The Taking of Si'Tilk is Underway!

Weekly Storyline: http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=6235

Run-On: http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=6238

Well, folks, our biggest piece of news is rather telling. The Brotherhood-wide AWOL check has commenced, and any who didn't reply to the emails therein has been removed from the House rosters. This has left Plagueis with only 31 members. Some will say that this has been a heavy blow to the House, but I beg to differ. Those who left the fold were those we never saw. The people who have been on IRC, in competition, and a part of our House, all remain. If you were sent to the Rogues and wish to return, I welcome you to transfer back. If you are among our current roster, I am proud to call you a member of this House. We stand together, and we will soon stand stronger than ever before.

The Reboot Event has finally begun! Over the next four weeks, we have a series of competitions and events available for everyone. The event, called the Taking of Si'Tilk, can be found on the Forums. Event summaries can be found on the Competition Listing page, or you can ask a Summit member for advice. I want everyone involved to remember that they not only have a chance for some hefty medals, but that base participation itself counts for Officer Rank points. This is a one-time only event, and I encourage you all to get into it!

There has been quite a bit of discussion about the future of Master/Student Programs in the Brotherhood recently. Many members, myself included, know that such programs are a definitive source of strength and reliable membership. In my own experience, being a student was one of the main things that kept me in the Brotherhood. Mentoring students has been a rewarding thing for me, and has helped those I taught to become successful and skilled members. As such, a new level of emphasis will soon be put on our upcoming training program.

Last bit of news: Our House has just had a harrowing time. Events came together that drove many of us away, broke the confidence of many, and put our Summit and membership alike in serious danger. That said, the storm has passed. We've sorted our issues out, we have a plan, and the AWOL check is over. We still stand. To give us an added boon, Master-at-Arms Korras has decided to assist us in recovering and growing further. He'll be operating as a fourth member of the Summit, so welcome him aboard and look forward to seeing him in the War Room.

Training Program: Your Summit and Command have all seen the base documents for this, and we have an abundance of members ready and willing to learn, to teach, and to be involved. As an added bonus, the Dark Council has seen fit to try and help us, and so we will have even more experience and capability behind our efforts here. Look forward to the first stages of implementation here just after the Taking of Si'Tilk concludes.

House Enemy: This is one of the bigger projects this House will see for some time. We'll be developing new foes for us to face, new obstacles to overcome, some victories and some losses for all. However, while the biggest parts of this are still foggy and conceptual, we'll be able to begin events that allude to this as soon as the Taking is over. It's going to be a hectic year.

Dominion Rewrite: We're rebuilding worlds, people. As soon as the Taking concludes and our Training Program's begun, we'll be ready to start working on the planets. There will be many changes, the removal of certain parts that hinder us or no longer have a purpose, and the inclusion of many things that work for us and give homage to our past. Expect many opportunities and projects out of this one, and don't be shocked to see trivia following the creation of each new planet.

Hosted by the Voice of the Brotherhood

[VOICE] Load the Can(n)ons #6: http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/dbjedi/competition.php?id=5477

[Voice] Bi-Weekly Mission #1 - Clue: http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/dbjedi/competition.php?id=5443

[Voice] Bows & Arrows: http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/dbjedi/competition.php?id=5446

[Voice] Will you be a Valentine?: http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/dbjedi/competition.php?id=5447

Hosted by the Fist of the Brotherhood

[FIST]Halo Reach Tournament: http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/dbjedi/competition.php?id=5455

[FIST] BF2 Space Only: http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/dbjedi/competition.php?id=5456

[FIST]RC Team Up: http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/dbjedi/competition.php?id=5451

[FIST]Special Gaming Event: Sins of a Solar Empire: http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/dbjedi/competition.php?id=5458

[FIST]StarCraft 2: http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/dbjedi/competition.php?id=5460

End of the Year Gaming: http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/dbjedi/competition.php?id=5415

Plagueian Competitions

[Reboot] Canvas of War: http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/dbjedi/competition.php?id=5474

[Reboot] Caught in the Crossfire: http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/dbjedi/competition.php?id=5472

[Reboot] Warrior Poet: http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/dbjedi/competition.php?id=5473

Brotherhood-Wide Competitions

[HM] 2011 Brotherhood "Draft": http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/dbjedi/competition.php?id=5445

2v1 ACC Competition: http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/dbjedi/competition.php?id=5450

Valentine's Day: http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/dbjedi/competition.php?id=5442

#Tarentum Trivia: http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/dbjedi/competition.php?id=4761

Pending increased activity levels, Task Force Malgus will be closed. The idea of a separate Foxtrot-only team of Commandos is one I still love, but it's pointless if it detracts from the Army Branch proper. On the bright side, though, this lets us all get more in touch with one another. Expect more competitions over the next few months to feature our members working together and using the Force to aid the troops at their command in small- to large-scale engagements.

The Taking of Si'Tilk Run-On sees the Army Branch set upon by a force of Vong thralls and their masters, apparently left behind during the Incursion of Jusadih. Thralls, biots, and the occasional Warrior have assaulted Sigil 2's PATC installation and disabled defences and communications. It's up to the trainees, soldiers, and Force users there to keep them back until help can arrive. Onboard VSD Ballista, reinforcements await, but they can do nothing until someone sends word of their plight.

Join the fray on the forums.

Same thing as above for Army, the Silent Scream Command Crew will be closed down until we can get activity back. It's a big fleet, and until we can run it adequately as-is, there's no sense drawing potential away from regular missions. Expect the coming months to be full of ship-to-ship engagements, crew drama in tight spots, critical space-based objectives, and maybe the occasional mutinous action. We are Dark Side adherents, after all.

The Taking of Si'Tilk Run-On sees the Navy Branch in conflict as the Victory II-Class Star Destroyer Instigator is besieged! Grutchins overwhelm the topside of the ship, while its underside takes heavy damage from land-based artillery and boarders stream in! Prepare for a harrowing event as the crew aboard Instigator is forced to fall back and wall themselves in to survive and fight back. Meanwhile, ships outside the Destroyer face a different dilemma: How do they keep their friends, allies, and equipment from destruction when the enemy is slowly turning it against them?

Help them decide on the forums.

Intel's special unit, Codename:Stygium was dealt a heavy blow by the loss of one of its founding members. That, coupled with a lack of activity, is a big part of the reason that it is being shut down. We are going to focus the Branches back toward their original uses. Fortunately for everyone involved, Intel's a very diverse Branch. You may not have heavy equipment and tons of troops, but you can expect to see missions full of intelligence gathering, subterfuge, intense undercover work, and a bit of wetwork here or there. Classified, of course.

The Taking of Si'Tilk sees Intel forced into the role of recovery. While the Army is overwhelmed, the Navy is besieged and the Corps scrambles to help, it's up to the stealthy operatives of the Intelligence Directorate to learn who these people are, get word of warning to those involved, and find the key points to breaking the back of the beast. This week, they are faced with the task of calling for reinforcements for PATC, and for getting the troops there out of hot water before an installation, an asset, and several troops are lost.

Get into position on the forums.

Corps is a Branch that suffers, and has suffered, more than most. We have a dedicated CAG Marshal and a Command body that wishes to change that, and it can be done. However, until it is closer to reality, Grim Squadron will be closed and its fighters repurposed toward general roles. The idea is a good one, but until we have more members who are ready, willing, and able to write and participate from the cockpit of a fighter, the idea of an additional unit just isn't feasible. So, expect many competitions and events focused around fighters, from bombing runs and air support to scouting missions and even the recovery of downed allies.

The Taking of Si'Tilk saw the pilots aboard Instigator pushed to their limits, just as help arrived for them. Now, with forces launching from the hangar bay of Perdition, they fight the grutchin swarm in an effort to allow the Destroyer a chance to divert shield power without being chewed through. Soon, though, they'll face an all-new menace, as the purpose of the boarding action becomes clear; the Vong and thralls aboard don't just wish to empty the ship, they mean to take it, weapon systems and all. Now, the pilots are faced with the prospect of defeating the insectoid biots, weakening the Instigator without destroying it, and simply surviving the tempest.

Spiral into action on the forums.

I would like to take a moment to thank my brothers and sisters here in Plagueis. I speak now to every Plagueian today and every Plagueian of yesterday, from the powerful Darth Sarin to those barely-known. This House has seen much change, from high points of activity to utter weakness. We have faced the storm, we have put out the fires and repaired this beast again and again. Some would look at our work and say it was impossible. Some would say it was pointless. I stand here today, seeing that the House I love still stands steadily, and I say that they were wrong.

If you are Plagueian, be proud. If ever you were Plagueian, be proud. Members come and go, tides shift and activity waxes and wanes. Plagueis still stands, and will continue to do so. In part by my effort, and in much larger part by yours, both past and present, as well as future. I salute you all, and hope that this House can do well by that example. Better yet, I hope that this example can one day motivate us to move beyond, and help us to become Clan Plagueis again.

"When nothing is sure, everything is possible."

So, for all of you that skip down to the bottom:

• Reboot is on. Check out the Forums and Competitions to see what there is to do, it's all worth bonus points!

• AWOL Check is done. If you were Rogued and wish to return, transfer back.

• MAA Korras is here to help. Welcome him aboard as an honorary Summit member.

• Training Program, Dominion Rewrite, and development of the House Enemy are all to come following Reboot.

• Competitions galore, I don't want to hear anyone tell me that there's nothing to do.

• Strike Teams shut down pending higher Branch activity.

• Thanks to all of those who are and who ever were in Plagueis. You're the reason we stand today.

Adapt. Ascend. Avail. May the Force serve you well.