Clan Arcona Report: November - A Bitter-Sweet Victory

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Clan Arcona Report: November - A Bitter-Sweet Victory

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(Thank you, A'lora, for sitting with me on G+ Screenshare and walking me through some Photoshop Magic to make this new header :))


The following is an excerpt written for Clan Arcona. If you have a problem with report fiction, skip ahead. You can view the full story here on the forums.

Arcona Citadel
Estle City - Selen
The Citadel: Elsewhere...

Even alone with his thoughts and away from the prying eyes of his subordinates, the Shadow Lord still maintained his stoic mask. A gentle breeze blew thin strands of raven hair across his face, but when they settled, the mask was gone. Without the mask, Marick’s features looked hollow and tired. His too-blue eyes stared numbly down at the ground in front of him, unfocused and far away.

The price of remembering.

The Consul stood in a small grotto nestled on the far side of the mountain that overlooked the Giletta Spaceport. The opening was ringed on all sides by the walls of the mountain yet easily stretched to the length of a boloball field. Despite its size, the grassy verges and small pools of crystalline water were interspersed with tall evergreen ferns and meadows of flowers. It was a place of beauty, somehow remaining ignorant to the turmoil and turnings of the galaxy at large.

The Feluriaglade, as its founder had named it, was a redoubt of sorts, unknown to most of the inhabitants of the Citadel. It was the home of the Cythraul, most notably, and a place for retreat. It was also a place of remembering, a place of rest for those who had passed. Marick rarely had time to visit, but there always seemed to be a reason for it to be avoided. Always an excuse.

The graves in front of Marick lacked any monumental flare. They were two simple mounds of soil devoid of growth stacked next to one another like small ant-hills. A wooden staff of hard wood had been stuck into each mound, each supporting a full helm with a familiar T-shaped visor and the telltale markings of the Erinos Clan that Marick always thought resembled fox ears. There were no clever words engraved in stone, no plaques or headstones with names and deeds. Only the whispers of the wind and the resilience of Mandalorian Iron against time and the elements.

It had been three years since New Tython. Or maybe it had been longer. Everything had happened so quickly, and he rarely had time to sit and reflect. Or remember.

A branch cracked, shattering the tranquil silence of the Feluriaglade. Marick’s eyes snapped back to focus, body tensing like a coiled spring as his lightsaber somehow appeared in hand and ignited. The Hapan spun towards the sound and heard a startled yelp ring out.

A large white wolf literally sat on top of a blue Togruta’s chest, not so much as growling or snarling but simply staring intently at its captured prey.

“It’s just us, sir!” Turel called out quickly in an attempt to diffuse the situation.

Marick’s eyes had become glacial as they narrowed ever so slightly, his face regaining its impassive mask. After a moment of pregnant silence, the Consul deactivated his lightsaber.

“Kira, to me,” he said calmly but with a sense of command. The white Cythraul grunted at Lexiconus before stepping off and padding away towards her master. She took a seat beside him and looked back and forth between the new arrivals.

Turel helped Lexiconus back to his feet and then started towards the Consul and the graves he stood by.

“That’s them, isn’t it?”

Marick nodded solemnly.

“I read the records and saw the vids. It must have been rough.”

“There are reasons I have problems visiting New Tython,” the Consul replied, his words clipped and brisk.

“I guess we share that in common,” Turel said flatly.

Marick didn’t reply, but turned away from the Aedile and knelt down in front of the grave. He pulled something out of a pocket from his cloak and placed it between the two mounds. There, the small rock joined a set of stones of varying color and shape. One from New Tython. One for each planet of the Dark Crusade. And now one from the troubled surface of Nicht Ka, the final piece of the Fading Light campaign.

Marick rose and turned to face the two newer members of his Summit. “War is coming, again. It will be unlike anything either of you have experienced. For all the stories of valor and triumph and the thrill of battle, it all eventually becomes another story. And there are no happy endings in war. Not even for the victors.

“We’ll still fight.” Lexiconus sulked. “If you’re trying to scare us off, you’re screwing it up. We’ve got this war on lockdown.”

“Been there, done that, boss.”

Marick shook his head. “I’m aware of your service record and history Sorenn. I do my research.” His voice gained a roughness that neither Turel or Lexiconus had really seen before. It rose in volume across the Feruliaglade as his words picked up momentum.

“A Great Jedi War is different. It is not a simple ‘us versus them’ like with the Vong. It is not taking on a despot regime or a criminal syndicate. This will be a full scale battle against the One Sith. They are not simply going to roll over this time. Up until now, it’s been calculated skirmishes on our terms. We’ve encountered more mercenaries and hired hands than actual Sith Lords. We nearly lost Trouty on Ziost, Invictus on Bosthrida, Timeros on Begren, and there have been assassination attempts on Atyiru on our own soil.”

“War is hell, I get it but--” Turel started to counter.

“--on top of that, you of all people should know how delicate the Iron Throne is right now,” the Arconae jabbed a finger at Turel, who unconsciously ran a hand over the clawed gauntlet he wore as a symbol of being the Grand Master’s Guardsman.

“I understand all of that, sir. But regardless--” Turel started.

“--Arcona will not back down,” Lexic finished with almost petulant conviction, glaring.

Marick studied the two leaders quietly before shaking his head. “Oh, you are both so young,” the Consul sighed.

“I’m actually older than yo--” Turel started to retort before he met the Hapan’s eyes and wisely cut himself off.

“You will both find out soon enough,” the Hapan whispered.

Marick took one last look at the grave and turned to leave. Lexiconus and Turel realized they had no idea how to get back, and fell into step with their Consul.


Hey guys. Hope you guys enjoyed that little story. It’s a bit personal, and was something I had been thinking about for quite some time and just decided to write out. I'll touch more on the subject matter in a bit. First, let's start off with some updates.

Fading Light - Conclusion

Why does this feel so familiar? It's almost as if around this time last year we had finished up a year-long campaign of competition. Hm, I'm sure I'll remember why eventually...

Terrible Wally-jokes aside, the Fading Light Vendetta has concluded with the final planet: Nicht Ka.

Phase III: Nicht Ka

In my last report, I challenged each and every Arconan to rally their competitive spirits. To give it everything you had, and rise as one to remind everyone who we are. And boy, did you guys remind them.

Simply put, Arcona dominated Phase III. Not just in placements, but in participation. In the later, it wasn't even really a contest:

Fiction Entries:

  1. Clan Arcona 19/68
  2. Clan Plagueis 9/43
  3. Clan Taldryan 9/48

Trivia Entries:

  1. Clan Arcona 25/68
  2. House Odan-Urr 19/53
  3. Clan Taldryan 16/48

GFX Entries:

  1. Clan Arcona 21/68
  2. Clan Naga Sadow 11/40
  3. Clan Taldryan 11/48

Puzzle Entries:

  1. Clan Arcona 31/68
  2. Clan Taldryan 20/48
  3. House Tarentum 11/28

Gaming Entries:

  1. Clan Arcona 24/68
  2. House Odan-Urr 15/53
  3. Clan Taldryan 12/48

In the Deputy Grand Master’s own words: "Congratulations to Arcona for leading the participation in every single event."

Note that in Fiction and GFX we had one more and one less (respectively) submission than the next two units combined. Things like this are what really separate Arcona from the rest of the pack. You guys are awesome, and it makes me smile to no end seeing effort on this scale by each and every one of you. I've never been more proud as a Consul.

Our total ratio for FL3 was 1.76 -- for reference, that’s a hair better than our 1.75 ratio on the last Dark Crusade planet, Ziost (where we had three fewer members). The only Dark Crusade planets where our ratio was better were Rhelg (2.31) and Bhargebba (2.12). This is a very impressive showing for us, and something that we’re proud of.

Heroes of Arcona - Nicht Ka

The following members went above the call of duty and went 5/5 on Nicht Ka. As a result, we salute their efforts as paragons of Clan Arcona's strength.

  • Celevon Edraven
  • Andrelious J Mimosa-Inahj
  • Kookimarissia Mimosa-Inahj (Earned her 1st Gold Novae!!!)
  • Sight Nortorshin
  • Marick Arconae
  • Legorii
  • Cethgus Tiberius Entar Arconae
  • Ernordeth Puer-Irae
  • Lexiconus
  • Ood Bnar
  • Kordath Bleu d'Tana
  • Nikola Valtiere
  • Turel Sorenn
  • Nadrin Erinos Arconae
  • Blarex

Fifteen of you separated yourself from the pack. I can't begin to tell you how giddy that statistic makes me. Thank you guys for being awesome.

warbnull

And one of you stood above the rest. Mark, as you'll see later on, secured his spot as not just MVP of Nicht Ka, but co-MVP of the entire Fading Light for Clan Arcona. For his valiant efforts on Nicht Ka in securing three Silver Novae that clenched first place, Andrelious has been awarded the Lightsaber of Warb Null. You can check it out in all it's glowey-awesomeness below on the sidebar.

The Lightsaber is property of Clan Arcona, and it was my decision for Andrelious to be the wielder. Should Andrelious leave Arcona for any reason, or give up the weapon, it falls on the Shadow Lord to decide who wields it next.

And to everyone else who managed to complete at least one event in Phase III: Thank you for finding a way to contribute.

Without each and every one of you putting the effort in, this total victory is shallow and incomplete. Thank you again for your valor.

Final Results:

  1. Taldryan (155 Points)
  2. Arcona (100 Points)
  3. Plagueis (50 Points)
  4. Tarentum (20 Points)
  5. HOU (10 Points)
  6. CNS (10 Points)
  7. CSP (5 Points)

These scores reflect all three rounds. Here is a breakdown of how Arcona performed across the board to earn those points and 2nd place overall.

Phase Gold Silver Bronze Members
Phase I: Run-On 1 Legorii, Wuntila, Timeros, Socorra, Nadrin, Verse
Phase II: ACC 1 Timeros Entar Arconae
Phase III: Mixed 2 3 Graphics: Marick Arconae (1st)
Trivia: Andrelious (2nd)
Puzzle: Kooki (1st), Andrelious (2nd)
Gaming: Andrelious (2nd)
  • MVP(s) - Tied
    • Andrelious J. Inahj
    • Timeros Entar Arconae

Congratulations to Timmy and Mark on sharing co-MVP. Both members proved why they are some of the best Arcona has to offer, Timmy with an inspirational tournament gauntlet and Mark somehow nailing three Silver Novae on one planet.

Congratulations also go to Shadow, Halcyon and Yacks on sweeping 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Heroes of the Fading Light Vendetta. They deserved it, and it was an honor to compete against them over the course of the past year.

We knew, going in, that based on the overall standings prior to Nicht Ka we would be hard pressed to usurp Taldryan in the standings. Make no mistake, it was within our reach. But you have to give credit to Clan Taldryan--they reminded everyone why they went undefeated for such a long time.

But keep this in mind: we could have had it all, and we were very close. We just needed to push a little bit harder.

One thing we can take away from this whole event is simple: this will not happen again.

War is coming, Arconans. We start from ground zero in a leg race with the rest of the independent units of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood. War is what we are bred for. It is a unique type of competition that only comes once every few years. There is nothing like it. For those of you who have lived it, you know what I'm talking about. For those of you yet to fight in one, take my word for it.

War is coming, and we will be the first ones in line, ready to kick ass and take names. Arcona-style.

New Shiny, Moar Pew-Pew Points

Before the War, we reap the fruits of our labor.

For our first place finish, we were given a choice between three capital ships. After an analysis from the Arcona Summit, we all (somehow) unanimously agreed that the Nebula Class Star Destroyer was the right addition to the Arcona Fleet. Legorii and I are still discussing how best we will utilize this.

For now, you can help us with naming it! Check out the naming competition here.

All in all, based on our participation ratio, Arcona earned a leading 956 Fleet Points. I will be looking over proposals from my advisors in the coming week to best decide if/how we will be using these points to better the Arcona Armed Forces. Expect an update on this by my next report!

Recognition

Well, if you were curious as to why this section has been kept pretty small the past few months, the following commendations should answer it.

What Does The Fox Say?

Firstly, as Consul, I get to nominate only two members for Seals of Loyalty twice a year. One is Exodus day, and the other is the Day Of The Fox.

I hope each of you realizes how difficult something like this is for me: Arcona has an amazing leadership team, and an even more amazing membership base. I made my choices based on a combination of things: loyalty not just to Arcona, but the Brotherhood, overall activity, and presence. When you look at these two categories, it's very hard not to think of these individuals.

Andrelious J. Mimosa-Inahj, Turel Sorenn, Ernordeth Puer-Irae, and Meleu Karthdo were the four Arconans to receive the honor, the later receiving their nomination from the Fist and Headmaster, respectively. I know Turel has only been with us for a short while, but between Liam and I, we both agreed that he was more than deserving, and since he’s been with us for the last month or so, I volunteered to use one of my selections on him. This also gave the opportunity for two Odanites who have never gotten an SoL before, and both who should feel proud of their accomplishments.

On the whole, I know that some of you might not agree with my decision(s), but know that I do not do anything without thinking it through twice and again. I don’t do anything on impulse, and every leadership hiring, every shift of a member, every word I say to you guys has been premeditated. You guys have put your trust in me in the past to lead Arcona, and I humbly ask again that you maintain that trust. I will do everything I can to explain things to you guys if you ask me. The door is always open, but I’m not a mind reader.

That said, congratulations to everyone else that was awarded the Seal of Loyalty.

Also, as as a throwback for your enjoyment/laughter here is a link to my Day Of The Fox Tribute Video (password: fox)

Promotions (Level Up!)

Kookimarissia Mimosa-Inahj was promoted from Dark Jedi Knight to Krath Priestess! <- Go mom!

Kordath Bleu d'Tana was promoted from Dark Jedi Knight to Krath Priest! <- Cue the altar boy jokes.

Arcia Cortel was promoted from Obelisk Prelate to Obelisk Exarch! <- Oh Captain, my Captain ;)

Saskia Ortega-Inahj was promoted from Krath Archpriestess to Krath Epis! <- Whoop-whoop!

Equite promotions are a big deal, but never forget about our Journeyman kicking butt as well! Look to Sight’s next Rollmaster Report for more on our Journeyman!

Scarlet was promoted from Acolyte to Protector!
WarpStar was promoted from Novice to Acolyte!

Awards

  • Celevon Edraven was awarded a Grand Cross of the Dark Side
  • Atyiru Caesus Entar was awarded a Steel Cross
  • Lexiconus was awarded a Steel Cross
  • Donblas was awarded a Dark Cross
  • Ood Bnar was awarded a Anteian Cross
  • Blarex was awarded a Anteian Cross
  • Andrelious J. Mimosa-Inahj was awarded 3 Silver Nova
  • Kookimarissia Mimosa-Inahj was awarded a Gold Nova
  • Marick Arconae was awarded a Gold Nova

  • Turel Sorenn was awarded a Seal of Loyalty

  • Andrelious J. Mimosa-Inahj was awarded a Seal of Loyalty

  • Ernordeth Puer-Irae was awarded a Seal of Loyalty

  • Meleu Karthdo was awarded a Seal of Loyalty

Arcona Projects

What’s up guys, Legz here. Time for my monthly update on the state of our projects. The central focus right now is on the fleet, as Wally discussed briefly above. We’ve got a top-notch team involved in evaluating where our fleet is at currently and the progress we’ve made in the last two years, and ensuring that we’re still on track strategically. It’s a big project, so stay tuned.

Once we’ve made decisions on potential fleet purchases, the fleet wiki pages will need to be updated to reflect those changes. Those pages have undergone some really extensive changes in the past few months, but they’re always a work in progress. We’ve also seen some recent Clan history updates, and in the next two to three weeks we’ll be bringing the Clan history up to speed to include the recent Fading Light events.

Most other projects were on hold for FL3, but now that we have that behind us, and we’re coming down the homestretch in getting awards and promotions out to our deserving members, the focus will turn back to internal improvement. In the meantime, there are a lot of great comps running, so plenty to keep you occupied.

Congrats to everyone who’s earned promotions and merit awards so far, and thanks to all of you for your incredible work in FL3!

Activities

The ACB Pilot Continues ...

The ACB Pilot will be re-launching this week, with a twist. Keep an eye out on the main page for a separate announcement. Thank you again for your patience, I'm really really excited and I think you guys will like it.

Ask The Wally (Live Q&A)

Once again, I took questions live in a Google + Hangout On Air. I asked if you guys would prefer a live Q&A to a standard text one and you said you liked my live ones. This was one of the harder ones I've done so far--it was a stream of really good questions, with just enough sister-jokes sprinkled in to mentally facepalm a few times.

Ask The Wally #5

Local Reports

{Compliments of Skar!}

Latest House Reports:

Latest Battleteam Updates:

Latest from the DC

Wally's Word

With all the competition going on over the past few years, I just wanted to talk about a little thing I like to call sportsmanship. I know sports is alien to more than a few members (the same ones who get upset when I rant about American Football, you know who you are) but there is a unified, unspoken rule that ties all sports across the world together. Sportsmanship is the term we use to explain professional attitude despite fierce competition. What does this mean to me? It means that while there is nothing more I love than winning (and beating Taldryan in anything does wonderful things to my loins), it doesn't mean that I won't shake Halc, Shadow, or Yacks’s hands at the finish line, or not share a drink at the bar with Rian (assuming I ever made it to Germany).

For me, the attitude is simple. If you win: smile, take pride in your accomplishment, and then congratulate everyone else who competed against and with you. If you lose: smile, take pride in your accomplishments, and then congratulate everyone else who competed against and with you. It's all the same.

In simple terms: don't be a dick. This applies to almost every other aspect of the Brotherhood. Teasing is fun, but we are all here for fun in our free time. There is no reason to go out of your way to be mean to another member. There is a line, and just remember that two wrongs never make a right. I've been guilty of this myself in the past, but try hard to keep a positive mindset. I hope you all will join me in that endeavor.

I'd also like to remind people of the other Golden Rule, especially when it comes to other members earning rewards or promotions: if you don't have anything nice to say about someone, or their accomplishment, keep it to yourself and/or follow up with your leaders in private. Passive aggressive comments are petty and childish. If you are curious as to why someone got promotion "X" or award "Y", there is usually a reason. The MAA staff has been excellent with their communication, transparency, and turn around time, so I'd again like to thank them for their help with making the whole process much more enjoyable than it had been in the past.

New Faces

Vosh Kon and Achilleous (formerly Incendus!) have also both rejoined us from Rogues! Be sure to welcome them back in proper fashion!

  • Arvalis transferred from Taldryan to Dark Forge - Galeres

For any who might be curious to who Arvalis is, you might know him better as Kazmir, a former leader in Taldryan and someone I’ve become good friends with despite being from a rival unit. I’d like everyone to join me in welcoming him to the Clan, and encourage everyone to help me get this song stuck in his head, as it has become our compromise to “bending” in Arcona. Instead, I’ve explained that I wiggle. Wiggle wiggle wiggle!

('bending’ is a trademark of Shadow Taldrya)

onemorething

Video Of The Month

So, when I see awesome things like this, I try and find ways to slip them into my report. This Music Video is so awesome, though, it get's its own section.

(Parody) Team Unicorn - ALL ABOUT THAT (REBEL) BASE

All your base are belong to us ;).

onemorething

Ok, last thing, promise. As I mentioned in my Q&A, I'm currently in a discussion with the unit leaders and Dark Council over what types of events we will be seeing in the upcoming Great Jedi War. As such, I've made a quick survery I'd appreciate you guys taking some time to fill out. This will help me gauge your collective interest, and help me better represent your wishes.

GJW Event-Types-Survey

Thanks :)


In closing, I'd like to remind everyone I'm open to feedback on how things are going with Arcona. If you like these reports, and those of your respective Houses and leaders, make sure you comment and let them know. As leaders, it makes us smile knowing that the work we put in reaches you guys. If something is on your mind, reach out and tell us.

Also, on a personal note, I will be starting a new job on Monday (11/17). This is going to be a huge life-culture shift for me. For those that know me well, you understand that I've spent the past four years of my life as freelancer. This explains why I can stay up until 4am writing reports/gaming/working on DB projects. It explains my complete lack of a sleep schedule and being readily available at seemingly anytime of the day.

My new job will have me on a set schedule. I will be in the office Monday-Friday, 10:30-7:30PM. I will be doing tech support at a production company, and my hope is that I will have desk-time and a computer for said desk so as to be able to dabble away at Brotherhood projects in between fixing people's internets.

I don't really know though. The first few weeks is going to be telling as I test the waters. I hope you all will maintain patience with me, and if I seem short/brash/distracted in my answers to questions, It's probably because I'm focused on adjusting to this new shift in my lifestyle.

I appreciate your guys support and respect, and hope to keep earning it.

That's all for now. Thank you, and Arcona Invicta.

P.S: 'Murica!

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Twitter: @MarickArconae
Email/GChat: [Log in to view e-mail addresses]

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Fantastic report Wally! I'm so proud of Arcona! Congrats Tal! Sportsmanship is important and I think applicable to life in general.

Fantastic report, as always (except for that Arcona Projects section...)

Grats guys on everything we've done! Good luck Wally in your new job, I know you'll make their jaws drop. #Tigerblood

Great job, Mark!

wiggles

Wally has to learn to sleep? :O

Nice going, all! Time to prep for GJW XI!

Wally, there will always be mentions of the Wallycat. Because sexiness. Besides... we already have your number. ;)

<3

Also: ACB!!!!!! :D

I really want to try out the ACB when outside people are allowed to. So badly.

MURICA!

I mean, er, Arcona Invicta! :P Such awesome, wow.

good report and thanks for the hearty competition between us

Yay report. And yay ACB back on!

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