Aloha and good afternoon, ladies and gents.
Welcome to Tarentum. If you haven't been here long, welcome. If you've been here for as long as you can remember, welcome. Why am I welcoming everyone? Because no matter how long you have been in Tarentum, it has changed. This Clan is always changing, always growing, always adapting, always becoming something completely unknown. Tarentum is a Clan that values its history. Tarentum has members, like me, who remember a lot, who have been through a lot, who value what other people have done, and look forward to what everyone will do. So, again, welcome. Whatever you think you know about Tarentum, please realize, you may be in for a surprise. Hopefully it'll be a good one.
Tarentum values its independence. We are a Clan of people who does not believe in just abiding by the majority, we do not believe in going with the flow. We believe in holding to our convictions and supporting and honoring that which we see to be right and worthwhile. We follow leaders that we believe in, and we speak up about issues that affect us. We do not sit idly by and let things pass us by, and we certainly do not allow others to decide our fates for us. We are not rebellious, we are simply not passive about our convictions and opinions. We stand up for ourselves, we stand up for each other, we stand up for the things that make the Clan and this Club better. Sometimes, this puts us at odds with people, but for the most part, when we are acting for the right reasons, most people respect our opinion, even if they don't agree with it. Tarentum isn't a Clan that people wave aside and ignore. You are members whose actions and voices will help determine the course of the Brotherhood.
Why am I telling you all this? I'm letting you know what's up, because if you're going to be a member of this Clan, you have got to be an active part of it, you have got to put forth the effort to work with the rest of this Clan for mutual benefit, and you have to be willing to stand up and fight for the honor and standing of this Clan. You have to be willing to put aside differences with those around you, especially those within this Clan, and you have to think about what is honestly going to be the best for everyone involved. If you thought you were joining the Dark Brotherhood for your benefit, and yours alone, you're in the wrong Clan. No one in this Clan can have the attitude of "I'm getting what I want, and the rest of you can take care of yourselves." If that's what you think, you really are in the wrong Clan. Tarentum is much more than just a group of people in a Club. If you're in this Clan, it's because you want life-long friends, and you want people to stand with you no matter what.
And it's not just people in this Clan. There are life-long friends to be made simply because you're in Tarentum. There are certain people in other Clans, such as DJM Trevarus Caerick, a.k.a. Shan Long, who befriends and respects nearly anyone who belongs to this Clan, because he has known us and interacted with us for so long, that even though he is in Clan Naga Sadow, he's as close as you can be to being a member of Tarentum without being in this Clan. DJM Anshar Kahn Tarentae is the Headmaster of the Shadow Academy. Most of you new members probably recognize his name easily. You should. Anshar is a good man. Anshar started out in Arcona, and was a member of that Clan and dedicated to it, until events happened and brought him here. Anshar has since become one of the pillars of this Clan, and will support you and help you out whenever he can no matter the cost. He may not be a part of this Clan on the rolls, but Anshar is one of those men and woman who bleeds Tarentum. Men and women outside of the Clan, and those within, will be some of the most faithful friends you will ever make.
So what does this all have to do with you? The fact is, your actions define us. Not only do you help define this Clan, and those within it, you help define the reputations of anyone who ever has been in this Clan, or ever will be. Your impact on this Clan will last a lifetime, either good or bad. And quite frankly, I want everyone to have the right impact on this Clan, and those of us who are a part of it. To that end, I'm going to give you one huge piece of advice.
This Club is about as real as Jerry Springer. Yep, there's real people, with real attitudes, with real lives that make up the Club, but everything that happens in it is at least 80% bullshit. And when you have stuff that's going around that's at least 80% trash, or 80% someone else's imagination, things can turn sour. Don't let it. If you're not here for friendship, you're here for the wrong reason. If you're not here to have some fun and try to live out some fantasy and make believe nonsense in Star Wars, you're here for the wrong reason. Live life, get real, open your eyes, see what this all is. It's supposed to be good, clean-hearted fun. If you've been here forever, remember that. If you've just joined us, keep that in mind. Don't ever let that idea slip away. We're here for fun. We're here for friends. Trust me, you're not going to like everyone you meet in the DB. You may not like everyone you meet in this Clan. At least, not right away. If you open up a bit and get real, you may like everyone.
Ok, that's my schpiel. Now, onto some other news.
Knighthood Trials
If you're a Jedi Hunter, listen up. If you've been a JH for a month or more, it's time that you started the Trials. What are the Trials? It's sort of a challenge given to you by your House Summit, the Clan Summit, and a mentor, or other "veteran friend" in the Brotherhood. These challenges are meant to test your skills, allow you to exhibit what you can do, and try to stretch beyond your limits and find out some things that you can do, that maybe you didn't think you could. For some time, the Trials have been three tasks, one set by the House Summit, one by the Clan Summit, and one by your mentor, or another person assigned to you (for the Trials) in that mentoring role. Not anymore. The Trials will not be made up of five tasks. Not a whole lot more, but the tasks will also be modified and evolve.
If you're a Jedi Hunter, and have been one for 30 days or longer, you're ready to start the Trials. Here's what you do. You need to get in touch with your mentor and House Summit, and let them know you're ready to start the Trials. If you don't have a mentor, your Summit and your Team leader are the ones to get a hold of. If you don't have a Team leader, you really need to learn to work with people. Email your House Summit, and get to know a veteran member who can help you out as a mentor, or ask your House Envoy to help you find a mentor. If nothing else, a mentor is good for having someone to ask questions, play games with, write with, etc. So, Jedi Hunters. It's your job to get rolling on this. The quicker you get with your mentors and leaders to have them get to work on starting your Trials, the quicker you have a shot at completing the Trials and earning the rank of DJK, and your lightsaber. Mentors, House Summits, be ready for these people.
And, just a quick note. If you have not received an email from one of your Summits or mentor specifically stating that your Trials are started, with info and such on your five Trials, you have not started your trials yet. If you don't have an email like that, that means you need to be emailing people if you want to get started.
Tarentum Combat Arena
This is an idea I've had for some time now, and one that has evolved, and one that I want to get back onto. For those of you who are aware, there's something in the Brotherhood called the "Antei Combat Center." What is the ACC? It's basically a place where you get to do miniature run-ons that pretends to be "combat writing." It's a way for people who don't have the games, or can't multiplayer with the games, to get the feel and entertainment value of having lightsaber fights and such. However much you choose to use the ACC or not, there is one thing everyone should get to know. ACC Character sheets. Don't worry too much about the specifics of the sheet, but this is a handy little tool that helps you to flesh out your character, and get to know everything about him or her. Stuff like how your character fights, what he or she looks like, what kinds of weapons they like to use, etc. There's a lot that goes into a character sheet. Yes, the ACC sheets are often confusing, and I've been using them for years.
What does this have to do with the Tarentum Combat Arena? The TCA is going to be something small, limited to Tarentum only. What the goal is, is to teach everyone how to get into that combat mindset, how to flesh our your character's fighting ability and such, and attempt to set a standard throughout the Clan both in fiction, and to help set bonds between us all in reality. What do I want? Eventually, I'd like to have a group decision on what fighting styles, both lightsaber combat styles and hand-to-hand combat styles, that would be the best to set as a stereotype for Tarentum. Basically, what styles of fighting are you most likely to learn by being a part of this Clan.
http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/dbjedi/lightsaber_guide.asp or http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/wiki/index.php?title=Category:Lightsaber_Combat
http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/dbjedi/hand_to_hand_guide.asp or http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/wiki/index.php?title=Hand_to_Hand_Combat_Guide
Those links will get you the info on lightsaber combat styles and hand-to-hand combat styles. Take a look, read through it, get some ideas, and then email me. I want feedback, I want to know what styles you all think are cool, or would be the best couple of styles to say, "These are the styles everyone in Tarentum should practice." What does it affect? It affects the fictional side of things. It affects your character. If you're going to be writing to be active in the DB, this is for you. If you just want to game, get into it anyway. If nothing else, maybe you'll enjoy the read. Maybe it'll motivate you to get involved in things. Either way, read through it and let me know.
I could probably go on, but for those of you who don't know, I'm a student at college and the fire academy. I'm working on getting into paramedic school next semester, and tomorrow morning, I have my interview and skills test for it. Needless to say, I'm busy. I've been trying to refresh on A&P (my anatomy knowledge is ok, I was never the best at physiology), and just get ready for it in general. The next couple of days, I'll probably be swamped. If you need help, your House Summits are there for you. Email them, hit them up on IRC, whatever. Try emailing a House member if you need someone. You'd be surprised how much the rest of the House knows. Email Armus. He's the Proconsul for a reason. He's a good guy, he's experienced, and he can always tell you crazy stories about life onboard Navy vessels.
Anyway, have a fun week, Tarentum. You're here for a reason. Do your part to continue to make something great of this Clan.
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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
http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/dbjedi/
http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/forum/
http://www.undernet.org/webchat.php
http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/dbjedi/irc.asp
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