Krath Epis Legorii Kryotek Entar

2 August 2013

What's good, HQD? Thought I'd slip a little report in here for you, got some things to announce and preview. Also wanna throw out big congratulations to some of the folks who really kicked ass on Svolten for us last month, and earned themselves some top-five finishes. I'm really stoked with how the House is looking, and looking over the stuff we've got planned for the future, I'm excited. Montresor's excited. You should be excited.

Let's get to it.

Shadow Gate

Let's start with our big announcement of the week. We had a number of great applicants for the Shadow Gate Battleteam Leader position, and I can honestly tell you that it was the toughest personnel decision I've ever had to make. For that reason, I'm making this announcement 48 hours later than I intended to, and for that, I apologize.

But, allow me to announce OP Etah d'Tana as the newest BTL of Shadow Gate! Etah has been a valuable member of Clan Arcona for years, and has held down a variety of leadership spots, including some stints as Quaestor and Aedile of House Galeres. He was even BTL of Qel-Droma Phyle, way back in the day! Anyways, I'm excited to welcome Etah to the team, where I know he will make immediate contributions. We've already talked at length about some of his plans, and let me tell you guys, there's great things in store for Shadow Gate. You don't wanna miss this.

So, we've got Etah sliding in as BTL, but I've got another very important personnel announcement to make. Joining Etah in leading Shadow Gate as XO will be DJK Loki d'Tana, one of Qel-Droma's biggest studs and an absolute Dark Crusade workhorse. Solari just tossed him a Steel Cross for passing an eye-popping 19 Shadow Academy courses in a week's time! Loki has been really helpful in my four weeks as Quaestor, and he has some great ideas. These two are gonna do big things!

I also want to give a hearty welcome to the two newest members of our House (who have now been here for two weeks) OT Voden Erinos and ACO Rrogon Skar!

Svolten

Alright, let's talk Svolten. First, you guys rocked it. I mean, we're Arcona, so we have some pretty high expectations to begin with, but 20 out of 22 possible placements? Wow, that's something to be proud of. First, I want to recognize JK Kanis Da'uul for his Gold Novae in Graphics! Spot on, dude. Our savvy veteran, SWL Nadrin Erinos Arconae, also hauled in a Gold Novae in the Infection Fiction and a Silver Novae in the Assault Fiction, to accompany a solid 4th place in Gaming. Wes Biriuk, Loki d'Tana, Nikola Valtiere, Fet'ai'narun, and Etah d'Tana got in on the top-five action as well.

Great job, every single one of you. I know this Crusade is long, but we can't let up yet. I can't stress enough how important the General Forces are to our Clan's success; without you guys, we would literally be nowhere. Every single entry counts, and you guys came through for us. Next time, in a few weeks, we need to do even better. I know you won't let me, or each other, down. Look at those Novae hauls -- with perennial tigerblooders like Marick and Wuntila out of the way in Special Forces, the doors are wide open for you guys to bring home some serious hardware. Over the next week we'll be looking at stringing together some nice awards for everyone who generously put in the time and effort.

This Crusade is a big, big opportunity to make a name for yourself, and an opportunity to be part of a Clan-wide effort. We are all in this together, in the trenches shoulder-to-shoulder, fighting for more than just ourselves. We are one Clan.

Updates

So, the next topic is our House's fictional direction. I've been talking a lot with Valtiere and Montresor about where we're headed, and what we can do to spice things up. So, on that note, three things.

First, I want to preview for you a new project we're working on, to create merit-based fictional awards for House Qel-Droma, similar to the "Prodigy" and "Blade" awards that House Galeres has. These awards will not be given out lightly, and their recipients will be among the best our House has to offer. This is an idea that was brought forward by Valtiere, and he has really put in a lot of work to make it a reality. Expect to see the finalized graphics and write-ups in the next two weeks -- who knows, we may even award the first recipient after the August Dark Crusade chapter!

Second, we're in the process of reconciling the different fictional storylines that have kind of been left dangling by "A House Divided" and the Dark Crusade. I know we promised you a wrap-up fiction for "A House Divided", but that's morphed into something more. Expect to see -- as soon as we have it ready -- a fictional piece that kind of hits the reset button for us, tying everything together and laying the foundation for some House development (and, within that, individual development).

Finally, this is me asking all of you to chime in. This is your House, and you have a say in what it does and where it goes, fictionally. You don't have to actually write anything (unless you want to). But, if you have any suggestions, anything you'd like to see, or any ideas, please do not hesitate to contact Montresor or I. Some of our members have already done this; some ideas, like Valtiere's, have been really well-received, and we're working quickly to make them happen. Others haven't quite fit with what we're doing right now, and that's okay. Just because your idea doesn't become part of Qel-Droma lore doesn't mean it can't be part of your character's history, and it may even be something that can be incorporated down the road.

I look forward to hearing from you. I'm here to serve you guys; you're the reason why I'm here. Help me make Qel-Droma into the House you've always dreamed of.

Promotions

Absolutely insane awards and promotions to report this time...and this doesn't even include all the Novae and merits that will come from the Svolten chapter! Congratulations are in order for all of these folks!

• Montresor to Sith Battlemaster!!
• Valtiere to Sith Warrior!!
• Kanis to Dark Jedi Knight!!
• Marrek Gunstinson to Guardian!
• Tycho Isod to Acolyte!
• Rrogon Skar to Acolyte!

Awards

• Loki: 1x Steel Cross, 1x Dark Cross, 2x Cluster of Fire, 2x Cluster of Ice

• Kanis: 1x Legion of the Scholar, 2x Scroll of Indoctrination, 2x Cluster of Fire, 2x Cluster of Ice

• Montresor: 272x Cluster of Fire, 2x Cluster of Ice

• Invictus: 46x Cluster of Fire

• Wes: 10x Cluster of Fire

• Nadrin: 6x Cluster of Fire, 2x Cluster of Ice

• Valtiere: 6x Cluster of Fire, 2x Cluster of Ice

• Feta: 1x Scroll of Indoctrination

• Naradas: 1x Scroll of Indoctrination

• Marrek: 1x Cluster of Fire, 2x Cluster of Ice

• Etah: 2x Cluster of Ice

• Ood: 2x Cluster of Ice

Alright folks, that's it from my end. Thanks for bearing with me -- there's been a lot to report. We'll have even more for you soon enough, just wait. I hope everyone enjoys their August. This is a big vacation month, and I'm excited for my own beach trip in a week. I've seen a lot of you guys on IRC lately, and that's awesome. I'm always around to chat, and I'm usually down for some shenanigans. If you need anything, please don't be shy -- Google Hangouts/chat, IRC, email, they all work.

I wanna get to know you better. That's one of the best things about being a leader, that I have the opportunity to work with some really great people. Keep doing what you're doing, guys, and have fun! See ya next time!

Summation

• Etah d'Tana is the new Shadow Gate BTL!
• Loki d'Tana is the new Shadow Gate XO!
• Congrats to everyone who participated in DC 2.1!
• New fictional merit awards coming!
• New fictional direction -- contribute!
• Pair of Equite promotions, tons of Journeyman promotions and awards!
• Dark Crusade P2C2, coming soon!