Greetings Clan Plagueis –

As you’ve probably read, the Grand Master has made me temporary Consul of Clan Plagueis. Over the past few weeks I’ve emailed the Clan several times, and I’ve been making a good effort to get to know people, so I hope you are all familiar with me at this point. Before I move into any specifics on what I’ll be doing I want to make one thing absolutely clear: I am only here temporarily. I am going to fix the problems I see, fill the summit positions, and find/train a replacement as Consul, and then I will leave. Hopefully this won’t take too long, but I promise I will not abandon this Clan without being sure it will succeed after I have left.

I’m all about openness when I’m leading. I like talking to members, getting their input, and keeping everyone in the loop (that’s why I send out these emails!). I don’t do things in secret, so if you have an idea or opinion on something, tell me!

Now let’s move onto some specifics. About four days ago I emailed the Clan with my two basic areas I thought needed improvement, they were Communication and Identity. Those are going to be the main thrusts of my reforms here (you can see my email from Nov 25 for the long explanations). Now I’m going to make a short list of specific items I want to work on:

Promotions/Medals –

I’ve been in contact with the leaders of the Clan and the Masters/Envoys and have gotten a good amount of information on people who need to be awarded. I actually had most of it compiled and sent it off to Lucien a few days ago. So now I’ll be having Godo write recommendations for the people in HEK while I get them done for those in HSK. If you feel that someone has been overlooked for awarding, or that they deserve it for the work they have done, let me know ASAP.

Awarding/Activity Tracking –

In my past leadership roles I have used a specific system of activity tracking that ensures people don’t get lost in the cracks and everyone gets their deserved awards. I plan on working with the Quaestors to implement this in Plagueis ASAP.

Clan History –

I’ve been told that the history of Clan Exar Kun was written, but the history of Clan Satal Keto has been lost. So I’m going to attempt to find a basic version of the CSK history, then I’ll use both of those to form the beginning of the Clan Plagueis history. I’ll probably ask for volunteers to help me with this, so be on the lookout for that.

System Description –

The current website has a basic description of the Acarr System, but it needs to be fleshed out a bit and have a description of the HQ added. Once that is done we can submit it to the DB Domain page so it’ll be up there with the other Clans.

Clan Possessions –

First I need to actually get a list of all the Clans possessions (if any of you have that, please send it to me!). After that we’ll make fictional backgrounds for them all, probably including special Captains positions aboard the ships.

Clan Name Award –

All of the other Clans have one, so Plagueis needs one! I’ve heard there was a prior discussion on this subject in the Clan, and some possibilities were given. So if you remember what any of the ideas were, please send them to me and we can work from there.

Clan Powers –

The merged Clans had Mind Control and Illusions, although I’ve received a neat idea of basing this Clans powers around what’s known of Darth Plagueis. I like this idea quite a bit, so I’ll be looking into that as well. Again this is something I’ll probably like help on, so look for an announcement from me in the future.

Clan Logo –

I think it’s important for Plagueis to have its own symbol that isn’t tied to the merged Clans. The flash page of the current site has a circle-type image, but that is kind of…blah (no offense to whoever created it!). So very soon I’ll start a competition for a new clan logo/symbol, watch your inboxes for that.

Envoys –

I’m going to be contacting all the envoys to see what their status is and what system they are using. Welcoming and guiding new members is crucial for any Clan, so the Envoys have got to be on their game.

Master/Student System –

I’m gathering all the current pairings and will be talking to the current Masters about everyone’s progress and ideas very soon. Also there will be some changes in how the M/S program works, so stay tuned for those.

Promotion Guidelines –

The current guidelines in the “Wisdom of Plagueis” section of the website are a bit outdated in parts and could use a bit of changing (nothing too dramatic). These changes will go hand-in-hand with the changes made to the M/S system.

DJK Trials –

Currently these are run differently by each Master. I like this policy and intend to keep it that way, with maybe a bit of general standardization to make things a bit more even.

Honoring of Active Members –

I’ll soon be instituting a tradition by which active members are honored every week or so. I haven’t quite decided what form that will take, but I already have quite a few candidates in mind!

The Chronicle –

I was really impressed with the first issue, and this will definitely continue under the leadership of Quaestor Godo.

Clan Website –

The current website doesn’t quite fit the Clans needs. I am gone to continue to use it for News (and reference) until I can get a new site up and running. I already have someone working on a layout, and some volunteers to code the site once the layout is done. Hopefully we can get the new website up and fill it with content quickly.

IRC Requirement –

Lucien had setup a policy that required people to use IRC to advance. As of right now that policy is gone. I think IRC is a very, VERY important aspect of the DB, and I strongly encourage everyone to use it – but some people cannot. Those people shouldn’t be looked down upon or held back, and from now on they won’t be.

Competitions –

I’ve had a few people approach me about starting competitions already, and that’s great! I plan on doing a few smaller competitions throughout December (it’s a pretty busy month for people, don’t want to do anything too big), and hopefully have everything ready to go for the upcoming Sith War, after the holidays.

Surveys –

For a lot of the things I want to work on, I could really benefit from input from the entire Clan. So I’ll be putting up a series of polls using the message boards to help me with this, I’ll keep you all informed of when they are put up.

That’s all I’ve got for now. Hopefully I’ve provided everyone with a good look at what I plan on doing. On top of all these projects, I’ll be selecting a QUA and AED for HSK, and a PCON as well. Eventually I’ll also select someone to train into the CON position (possibly the PCON or someone else).

As I’ve said before I’m all about openness and communication, so I hope to hear from a lot of you. Ideas, opinions…anything you’ve got, send them my way. Here is all my contact info:

Email: [Log in to view e-mail addresses]

IRC: Kir or Kir|Away (if I’m away you can leave me messages)

AIM: DGMKirKatarn

Hope to hear from you soon!

~Kir~