Arcona Citadel
Throne Room
Selen

By the time Ghost made it into the throne room, it had already begun. A cacophony of hissing plasma echoed through the the massive chamber, fusing with the din of blaster fire and Force-fueled attacks.

The Arconae pressed forward. Timeros’ glacial eyes never wavered from the Serpentine Throne as the separatists launched themselves at the cadre of loyalists standing vigil. Valtiere met Timeros’ glower from the top of the dais, his anger quietly seething through the dark side and lending him resolve. His ignited lightsaber turned away any bolts that strayed his way. At his side, Celahir mimicked the Quaestors defensive tactics.

At the base of the dias, a set of primal sneers cut through the battlefield as Quaestor Cethgus Entar Arconae slammed his lightsaber into Rollmaster Andrelious J. Inahj’s. Sparks hissed angrily as they took out their mutual aggressions, hate in their eyes. In the shadows of the tall stone pillars, Darkblade did his best to keep up with his Master, Meleu, trading blows back and forth in a test of mettle, a microcosm of the larger struggle of brother against brother.

Adam Bolera darted forward from the dias, running right up to one of the stone pillars, jumping, and using it as a springboard to launch himself at Sight, who managed to catch the downward strike and turn the Knight away.

“Arcia, this is ridiculous!” Atyiru Entar cried out as she turned aside a volley of blaster fire from the Nighthawk Captain’s weapon. “Please stop this, we can talk!” Xephia added her blaster to the fray as well, but Ernordeth joined the Aedile to aid with the defensive.

Nath Voth, Lexiconus, and the newcomer Revs clashed against the experienced hand of Celevon Edraven, Zakath and Antar Locke.

From the cover of his veil and the safety of his disguise, Marick-as-Ghost watched the fighting quietly. Something inside him stirred. A heat, no, an anger like a furnace roiling in his chest. And then the first blood was truly drawn. A stray blaster bolt cut into Nath Voth’s side and the female Zabrak let out a cry and went down. Atyiru rushed to her side, Lexiconus doing his best to shield her.

Marick had seen enough.

The Consul darted straight through the center of combat, cloaked in a shroud through the Force. He brushed past Valtiere, materialized back into view, and settled himself down into the seat of the Serpentine Throne. Marick Arconae pulled down his hood and let his glowing eyes fade to his normal cerulean. His long silver hair shifted back to a raven hue. He pulled away the bone-white mask and cast it aside.

The fighting simply stopped. The Shadow Lord had returned, and there was something different about him.

“That’s enough,” Marick called out, his voice ringing through the silent chamber. “Captain Bly, bar the throne room doors. Have the guard cripple anyone who tries to leave.

“Yes, sir,” Captain Bly snapped. At that, a large hulking figure stepped in front of the doors, clad in full Aegis armor. Wuntila Arconae, Dragon of Selen, Consul Emeritus, folded his arms across his chest, daring anyone to try and leave by going through him.

Marick rose slowly from the throne and stood next to Valtiere, the man he had trusted the legacy of Qel-Droma with. He placed a hand on his shoulder and looked out at the room, taking in the entire scene and committing it to memory. He would never forget it.

You can view the rest of the story on the forums here.

---

Hey guys, welcome to my September report. Above is an exerpt from the Epilogue fiction that serves as the conclusion to Operation: Figureheads. I’m pleased to share the results with you, so keep reading on after my quick interlude to find out more!

In this report, you will find the results of Operation: Figureheads, two new members to the Arcona Summit team and some other information about what’s going on in the DB.

Consul’s Foreword

“Hello yes, this is Wally.”

I’d like to take a quick moment to thank everyone who has supported me up to this point. Recently, I was given the honor of joining the Elders of the Brotherhood. I know that there are still some mixed opinions across the DB. Some people think I still have more to accomplish, that I wasn’t ready. Maybe. Maybe not.

I’ve never been the best at anything, really. I played sports my whole life, but never really stood out. However, I was always the first one at practice and the last one to leave. I’ve been told I wasn’t fast enough. I’ve been told I wasn’t strong enough. I’ve been told I’m not good enough. We all have, I think, in one way or another. That has never stopped me before, though, and it won’t change how I go about my business as a member and leader in the DB. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

I’d just like to point out that if I can achieve this--any of you can. If you are willing to put the work in, keep fighting and driving even when you’re down. Always keep your head up, keep your eyes forward, and let your actions speak for themselves. Keep your mind open. Reach out and work with members from other units. Make friends, create relationships, and genuinely want to give back not just to the DB, or your clan, but to your friends. That’s how I’ve been able to do what I do. I know that the things I fight for, and argue for, can potentially make the experience of my friends a better one. To me, that means more than any pixels.

Still, it does feel really nice getting that new shiny or promotion, doesn’t it? So, thank you again to everyone who chipped in on the recommendation. I actually got choked up halfway through and had to leave the room and take Sheba for a walk. Your words mean more to me than you realize.

To the people who know me and have put their trust in me, I have nothing to prove other than that your loyalty is not misplaced.

To everyone else: I’m here to stay. I am not stopping just because I hit a milestone. I will continue to lead, compete, and be a part of this community until something physically prevents me from doing so. You guys are my second family. You help me deal with some things that happen in my real life that I like to escape from. It can be stressful sometimes, but I’ve met some truly amazing and talented people that I consider to be friends for life here.

Thank you for letting me come out everyday and hang out with you and be a part of your club.

-W

Operation: Figureheads

Winner: Team Arconae!

As far as teams go, the Arconae (holding the top 5 placements) won by a signifigant margin. The Quaestor team did a very amazing job of standing tall, though. Especially in the ACC, we had Team Quaestor member's such as Lexiconus fielding over 5 battles at a time over the course of those three weeks! That takes guts of a different kind, and he faught despite being new to the ACC and still not comfortable with his own writing. That's determination, and that, my friends is how Tigerblood really works. Never give up no matter what the odds are. I can't begin to tell you how impresssed I am at these results.

Also, while the Arconae did well as a team score wise, you can see from the fiction that perhaps not everything was as it seemed. Remember the first part of Marick's motto: Nothing is true. ;)

Aside from the team score, we also tracked individual performance! You can see the placements below!

UPDATE: (Wally fixes his 5am math, thank you Halc, Esca, Mark)

Congratulations go to Sight Notorshin, barely nudging out Andrelious for 1st place. Ever vigilant, Meleu rounds out the top 3 with an all-star performance. You'll also notice that these three went for 100%. That's a key stat to take into account. You'll also notice I had a few more higher placements than Meleu, but he still edged me out with his participation across the board in area's I failed (gaming, most notably).

I'd also like to highlight some really strong performances from newcomers Lexiconus, Irakom, Morathi and Revs. Each of these members joined (or re-joined) only recently and still found a way to throw themselves into the competition. As you can see from the results, it's not just about winning a single event. I was able to win a few events, but wasn't able to keep up in others. As a result, you can see how I wasn't able to catch up to Mark, Meleu, and Sight. This just goes to show how important participation can be.

I'm incredibly proud of everyone who took part. You can view the full scoretracker here If you notice anything we missed (like a miscalculation) please report it directly to ([Log in to view e-mail addresses]) and ([Log in to view e-mail addresses]) and they will be able to make any adjustmnets needed. The scores were done manually, so on behalf of Valt and Ceth, thank you all for your patience with them running thier first major Clan Event.

Great work everyone. If you have any questions on grading and scoring, e-mail Valt and Ceth, and thank them for running the event for you guys. My first event (Trial of Loyalty) had more than a few bumps, but they tend to be great learning experiences.

Ongoing: Fading Light: Part 2 - The ACC

We've come down the Elite 4. And I don't mean Pokemon. Taldryan managed to get 3 members into the semi-finals to our one. But our sole combatant is not just anyone.

Timeros Entar Arconae.

And now our champion (oh Captain, our Captain) faces down an old rival- Halcyon Rokir Taldrya. The winner moves on to face either Shadow or Yacks, no tall order, for sure. Our hopes for the tournament rest in Timmy's hand (the other one is made of gold, you see). I believe in Timmy, and so should all of you.

You can view the epic battle as it unfolds here. If you see Timmy, make sure you cheer him on. And also remember:

--#InTimmyWeTrust

Arcona Invicta.

New Beginnings - Rollmaster and HQD Aedile Selected

We had a lot of really good applications. I think it really speaks to Arcona's true strength in that we have so many veteran and experienced members willing to step up to the call when needed. It's comforting knowing the depth we have here, and it helps me sleep better at night knowing that if anything were to happen to me, Arcona would be in amazing hands.

With that said...

Rollmaster - Sight Nortorshin

Sight will be replacing Mark as the new Clan Arcona Rollmaster. His application was really strong and demonstrated that he truly has a passion to help the development of our new members. I look forward to working with him going forward, and newbies, make sure you bombard him with questions now!

For anyone who's been under a rock, Sight has been one of our most active members across the board. He's a multi-threat talent and I'm really excited to see what he brings to the position that is different than what we got from the stalwart Mark.

HQD Aedile - Turel Sorenn

I'm not going to lie. I wasn't expecting an application like this one. I've had the honor of getting to know Turel over the past month or so as he's slowly gotten better and better at StarCraft 2. He seems to be able to beat me regularly now, but maybe I should just stop letting him into my backdoor (phrasing, I know).

With a personal recommendation from Quaestor Liam in Odan-Urr (a trusted and old friend of mine) and a stellar application addressing everything we asked for, we feel that Turel is the fresh-perspective and energy that can help push House Qel-Droma forward. Valtiere has some really awesome ideas in store for Qel-Droma, and I'm excited to see what Turel can bring to the table as the two of them work together.

I've already reached out to talk to the other applicants, or will be doing so in the next few days. If you have any other questions, or are curious how we came to the decisions, Legorii, Valt and I will be more than willing to share our thought process to the best of our ability.

Really excited to see what comes out of HQD next ;)

Recognition

Promotions

It was brought to my attention recently that it's been rather quiet on this front. We've seen our Journeyman continue to progress (more to come in Sights first RM report), while the veterans have been hard at work earning more escalades. We currently have a new MAA and team in place, so I am right now working with them to make sure we are seeing things on the same page. What this means is that myself and the Arcona Summit are actively working on a few things right now, and in the next few days/week you should see some well deserved promotions popping up :).

Awards

Awards for activity throughout Operation: Figureheads and other projects are on the way. Keep an eye out for these in the upcoming House Reports.

Otherwise, it’s been business as usual for Arcona. Stop spamming my gmail filters with Clusters, CF’s and CI’s :P.

Competitions

DB

• [Fiction] -- Everybody Hates Chiss <- Brought to you by your friendly neihborhood Hades!
• [Fiction] -- Vissions of the Future
• [Gaming] -- Race to 20! Destiny <- It's on. Come. At. Me. Bros. Victory will be mine!
• [Gaming] -- Speed Spore Challenge #3
• [Gaming] -- Monthly Mobile Gaming: No One Dies Today! (Apple Users)
• [Gaming] -- Star Wars Commander: The Dandoran Conflict
• [Gaming] -- September Gore Fest!

Arcona

• More Coming Soon!
• The ACB

The ACB Pilot Continues

I'd just like to single out Celevon for how he has really stepped up with the ACB. Seriously, the man is a veritable machine at creating and grading contracts and keeping the Pilot going almost on his willpower alone. I don't think we would be as successful with the Pilot without his help. Props to Sight and the rest of the team for helping out as well!

---

---

Congratulations are to be given to Revs the new First Blade of Arcona

Enjoy it while it lasts, Revs, for the scores reset back to zero for the September Pilot. That means it is anyone’s game. If Revs wishes to keep the title of "First Blade", he's going to have to earn it. He will have to watch his back though--Adam Bolera has finished a close second yet again and should be hunting for his first title!

The September Pilot can be found here.

Happy hunting ;)

Ask The Wally (Live Q&A)

Follow the link in the image to see this month’s Ask The Wally, ft. Abbey a.k.a Atyiru.

Kiwi also asks:

After reaching Elder, do you have any other personal goals or aspirations in the club?

Good question. I never really thought about the DB in long-term until Wuntila asked me to apply for Proconsul. From there, my only goal was really just to help him and Arcona to win and prosper. Arcona has grown into a unit I'm proud to call home, and that, to me, makes me feel like I've actually accomplished something.

For now, I just want to see the things I've worked on continue to grow and expand and be used by more and more members. Any positive feedback about the ACC or CS's makes me smile. I enjoy creating things, and hope I am allowed to continue to help create things for the DB. I guess that's where I'm at now.

Proconsul Corner

What’s up guys, hope everyone’s September is off to an awesome start. I’ve been to a few classes, written some papers, that kind of stuff, but I’ve also been working pretty extensively on the behind-the-scenes projects that compose a significant part of my workload as Proconsul.

First, I want to direct you to the wiki, where you can find a great deal of updated information about our armed forces. There’s still a bit of work to be done here, but thanks to the efforts of our wiki guru, Meleu, and diligent wikistars Andrelious, Lexiconus, and Celevon, we’ve come a long way. In the not-so-distant future, once we’ve finished mopping up from O:F and the impending third round of Fading Light, Meleu and I will be running an NPC competition to fill out some of our fleet commanders, so stay tuned for that.

Additionally, Wally and I have been talking with Farrin and Scion over in our allied House, Tarentum. Part of our discussion was how we could help Tarentum build up their unit. To that end, I’d like to ask any Arconan that typically visits #arcona to also add #Tarentum to your rotation. We want to drive activity in their channel as well to encourage new members as they come in. You’ve all probably encountered Oberst and his links at one point. Tarentum and Arcona have been allies a long time, and if you have not had a chance to talk with Scion, Farrin, or Hades, our very own Etah (now Aynar) is chilling with Tarentum. Don’t worry, they don’t bite...too hard ;)

Hope the shifts in my IRC schedule haven’t been too hard on any of you (though I’m sure Lex misses me terribly). I’m stuck on campus all day throughout most of the week, and have evening practices through February, so I’m typically online after 9:30 PM EST. However, I’m always available via email, and can occasionally slip online throughout the day on my phone if something comes up.

Wrap Up

I just wanted to take a second to remind people that war is indeed still coming. The unit leaders are currently in discussion with the DGM to sort out details such as what types of events we are looking for, timetables, and other information we need to get ourselves ready for it. I promise I will keep you guys updated to the best of my ability, and if you have any questions, concerns, or comments do not be afraid to e-mail them to Legorii ([Log in to view e-mail addresses]) and I ([Log in to view e-mail addresses]).

Again, we are here to serve you. Part of my job is to make sure everyone is receiving recognition for their work and offering my guidance to the rest of the Summit. The other part that most of you don't get to see is that I am your liaison to the Dark Council. I spend a lot of time talking with them and the members of the Dark Summit to make sure policies and changes to our club’s structure are well thought out and discussed in full detail before they get thrown at you.

As with everything, thank you for your continued patience with the Arcona Summit. We are an ever growing, constantly evolving team. I want you always to remember that the people that give their time are doing so because they care about each member. Remember that if you start to feel antsy about how long something like a result takes. It's easy to say "I could have had it done by now," but it's always easier to call a play from the safety of the booth as opposed to standing in the face of a collapsing pocket. (I realize half of you won't get that metaphor, but you know what I mean).

So, thanks guys. We appreciate every one of you. If you are upset by anything, speak up and let us know. We have the most responsive and expansive Summit in the brotherhood. We can't help you if you don't reach out to us, though.

Latest House Reports:

• House Galeres Report
• House Qel-Dorma

Latest Battleteam Updates:

• Arete Update
• Apex Brigade Update
• Dark Forge Update
• Nighthawk Update
• Soulfire Update

Around the DB News

So, for anyone living under a rock, there have been some changes to the Dark Council, and therefore the club’s future. Raken has stepped down after an awesome few years of service to the Brotherhood. In his place, Darth Pravus (or Sarin) has stepped up to fill his shoes. Sarin is a former GM and brings a lot of cool things to the table. Since his last stint as GM, he's been both a regular member/competitor, and a member of the DC. He's had a few dips, but I think that everything that's brought him to this point has wisened him. I have faith in him helping lead our club forward, and I hope all of you join me in that trust.

With Pravus moving up to DGM, it left an opening at Voice. It was filled pretty quickly with the obvious choice: Mav is a former DGM with DC experience, combined with his recent push for developing the ACC for the past year and making it a reality. He's one of the best our club has, and It's been great working with him. I look forward to seeing the work that continues to come out of the Voice office.

Keep your eyes on the main page. This is where you will see a lot of these news and announcements. I know you all wait eagerly for my monthly reports (lol, jk) but it really is the best way to stay connected with what's going on in the DB outside of Arcona.

Latest from the DC

• GM Report
• MAA
• HM
• FIST {Compliments of Mark}

One More Thing!

Today, I got the coolest WhatsApp PM...in ever. It is from my good friend Master Fish. You may know him as Troutrooper, or simply: Trouty.

If anyone is wondering why you haven't seen as much Troutrooper lately, it's because he and his wife have just added a new member to their family! The baby arrived today, so if you don't see him around it's because he's attending to diapers, crying fits...and yea, all that really fun stuff! :D

Congratulations, Trouty! I'm so happy for you and your family, and I hope you'll all join me in congratulating him!

Looks like Alfie will have some competition in the coming years, eh, Mark and Kooki?

---

That's all for now. Congratulations to Sight on becoming the new Rollmaster, and welcome to the family, Turel.

Arcona Invicta.

Twitter: @MarickArconae
Email: [Log in to view e-mail addresses]