Brothers & Sisters,

I hope that each and every one of you had a wonderful and joyous Thanksgiving Day. I know that I was surrounded by friends, gorged on delicious food until I slipped into a coma, and enjoyed watching the football games on television today (in between naps). It was also an opportunity - as I was slaving away in the kitchen - for me to reflect on what I was thankful for. All that I was thankful for in 2015 and what I hope to be thankful for in 2016.

We have much to be thankful for in Clan Arcona. We are surrounded by leaders that genuinely and deeply care about their members. We are surrounded by friends that are wholly invested in seeing each other succeed. And we have a proud tradition to keep us wanting to wake up each day and march towards betterment of the First Clan. I love what we do, who we are, and why we do what we do... so very much. I've shared it with my co-workers (Nerd!), my friends, and my family (they are deeply concerned about my delusions of being a Dark Jedi). I share with them all unquestioningly, because I'm proud to name you all friends.

What we have completed...

Our initial draft for the House Galeres fictional overhaul was approved. We are vacating any remnants of the shadowy underworld theme. This is best for our House and Qel-Droma as it allows for our sister House to full embody the theme through both of their Battle Teams and Port Ol'val. We have worked diligently to align both of our Battle Teams to a more militant minded approach. With the release of the Loyalist Order, we believed it was crucial to remove them through the traditional Chain of Command. Nighthawk will continue to be aboard their legendary ship tackling all of the odd ball missions and requests. Soulfire has become a mercenary arm of the House. They are assigned the tough tasks that require direct conflict.

We capped this initial transition with the Fall of SCEPTER. It allowed for us to clean up and legitimize some lingering fiction within the Clan. We had returned after a long campaign to find our house was not in order. In our absence our enemies became emboldened, armed, and organized. SCEPTER was caught in the cross-fire. Already depleted from the Dark Crusades, the attack halved their forces and through attrition left them a shell of their former self. In a decisive decision, SCEPTER was disbanded and those whom wished to continue to serve were accepted into the Dajorra Defense Forces.

During this time, our House had committed itself to an unprecedented standard in the Gaming realm. We currently occupy 6 of the Top 9 GMRG positions in the Brotherhood. With only a month to go our motto has become "Hold the line!" and we will. We have found new ways to engage our members through micro-competitions that rotate through a myriad of different games to keep it fresh and engaging. Many thanks for Uji for starting this and countless thanks for Rulvak (Warp) and Celahir (Irfan) as they take over the competition.

Programs that help members. In a very short period of time, we have begun work on the House Galeres Redaux; opening up options and new direction for members. From this we have seen the idea for the ACE Pilot Program for pilot-centric members, a rough draft for an armored division (think Paladins), a Character Development Workshop, and a Post-DJK Program. All grass root programs that started with the initial focus of giving our members more. In addition, we have a number of competitions ranging from Character Development to Society Stimulus created by our own members. Pushing everyone forward as one group.

What we will complete together...

Character Development. Uji will be working alongside Zakath to get the Character Development Workshops online. They are going to go through the material themselves first (lab rats!) before they start with a small group. The idea is that you commit to their program (one major class per month, smaller workshops scheduled based on availability). If you are unable to attend, the lesson plan will be communicated and you'll have a set time to work on the portion they discussed at the meeting. We want this to be open-discussion format, but we also know there must be a self-paced element to it, as well. In addition, we are trying to structure Character Development competitions to help fuel your creative juices.

Post-Dark Jedi Knight Program. We have a small group of individuals that have completed the initial evaluation and induction phase of the program. They are currently working with me on a large scale project while we collect and train mentors. This initial group is extremely dedicated to their work and focused on becoming better leaders through being the best members they can be. Their work is already rippling through the Clan and I cannot wait to see what they do next as they continue to grow, learn, and adapt.

The Society Elite. Kaiburr first came to me asking for help on how he could become the best member in ALL things. It wasn't until we tackled the issue from many different angles that he came up with the idea. Each month we will rotate between the INQ, SA, and GMRG. For our casual members, this allows them to go all out in one thing and develop their Society ranking over the long haul. It also allows them to dabble in many things and earn points towards a competition. For example, we are closing November where members got credit for completing ACC Battles, ACB Contracts, and Clusters of Ice (general writing).

Getting everyone onboard. We have room for everyone to contribute. It is important that you know we want you to contribute. There are two forms of currency in the Brotherhood; participation (as a consumer of content) and activity (as a producer of content). We want you equally invested in both, but to also understand that it requires both to continue your advancement and earn medals. Put your stamp on Arcona and Galeres. Maybe it is the next big competition, a service like Character Development, or being a general badass (i.e. Kordath or Rulvak) who compete in everything.

The FIN

As a stand alone report, this would be pretty weak. In conjunction with Uji's recent Aedile report... it gives you a great idea of what we are doing and where we are going in the coming months. Be sure to reach out to your House Galeres Summit (Celahir, Rulvak, Uji and myself) any time you have questions, ideas, or just want to chat.

The responsibility is always with each of us to make this a great place. We own our fates; time and energy are limited, so be sure you are investing it where you want when you are here. Telegram presence is great, but it should come second to knocking out a competition entry (even if it is just one a week). We don't want to just see you. We want to see you fulfilling your potential!

I am, your servant,

Braecen Kaeth

Quaestor, House Galeres of Clan Arcona
Dark Side Adept, Order of the Sith (Krath Adherent)