
"To define the embodiment of honor is to understand the nature of the Clans..."
 -Out of Ignorance: The Return of Kerensky's People, by Jaime Wolf, News Avalon Press, August 3053.

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 "She smiled confidently. "Believe me ilKhan, you have the troops and experience necessary to take Tharkad."
 "In the Periphery
 We came to know you
 For the barbarians you are.

 Is it any wonder I
 Feel pride at
 Ridding the Inner Sphere of you?"
 -Lyrics from a challenge song to the Inner Sphere militaries written by a Jade Falcon warrior.

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 "The Star League never retreats. It will fight to the last Kurita soldier."
 -Hikaru Missata, Kurita Ambassador to the Star League, 2582.

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 "Ambition is the fire of the will, the spur to the horse, and the arm wielding the flashing sword."
 -A Clan saying.

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 "Magestrix Crystalla Centrella, you are now my prisoner..."
 "Given your reputation, my Lord, I am looking forward to it."
 "Your planet is, at this very moment, occupied by four elite BattleMech regiments."
 "Things have been a little dull around here lately."

True warriors do not follow paths, they make them. It is not just their desire, it is their nature.
 -Nicholas Kerensky

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Politics is of great use to men such as myself. It helps determine who should be on the dangerous end of a PPC.
 -General Aaron DeChevilier, second-in-command to Alekandr Kerensky

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As the insect feeds the bird,
 As the bird feeds the wolf,
 As the wolf feeds the smoke jaguar,
 So all give life to the warrior,
 Who sheds his blood for their glory.
 -The Remembrance, Passage 121, Verse 43

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From the ranks of the many she rose,
 Pre-eminent among all others.
 Foe after foe fell before the young warrior
 For destiny guided her sword.
 When out Leader called, she rose
 And became the head of the mighty Serpent.
 She guided the Viper alongside the Wolf,
 Along the path of the True Vision.
 Let us forever honor the First Khan, who showed the way.
 Let us remain faithful to the True Path she marked for the Viper.
-The Remembrance, Passage 3, Verse 5, Lines 6-15. 

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 The wise Nicholas spoke to them all
 Through the haze of their anguish
 His passion flowed through the doubt,
 His conviction tore at the fear
 He was become the living legend.
 Phillip listened and believed;
 He would follow this great man
 as he had followed the father
 into Exodus, and hope.
-The Remembrance, Passage 14, Verse 1, Lines 1-9. 

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And in her vision the wolf howled,
 But the nova cat paced steadily on,
 Undisturbed by the petty battles
 Others fought, trying to cage it within the bars of
 Thoughtless sameness. The nova cat gazed
 Straight ahead, its heart and mind devoted to
 The Ways of Seeing, devoted to a more perfect life.
-The Remembrance, Passage 50, Verse 5, Lines 26-32. 

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The General's intent was clearly stated,
 To depart and never return.
 He forced none but swayed many;
 This compassionate, brilliant man
 Had led thousands to victory,
 And he would again lead the long march.
-The Remembrance, Passage 8, Verse 6, Lines 12-17. 

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Now is the time
 To prove
 What we know to be true:
 That we shall conquer all.
-The Remembrance, Passage 155, Verse 2, Lines 45-48. 

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Then Karen Nagasawa said,
 "The past holds wise men as well as fools;
 Why then do we listen only to the foolish
 When we have another choice?"
-The Remembrance, Passage 12, Verse 14, Lines 4-7.

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As each warrior plays his role in battle,
 So each caste plays its role for the Clan.
 Growers of food and makers of 'Mechs,
 Those who discover and those who enrich,
 All look for justice to the warrior who governs.
-The Remembrance, Passage 96, Verse 12, Lines 1-5.

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Bid the Sea Fox farewell;
 Noble he was, but not strong enough.
 The diamond shark has devoured him;
 The shark is the greater warrior.
-The Remembrance, Passage 127, Verse 35, Lines 6-9.

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Then Warrior Hazen grew cold
 Watching noble DeChavilierdie.
 Urging her to fly,
 To forget her duty.
 But with a defiant cry
 Proud Turkina dove
 From the realm of death
 To seize Hazen's heart
 To shake her free of fear
 Leaving pure her soul
 And her duty clear.
-The Remembrance, Passage 8, Verse 36, Lines 58-66.

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Remember those events that brought us these fifteen years of shame. 
 But remember also those who fell to restore the glorious Star League. 
 Above all, remember the blood legacy of Aidan Pryde, child of Kerensky; 
 he made the final sacrifice so that his Clan could continue. 
 For eternity shall we praise him; 
 in fifteen years we shall avenge him.
-The Remembrance, Passage 417, Verse 29, Lines 74-79.

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There will be a time when our descendants
 Return to reclaim what is our right.
 With honor swelling their hearts, they will crusade
 Against the dark emotions that have dimmed
 The Inner Sphere for so long.
 -The Remembrance, Passage 3, Verse 41.

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From Kerensky's Stars came the Eight Hundred
 Beneath a banner of Truth and Righteous Light
 To lift up those who had suffered and to smite down
 With fearful vengeance those who had ruled 
 In the name of Vanity or Greed.
 -The Remembrance, Passage 98, Verse 28.

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Remember Franklin Osis,
 Father of his Clan.
 Three strengths he gave us:
 The jaguar's spring that brings the enemy down,
 The jaguar's claws that rend the enemy's heart,
 The jaguar's taste for the enemy's hot blood.
-The Remembrance, Passage 104, Verse 18, Lines 5-10.

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Five are our foundation,
 One above the rest.
 Four are the steppingstones,
 The fifth the pinnacle.
 The laborer, the technician, the scientist, the merchant,
 These are the steppingstones
 To the warriors' place.
 As the insect feeds the bird,
 As the bird feeds the wolf,
 As the wolf feeds the smoke jaguar,
 So all give life to the warrior
 Who sheds his blood for their glory.
-The Remembrance, Passage 121, Verse 43, Lines 12-24.

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In our dark days of wandering,
 He gave us Hidden Hope;
 Our sacred duty calls us to return.
 As our Father told us,
 And his father before him,
 Ours is the redemption of the Universe;
 Ours is the paradise of Terra;
 Ours is the war of liberation.
-The Remembrance, Passage 204, Verse 06, Lines 2-9.

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Remember Leo Showers,
 Great Khan of Khans.
 He showed us the way to destiny,
 And gave his life to achieve it.
-The Remembrance, Passage 215, Verse 31, Lines 22-25.

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Mourn for our ilKhan, o warriors!
 Cry curses to the heavens!
 They have silenced the voice of the Crusaders;
 Let them be ash beneath our feet.
 Make your hearts as proud as his,
 Make your blood as fierce,
 Make your blows as deadly to our enemies
-The Remembrance, Passage 215, Verse 31, Lines 26-32.

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 Fifteen years, fellow warriors. Fifteen years
 We are to suffer in shame and silence,
 Listening to the crowing and laughter
 Of our enemies, who think us defeated.
 But remember, warriors, we are the Clans.
 What fails to kill us only makes us stronger.
 And when future sibkos learn of us,
 They will know the sixteenth year
 As the Stacalkas-Nomen: The year
 The punishment of our enemies began.
-The Remembrance, Passage 329, Verse 53, Lines 141-150.

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Where nature's law threatened the weary;
 When food, water, even air itself ran low,
 It took just a command, a word, a smile,
 From the General to light the way.
 He was comfort, stern courage, compassion
 To our sires as he lead them from the fires
 That grew and fed on those they left behind.
-The Remembrance, Passage 2, Verse 14, Lines 18-24.

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"The just deaths of the traitors frightened some
 There among the darkness and alien stars.
 A few lost heart and began with quavering resolve
 To question the Great Father's plan.
 With stern compassion he spoke and all was revealed:
 How their destiny was the Hidden Hope
 Of all mankind and their sons' sons
 Would one day return to the inner sphere
 Bringing back the enlightenment of the Star League
 To those unfortunates they had left behind
 Such was their right, such is our legacy of blood."
 -The Remembrance, Passage 3, Verse 22, Lines 1-11.

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 There will be a time when our descendants
 Return to reclaim what is our right.
 With honor and swelling their hearts, they will crusade
 Against the dark emotions that have dimmed
 The Inner Sphere for so long.
 But with glory comes responsibility;
 Without a pure soul we cannot give sight
 To their blind lives, but will only blind ourselves.
-The Remembrance, Passage 3, Verse 41, Lines 1-8.

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The rebels, heeding neither strength nor sense,
 Cowardly ambushed noble DeChevilier.
 Although he fought like a lion, he died
 And with his death came the clouds, and reason fled
 Like a winter sun's feeble evening light
 Above hopeless Eden and wicked Babylon
-The Remembrance, Passage 8, Verse 36, Lines 51-56.

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Five, Nicholas proclaimed, was the foundation
 Upon which our true society was to be built.
 Laborers to till the land, to do the tasks:
 They shall have our undying gratitude,
 For they are the muscle behind us all.
 Merchants to buy and sell with fairness:
 They shall have our commerce and respect,
 For they are the bones upon which we are built.
 Technicians to build and fix the machines:
 They shall have our admiration,
 For they are the fingers with we grasp life.
 Scientists to create and discover:
 They shall have our awe and our attention,
 For they are the mind of our society.
 And above all, the Warriors who protect:
 They shall have our cooperation and worship,
 For they are the blood and soul of us all.
-The Remembrance, Passage 67, Verse 26, Lines 21-37.

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"For the day will come and our kin will stand
 On Terra's firm soil, ready to rebuild
 The Star League with their hearts and hands.
 But who shall lead? Upon the whose shoulders
 Will the burden lie? The answer is the test;
 The test is the journey. Whichever Clan
 Carves its way through the barbarians
 To reach that fabled cradle of us all
 Shall be the vehicle of the League's rebirth. Upon 
 The Star League throne shall sit that Clan's
 Wisest Khan. So should it be-So shall it be."
 -The Remembrance, Passage 72, Verse 22, Lines 14-24.

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 From Kerensky's Stars came the Eight Hundred
 Beneath a banner of Truth and Righteous Light
 To lift up those who had suffered and to smite down
 With fearful vengeance those who had ruled
 In the name of Vanity or Greed.
 The thunder of their BattleMech's feet, the lightning
 From their weapons, and the blood spilled in their name
 Created the Clan Spirit, the forge upon which
 We have fashioned ourselves to be the weapon
 Of the resurrected Star League,
 Honored to a razor's edge by the Trials,
 By The Remembrance and by the Words
 Of the Great Kerenskys, our sires, our saviors.
-The Remembrance, Passage 98, Verse 24, Lines 8-20.

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"All praise the art of batchall and bidding
 For it proves our love of peace and tradition."
 -The Remembrance, Passage 118, Verse 2, Lines 11-12.

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 Like a poisonous weed, the Not-Named fostered
 Thoughts and actions against the Clans, calling them
 "Independence" and "Freedom," not realizing
 Their every act changed them to the corruption's
 That brought down the noble Star League
 And set the Inner Sphere aflame.
 But the Clans survived by condemning
 Them to a bitter annihilation.
 Lead by Clans Wolf and Widowmaker,
 The Grand Council wiped clean the records,
 Obliteration with the warm blood
 Of its tragically doomed warriors
 Every mention of the Not-Named Clan. 
-The Remembrance, Passage 149, Verse 55, Lines 21-33.

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About the fallen hero they gathered,
 None able to give voice to his shock.
 Khan Jerome Winson knelt, tears streaming,
 To cradle Nicholas Kerensky's head.
 To wipe the blood from the cold brow,
 To close the lightless eyes. Peach, great Hero.
 Choked with sadness and anger
 Khan Jerome Winson spoke. "Khan Cal Jorgensson,
 I cry, not for myself, nor for others.
 I weep for your Clan Widowmaker.
 There is a price for such a crime
 As you have committed. A price you
 And your Clan will pay."
-The Remembrance Passage 154, Verse 34, Lines 16-28.

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Therefore the youngest of them all stood up,
 And with a voice like amber wine she spoke:
 "Great sir, now all is clean and seeming well,
 Yet still there is but one remaining problem;
 My children, sir, they as of yet unborn,
 Shall never hear your words so pure and grand."
 "You see"' the great one spoke aloud, "It is
 your humble kin for whom I write this book.
 It is the law, our honor bound in hide."
-The Remembrance Passage 156, Verse 04, Lines 24-32.

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And Minaka Widowmaker spoke,
 "I claim the Bloodname Vordermark;
 It was my mother's and my mother's father's.
 It is mine by association and blood pride."
 The Council was stunned and outraged
 By her lack of respect for the Clan ways.
 Then the ilKhan rose and spoke wise words.
 "Such a claim is not freely granted, Minaka.
 Although your blood may cry out Vordermark,
 It is your muscle and mind that will make it so.
 Remember that Rede of our past, Widowmaker,
 And do not ask words to win what the trial decides.
 If strong, you will win the Right.
 But do justice to our future
 By remembering our past, young one.
 Those are my words, that is my judgment." 
-The Remembrance, Passage 167, Verse 34, Lines 33-48.

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And never forget that help may come
 From the most unlikely of quarters
 And success rest upon the shoulders
 Of those kept shadowed until the time of need.
-The Remembrance, Passage 222, Verse 06, Lines 11-14.

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Then the order came, "Furl the sails.
 Ready for jump, mighty warriors.
 We journey back, we journey home,
 Carrying the flame of the Star League
 Back to the hearth. We face the ignorant
 Who believe themselves civilized and strong,
 But they will soon discover otherwise.
 We are the Clans, the Star League incarnate.
 None can stand against us and survive."
-The Remembrance, Passage 272, Verse 08, Lines 11-19.

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"No natural calamities cost you.
 There was no great disease, no famines;
 No interstellar catastrophe to blame.
 You have no excuse to explain
 How this, our rightful palace, has been fouled
 With the dust of countless innocent dead.
 The truth is that you are the descendants
 Of traitors who scurry about like rats
 In the dark, fighting over petty kingdoms
 At the foot of the empty throne.
 Never recognizing that you have given up
 The one true prize."
 -The Remembrance, Passage 285, Verse 15, Lines 21-32.

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 Tyra of the Rasalhague led,
 Forth her fiery flying Drakons,
 Gallant in bronze. A warrior woman whose hands
 Were unskilled in the ways of hearth and home,
 In the skills of war she was hard and trained
 To leave behind the airy winds and fight
 Where the void is eternal and life fleeting.
 Tyra and her warriors fought
 Like crazed demons above Radstadt
. When her fighter was crippled by ours,
 And her life leaked away into the endless night,
 She chose to die
 And sent her fighter like a spear
 Through the Dire Wolf, claiming as isorla
 Our mighty ilKhan's life. Sing of our loss, warriors!
 Sing, but of Tyra also,
 For though an enemy, her courage none can deny.
-The Remembrance Passage 294, Verse 08, Lines 17-23.

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"And so the Khans met in kurultai
 To discuss the carving of Tukayyid.
 As if it was some feast dish cooked
 And tender, begging for the server's knife."
 -The Remembrance, Passage 327, Verse 3, Lines 5-8.

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 Sons and daughters of the blood legacy,
 Inspire me as I sing,
 Of the deaths dealt out on Tukayyid
 And of what our warriors faced and bravely fought:
 Help me paint a portrait of an apocalypse.
-The Remembrance, Passage 328, Verse 01, Lines 1-5.

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Tests of combat solve all problems in life.
-Clan Steel Viper saying

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Warriors win wars. Technicians win battles.
-Unclaimed graffiti attributed to a Jade Falcon Technician Caste Member

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"Being tactful in audacity is knowing how far one can go too far."
- Jerome Blake, founder of ComStar, 2788

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"To be what we are, and to become what we are capable of becoming, is the only end of life."
- Quote inscribed over gate of House Hiritsu stronghold on Randar

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 ComStar knows all.
- Anastasius Focht

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 Good charts, strong ship, and a sextant have made it possible to weather more than one storm.
- Anastasius Focht

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 Children of the Bear, hearken to my words: 
 Be always vigilant. 
 Learn for yourselves that which your forebears imparted 
 So easily and freely; 
 Demand of yourselves 
 The foresight of Jorgensson 
 And the courage of Tseng; 
 Through them, we are strong. 
 To them a debt is owed, 
 Repaid through loyalty undying and Character unflinching. 
- From the Oath of Acceptance, Clan Ghost Bear

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 The kinship of spirits is vital;
 Without this connection there
 Can be no true understanding. 
- From the Oath of Acceptance, Clan Ghost Bear

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 "And Nicholas stood with
 The first gathering of Khans 
 To draw up tenets of what made a warrior.
 Wars have often killed the innocent,
 Ruined entire societies. 
 Not within the Clans. 
 Wars were for the warriors to wage
 And that innocents not suffer
 At the hands of trueborns."
-The Remembrance, Passage 10, Verse 5

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 "Never place too much trust, power, or confidence in any one person. Too often he will end up failing you."
-Sun-Tzu Liao, journal entry, 24 June 3045

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 What most generals seem to forger is that this works both ways.
 Hark, children of the Clans,
 to the wisdom of Kerensky and your forebears.
 Know what has come before;
 remember it and you strive toward the future.
 - Passage 1, Verse 1, Lines 1-4

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Show your opponent the honor deserving;
 be secure in your own nobility.
 This was the Founder's charge,
 this was the totem of the Sea Fox.
 - Passage 2, Verse 14, Lines 1-4 (Clan Sea Fox)

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In turn they tested each Clan namesake
 in trial against the Ice Hellion's mettle.
 Each chased the Ice Hellion, hunting it down.
 All failed to match the predator's speed and grace.
 Khan Cage smiled and said, "And that is how we shall be."
 - Passage 5, Verse 3, Lines 1-5 (Clan Ice Hellion)

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Go, Star Adder;
 you are the stalker, the hunter, the killer.
 Your prey stands before you;
 show them the way
 of the True Warrior.
 - Passage 5, Verse 17, Lines 20-24 (Clan Star Adder)

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"The darkness is behind us, the light is ahead.
 Strive toward it, for it is the way."
 Said our Founder, Nicholas.
 "Be ever vigilant
 and rely on your strengths:
 Faith, which preserves us;
 Knowledge, which gives us power;
 Understanding, which lets us know our foes;
 Courage, which lets us face the darkness without fear."
 - Passage 10, Verse 9, Lines 1-10 (Clan Wolf)

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From the fires of Eden came John Fletcher,
 a true warrior, leader of men, not of machines.
 His wisdom became that of a new Clan
 that challenged even the mightiest of 'mechs.
 - Passage 13, Verse 1, Lines 1-4 (Clan Hell's Horses)

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Life begun with blackest darkness,
 eyes thrown open with hottest fire.
 Thoughts annealed with clearest vision,
 Hearts confined with strongest chains.
 Strength renewed with surest spirit;
 absolution, the Scorpion's sting.
 - Passage 24, Verse 37, Lines 11-16 (Clan Goliath Scorpion)

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The Grand Council, in arrogance, gave their decree:
 Blood Spirit, you must conform to the Way of the Clans.
 You have strayed from the Path; we will lead you back.
 The flash of the blade, the striking knife, the traitor's stab!
 On the Path our step is true - while other Clans falter.
 We held out our hands, in the spirit of Kerensky's Dream,
 and our brethren chose to treat the gesture as folly.
 In isolation's embrace, we forsake all and live for the future.
 - Passage 42, Verse 7, Lines 5-12 (Clan Blood Spirit)

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Master of man and machine
 servitor of none,
 the Coyote awaits.
 Skilled and tenacious,
 a predator without peer.
 The Coyote strikes:
 Fear in the hearts of its enemies,
 Pain at their sides,
 Death at their throats.
 - Passage 44, Verse 2, Lines 25-31 (Clan Coyote)

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Drawing strength from each other, they survived;
 Tseng and Jorgensson emerged from the snow,
 and forged a Clan in the Ghost Bear's mold;
 unity of purpose and strength of spirit,
 no task undertaken lightly or left half-done.
 To these ideals we hold true until we all shall fall.
 - Passage 45, Verse 6, Lines 13-18 (Clan Ghost Bear)

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And Nicholas Kerensky did charge us, the Fire Mandrills;
 as we have left behind the differences between nations,
 so now we observe the Way of the Clans, of the family.
 Carry your name, and your Names, proudly.
 - Passage 49, Verse 75, Lines 12-15 (Clan Fire Mandrill)

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Let all warriors bear their mark proudly,
 taking what pride they can in their accomplishments;
 for our lives should be full of glory, but short.
 On the battlefield we are alone.
 - Passage 74, Verse 26, Lines 1-4 (Clan Wolf)

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With Falcon sight we choose our foes.
 On Falcon wings we harry them.
 With Falcon claws we smite our foes.
 And with Falcon tenacity we win.
 - Passage 97, Verse 1, Lines 6-9 (Clan Jade Falcon)

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Grace, honor and nobility; show these beforehand.
 but when the battle begins,
 attack with terrifying swiftness,
 be the Diamond Shark, relentless and ruthless.
 - Passage 127, Verse 42, Lines 16-20 (Clan Diamond Shark)

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With the truth of Kerensky's vision,
 Khan Mercer brought harmony from discord,
 and as the Founder had done before,
 sought isolation to bring forth victory.
 - Passage 171, Verse 27, Lines 16-19 (Clan Steel Viper)

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On the Black Seam they dance,
 moonlit steel gleaming in the twilight.
 Black and gold, red and silver,
 their clothes stir the still night air.
 Five steps taken, five cuts drawn,
 the Scars of Moreau's tribulation.
 These pay heed to our debt, to our past,
 reborn with the death of our Mother.
 - Passage 316, Verse 12, Lines 1-8 (Clan Goliath Scorpion)

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And the ilKhan gave us his final words,
 charging us to protect those
 with whom we found refuge in our time of need.
 In this, our final duty, we shall not fail.
 - Passage 411, Verse 16, Lines 1-4 (Clan Wolf in Exile)

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From a 'mech grave he rose, snarling
 ready to do battle for his vanquished Clan
 stalking the Falcon Khans, who would remake us
 his actions, the Wolf incarnate.
 - Passage 412, Verse 10, Lines 9-12 (Clan Wolf)

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Drawing strength from each other, they survived; 
 Tseng and Jorgensson emerged from the snow, 
 And forged a Clan in the ghost bear's mold; 
 Unity of purpose and strength of spirit, 
 No task undertaken lightly or left half done. 
 To these ideals we hold true until we all shall fall. 
 -The Remembrance (Clan Ghost Bear), Passage 45, Verse 6, Lines 13-18 

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