Over the past few months we have witnessed some considerable highs, and some troubling lows. I have encountered these in more facets than I would have wished. But, through it all, we have pressed on. We have continued our stand, moved beyond the struggle.

Arcona's victory over Plagueis was, for me, a crowning moment. It went beyond demonstrating our continuing prominence as a primary unit in the Brotherhood; it also served as an awakening. In no way shape or form are we infallible. We are just as susceptible to moments of weakness, just as liable to fall into the traps of exhaustion and fatigue. But we are still strong. We are still united. And that last part strikes home as the fundamental premise upon which Arcona's philosophy is based.

It was a tough thing to do, resigning as Consul. But I knew in my heart of hearts that I'd be only stepping down one rung, helping Wally in the challenges he would encounter when he sat down on the Serpentine Throne. Now I'm making the final step. Wally has developed into a stalwart embodiment of what Arcona represents. He has taken to his new role like a duck to water. And it is for this reason that, today, I tendered my resignation as Proconsul.

I have only four sentences to say to you that, I think, sums up everything that I tried to stand for in Arconan leadership:

"Continue your rise. Fight the fight. Rise above the struggle. Represent."

Set aside your differences with whatever units, whichever people, to which you harbour animosity. We are an ideal, and we need to ensure that we remain pure and strong in the months and years ahead.

If there is one thing I'm proud of about my tenure in Arconan leadership, it is that Arcona is better than petty squabbles - we rise above, we lead, and we work for the betterment of the Brotherhood as a whole. Whatever you do, don't ever lose sight of that vision.

With immense thanks and kindest regards,

His Excellency,

The Dragon of Selen, Wuntila Arconae.

And So The Dragon Rests...

I sat here for about ten minutes trying to think of what to write here. Instead, I decided to let the man speak for himself. Still, I feel I should add my own words.

On the surface you see things like 40+ months in active leadership. 4 out of 5 planets won in the Dark Crusade. 10 total Novae in the Crusade alone. A Great Jedi War victory. Victory in Horizons. He was and still is a man who lives and dies on his decisions and their consequences. Like them or not, there was never any doubt when Wuntila made a tough call or decision. His conviction and resolve is second to none. It is all of these traits that make him one of the best leaders this club has ever seen, regardless of what others may think. I had the privilege to serve under him as a BTL, QUA, and PCON for the past 3 and a half years. I can safely say that I would not be the leader I am today without him.

And so, among all things I’ve said to the Clan here and there since stepping into the role of Consul of Clan Arcona, I repeat one final thing.

Thank you, Sam..

Proconsul Applications Open

The last time Proconsul was opened for applications was November, 2011. As the person who held that position for 2 years, I believe I have a pretty accurate understanding of what the position entails, what it means, and what type of person it takes to handle the position.

I am not going to be looking for a 30/60/90. I do not want a list of recommendations. Proconsul in Arcona is not a fancy Aedile.

• In Arcona, the Proconsul’s responsibilities lie with interacting with the membership and leadership. Conventionally, they are also the liaison between the members and the Consul. but as all of you know me too well, that is not going to happen :P. Too much of who I am and what I do is involved with interacting with each of you.

• As Proconsul, there was a mantra I lived by, which is still at the heart of the way I operate as a leader and something I expect my Summit to follow, as well:”There are no problems, only solutions.” What I am looking for is who you are as a person. Tell me about your leadership experiences not just in the Brotherhood, but in real life. I want to know how good you are at solving problems and coming up with solutions. Tell me what you bring to the table, and why you think you would be a good choice to be second in command of the First Clan of The Brotherhood.

Please send your resume’s to ([Log in to view e-mail addresses]). They will remain open until Tuesday, the 17th of September (9/17).

We are currently in downtime, but that does not mean we rest. Arcona is always moving forward, and always striving to maintain excellence. On that note...

Kalsunor: The Aftermath

As you have all been made aware, Arcona has claimed victory of Kalsunor. Despite the fact that there were only 4 events, this battle proved to be Arcona’s biggest challenge to date. No longer just relying on just our ability to rally participation, the select members of Arcona’s Special Forces team were tasked with taking on two of the top scorers in the Brotherhood and a unit that had up until that point not lost a planet.

We were all tired. This Crusade has dragged on for 9 months now. As a club, we have never experienced anything close to this. We are in uncharted waters. And still Arcona pushed forward to meet its next obstacle.

And finally, after months of build up, the titans finally clashed, and Arcona’s Special Forces gave everything they had. Plagueis managed to sweep Gaming. That meant that Arcona needed Gold in the remaining three events. And they did.

In the end, there was only one conclusion:Arcona claims victory over Kalsunor!

Do not mistake for an instant that this victory came easily, however. It came down to one or two entries. One extra proof read of a fiction and the courage to submit it. An extra edit to the sound levels between transitions. Three hours of copy/pasting writing into a photoshop template. This is what separates good from great, and it is things like this that really speak to how hard Arconans fight.

Our main forces were still handily beaten by Plagueis, who hit a 1.5+ ratio. We did not reach the 1.5 ratio we needed to gain an extra member for the Special Forces team next round. Still, we managed to hit a ratio of 1.2, and still took home a plethora of Novae! I am so proud of each and every one of you who showed up and gave it everything you had. I know everyone is tired. That makes everything even more precious, though. For some that meant only one event. Every submission counted, however, and every push made a difference in the end. In time, all of these victories will add up and come full circle. You will see what your efforts have wrought, and how Arcona will grow even stronger as we continue to move forward together as one unit, the First Clan of The Brotherhood. Arcona.

You can view Raken’s DGM Report, and the full listing of P2C2 results here

Recognition

This victory is truly a team effort. More than ever before Arcona needed to rally together as one to pull of this victory. On the front lines were your Special Forces, and it is them you all should thank and look to for inspiration. They each embody the spirit of Arcona - fighting for every inch. I figured it would be cool for you guys to see the amount of work that went into these Novae-winning entries while highlighting the stable of talent Arcona possess.

Special Forces

BattlePlan

• Gold Novae Entry -- Marick, Troutrooper, Socorra, Atyiru
• Silver Novae Entry -- Wuntila, Legorii, Invictus, Donny (S’nar)

MultiMedia

• Gold Novae Entry -- Marick Arconae - Live Action Short Film
• 4th Place Entry -- Socorra Erinos - Graphic/Animation

Main Forces

• Sai, Teroch, and Arion made a sweeping gesture of fiction taking Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Timeros snuck in at 5th place too. Not bad for someone who knocked out all his events in under 24 hours ;P.
• Montresor aced MultiMedia with a Gold Novae, with Vynn taking Bronze. Inarya and Feta secured 4th/5th place as well!
• In gaming, Nadrin and Deimos (formerly Loki), took Silver and Bronze, with Riverche sneaking in at 4th place.

Amazing work all around, guys.

I will be updating the graphical leaderboard as we get close to the final chapter. For now, you can see the current leaderboard for total Novae earned, and the latest participation numbers here!

What now?

Well, I guess I should include some elements of a normal report.

Promotions, Awards, Transfers

• New recruit Kinto has already made it to Acolyte!
• River earned herself a SC for her high level of activity, IRC presence, and ability to seemingly never get bored of taking SA Exams (teach me someday this secret...)
• Kord received a DC for helping correlate data for me like a good little dro-I mean Dark Jedi Knight! Oh yea, that happened too ;).
• That makes 15 Dark Jedi Knights now.

Sadly, we have to say goodbye to Arion. While his stay with us was short, he was a full on contributor in Phase 2, Chapter 2, and for this we thank him for sharing the field with us. We wish him the best of luck in returning to Naga Sadow to help as they try enter a period of rebuilding.

"Oh, that what now"

As most of you will be pleased to hear, we have been given a 2-month break from the Crusade. On top of that, Muz has decided that November's planets will be the FINAL (as in, never again) battle of the Dark Crusade! We are almost there guys, I promise. If we win this last round, we have a chance to win the overall Crusade, which according to Muz and Raken will net us some really awesome stuff exclusive to Arcona!

In the coming 2-months, we’re going to be working on things we have not been able to do before. We will work on updating Wiki pages to reflect the progress of battle. Focus on updating your own characters. Enjoy each other’s company. We have some cool competitions that will be easy, simple, and light hearted to help fill some of the down time. IRC Trivia, Caption Contests, and other fun things you saw back in the IGs.

However, if you still have an itch, or have a competition of your own you’d like to run, just let your Summit know! We are here for you guys.

New Character Sheets!

New Character Sheets are live. While still in BETA, myself and the rest of the CS team rely heavily on your feedback to ensure that we are exploring all possible solutions to create a fun and enjoyable system to be used for helping portray the characters we’ve built our experience in the Brotherhood around.

Check out the Character Sheet Express Guide and please make use of the feedback form.

Any questions, you can typically find me on IRC. If not, I always have my e-mail. ;)

TL;DR

• Wuntila steps down from Proconsul (<3)
• Proconsul Applications Open
• Arcona wins Kalsunor!
• Special Forces Novae entries listed, check them out!
• 2 Months Off!
• Only ONE more Chapter left in the Dark Crusade!
• Some light, fun competitions on the way!
• 15 DJKs this year alone!
• Create your new Character Sheet!

In Closing

Again thanks for bearing with me through another long report. If any of you have not seen it yet, please direct your attentions to this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jofNR_WkoCE

I expect everyone to be able to answer this very important question.

(Courtesty of Kazmir)

Oh, and don't be like Archangel, who had this to say:

`Archangel> Various things
`Archangel> But the fish goes blub and that's all that matters

That is all.

In Darkness,

-W