ComStar Historical Archives

Arthur Luvon was the Duke of Donegal and the long-time friend of Katrina Steiner, niece of Archon Alessandro Steiner. In addition, he was the cousin of Morgan and Patrick Kell, future founders of the famous Kell Hounds mercenary unit. Arthur's father, as was traditional for the Duke of Donegal, was a member of the secret organization Heimdall, whose purpose was to monitor the excesses of Loki, the Lyran state secret police. At some point Arthur's father inducted him into Heimdall and the young man would come to use his wealth, and eventually his power as Duke, to aid those within the Commonwealth who had felt the oppressive hand of Loki.

During one summer visit to his cousins on Arc-Royal, Arthur observed the rambunctious young Morgan and Patrick Kell terrorizing a neighbor's flock of sheep. Inspired, he drew up a unit crest and dubbed them the "Kell Hounds," predicting a glorious future as MechWarriors for them. Upon each young man entering the Nagelring academy, Arthur brought them into Heimdall.

By the year 3005, Alessandro Steiner's policies had begun to turn his nobles and the Lyran military against him. His misguided Concentrated Weakness strategy was leaving the Commonwealth open to assault by Free Worlds League forces and his harsh dealings with dissenters, often using Loki to crack down on them, caused the secretive Heimdall to spring into action. Arthur, who by now had succeeded to the title of Duke of Donegal, set up safehouses and escape routes for those targeted by Loki. Morgan Kell, also a member of Heimdall, had graduated from the Nagelring and was assigned to Duke Luvon's personal guard. The Duke and his people were on the world of Poulsbo in February of 3005, although the purpose of their visit is to this day unknown, when Katrina Steiner arrived to inspect the Bangor military base near the city of Hammerfest. Alessandro had recently discovered Luvon's connections to Heimdall and sent assassins after him on Poulsbo. Conveniently, they would also be able to kill Katrina, who was becoming a thorn in Alessandro's side. The attack came while Katrina sat at dinner with Luvon and Morgan Kell. Arthur and Katrina had known each other for years, but only as friends, and they relished the chance to catch up.

Acting quickly, the three were able to escape their attackers and they fled into the streets. Fortunately, the local Heimdall cell was keeping tabs on the local Loki forces and they provided a safehouse for the fleeing trio. A member known only as Grison hid them upstairs in his own house, despite the presence of his wife and three-year-old daughter, while Loki agents pursuing Katrina questioned him below. After they left, Grison and his compadres staged a diversion that allowed Arthur, Katrina and Morgan to escape off Poulsbo into the Periphery.

For the next year, the three companions travelled throughout the Periphery, disguising themselves as pirates. Katrina Steiner was known as the Red Corsair while Arthur and Morgan adopted identities as her faithful henchmen. Cultivating a dashing look, Arthur grew his hair long and hid his face behind a mustache and goatee. Morgan developed a similar look. Exactly what they did during their year of exile is still unknown, though vague hints have surfaced over the years. One of the fruits of their travels was the mysterious "black box" technology that proved so vital to the Federated Suns during the Fourth Succession War. Also during this time, Katrina and Arthur's long friendship blossomed into love.

Archon Alessandro's birthday celebration in March 3006 marked the first time Katrina Steiner appeared in public since her disappearance on Poulsbo. Opposition to Alessandro's reign had grown during her disappearance and after several damaging raids against interior Lyran worlds by the Free Worlds League, Katrina seized power from her uncle in a bloodless coup on 22 July 3007. Her first action upon gaining the throne was to issue a verigraphed document to Arthur Luvon, stating that, by Katrina's authority as Archon, he was to be denied nothing. Her second act was to issue a similar document to Morgan Kell, thanking the two men who had helped her escape from her uncle's assassins a year earlier. The three continued to be close as a result of their harrowing experience, Arthur and Morgan even building by hand the oaken desk that Katrina used until her death.

After so many years of friendship and then love, Arthur and Katrina were finally wed in 3009. Duke Harrison Bradford of Coventry, a close friend of the Archon's and the man who had introduced the couple to one another, served as Arthur's best man. Their marriage contract contained the standard clause perpetuating the Steiner name in their offspring and the Steiner claim to the throne of the Lyran Commonwealth.

Over the course of the next several years, Arthur used his own wealth and power as Duke of Donegal to reward those members of Heimdall who had enabled him, Katrina and Morgan to escape Poulsbo. Though he learned that Grison and many of the Poulsbo cell had been executed by Loki, he endowed scholarships for their children and set up other forms of assistance.

Sadly, Arthur and Katrina would not have much time together as husband and wife. Only six months after the birth of their daughter, Melissa Arthur Steiner, Arthur was dead of cancer. During their time together, remarkably, Arthur kept secret his membership in Heimdall, fearing that to do so would compromise the organization's status as the loyal opposition. Since his cousin had not seen fit to tell Katrina, Morgan Kell kept the secret as well. To show his gratitude towards Morgan and to reward his favorite cousins, Arthur's will left a sizable sum of money to Morgan and Patrick Kell, which they used to form their own mercenary company, adopting the same Kell Hounds moniker and crest created by Arthur so many years before. Katrina Steiner never really got over the death of her beloved husband and never again took a permanent lover or considered remarrying. In fact, when Hanse Davion proposed a marriage alliance between his Federated Suns and the Lyran Commonwealth, Katrina offered her daughter instead of herself, in part to honor her deceased husband's memory. Morgan Kell provided one last service for his cousin when he stood in the traditional place of the bride's father and gave Melissa away in her marriage to Prince Davion.

• Sources Used:
• House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth);
• The Kell Hounds;
• Warrior: Coupé;
• Warrior: En Garde;
• Warrior: Riposte