Greetings everyone and welcome to my 41st Report as your Grand Master. This report will cover a host of updates and provide status reports on the projects released last month in the DJB Way Ahead Document. First and foremost, I can't tell all of you how incredibly proud I am of our Dark Council. Since the release of the DJB way ahead our Dark Councilors have executed their own individual projects and plans with initiative and gusto that is unlike anything I have seen in the Dark Brotherhood. Its like Rebirth, except...it is actually happening. :p

Administrative Data

1) A'lora: Well hell. I can't ever keep A'lora and V'yr separated in my small mind. Apologies Gents. Regardless, A'lora is bad ass and has done a phenomenal job as Consul of Odan Urr and as a member of our Herald Team. Everyone Grab him and thank him for his work!

2) Atty: The position of Arcona is tricky business. You have a load of superstars in your Clan and all of them think they have the best ideas. Managing those beasts is a delicate walk between love and discipline. Atty has done a fine job during her reign as Consul and her work moving up through Arcona leadership positions. Because of this...She is overly deserving of a promotion to EQ3.

3) James: No award for James, yet. But lets talk turkey. I want everyone in this club to understand what James is doing for us. 1) Coding the website updates....too easy. 2) Coding the Gaming Bot....too easy. 3) Coding Possessions in a few days because I asked him to make it a priority....too easy.

Except it is not too easy. Quite frankly, James is and has been this club's most valuable member for well over a few years. He just crushed possessions coding and then looked at the rest of us and said "build it" and now we owe it to him to make things work. And when we are finished, in a few months, James will join a very select few members as one of this club's greatest members of all time. DJM, SL, Silver Sash....all within two years. Not enough. Grab him, thank him, and then thank him again.

Did I say talk turkey?

I did. And we will.

1) The Voice: Evant has published the Fiction Society's proposed scoring system and has received a wealth of feedback from the Dark Council. This feedback is currently being applied to the system and we will publish a new system in a few days time. Additionally, Evant is also the lead on fiction update 1.0 and the new DJB planets. He has submitted a lot of material on both topics and currently is held back by only one thing, a slow GM. Everyone thank grab Evant and thank him for the hell of a job he is doing as Voice!

2) The Fist: Val, who just got the nod to DA, continues to do all the things I ask. These things include our new Bot:

• login to the Fist-o-matic using a code generated through the Club Website
• Members can then enter the que for a variety of 1v1 platforms using a command in #DBGaming
• Fist-o-matic will automatic pair players for duels, and will factor out members who have already played each other 12 times that day (UTC timezone) from being matched with each other
• A response from both members will be required within 5 minutes of the Fist-o-matic pairing, or the bot will kick the non-responsive member (or members) from DBGaming and set up the next pairing.
• Fist-o-matic can be used to report the outcome of the match directly to the website, all from IRC.
• The Fist-o-matic will run 24/7.
• Use of the Fist-o-matic will definitely be required during Vendettas / GJWs. Outside of those events we don't really run into many challenge issues, so I'm inclined to be lenient and allow normal matchmaking. However that could get confusing fast, so I'm tempted to go full time Fist-o-matic required for 1v1 challenges. Probably start it out as optional, and eventually move it to required full time. Maybe make it required after the next GJW once people have had a chance (or been forced) to use it.
  

3) The JST: Well Damn. Retired Grand Masters do not want to stay retired. Jac and I should be sipping drinks on the XXXX Planet's beach, but instead he is rewriting the Covenant, rewriting the JST website, and maintaining justice in the Dark Brotherhood. Over the past few weeks the JST has submitted to me an updated Covenant that includes major changes to the Star Chamber (gasp), announces GM term limits (gasp), and corrects a large volume of ambiguous wording. Team JST has also updated the Nepotism policy and the Removing Disruptive Members policy. Jac, Halc, and Monty have all been crushing it as the JST team. Find them, thank them.

4) Transparency: Transparency is not a member of the Dark Council, but it is our code. I've asked the DC to do two things, one...improve their position day by day and two...remain transparent with our members. Over the past few weeks the Consuls/DC of the DB have been sent new Fiction Society proposals, new Order Rank Proposals, new Order Color Scheme proposals (Just the Core DC), and there are a host of small team projects being discussed daily. I appreciate everyone's feedback and want all of you to know that your suggestions are improving our systems and will make this club better.

Featured Project: The Star Chamber

We have talked about the Shadowy Cult known as the Star Chamber for years. These discussions and hints have always come in hushed whispers with many within its ranks advising we retain secrecy at all costs. Those days are long gone. The new Covenant Updates by Jac will include a detailed explanation of what the Star Chamber is. Bottom line, the Star Chamber is the group of guys who are tasked with ensuring this club never dies. We pay for everything, we ensure the Grand Master's stay sane, and we keep an eye out for trends that are leading the DJB down a slippery slope of stupidity. The following is a DRAFT of the upcoming proposed DCOV changes relating to the Star Chamber. This draft includes the first every defining of what the Star Chamber is and announces the status of non-GM Star Chamber members on a rotational basis.

Section 3.01 Overview and Purpose of the Star Chamber

(a) Overview – The Star Chamber is the Overclan of the Brotherhood. Its primary functions are to ensure the survival of the Brotherhood and serve as an advisory board to the Grand Master.

(b) Survival of the Brotherhood – The Star Chamber is charged with safeguarding the long-term security and ensuring the survival of the Brotherhood.

(c) Advisory Board – The Star Chamber serves as an advisory board to the sitting Grand Master, overseeing the long-term vision for the Brotherhood and approving major changes to the Brotherhood.

Section 3.02 Membership in the Star Chamber

(a) Grand Masters – The sitting Grand Master is not a member of the Star Chamber, but is the representative of the Dark Council to the Star Chamber. All former Grand Masters who have served in the position of Grand Master since the Exodus and remain in good standing are automatically members of the Star Chamber.

(b) Other Members – Aside from the Grand Masters, there will be two positions on the Star Chamber for members who are not Grand Masters and remain in good standing. These positions will be filled by a senior member of the Brotherhood. Qualified members must have two of the four following required traits: (1) Rank of Dark Jedi Master; (2) Membership spanning at least eight years; (3) service on the Dark Council for at least two years; or (3) service as Deputy Grand Master or Justicar for at least one year.

(c) Terms - Non-Grand Master members of the Star Chamber serve two year staggered terms.

(d) Election of Members - Non-Grand Master members of the Star Chamber will be elected through a selection process by the Grand Masters. Starting with the most recently-retired Grand Master and moving backward, each Grand Master will nominate a member for admission. Prior to the next nomination, the other Grand Masters, including the sitting Grand Master, will be allowed to veto the proposed member. If no veto is offered, then the member is admitted. Each Grand Master is only allowed one veto per nomination process. Upon vacancy of a non-Grand Master membership position, the choice of member will fall to the most recently-retired Grand Master that did not get a nomination in the previous nomination process.

(e) Good Standing - A member of the Star Chamber is in good standing if the member is not on a self-imposed leave of absence with no communication, and the member can respond to Star Chamber communications within three days. A member of the Star Chamber cannot have been convicted of a charge by the Chamber of Justice after the Exodus.

(f) Failure to Maintain Good Standing, Replacement – A member that fails to maintain good standing for a period of ninety days will lose his position on the Star Chamber. In the case of a Chamber of Justice conviction of a Star Chamber member, the member will be removed after the exhaustion of all appeals. Upon removal of a non-Grand Master member, an election to replace him will be held to fill out the remaining term. If the removed member is a Grand Master, the Grand Master may regain his position by becoming a member in good standing.

Section 3.03 Voting by the Star Chamber

(a) Voting Required – All official actions of the Star Chamber require approval. No member of the Star Chamber has independent authority within the Brotherhood as a member of the Star Chamber outside of his ability to vote within the Star Chamber. The Star Chamber will elect as to whether its actions require announcement to the membership, but in cases in which the Star Chamber is confirming a nomination for Grand Master or removing a member from a position, the actions must be announced by a representative of the Star Chamber.

(b) Vote Threshold – All votes of the Star Chamber are approved by a majority vote. All ties are considered a failed vote. Abstentions and unfilled positions do not reduce the vote threshold.

(c) Eligibility to Vote – Only members of the Star Chamber in good standing are eligible to vote.

Section 3.04 Actions of the Star Chamber

(a) Ownership of Assets – All digital assets of the Brotherhood will be held in the name of a Grand Master of the Star Chamber. This includes all domain names, hosting accounts, social media accounts, financial accounts, chat rooms, and other assets.

(b) Grand Master’s Semi-Annual Report – On at least a semi-annual basis, the sitting Grand Master of the Brotherhood will send a report to the Star Chamber detailing (1) the current state of affairs, including details of position assignments and training of leaders; (2) the short and long-term plans for the brotherhood; (3) relevant membership metrics indicating the health of the Brotherhood; and (4) any hardships or problems in the foreseeable future. The Star Chamber will work with the sitting Grand Master to ensure that there is a workable long-term plan for the Brotherhood.

(c) Review and Recognition of Grand Master – The Star Chamber will conduct an annual review of the performance of the Grand Master and will work with the Grand Master to ensure he is working towards accomplishment of the long-term goals of the Brotherhood. The Star Chamber is charged with ensuring proper recognition is given to the Grand Master for his services, including any appropriate medals or other honors.

(d) Succession Review – The Star Chamber shall conduct an annual review of succession planning for the position of Grand Master and any other major Brotherhood leadership positions. The review will focus on evaluating potential successors to the positions as well as the leadership development plans and programs.

(e) Approval of Fundamental Changes – Prior to the sitting Grand Master enacting changes which may be considered fundamental to the Brotherhood (for example, changing the pillars of the Brotherhood, accepting a sister organization, etc.), the Grand Master must review the change and obtain approval of the Star Chamber.

(f) Confidentiality – All discussions of the Star Chamber are confidential; but official votes of the Star Chamber will be announced to the membership.

I'm not going to lie. I'm pleased. The DJB's progress and movement is obvious. Not everyone loves what we are doing with orders, planets, fleets, character sheets, and the like, but I can honestly say I believe these changes are needed and are good for the club. The DC has responded to my challenge to perform to a timeline and they are not only meeting it, but they are exceeding it. To be honest, the slowest person in the process is me, and that is because I continue to have my fingers in a lot of pies. All of the pies.

I will be overseas for another month and then will return to the states for a little bit of rest and relaxation o/a 1 September. I'd expect to see a fiction update and an unannounced competition/game in that time period.

I hope everyone is enjoying our club and knows that our team of DCers and Consuls are working their butts off to make this club better, day by day.

Have a great week everyone! I'll be telegram and email accessible.

Grand Master Pravus aka Sarin