Many Arconans held their breath when Lucine Vasano ascended the Serpentine Throne. Some expected to be visited by assassins. Others expected the clan to quickly descend into debt as the redhead spent the treasury on frivolities. Many did not know what to expect, and simply waited to see what would happen.

But for the first few months, there was only silence. Occasionally, an announcement would come from the Citadel to proclaim a new appointment to leadership. Other than that, there was very little word on what the Consul and Proconsul were up to.

Until now. In the past week, members of Arcona began receiving invitations from the Shadow Lady. The invitations were printed on a heavy cream colored card stock. The words were written in an elegant Aurebesh print:

"You are cordially invited to a gala to be held in the Citadel, to entertain a delegation from the Severian Principate ahead of trade negotiations. Let us take the time to enjoy ourselves in the present, even as we set our eyes on a bright future. The celebration will last until midnight strikes."

Beneath the date and time information, the Shadow Lady had personally written, "I look forward to seeing you there!" It was enough to imply to the more wary-minded that attendance was not optional.

That's right, we are kicking off the new year with a party! Considering the fact that it is being held by one of Arcona's more notorious manipulators, one can be certain that there is something else going on behind the scenes.

This is a quick and fun event that will run over a couple of weeks. Participation in each competition is worth one point. Bonus points will be given to the top three placements of each individual competition. The bonus score breakdown will be detailed in each individual competition.

The event winners will be determined based on overall score (participation and bonuses combined), and will receive Second Level Crescents for their trouble. Additionally, they will be featured in the next Clan fiction. Ties will be broken based on the highest individual placements in the competitions.