Welcome, welcome, all of you to another report by your lovely and slightly insane Aedile, Laren. It's a bit early as I have some other real life stuff keeping me away tomorrow.

This report is going to be covering the usual shinies and promotions, as well as going-ons in the Brotherhood. However, I'm also going to touch on our current inter-House feud, A Call to Arms, answer some questions for my #AsktheMerc segment, and really emphasize the importance of Equites in maintaining stability within a groups membership.

But enough of the dawdling, in with the show! Report…?

Shinies and Promotions

• Silent - 2 Crescents with Emerald Star, 1 Crescent with Amethyst Star, 10 Clusters of Earth, 3 Clusters of Fire, 1 Cluster of Ice

• Ra’gnar - 20 Clusters of Earth

• Taranae Rhode - 3 Crescents with Emerald Star, 1 Crescent with Ruby Star, 3 Crescent with Sapphire Star, 2 Crescent with Amethyst Star, 2 Pendants of Blood, 14 Clusters of Fire, 15 Clusters of Earth, 1 Cluster of Ice

• Kellys Mendes - 1 Crescent with Amethyst Star, 4 Clusters of Fire, 1 Cluster of Ice

• Abadeer Taasii - 1 Crescent with Sapphire Star, 2 Crescents with Emerald Star13 Clusters of Earth

Amazing job to all of those who have put in the time and energy to earn these shinies. Keep it up, Karness Muur!

So we're now into Week Three of the Clan-wide event. We're about halfway through this final week, and this is the time to push hard and get your fantastic submissions in. Though I am biased in hoping my House will win over Ajunta Pall, no matter which House you belong to, get writing, get submitting, and enjoy the amazing event put forth by Teylas, Selika, and Dracaryis.

Below is a list of all the Week 3 Events:

• Week 3 Gaming

• Week 3 Fiction

• Week 3 Flash Gaming

• Week 3 Puzzle

• Week 3 Math Riddle

• Week 3 Word Find

• Week 3 You Have a Flag?

• Week 3 Crawl Creator

As well, if you want a quick refresh on what's happening in terms of placements, you can check out Selika’s recent report for that.

Four days remain. Make it count!

Brotherhood Tidbits

There is life outside of the Clan that is super interesting and super relevant to all of us. If you're interested, check out these reports listed below:

• Wiki Report #13

• Deputy Grand Master Report

• Herald Report #16

• Combat Master Report #12

Ask the Merc and Karness Questions

• Selika: #AsktheMerc What do you see as the most important part of your job as Aedile?

• Taranae: #AsktheMerc How is it to be an Aedile? And can you tell all our junior members what it entails and how to get there?

The overlords coming out with the heavy hitting questions.

I'll begin by saying it's been an honour and a privilege to serve as Aedile of this great House over the last few months. To go from being a member that participates and enjoys the content produced by our Summit to actually contributing my own ideas and motivation into the fold is a truly amazing experience.

Being an Aedile has amazing perks. Unlike the more senior members of the Summit, the position of Aedile is flexible and circumstantial. My primary focus is to look out for the Equites in Karness Muur in terms of motivation, participation and development, and support the Quaestor. This is half of the most important aspect of my job. I get to communicate with our membership as much as possible, and I keep them informed of what's happening, what's coming next, and of course reminding them of all the wonderful things that are available to participate in day in and day out.

However, beyond the obvious task of supporting my amazing Quaestor, Taranae, the other half of the most important aspect of my job is to lead from the front. If my job is to motivate the membership, I can't just sit on my backside and do nothing while sending out emails and Telegram messages telling you to do what I have not. I need to set the standard, and it's my responsibility to show anyone watching that the content produced by the Summit and the Brotherhood is worth your time, your energy, and your participation. It is my responsibility to give it my 100% to show that you can give yours just as easily.

The position also extends beyond the realm of House administration. I get to work side-by-side with our Summit, taking on tasks such as updating our Clan History, our main page and contributing to the fictional direction we take, and forming meaningful friendships throughout the Clan to further enrich my experience.

Being a member of the Summit and seeing events such as the Pro Bowl and A Call to Arms coming to fruition and being enjoyed by the membership enhances the experience to new, incredible levels.

Anything is possible as a member, never forget that. With some time, dedication, and common sense, you can be a successful Aedile and beyond.

• Kelly Mendes: #AsktheMerc Do you hate that Lorne dude too?

Even the entirety of the Dark Side cannot contain my hatred for this mystery of a man.

• Kultak Drol: #AsktheMerc What made you decide to go NFU, and what challenges have you faced building your character in a world for Force Users?

Back in my less enlightened days of December 2015, I was approached by our dear leader, Teylas. He convinced me of two things: to join this amazing Clan in the Brotherhood, and to make my character a Non-Force User.

Honestly, I haven't had any trouble creating or developing my character. The beauty of our character sheet structure allows someone interested in creating an NFU that is balanced and can stand toe-to-toe with a multitude of Force Users. Look at Boba Fett in Legends continuity, and Cad Bane; these are ferocious and intelligent warriors that could hold their own and, sometimes, even defeat Jedi and Sith alike. And thus my witty, scarred Pantoran was born.

Writing and developing an NFU is a unique and supremely satisfying experience. Though you may not have the Force, it forces you to write and develop your character in unique ways not necessarily available to your run of the mill Jedi and Sith. In a way, you can even create your own unique brand of evil.

And as they say, the rest is history…

• Silent: #AsktheMerc if there was a bomb in the salsa can but your phone was not done charging would you risk exploding or get out?

Salsa doesn't come in cans in Canada, and I love life, so I would run. No doubt.

And now time for a few answers from our first #KarnessQuestion: What is your favourite piece of Star Wars technology, (ships, weapons, vehicles, communicators, lab instruments etc) and why?

• Abadeer Taasii: #karnessquestions lightsabers are the best forever, because they're a more elegant weapon for a more civilized age.

• Kultak Drol: #Karnessquestions Data-/holocrons. I could store a lot of books on one.

For the Equites

I just cannot be stopped. In this edition of “For the Equites”, I wanted to touch on the importance of your presence in the House, Clan, and greater community. Specifically, I wanted to explain the effect you can have in maintaining activity and morale among the greater membership simply by being seen.

The other day I was having a casual chat with Slagar. It's always a pleasure learning from a member who has been around and active as long as he has. His experience and keen focus as an effective leader and administrator always has me leaving a conversation learning something new, or taking on a different perspective. In this instance, Slagar explained to me the importance of “setting the stakes”. Essentially, it's our method of using hype to show you, the membership, how awesome our events will be, and what you can earn from it.

As I mentioned earlier, I consider an important part of my job to lead from the front. To participate in events and be an example to others of the fun to be had and the shinies to be earned. But to be frank, I also believe this to be a responsibility of veteran members of the community as well. It is your in your interest to earn awards for your successes, and in the greater interest of the Clan as well. If Journeyman Bloggins can see that the active, old guard are having a good time participating in Clan-created events, that goes untold lengths and bounds in motivating our less experienced members to get out there and have a blast.

It's as simple as this: if you are having fun, and letting us know, and letting your friends know, that creates a community that sets the stakes. The stakes being awards to be won for a well written fiction, or recognition for amazing graphics work, and so forth. We are ultimately a community that, like Improv, feeds on each other's energy to spur activity, creativity, and growth. And all I'm asking is that you continue to strive above and beyond to do that which peaked your interest into joining all that time ago: to participate, tell us about it, and have amazing experiences with like-minded people.

Conclusion

Until next time, folks. Get out there and have an amazing time, and finish strong during A Call to Arms!