The Dominion is an odd mix of Swedish/Japanese space vikings
Swedish or Scandinavian or Norse (and certainly Japanese) does not equal Viking. That’s like saying that being an American is the same thing as being a Hell’s Angel.
There’s really nothing Viking about the old Free Rasalhague Republic. They weren’t known for raiding neighbors or undertaking far-flung exploration/trading expeditions or for settling/colonizing new worlds. There are Viking-ish aspects to the Bandit Kings, the Clans, the old Terran Hegemony, and certain other BT entities like the Explorer Corps. But not to the FRR.
What’s unique or interesting about the FRR is that it was a real democracy all the way up to the Elected Prince when no other House or major power was. And that has been carried over onto the civilian side of the Rasalhague Dominion.
(Early Norse peoples also practiced limited forms of local democracy, but the accumulation and concentration of wealth and power from Viking activities was actually one of the enablers of the rise of non-democratic, medieval monarchies in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.)
On the Clan side, the Bears are unique for their sense of family within the Clan ranks. This derives from their founders who were a (married, I think?) couple. The Bears have extended their sense of family by adopting the Rasalhagians.
Also notable is the degree to which the Bear touman has submitted itself to civilian rule, something not seen in other Spheroid Clan nation-states. And also notable is the amount of Rasalhagian named units (Gunzburg Eagles, Drakons, Freemen, Kavallari) and Rasalhagian bloodnames that appear in the Bear touman in the 32nd century.
Over the years, the Dominion has evolved into a fairly equal society, with the Elected Prince and Khan holding near equal power.
IIRC, the government is tripartite, with two executives — the Elected Prince on the civilian side and the Khan on the military side — both answering to a legislature.
Wraith and Elemental Battle Armour
Golem, Rogue Bear, Kobold IIC, Kobold
Mongrel. Vulture III and IV. Koshi (all varieties). Black Hawk. Gravedigger. Viking IIC. Kodiak 1 and 2. Dasher II. Ursus. Karhu. Bruin.
Like nearly all Clans, the Bears have almost always had access to the Mist Lynx (Koshi) and Nova (Black Hawk). But their homegrown, go-to light and medium omnis are actually the Fire Moth (Dasher) and Viper (Dragonfly).
Also notably missing are the Executioner (Gladiator), the original Mad Dog (Vulture), Arcas, Grizzly, Beowulf IIC, Kuma, Bear Cub, Ryoken II, and various Locust IIC and Marauder IIC variants.
The Bears of the Dominion use a mix of high mobility and wall of steel. Elementals are run in close to targets on light omnis or vehicles, followed up by a slow moving, heavily armed wall of firepower.
Yes on high mobility. No on wall of steel.
Ghost Bear assaults are fast or mobile for their sizes. The Executioner goes 4-6(8)-4 (or more depending on configuration). The Bruin moves 4-6-4. The Kodiaks move 4-6, not 3-5. Even the Marauder IIC variants jump. It’s more of a charge-and-overwhelm force than a stand-and-deliver force. More blitz than steady advance.
With some standard Clan cavalry exceptions like the various Mad Dogs/Vultures, this need for speed and mobility, usually in heavier-than-normal weights for those speeds, extends all the way down the weight classes, from jumping Karhus, to fast/jumpy Vipers, to speed-demon Fire Moths.
There is also one other thing about the Ghost Bears you need to keep in mind.
Don't make them mad! Making Ghost Bears mad is a really bad idea.
It’s less that the Bears are prone to fits of rage and more that they act like their namesake (as silly as that sounds). The Ghost Bear is known to wait for days (weeks?) in snow drifts until prey approaches and then attack with all surprise, speed, and ferocity.
Similarly, the Bear military leadership and touman is slow to react, but when they decide to go to war, it’s all-out, pedal-to-the-metal, no-holds-barred. We’ve seen this time and again with the Nova Cats and the Blakists, and there now appears to be another slow-motion roll towards war developing in the Vega Protectorate that may have the Bears explode into action again in ilClan.
Strategically, the Bears can be summed up with the old adage of “Don’t poke a sleeping bear (unless you want to get mauled).”
