UPRISING

Hello everyone, and welcome to my second report as Quaestor of House Ektrosis. It's been a slow start to the year, but expect things to pick up as we move into Q2 2019 and beyond. Please read deeper in for more information.

Major News

Brotherhood Wide

Important Fiction/Voice Updates

Reference ― Voice Report #19

• Marick (Wally) has included a new Voice Staff "Glossary of Terms" that you'll see being used from now in.
  • I'll also be using some of these terms
• We have begun a new macro-storyline arc, dubbed "Brotherhood Rising", that will carry us through to the next Great Jedi War
• The Fiction Society (Inquisitorius) Leadership board has a tentative launch slated sometime in Q2 as Wally works out some logistics and kinks.

Important Gaming/Fist Updates

Reference ― Fist Report #27

• The new Grand Master's Royal Guard Leaderboard is faring as Dracaryis and his staff has intended, he'll keep a watch as the first quarter with the new structure goes on.
• The very first GMRG Invitational Tournament is still in the planning phase, but Drac hopes to have it appear in the schedule sometime in Q3-Q4 (the second half of the year).
• The Elder Scrolls Online play test is done, support is pending review of the results and then Fist approval. There were several members interested in this, hopefully it picks up.

Important Legal/Justicar Updates

Reference ― Justicar Report #2

• There is a new club-wide content policy update, that authorises Dark Council members to exercise a degree of discretion in reviewing all content published to the DB website and its various sub-domains, including the wiki.
• Cloning (creating a secondary dossier for any reason, whether you intend to cheat or not) is super bad, and the Justicar has ways of catching people that do this - so just don't, okay?
• If you're tried and demoted due to a Chamber of Justice offense, it affects your purse and possessions too. Something new to keep in mind.

Clan News

The Caelus Chronicles: Conclusion

The first year and major event under Consul Rian Taldrya should be wrapping up within the next little while, before we set the stage for what comes next between Archanis and Ektrosis. I'll let Rian/Justinios issue a proper wrap-up once the judging is officially concluded, but overall I thought the event went well and thrust Taldryan into a new fictional era.

We should see another major event for the Clan kick off in short order, and I'm personally excited to see what happens next!

The Taldryan Storyline

Wow, there's a term. If you checked out the most recent Voice Report linked above, you'll have learned the difference between and definitions of macro-storyline and micro-storyline. These terms are used to refer to the Dark Jedi Brotherhood storyline as a whole. Going forward, you'll see me using a variation of these to describe House Ektrosis and Clan Taldryan fiction updates, specifically. I hope the rest of the summit adopts this as well.

• Macro-Taldryan Storyline ― refers to the overall Clan Taldryan main storyline
• Micro-Taldryan Storyline ― refers to the House Ektrosis or House Archanis supporting storyline

The macro-Taldryan storyline is currently focusing on our introduction/arrival into the Caelus System, and the effect that has had.

While there is currently no micro-Taldryan storyline for House Ektrosis, I plan to change this with the introduction of monthly fiction updates that will resolve the previous month's SRI Operation and among other things, start the new one. These updates will be shaped not only by the words written by myself or Darkblade, but by the actions and efforts undertaken by you during the new Operations. These actions will have a ripple effect, producing good or bad after-effects which you will see subtlety - or not so subtlety - in both storylines.

House News

SRI Military Forces Launch

With the conclusion of SRI Mini Project #1: Assemble the Fleet, we had our final "blueprint" for which to base and build the SRI's military forces on. Congratulations go out to our Aedile, Darkblade, for his winning and space forces-defining submission. While I received several great entries, his fit the bill closest.

As promised, the Clan Summit allocated funds for each of the Houses to pursue their own military forces. After being given a purse of 12,000,000 credits the House Summit made a requisition for a variety of both ground and space forces based on the winning submissions for SRI 1.0 Projects during Quaestor Justinios Taldrya. You can find the item container at this link. Going forward, these will be the military forces used by House Ektrosis/the Sphere of Research & Intelligence in service to Clan Taldryan.

We have a space force suitable for troop transportation, cargo transportation, and raiding depending on the configuration chosen, and ground forces capable of defending both our headquarters on Iosan (while patrolling the planet for hostiles) and launching a ground attack to provide a well-rounded strike force for the Sphere of Research & Intelligence. You'll see these forces appear in both Clan and House storylines, with the on-going opportunity for members to shape and build them - and use them in their own fictions.

The primary purpose of these forces is hit-and-pillage raiding, operations of which the SRI will conduct to procure and secure new technological, scientific, and intelligence assets across the Outer Rim. While actual command of the military forces by Taldryan's Force sensitives doesn't align with general Taldryan Defense Force command philosophy (and therefore, it's rare your character will command these forces) I am still encouraging members to actively use these military assets when suited.

Strike Force Valiant will be a defining feature of the new Operations competitions, which I'm tentatively launching this month with the start of SRI Raid #1: Biochem Research Raid (more on that below!). The next steps on this front will involve working alongside Darkblade and the House membership to define the importance of these forces to you, and why you might care about what happens to them. We will be starting a consulation process soon to figure out ways we can improve this, among other things.

SRI Operations

With the launch of SRI 2.0 coming up quickly, I wanted to tentatively launch the new format of monthly competitions you're going to be seeing for House Ektrosis. These competitions are specifically built for a couple purposes:

• To constantly push the story forward
• To allow members who do not like fiction a way to contribute in meaningful ways in other competitions
• To allow members beyond the House/Clan Summit to shape the overall macro-Taldryan storyline through their contributions to House Ektrosis' micro-Taldryan storyline.

Building upon the previous "Projects" format and work already completed by Justinios Taldrya on SRI 2.0, these "Operations" competitions will follow a format that's mostly familiar to members who participated in the SRI Project competitions previously. Members will have the opportunity to participate in several child competitions that will (usually) span a month. The winners of these child competitions have a chance to guide/shape House Ektrosis' micro-Taldryan storyline for the better (or worse), with the idea that the chance to do so is not solely limited to the winners of fiction competitions.

Fictionally, Strike Force Valiant will serve as the main SRI Operations division, with member characters providing auxillary/additional support when participating in these Operations. I have no doubts some adjustments, tweaks, and additional work will have to be made once the first of these Operations completes and the rest of SRI 2.0 is brought online.

Projects Roadmap

SRI Paths System/SRI 2.0

• Status ― Incomplete (80%, expected completion Q1 2019)
  • Two paths have been created and detailed
  • Perks for each SRI path have been established and are nearing completion
  • Once finished, proposed SRI Paths System will be presented to the Clan Summit for review

SRI Wiki Update

• Status - Incomplete (10%, expected completion Q1 2019)
  • To be launched shortly after the SRI 2.0 update is detailed and released
  • Will feature new updates to the House Ektrosis page, as well as structural changes to the SRI
  • Will detail and define House Ektrosis and the SRI's specific role within Clan Taldryan
  • SRI's Headquarters will be initially detailed, with further detail to be added through SRI Operations

Completed Projects

House Ektrosis/SRI Military Assets

• Status ― Completed Q1 2019
  • SRI Military Assets are slotted as Strike Force Valiant

Competitions

Reference ― Main Competitions Page

You'll notice this month that I'm not promoting a ton of competitions in my reports, but rather a couple at a time that I think are fun and enjoyable, or relevant to the House in some way. As always, you can find every competition you're eligible to participate in by visiting the Competitions page, linked above.

SRI Raid #1: Biochem Research Raid

Reference ― SRI Raid #1 Parent/Container Competition Page

With the commissioning of Strike Force Valiant successful, the Quaestor has asked the newly-minted military force to act upon intelligence gathered by the Sphere of Research & Intelligence on a rogue First Order science garrison stationed on Felucia

Now is the time for you to assist Strike Force Valiant in it's mission to secure any research already conducted and completed by the rogue First Order garrison. From February 18th to March 9th, you have the opportunity to participate in three separate competitions that will let you define and shape aspects of the new House Ektrosis micro-Taldryan storyline.

• [Multi-Prompt Fiction] - Assault on the Garrison
• [Design] - Transport Colors
• [Flash Game] - Rogue Squadron

Once these competitions and the SRI's first raiding operation completes, we'll kick off the beginning of the 2019 House Ektrosis Micro-Taldryan storyline, will have launched the new SRI 2.0 Paths system, and begin the next Operation.

Wiki Trivia Hunt Galore!

Reference Wiki Trivia Hunt Galore! Competition Page

Darkblade is running a Brotherhood-wide Wiki trivia hunt-style competition aimed at bringing members back to what is arguably one of our most important resources, the Dark Jedi Brotherhood Wikipedia. This series will test the knowledge of even the most veteran of members, and requires a lot more than a quick Google or CTRL-F keyboard search on the page. I'd like to bet that any member, frmo this Clan or any other, will learn something new about the Clans partaking in these competitions.

Closing

Report Song ― Uprising, by Muse

Another short-(ish) report from me this month, but as I said earlier expect things to pick up as we move into the end of Q1/beginning of Q2. The uprising of the Sphere of Research & Intelligence has begun!

I don't know about you folks, but I'm totally pumped for the upcoming launch of EA's new game Anthem and you'll definitely catch me playing it on Xbox One. I've already unlocked my second Javelin, and are about to get my third! Hit me up if you decide you'd like to squad-up for an expedition or two, my gamertag is ALLBOUTDATBEARD (because I beard, do you beard?).

Stay tuned for some more updates next month!

Nihlus Vexrii

Quaestor of House Ektrosis