Ivar Wolf

Just doing my job and all - NK

Given how much we're trusting him with, I thought that it might be worth knowing a bit more about our would be ally, Ivar Wolf. I agree that he is still our best bet at cracking Fenris Isle, but I also think that it's worth keeping an eye on him. While I feel that he has no love at all for the Cappellans, it's not like he has a clean background as you'll see

Ivar was born Ivar Grodenko on Buchalu in 3106. He comes from a blue collar family that, even despite the Republic's best efforts, was only just on the edge of the poverty line. While never proven, there's evidence that Viktor Grodenko, his father, was involved with organised crime. Young Ivar himself seems to have struggled with his schooling and even had a juvenile criminal record at one stage. After leaving high school, he landed a factory job that seemed to keep him mostly out of trouble, but there is no indication that he tried to attain (or had any intention of attaining) Republic citizenship. Apparently he was bought in for questioning at least once by local authorities, but no charges were laid.

He drops out of sight shortly after the Blackout (Which isn’t extraordinary in and of itself; for the first few months after Gray Monday there's a lot of confusion and very little good data, so don't read too much into this) only to resurface on Fletcher in January 3133. By March-April he had been formally adopted by the Steel Wolves and was now known as Ivar Wolf. Apparently he had performed well enough in his trails to warrant a place as a MechWarrior in one of their clusters (Which one is not entirely clear; the Steel Wolves peaked at nine clusters although it appears they only had enough BattleMechs for three. The result was 'Mech assets were often rotated or shifted between Clusters during their early days) piloting a former Fletcher Planetary Guard Ghost.

He was involved in several of the Steel Wolves' seemingly pointless raids during this period, including their defeat on Small World. During that time, he scored at least three BattleMech kills, as well as at least two against IndustrialMechs and several more against vehicles. By the time Anastasia Kerensky took command of the Steel Wolves in May 3133, he had been assigned to the Wolf Lancers cluster, the same one that Bruce was a part of (albeit in different Trinaries).

It's also during this time that Ivar appears to have become involved in Fletcher's underground dueling circuit, a move that was not unheard of among members of the Wolf Enclave. While it's not clear how he first got into the competition, it seems that he was something of a semi-regular during his time on the planet. This may have been seen as a way of helping hone his skills, but from what I can find, it is possible that his involvement also extended into betting and other fringe activities.

When Anastasia Kerensky decided to make her second attack on Northwind, she opted to leave skeletal garrison units behind to hold their territories. Fletcher was seen as an important asset and as such warranted a hastily thrown together garrison "cluster" (actually two overstuffed binaries with some additional support elements). Ivar was chosen to be a part of that forces for reasons that are not clear, but could have been related to his participation in the illegal 'Mech duels and and air of being 'tainted' as a result.

Kerensky's dreams of conquest did not materialise, however, resulting in the Steel Wolves being effectively isolated on the other side of the Republic from Fletcher. As the months turned into years, morale among the members of the Fletcher PGC waned as it became more and more obvious that Kerensky was not coming back. Ivar seems to have spent his time becoming more and more involved with the dueling circuit, racking up a considerable string of victories and becoming something of a favorite, while also doing nothing to conceal his identity.

The twin blows of the dissolution of the Steel Wolves and Fletcher's annexation by the Federated Suns following Fortress Republic spelled the end for the Fletcher Garrison. Now largely confined to Fenris Island and with their manpower reduced by defections and attrition, the remaining Wolf warriors were 'encouraged' to hand over control of the facility as well as their weapons and vehicles to the AFFS and the reformed Fletcher Planetary Guard (Ivar's own Ghost was on their rolls at least as late as the Cappellan invasion of the world).

With little else to do and few other saleable skills, Ivar seems to have become more and more involved in the illegal fighting circuit, acting as a combination of recruiter, enforcer and warrior himself. At the same time, he has clearly displayed a degree of bitterness towards his former kin and commander for having abandoned him on this world to rot.

Despite his criminal connections and shady past, I do feel that we can trust Ivar. He has no love for the Capellans; from what I can tell, they see the remaining Wolves as being counter to the tenants if Xing Sheng and contrary to the perception of proper Capellan culture, which has resulted in their being under constant surveillance and pressure. Likewise, it is clear that he has no love for the world, and would rather be anywhere else. His involvement in the dueling circuit seems to have long ago passed any actual enjoyment and is more based on being the only real way he has to support himself.

Our offer of a salvaged BattleMech and a ride off the planet is a strong one that, given his past, I cannot see any way that he would reject it or any offer the Capellans could make that would counter it; similarly, despite the strength that blackmail has in such situations, I can't really see any threats they could hold over him. In truth, I suspect that a desire to hurt the Capellans, especially in such a symbolic way as driving them from his former home, could prove to be his strongest motivation even beyond any tangible physical reward.