Что такое word of blake

Word of Blake was once part of ComStar, part of the fictional BattleTech universe, but splintered from the order due to a difference in beliefs. It was founded by Demona Aziz, then Precentor of Atreus. Created after the death of Primus Myndo Waterly and the Battle of Tukkayid that halted the Clan invasion, it at first received support and refuge from the Free Worlds League, who employed them to control their hyperpulse communications network. However, it eventually captured Terra from ComStar in 3058. Ultimately, after the FedCom Civil War that ended in 3067, the Word of Blake launched a jihad against the rest of the Inner Sphere.

The opening of the Jihad included an attack by allegedly rogue mercenary units on the Wolf’s Dragoons homeworld of Outreach as well as assaults on Tharkad, New Avalon, Luthien and several other important worlds. The goal of the Word of Blake Jihad was an extension of the original plans of ComStar’s founder Jerome Blake, called Operation Silver Shield, to capture some of the Terran Hegemony worlds and hold them under ComStar’s control.

However, resistance began to grow when Professor David Lear and the Republic of the Sphere’s future founder, Devlin Stone, escaped from a Word of Blake reeducation camp and organized a local resistance movement that destroyed Word of Blake forces on the world of Kittery. Soon, the resistance developed into a widespread organization that was joined by ComStar, the Successor States, the Clans, and the mercenary unit Wolf’s Dragoons, and, thence united, succeeding in pushing the Word of Blake back until their final defeat on Terra in 3081.

Weapons of Mass Destruction

During the fourteen year Jihad, Word of Blake forces used weapons of mass destruction on military and civilian targets alike. Most Inner Sphere worlds were struck with nuclear and/or biological weapons on some scale. Some worlds, such as New Earth, were nuked repeatedly, making them sterile and uninhabitable. This led in part to the absolute lack of mercy shown by Devlin Stone’s forces when facing the Jihadists in combat.

External Links

• See article on Word_of_Blake on BattleTechWiki

Word of Blake
Organization Profile
Type	Religious Organizations
Founding Year	3052
Dissolution year:	3081
Parent Organization	Word of Blake Protectorate
Headquarters:	Gibson, Terra

The Word of Blake was a splinter faction of ComStar that was created in 3052 from a religious backlash against the removal of ComStar’s mystical and religious aspects. The Blakists initially took refuge in the Free Worlds League, but were able to move most of their operations to Terra after they conquered it in 3058.

The Word of Blake was initially accepted as a «competitor» to the secularized ComStar and established itself as a legitimate organization in the Inner Sphere. However the dissolution of the Second Star League in October 3067 resulted in the Word’s extremist elements instigating the Jihad, which ended with the defeat of the Blakists in 3081 and the reintegration of the remaining Blakists back into ComStar. While officially destroyed, adherents to the Word of Blake’s ideals existed within ComStar and terrorist groups well into the 32nd Century.

History[edit]

Origin[edit]

Upon the defeat of the Clans at Tukayyid at the hands of ComStar, Precentor Martial Anastasius Focht returned to Terra to confront Primus Myndo Waterly about her Operation Scorpion, an attempt to turn the entire Inner Sphere over to the Clans. Focht shot Waterly in the back due to her perceived insanity.^{[citation needed]} Focht later had ComStar archives say it was a cerebral hemorrhage. Word of Blake intercepts, however, truthfully state that Focht had her killed giving the reason he wanted to secure the power of her position. One week later, the First Circuit elected Sharilar Mori, Precentor Dieron, as Primus with Focht’s backing.^[1] Mori strongly favored making ComStar a more open, secular organization rather than the quasi-religious order that it had been in the past.

In protest, Demona Aziz, Precentor Atreus and a member of the First Circuit during Operation SCORPION, with the perspective that Focht had staged an illegal coup d’état, left Terra with her staff and a cadre of followers that agreed with her traditional interpretation of Jerome Blake’s works. Meeting with Thomas Marik on Atreus, she convinced the Captain-General to grant her followers sanctuary in the Free Worlds League.

Using ROM agents loyal to her, Precentor Aziz sent messages to every HPG station across the Inner Sphere, inviting all ComStar members who rejected the new ways in favor of the old to join her in exile. As ComStar refugees flooded into the Free Worlds League, Marik granted the Word of Blake splinter group a landhold on the world of Gibson.

To Terra[edit]

The Blakists took over the administration of the HPGs in the League, as well as the Capellan Confederation a few years later. They used this considerable income from the stations, and the time, to train their forces.

Planning for the recapture of Terra began in 3057; the Blakists sensed their opportunity due to the instability stemming from the Capellan-Free Worlds League assault into the former Sarna March. They were able to move their forces well within striking distance of Terra.

This preparation all paid off for them in 3058 when the Blakists conquered Terra in what they called «Operation ODYSSEUS». This was achieved partially through trickery and partly through outright military force, as the Blakists had many sympathizers on Terra who covered up the Word’s assault fleet until it was too late. In addition, the Blakists had managed to smuggle a sizable force onto the planet in disguise as the 21st Centauri Lancers, a mercenary regiment whom ComStar had just contracted. At the same time, the Word also dispatched forces to Venus and Mars. The conquest was complete months later when Precentor Klaus Hettig switched sides and brought the Titan Naval Yards into Blakist control. ComStar’s Precentor Martial, Anastasius Focht, declined to attempt a liberation of Terra because he believed the Clans to be a greater threat.

After the conquest, the Word set about securing HPGs in the Chaos March, often engaging ComStar in running battles for the stations that resulted in the disruption of interplanetary communications. The Blakists generally took a propaganda approach that made sure of appearing to help the local communities, which in turn made the locals more receptive to the Word than to ComStar.

Blake Protectorate[edit]

The Word of Blake took a real step toward legitimizing itself in the eyes of its detractors in 3064 when Thomas Marik nominated the Word for full Star League membership. They took this a step further in early 3066 with the creation of the Word of Blake Protectorate, a half-dozen Chaos March worlds that all banded together under the Word’s aegis. They were contested, however, by the formation of the Allied Mercenary Command on 7 March, 3066 by Jaime Wolf, whose implicit goal was stopping Blakist expansion in the Chaos March.^[2][3]

This situation came to a head in 3067 when the Word sponsored an insurrection of disaffected mercenaries on Outreach, led by Jaime Wolf’s sworn enemy, Wayne Waco of the Waco Rangers. The early morning attack, which included the detonation of fuel-air explosives over the barracks of the Home Guard, took Wolf’s Dragoons by surprise. Though they took a heavy toll, the Dragoons were able to rally and crush Waco’s mercenaries. The Word also blockaded the Northwind Highlanders, another key member of the AMC, on their homeworld, Northwind.

Jihad[edit]

At the Fourth Whitting Conference of 3067, the Capellan Confederation, Federated Suns, and Lyran Alliance all announced their intentions to withdraw from the Star League. First Lord Christian Månsdottir called for a vote of no-confidence, with the hopes that the measure would fail and they could force the dissenting member states to stay. The vote succeeded however, even with the hasty admission of the Word of Blake and the Taurian Concordat, both of whom opposed the vote. With the vote of no-confidence, the Star League disbanded. However, many Blakists believed in the interpretation of a prophecy that foretold they would come to power through the Star League, so they were understandably upset when it ceased to exist just as they were to have joined.

The Blakists resorted to threats to cajole the former Federated Commonwealth states to rejoin the League. Blakist WarShips appeared in the Tharkad and New Avalon systems simultaneously on December 5th, 3067,^[4][5] bearing threats if the nations should not rejoin the Star League. When they refused, the WarShips opened fire and dispatched ground troops. The Blakists expanded their assault to include almost every power in the Inner Sphere. They attacked, and were responsible for some factions assaulting others, in an orgy of destruction that was their Jihad until 3081, when Devlin Stone’s coalition was able to defeat the Word of Blake on Terra.

Dark Age[edit]

By 3132 the Word of Blake had long been eradicated as a major power in the Inner Sphere, but Blakist cells still remained active in ComStar, especially in ComStar’s ROM espionage and clandestine operations wing. The most notable of these groups was a Neo-Blakist faction inside ComStar, who even built their own Com Guards, under the name of Buhl’s Blessed Order. These soldier-fanatics first revealed themselves on Wyatt in 3135 when they took HPG technician Tucker Harwell into custody during a four-way struggle for the planet.^[6]

After the establishment of Fortress Republic, the now-enclosed state hunted and destroyed every dissident group inside the walls. Among the first and most notable of these would be the renegade ComStar elements. Elements of the Republic forces would end up pursuing ComStar forces to their hidden outpost on Epsilon Eridani and destroying them in their last stronghold in 3141.^[7]

Other «neo-Blakist» groups active during the 3130s included the Kittery Resistance, a terrorist group seeking vengeance for the Word’s defeat in the Jihad, and the White Hand, a more organized group seeking society’s collapse to bring about neo-Blakist rule.^[8]

Politics[edit]

The many opposing factions and subsects of the Word of Blake were far too factional to be able to unite behind the First Circuit system that ComStar used. Instead, the Ruling Conclave was composed of the heads of the four largest factions and the Precentor-Martial.^[9]

All Word of Blake factions agreed on a few points. They decried ComStar and its members as heretics for defying the ancient doctrines claimed to be in the writings of Jerome Blake. They denounced as forgeries the recently discovered writings of Blake and mourned ComStar as being destroyed from within, claiming that salvation was only possible by fleeing from ComStar’s «corrupted vision» and joining the Word of Blake.

As most of ROM defected with Aziz, the Word of Blake was observed at every level by ROM. They sought out ComStar infiltrators and «disloyal» members, dealing with them as they saw fit.

In 3064, during the Third Whitting Conference, Thomas Marik and Precentor William Blane spoke openly about the relationship between the Free Worlds League and Word of Blake. Thomas Marik suggested an unofficial 3% tip on all payments to the Word of Blake. William Blane used their friendship and allowed Word of Blake to charge an extra 5%. Unbeknownst to both, a third faction inside the Word of Blake regularly overcharged by 15% — and nobody knew where the money went. They concluded that the «real» Thomas Marik must have been responsible.^[10]

As of September 12, 3067, the Ruling Conclave of the Word of Blake consisted of the following members:^[11]

• Cameron St. Jamais, Precentor Martial, leader of the Sixth of June faction.
• Alexander Kernoff, Precentor ROM, leader of the One Voice movement of the Toyama faction.
• William Blane, Precentor, leader of the True Believers.
• Laura Chang, Precentor, leader of the Expatriates.
• Anuska Brezhnic, Precentor, leader of the Counter-Reformists.

The five factions significant enough to have earned a place on the conclave are as follows:

Counter-Reformists[edit]

The smallest faction on the conclave, they felt that over time Jerome Blake’s word had been corrupted and might need revision in some areas, though not to the same extremes that caused the Word of Blake to split from ComStar originally. They approached dangerous, even heretical ground, with their beliefs in the view of the other members of the conclave.^[9]

Expatriates[edit]

When Victor Steiner-Davion became Precentor-Martial of ComStar in 3062 many officers and officials who had remained in the order in the hopes of reversing the reforms carried out by Focht saw that the organization was unable to be redeemed. They left for the Word of Blake and became the Expatriates. The Expatriates often threw their weight behind the True Believers, until 3065 when many of its high-ranking members were unmasked as ComStar agents. In the light of this betrayal, the Expatriates effectively ceased to exist as the rank-and-file members of the sect switched their allegiance to other factions.

Toyamas[edit]

Named after the fanatical Conrad Toyama who triggered the religious transformation of ComStar, the Toyamas are the most radical faction on the conclave and among the most splintered. They believed that Blake’s truth must be spread to the rest of the Inner Sphere by any and all means available, openly launching terrorist attacks against the Inner Sphere and even targeting other factions to enhance their own position on the conclave. The bulk of the most fanatical and terrible acts of the Jihad were committed by the Toyamas.^[9]

True Believers[edit]

One of the moderate factions on the conclave, most of the True Believers wished to come to an understanding with the rest of the Inner Sphere and Secular ComStar. Though generally nonviolent, they were not pacifists. They felt that the Word of Blake should unify before it led the Inner Sphere to the truth, often attempting to play middleman in the struggle between Blakist factions.^[9]

Shunners[edit]

The least vocal but most-unified faction, the Shunners interpreted the Schism and works of Jerome Blake to indicate the destruction of the Inner Sphere was imminent. They believed the Blakists had to isolate themselves and ride out the destruction. Already openly critical of the Word’s relationship with the Free Worlds League, the faction’s members moved en masse to a refuge dome on Venus in 3059 (after the seizure of Terra). The bulk of the Shunners were killed after another faction sabotaged the machinery maintaining the dome’s atmosphere. While a few survived, the faction no longer had the numbers to remain on the Conclave and its position was taken by the Expatriates.^[9]

Military[edit]

The Word of Blake Militia began its life at slightly more than four divisions of troops, the Blake Guards, which retained the standard Com Guard numbering and were primarily tasked with defending Gibson. The Militia was twice that size in 3058, when the Word took Terra from ComStar and added another two divisions shortly thereafter. By the beginning of the Jihad in 3067, the Militia is rumored to contain over forty divisions.^[12]

With the formation of the Word of Blake Protectorate, Cameron St. Jamais established an additional series of units to garrison the worlds. The Protectorate Militia members were drawn from local worlds to free up the Word of Blake Militia divisions for offensive operations.^[13] These troops were later part of an uprising against Terra, apparently at the instruction of the Master.

The third armed force available to the Word of Blake consisted of the Manei Domini-led Shadow Divisions. These thirteen divisions were led by Precentor Apollyon and answered directly to The Master. Their appearance was totally unexpected and their tactics threw the armies of the Inner Sphere into serious confusion.

• See for further Information: Word of Blake Protectorate Militia

Word of Blake ROM Command[edit]

Division	Information
ROM Director: Precentor ROM Alexander Kernoff	The ROM stands under the authority of the Precentor Martial. Each of the nine departments answers to their own Precentor who in turn reports to the ROM Director. It is believed that the Sixth of June movement has great influence on them.
Counterintelligence (Mu/Delta): Precentor Mu/Delta III Lydia Julia Halloway	Charged with the elimination of all non-Blakist agents within the Order. They are known for their brutal and inquisitional work. It is assumed that CI agents have infiltrated the governments of the Free Worlds League, Capellan Confederation and neighboring Periphery realms such as the Circinus Federation.
Diplomatic Operations (Rho/Gamma): Precentor Rho/Gamma VII Melva Kingman	Their main goal is to improve the relations between Word of Blake and other states. Operatives work to placate the population of the near Chaos March and Terra itself. On the other side, agents are also adept at in-depth intelligence through blackmail and coercion.
Covert Operations (Rho/Rho): Precentor Rho/Rho III Richard Mullaney	The agents perform «dirty» work like assassination, espionage and misinformation directed against ComStar, House Kurita and the former FedCom states. It is double — or even triple — the size of its ComStar counterpart.
Information Analysis (Mu/Mu): Precentor Mu/Mu V Clive Reordan	This branch of ROM is dedicated to analyzing the information gathered through various means available to the Work of Blake. These methods include taping HPG communications and espionage conducted by the other branches of ROM. Through upgrades with Clan technology at the facilities on Terra, this branch can now operate at 100% efficiency.
Light of Mankind (Delta/Epsilon): Precentor Delta/Epsilon VII John Christopher	The Light of Mankind represent some of the best that the Word of Blake have to offer. These troops are on par with other elite commandos like the DEST. They are the mailed fist of ROM, to be used when needed to crush the enemies of Blake. Members of this branch receive some of the best BattleMech training available in the Inner Sphere. At the moment many units are active in the Chaos March. Their goal remain a mystery.
Purifying Light (Delta/Xl): Precentor Delta/Xi IV Tatyana Corsairre	The Blakists’ special aerospace division. They consist of the best aerospace pilots that the Word of Blake can call upon. Their missions include anti-WarShip combat and WarShip defense. Several units of this branch are deployed at an unknown location in the IS at the moment.
Word of Blake Security (Mu/Iota): Precentor Mu/Iota VII Takaeo Yamashi	This division is a combination of Internal Obedience and Counterintelligence branches. Operatives maintain an «active defense» to thwart internal threats. They act independently or in conjunction with other ROM branches. Their traditional role was to protect HPG installations and the personnel assigned to them.
Internal Obedience (Rho/Omicron): Precentor Rho/Omicron XI Carmaine Juliana	This department is charged with maintaining fanaticism and devotion in the order at all levels. If one member is too critical with their opinion, they may draw the attention of the Internal Obedience and Counterintelligence.
Spiritual Enlightenment (Mu/Psi): Precentor Mu/Psi IX Garin Klien	Responsible for organization-wide indoctrination and training. Each subdivision has its own SE branch. It ensures that all members work towards the same goal.

Manufacturing Center[edit]

A detailed list of some WoB manufacturers and company centers.

Heavy Aerospace Industry[edit]

3067[edit]

• O’Neil Yards^[14]
• Titan Yards^[14]

Major Defense Industries[edit]

3067[edit]

• Aldis Industries
• Blankenburg Technologies
• Krupp Armaments Works
• Leopard Armor
• Martinson Armaments
• Mitchell Vehicles
• Skobel MechWorks
• Yankee Weapons Systems

^[15]

References[edit]

Bibliography[edit]

• Blake Ascending
• ComStar
• Dawn of the Jihad
• Era Digest: Dark Age
• Era Report: 3145
• Field Manual: ComStar
• Jihad Hot Spots: 3070
• Jihad Hot Spots: 3072
• Storms of Fate
• Strategic Operations
• Tactical Operations

Word of Blake
Details
Capital World	Terra
Ruler	Ruling Conclave
Military	Word of Blake Militia
Secret Service	ROM

The Word of Blake is a splinter faction of ComStar that was created out of a conservative backlash against the removal of ComStar’s mystical and religious aspects. The Word of Blake moved first to the Free Worlds League, taking ownership of the FWL’S HPG system and later conquered Terra from ComStar, establishing a small Protectorate around Terra.

Sub-Commands

Enemy Factions

The following is a list of factions that can appear as OpFor in missions while working for the Word of Blake. Additionally, while allied with the Word of Blake these factions will consider you an enemy and your reputation with them will not rise above 0:

• Capellan Confederation (Liao)
• Clan Ghost Bear
• Clan Jade Falcon
• Clan Nova Cat
• Clan Wolf
• ComStar
• Draconis Combine (Kurita)
• Federated Suns (Davion)
• Free Rasalhague Republic
• Lyran Commonwealth (Steiner)

Faction Store Inventory

The Word of Blake faction store can be accessed in any of their systems after allying with them. A list of all faction stores can be found here.

Legend:

• Best In Slot
• Faction Unique

Faction	Gear
	Weapons	Ammunition	Equipment	Full Mechs	Mech Parts	Vehicles	Battle Armor	Contracts
Word of Blake	S VSPL M VSPL L VSPL BA Plasma Rifle BA SMG	None	C3 Master C3 Slave C3i Chameleon Light Polarization Shield	C-ANG-CONDITUS S-NG-LAM SHP-X4 X-PRT-O-CONDITUS TI-2P VQR-2A CHP-3P H-SER-O-CONDITUS X-GRG-O-CONDITUS	None	Kalki	Tengu Battle Armor	Toyama Airdrop Burke Tank Airdrop Tengu BA Airdrop

Starting ‘Mechs

The Blakist start randomly selects one ‘mech from each of the following five lists for your starting lance. A full list of starts can be found here.

Note: Mechs marked with an asterisk (*) are DLC exclusive and will not be included if you do not have the corresponding DLC.

Starting Planet: Keid

Generic Medium:	Blackjack BJ-1	Centurion CN9-A	Hunchback HBK-4G	Trebuchet TBT-5N	Dervish DV-6M	Griffin GRF-1N	Shadow Hawk SHD-2H	Wolverine WVR-6R	Chameleon CLN-7V	Crab CRB-20*	Phoenix Hawk PXH-1*
Generic Light:	UrbanMech UM-R90	Firestarter FS9-H	Jenner JR7-D	Cicada CDA-2A	Commando COM-1D	Valkyrie VLK-QA	Javelin JVN-10N*
Generic Bug:	Locust LCT-1E	Locust LCT-1V	Wasp WSP-1A	Wasp WSP-1L	Stinger STG-3G	Stinger STG-3R	Hornet HNT-151	Flea FLE-15*
Blakist Light:	Hermes HER-4M	Hussar HSR-400-D	Hussar HSR-500-D	Mongoose MON-66	Ostscout OTT-9CS	Thorn THE-N	Sentinel STN-3L
Blakist Medium:	Hermes II HER-5S	Sentinel STN-3Lb	Wyvern WVE-10N	Wyvern WVE-5N	Preta X-PRT-O-LATERIS	Osprey OSP-15	Chameleon CLN-7W	Blackjack BJ-2	Crab CRB-27*
Generic APC:	Sleipnir APC	Badger Tracked Transport	Wheeled APC (SRM)	Alsvin APC	Vargr APC
Battle Armor:	IS Standard IS-S-BA	Achilles ACH-BA	Tengu TENGU-BA

Faction ‘Mechs

Word of Blake Unique ‘Mechs

The Word of Blake field a selection of ‘mechs unique to their forces that you won’t be able to find with anyone else.

Light:

Hussar — HSR-500-D

Medium:

Hermes II — HER-5C

Nagual — S-NG-LAM

Preta — X-PRT-O-Conditus

Preta — X-PRT-O-Deicio

Preta — X-PRT-O-Lateris

Preta — X-PRT-O-Raptus

Wraith — TR3

Heavy:

Legacy — LGC-01

Legacy — LGC-02

Toyama — TYM-1A

Assault:

Archangel — C-ANG-Conditus

Archangel — C-ANG-Deicio

Archangel — C-ANG-Lateris

Archangel — C-ANG-Raptus

Omega — SHP-X4

Ragnarok — RGNK-2

Titan II — TI-2P

Vanquisher — VQR-2A

Vanquisher — VQR-2B

ComStar/Word of Blake Specific ‘Mechs

These ‘mechs aren’t unique to any one faction but you’ll only find them with ComStar and Word of Blake forces.

Light:

Hussar — HSR-400-D

Mongoose — MON-77

Ostscout — OTT-9CS

Thorn — THE-N

Thorn — THE-N1

Medium:

Griffin — GRF-6CS

Hunchback — HBK-2CS4C

Phoenix Hawk — PXH-1bC

Shadow Hawk — SHD-2Ht

Shadow Hawk — SHD-7CS

Wyvern — WVE-9N

Wyvern — WVE-10N

Heavy:

Archer — ARC-5CS

Avatar — AV1-OE

Black Knight — BLK-9-KNT

Black Knight — BL-10X-KNT

Bombardier — BMB-14C

Champion — CHP-3N

Champion — CHP-3P

Lancelot — LNC25-04

Lancelot — LNC25-05

Marauder — MAD-5CS

Rifleman — RFL-5CS

Warhammer — WHM-7CS

Assault:

Highlander — HGN-736

King Crab — KGC-005

Nightstar — NSR-10CS

Thug — THG-11C

Thug — THG-12E

Word of Blake was once part of ComStar, part of the fictional BattleTech universe, but splintered from the order due to a difference in beliefs.

ComStar

ComStar is a politically influential, quasi-religious organization which maintains a monopoly over the HyperPulse Generators, which are crucial to interstellar communication; the threat of a communications blackout, also known as an interdiction, made ComStar a significant power within the Inner Sphere. Its currency, the C-bill, is considered the safest among the circulating currencies. They profess to be neutral to the politics of the Inner Sphere; this is known by most political leaders to be false, as every Successor State has felt the meddling hand of ComStar in their affairs at one point or another.

Jerome Blake was a religious figure to ComStar; oaths such as «By the blessed Blake» or epithets such as «Blake’s Blood!» are not uncommon. Jerome Blake was the founder of ComStar, after the Star League fell, and is considered by those within ComStar to be the savior of the Inner Sphere.

Philosophically, the Word of Blake are religious fanatics and extremists, showing intense dedication to the writings of Jerome Blake, and revering the man himself on a level approaching sainthood. Following the example of their leader, Precentor Apollyon, most Blakists undergo extensive cybernetic augmentation; as a result, Word of Blake soldiers are known and feared for their enhanced strength, speed and overall durability.

Some Blakists are inducted into the ranks of the Manei Domini (an elite Word of Blake spec-ops division); in addition to the expected round of enhancements, Manei Domini operatives are usually implanted with explosives, set to detonate as a suicide attack or if an operative is captured or killed. Coupled with specialized implants that redirect or block pain reception, the explosives make a Manei Domini operative an extremely formidable opponent in hand-to-hand combat, capable of shaking off blows that would incapacitate a non-enhanced being (whom the Manei Domini disparagingly, and somewhat appropriately, call ‘frails’).

The Schism

The offshoot of ComStar known as the Word of Blake was founded by Demona Aziz, then Precentor of Atreus. Created after the death of Primus Myndo Waterly and the Battle of Tukayyid that halted the Clan invasion, it at first received support and refuge from the Free Worlds League, who employed them to control their hyperpulse communications network. However, it eventually captured Terra from ComStar in 3058. Ultimately, after the FedCom Civil War that ended in 3067, the Word of Blake launched a jihad against the rest of the Inner Sphere.

The opening of the Jihad included an attack by allegedly rogue mercenary units on the Wolf’s Dragoons homeworld of Outreach as well as assaults on Tharkad, New Avalon, Luthien and several other important worlds. The goal of the Word of Blake Jihad was an extension of the original plans of ComStar’s founder Jerome Blake, called Operation Silver Shield, to capture some of the Terran Hegemony worlds and hold them under ComStar’s control.

However, resistance began to grow when Professor David Lear and the Republic of the Sphere’s future founder, Devlin Stone, escaped from a Word of Blake reeducation camp and organized a local resistance movement that destroyed Word of Blake forces on the world of Kittery. Soon, the resistance developed into a widespread organization that was joined by ComStar, the Successor States, the Clans, and the mercenary unit Wolf’s Dragoons, and, thence united, succeeding in pushing the Word of Blake back until their defeat on Terra in 3081. After their defeat, the Word of Blake survivors were folded into Comstar.

Weapons of Mass Destruction

During the fourteen-year jihad, Word of Blake forces used weapons of mass destruction on military and civilian targets alike. Most Inner Sphere worlds were struck with nuclear and/or biological weapons on some scale. Some worlds, such as New Earth, were attacked with nuclear weapons repeatedly, making them sterile and uninhabitable. This led in part to the absolute lack of mercy shown by Devlin Stone’s forces when facing the Jihadists in combat.

External links

• See article on Word_of_Blake on BattleTechWiki

Word of Blake was once part of ComStar, part of the fictional BattleTech universe, but splintered from the order due to a difference in beliefs.

ComStar

ComStar is a politically influential, quasi-religious organization which maintains a monopoly over the HyperPulse Generators, which are crucial to interstellar communication; the threat of a communications blackout, also known as an interdiction, made ComStar a significant power within the Inner Sphere. Its currency, the C-bill, is considered the safest among the circulating currencies. They profess to be neutral to the politics of the Inner Sphere; this is known by most political leaders to be false, as every Successor State has felt the meddling hand of ComStar in their affairs at one point or another.

Jerome Blake was a religious figure to ComStar; oaths such as «By the blessed Blake» or epithets such as «Blake’s Blood!» are not uncommon. Jerome Blake was the founder of ComStar, after the Star League fell, and is considered by those within ComStar to be the savior of the Inner Sphere.

Philosophically, the Word of Blake are religious fanatics and extremists, showing intense dedication to the writings of Jerome Blake, and revering the man himself on a level approaching sainthood. Following the example of their leader, Precentor Apollyon, most Blakists undergo extensive cybernetic augmentation; as a result, Word of Blake soldiers are known and feared for their enhanced strength, speed and overall durability.

Some Blakists are inducted into the ranks of the Manei Domini (an elite Word of Blake spec-ops division); in addition to the expected round of enhancements, Manei Domini operatives are usually implanted with explosives, set to detonate as a suicide attack or if an operative is captured or killed. Coupled with specialized implants that redirect or block pain reception, the explosives make a Manei Domini operative an extremely formidable opponent in hand-to-hand combat, capable of shaking off blows that would incapacitate a non-enhanced being (whom the Manei Domini disparagingly, and somewhat appropriately, call ‘frails’).

The Schism

The offshoot of ComStar known as the Word of Blake was founded by Demona Aziz, then Precentor of Atreus, after the assassination of Primus Myndo Waterly and the Battle of Tukayyid that halted the Clan invasion. Waterly was assassinated by Anastasius Focht, ComStar’s Praetor Martial and hero of the Battle of Tukayyid, when he learned of her plot to bring all of the Inner Sphere under the rule of ComStar. The Schism was first sparked when Primus Sharilar Mori, supported by Anastasius Focht, sought to reform ComStar by doing away with its mystical and religious elements. This created a split between the newly secular ComStar and the more radical Word Of Blake.

The Word of Blake at first received support and refuge from the Free Worlds League, who employed them to control their hyperpulse communications network. However, it eventually captured Terra from ComStar in 3058. Ultimately, after the FedCom Civil War that ended in 3067, the Word of Blake launched a jihad against the rest of the Inner Sphere.

The opening of the Jihad included an attack by allegedly rogue mercenary units on the Wolf’s Dragoons homeworld of Outreach as well as assaults on Tharkad, New Avalon, Luthien and several other important worlds. The goal of the Word of Blake Jihad was an extension of the original plans of ComStar’s founder Jerome Blake, called Operation Silver Shield, to capture some of the Terran Hegemony worlds and hold them under ComStar’s control.

However, resistance began to grow when Professor David Lear and the Republic of the Sphere’s future founder, Devlin Stone, escaped from a Word of Blake reeducation camp and organized a local resistance movement that destroyed Word of Blake forces on the world of Kittery. Soon, the resistance developed into a widespread organization that was joined by ComStar, the Successor States, the Clans, and the mercenary unit Wolf’s Dragoons, and, thence united, succeeding in pushing the Word of Blake back until their defeat on Terra in 3081. After their defeat, the Word of Blake survivors were folded into Comstar.

Weapons of Mass Destruction

During the fourteen-year jihad, Word of Blake forces used weapons of mass destruction on military and civilian targets alike. Most Inner Sphere worlds were struck with nuclear and/or biological weapons on some scale. Some worlds, such as New Earth, were attacked with nuclear weapons repeatedly, making them sterile and uninhabitable. This led in part to the absolute lack of mercy shown by Devlin Stone’s forces when facing the Jihadists in combat.