Odanites, Allies, and those of the darker persuasion,

It’s hard to believe it's already been a month. Where does the time fly? I’m glad to say that I have plenty of news to share with you all, including some answers to your burning questions earlier in the month. Most notably, I’ll be sharing a new clan fiction, my goals for the clan, some projects coming this month, new leader updates, and clan survey 2019. Allons-y!

Fiction Update - Breaking Point, Part II.

Last fiction we saw the start of a lot of fights but not the end of them. First, Empress Kaltani finally woke up from the attempt on her life, only to find that an usurper, Alethia Archenksova (ex-CON), had been regent instead of her chief guard. Second, Alethia and Aurora Ta’var (then PCON), had a brief fight over what were admissible tactics to use in regards to information exchange with the Dark Council but put it aside for the time being to bring home the giant glowy crystal for further study. It gave off an ominous feeling. Third, a team of Odanites and mercenaries was put together to act on the new intel and take out a troublemaker named Ishanta. Things got a little dicey but we took her into custody. She definitely resisted arrest. I don’t know if the words ‘Total Drama Island’ mean anything but some of this stuff deserves to go on Jerry Springer. So what happens next? Read on. :)

For those that might need it, here is the cast of characters for the new fiction:

• Kaltani Anasaye (Ruler of Kiast)
• Slynn Keldra (Head guard doge of Kaltani Anasaye)
• Alethia Archenksova (Ex-CON/High Councillor, Odanite)
• Aura Ta’var (New CON/former War Councillor, Odanite)
• Turel Sorenn (Odanite)
• Ishanta (Grand Inquisitor)
• Celevon Edraven Erinos (PCON/War Councillor, Odanite)
• Len Iode (RM/Councilor of the Roll, Odanite)
• Liam Torun-Urr (Odanite)

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Her Imperial Majesty’s Parlor
Voraskel Palace
Kiast

“You have to understand how this looks.” Slynn Keldra was enjoying this far too much. The tall, obnoxiously dashing Captain of the Vatali Royal Guard was smirking beneath his eyepatch.

The Human woman seated across the parlor from him kept her posture non combative, hands folded in her lap, but met Keldra’s gaze with an unflinching stare. “I understand that my people fought on your behalf, Captain Keldra, to reign in the guilds on Daleem,” Alethia answered. “I understand that in recent weeks, my people have fought and died on the Empress’ behalf. I understand that I myself have been marked for death by your enemies, whom I have tireless worked to thwart, and been called ‘barbarian whore’ by half your supporters.”

The guardsman opened his mouth as if to reply, but Archenksova kept going, her gaze shifting to room’s other occupant as she did so. Empress Kaltani Anasaye was still recovering from a would-be assassin’s poison, but her frailty only served to give an otherworldly, ethereal cast to her already majestic appearance. There was a notable lack of tea and sandwiches compared to their previous meeting.

“Furthermore,” the Human continued, “you must understand that I have my own army and navy at my disposal, and that you could not in your wildest dreams compelled me to return to the palace by force. If you want Odan-Urr as an ally, majesty, you need to treat us as one.”

Kaltani seemed to think on this for a moment, then gave a very slight nod. “Then what are we to make of the forged decree?” she asked softly.

“We have many enemies, majesty, and it does not take much imagination to speculate that they and the Dominion both benefit from turning us against one another. Captain Keldra’s forged orders on Daleem, your poisoning, and turning me into a focal point for Vatali discontent have all worked to that end.”

“You think this was the work of your Sith adversaries?”

Alethia smiled at the question. “Actually, majesty, that is precisely what my trip outside the system was about.”

---

The rest of the story can be found here.

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Did you give it read? Here is a tl;dr just in case:

• Alethia pulls some pretty talk and gets herself out of the fire with Empress Kaltani Anasaye.
  
• With the misdirection Alethia used, the Vatali Empress requests a declaration of war from the Conclave against both the Vauzem Dominion and the Collective.
  
• Aura (You must see this is wrong) confronts Alethia (I AM the Senate) about lying to an ally; Alethia removes herself as High Councillor, Aura elevated.
  
• Aurora approaches Celevon — where he's teaching a class at the Jedi Praxeum — to become her new PCON/War Councillor.
  
• Alethia and Turel deliver long-deserved justice to Ishanta.
  
• Council of Urr is convened to debate Celevon's appointment; Features Aurora Ta'var (High Councillor), Len Iode (RM; Councillor of the Roll), Turel Sorenn via holoprojection (title holder) and Liam Torun-Urr (title holder). Teaser for future drama.
  

With that I can officially state that the Resistance arc has come to an end. We have peace with the Dark Council and got to dish some sweet revenge on our local instigator, Ishanta. Does this mean all is happy sunshine? No, but this does mean we can focus on more pressing issues. That said, our new fiction arc — called ‘Strife’ — has now officially kicked off. I’ll cover more of its end goals in the next section, but suffice it say that we’ve been avoiding several conflicts at home that are about to rear their ugly heads.

Goals for the Clan

I have some goals for the clan, split up into fictional goals and activity goals. I will do my best to explain them all below; if you have any questions, please reach out to me.

Fictional Goals

I’ve understandably had a fair bit of questions on this one and I’m happy to say that I can give you some answers. Below, I will outline my fictional goals for our interactions with the Dark Council, our interactions with Arcona, our interactions with Kiast, new clan fiction initiatives, and my expectations for the Houses.

Dark Council

The burning question many of you will have is what is our status with the Dark Council? Way back, they brought their armies to bear and attacked our homeworld New Tython. It triggered a Lotus story arc that lasted for a good while. For the last year, the Dark Council had ceased its operations against Odan-Urr and redeployed them to fight the Collective (they want to kill all Force users) but during this time Odan-Urr hasn’t stopped fighting the Dark Council. As of this latest fiction update, Odan-Urr has signed a cease-fire agreement with the Dark Council so that we can focus on the war on Kiast and the Collective. From a fictional perspective this is strategic. We can’t fight a three-front war and during this last year the last CON’s character was utilizing a ‘I can work with them but I don’t have to trust them’ approach with much success.

That said, fictionally we will:

• honor the cease-fire and focus our forces on more pressing matters (Kiast, Collective)
  
• continue to use the ’work with them but don’t have to trust them’ approach as it pertains to dealings with the Dark Council (something something that weird force crystal we got)
  
• pursue a partnership with the Dark Council after they prove their good intentions (trade, etc.)
  

Some of you will wonder, why the change? The Dark Council no longer wishes to fight us. So it’s time for us to update how we approach them fictionally. As to our Rebel nature, it's been a strong part of our identity since the beginning. There are plenty of ways we can direct that energy going forward. To get a good picture of this, watch this video.

Arcona

Nothing too surprising here. Arcona and Odan-Urr have been going strong for a good while now and the Arcona CON’s habit of not wearing pants hasn’t caused irreparable damage to our alliance. So far our Clan survey shows heavy support for this alliance and I don’t see this changing anytime soon. To future adventures together. #ohana

Kiast

Kiast, our home away from home where we are but glorified renters and some of us have bought some land. We have no official status and only live in the system based on the good will of Kiast rulers, who can kick us out at any time. It’s one of the reasons our past CON lied to the Empress. No one wants to be kicked out from home, again. Making things worse, Kiast is in the middle of a mounting civil war, during which we have been very helpful.

That said, fictionally we will:

• Have to deal with the inequalities of Kiast society (just because the law says Quohari are equal doesn’t mean it’s reality) and an Empress that can no longer guarantee their protection from Kiast nobles (especially the Vazeum ones).
  
• Have to navigate a mounting civil war with a lot of people tugging us into war (Vazuem Dominion, Collective, and a mysterious young upstart with democratic ideals teaser)
  
• Become official citizens of Kiast.
  
• Establish a symbiotic relationship between Kiast and Odan-Urr.
  

Exciting times ahead. Let your imaginations run wild because you are going to love this next section.

Clan Fiction Initiatives

As a clan, we’ve tried top-down fiction a lot. It hasn’t yielded the results I would like so I’m going to try a bottom-up approach instead. We will be partners in this enterprise and you will be rewarded for participating in specially marked competitions. If you were around for the Rite of Supremacy, there was a similar mechanism where the participants could choose from a set of outcomes. We are going to do something like this but on steroids. (don’t do drugs kids) I drew a picture with my HERALD worthy talents.

How this works is I give you a ‘Start Point’ and then a ‘Target point’ to hit. I don’t dictate to you how we get there as long as the target is hit. Sometimes you move from target to target and sometimes you move from target to something called a ‘Decision Point’. At this stage you will have to meet a target but as a bonus you get to decide the outcome of that target. So, an easy example: if I asked you to tell me how you got to the fork in the road. You told me how you got there and then I said “left or right?” You get to decide. Lastly, those decision points can affect which future targets you get and which ‘End Point’ you can achieve.

I hope the above made sense. If it doesn’t yet, I give you this example. Imagine I told you the road you started your journey on and told you where to meet me. Along the way, I sprinkled targets to hit and decisions you have to make. Eventually by working together, we reach our end destination. So, I hope you all have fun with this and provide us with your fictions. If you don’t, then we’ll have to fill in the gaps with fiction from above but I sincerely ask everyone to help write a story with us together. Your fiction choices matter, if you want them to.

Expectations for all Odanites and my Summit

So much fiction. This is the last thing, I promise. In line with what I’ve said so far, I’ll be offering you all the opportunity to help Odan-Urr create fictional groups within itself that will use the fictional environments provided to you. At a clan level, I give you the world of Kiast and its system. At the House level, I give you the planets Solyiat and Daleem. Use them as canvases to paint amazing stories on. But first:

• I ask every Odanite to participate in competitions to be released early next week that will give you the opportunity to create new fictional groups you feel you would like to write, along with a few easier comps that will inform our fictional canvases.
  
• I ask my Summit at all levels to look over the fictional environments you have to offer your members and improve them as needed to give people the best canvas possible.
  

Activity Goals

Alright. In short, I’d like to connect all of you together, whether it be through games, fiction, cards against humanity, fun chats, or something else you want to do. A clan in my opinion thrives off of a strong community. I want to see more Odanites doing things together. I see plenty of people doing things inside their own private groups but they don’t meet each other as often as I’d like. Even worse, they may not have a group. This makes me a sad CON. That said, I have always tried to continually improve this. If you are having fun and making new friends throughout this year, that would make me the happiest leader.

How do we get there? Well, this is a two way street. I ask of every Odanite for some of your precious time and energy, and to give us feedback. In addition, I ask my clan summit to provide you all with ways to meet your clanmates, do active reachout, and give you plenty of fun things to do. Here are some big ways I want to tackle that:

• Events (organized gatherings)
  
• Competitions (to include team-based ones)
  
• Utilizing more of our chat platforms
  
• Individual outreach
  
• Fun games for our clan chats
  

Those are some of my ideas. I’d love to hear from all of you though. How would you do this? Remember, if you want to do something you love and want a buddy, we would love to help set that up.

Projects

There are a few projects I want to focus on during this next month. Each of which should make it easier for you all to do more group activities with each other and engage in our fictional worlds. I’ve offered some goals below and next report I’ll update their progress. If you would like to volunteer your help, please pm either myself or Celevon. You get cool shinies for helping.

Event Calendar

As you’ve all seen via email and telegram, part of my platform is a focus on group events. So far, we’ve been trying things out and seeing what works. Cards against Humanity seems pretty solid and we’ve heard of some interest in gaming and fiction. But, this needs more structure so moving forward we will be making an event calendar, where you can ideally rsvp to an individual event well in advance. This would be edited as needed to suit what you all want to do. That said here are the project goals:

• Establish the first event calendar, taking into consideration feedback from the clan survey
  
• Get more event volunteers
  
• Get more member feedback
  
• Link the calendar to an RSVP system
  

Update Odan-Urr’s Lore guide

In the past, my predecessor has done a wonderful job updating our COU Lore guide but it’s in need of an update. This would cover updating it for club-wide fiction, clan fictions, house fictions, and battleteam fictions. Once updated, this can be handed to anyone new to our lore to help them get their bearings. Project goals include:

• Update Lore guide for club-wide and clan fictions
  
• Update Lore guide for house and battleteam fictions
  
• Update Lore guide to reflect new characters and new COU Summit
  

Leadership Courses

We have a lot of experienced leaders and it's imperative that we pass on our knowledge to the next generation of leaders that will move Odan-Urr into the future. That said, we will be putting together a clan leadership manual that captures lessons learned and key values Odan-Urr prizes in its leaders. Our hope is that future and current leaders of Odan-Urr will take it to heart and follow its advice. Project goals for this first draft include:

• Cover the key values Odan-Urr prizes in its leaders
  
• Cover the core clan leadership positions
  
• Cover the basic leadership tasks that apply to any clan leadership position
  

New Summit Additions

After looking over applications for Quaestor, I am proud to say that Odan-Urr now has a full summit. A big thanks for Ji and Jack for running Satele Shan for a bit longer than they might have wanted. I know it wasn’t easy and I appreciate your service to Odan-Urr. That said, please join me in wishing the below the best of luck as they embark on their next leadership journey.

• Turel Sorenn appointed as QUA of Satele Shan.
  
• Tisto Kingang appointed as AED of Satele Shan.
  
• Creon Saldean appointed as QUA of Hoth.
  
• Ka Tarvitz appointed as AED of Hoth.
  
• Dral Falgorth appointed as BTL of Hoth.
  

For Shan, I’m excited to see what Turel and Tisto do together. Tisto is an eager young leader with a mentor, Turel, to train him in the ways of leader kung-fu. One of our own titleholders is carrying on the tradition of training the next generation. I’m so proud. Good luck to you both and learn well.

For Hoth, we have a new team with an abundance of energy and no shortage of ideas to try. Creon has an abundance of plans, Tarvitz is already working wiki magic, and Dral’s QUA application has some nice ideas for an active battleteam. In addition, I’ve enlisted Edgar Drachen, another titleholder to help mentor Hoth Summit. Once again, very proud of another title holder stepping up to train the next generation. Good luck and learn well.

Clan Survey 2019 due March 8th: Make your voice heard and help decide COU’s fate.

This anonymous survey shouldn’t take more than five minutes and, in the process, you’ll get to help shape the future of Odan-Urr both fictionally and how it best works to serve each of you. This is your chance to be heard. Check your inboxes and House chats for the link. If you want someone to reach out to you directly, simply share your pin on the last question. Please set aside time to complete this important survey by March 8th. I’d really appreciate it.

# AskAura&Cel

Dral asks:

what's the probability of flipping both tables at once?

Aura: Probably low unless you have Ben swolo like chest width. I imagine the tables would not have parallel flight paths due to the distance between your arms. You trying to flip both our desks I take it.

Cel: Very low. Blade had my desk bolted down as soon as I saw your gif of a desk being flipped to clear it of paperwork.

Turel asks:

If you were GM for a day and could make any change you wanted, what's one thing you'd change about the Brotherhood either fictionally or OOC system-wise?

Aura: If I were GM for a day, I would make a Clan Doge (Cel: An actual Clan, not a mascot). Activity would consist of doge memes and members would learn to become proficient in doge speak.

Cel: If I were GM for a day, it would be April Fools Day. My first edict would be: ‘All Edgelords are required to wear sparkly, flamboyant attire for one hour per day whilst in public view.’

What do you feel COU's "selling point" is to members (e.g. something they get here that isn't available everywhere else) and how do you plan to foster that?

From our point of view, Odan-Urr’s main selling points are that it fosters a sense of belonging very much like a family, acceptance for who you are (especially for light side or rebellion-type characters), and a willingness to use all forms of conflict for our fictional storylines. We plan to foster this through group activities and our new approach to fiction. (See report above)

What is your philosophy on clan possessions and are you eyeing any major changes to our current structure or how purchases are made?

It’s our belief that Houses should be the main beneficiaries of any earned credits. In the past, any event credits have been divided evenly amongst the Houses and each could use them as they wished. That said, we are considering using a technique that has worked for Tython squadron before, which is dangling new possessions as prizes for activity. In general, anything that rewards the member for their hard work and allows them to fictionally invest in their House and Clan is a good thing.

Kord asks:

What is the Odanite summit's stance on pants and the importance of them?

Aura: Pants should be used in public. At home, whatever. I would classify pants as important and all guests need to wear them in public. Boxers are not pants. (Alethia is special and has her own pretty dress by-law. That’s what you get when you play ‘I am the Senate’.)

Cel: We dispense with pants uncannily early.

Are we cool?

Aura: I’m not sure. I’m not a Ryn. I assume warm because of the fur. Most probably consider Zeltrons warm.

Cel: We’re good, if that’s what you mean... Otherwise, no. Summer will start sooner than later.

Will having the DGM's brother, who's had relations with your PCON and is married to a tree in your summit once more cause any tensions?

Aura: As to the tensions in room due to past relations, as a zeltron and matchmaker as a side hobby Aura would be rather amused. But Turel is safe. He has a Vorsa.

Cel: There would be no tensions. Celevon and Turel put that in the past and continue to be good friends.

Len asks:

What are your thoughts on pie?

(3.14159 - love you dbbot)

Tisto asks:

What exactly is the plan moving forward (without major spoilers obviously)? I know we had that giant survey but why was that released instead of say a plan forward fictionally? How will various unit identities be seen ideally in whatever future plans? Is the goal Clan first or house first?

So in the survey there was a question about trading with the dark council. Are there really plans to reintegrate the the DJB as a whole? If so how would we accomplish this and get proper reparations for the atrocities committed by the Dark Council? Along the same line what would happen to Kaist and our existence as the Rebel clan? If not why include this detail other than to cause complete chaos?

In the same vein of questioning what is the COU stance in the Kaist system? With all that has happened since the last GJW where do we stand with the populace? Are we heroes, a bunch of idiots brought in by the Vatali, villians? If it's the later are we prepared to invade the System should put current allies wish us gone? As to reintegrating with the DB fictionally, that would only happen

Most of this is covered by my goals for the Clan. I’ll talk to a few things I’ve missed though. The Clan survey is a great way to gauge where everyone stands and what they are interested in doing. Preliminary results supported my decisions. As to Kiast, we aren’t leaving. Some see us as heroes and some see us as villians. As to our Rebel nature, it's been a strong part of our identity since the beginning. There are plenty of ways we can direct that energy going forward.

Pravus asks:

Interested in your thoughts on leadership. Leadership is hard anywhere, but especially in an online club where membership and participation are voluntary. What are your thoughts on an overall leadership philosophy as a Consul, on communication of that philosophy to members, on positive communication other club leaders. Bonus: are those philosophies you believe in the same traits you look for in prospective COU Leaders?

Aura: I would say that my leadership philosophy is a combination of members-first and lead by example. As a leader, I’ve always had a strong community focus throughout all my positions, from BTL to CON. My guiding question: how does this benefit the members? As CON, I’ve looked for these qualities in prospective COU leaders. It’s easy to teach the paperwork and button pushes but much harder to make someone understand that people should always come first. We are a volunteer club after all. No one has to be here. It’s our job to serve them.

Cel: I would have to say that my overall leadership philosophy is to lead by example. Don’t give someone an assignment or order that you wouldn’t be willing to do yourself. I do look for hints of that trait in other prospective leaders.

Thanks for your efforts in February and reading this long report. And remember to take that Clan survey by March 8th!

~Signed with Pheromones (And Silver sharpie!)