Welcome to the Taldryan Consul Report for July 2021! Since the Rite of Supremacy has taken up so much of our lives for the last couple of months, we’ll open with the Clan’s experiences of the new format, then move on to what Taldryan’s been doing since that event wrapped up.

Vendetta Recap

Rite of Supremacy: Escalation ended on July 6, and what a Rite it was! The feedback from Taldryan's members has been positive overall, especially around how the story incorporated the fictional NPC factions. Many Taldryanites also felt that the sub-faction approach was a nice change of pace from the usual "Clan FFA" fare.

I'd like to give shout-outs to all the members who made exceptional contributions during the RoS. Of our 27 members, 16 participated in at least one event, giving us 59% raw participation (before whatever wizardry the DC applies during scoring). On top of that, the following members completed all of the activities in one or more bins:

• Benevolent Taldrya Whiner: All Phase I and Phase II bins
• Zentru'la: All RoS bins
• Seraine "Erinyes" Taldrya Ténama: All Phase I bins
• Rian Taldrya: All Phase I and Phase II bins
• Andrelious J. Inahj: All RoS bins
• Morax Darkblade: All Phase I and Event-Long bins
• Xolarin: All Phase I bins
• Appius "Zappius" Wight: All RoS bins
• Crysenia Orainn: All Phase I bins

That said, it's important to remember that every member who participates in a Vendetta counts, not just the ones who achieve those milestones. Many of our members participated in what events they could despite having other commitments. So, I'd also like to thank Raistline Taldrya Majere, Shanree Argentin (Vodo), Aylin Sajark, Dasha "Jala" Talus, and Corax "Baron" Zarjin for pitching in where they could and representing Taldryan well.

Clan News

• Plans are underway for Taldryan's next Clan event, where we finally get the chance to go on the offensive for a change. Keep your eyes peeled for more details.

• Quite a few Taldryan members have been motivated to run DJB-wide competitions since the Rite of Supremacy ended. The Competitions section includes links to all of them.

• With the Rite of Supremacy over, the Taldryan Summit is now taking applications for the position of Ektrosis Quaestor. (We may also use applications for the Quaestor position to fill the Aedile position, though the Summit hasn't reached a decision on that yet.) Members from across the DB are welcome to apply. To submit an application, please use this form. Applications will be open until site reset on Sunday, August 15.

• Welcome to our two newest transfers: Jorm Na'trej and Teebu Nyrrire!

#AskErin

• Appius: #AskErin On a more serious note, I have a couple of questions. Firstly, what was your experience like during the RoS? Did you like the changes to the usual format? Secondly, we haven't really discussed Erin selecting Appius fictionally as her right hand man. (Yes, I did that on purpose.) What are your thoughts, given their history, on why she selected him?

To the first, yes, I did enjoy the changes to the usual format. Props to the DC for going out of their way to both come up with a fresh take on Vendetta structure and incorporate the NPC factions in a way that's more directly relevant to the members. It was also nice to be able to focus on my own contributions as a member, instead of being responsible for herding the entire Clan.

To the second question, Erinyes' logic in appointing Appius was as simple as Appius seeming competent, motivated, and aligned with Erinyes' interests (though less so the latter now that he's gone Grey Path). She's not the type to have some super-complex plan where she picks someone for a position based on some factor that's three steps ahead.

• Ben: #AskErin I made too much pulled pork. I've already made pulled pork burritos and pulled pork totchos to use up most of the leftovers. What would you do with the small amount that remains?

My suggestion for the leftover pulled pork would be to incorporate it into the topping of a side dish, the same way you might do with bacon. Pasta sauce, salad dressing, that kind of thing.

• Crys: #AskErin If Canada is known for niceness, why are Canada Gooses so mean?

I'm going to sidestep the Letterkenny reference because I don't know the show, but instead borrow Atra's answer and say that they're Canadian Anger Vessels.

• Jorm: Well then. #AskErin just how big do you figure TAL is, people wise? I'm not talking members and their NPCs, but troops, dependents, and civilians. How many people live under direct TAL control on Ostara and elsewhere in Caelus?

My mental image of Taldryan's population is that it's basically our members (including our various alts and NPC characters, of course), our military, the families of the first two groups, and any hangers-on who find it profitable to do business with us. Quick math says that Taldryan's military is about 100,000 personnel, so I would expect the number of people under direct Taldryan control to be under 500,000. (That said, Taldryan tends to settle in areas with existing populations and economies, so we don't have to be completely self-sustaining. That lets us get away with having far fewer people under our direct control.)

Clan Activities

All running and upcoming competitions are listed on the Competitions page of the DB website. I encourage everyone to browse through that list to see if anything catches your interest. I'd also like to give special mentions to the following:

• Mark is running his DB Flash Game Knockout Summer 2021 series. Signups are now closed, but if there’s enough interest, maybe he’ll run another!

• Appius is running way too many competitions. :P He currently has Operation: RAPTORSTRIKE open for all DJB members, with The DB's Own Chuck Norris (Bale Andros Edition) starting July 24 and Nightmares starting July 25. For Taldryan members, he’ll also be running Vornskr Lockdown, Ostara Surveillance and Taldryan Puzzle: Mascot Edition starting on July 28th.

• Morax will be running a wiki trivia competition series, Second Wiki Trivia Hunt Galore!, beginning on July 26th.

• Zentru'la is currently running It’s Nothing Personal, which is ending (not starting) on July 30.

That's it for this edition of the Taldryan Consul Report. Thanks for reading, and we'll see you next time!