A Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and your families. This will be my final report of 2013, and I just wanted to take a second to thank everyone who has given me the opportunity to be here and serve as your Consul. You guys are awesome and there is no other unit I'd rather be in than Arcona.

Before we get into the fun stuff, first some business.

The Spoils of War

The Dark Crusade is over. Or is it? Per the Grand Master, the main phase of the Dark Crusade has indeed come to an end. However, there are still spoils and riches awaiting us in the months that will lead up towards the next Great Jedi War. These will be single planet operations where we will again test our might against the rest of the Brotherhood forces. As with any challenge that crosses Arcona's sights, we will rise, we will fight, and we will find victory.

Battlefield Promotions

What are Battlefield Promotions, and why am I bringing them up? This past year marked a milestone in Brotherhood history- the first time a Vendetta was stretched out over the course of a year in an ongoing competitive format. In light of this, the Grand Master allowed each of the unit leaders to submit members that we felt really stood out and went above and beyond the call of duty. The following members fell into this category after the conclusion of Ziost:

Verse Theris -- Was double promoted from ACOLYTE to GUARDIAN

Adi Ka`Taramas -- Was promoted from GUARDIAN to JEDI HUNTER (And is now a proud DJK!)

Ernordeth -- Was promoted from DARK JEDI KNIGHT to SITH WARRIOR

Deimos -- Was promoted from DARK JEDI KNIGHT to KRATH PRIEST

Kanis -- Was promoted from DARK JEDI KNIGHT to OBELISK TEMPLAR

Dark Crusade Sacs!

The following earned their Sacramental blades as a result of long-term dedication and commitment to Clan Arcona and the Dark Crusade war front. Despite being mentioned in previous House reports, I wanted to again highlight these individuals.

Atyriu Entar -- Sapphire Blade

Troutrooper -- Sapphire Blade

Socorra -- Sapphire Blade

Nikola Valtiere -- Sapphire Blade

Invictus -- Sapphire Blade

So, what now?

We return to normality (or as normal as we can really call this place).

Always keep your eyes peeled for new competitions, but also take this downtime to yourselves and for some self-reflection. Look yourself in the mirror and ask yourselves, How can I get better? That's what we, your Summit, are here for. Whether you seek glory on the Battlefield, or simply want to hang out with your friends, we will work with you to make sure you are getting everything you want out of the Club and our Clan. Arcona is a family, and families stick together no matter what. Our will is unbreakable, because our will is a result of the bonds we've created with one another and the friendships we've formed.

So, rest up, enjoy the holidays, and be ready to kick things into high gear once the New Year drops. We've got work to do, Arcona.

Recognition

What better way to start out the fun part of the report than to honor those who have not really taken a break despite the Holiday recess?

First, a big congratulations and shout out to Arcona's latest two Dark Jedi Knights. Condar and Adi make 23 and 24 this year, a milestone that has not been accomplished in the Brotherhood since people actually kept track of the statistic. A huge shout-out to everyone who has helped our Journeyman in some way, be it our Masters and Veteran members to the MAA Staff working with us to the Dark Council themselves for recognizing some of the amazing talent and work that has come out of Arcona's Journeyman program.

In December, since the last House Reports went out:

Promotions

Adi Ka’Taramas -- Was promoted to Dark Jedi Knight
Condar Sovar -- Was promoted to Dark Jedi Knight
Zenon -- Was also promoted to Dark Jedi Knight earlier this month.
Kookimarissia Mimosa -- Promoted to Jedi Hunter
Lexi Sarden -- Promoted to Guardian
Z8-K4 -- Promoted to Novice
Adam Bolera -- Promoted to Acolyte
Ellie-Marie Kinsha -- Promoted to Protector
Rrogon Skar -- Promoted to Guardian

Medals
Ood -- Got an Anteian Cross for designing some Holocron accessories. And you know what they say about Holocrons...

A new litter of Cythraul...

As Consul, there is only one award I can truly give out that is unique to Arcona. This award is something that, like the Clan Title, cannot be taken away by any power in the Brotherhood (that means even the Grand Master himself). Unlike the Clan Title, however, this is not something that is voted on. As many of you know, I created the Cythraul as an award for those who showed extreme levels of loyalty to the Clan and either bore or were canidates for the Clan Title. On top of this, they have been awarded for exceptional valor in larger competitions. From here on out, however, we will see fewer Cythraul awarded. That is why this next litter is so special.

• Nadrin Erinos is a former Consul of Clan Arcona. He was our guiding hand (along with Wuntila and the rest of the Summit at the time) to getting Arcona re-clanned. Despite a busy schedule, and stepping away from leadership, he has remained one of our most trusted and loyal advisors as an Arconae. In the Dark Crusade, he was a prevailing force of nature and stepped up in major ways despite not being a member of the Special Forces teams. He created an entirely new character after sacrificing his long-running one for the sake of Arcona's victory in GJWX. And so, as Consul, I award Nadrin Erinos his own Cythraul pup.

• Atyiru Entar has jumped into the Arcona limelight quicker than you can say, "wait, who?" She has dedicated herself this past year to not only competing (and winning) for Clan Arcona, but has formed bonds with nearly every member in a way that I've never seen done before. She shares her passions with others and has sketched or drawn at least half of the Clan’s characters. She has even made a few comics (one you will see shortly). On the backend and administrative side she has been a calming, steady force for the entire Arcona Summit. This type of loyalty goes beyond her duties as an Aedile. This is the showing of someone who truly cares about her Clan, and the members that make it up. And so, as Consul, I award Atyiru Entar her own Cythraul pup.

• The final member of this litter is one that is far, far overdue. You've all come to know and love Valhavoc as the new Fist of the Brotherhood. Before that, he was a fledgling newbie who had just come back to the club and wanted to make a name for himself. Seemingly out of nowhere, he beasted through the Trial of Loyalty competition we ran, and Wun and I had promised that the winner would receive a Cythraul. Things started happening quickly after that event ended. Horizons was upon us, and before we knew it we were in the heat of the Dark Crusade. Soon after that, Valhavoc was appointed Fist. If he had stayed, I have no doubt he would have continued his flawless and inspiring effort in the Dark Crusade, and would eventually have taken my place one day as Consul. With things now settled, I feel it is my duty to follow up on my promises. And so, as Consul, I award Valhavoc with his own Cythraul pup.

Each member has been contacted privately about this, so look for their additions to show up on the Wiki page in due time! Woo-Woo!

Arcona Projects - Legorii Style

Alright, Arcona Projects. Fortunately, we've been able to knock out a few of the original projects that we launched a few months ago, but there are three that remain. Toward that end, we've cleared the teams and are starting fresh on those three projects. They are as follows:

• (1) Clan Arcona Hub/Sub-site, being led by Wally
• (2) Shadesworn Rewrite, co-led by Wally and Cethgus, and
• (3) Arcona Sub-Wiki Articles, led by Legorii.

We have also, after almost 4 years, taken huge steps in updating the Arcona Wiki Page! You can find it here. Props to my team including Sang, Wally, and Mark for helping fill in the history.

If you're interested in helping out with any of those projects, please hit the following link and fill out the form: http://goo.gl/JdMYZk. We'll sort out teams and be in touch in the next week or so to get things started again. Thanks for volunteering!

An Arcona Christmas

It was the night before Christmas and all through the Clan,
Not a creature was stirring not woman nor man.
The shadows were rising and Santa was late,
This tardiness was intolerable it made Marrick irate!

With a flick of his wrist and a bottle of win, He called for his elfs and Deimos came to him.
Now go! He declared to the scurrying elf,
Bring happiness and joy and presents...or else!

We tried out something experimental this year in what we called Arcona Secret Santa. The concept was to run a multi-media/graphics/fiction/poetry type competition that was fun, lighthearted, and focused on inter-character relations. Members were encouraged to sign up, and then were randomly assigned another Arconan Character to create a gift for. The entries turned out to be pretty awesome, and I would love to run this again next year and get more people involved.

You can see the published entries here

What ended up being my present, however, was Atty bringing to life my idea for a holiday-styled comic, inspired by both the #arcona web comics of old, and Orv's recent ones.

Inspired by the original comic by Juda
~ PR Note: Please be aware that this is meant to be comical satire.~

To the rest of the Brotherhood, a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays ;).

Ask The Wally

And now for everyone's favorite part of the report!

Lexi asks: I cannot use a saber-staff per my rank as a Journeyman, but would I be able to learn to use a double-bladed vibro sword?

Wally answers: Excellent Question, Lexi. The way that the new Character Sheets work, your rank does inflict limitations on the type of lightsaber you are allowed to use. However, those same restrictions do not apply to the regular weapon skills such as Blunt Weapons or Bladed Weapons. Your character would very much be able to use a double-bladed Vibro sword assuming you have at least +1 in Bladed Weapons and indicate that a double-bladed Vibro sword is one of your characters preferred weapons!

Locke asks: Whatever happened to the ACB? Is that coming back? >.>

Wally answers: The Antei Contract Bureau is still very much alive and well! The Voice staff has dedicated its full efforts right now to the ACC Launch and the Open Beta, and combined with the year-long Crusade the project was put on hold. Once the ACC is up and off its feet, expect to see more news/announcements from myself and the Voice in regards to the future of the ACB! Things still being worked out are awarding, coding, and how staffing will be handled. It might start small but I have some really big ideas for this. Thank you for being patient and I promise to have more information on it in the next few months!

Condar asks: What's the next big thing for Arcona story-wise? Is it going to be the GJW, or is there something planned earlier than that? What now?

Wally answers: What now? What happens now is I'ma call a coupla hard, pipe-hittin'--oh. You mean THAT what now.

Our primarmy focus is how we handle (in character) the changes that have happened to Arcona over the past year. Battleteams have been closed, created, and reshuffled thanks to the success of R3b00t. We have some unique and new teams that are ripe for development, and I've love to see us expand our lore by creating smaller, team-based run-ons to mimic the format that the Voice has been using the past year. I'm tentative to run a Clan-Wide run-on just yet, but if you have ideas for a storyline or something in the existing Arcona Lore you'd like to expand upon, please contact Legorii and I right away. We love to hear your ideas and want to make sure that the fictional experience of Arcona is rewarding the members who are showing up each day and want to live in these worlds we create.

Around the DB

In case you've been living under a rock, there has been a lot of exciting stuff going down in the Dark Jedi Brotherhood. The most noticeable thing you have most likely already noticed is the subtle yet brilliant visual tweaks that Orv has been working on to make wwww.darkjedibrotherhood.com more aesthetically appeasing while retaining the efficient functionality of James and Arion’s clever coding.

Make sure you are checking the main page regularly to catch news posts from the Dark Council. Orv has been stealing the show with his Comics and Herald Style Hannuka creations, but the Fist is always putting out (heh) important updates and news and the MAA also put out a report as well.

Muz just released another one of his Grand Master Reports which are always informative.

I'd also like to congratulate a fellow Dark Summiter, Yacks, on his recent Emerald Dagger! (I'm bumping his report down, so I felt this was the Christmasy-thing to do.)

Lastly, keep your eyes on the main page for the ACC Open Beta, coming very, very soon. In the meantime to get yourselves ready, take the ACC Fundementals Exam which will be one of two important steps to getting qualified for the ACC.

Also make sure that your Character Sheets are up to date! If you have questions or need any help with them, feel free to contact myself or any of the Voice staff and we will be happy to answer your questions. We're also always open to feedback, so don't be shy!

The End Of The Year As We Know It

2013 is coming to a close. It's been a crazy ride guys. Here’s to a fun, happy, and healthy new year.

Wally out.

drops mic

See ya'll in 2014.