Brethren of Galeres,

John F. Kennedy said, “History is a relentless master. It has no present, only the past rushing into the future. To try to hold fast is to be swept aside.” I reference this quote, because I believe it illuminates our current path in House Galeres. We have such deep tradition and such extensive history that we often are paralyzed by the fear to change. Change is not a bad thing, but we often treat it as a great evil - rooted by the fallacy of tradition - in the Brotherhood.

This month change will begin to shape our House. We have been working extensively on discussions for both Battle Teams to prepare for the sweeping changes that Possessions will bring. Possessions will have far reaching changes on the Clan’s Fleet, Armies, Artifacts, and more. Anything that affects the Clan will affect the House; we are inevitably tied together. This will create a lot of work for everyone involved, but I promise to be transparent by continuing to have both Battle Teams engage in discussion about their dynamics and shaping their futures. I will also continue to share those decisions publicly and keep an open door (and mind) to any suggestions that every member has.

Progression

Since the end of last year, we have made some phenomenal strides as a House! This includes sixteen elevations ranging from the rank of Journeyman 4 (Knight, Professional, Captain) to Equite 3 (Seer, Battlelord, Lieutenant Colonel) and thirty eight awards ranging from a Dark Cross to a Sapphire Blade. While what we have done (see below) is impressive, it is only a precursor to what should be an amazing back half of the year where we see additions to our Equite 4 ranks (nearly Elders!) and many more members filling in their medal collections with every type of merit medal!

As always, Ninj & I are here to help you have fun in this club. If you are not currently having fun (defined as: you cannot find anything that engages you or distracts you from the craziness of real life), please partner with us. We will custom create content to make sure you have an amazing experience here. For both of us, this has been a place we could retreat, make lifelong friends, and find new ways to explore our passions or create new skills. We want to share that feeling with you, too.

Tal’mahe’Ra

The lizard still fictionally runs the show, but we have recently promoted Ninj to Aedile of House Galeres. This was an easy decision as his star pupil - Mord - steps up to fill his vacancy as the new Battle Team Leader. To assist him in the day-to-day operations of keeping the membership focused and active, he has appointed Xenna as his Battle Team Sergeant. I’m very excited to see the great work that comes from Tamashi and Xenna in the coming months. I’ve always been impressed with Tamashi’s work on the clan-level with our Society Stimulus competitions and various Fiction events he has created. Xenna is concluding a wildly successful (AND FUN!) Dozens of Games for Arcona competition. I imagine she will take a short break, but if you all yell loud enough… she just might bring them back again!

We continue to evolve the conversation of what is TMR and what it will become in the future. It is important to remember that stories take time to shape, to craft, to bring to fruition. This team started as a response to Inquisitor persecution within the Dajorra System (homeworlds of Arcona). They have initially been swept up into the Operative faction within Arcona; aiding Uji in his war against the Iron Throne and the Grand Master. Eventually, their influence and power will spread across all of Arcona. A secretive group designed to seek out rogue Force Users, powerful relics, rare technologies, and long-forgotten Force techniques. To deliver on this promise, the Order will range from prolific military commanders, glorious scoundrels, clever politicians, and powerful warriors. All of which will be shrouded in secrecy and known only to those of the powerful, far-reaching Tal’mahe’Ra.

Recent News: Tal'mahe'Ra Report

Nighthawk

Warp took a well earned break in July as he celebrated 10 months as a Battle Team Leader of the Nighthawk (he was BTS for 8 months previous to that). In his stead, Ernordeth Puer-Irae kept an ever vigilant eye on the team with assistance from both Kharoc and Shawnathan. Shawn has recently created - from scratch - a series of Puzzles for Nighthawk (and all of Galeres) to participate in. These three competitions will conclude his tasks for the rank of Jedi Hunter and propel him into his Knight Trials. In addition, Mateus (the artist formerly known as Mirus) has kicked into over-drive recently. He created a beautiful proposal for his ever popular Strands of Fate series to continue through the end of the year. Let’s make the most of these beautifully crafted Fiction prompts and submit to every one!

Warp and Shawn continued their five-part conversations with the team via e-mail about the current state of the Wiki. The previous iteration of the Nighthawk was an Intelligence-driven team that worked through their ship and the NPCs aboard to deliver on the safety and protection of Clan Arcona. Recent conversations raised the reality that while a compelling concept, the group preferred a scenario more akin to Mass Effect/Firefly - where the ship was the scene in which their individual characters dynamically contributed, not where the ship was the focus. With that said, we will continue to work out some fictional kinks to prepare us for this transition without irreparable damage to the original author’s intent.

Recent News: Nighthawk Report

The Message

Today is the father of tomorrow.

We are - today - the culmination of our actions, ideas, and culture. That means it will affect how we make choices for our future. If we have made positive, impactful decisions previously… we will continue to elevate and progress forward positively. If we have previously made poor, rash decisions… then we run at-risk to continue those same habits and negatively decline. The saying is “you reap what you sow” and I wanted to put it into context for what we do here - in a volunteer club.

You have a limited number of hours in a day, limited number of days in a week, etc etc. However, you also have a choice. This club runs on a member’s willingness to create content and various other members willing to participate in that content. I wholly understand that not every story, prompt or competition idea is going to win a Pulitzer. You should have the same expectation, too. However, I do know that by participating in a member’s competition, it also gives me the ability to talk to that event organizer and provide feedback (how could it be better, what are alternatives, what happens next). It also encourages that member to keep trying. There is nothing more depressing than putting an hour or two into creating something… only to have two or three individuals participate.

You won’t have time every day, but you should make time once a week. Do a simple competition, work on a larger competition in small spurts, or provide feedback on a recent storyline/competition. Challenge yourself to keep taking baby steps forward… and before you know it, you will have helped make our House and Clan stronger.

Why the long dialogue?

Because we need you to provide feedback on the future of Arcona’s story by reflecting on the recently concluded Sins of the Past: Episode II and NInj’s currently on-going Tal’mahe’Ra arc. Please e-mail Ninj ([Log in to view e-mail addresses]) and I ([Log in to view e-mail addresses]) with feedback on the House and BT plots. Keep your eyes peeled for a new survey for Sins Episode II from either Atyiru or Terran in the coming week.

Make this your contribution. Help us shape a stronger House and Clan.

I am, your servant,

Braecen Kaeth
Quaestor of Galeres