<big>Greetings members of Exar Kun,</big>

We’ve had a tumultuous week behind us. Our Quaestor Cethgus Kuga resigned and went into exile amongst the rogues. Inarya, our newest Battleteam leader arrived and is settling into ‘Blades of Kun’. ‘Exar’s Shadow’ was purged of the inactive members in it.

**1.

**

First order of Business, I am announcing that both ‘Blades of Kun’ and ‘Exar’s Shadow’ are recruiting members once more. If you are active and wish to join the team, send a message to either teamleader and CC me in the process. As of right now ‘Blades of Kun’ has 4 vacancies (this number may alter after the inactives are purged from their roster) and ‘Exar’s Shadow’ has a staggering 6 vacancies. I expect active members to join a team and to remain active on it. Both BTL’s will hold competitions for their team only and joining a team could help you further your careers in the Brotherhood.

**2.

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Secondly, I am looking for an Aedile. This is not news in and of itself however I decided to reiterate my previous statements on the fact. If you qualify and are willing to assume a leadership position, please apply. We all want the best man/woman/thing in the position and the more choices we have, the harder deciding will become and the better it will turn out in the long run.

**3.

**

Thirdly, on the subject of competitions. Your summit will hold competitions at regular intervals, there will be events like the upcoming RoS where you can prove your worth to the clan and house. However, there is also another aspect. If you have an idea for a competition and are willing to hold it, I am willing to help you with that endeavour. Send me an email or talk to me on IRC and we will see about getting your competition off the ground. For instance, I am not a gamer, I know this and this means that I cannot host gaming competitions. If you wish to host one for the house or your Battleteam, then come to me, I’m here to help you grow in the DJB. I will contact the Gaming Tribune then and see about getting your competition launched. Hosting Competitions is a good way to show your summit you’re invested in the Brotherhood and are willing to work for your house/team/clan. Incidentally, they also lead to medals like Dark Crosses, Anteian Crosses and the like. However do remember that for holding one competition, I will not automatically give a Dark Cross! For continuous activity by hosting competitions to boost house morale and get people ready for future vendetta’s on the other hand…

**4.

**

Fourthly I would like to talk to you all about activity and moving up in this here Brotherhood. I have stated it before, I am here to help guide you. This implies I want to see all of you reach DJK and higher.

Apprentices, pass Brotherhood Basics, it is not a hard exam to pass and once passed I can promote you to Novices and get you on the path to the vaunted knighthood and the Lightsaber! I have spoken to our Rollmaster Koga on this matter and he should be sending out mails to all lower Journeymen as we speak. You are the future of this House, of this Clan and finally of this Brotherhood! Back in 2003, Muz Ashen, our esteemed Grandmaster was an Apprentice like you. About two years ago, our honoured Consul Alaris Jinn di Plagia was an Apprentice. The Proconsul joined around that time too. I have seen fresh members go from APP to DJK in under a year! Heck, I’ve seen people go from APP to EQ3 in under 2 years!

Now then, to our older members. Yes I am actually addressing you old farts in the back of the room now. We are not forgetting you, you are valued members of this House and I hope you will remain being just that. For you I have but one request, intermix with the younglings and Journeymen. Pass on your knowledge! And this does not have to be invasive, if you see a member who appears lost help him or point him to the summit for help. Join the Master/Student Program and pass on your knowledge to a new member. If you are interested in this, contact our RM Koga and myself about it. Even if you can only dedicate a few hours to a student a week. Some of these guys could do with even 15 to 30 minutes a day!

**5.

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Also, I know I’m talking a lot about helping the younger members grow into the Brotherhood and all but look at it from where I stand. At this exact moment there are 42 members in Exar Kun, 25 of those members are under the rank of DJK.

I have been playing with the member tracker on the database and in the time from January first 2009 to now (30th of August 2009) there have been 19 new members in HEK.

Of those 19, 9 advanced to Novice (47% (of 19 members)). Now this isn’t a bad figure if we remember that the DB-wide percentage for APP-NOV promotions is 25% (of 436 new members).

Of those 9 Novices, 5 reached the rank of Acolyte (26% (of 19 members)). Again we’re above the DB average of 10% (of 436 new members).

Of those 5 Acolytes, 2 reached the rank of Protector (11% (of 19 members)). The DB-wide average is here 6% (of 436 new members).

Of these 2 Protectors, 2 advanced to Guardian (11% (of 19 members)). The DB-wide average shows that 3% (of 436 new members) reached Guardian.

Of these 2 Guardians, 1 reached Jedi Hunter rank (5% (of 19 members)). The DB-wide average here is 3% (of 436 members) reached JH.

This one Jedi Hunter (of all new APPs that joined in the last 8 months) remains a JH for now.

Now, what we can deduce from this is that we are an average house in the DB with average statistics, perhaps slightly better then the DB-wide average. However, what I also see is that about 50% of those in a rank ended up promoted to the next one: of the 19, 9 got promoted. Of the 9, 5 got promoted. Of the 5, 2 got promoted. Of the 2, they all got promoted??!! Of the 2, 1 reached JH status.

**6.

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Now, I am hoping that if we all stand behind our lower Journeymen and provide them solid support through their careers that we might see more new knights show themselves. That we will find new leadership potential that is nowadays wasted. People always come to me telling me how it isn’t like it used to be, damn right it isn’t! The core of leaders and veterans that made our Journeyman-ship memorable is growing older, they are investing time in families and RL and instead of taking up their spots and making the DB experience memorable for these new members. We are sitting around thinking it is all degrading around our very eyes. Let’s show these new guys and girls what the DB-experience is and how we see/saw it. The older traditions won’t go away if we teach them to the new generations. But if we sanctify them and put them on a pedestal they will. I sit on a multi-barrelled canon here since I am from those same ‘old times’ and wish to preserve tradition but also don’t want tradition to conflict with rejuvenation and keeping us vital and alive

Well, I think everyone knows what my Hobby Horse is after that rant.

Regardless of all that though, I am here for all my members and will always remain so. If you have a problem, issue or question, don’t let it fester. Send me an email, use the message-boards to send me a private message or come talk to me on IRC (I should be in the main channel (#plagueis)) and together we’ll find a solution or see if we can’t work it out. I will try to remain impartial in all House-related issues that don’t threaten the house but if I diverge from that course, let me know so I can rebalance myself.

**7.

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Now then, the part you’ve all been waiting for, the big moment, the grand finale, the …

What are my plans for Exar Kun? Well, I am hoping to up the level of activity by giving the Journeymen more support in their ascension towards knighthood without alienating the veterans or having the veterans feel like they are being passed over. Secondly, I hope that by starting early with the preparations for the upcoming Rite of Supremacy that Exar Kun will be able to help the Clan in this vendetta event. Basically, I think that with renewed focus and by building up our ranks we will be able to bring glory to the clan. And in doing so we are ensuring that there will always be a House Exar Kun in Plagueis.

In the end, what makes a House grand comes down to three things: First and foremost it’s members. I hope that by focussing a large chunk of my time on the younger members that they in turn will focus on bettering the House. Secondly, the Focus or Aims of the House. If we just wish to preserve, we will die out. If we move with the times and rejuvenate (adapt) we can become truly great. And lastly the leaders, now before you go off in tangents on my bravado for praising myself. I don’t refer to me in this. Yes the Quaestor is important in the workings of a House. But it is the Rollmaster who guides young members to Knighthood, the Rollmaster is the first contact most of these members have with CP. The Battleteam leaders who organise events and competitions, keeping their members sharp. The Aedile who works with the Quaestor to oil the machine that is the House.

In closing, I am not going to make the promises I myself have heard so often. I won’t create a House website since we probably won’t use it. I am willing to make a site to host graphics, stories, etc that you wish to share with your fellow housemates though. If there is interest in that, send me the stuff you want on it and I’ll set it up. I am going to be looking to the elders and Equites in this House in the hopes that they help us compile an archive of traditions, historical anecdotes, funny insights, etc. of the past of House Exar Kun, but also Clan Exar Kun. Likewise, if you have things regarding HEK or CEK that you believe need to be preserved, send them to me and I’ll find out about putting them on a HEK/CEK heritage page. I am not going to tell you this will be easy to achieve. We have a long and hard way ahead of us if we wish to achieve Greatness. I won’t promise you wins in major events like GJWs or RoS’s simply because it won’t be possible to attain such heights without you helping me get there. Thank you for listening to my report and goodnight…

In Darkness,

KP Ood Bnar Sythe’rae

Quaestor of Exar Kun

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<small>KP Ood Bnar Sythe'rae (Krath)/QUA-PROF/Exar Kun of Plagueis [ACC: TRT]

SC-SoF / AC-ToSC / DC-SiP / GN / BN-BL / Cr-2A-6S-4E-3T-3Q / CF / DSS-AuL / SoF-GL / LS-PL / S:-10D-1Dk-5P-4U

{SA: MVN - DML - DMP - DMGH - DMF - SVT - DSLC}</small>