DB News Digest I'm not going to make this report longer. Go ahead. Read Halc's report, read all the reports you can get your hands on. I have fantastic House news to present.

Here is the announcment at least a few of you are waiting for. House Revan's Rollmaster position will be filled by none other than our current Aedile, Callus Bo'Amar. This is not a step down or a step back for him - and it shouldn't be considered such. This is a focusing move, aimed at providing strict attention directly toward the membership and getting our Master-Student Project off the ground at long last.

Stepping into position of Aedile as he learns the ropes of leadership is James Roberts-Brannigan. He will be working alongside both Callus and I as we operate the backstage pieces of the House, collecting experience that will serve him in whatever future he is vaulting into at a brilliant pace.

Elad Cirith will be resurrecting Aurek Cell as its leader. He wants active members to get involved in this - some of you might remember what Aurek Cell was meant to be, and were involved until it finally slipped away. Expect communication about this reincarnation of our Cells.

AWOL Dry Run Update We have 32 members. 14 members responded to the AWOL Dry Run. 7 members joined after the AWOL check had started and were counted as "active" automatically. The check finished on June 28th.

I don't want to distill the results to numbers - instead, I'd like to say this so that those numbers have substance: Thank you, you 14 members who responded to let me know what our House will look like in the future. Don't forget that it was only a private dry run, a test of the system so that you're ready and prepared when the real thing faces us. Thank you, you seven new folks. Not to jump to being trite, but you are the future of this House. To those of you who didn't respond - respond to the real thing if you're still interested in being a part of the club. I want your help as this House comes back to peak performance. Look down into the "New Members and Promotions" heading. Join them, participate alongside them, and get yourself involved. We're ready to interact with you - I swear that we won't hurt you.

Shards of a Lingering Darkness This runon is in full swing. Callus, Kel, Lambow, James, and me are the Revan squad. Stop by the forums and read some of the writing. Kal (recently promoted!) has given us a fantastic environment and setting to play out a complex story. Cheer us on as we go, or just read - the work is fantastic!

Thyferran Holiday Callus and I are still working on the House RO "Thyferran Holiday" right now. If you somehow missed the news of this RO and would like to get involved, send us a message or write in the Out-of-Character topic for the RO. We'll try our best to get you folded into the plot.

New Members and Promotions Cilia Dace (formerly Silentmatrix) - APP, NOV Elad Cirith - JH Jermjerm - APP, NOV Hasar Mylezone - APP, NOV Vimersius - APP Calista Fairbright - APP, NOV, ACO James Roberts-Brannigan - APP, NOV, ACO, PRT, GRD

I want to stop and interpret this data for you, because otherwise, it's just a bunch of names and acronyms. Of seven members, only one of them has stayed at Apprentice. Three of them have met the requirements for Novice and are working forward. One has worked to Acolyte. One has blown through to Guardian. One transfered in with the mentality and the credentials required for a promotion to Jedi Hunter. I have talked to the great majority of these people.

Be envious, everybody. You will see these names again. I'm tempted to call them a "class" of Revan, but I don't really want to be that cheesy. But really, I'm thrilled to be a part of the growth of you seven. Thank you for being involved and active.

In addition to these new members, I want to welcome Tyre Arvalis back into Revan.

Awards Dalthid - 1 CoI Eiko - 41 CoF, Amethyst Crescent (Alien Swarm), Sapphire Crescent (RC Bag 'em), Sapphire Crescent (BF2 CTF) James - 28 CoF, Amethyst Crescent(Alien Swarm), Emerald Crescent (BF2 CTF)

July Competitions The Colonization Project - Closes: July 11th James designed and started this competition as he was working on the rank of Guardian. You're asked to create a settlement for 200,000 colonists - with in-universe implications for your design and plan. Be a part of House canon.

[Revan] - Closes: July 31st An open format competition. What comes to mind when you hear the word "Revan"? In any written format you'd like, present your thoughts, feelings, and views on the House, the Dark Lord, the philosophy, the history, or anything that you believe relates to the central topic.

Trivia Ladder II - Closes: September 30th For another three months, I will be pushing trivia through our email list. Answer and you can win points. Those points will put you up on the leaderboard. If you participate regularly, you have a great shot at earning a crescent. Top three finishers win, plus monthly LoS for the top two trivia winners of that month.

Quaestor's Notes I hope you're able to read the elation in my voice as I write this. A year and a half ago, I came into this House when a friend (Tratorus) told me that I'd love the ACC - a place to write fight scenes between two people. I came in without knowing much more than that.

What I found was more than just an online community. More than just a place to fritter away a few hours a week on writing in a fictional universe.

I might say that I found Star Wars - the sensations and feelings that swamped my thoughts as a kid when I was first introduced to New Hope and TIE fighters whining across the screen. Then I found the rich world of the Expanded Universe, with all of its canon history and pieces put together in a way that both allowed structure for what I wanted to write and wide open spaces for creativity. But what I really have found here is a core of talented, interested individuals who I would have never interacted with otherwise. Music that people have shared with me. Ideas that have been tossed together into a cohesive landscape of thoughts. Witty, bizarre, serious, and inane conversations via mailing lists, emails, and IRC conversations.

As I write this short finale to the first report of Revan's 2nd year, I'm hanging out on IRC with a crew of people who have impacted me: former and present Aediles, Rollmasters, fellow and former Quaestors, former and present Revanites. I played RC with five people at a time - and that's an experience that I think everyone should get the chance to take advantage of. I've written more promotion recommendations in the past few weeks than I have in my whole career as Quaestor - and granted, that's not a very long time in the grand sense, but it's still my frame of reference. I think this counts as a fantastic birthday party for the House. And if I can muster the energy, I hope that we can enjoy this sort of party all day today as well.

As a personal aside, these last few weeks have been some of the best I've had in the DB. You all have helped to make a way through our little activity bobble that sucked up much of the last year - and for me, I'm seeing the way out. For the first time, the sense of hope isn't restricted to a sheet of paper with a bunch of brainstorm notes hanging around. I'm seeing that the House is recovering.

And it's not my fault. You're the reason things are looking up. Don't scare me like that again, guys. Let's make this second year amazing. We have so much to look forward to: the Revan book, resurgent plankholders, talented new members, a Great Jedi War. We have a legacy to build.

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Of the founding members, the following are still active and present in House Revan: Lambow, Callus Bo'Amar, Daniel Stephens, Troutrooper, Dalthid. Thank you all for the devotion you've given this House - you've been a great part of getting this House to the point where it is.

TL;DR - Happy 2nd Anniversary, IHR! - Callus, RM; James, AED; Elad, BTL: Aurek Cell - Seven new members with incredible potential - New Competitions for July - Happy 2nd Anniversary, IHR! - Congrats on 2 years, IHR!

Postscript Give and Get - Seth Godin