Ravenstein

The Ravenstein system is fairly standard in its overall composition and that of its primary world of Ravenstein III, a large, cold terrestrial covered in boreal forests, taigas and swamps. It has historically been a regional provider of civilian hardware of the Rim Worlds Republc during the Star League Era, briefly being forgotten during the Succession Wars before being reclaimed by Clan Ashen Corsac.

## Affiliation Timeline

* **2242** - Tamar Pact Colony - First Recorded Habitation
* **2341** - Declared Independence
* **2373** - Rim Worlds Republic - Peaceful Integration
* **2770** - Independent
* **3066** - Clan Ashen Cosac - Conquest

## Demographic Characteristics

### Development Index

B-B-A-C-C

Ravenstein II is a large, earth-like world with four primary continents. It is a fairly massive world, resulting in a noticeably - but not cripplingly - higher gravity than on Terra, while tectonic activity is on the lower side, with earthquakes and volcanism being rare. It follows a retrograde orbit, with its star rising in the West and setting in the East and its orbit around it being slowed somewhat.

Despite this earth-like appearance, quiet tectonics, and highly pure air and water, Ravenstein II is not as friendly to life as it appears. It is noticeably colder, with the hotter half of its surface featuring temperate climate and forests dotted with flooded, muddy wetlands. The colder half is split between boreal forests, permafrost taigas and large glaciers. As a result of axial tilt and seasons, the 'frost line' constantly moves up and down, causing intense mud seasons and floodings at the transition zones hundreds of kilometers wide.

This is not the only danger, as both halves also have their fair share of dangerous native predators. The far north and south feature species of wolves and bears, whilst the equator is rife with large alligators and snakes. The oceans are not much better despite appearances to the contrary, but they have been rarely explored, so they remain largely nebulous.

#### Infrastructure

Ravenstein II has a fairly typical infrastructure with old Terran style sprawling cities, with a majority of its population focused on a handful of metropolitan agglomerations and smaller cities serving as the center of agricultural and mining sectors. The dominant architectural style is a mix of european and middle-eastern styles, with some cities showing more elements of one or the other, and the oldest cities being somewhat rough due to successive expansion and reconstruction. Fission power is dominant in the civilian power grid as a reliable, versatile and climate-independent power source easily sustained by the planet's heavy element resources.

Transportation is generally electric (in urban areas) or fuel cell based (for long-distances and off-grid) as fusion power has historically been reserved for military applications, and later for reasons of safety and security. Personal cars are common, but the preferred means of mass and freight transit over large area is via electric bullet trains. The infamous Mud Hell of the transition zone becomes utterly intraversable by ground during the season however, with only a few exception, these being lifelines built on highly rocky, higher-altitude plateaus that traverse in a few places. Maritime or air transport is often required to reach isolated settlements during the mud seasons.

Ravenstein II's industrial capacity is significant, especially for a Periphery world, though it is largely based on civilian industry. Most of its military industry was destroyed during the Amaris Civil War, though it has been restarted by the Corsacs in more recent years. Also of note as a major industry is the export of luxury furs and leathers harvested from the dangerous predators found throughout the planet.

#### Demographics

As hinted to by the general architectural style, a majority of the population is either European (with German and Irish descent most common) or middle-eastern (primarily Pakistani or Indian). The average native of Ravenstein II is hardy and somewhat stronger thanks to the above-average gravity of the planet, though its effects are not nearly as intense as those found on Tiegel IV. The people are fairly mercantile in nature, though not ruthlessly capitalistic. The average Ravenstein native is friendly and will try to negotiate a mutually beneficial solution to any quarrel or disagreement, but will not hesitate to resort to violence in retaliation if attacked.

### Planetary History

#### Early History

The Ravenstein system was originally settled by interests from within the Tamar Pact, which were interested both in adding new resources to their growing mercantile empire, but also in establishing a new point of sales that could reach new markets in the slowly emerging Periphery. Conditions were harsh at first due to the less than welcoming climate and wildlife, but the colonists found the minerals they were looking for in droves, and turned an issue into an opportunity by producing rare luxury goods out of said uncooperative wildlife. For many decades, things were relatively good.

Precisely 99 years later, the Tamar Pact merged with other regional powers due to fear of invasion from the Draconis Combine. The people of Ravenstein were lukewarm at best, less than intent on paying taxes and lip service to a new distant super-state who would scarcely remember they exist, let alone provide any true protection or benefits. As such, they decided to say 'no thanks, we'll go it alone from here' and declare independence. Due to that same threat of Kuritan invasion, the newly-formed Commonwealth could ill afford to send a taskforce to the distant Periphery.

By contrast, the much closer Rim Worlds Republic seemed to be sharing Ravenstein's people's mercantile bent, and it didn't take long for the two of them to see mutual benefit in cooperation, resulting in the latter's integration into the former a scant three decades later. The chaos of the Age of War disturbed them little, and Ravenstein prospered steadily during those centuries.

#### Reunification Wars

It is often said that war is bad for business. This is only partially true. When Ian Cameron's Star League began to levy outrageous tariffs and port fees against all periphery traders, a long tradition of contempt for the Star League was born, and as business was being actively threatened by politics, the war offered by the rebel Rim Provisional Government seemed like the lesser evil. While the world could have grit its teeth and chafed through the humiliations of the Universal Act of Loyalty and the Manchester Directive, this direct attack on the traders' way of life was too much.

When the SLDF came knocking with Operation MAILED FIST, the Eight Amaris Legionnaires defending the planet were able to inflict startling damage to the invader by striking at their landing positions and withdrawing to incite pursuit, only to lead the SLDF through the infamous Mud Hell zone. Entire Companies of BattleMechs suddenly found themselves inextricably stuck in mud that went deeper than an Atlas was tall and were destroyed by the Legionnaires. Though managing to repeat the feat several times, the Eight Legionnaires were badly outnumbered and outgunned and were eventually destroyed, but not before giving the SLDF a bloody nose. Ravenstein's population would remain highly hostile to the occupier, making every day an unpleasant proposition, while the more deviously brazen bribed or blackmailed the garrison to part with some of their equipment for 'peace'.

#### Amaris Coup

The resentment that the people of Ravenstein felt against the SLDF in response to the Camerons' blatant abuses only grew over the following two centuries, growing to totally supplant any distaste the locals might have towards House Amaris' own less-than-spotless actions. As such, when Stefan Amaris launched his coup, Ravenstein was wholly behind the Usurper at least ideologically speaking. The fact that the bulk of the worlds of the Republic would never hear of all the atrocities being committed in the Hegemony played a major role in maintaining that loyalty throughout the conflict.

However, though Ravenstein was a well industrialized world with a prosperous economy, said economy did not include much in the way of Defense industry, with the exception of some Schwarzstein Metall facilities for small-arms and civilian support vehicles and IndustrialMechs. As such, it was neither a strategic priority nor able to quickly bulk up its forces during Aleksander Kerensky's blitzkrieg of the Republic. The people remained staunchly against the SLDF where others welcomed them as liberators, but could not mount any solid resistance and were occupied again after somewhat costly battles across the planet's main industrial zones. The reconstituted Eight Legionnaires were again able to score a few tokens victories but were overwhelmed like their predecessors. The only difference this time was that Kerensky had no intention of staying behind to occupy the world.

#### Succession Wars

In the aftermath of the civil war that tore apart the Star League, the Republic was also dislocated, and Ravenstein returned to an independent status, being largely forgotten by the Inner Sphere at large. Such isolation was difficult for a world that had built itself for centuries on trade and exports, and Ravenstein needed to realign its economy to be less dependent on outside markets. As it did so, the world spent much of the Succession Wars fending off pirates and raiders as their only real threat.

#### Restoration Wars

When the Ashen Corsacs unleashed Operation PROVING GROUND, the Ravenstein militia - named in honor of the Legionnaires of the past - was caught utterly off-guard and unprepared. Though they had been fighting pirates and raiders constantly and had more experience and effectiveness in doing so than most of their neighbors, they were not ready for the technological and skill edge of a Clan invasion. Its defense force nonetheless had the distinction of being the best among the worlds targeted by the Corsacs, and a number were taken as Bondsmen.

Unused to being under occupation again - let alone one that intended to actually stay in the long term - and wholly unfamiliar with the way of the Clans, several groups and a few of the bondsmen turned to subversive elements. This invited a swift, bloody and very public reprisal that did not immediately quell the locals, but made its point sooner than later nonetheless. The highly precise and targeted nature of the Corsac Watch's attacks ensured no bystanders lost their lives and no one was wrongly targeted, which went a long way towards avoiding public outrage.

After the initial pacification, Ravenstein saw a period of economic renaissance. Not only were new markets open to its traders again, but the Corsacs brought in a wealth of advanced and new technology, as well as new expansion projects. Schwarzstein Metall's old factories were refurbished, modernized and expanded, while MachtWerk began work on creating new BattleMech assembly lines of its own, and the Ravenstein Experimental Bureau was created to tinker with all sorts of new and unproven technologies.

### Major Assets

#### Military Deployments

2397:

* Ravenstein Militia

2573:

* Eight Amaris Legionnaires

2780:

* Ravenstein Legionnaires

3066:

* 7th Aegis Garrison Cluster
* 6th Chasseurs Garrison Cluster

#### Major Locations

* **Solenburg** - The capital of Ravenstein is located in the warmer equatorial region and home to the world's primary spaceport. It is a sprawling metropolis wih tall skyscrapers overlooking the nearby jungles and swamps, and is a center of civilian industry and especially luxury goods, producing everything from posh apparel and furs to personal datapads and smartphones, passing by a whole gamut of more niche electronic devices, health and beauty products (effective or not) and entertainment systems. It is somewhat lacking in touristic appeal, being surrounded by dangerous areas, but its sprawling malls are a consumerist paradise with goods from all across the sector.
* **Weisstadt** - Located in the cold regions of the southern hemisphere, Weisstadt was originally built as a center of processing for the many mining towns and outposts in the greater area, and as such is full of large foundries and refining centers, some owned by Schwarzstein Metall, as well as its own secondary starport specialized in bulk freighters. Over the centuries however, it grew into a full population center of its own with local industries unrelated to the metropolis' purpose as a metalworks center. It is noteworthy for its architecture that is dominated by the color white, making it blur with the snow-clad tundras around it.
* **The Mech Graveyard** - This infamous region of the southern Mud Hell Belt earned its name during the Reunification Wars, as it is the site where the Eight Amaris Legionnaires repeatedly baited SLDF mech and armored forces into trying to pursue them through the unstable portions of the Mud Belt, causing SLDF heavy equipment to sink in by the hundreds, their crew and pilots sometimes even being trapped to a horrible death. Local folk legends say that the area is haunted, though no settlement exists anywhere nearby. The Graveyard also features the husks of countless heavy recovery vehicles from salvagers who tried to extricate the bounty of Mechs, only to sink themselves.