Greetings Tarenti!
Just a few things to go over now that Ashas Ree is wrapped up and we're preparing to go to Kalsunor.
You may have noticed that our roster is thinner than it was. We were able to do an AWOL check at the end of July along with all the other Clans and Independent Houses, which is simply an opportunity to remove a few people who haven't been active at all in the past few months. We didn't send out a link to click or an email to answer this time because Ernordeth and I have been fastidiously keeping track of all the activity that people are doing, in some cases even down to the level of "Jimmy sent me an email on 06/28". Because we've been doing that, we already had a pretty good idea of who was still here and who was completely gone. If you so much as sent an email since about the beginning of June you're still in the House.
That being said, getting sent to the Rogues as part of an AWOL check is by no means a punishment or a bad thing. If you aren't wanting to take part in what we're doing, it's better for you not to get your inbox flooded with email you don't intend to read and it's better for us to not spend our time trying to send you emails you have no intention of reading. Plus, when you change your mind and decide you'd like to come back, all you have to do is log into the website and request a transfer back. Usually it'll be done in just a few hours. No hard feelings whatsoever.
Speaking of Rogues, we lost a member recently due to RL pressures. Aventine transferred suddenly to the Rogues on the 30th. Ave was one of our rising stars and a very interesting and engaging person to talk to. Ave very quickly became an important and notable member of the House, rising to Protector in almost no time at all. I was excited about Ave's future in Tarentum and disappointed to see the transfer request in my inbox. If you happen to read this, Ave, please know that you are always welcome to come back at any time life allows it. We already miss you. Good luck, and may the darkness guide you!
In our fight for the planet Ashas Ree we took a very solid 2nd place after Taldryan. As you know, the competition is divided into separate general and special forces competitions. The special forces team's placing determines who wins the planet, while the general forces participation determines whether the unit gets an extra ninth special forces member in the next round.
On Ashas Ree, the general particpation looked as follows:
If you'll recall, in June our participation was substantially lower than that. I am truly impressed at everybody's commitment and effort in this last round, and I look forward to improving on our 0.93 this month on Kalsunor. Rumor has it that there may be an extra something cool for units who get more than 1.0 for their participation next round. We were so close last time. I know we can do it next time!
The following people won novae on Ashas Ree, and are therefore amazing in every way:
That's a pretty impressive haul for a House that everybody thought was dead, don't you think? I'd like to thank everybody who participated on Ashas Ree for their time and hard work. You guys are outstanding!
The next round of the Crusade doesn't start until August 18th, so in the mean time we've got a few competitions going to keep everybody busy:
Embers of the Flame - A Run-On in which Tarenti train for action on Kalsunor
Outside of the Box - A fiction event in which you are dead
Tarentum Obsessions - A comedic fiction event in which Scion hoards kittens
Make a Mecha - A fiction+graphics event in which you transform a Star Wars vehicle from a giant robotic killing machine into an anthropomorphic giant robotic killing machine
Thanks to Dranik and Ernordeth for running these! There will also be a few other smaller events between now and the beginning of the Crusade. If you have a promotion requirement to satisfy or if there is just a competition you'd like to see, now would be a great time to volunteer to run something!
Finally, let's talk a little about the next Crusade chapter. Fictionally, we're allies with Clan Arcona and so fictionally our fleets will likely fly in there together and murder everything in sight as friends. And I think that's terrific. Not only that, but Ronovi used to be a Tarentae, our Consul and was even in Arcona for awhile so there's a ton of great opportunity for fictional drama between the three units. That's also terrific.
However, the event is not scored based on fictional alliances. At the end of the competition our scores will be matched up against Arcona and Plagueis' scores to see which of the three units came out on top. Wouldn't it be something if Tarentum was at the top of that list?
I'm not saying it'll be easy. Frankly, it will take everything we have and then some. Plagueis is currently winning the entire competition and Arcona isn't far behind. They both had better participation scores than we did in the last round, and they both have very strong, talented and dashingly handsome special forces teams. If we want to do better than 3rd place (and we do, just in case you were wondering) we will have to pull out every ounce of talent and effort that we have. Lord Khyron knows we can't win on handsome alone. Not this time.
The strategy to pull this off isn't any secret. It's just hard work. Start your events early, and finish them early. Do as many of them as you can. Plan your time carefully so you don't have to rush at the end. If you're on the special forces team, do the absolute best work that you can because your novae are what win the planet. Have someone help edit all your fiction. Start practicing for gaming events now; pick up a copy of Alien Swarm on Steam and learn to be good at it. Lastly, and most importantly, communicate. Talk to Ernordeth and me, talk to Lev and Frosty, get on IRC and talk to your fellow Tarenti. It'll help you get excited about the events, stay better informed, and it'll help you do better.
I am very excited about where Tarentum is now, compared to back in June. We have improved an immense amount, and I've heard many around the Brotherhood comment on how fast we have recovered from what most thought was a terminal case of inactivity. It's surprising to think that it has only been a couple of months and we're already back to winning novae, promoting people to DJK and having a lively IRC channel. We're definitely not out of the woods yet and we're still a long way off from becoming Clan Tarentum again, but I'd say we're definitely on the right track. All the eyes of the Brotherhood are upon you, my friends. Make them proud!
In Darkness,
Scion "Firebird" Altera
Princeps Yridia Rex Gratia
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Nice report, cheif
Good luck in the next round, Tal's cheering for you guys!
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