The Shan Plan

Last week I sent out an anonymous survey via email and I got some good feedback about where the House is headed and what you guys want to see more of. Here are the key takeaways.

For competitions, everyone's gotta have more flash games. Most people were also interested in solo fiction, jigsaws, cluster races, and the ever-popular "Guess What Number Arch is Thinking Of." (I'll let you know how that conversation with the MAA's office goes.) Other popular options were art, PVP score, world-building, mobile games, and run-ons. This is helpful as we plan the events for January and onwards. In the meantime, there is a lot going on in December. There are 25 competitions just between the Life Day Games and the DC Rogue One event.

I would like to add a quick note on the fiction comps. If people want them, we will provide them. Period. Len's already started for Garza. However, in the last several months, participation in House solo fiction competitions was almost nonexistent. So any feedback you can give me, in the comments or privately, about things we can do to boost participation there is very welcome.

The next item on this list: Summit communication. It was an even split between people who are happy and people who want to hear from us more. I'm chewing some ideas over on this. December is always a crazy, crazy month, but you should expect to see Sera and I trying some new things here in the coming weeks.

Lastly, in terms of our focus for fiction and lore, infiltration and intelligence work were the overwhelming favorites. Every other option had support, but these were the big two. Needless to say, we'll be keeping Shan spooky and keeping that dimension front and center as we go forward.

All the News That's Fit to Print

• Corvus recently released a Rollmaster report. Overall it seems the Clan is doing quite well.
• Over in Hoth, there's a new Knight-Commander in town: Nero aka Christopher Winchester. Hoth QUA Archia Cortel also earned himself a happy little knife for several months of hard work in the Herald's office.
• Our Council has chosen its two newest members: Turel and Seraphol. These were two of the first people I got to know when I joined Odan-Urr, and I've worked with them on a wide variety of projects and shenanigans ever since. I hope you'll join me in giving them the heartiest possible congratulations!
• The Shadow Academy is prepping for a big restructure. Additionally, Farrin released a new Ranged Weaponry Studies course.
• The Herald's office has temporarily stopped accepting custom weapon requests while they finish up their work on Possessions.
• Speaking of Possessions, the Regent aims to have the final system live by December 6.
• Also speaking of Possessions, the Wiki Tribune laid down the law on how to document your new bling.
• Ernordeth Anger-Boy has you covered with the latest gaming news. Additionally, you may have noticed that #GoodGuyDrac changed the way the GMRG works and clarified the existing PoB policy.
• And in WallyWorld, the Voice has been louder than usual this month: unleashing new rubrics, hiring staff and updating policy, showing off how awesome we are, and updating the fiction rubric and species policy. Not to be outdone, Atra and Qyreia have started a podcast to discuss important fiction-related concepts like how G.I.R.L.s just wanna have fun. And finally, there's a bunch of you rocking out in the Guests of the Matron ACC event. Don't forget to cheer on your clanmates!
• This month was so busy that even the Justicar had news.

Competitions

Garza's Pathfinders

• Tip of the Spear is a co-op fiction mission running through January 7. Pair up and get to work!

Satele Shan

• Weekly Jigsaw Mania is almost at its end, with the current puzzle running through December 8.

Clan Odan-Urr

• It's the most wonderful time of the year: the Life Day Games run through January 7. Thanks to Edgar for putting this event together for everyone to enjoy.

Brotherhood-wide

• The Dark Council presents a massive competition in celebration of Rogue One, running through January 7.
• Gorefest will be the weekend of December 9.
• Telling Tall Talls, running through December 9, is you chance to spread some in-character BS.
• Baby, It's Cold Outside, in addition to making us all more paranoid about what's in our holiday beverages, will most likely result in some poorly written Marlethia fic from yours truly. Runs through January 5.
• Don't I Know You Three is your chance to make friends, enemies, or frenemies with not one but two strangers. Runs through Jan 1.
• Gamers, Destiny Goes to Hollywood is your chance to try out some machinima before January 1.

Activity Report for November 2016

Competition participation exploded this month, between the end of Halloween Horror Nights, the anniversary comp series, and the jigsaws. Juna and Mako alone submitted 53 entries between the two of them. I'm beyond delighted at this, and I look forward to watching you guys tear up the two December mega-competitions. Of course, there are a few people who deserve special recognition:

• Ihi Ariki and Korroth were both awarded Dark Crosses by Farrin for their continuing service to the Shadow Academy.
• Lithar Andaris lead the project to develop a leadership training document over the past several months. It's a beast of a document, and no small amount of work. Check out Corvus' RM report for details.
• Sa Ool successfully mentored Hiset Tval to Knighthood. Although there's no word yet on if (dare I say when?) Hiset will join us in Satele Shan, helping a member hit JM4 is always a significant contribution to the House and Clan.
• Above all, Seraphol reminded us all why the club has kept him around all these years. In addition to healthy activity and his duties as Aedile, Sera put together the 9 competitions of Renewal of the Light as well as the popular weekly jigsaw, and is currently up to his neck in grading. He recruited our newest member, Raeyanna. And he was voted into the Council of Urr for his long service, not only to Satele Shan, but to Hoth and Odan-Urr as a whole.

Junazee

• Participated in 29 competitions
• 2 Crescents with Amethyst Star
• 1 Crescent with Sapphire Star
• 1 Crescent with Emerald Star
• 2 Crescents with Topaz Star
• 179 Clusters of Fire
• 1 Cluster of Ice

Mako Henymory

• Steel Cross
• Participated in 24 competitions
• 2 Crescents with Topaz Star
• 1 Crescent with Quartz Star
• 43 Clusters of Fire
• 5 Clusters of Earth
• Passed Starfighter Studies

Alethia Archenksova

• Participated in 19 competitions
• 1 Crescent with Ruby Star
• 5 Crescents with Sapphire Star
• 1 Crescent with Emerald Star
• 1 Crescent with Topaz Star
• Passed Chamber of Justice I

Len Iode

• Participated in 16 competitions
• 10 Clusters of Fire
• 50 Clusters of Earth
• Passed Leadership Rewards, Leadership Competitions, IRC Basics, and Chamber of Justice I

Korroth

• Dark Cross
• Participated in 16 competitions
• 3 Crescents with Amethyst Star
• 3 Crescents with Emerald Star
• 2 Crescents with Topaz Star
• 5 Clusters of Earth
• Earned a Dark Maven in Philosophy

Lithar Andaris

• Participated in 15 competitions
• 2 Crescents with Amethyst Star
• 7 Clusters of Ice

Akaarn Tayl'cor

• Participated in 13 competitions
• 1 Crescent with Sapphire Star
• 2 Crescents with Emerald Star
• 1 Crescent with Topaz Star

Daniel "Seraphol" Stephens

• Participated in 8 competitions
• 1 Crescent with Sapphire Star
• 1 Crescent with Emerald Star

Kasulla Daegella

• Participated in 1 competition
• 4 Pendants of Blood
• 60 Clusters of Fire

Nariah Jadon

• Joined Satele Shan!
• Participated in 5 competitions
• 1 Crescent with Sapphire Star

Sa Ool

• Participated in 2 competitions
• Scroll of the Master

Raeyanna

• Joined Satele Shan!
• Promoted from Initiate to Novice
• Participated in 2 competitions

Jafits Skrumm

• 4 Clusters of Fire

Ihi Ariki

• Dark Cross

Talis DeMorte

• Dark Cross

Mauro Wynter

• Anteian Cross

leocadio

• No activity recorded

Aerwin Tribwell

• No activity recorded

Ka-lel

• No activity recorded

Gellm'arco'nuruodo

• No activity recorded

Aaleeshah

• No activity recorded

Gavriel Kadesh

• No activity recorded

Krandon Lucian Firebringer

• No activity recorded

Droveth Kathera Vectivi

• No activity recorded

Ceballa LightBringer

• No activity recorded

Magnus Wolfson

• No activity recorded

#AskArch and Conclusion

Sa Ool: #AskArch are we going to have just a house series of comps to build our lore or are we just clan lore building comps?

Anything we do for lore through comps will be for the House or for Garza. I don't know that I'd be involved in running comps for Clan lore unless I end up running the 'name our stuff' comp for Possessions. There's definitely interest among of bunch of people in lore comps, but December is packed with stuff so I'll probably only do something very small

Len Eode: #AskArch How did you come up with the name Archenksov/Archenksova?

Random name generator from SWTOR. It was the only thing I liked that wasn't taken. That was the toon I did most of my GSF under, so that's the name I used when I joined the TC. I added the A on the end for Alethia because it looks so slavic that I figured I should commit to it.

Mako Henymory: #AskArch are we going to see a steamy aleithaxgwen fic?

Not from me, but it's inevitable that we'll have another shipping comp sooner or later. Gwen might have to fight Morgan for her, though, so watch out.

Alethia Archenksova
Quaestor, Satele Shan