Greetings my fellow Odanites and onlookers from the Dark Side,

Welcome to the September COU PCON report.

Without further ado, here is the news...

News

• Now Hiring Shan AED! Applications due by 30 September, but don’t wait!

• Our beloved tree-Herald released his latest report full of guns guns guns!

• The Voice released an official fiction update where the real conflict is in the comments section :P No seriously check it out, it’s a fictional tying of the loose ends left by our administrative changes.

• Jamez quietly streamlined the process for languages and lore subjects. You may have noticed you got free lore subjects and your species languages. You’re welcome.

• Sarin put out a GM Report with data on ranks, changes and shout outs to various leaders who received pointy things and promotions. Speaking of shout-outs, a big shout out to Seraphol for securing this sweet autograph at Dragoncon.

• Evant’s Report teases the Fiction Society (soonish) and gives a great summary of all the projects the Voice office has ongoing.

• The MAA office announced two new magistrates and clears up some confusion about strong vs weak awards. I, for one, welcome our new and old MAA overlords.

• Don’t be a n00b! Read the FIST Report. Details on D3 table updates and JA tourney inside.

• The new CORE courses for Sith, Jedi and Gray are out, be sure to check them out. And a congrats to Seraphol for securing the professorship of the Legends courses.

Your Character, Your Story, Your Way

So bossman laid out some of the character changes in his Consul Report along with links to some character resources. Gray Jedi and non Force using characters are now available, along with all the other changes in CS 2.0. If you need someone to bounce ideas from or need any help with developing a character let us know or ask in a clan channel. We have plenty of character-building expertise in and out of leadership ready to assist you.

One of Odan-Urr’s strengths has been the diversity of the members and characters we play. We have 22 unique species represented in the Clan. I dare say we are more alien friendly than any other clan out there. Here is a not-so-pretty graph I put together that breaks it down.

That’s pretty awesome and even us Human player run a pretty wide range of characters from the doddering old man traditionalist Jedi to the wide-eyed teenager. There has been a lot of change recently, almost all designed to broaden the horizons available to you and let you tell the stories you want to tell in our little club. Some changes have been necessary but restrictive to streamline and get us ready for the new movies and growing base of canon.

The distinction between “grandfathered” and “canon” species is a moving target and not without controversy. New species appear in canon, old legends species become canon and both can get added as playable races with a proper request. That’s where the leadership comes in, we were able to get Aleena approved for a member because A’lora is awesome and did 95% of the write up and all the images himself. A’lora, Nathan and I all worked on CS 2.0, we know what is required to make these things happen. Ithorian also got approved for one of our members due to some strategic nudging of the right people (they had already been working on it).

The main takeaway here is help us, help you when it comes to playing what you want and just having the best experience possible. The leadership works for the members and it’s our job to represent your interests at higher levels. So come to us with your species, dark path, and other requests/ideas and we will work with you to make it happen. Promise.

One final note on the subject of changes and species and communicating with leaders. Leaders at all levels do what they think is best for their unit or the club as a whole. Moving forward requires change and sometimes mistakes are made, changes happen too fast, or we just simply move in the wrong direction. Every member has a right to express their opinion and have their voice heard. If you have suggestions or constructive criticism we will listen.

If you disagree with a DB-wide policy or change, express your opinion in the most constructive way possible but take to us before you grab the pitchforks. There is strength in numbers and leaders can roll up suggestions/complaints and package them in a way that is more likely to succeed. That’s what we’re here for.

Power to the people!

Visions of the Future

• Clan Projects are shaping up and soon you will see more calls for volunteers (by soon I mean within a few days). I will be beta-testing a clan bounty board soon as a centralized place for leaders to post approved projects that need volunteers and what they need. Watch your email for details. I’ve also updated the wiki tracker to accurately reflect the state of all our clan wiki pages. I even made a tab on the tracker called “Turel’s most wanted” of a handful of pages I’ve picked that need attention but don’t require specialized knowledge or permission to edit.

• Coming soon to a clan near you Rise of the Force Ascendent which should launch the first week of October. Stay tuned for updates, teasers and the launch details. The finishing touches are going on the event but don’t be shy to tell us what types of events you want to see in the next clan event.

Competitions

• Jedi Need Love Too! - Shameless plug but write a fiction of two or more characters in COU paring up for love. Where else can you get CI’s for writing trashy romance/shash fiction?

• Summer Fun! - Still some Crescents up for grabs here folks, closes in a few days.

• DB vs Hawkeye Initative - Check out this Herald-sponsored graphics comp that challenges gender image

• DB: The Gathering - Make a Dark Brotherhood theme’d Magic the Gathering card, because you are that much of a nerd. Don’t lie!

AskTurel

Got a lot of great questions today. Way to keep me on my toes guys and gals.

Mar Sul -When can we expect to see some more fictions with the 'babe of the DJB' (thats Turel ofc) in his new role?

You should see Turel make some official cameos in upcoming events like Rise of the Force Ascendent. Rivalries has been sucking up my fiction juices or I’d have a short teaser fic for today’s report.

Teikhos - Who should I ship you with?

For the comp, whomever would create the most comedic situation. Just in general Vyr is my OTP <3

Mar Sul - I don't enjoy any of the games that earn me Clusters. the Closest one that I consider 'playable' is Diablo. What do?

Group with friends, play games for fun and if it happens to earn clusters great! Don't force it. There is a plethora of new SW games on the horizon of all genres.

Seraphol - What is the minimum that the Clan Summit is looking for when a member asks to be full on Dark Side/Sith in COU?

Realism is the key factor we and the Voice look at. That is to say, how would a particular dark sider function in a light side clan? Would it be plausible for COU to accept this dark sider into their ranks? Also provide a summary of the fictional aspects of how you envision your character working within our clan. We don’t need full blown fictions to get the process rolling.

V’yr - How much time do you spend doing DB related stuff daily? How much of that time is related to you Clan responsibilities?

Not counting telegram tomfoolery which is on and off during the day. I'd say 2-3 hours on average. Clan stuff is not as much as I'd like as of late between DB-wide projects and Rivalries, but that will change in a few days so expect to see more pecan’ing

Destin - Sorry if this is too serious, but how has having an LoR affected your advancement and experiences in the club?

Oh wow, going straight for the real stuff. I guess the easiest way I can answer that question is to say all our actions have consequences, for good or for bad. Something as simple as losing your cool in public or arguing too vehemently with your leaders over a difference of opinion can have negative consequences. Now as to me specifically, I screwed up, there’s no sugar coating that. I was guilty of what I was charged with and got what I deserved. I won’t sit and argue the facts of the case or try to spin it.

Cheating in our club is a serious matter and as such carries serious consequences. Even cooperating fully, the COJ process is not something I would wish on my worst enemy and you get branded with our club’s equivalent of the Scarlet Letter, LoR. Is that analogy a bit dramatic? Perhaps. But you asked how it affects my experience and that is how it feels. Every position I apply for or am appointed to will face significant scrutiny and must be approved by the Grand Master. Some positions I am barred from until trust is restored, others are permanent (can’t be the FIST). A COJ conviction is a black mark on your record that will count against you for promotion. Actions have consequences and none of those consequences are unfair or undeserved.

There are some who believe anyone with a misstep on their record is forever unworthy of leadership or position. They are entitled to that opinion. I work very hard to prove those people wrong. Thankfully, Jac, Sarin and Mav do not share that inflexible belief on the subject. The trend lately has been to accept a member’s repentance and give qualified second or third chances to be productive members of the club. I believe the tone set by the Justicar and Grand Master on this matter promotes fairness and rehabilitation which should be the goals of the process. Obviously my current position is not without controversy, I am where I am because various leaders believe in me and were willing to stick their necks out on my behalf. That trust isn’t lost on me and I try to earn every it time I sit down to do DB work.

So, sorry if that was a bit long but that was a tough question. I leave you with this, don’t be dick, if it feels wrong it probably is and ceiling Jac is watching.

Seraphol - I am upset that I have not received X award, or X promotion. What should I do?

Talk to your leaders, but do so with humility. Everyone cares about their career but sometimes the truth may be that you need more time for that promotion or just a little more activity for that medal. We really really want to give you that promotion or shiny, but sometimes there needs to be just a little more before it will meet the standard.

V’yr - How can a member influence Clan fiction and lore? Is the Clan summit open to things like this?

Be active! The first lore I influenced was as a Padawan I think when I turned in a fiction to a House comp. V’yr liked it so much that it became part of the canon. I can’t speak for everyone, but I personally like member-driven stories as canon. Run-ons, coop fictions and fiction comps are great ways to leave your mark. Also, I know it’s next sexy but we always need help on the wiki or fleshing out towns, tribes and NPCs. Just ask!

Destin - What's the most rewarding part of your job in the DB? Least rewarding?

The most rewarding part of my job is mentoring other members and having them come back later and say you inspired them in some way. A close second would be getting promotions and awards pushed through, I love writing those big feesly recs the MAA office hates and having someone tell me they teared up when they read it. It really is the thought that counts.

The least rewarding? Dealing with conflict of any sort. We are all here to have fun after all.

Mar Sul - I enjoy writing random fictions in my spare time. Is there anyway I can convert this into something useful for the Clan/New Tython?

The great thing about COU and New Tython is they are still relatively blank slates. We are always looking for NPCs or tribes to flesh out our world. For example, Vyr and I are working on a settlement of space wolf inspired mandos in our spare time. If you write something up, send it to your leaders so we can get it on the wiki and integrated

Samael/Kah/Chib Nyac - how can Dark Siders expect to be included in OU fictional development?

Two words: Redemption arc. :P

Bragging Rights

Ok, I’m going to use my bully pulpit for a moment to brag on A’lora and Nathan, our Consul and Rollmaster. Working at the clan level, one doesn’t get their accomplishments highlighted like they would be if one were a member of a battle team or House. So I’m going to highlight their accomplishments here because they sure as heck won’t do it themselves.

• A’lora received a Grand Cross for his work on CS 2.0. Seriously read the rec guys, he pretty much did all the species and most of the new venues in addition to a whole host of other contributions.

• Nathan recieved both a Grand Cross for his herculean efforts in nearly all aspects of CS 2.0 and a Steel Cross for his work in helping Jamez sort, categorize and filter all the language and lore data for our CSs.

• Oh and he may be DC but he’s still a Councilor of Urr, V’yr got a Sapphire Blade for all his hard work hitting the ground running

Be sure to congratulate A’lora, Nathan and V’yr for their hard work and contributions to the club. Also, on behalf of the clan thank you guys for setting such a great example of service and leading from the front.

TL;DR

• Times they are a changin’, reach out to your leaders to help you build the character you want

• Watch your email for the Clan Bounty Board for Projects

• Force Ascendent is coming in October, stay tuned!

Closing

Well that’s it for this month. Great questions everyone and keep up the good work!

Your humble servant,

Turel Sorenn

Proconsul, Clan Odan-Urr