Aloha and good evening, Tarentum.
To start of with, I would like to apologize once again for the delay in this report. I had wanted to get it out last night, but when I got home, I was tired, and my shoulder hurt, and I needed to get to bed. So, tonight brings to you the recent Clan Address, but please note, I generally try to get these out on Sundays.
There's three main things I want to touch on in this report. First, I want to let you all know what is happening with, and within, the Clan. Secondly, I want to remind everyone about History Month, and the competition events going on. And last, I just want to do a quick rundown on events that have happened in the last week that you may need to be aware of.
First Up, Clan Happenings.
As far as what has gone on with the Clan to be aware of, Korras has decided to step down as Proconsul. I appreciate Korras' service as Proconsul, and I know he has had, and continues to have a desire to see everyone in this Clan progress, have fun, and work together. Korras, you have my appreciation, and I know there are others in the Clan who are just as grateful to have had your service. With Korras' resignation, the position of Proconsul is open. I am currently accepting applications from anyone within the Clan; rank and time-in are not a factor. Desire is the only factor that should influence whether or not you apply. If you have the motivation and enthusiasm, as well as the ideas, send me an email. What you should be looking to detail and discuss ought to be your ideas for the Clan, your experience as a "leader" (no matter where, online or offline), the kinds of things you'd like to delve into, etc. And I'll give you some advice.
Every potential leader has an idea of what is working, and what isn't. Every potential leader has already put themselves out publicly, and has begun to communicate with other members, and other Clan and House Leadership on a regular basis. Every potential leader has an idea of the kinds of competitions that are normally run within the Brotherhood, and has tried to get involved in them. Every potential leader has tried to get familiar with what Tarentum is, its place within the Brotherhood, and their personal place and role within this Clan. Every potential leader has an imagination, and a willingness to be creative and think outside of the box when they need to. If you can demonstrate these kinds of things to me, you may just be a candidate for PCON.
Please understand, submitting a good application is not what will get you the job. Submitting a good application is what will get you some time to have a conversation with me, and go into greater detail. Submitting a good application will mean that we spend some time talking, and getting a mutual idea of whether or not we would work well together as a team, but also be able to work alone as individuals while still accomplishing Clan goals. The application stage isn't the single hurdle you have to make it past. There are many hurdles you have to move beyond as a leader, and as a member of a cohesive team. Keep that in mind, and start seeing your strengths and weaknesses, and then start working on your application. There is no deadline, but I will make a formal announcement when I have selected who will be my Proconsul.
Other Clan happenings include the re-opening of Cestus. I have mentioned this now a couple of time. I am re-opening House Cestus. I am of the opinion that Houses are getting to be too big, and that we have limited leadership and training opportunities too much within the Clan. Cestus being re-opened is an opportunity for you to work on a smaller scale, and in new atmospheres if you so choose. This will also have an impact on the other two Houses, as well. I would like Houses to operate at an effective size of about 30 individuals. When the Clan gets to the size of 100+ members, we start seeing that there is a lot of dead weight. I am also of the opinion that members see Houses of 50+ people, and start to think that their own actions and participation does not matter as much, if at all. I am here to tell you, the activity of every member is integral to Tarentum being a success.
To that end, we are re-opening Cestus sometime beginning the first week of November. Houses will be reduced in size, but will be expected to act as closer social circles of team mates and friends. The House Summit for Cestus has already been chosen, and I am pleased to announce it now. Leading the House will be Quaestor and Sith Battlemaster Karel Tarentae from Tridens. As second-in-command of Cestus will be Dark Jedi Knight Kazarelth Talismarr from Gladius. The House Rollmaster and Envoy will be Sith Battlemaster Sato Tarentae from Tridens. These three individuals have a range of experience and talents that will help to bring up Cestus with great benefit, and are also three men in this Clan that I trust as much as the other House Summits. Karel, Kazarelth and Sato will be just as effective of a team as Gladius has in Kromtal, Frosty and Telona, and Tridens has with Archean, Adien and Raiju. These nine individuals are people that I consider friends, advisors, and dedicated members of this great Clan. They are ready and willing to serve their House members in whatever manner you need them to.
With Cestus being re-opened, there are going to be opportunities for members in each House. One of the first opportunities is that of choice. For those members in Gladius and Tridens, you have a choice before you, one that will affect yourselves, as well as those around you. I am opening up a call for people who want to move into Cestus and help Karel, Kazarelth and Sato re-open that House. If you have an interest in doing so, there are several people you need to email.
If you are in Gladius, and would like to move to Cestus, you need to email myself ([Log in to view e-mail addresses]), Kromtal ([Log in to view e-mail addresses] ) and Karel ([Log in to view e-mail addresses]). Kromtal needs to know of your intentions, and you also need to give him the opportunity to talk to you, and your future in Gladius. We need active, dedicated people in all three Houses, and you must consider whether you need to stay with Gladius, or seek out membership in Cestus. If you are in Tridens, and would like to head to Cestus, you need to email myself ( [Log in to view e-mail addresses]), Archean ([Log in to view e-mail addresses]) and Karel ([Log in to view e-mail addresses]), and discuss the same impact. There are going to be new opportunities in Cestus, but there are still opportunities in both House Gladius, and House Tridens. Consider your options, and then email those respective persons with your choice.
House Summits, I encourage you to email your Houses, and let them know about their options, and speak your feelings to them. People need to know about their choices ahead, but they also need to be on the level with you about how you feel about them staying and going. And please, Summits and Members alike, remember this. No matter what House you are in, we are all Tarenti; we are all what make up Tarentum. No matter what House you reside in, we are all still the strongest team within the DB, and that is what matters the most.
Second Item, History Month.
As most all of you should know, October is, and has been, Clan History Month for Tarentum for many years. Since October 1, we have had several events available to the Clan to participate in, and get involved in Clan History. Some of this Month's activities focus on learning Clan History, such as the trivia events. Other events focus on us MAKING Clan History, such as the fiction and run-on. There are also gaming events and such, which may not entirely seem to be "history," but which are still a vital part of Clan activity, and do indeed make history. I want to remind you that, when you game in any event, you practice your skills and hone them, and in successive competitions, you make a name for yourself by skill and activity, and become a legend of the Clan in your own way. Every event is important, and I encourage you all to participate.
I also encourage your House Summits to make sure that you are all reminded about which events are ongoing, and help you with ideas as far as how to compete. Tomorrow, I will be putting out an updated list of Clan History events. I have decided to add a couple more events, and I will also add some extra time for these events so that people can have time to compete in them if you so choose. Be on the lookout tomorrow for the list of events, and start working on ideas, both for run-on posts, for fiction events, and for which games you want to play people in. And remember, gaming is done in #dbgaming, and I encourage all gamers to be in that channel, in addition to being in #tarentum, when you are on IRC.
Last Item, Recent Events.
One of the things I want to make everyone aware of is the fate of the Acheron. For those who don't know, the Acheron has been one of the ships in Tarentum's fleet. It became a part of Tarentum's fleet during the "Third Brotherhood Civil War," or Great Jedi War 7, the so-called "War of the Jacs." The ship was written into the fiction of Great Jedi War 8, The Yuuzhan Vong War of this year, as having been destroyed. The destruction of the Acheron was a last minute, unannounced addition by the creators of the War, and was something that didn't sit right with some of us. During the course of the months since the end of the GJW8, I had been in discussion with Grand Master Sarin about the fate of the ship, and was under the impression that the event had been settled with the Grand Master to both his and my agreement and satisfaction.
Apparently, that didn't sit well with some of the other members of the Brotherhood Clans. I won't single out specific members, but certain other members decided to have issue with what looked to be Tarentum "ignoring the GJW8 fiction," and "going against the GM and DC." Those parties were seemingly unaware that I had been working with the Grand Master, and had in fact worked out the resolution with him. Issues were raised and escalated by certain actions taken by other members, to the point where I started talking with some of them, and ended up also talking (via email) to the entire Dark Council and Clan Consuls about the issue. Some of those emailed chose to respond. Their only real argument was with the name of the ship, and with it "looking" like Tarentum was basically "not listening to the DC" and "doing whatever we wanted." Though it was quite to the contrary, I am not always interested in just sticking to my choices, even when I am in the right. Sometimes, compromises must be made, and in this case, I chose to make a compromise. If people were pissed off that we "seemed" to be "breaking rules," I was more than willing to make a change. The name of the Belarus-class Cruiser that was announced by Oberst as the Acheron has been changed, and is now the Phlegethon. Both ships have names inspired from mythology. The Phlegethon is one of the five rivers of the Underworld, the other four being Styx, Lethe, Cocytus and Acheron. Dranik is still the Captain of that ship, and nothing else has been changed, except for the name and history of the ship.
The recent issue of the Dark Voice has come out, and I would encourage you all to read it. I would also encourage everyone to be ready to submit to future issues of this Brotherhood newsletter. Submitting to the Dark Voice can be beneficial, as you can gain Dark Side Scrolls from submitting, which helps in the acquisition of Clan Power levels. To gain access to the higher levels of Clan Powers, you end up needing five (5) Dark Side Scrolls, in addition to combinations of other medals. If you're interested in submitting to the Dark Voice, please email myself and your House Summits, and we'll work on helping you find assignments and opportunities to submit and gain Dark Side Scrolls.
Korras and Saitou were recently honored with an invitation to join the body of the Tarentae, and the both of them accepted. The Tarentae are those who have proven themselves as the truest members of the Clan, the most dedicated to ensuring the stability and longevity of the Clan, and who have served the Clan and its members in some of the most appreciated ways possible. They are both good, honest, and friendly individuals, and I invite and encourage you all to get to know them if you haven't done so already. If you need help, the two of them have a wealth of experience, and can either help you out when you need it, or can point you in the right direction if they can't help you directly. You all have a wealth of experience and leadership in your House Summits, but I want to remind you all that anyone bearing the Tarentae name is an experienced, capable leader and mentor, and can definitely help you out if you need them to.
That's probably where I'll end this report. Please note, at the end of my reports in my signature line are always links to important websites. If you need help, always feel free to email me and let me know what's on your mind about anything. If you need help, also remember, your House Summits are there to assist you however they can, and they are certainly your first, best resource on any issue. I'd also like to mention in passing, this weekend will likely finish up the Clan-wide AWOL check that Korras started. If you haven't made it a practice to be in touch with your House Summits, I strongly encourage you to do so this week. You need to be in contact with them as much as possible. They need to know that you're around, and they need to know what kind of activities you want to take part in to be an active, entertained member of this Clan.
Have a good week, Tarentum. You'll hear more from me tomorrow.
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-DJM Sith Bloodfyre-Tarentae (Sith)/CON/Clan Tarentum
Grand Chamberlain of Tarentum
The Ghost Dragon
Bearer of the infinite kick assness
Wielder of the holy keg of f**k you
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