and oaths, which they are, but could not help but come to feel they had points to their actions. Which is, admittedly, what these books are really designed to do.

Ruger

[ANS Kamas P81]

Guess I need to read Elements of Treason, now.  I get all my information from sourcebooks.  On that note...

Revealed in the new novel A Question of Survival.  I had the same reaction regarding how out-of-character it was for the Bears and the Rasalhagians.  My spoilered take and more discussion here:

Anyone know when we get Dominion Divided?

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

"Soon."  Catalyst never gives out more info than that until the book's in the warehouse.

[Rainbow 6]

The two Elements of Treason books did an effective job of making sympathetic cases for both the new Tamar Pact and the Vesper Marches. I went into both viewing the protagonists as traitors to their nation and oaths, which they are, but could not help but come to feel they had points to their actions. Which is, admittedly, what these books are really designed to do.

Ruger

Need to add them to my to buy list then, anyone think that the Tamar Pact and Vesper Marches will come back to the Commonwealth peacefully?

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Unlikely.  But it doesn't seem like either one is going to be wiped out in the near future, either.

[tassa_kay]

Where'd you find that at?  A Ghost Bear civil war would be...a surprise, considering how much of the Clan is around the idea of family and unity.

The best source is "Dominions Divided", as it goes into this (nonsensical and stupid, IMO) conflict in great detail.

[CJC070]

Need to add them to my to buy list then, anyone think that the Tamar Pact and Vesper Marches will come back to the Commonwealth peacefully?

I say yes but that question relies on the writer and developers in the future right now.

[Metallgewitter]

Need to add them to my to buy list then, anyone think that the Tamar Pact and Vesper Marches will come back to the Commonwealth peacefully?

I would assume that the Vesper Marches will get the Hammer: an object lesson to all other breakaway states what will happen. Then they follow up with negotiations perhaps offering great autonomy or something like that.
In essence a repeat of what Adam Steiner went  through with bringing rebellious Archonettes back into the fold though with bigger risks

[Minemech]

 Some wars of Succession may be in the works. I could see some states trying to overpower Donegal, when they get the power to.

[tassa_kay]

Tamar, not Donegal.

And I certainly hope that TPTB can do better than "the hammer drops on the breakaway states and they're forced back into the fold", but I don't expect that level of creativity.

[Caesar Steiner for Archon]

I think Tamar and the Commonwealth come up with some kind of arrangement that lets both of them save face. It'll be worded in such a way that Tharkad can say Tamar is still Lyran, and Tamar can say Tharkad has recognized their government. They'll keep using the same money, rank structure and such to present the appearance of unity to outside nations. But I don't think anyone else gets a sweet deal like that except maybe the AML.

The writers aren't even pretending Arc-Royal is a separate state, so I'm not going to either. One way or another the beef will get squashed and Callandre becomes Margrave of Arc-Royal, going from Mid Career Morgan Kell where she is now (running an autonomous region of Lyran space denoted by being a slightly different color) to Late Career Morgan Kell (important political figure within the system).

The Vesper Marches are going to make like Neo-Tokyo and *E*X*P*L*O*D*E* once those worlds that thought they were rejoining the LC find out that they didn't. One of them is Gareth Dinesen's world, just to add a little more spice to that mix.

The AML, though, they're going to be more than capable of working out a pleasant status quo with the Lyrans, given that the alternative is the Horses, who are gonna take one look at their Chalcas asses and try to put a boot up them.

[BrianDavion]

regarding Tamar, the most likely way is that Tamar will end up being reckongized as a "semi-autonomous realm within the LC" allowing TPTB in the long term to ressurect the concept of the Tamar pack (and the federation of Skye) as genuine "marches" of the LyrCom

[Caesar Steiner for Archon]

Print off a copy of the Arc-Royal Accords

Cross out the words "Arc-Royal" or "Wolf" and replace them with "Arcturus" and "Tamar."

That's it, you're done. The legal framework has been around for a century.

[Metallgewitter]

Print off a copy of the Arc-Royal Accords

Cross out the words "Arc-Royal" or "Wolf" and replace them with "Arcturus" and "Tamar."

That's it, you're done. The legal framework has been around for a century.

I was gonna say we have a precedent for this. It was also the ground Robert Kelswa Steiner tried to increase his Isle of skye's autonomy when Peter ruled. Feels almost like the Commonwealth might revert to what the Great Houses were during the Age of War: a collection of more or less autonomous regions. After all we don't have instant communications (with a few exceptions) so the local rulers will have more authority without their big boss breathing down their neck

[Caesar Steiner for Archon]

That's the whole idea behind the system of Margraves as well. Your theater commanders have the power to launch military campaigns on their own authority and can assume temporary rulership of any civilian government they see fit for the duration of the crisis.

[Minemech]

 An old Battletech trope was how a few malcontent planetary nobles could through their own concoctions could easily undermine the designs of a Successor Lord. Greed and foppish impolitic might be involved.