Discommended Klingon Houses
Discommended Klingon Houses
Ethno-Political Identity | Exiled Nobility, Warrior Outcasts, Honorless Not Forgotten
Overview
To be Discommended in Klingon society is to suffer the ultimate dishonor — not just for yourself, but for your entire House. It is a ritual declaration of shame, either for betrayal, cowardice, failed allegiance, or political defeat. The discommendation is public, ceremonial, and binding — your name removed from the rolls, your crest struck from history, your deeds retold only as warnings.
But the truth behind discommendation is rarely simple. Many were framed, sacrificed, or politically erased during the chaotic post-war era. These former noble families continue to exist on the edges of Empire space, clinging to a lost identity — or forging a new one in blood, steel, and secrets.
In Shadows of the Galaxy, Discommended Klingons walk between two worlds: too proud for surrender, but too scarred for return.
Origins & Mechanism
Discommendation is pronounced by the High Council or the Chancellor, typically after a trial (public or private). Causes include:
- Political treachery or alliance with foreign powers
- Cowardice in battle
- Dishonor through personal betrayal (family, comrades, lovers)
- Historical vendettas resurfacing in new generations
- Failure to avenge a slight or defend one’s House assets
Often, the truth is distorted. A noble House may be sacrificed for peace, blamed to cover another’s failure, or manipulated through secret votes and backdoor alliances.
Social Standing
- In the Empire: Treated as ghosts. Cannot serve in the Defense Force. Often denied even the right to duel.
- Outside the Empire: Variable. Some find freedom among Orion syndicates, Federation border worlds, or mercenary fleets. Others become warlords, advisors, or weapons dealers.
- Among Klingons: Treated with suspicion… but not always disrespect. A skilled warrior of a fallen House may be viewed as dangerous, but useful.
Cultural Traits
- Legacy Burned, Not Broken: Many cling to their House’s lost traditions, maintaining rites, blade forms, and ancestral records in secret.
- Rage as Rationale: Some adopt a code of aggression — vengeance in all things, to balance what was taken.
- Ritual Masking: Discommended Klingons may wear facial markings, armor alterations, or clanless robes—symbolizing their untethered status.
- Honor Reforged: A rare few see discommendation not as defeat, but as freedom from the political hypocrisy of the Empire.
Notable Discommended Houses (for reference or use)
| House Name | Cause of Discommendation | Current Status |
|---|---|---|
| House Morath | Refused to support the Klingon Chancellor’s alliance with the Dominion | Extinct on Qo'noS; surviving kin operate a weapons fleet near Nimbus III |
| House Drokh | Accused of cowardice in retreat from the Battle of Ty'Gokor | Lives in ritual exile; maintains an asteroid monastery where old codes are preserved |
| House Telenak | Tied to illegal AI augmentation of warriors | Now provides elite bodyguards for Romulan merchants under assumed identities |
| House Kelgor | Took part in a failed coup against the Gowron legacy | Rumored to be rebuilding—offering “honor to orphans” in pirate systems |
Heimdahl Relevance
- Potential Crew Members: A discommended Klingon may serve on Heimdahl seeking redemption, revenge, or escape. Their discipline and fury are unmatched—but their ethics are alien even to the Federation.
- Allies in Shadow: Swayze may maintain backchannel relationships with exiled Houses, trading intelligence for tech—or leveraging oaths long unpaid.
- Cultural Tension: A Klingon crew member of good standing may refuse to serve beside a discommended peer. Or worse—may challenge them.
Ethnic Identity Tags (For Character Creation)
- Species: Klingon
- Cultural Identity: Discommended House
- Common Traits:
- Wounded Honor: +1 to rolls involving intimidation, revenge, or protective fury
- Burned but Unbroken: Immune to morale penalties when defending others or family
- Rite of the Exile: Carries a ritual blade or heirloom — mechanically inert, but spiritually vital. Losing it is considered soul-death
Sample NPCs
- Korrin of House Telenak – Cybernetically enhanced warrior, soft-spoken and loyal to no empire. Keeps a drone eye on the Heimdahl “for curiosity.” Possibly spying.
- Velra Drokh – Monastic swordmaster. Trains in silence, kills without glory. Dreams of founding a “New Empire” among forgotten Klingons.
- Duras Relen – Claimed heir of a disgraced Duras offshoot. Wears false crests and leads mercenaries as if they were Klingon elite. Dangerous in both lies and truth.
Campaign Hooks
- The Heimdahl receives a coded distress signal from a forgotten Klingon colony—revealing it’s a sanctuary for discommended Houses... and something is hunting them.
- A former Klingon officer aboard the ship is revealed to have hidden their discommendation. A High Council arbiter arrives... demanding justice.
- Nyx begins to adopt aspects of Klingon warrior ethos... but it's not from the official database. It's from a discommended AI persona buried in Swayze’s failsafe archive.
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