Good morning, everyone in my area; good afternoon, those along the east coast; and good evening if you're stranded across the Atlantic. This is your Aedile here, with another - and on time at that - report. On Cinco de Mayo, no less. So crack open a bottle of tequila, and let's get this started.

Departures

Before I get down to the nitty gritty of the IG results (what we have so far, at least), I actually want to place some attention on three Plagueians who have left the house and gone to the Rogues over the past week. Don't worry - we're not having a mass exodus, and the unit is still in top shape. However, it is always bittersweet to lose someone to real life priorities or simply the idea that they have worn themselves thin within the Brotherhood. So I'd like to honor all of our departed (literally - they're not dead).

First, Xathia Edraven. Xathia came to us from Arcona and was a marvelous addition to our ranks. Her presence was meaningful, and her contributions to the war effort were recognized. She has decided to leave the Brotherhood due to a new job and family concerns, and we wish her all the best.

Second, Vessicant. Vessicant has been with Plagueis for quite a while, recognized as quite the war horse. Always a mentor from afar, he was around to help us whoop ass whenever a vendetta came around the corner. We wish him nothing but happiness as he moves on from the Brotherhood.

Finally, and most recently, Evoroth Stigaryl. Evoroth was a fantastic Journeyman, but he, too, can no longer make time for Plagueis or the Brotherhood at large. Take care of yourself, Evoroth, and may life treat you well and kindly.

Feel free to message a goodbye or a send-off to all three of these members. We highly value everyone who is or has been in Plagueis. We are essentially a big darkie family, so let's show them a good farewell.

Independence Games

Participation

The IGs wrapped up on April 26th, and several competitions have been judged since then. Arden has been absolutely awesome by creating a placement spreadsheet, which we have been using to keep track of participation and awards. First, we would like to give special recognition to all of the participants (so far documented) of the IGs:

Alaris Jinn di Plagia Arden Karn Brimstone Celevon Edraven Kuro Kogarasu Ronovi Tavisaen Silent Tra'an Reith Vessicant

If you are not on this list and you did indeed participate, don't worry; as events are continually graded, we will update the list accordingly. If an event has been graded and you do not see yourself listed as a participant, hit me and Arden up on IRC or Gmail.

Placements

Second, I would now like to recognize those who have (so far documented) placed in the IGs and shown individual success and glory. Remember, this is not a full list of placement, and who knows, maybe one of our members will wind up winning a Nova (or two) for a competition category:

Alaris Jinn di Plagia, who received 1 Diamond Crescent. Arden Karn, who received 1 Diamond Crescent, 1 Ruby Crescent, and 1 Amethyst Crescent. Brimstone, who received 1 Ruby Crescent and 1 Sapphire Crescent. Celevon Edraven, who received 1 Sapphire Crescent. Ronovi Tavisaen, who received 1 Diamond Crescent, 1 Ruby Crescent, and 1 Amethyst Crescent. Silent, who received 2 Amethyst Crescents. Tra'an Reith, who received 1 Ruby Crescent.

The total amount of crescents that we have won so far, as a unit, are:

3 Crescents with a Diamond Star 4 Crescents with a Ruby Star 4 Crescents with an Amethyst Star and 2 Crescents with a Sapphire Star

That means that, so far, individual Plagueians have helped us collect 13 Crescents. Nicely done!

House Points

Finally, onto points. Yes, we've been calculating those as well. While the IGs were indeed a competition purposely designed for an individual to succeed, Tra'an and I do find it important to see how we are functioning as a unit. This helps us understand what we need to do to maintain morale, enthusiasm, and confidence for every competition, vendetta, and event. So here's what we have so far.

Excluding administrator points (i.e. if you ran a competition), we as a unit have amassed 276 participation and placement points thus far in the grading process. Nine members, consequently, submitted to a total of 46 events, with the highest amount of events for an individual member being 11 events. This is fine, guys. We were absolutely not expecting people to submit to all freaking sixty of the events. Those who participated went for the competitions that they would enjoy doing, rather than forcing themselves to submit for the sake of house success.

I did in fact send out an e-mail a while back asking about the IGs, what you thought of them, and what you thought your favorite competition was. As we wait for the rest of the games to be graded, be sure to respond to my e-mail because we would love to hear from you.

Dark Crusade: Phase I, Chapter III

That's right, Plagueis - starting on May 17th and ending on May 31st, Chapter III of Phase I of Dark Crusade will begin. Some of you have probably already seen the e-mail circulating, asking for your opinion about which planet we should work on - Ch'hodos or Barghebba. We sincerely appreciated every ounce of feedback you sent the summit's way, and we considered each comment before making our decision.

One of our esteemed members, Solus, wanted to make clear that fictionally, we are not occupying these planets. We are, in fact, aiding the Dark Council in seizing those planets while we receive spoils. If you'd like to work this information into a story, that's great. We just wanted to clarify.

Unlike the IGs, we are once again going into all-out unit power mode. We did an absolutely fantastic job in both Chapters I and II of Phase I, earning the top slots among our rival units. But Chapter III is not going to be a walk in the park. Remember how much thinner of a lead we got in Chapter II compared to what we got in Chapter I. Other units know that we can pack a wallop, and they are doubling down on their own efforts to challenge us and others. We need to crack our knuckles, take a deep breath, and give absolutely everything to the next chapter to prove, once again, that we are worthy of recognition. And that might mean tackling one of the big cheese clans or houses.

I have complete and total confidence that whatever happens, we will emerge from the vendetta knowing that we put our full energy into it. Remember: we are the Ascendant House. We do nothing but ascend - rise - to the occasion. So roll up the sleeves of your robes, unclog your rifles, and click open your pens. After one more week of R&R, we are going to knock 'em out!

Conclusion

Even as we lose valuable members, we gain a new sense of strength and family with the members who are still here. As sappy as it sounds, don't forget to reach out to your fellow Plagueians. I myself have offered to be part of fictional exercises and activities for members who wish to further develop their characters. So even though I'm fairly busy with my real life job and my Aedileship, don't be afraid to hit me up with questions or concerns on IRC or Gchat. And see if you can work with each other to create something totally awesome.

Thanks for reading this doozy of a report. This is Ronovi, signing off.