LORE24 ENTRY #29 – The Badaxe Clan
Category – Cultural / Organization
Historically, the Badaxe clan originated upon the world of Andyllion, forged through many generations to be the strongest and most prosperous of orcish clans, eventually earning the honor of serving the High Emperor himself as his most loyal and trusted soldiers and bodyguards. This was further bolstered through strong leadership within the clan and their embrace of ancient Aerian combat training methods. Even after they cut ties with the Empire, the clan remained strong, and became a unifying force for the orcish people of Andyllion, especially during the Age of Legends when their clan chief, Mantok Badaxe, ascended to godhood.
In modern times, the Badaxe Clan has evolved into something much different. Though the descendants of the original clan still exist and control their own nation on Andyllion, they have continued evolving with the times. Today, many know the Badaxe Clan as an elite private military company, now open to any of orcish blood from any world, and still holding its members to strict training based upon the old ways, adapted to modern weapons, technology, and tactics. The Badaxe Clan mercenaries pride themselves on their ferocity, endurance, and adaptability, and are often seen as rivals to even the aerians, and while both are fiercely competitive, the rivalry between orc and aerian is mostly friendly…as much as a rivalry based upon combat can be.
Organizations across known space employ Badaxe Clan mercenaries for the most dangerous operations or to protect their high value targets, assuming they can afford the premium rates the clan demands for their expertise. Even DSM is known to employ several units of Badaxe Clan members, with some working directly for Rivalle Volcari herself, even though the company has long been elf-dominated and the enmity between elf and orc is still not entirely extinguished. Though members of the Badaxe Clan are trained to always put the job first and foremost, the strong sense of honor that is imparted to them have resulted in a few incidents over the years in which the work they were brought on to perform was deemed far too distasteful for even them, and they turned against those who hired them, echoing what happened when the great Mantok Badaxe himself led the clan against the High Emperor on Andyllion.