I think today, I'm going to start off this report by discussing my thoughts, and my opinions on the state of the Brotherhood, and how Tarentum fits into the grand scheme of things. What piece of the puzzle are we? Are we a corner, or a border piece, with easily-defined edges, and a bit of the picture that you intuitively know exactly where it goes, and you can place it in the general area it will fill right at the start? Or, perhaps are we something in the interior, where you may not exactly know where it will go, until the picture, the edge definition and your mind all link up for one perfect moment, and suddenly it all makes sense?

Quite frankly, Tarentum is both. And, in a grander way of thinking, so is the Brotherhood.

Star Wars is a niche in the online community that has hardcore fans, lackluster fans, new fans, old fans, and yet, somehow manages to still touch minds and imaginations over 30 years since the original movie was created. The Dark Brotherhood was created as a Club in the early- to mid-1990s. The "original Grand One," as I like to call him, Kane Vader has been a friend of mine. Once in a while, he'll return to activity, or he or I will drop an email to each other, and it's always good to hear from him. I haven't heard from him in a while, but contact with those who have been here from the proverbial, or even the literal start is always inspiring.

There's sometimes comments made in #db (our Club's main IRC Undernet channel) about veterans/elders/"decrepit and useless" members (won't mention who used that term) coming out of the woodworks. The inspiring thing to me is, after nearing 11 years of membership within this Club, and all time exclusive within it to Tarentum (except when I was on the Dark Council), this Club continues to be a place of entertainment, a place of enjoyment, a place of leisure, and a place of friendship. I still have old friends around here that were here when I joined, when I was often referred to by my peers in the Mystics of the Black Arts as "Sithie B." Now, most call me "Beef," "Bf/BF," or other things I won't mention. But how many people in the Brotherhood know me? A boatload.

So what does this mean? It means friendship. It means acquaintances. It also means animosity, in some cases. I'd be lying if I said I got along with everyone as well as I'd like in every case. But while there are some people who rub me the wrong way, and vice versa, the majority of the Brotherhood either already ARE my friends, or are in the process of becoming my friends. And therein, my friends, my peers, my Clubmates, is what I believe is the secret to the length of my membership, and maybe even yours.

I hope Tarentum is full of friends for you, and I would love to see the bonds that exist between Tarentum and Arcona become bonds between Tarentum and Naga Sadow, Tarentum and Taldryan, Tarentum and Revan, and so on, and so forth. Whether I get along with the leadership of each particular House, I can honestly say that each House, every House as an entity has my continued support, my continued desire to see you all thrive as much as I want to see Tarentum thrive and rise up. If we rise up, if we all pull together, if we all support the overall leadership of this Club's Dark Council, and the vision they hold and are guiding us towards, I believe this Club can only get better.

I pray that I can be a good member, and follow them, while still being an inspired, and inspiring, leader, and helping move Tarentum into new ground, and creatively interesting times. I'm entirely optimistic.

Welcome To Tarentum

Who joined?

If you look at the roster, today we're at 37 members. We have 10 active Tarentae, 27 active Tarenti. We have 14 active Journeymen, 20 active Equites (or soon-to-be), and 3 active Elders. We have some who are semi-active, some who are incredibly active.

So who joined?

People are coming back. People are coming in. The point being, though, this is what Tarentum is. It's a core group of individuals who come together in friendship, who bond as friends and family, and who maintain the activity, the leadership, and the vitality of Tarentum. In short, everyone who is on the roster right now is what Tarentum exists as. We define Tarentum. We make it something recognizable, something definitive, something of value. Each of us adds to the spirit that presses us forwards into activity, into camaraderie, and into legend.

The fact is, it's a good time to be a part of Tarentum. There are 37 individuals who are interested in making this House what it can be, what it ought to be, and shaping the future of this House into new legends and tales waiting to be told.

Welcome to Tarentum. And for our newest members, and our most recently returned members, we're glad to have you back. You are each our greatest resource, our most-prized treasure. And I am glad you are here.

Changes On The Dark Council

You might have recognized a shift in the upper levels of management, so to speak. Recently, Muz Ashen, the Grand Master, put out a call for applications to Deputy Grand Master. Seems he had one working for him the entire time, and he decided to acknowledge that, from reading his announcement about it. Halcyon Taldryan was elevated from the position of Voice, to the position of Deputy Grand. Halc has previously served as DGM to Sarin, and Muz will be utilizing him now to move on to bigger and better things.

With that change in position, Muz/Halc put out a call for applications to the position of Voice. For those interested, the Voice of the Brotherhood is basically the member in charge of all things fictional, competitions especially, over the Brotherhood as a whole. If you're a strong writer, delve into fiction on a moderate-to-heavy level, have a variety of creative ideas, and can handle the weight of such a work load, apply. Halc put out a few reports in his tenure as Voice, and if you'd like a little more information, Halc suggested reading one of those reports to familiarize yourself with what his former position entailed.

Check it out. Congrats to Halc. Good luck to those who apply for Voice. I'm sure the competition will be fierce.

Adaptation And Evolution

The general body of DJK+ members in Tarentum try to regularly engage in discussion about the adaptation and evolution of Tarentum as we move into the future. This is something I started after Ronovi made me her Aedile (not too long ago), and something I'm continuing during my tenure as Quaestor. The truth that everyone needs to recognize is, everyone plays an important role in adapting and evolving Tarentum, what it can be, what it is, etc.

Newer members are generally still adapting to the Brotherhood, learning the ropes, and finding their groove, their place within Tarentum. We want you all to focus on finding your place, and in making Tarentum the best that it can be. For those at or above the rank of Dark Jedi Knight, recognize that your voice means something, and your place within Tarentum helps to define this House for the rest of the membership. We all make Tarentum what it is, which also means our voices help to define the direction of the House.

As Quaestor, my job is to help steer the proverbial ship, and focus all activity and discussion as best I can. I can make choices based on what I see, what I hear, what I take in from you, who represent my family, my kin, my closest friends in Tarentum. When we discuss things, I need to hear your thoughts, I need to understand your perspective, and I need your input. At times, the things we discuss may weigh heavily on the future, while during other periods, things may generally reside around smaller issues. However, there is always something to raise your thoughts on, to speak your voice on, and your input is valuable beyond words.

If you have an opinion, if you have something on your mind, a question, a comment, a concern, or even just a moment's thought to share with the rest of this House, please feel free to do so. We may not always agree on everything, but we do always value each others' opinions.

I'll end this report there. You'll notice this marks report number three. You'll also note that this is not a "weekly report." I mentioned initially, and continue to plan to put out reports as I see fit every 1-2 weeks, as needed to update people on things, when I have stuff on my mind, or hell, even when I find a new header girl image that I think everyone wants to, or ought to see.

There's a lot going on in the Brotherhood, and if you watch the main News Page, you'll notice updates on the status of things very frequently. Get involved, but it's important to do so because the friendships we establish, the bonds that define us, come through interacting with the other members, our peers within the Club. If I haven't met you yet, I'm generally on IRC as "Bloodfyre," "Sith|Out" (when I'm afk, but leave a message), "Sith|Work" (when I'm at work, I'm probably at my laptop, but still, leave a message), or something to that effect; introduce yourself. Hit me up. I'd love to get to know you.

If you don't use IRC, get on it. But still, drop me an email. [Log in to view e-mail addresses] is me, and I'm always happy to hear from Tarentum itself, but from the rest of the Brotherhood in general. I'm all about making new friends. And if I can help you out, I'd be happy to.

Pass on the spirit that your House leadership gives to you. I can honestly say that every House I regularly interact with has leadership that I am pleased to associate with, and that I generally call friends. They're good members, they want to help you, and they have the same feelings towards their respective Houses as I do towards Tarentum.

To my own kin in Tarentum, I'm always around as much as I can be, and I'm here for you. Get a hold of me if you need to. Get in touch with Oberst with your writing if you're going to be involved in that. Hit me up on IRC, or Smoke, or Archean, or ask around in #tarentum if you want a game; I have JO, JA, BF, BFII, RC... I can't remember what else. I know I have a couple of the flying games, and if I could get those to work, I'd be up for those. I used to play Allegiance, which was a lot of fun. But I like to interact with my friends, my peers, my Tarentum family whenever I have the chance.

I hope you'll come around, and get involved as much as you can.

Have a great week, Tarentum.

-DJM Sith Bloodfyre-Tarentae Quaestor, House Tarentum Sith Order