ISD Eye of The Abyss II - Arcona Commandship

[Briefing Room]

...Marick’s finger pressed the button without theatrics. The gesture was so simple, and yet it carried more weight than any swing of his lightsaber could ever carry. Marick slumped back in his seat and let out a long breath of air he hadn’t realised he’d been holding.

“Is it done?” Montresor asked, the first to dare break the silence.

Marick nodded once. “Everything went according to plan. We will face the Ascendant House on Kalsunor, with Taretum lending aide as well.”

The room burst into a mixture of hushed whispers and excited chatter. Just as quickly as it started, the room then came to an abrupt hush. When Marick looked up, a hulking figure stood at the entrance to the briefing room.

Wuntila Arconae stepped into the light and took a position at the head of the central table opposite of Marick. All eyes shifted to their former Consul, who not three days prior was unconscious on a medical table after taking a RPG detonation head-on.

Wuntila wore plain robes of fine blue silk, his corded arms showing the lingering effects of multiple-degree burns. If they bothered him, he did not show it. He coughed but covered it with a grunt.

“Are you alright to be up, sir?” Atyiru asked carefully.

Wuntila waved her comment aside with a subtle turn of his wrist. “It’s only a flesh wound.”

The room remained silent as the Consul emeritus scanned his Summit. Finally his eyes settled on Marick, who now stood at the head of the room. The two Arconae locked eyes, unspoken words exchanging in mutual understanding between brothers in everything but blood.

“Arcona needs tact. Arcona needs strategy. As you have all seen, Arcona needs Marick,” The Dragon spoke, his voice effortlessly filling the small briefing room. With a nod to Marick, Wuntila dropped to one knee. The rest of the room followed suit, Montresor stumbling as he attempted to mimic everyone around him in haste.

“Long live the Shadow Lord,” Wuntila’s voice boomed.

“Arcona Invicta!” The entire room responded.

Read the full post on the forums.

A Passing of the Torch

Hello, and welcome to my first report as Consul of Clan Arcona. The above is just something small I wrote to help tie in the events that go on in the Clan with our little fictional development. One of the things I'd like to keep going is how we maintain a sense of continuity with the events of the Dark Crusade and our development as a unit fictionally. Too anyone put off by that, deal with it. ;)

I'd like to first thank everyone who has helped me get to where I stand today. Without your support and dedication I never would have lasted as long as I did. It truly is a testament to the family that Arcona has become to me.

I would also like to thank Wuntila, my predecessor, mentor, and most importantly my friend. We had talked about my taking over the reigns of the Clan for a while now, and after 22 months of Consulship, Wun has decided it was time to pass the torch. Rest assured, however, that the Dragon of Selen will still be close at hand, as he has agreed to stay on as my Proconsul for the time being. We are in the middle of a war, Arconans, though we call it something else. In times like these, leaders rise and shine, and Wuntila is still one of Arcona's best. Together we continue to do what we have done and guide you all forward, together, as the First Clan of the Brotherhood.

I'd like to thank everyone for being patient with us as we work on this transition. We spent a long time in each others shoes, and Wun's are pretty big to fill as is (literally, the guy wears like a size 14).

Announcements

James awarded GLS

First off, some really big news. I want everyone to once again congratulate our very own James Entar Arconae on his Golden Lightsaber! This is the highest honor our club has to give out, and there is no one more deserving of it than James. He has worked his butt off to bring us the amazing new website, and continues to work on projects that you will start to use in your everyday life to make the club a better place for all. Congrats James, and thank you again for being awesome!

Activity Check Results (formerly AWOL)

A lot of you may have noticed that Arcona has gotten considerably lighter. That is because we just ran our first AWOL check since the beginning of the year. However, in discussion with the fellow leaders of the Brotherhood, we realised that using the term "AWOL" has some negative connotations. So, from here on out, we will be doing what I am calling "Activity Checks". What this basically means is that every month, we will check in on each member’s activity. Activity can be anything from replying to an e-mail chain, popping on IRC for a few minutes to chat, or logging into the site to check out what else is going on in the club. Thanks to swanky coding, we have the ability to check how often members frequent www.darkjedibrotherhood.com. As that is the heart of the DB, no matter how busy a member may be you should be able to at least lurk or check the site once or twice a month.

While this may be a volunteer club, our leaders still give up a lot of their own personal time to dedicate to the club and the Clan. It is only fair that their efforts are being met by members who are willing to give back, and make their efforts worthwhile. There is nothing more frustrating in volunteering your own time to lead a unit where no one answers your e-mails or bothers to even reach out and say, "Hey, I'm really busy in real life right now, but I'm here." That is all we ever ask. Just let us know what's up. We are very understanding, I promise ;). You're all a part of Arcona no matter what rank you are, and we love hearing from each and every one of you.

Going forward, we will be much more on top of member activity, doing everything we can to make sure we are actively engaging you guys and making sure we are still creating a fun, healthy environment for you to play, compete, and grow in. Expect these checks to come more frequently.

I will also take the time to point out that going Rogue or being placed in Rogues is not a punishment. If you feel that you simply don't have time to commit to the Brotherhood, you will never be shunned or looked down upon for stepping away. If you are a member of Arcona, you carry that with you wherever you go. When and if you are ready to come back, it only takes a few button clicks and you'll be right back into action like you never left. Arcona will always be here for you, and we will never turn away one of our own.

While we hate to see any member go, 27 members have been transferred to the rogues. That leaves us with 59 members at count, still the most of any other unit in the Brotherhood. For those numbers junkies (like Tim and Vic) that's trimming 31.3953% of our roster. That's almost like going down a whole waist size, amirite? shutupwally

Departure

It is with a heavy heart we say goodbye to Teu, who has transferred back to her original unit of Clan Naga Sadow. A former Rollmaster and PCON for them, Teu came to us in a time where she wasn't comfortable with the situation she had fallen into with her leadership (at the time). You were all welcoming of her, and I know through talking with myself and the other leaders that she has nothing but good things to take with her from her time with us. I hope that she can share the things she learned from us, and that Naga Sadow listens to what she shares in hopes of making everyone get better.

Thank you Teu for rocking out with us!

Qel-Droma Report Out

Legorii put out a House Qel-Droma report. I suggest you go read it, it's ok I guess. (No really, it's pretty boss). Congratulations on Etah stepping back into the spotlight of Shadow Gate BTL! Another shout to Loki, who will be acting as his XO!

The Dark Crusade

Svolten, Arcona Victorious

So, Phase 2, Chapter 1 (P2C1) came to an end last month with Arcona dominating House Odan-Urr. Not only did our Special Teams Forces sweep almost every event, but the Main Forces (that's you guys!) showed the true strength of Clan Arcona. Even without some of our top members, you guys did not let anything slow you down. Looking at numbers, Arcona's Main Forces Run-On had 36 posts! Broken down, that came out to 14 participation points total...without 9 of our top members who also happen to be summit! I can't begin to say how incredibly proud I am of everyone.

Most importantly, thank you to our generals: Sang, Nadrin, Mark (Andrelious), S’nar, and Valtiere for helping coordinate the Main Forces RO. I will get more into member spotlight later in the report.

For all of our efforts, however, we failed to hit our 1.5 ration. What that translates to, for you guys, is that in the next round of the Crusade, we do not get a 9th slot for our Special Forces squad. While this may seem unimportant, having that extra slot increases Arcona's chance at having another placement.

If you are still confused by how Phase 2 works, I will readdress this later down in the report

There are multiple reasons we can throw at this, but ultimately it comes down to we didn't push ourselves hard enough. Simple as that. We are Arcona, and we can do better. We will do better.

Arcona Leader-board: Dark Crusade Novae

With that said, I wanted to share something that I took some time to make for you guys. I was talking with a few of the other leaders, as well as you, the members, and figured something like this might help motivate you guys to give it your all in the Vendetta. I was inspired by Xbox Live’s leaderboards, and so, I give you the Arcona Leader-board for Dark Crusade Novae.

The leader-board is ranked by total Novae earned during the Dark Crusade. In the case of a tie, the benefit went to who had the higher count of Gold, Silver, or Bronze respectively. As noted, you get a "pin" each round going forward marking how you participated. You will either have a "SF" for Special Forces team member, a "MF" for Main Forces member, or a "G" for one our Field Generals. If you do not have a character-avatar next to your name, it is because I could not find an image of your character on the wiki or otherwise. If you have one you'd like me to use for the future, please let me know.

Wun and I have kept a spreadsheet of this going since Phase 1, but if you see that I somehow missed one of your Novae please let me know so I can make adjustments. I've never done anything like this, nor seen it done, so I would appreciate your honest feedback on it in the comments below! If there are any questions, please let us know!

Participation

Novae aren't everything, of course. The true test of willpower and dedication comes down to how you've endured throughout the course of (unique) year-long vendetta.

Here you can find a listing of Arcona's Participation numbers. If for any reason we miscounted your contributions, please let us know so we can amend it.

How Phase 2 Works / Field General Selection

The Special Forces team selection is not something that is chosen lightly. When picking the members for this team, Wuntila, myself, and the Arconae all looked over our notes, spreadsheets and tabs we keep on the Clan and its members. We have studied and watched each of you over the past year, and used our best judgement to select our best members. These members have proven that in the past they have the ability to place in competitive events, as well as have the flexibility to excel at multiple competition-types that can be thrown our way. We don't know exactly which events will be a part of each planet, so that goes into the equation as well.

For example, Troutrooper is not a member of the Arconan Summit. However, he has consistently placed (and by the leaderboard is 3rd overall in total novae) throughout the Dark Crusade and so he was selected to be part of the team.

Rest assured, we do not make any of these moves or decisions lightly. And I think if you look at how our team performed on Svolten, you'll see why we chose the team we did.

The way Field Generals are selected is based on Summit Members who are not part of the Special Forces team. You will notice that while not holding any position on the Summit, Sang was still made a General for his experience, presence with the member-base, and his unfailing work ethic and contributions to the Dark Crusade so far. Just like Special Forces are not limited to Summit Members, Field Generals are not limited to the Summit as well. They are both positions that factor in you as an Arconan, what you bring to the table and how hard you're willing to work and drive others around you to do the same.

Phase 2, Chapter 2 (P2C2)

So a bit of an update. Here is how the planet:win records stand as of today.

Plagueis has Four Wins Arcona has Three Wins Taldryan has Two Wins

What that means is that this round, we need Plagueis to fall, and for us to come out with another victory. Which brings me to my next point.

This is the part that you've all probably been most waiting to hear about. As of last night, Planet selections for P2C2 have been made. It was a long day of waiting and calculating, but after all was said and done, and after all the smoke settled, we have ended up on the planet Kalsunor. The wiki blurb is vague as usual, but rest assured our beloved Voice is already devising evil ways to make the planet fun (read: perilous) for us (Thanks, Sarin!).

Our opponents this round will be... House Plageuis and House Tarentum!

This will be our first time going up against the Ascendant House (Plag). They have a real stable of talent in their ranks, and have done well to lead in total victories so far in the Crusade. This is your chance, Arconans, to show what you're truly made of, to rise against a challenge. We cannot go into this with anything but our best effort. Anything less will cause us to fall.

I would also like to wish luck to our allied unit of Tarentum, who we will get to play against as well. Tarentum has really stepped up in the last month or so, and I look forward to bashing (I mean, hugging...yea!) Ernordeth's face in gaming ;).

Never sleep on your opponents. We underestimated Tal on Krayiss II, and paid the price. Arcona remembers, however, and never forgets.

Wun and I will put out another Address to you guys when we get closer to the P2C2, which will begin on August 18th, 2013. More details to come as they are made available to us.

Recognition

With all of that stuff out of the way, let me take a minute to spotlight a few members who really stood out and went above and beyond the call of duty on Svolten in P2C1.

• From the Special Forces, Atyiru Araave knocked pretty much every event out of the park. It’s truly impressive watching someone come in mid-Crusade as a Novice and so naturally just step into the flow of things. She netted 2 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze novae to lead the entire Special Forces Team!

• From the Main Forces, I’d like to spotlight two members. Loki d’Tana was able to get all 6 of his events done in the first day of P2C1 launching. I’d also like to single out Kanis Da’uul who nabbed his first individual Gold Novae in Graphics!

Even more of our Journeymen stepped up, Riverche earning herself a set of Novae as well. Marrek Gunstinson joined just as we had begun Svolten, but wasted no time in jumping right in with the Run-On and his fictions. This just goes to show you it’s never too late or too soon to get involved. Talk with your leaders, your fellow members. We are all a family, and we are all here to help. Regardless of who you are or where you are placed, you are a part of Arcona’s strength and might. Together there is nothing we can’t accomplish.

Arcona Invicta

Awards

In the future, I am hoping (once we flatten out our report structure...more on that below)

Troutrooper, Atyiru, and S’nar have been awarded Steel Crosses. Legorii has also been awarded a Dark Cross as well as a Legion of Scholar. Mark and River also nabbed their own LoS as well. Yay, trivia nerds!

Words from the Proconsul

Hello Arconans. I’d like you to look at Plagueis, now back at me, now back at Plagueis, now back at me. I am not a Plagueian. I am your Proconsul. Look down, back up, what’s this? It’s my fist smashing down the doors to House Plagueis. Look again, my fist has turned into a tray of hors d'oeuvres delicately aligned in the shape of the letter “T” for Tarentum.

I’m on a Rancor.

So, whilst I have your attention, I wish to cover some brief points. Please bear with me.

As your Proconsul, I am now the link between yourselves and Marick. Whilst Wally previously acted as the bridge between myself, dealing with external matters and Dark Council proceedings, and the Clan, I now act in that capacity for Wally. That means, contrary to the readily returned-to chain of command, wherein people would approach Wally as I was likely to be preoccupied, people should now approach me in order to ensure that Wally’s plate is left as clean as possible so he can continue to deal in the Dark Council as Arcona’s representative. That means, should you have any concerns, queries or worries, bring them to your BTL, your AED, your QUA, or me. Absolutely do not concern Wally with matters that would otherwise burden him in his new capacity.

That said, I hope to be able to provide a service to the Clan in my new capacity. Gone are the days of the tyrant. Here you will see me in the capacity for which I became renowned under Zandro’s tenure. Ruthless efficiency.

Whilst I have recently started a new job, thus eating into precious IRC time, I will always be available via email, and I endeavour to ensure that I respond quickly and efficiently. I am also available on WhatsApp and GChat, should email not be an option.

Anyway, I feel that’s enough of my lecture for you to be taking in for the time being. Suffice it to say that I’m pleased to be given the opportunity to help Wally transition into his new position as Consul, and I thank you all for putting up with me over my extremely long stint at the head of this Clan. May Wally’s tenure be even longer, and may the success under my reign continue tenfold under Wally’s.

In Darkness,

Wuntila Arconae, Consul Emeritus, Dragon of Selen, and Proconsul of Clan Arcona.

Clan Arbiter Survey!

Feta, the Clan Arbiter, is running a survey for us. We rely heavily on member feedback, so please take a few moments to fill this out. Also make sure to bring concerns or questions you may have to her. You can find her on g-chat, IRC, and always at her e-mail: [Log in to view e-mail addresses].

You can find the survey here. We are looking to hear how connected you have been with the Dark Crusade, and staying in touch with the events of the Brotherhood. We also are proposing a new Report-Structure for how Monthly reports will be handled. Without your feedback, we have no way of knowing if what we are doing is making you happy or not.

Thank you guys!

TL;DR

• Wally is Consul, Wun is Proconsul
• James GLS - New Website is Awesome
• AWOL CHECK renamed to Activity Check, continuous monitoring of member activity to keep roster as up to date as possible.
• Arcona Wins Svolten
• Arcona Leaderboard (Total Novae) released
• Etah = SG BTL, Loki = XO
• Phase 2 Explained
• Our members = teh win. Tigerblood and all that
• Arbiter Survey, Do it!
• P2C2 Starts on the 18th
• Arcona vs Plagueis vs Tarentum Showdown!
• Wally likes Markdown more than mudkips.

To The Future

Again, I just want to thank everyone who has put their faith in me to lead this Clan. I hope we can not only experience unprecedented internal growth, but that we can also reach out and help others who are willing to be helped.

Thank you for trudging through that entire report.

In Darkness,

-W

(Sam doesn't know this, but if you click here, you can see him very drunk on the path train after puking! #PCONhazing #payback)