Korriban Great Jedi War XI

They had been through hell and back crossing the deserts of Korriban. Many lives had been lost, including Marick’s own Cythraul, a white wolf known as Kira. Deception and dissent had stepped forward through the tangle of the Wars many faces. Their journey had lead them into a forgotten temple, hunting for the key to Grand Master Muz Ashen’s request. It was in that tomb that the truth had been revealed. He had been betrayed.

The temple air had been dry and arid. Marick stood facing off against Invictus, his usually stoic mask contorted in pain. His lightsaber glowed angrily at his side. Invictus held both his Sapphire Blades at the ready.

“Draw your saber, now,” Marick had snapped coldly.

“No,” Invictus replied tightly as he shuffled away from a jab of the Arconae’s lightsaber.

“I said: draw. Your. Saber,” Marick had put emphasis on each word.

While Invictus wasn’t able to match the younger and leaner Hapan’s speed, he had assumed he could bait the grieving Consul into making a fatal mistake. He just needed to push a bit more, and he did. Marick’s lightsaber lashed out against the Chiss’ guard, but the veteran swordsman bobbed smoothly between each snapping strike.

“No, Marick,” the Chiss had said as he flashed a cocky grin. “I don’t need my saber to stop you. I didn’t need it to stop Kira, either.” Invictus had hoped to play on his old friend’s rage. It worked.

Something visibly broke inside the Hapan. It was the tell-tale shift of rational thought to primal aggression. Invictus had expected it to be reckless and wild like the the sea in storm, raw and untamed.

But Invictus had been wrong...

“The Grand Master and I spoke at length and have decided to go ahead with your suggestion for combat skirmishes across the Brotherhood,” a detached voice filled the Combat Master’s office from the central holo-projection system.

Marick blinked a few times, his momentary lapse into the past covered smoothly by his stoic mask. He turned his attention back to the holographic representation of the Deputy Grand Master and the Voice of the Brotherhood.

“Casualties to Brotherhood members will not be tolerated. We’ve already lost enough...“ The statement was sobering, and Marick found his thoughts drift towards other images. The assassination of Orv Dressrx, a friend and brother. One of his own.

Marick realized that Telaris had asked him something. While he wasn’t exactly sure of the words themselves, Marick could discern from the other Hapan’s posture that he had been requesting acknowledgment of his question.

Execution of the competition, yes.

Marick’s eyes shifted from Telaris to Evant. He replayed the last few lines of dialogue that he realized he had been unconsciously tracking.

“Yes sir, that’s not a problem at all,” the Combat Master replied evenly. “Thank you. I’ll see that it gets done.” Marick bowed to the two Dark Councilors and ended the transmission.

Things were moving quickly, and the Brotherhood would need to be ready for the changes ahead. Even before the holo-feed cut off, Marick’s fingers were already busying themselves with his datapad and readying the message that would carry out the Grand Master's decree. They moved automatically, without need for guidance as his gaze went again to the past...

Marick’s sneer melted away into a stoic mask as he kicked Invictus’ remaining Sapphire blade out of his grip.

“Mal'ari'carun,” Marick spoke the Chiss’ birth name. “You have dishonored not only yourself, but the Clan and all those you swore to protect and defend. By my will, as Shadow Lord, I retract your status as a Shadeborn and sever your link to the Shadesworn of Clan Arcona. You are hereby banished, and if I ever so much as hear a whisper of your presence again, I will end your life personally.”

With that, the Consul of Clan Arcona turned away from the stranger before him and walked towards his only remaining friends. He left the Chiss broken but alive. Comradery faded into rivalry that day. A rivalry that would haunt both warriors to the end of their days.

“Some legends are told, some turn to dust turn to gold, but you will remember me....remember me for centuries.”

( Thank you, Maxi, for unintentionally creating the logo for Rivalries! <3 )

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Combat Master Announcement - “Rivalries”

Yes, I know, that was a report fiction. Boo and hiss. Hopefully you were able to bear with it, though, as I hoped that it could give a little flavor to the competition I’m about to announce.

Ever since the ACC re-opened, there has been a misunderstood and underused option called “Story Matches.” As I mentioned in my first report as Combat Master, we have changed it to more accurately depict its purpose: Singular Ending matches. The reason I’ve been so adamant about the merits of Singular Ending matches is because our Alternative Ending matches leave a lot to be desired in terms of developing history in the ACC between members and writers. Since one writer is tasked with the opening, and only the second writer penning the conclusion, you are organically forced into telling a more comprehensive narrative between the two characters that could potentially build into history that could spawn what I like to think of as a Rivalry.

Rivalries are big in sports: Army vs Navy (for you Military DBers), Red Socks vs Yankees, the Patriots and the Giants (sorry Alaris, but cough 18-1 cough). In fiction, movies, and tv shows we see a hero spare a villain's life, only to have them come back years later seeking revenge and to settle the score. In a big throwback to one of my favorite cartoons growing up, it’s Dr. Claw growling, “I’ll get you next time, Gadget!” at the end of every episode.

In Star Wars, one of the most prolific rivalries is what comes to pass between General Grievous and Obi Wan Kenobi. All throughout the Clone Wars animated series, the two Generals clash, with Grievous always fleeing and somehow getting away. This builds a history between the two characters that makes their final confrontation all the more rewarding in Episode III. Watch: Obi Wan Kenobi vs General Grievous.

This is the theme that I wanted to build on with “Rivalries”, my first formal, DB Wide competition as Combat Master. With CS 2.0 now in full swing, I believe this is a great time to get people involved with the ACC in preparation for its headlining role in the Grand Master’s tournament only a few months away, and the eventual Great Jedi War!

The competition will be run for all members of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood who have qualified for the ACC (Yes, anyone. I’m looking at you, Dark Councilors). You will be competing individually for fun and glory, and to hopefully develop history with other characters and writers in the club.

As I hinted at in Mav’s character dialogue in the short fiction, the biggest thing to wrap your head around in this competition is going to be the aversion to brutal killings or “death posts”. Again, the focus here is that the Brotherhood would become a lot weaker if its fighters started offing one another. There is merit to the notion that adversity breeds growth, and character development is not something that people often associate with the ACC. I hope to change that, and I hope that this competition will give members of the DB a taste of something they might not have tried before.

Also keep in mind, you are not competing for your Clan. You are simply competing for yourself, which is why I’m allowing inter-unit matches to happen.

A further, detailed breakdown of the competition details can be found below:

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Competition Name: Rivalries

Awards: Cluster of Ice, ELO Scoring/ACC Society advancement

Details:

Theme: All matches will carry the theme of budding "rivalry". The goal of this competition is for characters and writers to develop history with other members of the Brotherhood. These matches are about honor, and not about who can write the most creative or gruesome deaths.

Canon: All results of your matches are left in YOUR hands. Even if your opponent cuts off your arm in his final post, you do not have to lose the arm going forward. You can, however, mention getting your butt kicked by Elder Edwin and having a scar along your arm as a reminder.

Mechanics:

• All matches will be set up as 2/2 Singular Ending Matches in the “Rivalries” Hall.

An example of a Singular Ending match, and how they are graded: Atra vs Sai

• Matches will be set up with a 3-day post requirement. A single extension is allowed per match for 24 hours.

• In the event of an emergency (member is hospitalized mid-fight in real life), the Combat Master / Voice may extend a match duration.

• Members will use this form to request a match. Matches will be set up manually by the Combat Master or ACC staff. The form will remain open until the last week of the competition, leaving a full 7 days for matches to finish up. This is being done manually to combat the Open-Challenge automatic system’s inability to distinguish duplicate-combatants. All matches will be handled as a “next-in-line” basis, and the Combat Master will publish the form afterwards to ensure maximum transparency.

• Members can only request one match at a time. Once your match is posted, however you can put yourself back into the queue for another match.

(This means you can have as many matches as you’d like, but you can’t just put your name into the queue 5 times in a row and expect to get 5 matches that way.)

• All Matches will expire when the competition ends. In this scenario:

A.) If both members have posted at least once, the match will end in a draw, with each writer earning a point.

B.) If only one member has posted, and the other has not, the match will end by Time Out.

• Members will be assigned a random location from the newly added venues, with a short introduction for the match itself.

• Matches will be set up based on a “next-in-line” basis, with oversight ensuring no repeat matches are created.

• Members will be permitted no more than 5 weapons.

- POINT OF CLARIFICATION -

• For the purpose of this competition alone, the minimum word count per post in a match is 450 words.

{End Point of Clarification}

• There is no word cap, but in these 2/2 match, bear in mind that excessive fluff may be held against you. With combat writing, less is more. Also bear in mind that future Vendetta/Tournaments may very well contain a cap.

• You will be paired against another member of the Brotherhood based on the submission form.

• You can only fight the same DB member once.

• If anyone is seen trying to "throw" a match, they will be Disqualified immediately and possibly incur further punishment from the Chamber of Justice.

• The competition will run for one (1) Calendar month from date of launch.

• ACC Judges will be allowed to participate in one (1) single match to help ensure that there are enough opponents for members who might get stuck waiting for a challenger.

Scoring:

Members will earn points per match by the following standard.

• Win: 3 points.
• Loss: 1 point.
• TO win: Points equivalent to posts written by member who did not timeout.
• Disqualification (for whatever reason): 0 points.
• Timeout: -2 points.

The penalty to Time Outs is to keep the spirit of the competition moving forward. By the nature of the matches having a 450 word minimum word count, I believe any fears of “match-spamming” will not be an issue.

The member with the most points at the end of the competition wins. Top 3 Placements receive crescents, and all matches fall under the Voice Staff Guidelines.

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That’s a lot of bullet points for a competition, but I believe they answer every question you might have in regards to how this will be run. Of course, if you still have questions, please email me directly at: [Log in to view e-mail addresses]

As mentioned in my previous report, if you’re worried or curious about an ACC mechanic, drop a line to [Log in to view e-mail addresses]. We would love to answer any questions you have, and doing it in this manner allows all the judges to remain synced on these questions.

TL;DR

• Subscribe to the competition here.
• Request a match here. (Remember you can only queue up one match at a time. Once your match is posted, you can request another matchup).

CS 2.0 Links:

• Species Wiki
• Disciplines Wiki
• Aspects Wiki (Which now include the new Aspect Templates(TM)
• Skills Wiki
• Force Powers Wiki
• Feats Database
• CS 2.0 Questions
• Character Sheet FAQ

That’s all for now. Any questions, you know where to find me.