Editing Connor Rood

{{Update Needed|[[Operation ICE STORM (novel)]]}}

{{InfoBoxCharacter
| image               = Conner_Rood.jpg
| caption             = Conner Rood
| name                = Conner Rood
| birthdate           = [[3038]]<ref>''The Wars of Reaving'', p. 190: "Conner Rood Profile"</ref>
| died                = 
| othernames          = 
| affiliation         = [[Escorpión Imperio]];<br>[[Clan Goliath Scorpion]];<br>[[Clan Ice Hellion]] (formerly)
| rank                = [[Khan of Clan Goliath Scorpion|Khan]];<br>[[ReKhan of Valencia|reKhan of Valencia]]<ref name=SO:HKp3>''Spotlight On: Hellion Keshik'', p. 3</ref>
| title               = 
| position            = 
| profession          = [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]]
| parents             = 
| siblings            = 
| spouse              = 
| children            = 
}}

'''Conner Rood''' was a [[Trueborn|trueborn]] [[Clan]] [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]] and [[saKhan]] (later briefly [[Khan]]) of [[Clan Ice Hellion]] until that Clan's [[Trial of Absorption|Absorption]] into [[Clan Goliath Scorpion]]. He later became the saKhan and then Khan of his new Clan and the [[Escorpión Imperio]].

==Character and Personality==
A young moderate Crusader among his trueborn brethren.  He was noted for his intelligence and political views which made him popular among his subordinate [[Freeborn|freeborn]] warriors.

==History==
===Early Life===
Conner Rood was a ''[[ristar]]'' in his Clan.<ref>''Field Manual: Crusader Clans'', p. 86: "Beta Galaxy - 121st Hellion Lancers - Conner Rood's status as ''ristar'' and unit he served with is listed"</ref> When he undertook his [[Trial of Position]], his skill and kills earned him rank of [[Star Captain]]. This rare feat got him noticed by his fellow Clanners.  In time he gained his [[Bloodname]], along with fame for his accomplishments. His first command was a Cluster of [[Beta Galaxy (Clan Ice Hellion)|Beta Galaxy]]'s 121st Hellion Lancers. His personal [[Trinary]] was noted for its performance in engagements with other Clans. Rood's command style and political views gained him the trust of the warriors under his command.<ref>''Field Manual: Crusader Clans'', p. 84: "Star Captain Conner Rood" - Profile gives brief background to character's early life</ref> He was soon considered a Khan in the making.

===saKhan of Clan Ice Hellion===
In [[3065]], Conner's career changed, with [[Raina Montose]]'s successful [[Trial of Grievance]] over [[Khan]] [[Asa Taney]]. Conner was chosen to become [[saKhan]] and Galaxy Commander of Beta Galaxy.

By [[3067]], Conner had rebuilt the ''esprit de corps'' of Beta Galaxy's warriors with help from his aide, [[Star Colonel]] [[Brendon Wick]]. However, Connor's efforts had been successful only due to the presence of two [[Flurry Cluster]]s among his Galaxy's numbers.  The Flurry Clusters caused any victory won by the Galaxy to be tainted due to the presence of combat vehicles.<ref name=FMUp47>''Field Manual: Updates'', p. 47: "Ice Hellion Touman" - Beta Galaxy - Conner Rood's elevation and efforts since becoming saKhan and Galaxy Commander of Beta</ref>

===Inner Sphere Invasion of 3071-72===
In the early 3070s, Khan Montose devised a plan to invade [[Clan Jade Falcon]]'s [[Occupation Zone]] as part of her plan to create an OZ for the Ice Hellions at the cost of the Falcons. She mustered all their frontline combat Galaxies and divided them between herself and Conner.  Rood was given command of three Galaxies for his Task Force, [[Delta Galaxy (Clan Ice Hellion)|Delta]], [[Zeta Galaxy (Clan Ice Hellion)|Zeta]], and his own Beta Galaxy.  His forces were to secure the Periphery border, while she would secure industrial worlds to bolster their declining ''[[touman]]'' strength.

In June [[3071]], saKhan Rood led his task force on a successful conquest of six Falcon worlds. On [[Bone-Norman]], while leading the [[Lithe Kill Keshik]], Rood engaged the Jade Falcon garrison in two weeks of hide-and-seek across the Hapsburg continent. Forced to use himself as bait to draw out the Falcon warriors, Rood nearly perished when his ''[[Kit Fox]]'' was attacked by a Star of ''[[Erinyes (ProtoMech)|Erinyes]]'' ProtoMechs led by Star Captain [[Kandari Falcon]]. Nonetheless the Hellions were able to claim victory, although the Falcon Guards would retake Bone-Norman just weeks later.<ref>''Technical Readout: 3075'', p. 150: "Erinyes, notable pilots"</ref><ref>''Touring the Stars: Bone-Norman'', p. 7</ref>

The successes of his Task Force's campaign continued for six months with few reversals. However, by November [[Clan Hell's Horses]] begun to aid the Falcons in their resurgent of their offensive against his Clan's efforts.  Conner was forced to retreat to [[Lackhove]] due to the Falcons' reinforcements, leaving his Galaxy's command unit, the [[200th Attack (Clan Ice Hellion)|200th Attack Cluster]], in the process.

By early [[3072]], faced large quantity of Jade Falcon and Hell's Horses forces hunting down his task force.  Conner orders his task force's survivors to pull back to [[Dark Nebula]], one his unit's first conquests.  In March, Beta's survivors and his Galaxy's Naval Star clash with Falcons' [[Delta Galaxy (Clan Jade Falcon)|Delta Galaxy]] and Hell's Horses [[Theta Galaxy (Clan Hell's Horses)|Theta Galaxy]]. Rood's naval forces are heavy mauled, leaving him only [[Potemkin]], CIH ''Coterie'' left his command.  Falcon saKhan [[Samantha Clees]] offers him and his command ''[[hegira]]'', which he accepts at later discourse of his Khan.<ref>''Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents'', pp. 28–30: "Operation Ice Storm" - saKhan actions and history during the conflict with Jade Falcons & Hell's Horses</ref>

===Post-Invasion and Jihad===
Rood had reportedly taken the ''Coterie'' with his Galaxy's three remaining Clusters and withdrawing to the [[Deep Periphery]]. Intelligence reports suggest his destination was [[Nouveaux Paris]], where his Clan had maintained a garrison outpost.

===Goliath Scorpion===
The few elements of the Hellions under the leadership of Connor Rood, the main body of their Clan's remnants, were able to make it back to Clan space with the [[WarShip]] ''[[Osis' Pride]]'' at the end of December 3072, with the three [[Trinary|Trinaries]] of the [[200th Attack (Clan Ice Hellion)|200th Attack Cluster]] represented a significant boost for the heavily depleted Clan, whose enclaves outside Hector had been stripped away through predation by the other Clans, [[Bandit Caste]] forces and the [[Society]] while the HPG network across the Homeworlds was inactive. However, even then the Hellions could barely gather a full [[Galaxy]].<ref name="WoRp98+HF">''The Wars of Reaving'', pp. 98–99: "The Hellion Fades"</ref>

As they cannot rebuild their Clan, in [[3073]] Rood negotiated with the Khan of [[Clan Goliath Scorpion]] with a view to having the surviving Ice Hellion elements merge with Clan Goliath Scorpion, his preferred alternative to seeing the Ice Hellions vanish completely. The offer was initially rejected - the Goliath Scorpions resenting any implication that they might be in a weak enough state to need to merge with another - with Rood being honest and open about the perilous state the Hellions were in, the Goliath Scorpions offered to [[Trial of Absorption|Absorb]] the Hellions in a fashion that limited the number of losses.<ref name="WORp127">''The Wars of Reaving'', p. 127: "Scorpion Gambit"</ref>

The proposal was agreed upon by both [[Clan Council|Clan Councils]], and following a ferocious but brief battle between a Star of forces from each Clan in March [[3074]], the remaining Ice Hellion holdings and ''touman'' joined the Goliath Scorpions, with Connor Rood being elected to the post of saKhan in place of [[Kelton Myers]], who had been killed during the Trial. With the Absorption complete, the ''Osis' Pride'' became the CGS ''Osis' Pride''.<ref name="WORp127" /><ref name=WoRp159>''The Wars of Reaving'', p. 159</ref>

Connor Rood Succeeded [[Colin Yeh]] as Khan of Clan Goliath Scorpion in [[3086]].  He instructed Chi and Beta Galaxy to investigate reports of all lost Ice Hellion warriors in the Periphery after that Clan's failed attempt to claim territory in the Inner Sphere.  Over several years many were found and the majority returned to Clan Society either being claimed as ''[[isorla]]'' or as part of Trials of Possession. This increased Hellion influence in the Clan (Beta Galaxy would be renamed Hellion Galaxy) and contributed to the Clan's depleted Genetic Stocks. 
However, the integration didn't happen without problems: When SaKhan [[Henrika Suvorov]] was killed by Star Commander [[Kliff Wallace]], after she insulted him, Rood issued a [[Trial of Grievance]], killing Wallace in public. But, after Kliff's death, he ordered his ''giftake'' to be taken, to preserve his lineage. 

Later, when Galaxy Commander [[Mull Elam]] refused to be choosed SaKhan, fearing being assasinated too, Rood decided to create a bodyguard unit for the SaKhan, the ''Hellion Keshik'', composed of Beta's best warriors of all origins. He assembled the Scorpion's entire ''touman'' in [[Valencia]], delivering a fiery, invective-filled adress against discrimination, remembering all the presents than the Absorption was part of the Way of the Clans, and promised a reckoning for those which choose safety over glory. Finally, he offered five brand-new [[Hellion]] 'Mechs for the best members of the new Keshik, which he had ordered built as a symbol of unity, despite the costs. His efforts fully succeeded, beginning a fiery competition to be part of the Keshik. That ended the problems of integration.<ref>''Spotlight On: Hellion Keshik'', p. 2</ref>

Khan Rood also instituted a colonization program of worlds between the Imperio and the Hanseatic League.  Also Castilian and Umayyad civilians were given the means to attain status though Higher Education.  Using Clan influenced Trials of Worth, students competed for places in Universities whose faculty was staffed by the Scientist caste.  This yielded great results, as within 2 decades factories that struggled to produce Succession Era equipment could now manufacture Clantech.<ref name=OTP:HCp8>''Operational Turning Points: Hanseatic Crusade'', p. 8</ref>
Connor, after the Hellion's Keshik's Protomech's losses against pirates on [[Graystone]], ordered the ending of production of [[Protomech]]s, which signaled the beginning of the end of the Protomechs' use by his clan. 

Rood retired in [[3108]], however his career didn't end immediately. He was succeeded as Khan by [[Enrico Kirov]], who created the position of [[ReKhan of the Scorpion Empire|ReKhan]], appointing Connor as the first [[ReKhan of Valencia]].<ref>''Spotlight On: Hellion Keshik'', p. 3</ref>

==Legacy==
At the end, Rood's reign as a Khan proved one very long and successful: the full integration of the Hellions into Clan Goliath Scorpion and modernization of the Imperio were his legacy. Enrico Kirov continued his work. He would rename [[Beta_Galaxy_(Escorpión_Imperio)|Beta Galaxy]] to "'''Hellion Galaxy'''" where many captured Hellion warriors ended up, along with most of those who would later earn former Hellion Bloodnames. That ensured the survival of the Hellions' tactics and culture among the Scorpions.<ref>''Operational Turning Points: Hanseatic Crusade'', p. 9</ref>

==BattleMechs==
Initially, Rood's 'Mech was a ''[[Kit Fox]]'' OmniMech, but after losing it to an Elemental ambush in [[Bone Norman]] was forced to replace it with a bigger ''[[Linebacker]]''.<ref>''Operation Ice Storm part 1'', ch. 6</ref><ref>''Technical Readout: 3075'', p. 150: "Erinyes" - Star Captain Kandari Falcon - Conner Rood's actions on Bone-Norman noted</ref>

==References==
<references/>

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Field Manual: Crusader Clans]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: Updates]]''
* ''[[Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents]]''
* ''[[Operational Turning Points: Hanseatic Crusade]]
* ''[[Spotlight On: Hellion Keshik]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3075]]''
* ''[[Touring the Stars: Bone-Norman]]''
* ''[[The Wars of Reaving]]''


[[Category: Clan Ice Hellion Characters|Rood, Conner]]
[[Category:Clan Goliath Scorpion Characters|Rood, Conner]]