Greetings and glad days, my wonderful friends and brethren! Welcome to another report! We’ve got news, we’ve got major Clan competitions, we’ve got me talking about “Iron Throne vs Shadow Throne” and cats, we’ve got it all!

So sit back, relax for five seconds, and then get excited, because this is gonna be good.

Strength and Honor

What we do in life…

It almost seems like it’s been quiet around the Brotherhood, after the momentous occasion that was our last fiction update and the ensuing reactions and opinions published in my last report. However, quiet though it may seem, you can be sure things are as busy as ever, ticking away.

Besides the usual round of updates and info found linked below that y’all should know because you read reports, there’s been a couple notable odds and ends too! In the midst of their Feud with Plagueis, our filthy lightie (<3) besties in Odan-Urr saw their Consul promoted! Congratulations to A’lora on reaching Equite IV! I hope you’ll all head over and congratulate him on TG or the site, because he certainly deserves it.

Meanwhile, there’s been plenty of competitions on the rise, both in the Clan and across the Brotherhood. Our very own mad tree scientist is running What’s Up Darth?, a take on recent events with Pravus’ purge taken into the universe of operatic drama and...Looney Tunes? Take a second to check out Pravus as Elmer Fudd, Atty or A’lora (or another big lightie) as Bugs Bunny, and a slew of jokes and songs in this strange classic.

Okay, really strange.

And, speaking of our favorite former Professor, the Shadow Academy has asked for your help in finding and fixing errors in course content! They’ve come up with a nifty new form to make the reporting of such errors even easier to track, which means that now we can all work together to make our school beautiful and perfect and magical and and and

I have a lot of feelings, okay? And adjectives. Lots of those too.

AND SPEAKING OF FEELINGS AND THINGS I HAVE, I HAVE YOU LOVELIES, DID YOU KNOW THAT?! OHMAHGAWD.

/me coughs

I’ve had a lot of ice cream in the last hour. It was a very emotional SG-1 episode. Don’t judge me. Moving on. :P

...Echoes in eternity

Annnd speaking of glory and amazingness (I just recently saw Gladiator), our own beloved Combat Master announced in his latest report that he is running an ACC tournament for the Brotherhood’s Journeymen!

I don’t just encourage you, my sweet Journeymen, to participate. I encourage you to get out there and go represent your home! Go show what your generation is capable of! Take your place in Brotherhood history, and have some fun and learn something doing it!

And if you feel nervous? Stop. You’ve got it in you to be your best, and that, my dears...that echoes in eternity. ;)

I’ll let Wallabe himself say a few words about the competition:

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Hey guys. Please take a second (if you're already qualified and interested) in signing up for the Journeyman ACC Tourney. You can sign up here with this simple Google Form which should take you about a minute to fill out. The Tourney will be a bracket-style, single elimination event where you will face off against other Journeyman (Journeyman 4/ Knight / DJK and under). This is a great chance to face off against other emerging talent in the Brotherhood, without having to go toe to toe with veteran fighters. These are not run very often, so now is the chance to show what you have!

Sign Ups close April 10th (this Sunday) but will probably extend into Monday morning (since Wally has to go to work and most likely won't be able to set up Brackets until Monday evening.) The Tourney will start on the 11th, and run until completion.

Full competition detials can be found here.

Please keep in mind you need to be ACC Qualified to participate. If you need help with getting your Character Sheet approved or updated, please contact your respective Summit so they can work with us (Voice/CM Staff) to help make sure you're all set!

As a fun fact, I will probably be announcing each matchup for the Journeyman Tourney like an announcer at a stadium on Telegram. Each round will have a newspost as well, highlighting the winners as well!

Thank you!

-Wally

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Now We Are Free

Our homefront has been hella busy. We’ve got competitions out the ears, wiki updates in full swing, a Clan event that just started, a holiday just ended, and new hirings on top of it all.

I’ll start by welcoming Celahir Erinos Arconae to the position of Qel-Droma’s Quaestor, and Zakath Argona as our newest Battleteam leader as Soulfire converts to a Legendary Unit of the Clan like its brother, Void Squadron. Hurrahs and best wishes to both of you as you bring your respective units rainbows and sunshine blood, glory, and much success.

And on the topic of lizards, I’d also like to congratulate the winners of my Spring Spectacular event! Here's to Zakath and Aryelline for their tied first place finishes and Tamashi for 2nd place! Huzzah! The winners shall enjoy posterity, moar crescents, and a sorta pretty...kinda...not...title? Eh, you get to use it as an RO team name, at least. :P Cheers, my bumblefluffs!

I hope you all enjoyed yourselves and the holiday, and look forward to seeing what you produce for Sins of the Past.

”What’s that?” you ask…? Welllllll…

DRUMROLL, PLEASE!

Sins of the Past

Wait, what is this?

Welcome to Sins of the Past! This is a series of 4-week events Arcona is running that will help shape the fictional landscape of the Shadow Clan. Each “Episode” of Sins will contain the competition types listed below (see “Scoring Methodology”). The Special Event will vary from Episode to Episode. Plot updates will be sent out over the Arcona mailing list on a weekly basis, as well as made available on the Brotherhood’s Discourse. The purpose is to have some fun, kick some ass, and move forward as a Clan post-Purge. We're having a great time writing this story and incorporating all of your feedback. Hopefully you have just as much fun being a part of it (and yes, for the most part we're trying to feature you guys, not us on the Summit, wherever possible).

And remember, your submissions will help shape what does and doesn't become part of the new Arcona Canon.

Okay...but where am I?

Plaintext Version

This is Episode I: The Phantom Businessman, the first series of competitions in Sins of the Past. As the events progress, you'll see us exploring certain themes and characters that have long resonated with Arcona, for good and ill, and use those themes and characters to move our Clan's story forward into the future. You'll always be able to find the latest Plot Updates on the Brotherhood's Discourse. You can find the newest one below, but make sure you check the Discourse link above to see all of them.

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T-00:02:12
Unknown Location
Dajorra System

“Our strike teams are in position at their individual targets?”

The Sullustan to his right warbled affirmatively as the pair studied the map in front of them. Ethereal blue lines slashed through the empty space above the holoprojector, forming the image of a massive industrial complex. It was recreated in intricate detail, down to the locations of first aid stations and sewer access points. The gray-skinned Muun scratched the side of his elongated cranium thoughtfully before reaching out and touching a location on the projection. With the slightest hum from the holoprojector, the map seemed to rotate, centering on the area he had tapped and zooming in. A dozen pipes of varying width filled the screen, label-lines connecting them to a list on the right-hand side of the projection.

Sewer...water...methane alkalides… The Muun snapped his long, graceful fingers, breaking his Sullustan companion’s silent study of the schematics. “There. Why in the world would they need two natural gas lines? And why would it be flowing out from a power plant?”

The Sullustan chittered excitedly, bobbing his oversized head and reaching out to rotate the map. His stubby fingers zoomed in on another section of the base, showing a similar grouping of pipes and the same inconsistency in their labeling.

“Nice catch, Laiv. Forward the data to Strike Team Esk.”

As his mouse-earned second-in-command bent over the holoprojector’s terminal to comply, the Muun steepled his fingers and closed his eyes. Nearly there, he thought, sighing contentedly to himself. They used me for a scapegoat. Blamed me for their own shortsighted failures. Cast me aside. Forced me to live like a rat, hunted, subsisting on scraps and luck alone. It’s taken the better part of a decade to rebuild my fortune, to orchestrate their downfall, but Arcona will finally pay for their betrayal.

“What’s that, Mr. Lorden?”

The voice snapped the Muun from his musings, and he realized belatedly that he had been muttering to himself again. Such a bad habit. Can’t let the others think I’ve gone off the deep end. No, that wouldn’t do at all. If they think I’ve cracked, they’ll never trust me. And then I’d have to kill everyone. Bad for business, that would be. “Nothing, Captain Vance. Nothing at all. Any word over the GravTrans?”

“The usual status updates. Strike Team Onith had a slight hiccup with the security patrols around Naruba Investment’s headquarters, but they handled the situation quietly. Nothing from them, though,” replied the Dajorran native, answering the Muun’s unspoken question. “I’ll let you know immediately if anything comes in.”

“Very well, Captain. Carry on.”

Nearly there. Not long now at all.

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TL;DR

• Shit's going down.
• Our allies are on the run and in hiding.
• Arcona's loyalties are fractured between Clan, Brotherhood, Friends and Family.
• An old minion-turned-enemy, Tehr Lorden, is back to make Arcona's life miserable.
• Squads from a PMC are about to attack Industrial Complexes across Selen in an attempt to cripple Arcona and instigate rioting.
• The Summit, for once, is clueless of the impending danger (Atty says that includes Marick, Wally :P).

Competitions

You can find the main competition here.

The Container Competition for Episode I can be found here.

All subsequent Episodes will have their own Container Competitions under the main event as well.

Make sure to at least look at all the competitions listed under Episode I. Some of them (intentionally) have information about the plot that others might not. While this information will all be included in plot updates by the end of the Episode, it might inform your decisions on how your Fictions and Run-Ons play out.

Please note that the Cryptography is based on who submits soonest*, not who submits the fastest after they subscribe. This is intended, so get your teams together (where applicable) and get on it!

*Example: Knight Fred subscribes to the competition immediately and submits his solution tomorrow afternoon (18 hours later). Acolyte Wanda subscribes to the competition tomorrow morning and submits her solution tomorrow night (16 hours later). Even though Acolyte Wanda took less time to solve it, Knight Fred still got his answer in first. If both are correct, Knight Fred wins.

Scoring Methodology

You can find a breakdown on the scoring in the Main and Container competition pages, however I'm including it below for reference. We're giving out medals for each Competition, for each Episode and for the overall Sins of the Past Event. That is a lot of shinies up for grabs, so the points you earn count!

Placement	Base Scoring	Special	Puzzle	Fiction	Graphics	Gaming	Flash
		3	2.5	2	2	2	1
1st	3.5	11	9	7	7	7	4
2nd	2.5	8	6	5	5	5	3
3rd	1.5	5	4	3	3	3	2
Participation	1	1	1	1	1	1	1

So, as an example, Knight Sample completes the following activities.

• Participates in seven events
• Receives 1st in a Puzzle
• Receives 2nd in a Cluster Race
• Receives 3rd in two Flash Games

They will have earned 21 points.

Contact Info if any questions/concerns/issues

​​If you have any questions or concerns on anything Sins related, please come directly to Atty and Terran on email or TG. We'll do our best to address them ASAP.

Now get out there and kick some ass!

Other News, Reports, and Happenings

• Headmaster Report #20
• Herald Report #13: Friction
• Fist Report #2
• Gaming Update #2
• Gaming Update #3
• Voice Report #13
• Odan-Urr Consul/Proconsul Report: March
• Qel-Droma February Report
• House Galeres March 30th Report
• Soulfire Report - Finial
• Nighthawk Report 006
• Shadow Gate Report #10
• Styx Report #4
• New SWTOR TG Channel

Recognition

We’ve got lots of awards and several very notable promotions this time! Pour yourselves a damn drink, because you all deserve it — and if you ever doubt that, doubt no more. You earn these. They’re not given. They’re claimed.

Congratulations and well done, my loves. Enjoy it...and then turn your eyes to your next goal. You have a pair, after all. []D

Jake Blazer

• Promoted to Hunter (JM3)

PaRapRappa

• Promoted to Hunter (JM3)
• Dark Cross

Rulvak Qurroc

• Dark Cross
• Promoted to Battlemaster (EQ2)

Tamashi Bloodfyre

• Grand Cross

Mac

• Anteian Cross

Riverche

• Anteian Cross

Xenna Azara

• Anteian Cross

Rayze Erinos Arconae

• Anteian Cross

Nath Argona

• Dark Cross

Myrji Ka Sol Erinos

• Steel Cross

Strategos Thanatos Entar Arconae

• Steel Cross

Marick Arconae

• Anteian Cross

Alaris Jinn

• Dark Cross

Kordath Bleu d'Tana

• Promoted to Seer (EQ3)

Ask the…drumroll...Gold Team

Ninj asks, #asktheatty with the Grand Master now openly purging the Undesirables and Jedi alike, what are Atty's thoughts and reservations concerning the few people within Arcona that either openly or covertly support the Iron Throne?

• Atty: Cool question. Atty doesn’t judge anyone for who they follow, but she does have certain goals and interests to protect at this point — the innocent being purged, Odan-Urr, Arcona itself, her friends and others. She also wants to protect those “Iron Loyalists” though, because they’re people and she loves them too. She’s essentially anti-fighting in all of this. However, the fighting is happening, and she personally does intend to move to — as peaceably as possible — stop Pravus and save the Jedi, Arcona, and Brotherhood alike. It’s part of why she took Uji on as Proconsul and bid him the duty of ensuring Arcona’s safety from Pravus’ agents and supporters in the last Clan fiction. She needs someone in place to ferret out loyalists and stop them from helping Pravus or sabotaging Arcona, when she is herself too forgiving to do it. Uji will fight her on it. So, long story short, she’s idealistic and wants to protect EVERYONE, even Pravus himself, but she’s enabling others to stop her for what might be a “greater good.”

Tasha’Vel asks, #asktheatty What is one of the aspects you like most about your character?

• Atty: I like how nice she is. It seems like a simple thing to say, but I really enjoy (...mooost of the time, lol) a character that is kind and caring when so much isn't, and I especially enjoy seeing others enjoy that in turn, in their character's interactions and their reading of her. It's just nice to write nice, I suppose, even if there are times when I wish it was in Atty to deck someone :P

Mirus asks, #asktheatty if you had to transform into one mythical creature for the rest of forever what would it be?

• Atty: A dragon. Because I like dragons. (And not that way, Wally, gdi)

Vyr asks, what's your favorite aspect of brotherhood life?

• Atty: The community and friendships, really. I like a lot of things, like having fiction prompts, the ACC, and the art cub especially, but none of them would be as fun without the people I’ve met here to share them with.

Archenksov asks, #asktheatty Do you have any good blackmail material on Turel or Mako for sale or trade?

• Atty:

Turel asks, #asktheatty have you thought of a new name for the ARC-COU alliance yet?

• Atty: Hey now, this is a partnership, Turel! We’re together in this, in sickness in health, in emo and feels, in life and...I’m getting off track here. Point being, no, but let’s talk. :P I’m still totes down for Magical Friendship Alliance.

Ernor asks, #asktheatty impressions on Rogue One?

• Atty: Not being your typical SW fan and even less into empire stuff, I actually think it looks fairly neat. The cast, at least, definitely has my attention.

Juli asks, #asktheatty Is mayonnaise an instrument?

• Atty:
• No, Juli, mayonnaise is not an instrument. Horseradish isn’t an instrument either.

Skar asks, #asktheatty what was the thought process in creating the villain for sins of the past?

• Special Guest (lol) Terran: I first came up with the idea for Sins of the Past during Great Jedi War XI. At the conclusion of our team's Run-On, it was revealed that Invictus was a "traitor". He had acted against Marick's orders. Despite the fact that he was doing what he felt was best for the Clan (undermining Muz), the two fought and Invictus was maimed and exiled. At the time, it occurred to me that Arcona doesn't have the best in-character track record when it comes to how it treats its NPC allies who disagree, or even members who transfer to other Clans. I found this interesting in a unit whose most important core value was Loyalty. I liked the idea of looking back at the former allies and members that Arcona had treated poorly and turning it into a story of revenge, regret and how fragile the bonds of brotherhood are. And I saw how that could intertwine with the vision our Summit had for Arcona's future in a Brotherhood that is so very fractured. How do you reconcile loyalty and family when you abhor the values they uphold? So that's why several of the villains are former NPC allies or members.

• With Episode I's Tehr Lorden in particular, he is based on a character that appeared in several Erinos fictions years ago, a mysterious Mr. Lorden. From what I could gather, very little was known about Lorden or his motivations, just that he was humanoid, had a grudge against the Erinos and was a consummate businessman. I decided to take this as the core of his character and build out a backstory for him, one in which he had worked for Arcona in a financial capacity. Since he had business acumen and was both devious and dismissive of his opposition, it made sense to cast him as a Muun, a species that is known for those very traits. I asked myself what other qualities such a person was likely to have, and what their skillset was likely to be - which is why he has so little combat ability and so many miscellaneous and overlapping skills. Sadly, there was no "Financial Mastermind" Discipline, so we went with Weapon Master by default. Nonetheless, I hope we managed to convey the spirit of his character and make him interesting. I'm guessing that's the case, from your question.

• You'll get to see more of him as Episode I progresses, so keep your eyes peeled from plot updates!

Wally asks, #asktheatty are you aware that you are, indeed, a cat?

• Stormie:

Several of you have asked, So...wait...where does Arcona stand on the whole GM-Jedi thing?

• Atty: I talked about this at length last time, but overarching messages may have gotten lost in the sheer amount of information and the focus on individualized responses. The fact is, Arcona is a very fractured, diverse, and strongly opinionated group held together by, as Vic mentions, loyalty. For most of them, that means loyalty either to Arcona as an idea or their fellow Arconans.
• That said, while each Arconan has their opinions on the matter and Arcona as a whole has its trends, Arcona’s current fictional status is that we outwardly support Pravus while covertly aiding the Jedi and Undesirables. We play a dangerous game moving on both sides, but that’s not unusual for us. What’s that mean? The leaders of the Clan are currently either dirty lightie lovers or Pravus (IC) haters, and are quietly sending aid/relief to Odan-Urr while they relocate to their new home. Meanwhile, they show all pretenses of loyalty to the Grandmaster, even as they try to build resistance and ensure the only Inquisitors watching Arcona are the ones who stand with Arcona. There are some in Arcona’s ranks who disagree with these actions and ideas, either because it’s dangerous to the Clan or because they support Pravus or hate the Jedi. What becomes of us from here...we all determine. But that is your stage from which to start.

The Shadow Lady Goes Away

(But only for a couple days.)

Yeah, I put this near the end because I want you all to see it and know you probably skim to the bottom. :P Real talk for a sec, I’ve got a lot going on right now with life in general and school in particular (read: piles of projects/papers/exams/etc due within the next three weeks). As such, I’ve decided to take a ten day LoA, starting the 10th.

I use Telegram for stuff other than the DB these days, so you might see me “online” here and there, but I’ll be leaving all the DB and Clan/House chats for the duration of my leave, and won’t be replying to emails. Donny/Uji and the rest of the Summit, thankfully, are all rockstars though, and will take good, sweet lovin’ care of y’all. ;P

I’ll miss you darlings, dearly, but I’ll be back, so enjoy it while you can! /evil laugh

In Closing

What is there to say but that you all make me proud each and every day to be your Consul, and that I know you’ll only make me even prouder tomorrow? Little else. Go on with your heads high, my dears.

And remember...

Arcona Invicta!