Break of Day

Temple of Plagueis

Morroth, 34 ABY

The cold was palpable. Everyone felt it this day, from the smallest of Apprentices fresh from the Academy, to the mightest of Equites, normally so sure of themselves. Only the Quaestor and the Elders were immune. Darkness was everywhere, and most wondered why the entire House had been assembled here, of all places at this Force-forsaken hour. Standing with his back to the East, the Shi'ido was nude except for a modesty pouch, having assumed the body of an Ice Demon. His skin glittered in the torch light, his features very easily observed in the reflected fires. There was a cold glint to his eyes, like that of adegans polished in fire.

One among them was obviously missing from the ranks. "The Ascendant House, long the Titan of the Brotherhood has become the sleeping giant! You have forgotten who we are! We have lost one of our beloved sons who felt the need to explore other places. His loss is a blow we will not soon forget, and yet in his place he left behind a gem amongst the rough, started in his image to be polished in the fires of another's care. Come forward Imichua!" The shivering Jedi Hunter stepped forward from the ranks of Primus Pilus, who all stood proudly in their new uniforms.

Matte black, the line of daunting Dark Jedi stood in order by Flight. Their new insignias stood out, the three sided pyramid of perfection resolved in obsidian on a field of red. Each wore their order color in a band above their right wrist, so that all would know them to be of the Force, ready and willing to kill or be killed for their house. The sun began to rise, casting a stark shadow across the plain as the burning light of Sigil rose like the fires of hell. "We are all put through fire to get here, and then quenched in the Ice of Morroth. It's part of what makes us powerful, to have been burned alive, frozen to death, and brought back by the Dark Side!" Finally clearing the mountain peaks, the radiance that was the star of the Jusadih system banished any doubt about its brilliance, and that of those who lived beneath its rays.

Continuing on after giving his House a moment to bask in the transcendent glory of their surroundings, the Shi'ido grabbed a nearby quarterstaff and whirled it around to slam the base into the ice at his feet, causing it to crack. The sound, like that of a gunshot immediately refocused those present. "Trained by our own departed Admiral, and now basking in the light of Kal di Plagia Vorrac, Imichua has earned the status of Flight Leader. The core team of Mograine, Shirai, and Zuser support him as they work together to make Plagueis a stronger place. Joining him in the command of our most elite units is Furios, who will be assuming the open Flight Lead left behind so recently. His core group of power consists of Voden, Kodais, and Nariah. Each of these operational sub groups form Primus Pilus, under the iron fist of the Last Son of Plagueis, Kal Vorrac!"

A cheer for the former Quaestor and the last the di Plagia rose like the tidal wave from an earthquake. It was accompanied by the pounding of boots on ice, the sound making a solid rumble brought to a halt by a raised fist. All fell silent as they waited for their leader to continue. "He is ours, and yet he is not. He is away on one of many periodic missions, serving as the right hand of the Grand Master. How ascendant are we? One of our own is Praetor to the Dark Lord of the Sith! With dedication, focus, and determination, all may rise to such heights! Truly we are the house of name, Ascendant in all things! Focus on your training, and you too may join the elite ranks of Primus Pilus. You too can become mighty! Adapt, Ascend, Avail, and see it so!"

A shiver ran through the ranks. If one of their own had risen so far, who were they not to join him? "DISMISSED!" The final call rang through the air as the notorious chameleon of a leader passed between two guards and emerged different on the other side, fully clothed in his strange ways. With his lightsaber belted at the hip and ready for action, the usual cloak in absentia to better expose the walking arsenal. All but Primus Pilus left the field, as the Battleteam stood at attention to receive his review. "We face a trying time, and yet you adapt. We face tests unlike any others before, and yet you avail of all things. We lose members and yet you ascend to win where others fail miserably. Continue to set the example, and our rightful place as a clan shall not be long away. One of us is gone, and he shall be missed. In his honor, prove that we are stronger now than ever before. Be the blade Pilus, and others will come to stand behind you."

As one they saluted and filed out, leaving Tra'an alone but for the ever present shadow at his shoulder. "Do you really think they can do it?" A nondescript man, covered with a cloak was the only covered face on the surface of Morroth that day. Unusual perhaps, and yet none present would waylay the Quaestor. If there was nothing else they knew about him, it was that there was nothing else for him now but Plagueis. He'd not put it at risk foolishly.

"They already have my friend, they already have. And you have my report, as we agreed. I am sure that you will see to it that the information within will not go to waste. As the tides of war are turning anew, it won't be long now. I'd hate to face a conflict on two fronts." A flash of red hair from under the hood turned crimson in the sun. It vanished again just as quickly, as green lights glowed out softly from the brown suede. The rest remained hidden behind another nod of the skull beneath.

"It will be done. Be wary, your venture in the shroud did not go unnoticed. Your prize is coveted, and there is fear it will taint you and yours. Remember to fear the Darkness Reith. No one is immune from that, no matter who they are. You touched the Devil, and couldn't let go. No control. Best to destroy it before it consumes you." With a soft cackle, the person shambled away on the ice, escorted by four guards that knew that their presence was a formality. Death would be theirs if ever their charge decreed it so, and they only knew that much because his saber had been seen even when his face had not.

Tra'an basked in the sun, not afraid of the light, or of the darkness, as already the sun began to set. It was never more than twilight for long on this world of hellish ice, and yet it was always worth seeing. A grin covered the face of the man as shadows hid it again. "Death comes to us all, but not anytime soon. We've a universe to conquer first," whispered the Quaestor.

-=+=-

Welcome to the Quaestor Report!

For the past month, I have been quietly in the darkness, rallying our forces and preparing for what is to come, and now it is time to show the fruits of My labors, and that of Unus and Kal!

Primus Pilus has NINE SOLIDLY ACTIVE MEMBERS! They contribute regularly to our ability to survive as a House by earning Degrees, Awards, and Honors. I would ask you to ask yourself, what have you done for yourself lately? Have you passed an SA course to further your knowledge that leads to a Dark Degree? Have you participated in a competition to earn a shiny that banks towards your next promotion? Have you contributed to the House's infrastructure like Nariah and her sexy Planets? Everything you do for yourself in Plagueis benefits Plagueis. Activity for its own sake is its own reward.

I shall demonstrate by showing you.

With the recent departure of our beloved Tiberius Di Cloud and the loss we felt at his leaving, it was a difficult decision on who we could have to fill his shoes. Furios however proudly took up the gauntlet left by his departure, picking up his Flight Leader spot. Furios earned this honors by achieving his Dark Maven of Combat with near perfect scores in every course! By coming up with a great article about the Ice Wyrms of Morroth! He did this by contributing to the competitions and discussions about Plagueis' future, and by being regularly and routinely active.

You too can earn a place of pride in Plagueis and a spot amongst Primus Pilus through dedicated activity.

Imichua has revamped the Primus Pilus wiki and given them a stunning new symbol that really fits Plagueis. Check it out! He's also contributed to several competitions and is proving that his Flight Leader spot is well earned. He is now serving under the tutelage of Kal Vorrac, training directly under the Iron Fist of Plagueis. Who knows what wonders he will achieve with such mentorship?

What about the other members of Primus Pilus you ask? What have they done?

Sarak earned an Emerald Crescent in Ice Monsters, a competition in which Imichua took Second, and Furios took First!

Mograine has been working in Shards of a Lingering Darkness.

Voden is hard at work on coding tasks set to him by Orv.

Kodais Solatus and Unus Domus are revamping Kapsina, a draft of which I've already seen and approved. They're busting steel and spitting nails to make it something special.

Zuser is writing fiction for his trials, and completing SA exams to rank up, remaining regularly active on IRC.

Shirai has contributed to several competitions and is active on IRC.

Activity begets communication which leads to more activity! If you're not on IRC with us, why aren't you? It's free! It's Easy! And if you need help, email Myself, Unus, or Kal! We'll figure it out!

To be strong, we must not just look strong, we must be active to support that strength. The following is a list of all notable Promotions, Awards, and Degrees.

A special shout out to Skysz! He received his first two promotions on the very day he joined us! He's currently hard at work under Furios' tutelage for that next promo!

The following is a listing of all Awards, Degrees Achieved, and Promotions since July 1st. Are you here? If not now, when will you be?

Furios

Quartz Star X1 COF X2 Topaz Star X2 Emerald Star X1

---

Kal COF X8

---

Unus

COF X4 Topaz X1

---

Nariah

COF X2 Emerald Star X2 Dark Cross X1 Topaz Star X1

---

Sarak Quartz Star X1

---

Zuser COF X1

---

Degrees;

Furios - Dark Maven Combat

---

Promotions

Skysz; APP-NOV-ACO

Varoth; APP-NOV

Marik; NOV-ACO

Keniu; APP-NOV

Syn'ja; APP-NOV

-=+=-

Now for the part that you all come to see, the competition listings! I've got some curve balls in here. So take a look. You might find something special, like our first one this month.

Beat the Quaestor –

That's right! I'm challenging you to be more active than I am. What does this net you? Fourth level crescents if you can submit to more competitions, earn more crescents, etc, than I can. These awards will be counted by competition, not by amount. Submit to ten competitions? I'll have done twenty. Compete in ten gaming matches? I'll have done twenty. I'm going to push hard ladies and gents, because I believe I'll need to in order to stay ahead of the juggernaut that is Plagueis. CC me and the activity tracker for every competition entry! Which you should be doing anyways!

Beat the FIST-

Prove you can beat Fremoc at his own games. Top three winners earn shinies, and maybe a chicken dinner.

Curbstomp the Gamers

Think you've got what it takes to curbstomp your fellow gamers? Prove it! Most matches wins shinies!

Halo Reach: Firefight

He knows you're out there Halo fans, so he's made one just for you! Prove you're a Halo Legend and rank up the most matches in this month for Shiny Goodness!

JO: CTF 2

Get a Group, Play some CTF on the JO server.

Special! League of Legends Legalized!

For this month only, get a friend and play League of Legends! Earn CoF!

Is This a Dream?

Just over a page of fiction describing a truly terrifying event, you being under someone else's thumb. Give it a shot for something bright.

Is This a Dream?

Graphic of the Fiction competition of the same name.

Dark Jedi and Empire

Time travel and the effects of the displacement. Something a little different than the average fiction of the genre.

Rewarded as the Traitor Deserves Part 2

How do you save Plagueis from it's enemies, both within and without? Try this one on for size.

-=+=-

And now for something completely different!

The following are DJB wide competitions designed to take the graphics prowess of our diverse group and put it to the test. I ask for your help, and offer some pretty tasty rewards. Entry nets second level crescents if I get three entrants.

Men of the Brotherhood

Tasteful images of our Mighty Brotherhood Men! These will end up in a calendar made for 2012 with some interesting bits in it. Give it a go!

Women of the Brotherhood

Lest we be accused of discrimination, here's a chance to show off some of our very best of the female gender! Be it sexy or deadly, show them at their best! They will also end up in a calendar.

Plagueis Fashion Redux

We need a new look for our military in general This is a minimum five image competition and can be quite complex. Give it a go for a shot at wiki immortalization, and the rare and elusive second leve crescents.

Find My Lyrics!

Find the lyrics hidden within and earn a shiny!

-=+=-

Aedile Applications

From the very beginning when I was appointed, one of the questions I got rather frequently was, will you open Aedile Applications? The answer was, eventually. And now that time has come.

Unus Domus, Kal Vorrac, and I have effectively run Plagueis without one for nearly three months now due to a number of issues and constraints. Mostly we did a tremendous amount of administrative back haul, reconfiguring where Plagueis was going, where it had been, and who would get us there. I apologize for being in the shadows most of the time, and yet I think it's paid off fairly well.

So why open the applications now? The simple answer is because Plagueis is now active enough that I need one. I can no longer manage the House with just a Roll Master and a Battleteam Leader. I'm asking for something different however, and would caution you to heed the following requirements carefully as they're outside the norm.

This position is not intended to train a replacement for anything shorter than a year's tenure. I'm in this for the long haul and you will be expected to be as well. We must put in our dues, so plan on being locked in for at least twelve months.

You are coming into a unique culture within the Brotherhood that works very differently from most other Houses and Clans. Our focus is on activity, but beyond that, it's on being the best at what we are. We're shedding the past and all of its encumbrances and starting over. Come in ready to work to a new goal that is the creation for the re-founding of Clan Plagueis.

This is a partnership. You will not just be a project hand, or a shiny face. You're going to be involved in all decisions and expected to carry your weight in decisions about policy, procedure, and direction. IF you can't plan long term, please don't apply.

That said, the following standard requirements are in effect.

24-48 Hour Email Turn Around Time

On IRC at least every other day

At Least Three Competition Ideas

30/60/90 of what you'd like to bring into the house, changes you think might be useful, and how you will make an impact.

Ready to jump in immediately

Three references who will vouch for you and are preferably willing to submit written recommendations to that effect.

Applications are to be sent to Tra'an Reith, Muz, and Halc. Normally the Roll Master is included, but since he will be one of those applying, he is excluded for fairness purposes.

I acknowledge that I'm not the easiest person to work with, as I sometimes expect too much of people, but it's a standard I hold myself to, and fail at occasionally. I will ask that you help hold me to my own standard, even as I hold you there as well. I aim to bring rebirth to Plagueis, and while it's underway. I am asking for your help. Are you ready, willing, and able to offer it? Time will tell.

-=+=-

A Message to Certain Friends

You know who you are and it's Game On.

Time to BRING IT. I made it a part of Plagueis, how will you incorporate it?

This is my trench, charge it if you dare.

Lyric Hint: Ten word clip, perfectly lifted from the song. Good Luck.

OP Tra'an Reith (Obelisk)/QUA/Plagueis [ACC: CL:1]

SC / AC / DC-SP / BN-BL / Cr-3A-1S-6E-5T-1Q / CF / CI-GC / DSS-BL / LS-AuL / SoL / S:-4Rm-8P-5U-4B-1De-3Ret

{SA: DML}

Adapt. Ascend. Avail!