January 3rd, 2014 -

Welcome to another Tarentum Aedile Report,

Resolutions. One of the things I dislike about the holiday season is that time between Christmas and New Years, where people seem to have some sort of excuse to get all up in your business and ask what your resolutions are. Some even go as far as to tell you what your resolution should be...oh the places I tell them to go in return.

You see, I never really took stock in resolutions. The first step to making a resolution is identifying weaknesses in yourself...and frankly, I just don't have any. However, there are things I could do better than I already am - and it will be on me to dictate them. Tarentum is no different.

I recently ran a survey for this house and one of the questions in it was "what makes Tarentum great?". Every person who responded had a different answer. I'm not surprised, Tarentum has many great attributes, such as (and not limited it):

• Our History: Forced by a Grand Master to finally clan, it is no wonder Tarentum has a history of defiance when our roots connect so deep to Tau Squadron. Time and time again we have faced closure, just like they did, and we stepped up to the challenge and said "No, we won't close". Even during the Exodus when all the other clans and the club itself had to find new homes or systems; we said no. We kept the Yridian System and our connections to our past are strong. Our history makes us unique, it shows our strength.

• Our Story: Tarentum has the honor of being the "darkity-dark" house. We are the House of Life & Death. We are former Necromancers, formerly bound to the God of Life & Death; until we killed his agents/our jailers, the Keepers. Our members have called on Smoke demons and Rakghouls to do our bidding, practiced the most unspeakable of experiments, and twisted the dark side of the force to our gruesome will. Only through Tarentum can someone learn of the other plain of existence, and survive it.

• Our Influence: We have a motherf*cking Sith Lord in our ranks. Few units in the DB can boast about that. We have former Dark Councillors & former Order Leaders in our ranks. We have current and former DC staff members. There are few places in the DB that hasn't been touched by a Tarentum member at some time or another. Just give us time.

• Our Tarentae: No unit would be where they are today without their most noted members. That's a fact, to get a clan title you need to have made a great impact on your unit. But the great units of this club are the ones who have a healthy of those who keep coming back. The Old Guard is what I call them.

• Our Attitude: I think you mean our confidence in ourselves. Though that takes attitude.

• Our Summit: aww, thanks guys.

• &, of course, Our Members: We call our members Tarenti. It seemed like a funny word when I joined Tarentum almost seven years ago. But it was a word for all of us. Didn't matter if you were summit or not, tarentae or not, or active or in some cases even rogued for the moment; we are all Tarenti. It's the Tarenti that make Tarentum, and it will be the Tarenti that decide & Tarentum's fate. No one else.

As we start this new year, focus on what our strengths are. What we do well. And how we will continue to make Tarentum's fate.

Next Section!

Survey: This had the best results I've ever had from a survey I created. Well done! Almost half the house responded once you take our Scion and I and the recent joins, so I think this actually beats voter turnout in Canada for the past ten years and we are one of the most democratic nations in the world :P lol

Interestingly enough, we had all the Elders & half the journeymen respond while the Equites were kinda dotted across the ranks. Just keep in mind, Scion and I will be watching this and adjusting our audience accordingly. Results:

• Best Day & Time for Trivia: Friday Nights/Saturday Afternoons.
• What brings you back: Friends/Star Wars/Competitions
• Bring you back more often: Fresh Ideas/Internet Connection/Rekio (I totally agree)
• Do's for Tarentum Story: Lasting Change/Fresh Ideas/Necromancy
• Do not's for Tarentum Story: Pirates/Competitions on your "feelings"
• Tarentum's Short-term Future: New Fiction/More TOR involvement
• Tarentum's Medium-term Future: Pool of new Journeymen and Low level Equites
• Tarentum's Long-term Future: Clan/Clan titles
• Top 2 Themes: Necromancy/Sith King Servants
• Bottom 2 Themes: Pirates/Nomads

Forums Revived: In preparation for the new story-line, I have cleaned up the Tarentum forums to group threads accordingly. With the new site as well as the ease to make competition sites when we want to (wordpress and such) there really is no need to host competitions on the forums anymore (which was the bulk of stuff on there). Main page is left for for discussion, sub-forum to house Run-ons (which you will be seeing in the new story-line.

Check out the Forums here and make sure to join the Ale Pond and "Ask a Stupid Question, Get a Stupid Answer" threads!

New Story Launch: Plots have been hammered out. Fine details are just being closed out or just have been. Couple of awesome features planned down the road. Right now we are looking at a mid-January launch for Prologue: Part I which will introduce the background for the story line. Part II will be quick on its heels with a Run-on event that will introduce a major player in the new story line.

Discussion Piece: A new feature for my reports, and a way to liven up the forums. Every now and then I will try to open up a discussion thread of a pressing issue or something the Summit is interested in. This time I would like to know your thoughts on the Master-Student Program. What would you like to see done with it, or for the Summit to considered. An interesting idea for you to vote on is if you think its worth-while for Elders to mentor Equites. You can vote and discuss here

DB-Wide: A whirlwind of news lately.

• If you missed it there was Herald Style Hanukkah
• New Species were added to the Character Sheets, find out which ones here
• Orv has been keeping up with his comics of the DJB. Check out the fun
• A DGM Report and HRLD Report were released

Tarentum Competitions

• Aedile Report - Who said that? is still running, check the section below!
• Weekly #Tarentum Trivia will return Saturday, January 11th @1pm & 1:30pm. Topic will be announced closer to date. If you want to run one, maybe you are a journeymen for example and need that competition requirement for promotion - let me know.
• Nightmares before Christmas Is still running until the 10th.

DB-Wide Competitions

• Top Gun
• Hunt the Fist Staff
• Monthly Mobile Gaming: Slingo Lottery Challenge
• The Battle of the Bakers
• DJB Tabletop Gaming!
• Caption Time! New Years Caption Contest #1
• Caption Time! New Years Caption Contest #2

Who Said That?

Easy competition, I include quotes and sayings in these reports and first one in the comments section with the right answer wins. Tarentum member only, thanks! :D

"Dealing with backstabbers, there was one thing I learned. They're only powerful when you got your back turned."

• DA Maxamillian von Oberst - Dark Cross
• DJM Anshar Kahn Tarentae - Sapphire Blade, SoF x2
• OE Frosty Romanae Tarentae - Steel Cross
• SBM Archean Tarentae - Dark Cross
• SBM Hades - Anteian Cross, Cr- T
• SBM Raiju Kang - Steel Cross, Cr-A, CF x2, SoF x5
• KAP Jason Hunter - Anteian Cross, CF x5
• OP Dox Romanae - Dark Cross
• OP Dranik Tarentae - Cr-T
• KP Altheseus Levathan - Cr-Q x2
• DJK Saronyx - Cr-Q
• GRD Garloaf - Cr-T x2

• Garloaf was promoted to Guardian, congrats!
• Altheseus Levathan to Krath Priest, well done!
• Saronyx to Dark Jedi Knight, excellent!
• Predator to Acolyte, awesome!

Shadow Academy

NOV Tanknec

• Dark Pundit
• Vendetta 3 Fiction and Graphics Tips
• Vendetta 2 Submission
• Vendetta 1 Foundation
• Dark Pundit - Essentials
• Essentials 6: Medals
• Essentials 5: Organization
• Essentials 4: Ranks
• Essentials 3: Paths & Orders
• Essentials 2: Departments
• Essentials 1: History

NOV Spector

• Dark Pundit
• Vendetta 3 Fiction and Graphics Tips
• Vendetta 2 Submission
• Vendetta 1 Foundation
• Essentials 4: Ranks

ACO Predator

• DB Basics
• Advancement Survey
• Dark Pundit
• Vendetta 3 Fiction and Graphics Tips
• Vendetta 2 Submission
• Vendetta 1 Foundation
• Dark Pundit - Essentials
• Essentials 6: Medals
• Essentials 5: Organization
• Essentials 4: Ranks
• Essentials 3: Paths & Orders
• Essentials 2: Departments
• Essentials 1: History
• DBWiki: Introduction

GRD Garloaf:

• ACC Fundamentals
• Essentials 1: History
• Astronomy Studies
• DJBWiki: Introduction

KP Altheseus Levathan

• Starfighter Studies
• Freighters/Transports
• Capital Starship Studies
• Artronomy Studies

SBM Raiju Kang

• SAS Rank Elevated: VI
• Dark Savant - Writing and Philosophy
• Philosophy II: Cults
• Combat Tactics I
• Dark Maven - Writing
• Writing Studies
• History of the Sith Empire IV
• Brotherhood History 1
• Runon Studies
• Poetry Studies
• Wiki Basics
• Wiki Editing
• Markdown 201
• Grammer Studies
• ACC Fundamentals

SBL Rax Von-Klug

• GMRG History

DJM Darth Aeternus:

• Dark Punit - Vendetta
• Vendetta 3 Fiction and Graphics Tips
• Vendetta 2 Submission
• Vendetta 1 Foundation
• Leadership Fundamentals
• Dark Maven - Leadership
• Dark Pundit - Essentials
• Essentials 6: Medals
• Essentials 5: Organization
• Essentials 4: Ranks
• Essentials 3: Paths & Orders
• Essentials 2: Departments
• Essentials 1: History

Transfers

• NOV Tanknec, Welcome to Tarentum!
• APP Soulspiker, Welcome to Tarentum!
• ACO Predator, Welcome to Tarentum!
• ACO Lockthesith, departed to the rogues.

She didn't even remember her name. They kept her in this bright enough room. The off-white walls and furnishings reflected the light. There were no shadows. Nowhere to hide. Not like she could hide. She didn't even remember her name. She thinks she was a mother once. She feels an ache in the very fiber of her being. The ache of being a mother, but not knowing where your child is. She cannot remember if she had a son or daughter. She didn't even remember her name. There was no sense of time in this bright enough room. Sometimes when she sleeps, she remembers. Not her name. She can't remember her name. But she remembers cradling an infant. And then she screams. She screams and screams because the infant she cradles is dead. And she wakes up screaming. She wakes up screaming, but she doesn't remember her name. She does remember, though, that her screaming brings them around. And when they come, she retreats into her mind. She runs screaming in her mind, trying to remember her name. Trying to remember her child. Trying to remember her life as they hurt her. She didn't remember her name, because she didn't deserve to live anymore. Each time she hopes they hurt her enough that she can die. But each time they leave her bruised, less alive. But still alive. And she can't remember her name.

I would like to start off by thanking Maxamillian von Oberst-Tarentae for the snippet. This was included in the Summit Survey and I thought it was very interesting and deserved to be shared. The image I picked to go with it, may or may not match what Oberst intended but I thought it seemed fitting. As we start the new year, allow me to promise that you can expect more of this from those that are willing to submit their fiction to me. Your fiction can be long or short, be for a competition or just for this report. Scion and I will be making a "vault" of Tarentum fiction and that is where these types of things well be displayed in the future.

Recently, Oberst also shared with the summit some details on his character. The interesting thing that stood out for me was the line "Oberst is a reminder that we're supposed to be the villains".

How fitting for House "darkity-dark" :D

OP Raiju Kang/AED-PROF/House Tarentum