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Description

The Draconis Combine is one of the Successor States, located in the "north-east" quadrant of the Inner Sphere. The Combine is ruled by the Coordinator, the head of House Kurita. His court is located on Luthien. The Draconis Combine has been ruled by House Kurita since its founding in 2319 by Shiro Kurita, perhaps a descendant of Takeo Kurita, a Vice-Admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II on Terra
The Coordinator is a hereditary dictator, who rules over his domain armed with a well-equipped, fanatical military and an ever-pervasive, all-seeing civilian bureaucracy. Two rival intelligence agencies, the ISF (Internal Security Force) and the O5P (Order of Five Pillars) keep watch against any potential internal threat from commoners, ambitious nobles, and members of the Coordinator's own family. (However, the physical protection of the Coordinator falls to his own personal cohort, who are recruited from the military, not the intelligence services).
The idée fixe of the Combine and the Coordinator is conquest. The Combine employs a large, skilled military, the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery, that has often been used to expand the realm at the expense of its neighbors.

History
The roots of the Draconis Combine lie with the Alliance of Galedon between the worlds Galedon V and New Samarkand. Under the leadership of Shiro Kurita, the Alliance, rechristened the Draconis Combine in 2319, used threats, intimidation, deceit, and outright military conquest to expand. Shiro established House Kurita as the ruling dynasty of the Combine, whose reign was interrupted only by the rule of the Von Rohrs family from 2421 until they were wiped out in 2510. The First Coordinator was responsible for integrating many neigboring realms into the Combine, with two exceptions: an assault on the Principality of Rasalhague in 2330 was largely successful, though the integration of the Rasalhagians into Draconian culture was heavily resisted and it remained a vassal state for some time. The Combine also attempted to conquer the Azami worlds in 2497 with limited success.

The Combine was the last Inner Sphere nation to join the Star League. Following the League's collapse, Coordinator Minoru Kurita was the first Council Lord to declare himself First Lord, leading to the First Succession War. The Succession Wars were unkind to humanity and created a backslide in technology. The unofficial end of the Third Succession War is considered to be 3025.

Following the Fourth Succession War and facing the prospect of a super-state, the Federated Commonwealth, on its border, the Combine recognized the independence of the Free Rasalhague Republic to create a buffer state and secure higher-technology weapons through ComStar. These proved useful when the Commonwealth did invade in the War of 3039.

The Clan Invasion resulted in a huge loss of territory for the Combine, as even the capital Luthien saw one of the largest battles of the war, though many worlds were regained in Operation Bulldog. Coordinator Theodore Kurita was also responsible for relaxing some of the rigid traditionalism within the military, allowing more women into higher ranks and lessening the impact of bushido on his troops so that they would be more willing to accept flexible tactics that would be useful against the Clans. The reactionary kokuryu-kai or Black Dragon Society opposed his reforms and launched a full-scale rebellion at the same time as the Word of Blake started their Jihad.

The Combine emerged from the Jihad weakened, though still powerful compared to their neighbors. After the blackout in 3132, the Combine launched an invasion of the Republic of the Sphere. A series of assassinations placed Yori Kurita, the illegitimate descendant of Theodore, on the throne.

Description

The Draconis Combine is one of the Successor States, located in the "north-east" quadrant of the Inner Sphere. The Combine is ruled by the Coordinator, the head of House Kurita. His court is located on Luthien. The Draconis Combine has been ruled by House Kurita since its founding in 2319 by Shiro Kurita, perhaps a descendant of Takeo Kurita, a Vice-Admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II on Terra
The Coordinator is a hereditary dictator, who rules over his domain armed with a well-equipped, fanatical military and an ever-pervasive, all-seeing civilian bureaucracy. Two rival intelligence agencies, the ISF (Internal Security Force) and the O5P (Order of Five Pillars) keep watch against any potential internal threat from commoners, ambitious nobles, and members of the Coordinator's own family. (However, the physical protection of the Coordinator falls to his own personal cohort, who are recruited from the military, not the intelligence services).
The idée fixe of the Combine and the Coordinator is conquest. The Combine employs a large, skilled military, the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery, that has often been used to expand the realm at the expense of its neighbors.

History
The roots of the Draconis Combine lie with the Alliance of Galedon between the worlds Galedon V and New Samarkand. Under the leadership of Shiro Kurita, the Alliance, rechristened the Draconis Combine in 2319, used threats, intimidation, deceit, and outright military conquest to expand. Shiro established House Kurita as the ruling dynasty of the Combine, whose reign was interrupted only by the rule of the Von Rohrs family from 2421 until they were wiped out in 2510. The First Coordinator was responsible for integrating many neigboring realms into the Combine, with two exceptions: an assault on the Principality of Rasalhague in 2330 was largely successful, though the integration of the Rasalhagians into Draconian culture was heavily resisted and it remained a vassal state for some time. The Combine also attempted to conquer the Azami worlds in 2497 with limited success.

The Combine was the last Inner Sphere nation to join the Star League. Following the League's collapse, Coordinator Minoru Kurita was the first Council Lord to declare himself First Lord, leading to the First Succession War. The Succession Wars were unkind to humanity and created a backslide in technology. The unofficial end of the Third Succession War is considered to be 3025.

Following the Fourth Succession War and facing the prospect of a super-state, the Federated Commonwealth, on its border, the Combine recognized the independence of the Free Rasalhague Republic to create a buffer state and secure higher-technology weapons through ComStar. These proved useful when the Commonwealth did invade in the War of 3039.

The Clan Invasion resulted in a huge loss of territory for the Combine, as even the capital Luthien saw one of the largest battles of the war, though many worlds were regained in Operation Bulldog. Coordinator Theodore Kurita was also responsible for relaxing some of the rigid traditionalism within the military, allowing more women into higher ranks and lessening the impact of bushido on his troops so that they would be more willing to accept flexible tactics that would be useful against the Clans. The reactionary kokuryu-kai or Black Dragon Society opposed his reforms and launched a full-scale rebellion at the same time as the Word of Blake started their Jihad.

The Combine emerged from the Jihad weakened, though still powerful compared to their neighbors. After the blackout in 3132, the Combine launched an invasion of the Republic of the Sphere. A series of assassinations placed Yori Kurita, the illegitimate descendant of Theodore, on the throne.