Greetings my fellow Odanites, allies of the Lotus and dark side spies…

This report is a little late….okay so it’s a lot late but life and writer’s block happens. Everyone from the Dark Council on down has been hard at work generating new content and there’s a lot to talk about this month. So, without further ado...

The featured art this month was made by Vyr and showcases a couple of the Okami mandalorians that inhabit the Kiast system. They are just one of the many diverse groups that share the system with us and you will start seeing those developed more and more in the coming months

JOBS!

• Magistrate to the Fist - Closes 16 December

Brotherhood News

• Possessions is Live! - This is a massive milestone in DB history. Possessions has been whispered of since long before I joined and due to countless hours of the Dark Council and others on the project it is now live. Be sure to pat Evant, James, Vyr and their staffs on the back when you see them around. Now go out and spend those credits!

• Herald Update - Our resident ice queen published a brief updated from the Herald’s office detailing some post-possessions improves to custom image and weapons request process.

• Fist Update #GoodGuyDrac overhauled the GMRG to line it up with the other societies in that once you get XI and XII you get to keep it! He also provided very timely updates to Destiny and Overwatch. If that wasn’t enough there are updates to the GMRG Shadow Academy courses and Rites of Combat. Just when I thought my man-crush on Drac couldn’t get any stronger.

• Voice Report - My boss, er...boss’s boss, has been super busy lately compiling fiction updates, defining fictional roles for the Dark Councilors, publishing a run-on rubric and adding new species. Plenty of great things happening in the Voice office.

• HM Report - Farrin and his team have been hard at work updating the SA and part of that is phasing out out-dated courses. The old IRC courses have been archived and the degrees that require them have been updated.

• COJ Changes - Speaking of outdated courses, the old COJ courses have been retired to prepare for the new Dark Covenant which I am very excited for.

• Combat Master - The ACC staff (which is half COU at the moment :P ) has been very busy with the “Guests of the Matron” event. Even if you didn’t get a chance to participate, drop in and look at some of the matches and read Atra’s fiction updates. This event featured a crossover with the Herald and her ominous (read flying rust bucket) pirate ship, the Matron.

• Wiki - The launch of possessions means some key updates for our personal and Clan wiki pages. Check out the latest Wiki tribune report for details on the dos, don’ts and new templates for the post-possessions Wiki.

• Last but certainly not least, be sure to check out the Rogue One Competitions put on the Dark Council. Contact a member of the summit for assistance in finding teammates for the team events. Good luck and may the Force be with you all!

Clan News

• Life Day Games - Edgar has put together a very solid lineup of games, puzzles and other competitions for the holiday season. Hop in there and check them out! Party like a Wookie!

• Titles - So the Councilor of Urr nominations came in and the existing Councilors voted to award the title to Seraphol and myself. I can’t speak for anyone else but I was very humbled and honored by the news. I don’t see this as something I’ve already earned but something I need to live up to and a long term commitment to bettering the Clan. Thanks to everyone for their support and I’m just getting started. I have a lot of work yet to do for the Clan.

• Renewal of the Light concluded - I’d like to thank Seraphol for putting on this event. It was a great opportunity for character development and a lot of fun.

• Special thanks to Arch and his team for completing the purchase order for our new armed forces. I will re-make the purchases (because I did it once during the beta) and slot the units this weekend. Start thinking of names for ground and space units. There will be a competition to name and create wikis for our new armed forces. I'm really excited about getting these toys into the hands of leaders of all levels and the members. As I detailed before, my intent is to make the COU armed forces as accessible as possible to the most members.

Hello fellow Odanites!

Both Arcia and I would like to thank to let you all know that even though Hoth has gone through some changes both with Vadin Cal aka Tistio stepping down as the BTL of the Knights of Allusis just recently (again Thank you for all your hard work!). Then seeing Chris Winchester step up to take the hot seat as the new Knight Commander. We are both eager to see where the Knights go from here. Also with the increase in House membership it seems like we will start 2017 off on the right foot as well. As for what's coming in 2017 look for more Solyiat and House lore building with new BT and House events. We are currently working on a story-line that we hope that will be fun and interesting for you all to take part in.

Finally from the full Hoth Summit we wish you all the Happiest Holiday season and and a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Welcome to Tamashi Adaephon Delat, who joined Satele Shan just a few days ago! If anyone would like to participate the group events for the Life Day Games or the Rogue One events, but doesn't have a group yet, please contact Arch or Sera and we'll see if we can help you get teamed up. For all other news, see the recent QUA Report.

So Where Are We Now?

Before I talk about where we are going as a Clan, let’s back up for a second and review where we are now.

• Homecoming - Odan-Urr solidified Kiast as their new home through some “favors” to secure the support of the nobility. The Empress granted Odan-Urr access to a historic site the Odanites quickly dubbed the Arca Praxeum.

• Battle Formations - House Hoth and House Shan conducted military excerises on both of their new worlds.

• Resistance - A’lora stepped down as High Councilor and disappeared. The Council elects Turel as the new High Councilor. A mysterious Grand Inquisitor sets her sights on Odan-Urr and captures a former double agent of SenNet and the Voice.

• Renewal of the Light - The Empress offers to host the annual festival of remembrance in honor of those the Odanites lost on New Tython. Party shenanigans are had.

• Rise of the Lotus - The combined forces of Odan-Urr and Arcona conduct a raid on a critical Iron Legion shipyard and strike a massive blow that causes the Grand Master himself to stand up and take notice. #Lotus4Life #ARCCOU #ye-ye

What happens when ARC-COU go to war

Visions of the Future

That’s where we are right now, but where are we going in the future? The next chapter of our Clan lore has already been written and will be released in the next Voice report along with short updates from all the other Clans. I don’t want to steal any of Wally’s thunder, so be sure to check out it but you can expect to see some new alliances form and what the next step is for Odan-Urr as the war against Pravus picks up steam.

As you can see from the news section December is jam packed full of content for you to sink your teeth into over the holiday break. As we move into the new year you will get a chance to take the fight to the Iron Throne in a top secret project I can’t reveal just yet. The ongoing war aside, the big focus for 2017 will be developing our home system, exploring some of the other factions who call Kiast home and our shiny new armed forces. The entire summit is working hard to set the framework up for you but we want you, the members, to take center stage and make your mark on our lore. I know I sound like a broken record, but Kiast is a giant sandbox for you to play in and tell your stories.

Expect more Clan-wide run-ons to give chances for character development in a non-combat, low pressure environment.

AskTurel

Nero - #AskTurel What made you end up picking The Lotus for the name of our resistance, and what were other possible names for it? Aside from the Avatar reference

What’s wrong with getting names from Avatar? Sokka is great at coming up with names :P

Arch - #AskTurel You've given out some top-notch ACC advice in reports before, but do you have any protips for writing solo fiction prompts?

Honestly I don't because I don't do many myself. From grading I would say take time to proof/revise. Also keep your narrative tight, sometimes less is more. Have a theme or purpose to your fiction and stick to it. This is a short story not a novel. Oh and look at the rubric

Vadin Cal (Titso) - #askTurel Aside from Arcona do we have any other possible allies?

Soon.... (look to the next Voice report)

Arch - Follow-up #AskTurel Would it be possible to have some better guidance on how BPs are judged and what we should do to maximize our scores on them?

Well first read the grading criteria set out in the competition itself. I will tell you that it’s very difficult to objectively grade on tactics in a fictional setting. So focus your efforts on presentation and having a coherent plan that can be easily understood and executed. Treat BPs like a multimedia comp, but have that one super fleet nerd in your group who can help with the overall plan. Another way to look at a BP is to pretend you are actually giving this briefing to the people who will execute it. If you were third man, third squad (or squadron for space battle) what would you want to know? What questions would you have? Keep it simple.

Edgar - #askTurel As we move into a new year, How much Lore building do you want to see in 2017, within the Houses/Clan or would you prefer the Clan/Houses spend more time expanding our horizons and taking the fight back to the GM and INQ?

That's a tough balance to strike. There's a real hunger to participate in the larger DB story, that is really just as much our Clan story as we lost our home. But at the same time we have much world building to do. I've taken a divide and conquer approach. Some members of the summit are working on home system development while myself and others work the larger story. I think we're coming into a series of external events that will cover the larger story so first and second Quarter 2017 you should see a focus on developing House lore.

Len - #AskTurel What achievement are you most proud of for yourself and what achievement of the Clan are you most proud of?

For myself? Winning the ACC Championship. For the Clan, being the first to embrace the new DB lore. We walked away from a lot when we left New Tython behind, but we've come back stronger I think. Everything we build now is built with the lessons learned over the first few years of our existence. I may be biased, but I'm proud as hell of each and every one of you for the role you've played in helping us move forward.

Seraphol - #AskTurel With the revelations on lightsaber crystal in the recent Ahsoka novel, where do you feel that the Odan-urr Jedi find their Saber crystals? Could there be a potential of a site being found on Kiast with the number of mines on the planet?

The summit has discussed this and you will see a source of crystals in the Kiast system but in a hard to reach area. Just like the old Jedi, getting crystals in Kiast will be a trial of skill and survival.

Scarlet - #askTurel what was your biggest challenge in the DB than also as a leader?

Great question! My greatest challenge as a member has been expanding outside my comfort zone into areas like graphics and poetry. The only way to become good at something is to just do it and I’ve found dedicating the time to improving in those areas has been a challenge. There are only so many hours in a day after all. My greatest challenge as a leader has been adjusting to the diverse group of people you find in a DB unit. What works in real world situations doesn’t necessarily work in an internet club. Some things like time management carry over, but generally club leadership is its own thing that has to be mastered and your own style developed. I suppose a close second challenge both as a member and a leader is picking my battles. Most of my mistakes in the Club have been digging in too early or fighting too hard for something that doesn’t really matter. I like to think I’ve learned from my mistakes and I’m a lot more flexible.

Closing

That’s all for now. Stay tuned to your email for updates on our Armed Forces (I’ll do the purchase order in the system this weekend) and future fiction updates. Enjoy the December events and Happy Life Day!

Turel Sorenn

Consul, Clan Odan-Urr