Only The Strongest | Mandalorian Clans

[Ra Vizsla]

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The Council Of Alors​

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[member=Draco Vereen] [member=Arrbi Betna] [member=Alec Rekali] [member=Gilamar Skirata] [member=Arla Balor] [member=Ronan Vizsla]​

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Ra had been fighting for days.​

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It would come as no small surprise that many had heard of him by now - Ra Vizsla, the man nobody actually knew was a senior member of Clan Vizsla until he returned. The behemoth of a man stood just shy of two meters in height, stretching titanic muscles that screamed to be unleashed as wide as Ra was tall. He carried himself like a poised snake, muscles rippling underneath his simple tunic as tense as one would be if he hadn't slept in days. The Iron Wolf hadn't slept, hadn't eaten, hadn't taken pause for as long as he could remember - it was fighting pit after fighting pit, for him.

All because he was making a challenge.

Everyone knew what the rising Vizsla wanted, it wasn't a secret to most in known circles throughout the planet Mandalore. Inactivity and pacifist principles had ruled the planet recently - especially in light of the rise of the Mandalorian Empire. In fact, most common people of the Clans didn't even know that the Council of Alors even existed, or who sat it - or that it ran the day to day operations of Mandalore and her colonies. The entire bureaucracy of the entire administration had driven the Clans into apathy and passivity, like the neutral Mandalore of old. To ask a neighboring Mandalorian his thoughts on the current climate of the government, one's response would be that they had forgotten their warrior traditions of old.

But these people, these Alors - they had to be convinced. Only recently had they been proposed with a man similar to Ra, a man envisioning only personal gain and power. A Witch King, a Sith Lord - and now self-proclaimed Mand'alor of the Mandalorian Empire. A man willing to forsake his fellow clans, his fellow people - all in the pursuit of power.

It was understanding why they needed convincing, why they would not accept what Ra would propose before them - but he had to make them realize it wasn't just him.

It was the People of Mandalore.

The Clans of Mandalore.

The Honor of Mandalore.

Ra wasn't just a man striving for a title. He was the will of the people, the fate of the gods, the destiny of the Resol'nare when a Pretender names himself Manda'lore. The six basic tenets of Mandalorian culture demanded of its people that in the face of an illegitimate Mand'alor, a True Manda'lor must be named. If every action has an equal and opposite reaction, Ra Vizsla was that reaction.

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Standing lengths taller than most in the crowd before the halls of the Alor Council, Ra made his way through the swaths of people in the crowd and towards its gates.​

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The soldiers permitted him through. Ra had made an appointment.​

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Eight soldiers followed the goliath into the halls before the council, seated or standing at their seats. The insignia of each Clan were decorated throughout the halls. They turned to regard Ra. Ra raised a hand from underneath his trailing wolf cloak, signalling he was about to speak. "There's been enough talking for one month, I think we can all agree. Too many words." One of his soldiers gave a sly smile, but the Vizsla's face remained stone and unmoving.

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One of the eight soldiers handed another ceremonial mythosaur bone axe to Ra.​

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The other seven revealed they each held an axe by kneeling and presenting them to the Alors. Ra stood silent, staring upon the faces of the many Alors. He had never been in the Council Chamber before.​

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"I seek your blessing, council. To be proclaimed Mand'alor. Your weapon. Our protector. Name me, or honor my challenge."​

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If Ra was weary of all the fighting, he didn't show it. Rage began to gush through his face.​

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The apathy.​

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The inactivity.​

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The pacifism.​

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As if the sloth god Arasuum were personified here amongst this very council.​

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"I CHALLENGE YOU," Ra roared. "ONE WARRIOR TO ANOTHER."​

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"AND ONLY THE STRONGEST WILL RULE MANDALORE."​

 

[Gilamar Skirata]

"And who would you have us unite against?" Chimed the head of House Skirata. It was an honest question. Though the Mandalorian people in general were restless and itching for a fight, Skirata was not so. For months they had not only been preparing for a civil war against the Mandalorian Empire, but the clan had been aiding the Galactic Alliance in their fight against the One Sith. Men and women were still coming home, green soldiers who had survived their first battle, wounded and maimed that would never hold a blaster again, and then those that were coming in the body bags. He wondered if their sacrifice was worth making a statement. To sum it up:

Gil was sick of war.

Or maybe it was the Sith and all they represented that he detested so much. Either was a statement and a mindset many Mandalorians didn't even think possible. But Gil was of a softer heart than most Mandalorians. Then again, most of the Mandalorians on the Council weren't even old enough to remember the Reunification Wars. By the Manda had he really been fighting for that long? Or rather, had he really been at war that long? Did it matter as long as some semblance of peace were delivered to he Galaxy? He had a feeling that regardless of the answer, there would by oceans of Mandalorian blood spilled. That being said, he still had a few enemies, and he didn't plan on dying sick, old and in bed.

"If you vow to destroy the Sith and all they stand for then my clan would gladly put their strength behind you."

[member="Draco Vereen"] [member="Arrbi Betna"] [member="Alec Rekali"] [member="Ra Vizsla"] [member="Arla Balor"] [member="Ronan Vizsla"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Draco Vereen"] | [member="Arrbi Betna"] | [member="Alec Rekali"] | [member="Gilamar Skirata"] | [member="Arla Balor"] | [member="Ra Vizsla"]​

---​

They had broken the advance of the Death Watch at Agamar.
A reconciliation of sorts had occurred on Generis.
They had settled on Wayland.

Clan Vizsla was an ancient clan for all intents and purposes, but Ronan’s seat was new.

It felt new, the coarse wood scratching against his skin like the insistent whispers scratched against his ears anytime he heard of it.

Ronan knew this was coming.

Some of the Clan had looked to him once Ra’s ambitions became known and he saw the questions in their eyes. Would they support their fellow brother once he made his claim? Would Ronan decline and claim the title for himself as clanfather? Was this for the good of Vizsla and the other Clans?

He had never been a man of ambition. Even the title of clanfather only acquired after his family had asked him to challenge Grim - only after it had become clear that Grim’s path was the path of decay and atrophy.

So if his personal ambition was not at stake here… would Ra’s service to the people of Mandalore be a good thing?

His was the way of war. Even now, as he sat and observed, Ronan saw the blooming anger and indignation on Ra’s face. They had little interaction in the past, but reputation and vouches of his family meant just as much in the end. They spoke of a man who fought and bled for Vizsla, who preferred action to words and would not yield, no matter what.

A man who could lead the Mandalorians to their rightful place, if only given the opportunity.
A man who could mend the fracture between Verd’s Empire and the Clans, if given the chance.

A man… who could restore Vizsla’s honor fully and completely.

And that was finally what made Ronan speak. Not the concern for the Clans as a whole or the folly of the pretender, no. It was the glimpse of a future where the Vizslas would be honored and respected even in absence of person.

"Clan Vizsla stands with Ra." The man spoke and he spoke without eloquence. There was no heated passion in that voice, no impassioned cries of the True Mand’alor or anything like that, because that had never been Ronan’s way.

He simply nodded to Ra and that sealed it for Vizsla.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

Truth be told, Alec -- a recent accession to the Council -- and her grandfather before her had shared much of Ra Vizsla's obvious frustration with Mandalorian passivity. Long ago, Clan Rekali had decided that if here was action to be taken, the Rekalis would take it. In recent months and years, Alec had personally led raids against One Sith targets. Under her grandfather's command, she'd been one of the Rekalis that had located, reconnoitered, and captured the Republic's last major shipyard. The entire thing now sat somewhere in Rekali territory, pumping out red ships. With the Carida shipyards gone, the Republic had been forced to deal with the private sector or build new yards entirely; she wasn't sure which. Yet.

Others -- people she respected, true -- might long for action and direction. Clan Rekali had consistently taken action in its own direction. In one sense, that made her and her clan natural allies of Ra Vizsla's point of view. In another sense entirely, Clan Rekali's activity posed problems, because their interests didn't always align with the wishes of any given Mandalorian leader, or the Council.

By blood and by adoption, for example, the Clan included huge numbers of Vahla and Dathomiri, steeped in traditions of witchcraft. Dathomir had been part of the Mandalorian territories for many years now -- thanks in part to Alec's grandfather -- but not all Mandalorians had any use for witches. Anti-Force-user sentiment had been sweeping certain corners of Mandalorian territory, and as a non-Force-user herself, Alec could very privately admit the naysayers had a point. Another example: where some would make peace with the One Sith or the Republic, the Rekalis had ample reason to continue their asymmetric but ongoing vendetta against both. And still another example: Isley Verd, the self-proclaimed Mand'alor the Reclaimer, was family. Alec's only living uncle. For another thing, Clan Rekali prized nomadic mobility in a way that few Mandalorian Clans had done since the Crusader days. The Clan's holdings in the Gordian Reach had been undergoing divestment for some time now, maximizing Clan resources and freeing up options.

Suffice it to say that Alec's clan held some diverse and strongly held opinions on any number of topics. And Alec, after hearing from every Rekali ship captain, station commander, witch elder, union chief and warband leader, had to choose which of those opinions to champion. Because all those people looked to her as their leader and their representative, and they were family.

The resol'nare demanded that any Mandalorian follow a legitimate mand'alor. Alec and various Rekalis had witnessed the four-way challenge between Vizsla and three prominent leaders. Vizsla had emerged dominant, clear as day. Mandalorians had chosen or acknowledged their leader in several different ways over the millennia, but all of those ways had this in common: the strongest would lead. All those witches in rune-carved crusader beskar'gam, chanting spells in mando'a over their ensorcelled beskade, needed to obey this tenet like they obeyed the rest of the resol'nare.

It was telling, she supposed, to see the Clan's internal responses to claimants. Clan Rekali's internal councils, when faced with her uncle's claim, had debated how to recognize a Mand'alor. They'd interrogated Isley Verd personally on any number of points, and met his answers with more questions. She'd done the same, looking to make the right choice for the Clan. But when Ra Vizsla made his challenge, won it, and made his claim...

...well, there was every indication that over fifty percent of Clan Rekali considered him the genuine article by default. Like most of the people on the Alor'e Council, and many other Mandalorian leaders Alec knew, a lot of those high-ranking Rekalis enjoyed the autonomy of having no Mand'alor to gainsay them. Their default position had always been independence. But when faced with Vizsla's claim, it appeared that the bulk of the Clan, for all their earlier squabbling, backed the candidate of action in a way they hadn't backed her uncle.

She hadn't consulted everyone, but there had been enough consultations, and in the end, she was chief now. This decision was hers, and the moment demanded that she make a call.

"Clan Rekali obeys the resol'nare. The resol'nare says that we follow a legitimate mand'alor." With her grandfather gone, Alec could whip pretty much any Rekali in a clean or unclean fight. She still had a realistic idea of how long she'd last against Ra Vizsla. "Clan Rekali recognizes your claim. We'll put our wars on hold and join yours."

 

[Laira Darkhold]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lINit3FoIac​

Draco was expecting this. Ever since the younger Vizsla had risen from the ranks and fought the Betna's in a blood duel, Draco had expected something like this. To be perfectly honest, he half expected an assassination attempt first, but Rach had reassured him that his cousins were not exactly like that anymore.

"You aren't the first to seek this council's blessing. We rejected the previous claimant via holo-call, and I'm told he did not take kindly. I will tell you what I told him." Draco's voice was level as he spoke at first, his grey eyes seemingly half closed. As he spoke his voice became louder, echoing off the chamber walls. This wasn't a random claimant, this was an open challenge to the Alors to challenge a young warrior for supremacy. A young warrior who had proven himself a total of twice as far as Draco could remember.

"I will not kneel."

The words were simple, their meaning heavy. "I've knelt to butchers and tyrants in my youth, convinced of the purity of their purpose, corrupted by the desires of my own heart they promised to make real. I will not be so foolish again."

Draco looked around the room. "Alor Skirata asks you to destroy the Sith, a desire held closest to his heart. I will not ask anything of you. It is not our place to beg reparations from a tyrant. It is our place to hold a tyrant in check. I will not kneel." Draco took a deep breath and looked into the bright green eyes of the young Vizsla. It would not be the first time a young upstart believed they could hold the mantle. Ra was young, new to the fold and had risen quickly, but often what rises and burns brightest, fades quickest in history.

"But I will stand beside you. Expect my sword in your chest if you betray this trust." Draco pulled a small piece of metal and electronics, bone lining the outer part, fractured edges along it. It appeared as a piece of a mask that fit over the right orbital bone, down the cheek and up to the forehead of an ancient mask. His armored fingers brought it up for him to inspect. He looked it over quietly and carefully before tossing it at the goliath Mandalorian's feet. There was little to call upon, little light that the young giant could shine upon his intentions, his actions. Little was known of him, but the blood duel he had fought with the Betna's earned him some measure of respect. His reign would teeter and wobble in these first months, but the council held the power to provide a chance for the clans to unite under one banner and be feared, or they could smother that long shot today and continue the slow descent into nothingness.

It was up to Ra to be a foot note on history, or to rewrite it.

[member="Ra Vizsla"] [member="Gilamar Skirata"] [member="Alec Rekali"] [member="Ronan Vizsla"]

 

[Arla Ordo]

Arla was quiet she had seen too many in her short lifetime come in and claim the title. She had witnessed the defeat of one, the death of another, and the disappearance of one. And now here before them stood [member="Ra Vizsla"] she knew the Clan name.

At one time her buir might have been able to fight for this honor, at one time she would have laid down everything for a leader that would give them true direction. In truth she had grown to distrust anyone who claimed the title. Their own ambitions came with the title, not the good of the Clan, not the good of the people. War upon war never a time to breath and do something else, like enjoy what they had taken possession of.

Here was another using all the right words that should invoke a cheer and a rush of adrenaline but Arla felt empty right now.

She had to do what was best for Clan Ordo, for those that followed her buir's lead for so long and now waited for her to make her mark, or give it to someone else. He would say to her that this one who came before them had bested Anija, her sister, her brother in law Arrbi, and Davon. Were these the best of them to offer from the clans? Draco perhaps but he was not fully trusted yet by her, the things she heard of him being a Sith made it impossible for her to say with certainty. Then there was Gil who grew older and had technically already served as Mand'alor.

She now had family on several worlds, a few peace loving worlds, her buir had retired to farm and raise up two more children.

So. This was on her. Whatever she said here...all on her.

She didn't care about the Republic in any form, or Sith in any form right now, what bothered her was how fractured they were as a people.

"Ra Viszla, We are fractured people if you say you can fix this then Clan Ordo supports your claim" She would raise her children to follow the resol'nare and part of that was family. Mandalorians were to be family ALL of them. A true leader of the mando'ade will unite the clans again.

[member="Draco Vereen"] [member="Alec Rekali"] [member="Ronan Vizsla"] [member="Gilamar Skirata"]​

 

[Ra Vizsla]

The Council Of Alors​

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[member=Draco Vereen] [member=Arrbi Betna] [member=Alec Rekali] [member=Gilamar Skirata] [member=Arla Balor] [member=Ronan Vizsla]​

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Alor'ultai​

The Naming Ceremony of a New Mandalore​

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https://soundcloud.com/david-viey-1/warlords-of-draenor-music-grommash-hellscream?in=jhaega/sets/hrosha-gul​

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Ra began to walk around the room, pounding his chest once in a salute and addressing each Alor.​

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The goliath stopped before Gilamar first, pounding his chest and addressing the man:

"If you vow to destroy the Sith and all they stand for then my clan would gladly put their strength behind you."

"I vow to destroy all enemies of Mandalore," he growled. "No opponent of the Clans will stand unscathed. No act of violence on the people of the Clans will go unpunished. If our enemies wish to send our youth back to us in bags, the Clans will answer a thousand times over. This I vow to all of you."

He took a few steps towards Ronan, his Clan Alor. This would be a proud day for the Vizslas.

"Blood and Iron," he bellowed, and though there was no smile that followed or display of gratitude towards his Alor, the two would share a mutual understanding and respect. Ra's massive fist pounded his chest in salute of his Alor, and the Iron Wolf stepped towards the next Alor - Clan Rekali.

A proud Clan. A rowdy Clan. An ancient Clan. Represented by an Alor with specific ties to the Pretender - if any Clan were to challenge Ra again and draw this ceremony out, it would have been them. He pounded his chest to give regards and addressed the Alor of Clan Rekali.

"Family, Honor, and Duty," he roared, his deep gravely voice echoing through the Alor chamber. "These are the ways of our people. You honor me, Clan Rekali, as you honor us all."

Two gigantic footsteps drove into the ground.

The stone scowl of Ra fell upon Draco, his grey brow furrowing. The feisty Alor of Clan Vereen threw a piece of the ornate Mandalorian mask at Ra's feet, an act that brought forward a few gasps from the Council's attendants and seemed dishonorable in intent. What brought an equal or greater amount of gasps was Ra, the assumed new Manda'lor of the Clans, kneeling before the Alor. He picked up the piece of the mask and hid it between the folds of his cloak.

He then stood, addressing Draco.

"That is the last time a Mandalorian will kneel before anyone," he said shortly, pounding his chest, and proceeded to the next Alor.

Arla Balor. Alor of Clan Ordo. It confused Ra at first, but he suspected most of the Clans were intertwined as with all Mando'ade. He pounded his chest and addressed his vod. "We are fractured, but at the center of us all lies Mandalore - and a Mand'alor's duty is to protect it. This is our home, Clan Ordo. The Clans will always find their way back home."

He stepped forward towards the last Clan, represented by an irregular two Alors. Clan Betna.

Ra pounded his chest in salutation and awaited their word.

[member="Arrbi Betna"] [member="Anija Betna"]