Hunters of D'Ghor
The Hunters of D'Ghor were members of the fallen House of D'Ghor turned brutal renegades and pirates. Enemies of almost everyone, including the Federation and the Klingon Empire, they marauded the coreward border, ostensibly championing the old ways of their people.
In 2399, they launched a massive raid into Federation territory that was turned back by Starfleet, a defeat that crippled them militarily. Two years later, what little forces that had survived were hunted to destruction by Toral, son of Duras, in a victory that restored the honour of his house and set him on the path to becoming the next Chancellor of the Empire.
As of early 2401, the Hunters of D’Ghor have been extinguished.
History
D'Ghor, the leader of the House of D'Ghor was a prominent member of the Klingon High Council, claiming an unbroken line of ancestors since the re-forging of the Klingon Empire by Chancellor L'Rell, the "Mother of the Klingon Empire." The House is ancient, one of the longest-running in the Klingon Empire. There was a D'Ghor who allied with Kahless the Unforgettable.
The House That Was
The D'Ghor were warriors first and hunters second- politicians would be a distant third. They were always been among the most vehemently aggressive and warlike of the Houses, known for their brutality and cunning in warfare. Some accused the D'Ghor of choosing victory over honor, but as the D'Ghor had an impressive military and skilled duelists with the bat'leth, challenging them openly was an invitation to enter Sto'vo-kor.
They were always followers of the Old Ways: conquerors. Peace did not sit well with them in the wake of the Khitomer Accords. Unable to turn on the Federation, the D'Ghor tended to skirmish with the Romulans or other Klingon Houses. Gowron, because of the Civil War and, later, Emperor Kahless's influence, made warfare between Klingon Houses difficult. But the D'Ghor had a generational blood feud with the House of Kozak.
Well before the Federation-Klingon war of 2257-58, the Kozak and the D'Ghor were engaged in combat with one another over territory. With the empire in tatters, the two had free reign to do so, though little came of it. A stalemate had existed for decades by the time of the 24th century, with occasional raids and flare-ups. It became clear to D'Ghor that the only way to destroy the Kozak was to undermine them.
Dis-Commendation
At the death of D'Ghor's father, D'Ghor set his plans in motion, exploiting Kozak's weaknesses for gambling, overspending, and drinking. He systematically devalued the properties of the Kozak on Qo'noS and impeded shipping to Kozak's throneworld holding. But the death of Kozak was a happy accident, done not in honorable combat but because he was drunk and restless. Kozak died by falling on his own dk'tahg while menacing a Ferengi bartender.
When Kozak's widow, Grilka, claimed her husband's "killer" as her new husband, D'Ghor pivoted and revealed that Kozak had not died honorably (and thus there could be no claim by the widow) which led to a showdown in the High Council. The Ferengi uncovered that D'Ghor had been devaluing Kozak's holdings for years, a slur on D'Ghor's honor.
D'Ghor challenged the Ferengi to personal combat. But in so doing, the D'Ghor "ruthless pragmatism" of victory over honor was on full display before the High Council. D'Ghor had been willing to murder an unarmed Ferengi to attain what he wanted. Horrified by the stunning lack of ethics, Gowron was forced to see the claims made by Grilka and the Ferengi were true. D'Ghor was ejected from the High Council and suffered dis-commendation.
Fall and Fallout
Over the months that followed, the House of D'Ghor was formally stripped of their titles and ousted by force from their throneworld of D'Ghor located near the D'Ghor Nebula. The House was decreed dishonored for the next five generations and is theoretically not allowed to operate within Klingon space. Some of the D'Ghor's Banner Houses switched allegiances to other houses such as Nogral (who claimed the D'Ghor throneworld) and the Mo'Kai but most fled Klingon space with their lieges. The D'Ghor have always played a long game.
The Klingon raids in the Archanis Sector and the Dominion War were distractions for the Empire that the D'Ghor used to their advantage. They located a pair of habitable moons outside of Klingon space and set up operations. From there they re-infiltrated the nebula with their namesake and situated themselves on some old bases deep inside where the D'Ghor had always cached emergency supplies and decommissioned vessels. By the time the Empire returned from the Dominion War, they were in little position to oust the D'Ghor. No one (except the Mo'Kai) knew the nebula better.
Rise and End
For another twenty-five years, the D’Ghor marauded the territories of the Empire and its neighbours, bringing bloody conflict to those they encountered before withdrawing to their sheltered hiding places. Dealing with multiple internal factions, the Empire never brought its full might to bear against the Hunters, and so they only grew as a threat over the years. This success led to an arrogance and confidence that would be their downfall when, in 2399, they set their eyes on a new target: the Federation.
Their full-throated raid on the Archanis Sector saw one of the first mobilisations of the Fourth Fleet since its restoration, resulting in the near-total defeat of the Hunters. They lost countless ships and warriors and were forced back to their nebula, sent into hiding to lick their wounds. For over a year, they threatened only the weakest targets, revelling in simple butchery rather than any great challenges, and were dismissed by all as a spent force.
But they had not yet been brought to heel, a fact wielded like a cudgel against Chancellor Martok by his political enemies. In early 2401, they were hunted down by the young warrior Toral, son of Duras, and those who followed him. Toral reportedly sought out D’Ghor himself, fighting the old warrior in a hand-to-hand battle to the death. Victorious, Toral delivered D’Ghor’s head to Martok personally, buying the restoration of the honour of his house with the last drops of blood of the House of D’Ghor and all those who followed them.
In Play
- As of 2401, the Hunters of D’Ghor have been wiped out. There may be dishonoured Klingon warriors left who follow their practices, but these are little more than rogue individuals or smatterings of pirates. D’Ghor is dead, his House extinguished, and those who followed him have been killed or forced to find some new, dishonourable way of life.