CNS Rollmaster Report #2: The Slow Creep of Sithsmas

2016/11/21, 2:09 AM, Rollmaster - Clan Naga Sadow

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A fond autumn greetings to the best Clan of the Brotherhood. Hopefully Sithsmas hasn't crept up on you yet and you are enjoying the final days of fall. This is Benny Stahoes, your humble (out of character) Rollmaster bringing you a monthly update on the state of the Clan- or at least her Journeyman and lower-ranked membership. Looking over the activity report, it looks like things have been relatively quiet on the Clan-front but I am sure that is just partly the upcoming holidays. The good news is we have exciting things on the horizon, so there will be plenty of opportunities for our members from the lowest Novitate to the "grand"est Elder to take part in.

Although quiet, it hasn’t been silent though. Among the new folks joining our happy family, we have been graced by Vexra Darkstone, Gabriel Cruvera, Adrias Arlis, Uvunash Ven, Katsumi Yeigo and Sanitas Peregrinus. It always warms this young Sith’s heart to see the ranks of Clan Naga Sadow swell. I hope that they will find this place as wonderful as we all have. You all are so awesome climbing up through the ranks there was a bit where I feared your progress would put me out of a job, but you have been reaching out to folks you know and trying to introduce them to the Brotherhood, and for that I applaud you guys. I try to recruit when I can but there is only so much time in the day and as a result I can’t do it all myself. Recruitment like everything else can’t be driven by one man. Just as what makes our Clan so awesome is all of you, so recruitment needs all of you.

News and Happenings Across the Brotherhood

I am sure everybody has been excited by the recent Open Beta announced for the long-awaited Possessions system. I for one have been sitting on a lot of credits myself, but I am sure many among you are ready to or have been purchasing every shiny object you can put your hands on. If not, you can get to it by clicking Resources at the top of the page and dropping down to stores or item research. Or if you are lazy like me you can use those two links I just dropped. Our Regent has released a few updates since then, including his 4th Report which includes a bit about the upcoming Trial of Acquisition that will provide more shiny things for folks upon reaching Journeyman 4.

In future news, our Voice Tyris has also released another report containing a fiction update called Rise of the Lotus. The report also mentioned “Seven Strands” the upcoming part 3 fiction update which will give an overview of the state of the Clans throughout the Club. The FIST office has also released a new update that continues to update and redefine gaming amongst the Brotherhood. Our Combat Master has released a new event for the Antei Combat Centre, the Wiki Tribune has given a new report concerning the wiki and possessions, and the Shadow Academy staff are seeking a new Magistrate.

I would be remiss if I didn’t point you to the Aedile report from Shar Dakhan, the (double) report from the Aedile of Marka Ragnos or Lilith’s report for Devil’s Shroud.

So now that I am finished with the obligatory “This is what is happening” for the Brotherhood, let us march on! Hut-two-three-four, hut-two-three-four!

Master-Student Program

I cannot stress the Master-Student Program enough. As our new folks get involved, it enhances their experience and that of our acting-masters more than I can tell you. The master-apprentice system is, as our former Rollmaster Kiriyu put it “the lifeblood of our system.” New members can be paired with an experienced member who has been right where they are at now. Our Knights, Equites and Elders went through that crucible and made it out to the other side. I urge our pre-JM4 members to use their experience, freely given to help, and you just might make a new friend!

If you are interested in taking part as either Master or Student, click this handy link and fill out the form. As openings become available, your friendly, neighborhood Rollmaster will pair members up. It is a tad more detailed than the previous iterations of the form, but this just helps my office to match members together better, so no fear!

Competitions

While things have been quieter on the Naga Sadow front, there are still some activities to be found if you look.

For example, there is your humble Rollmaster’s Arbiters of Sadow competition going on! If you want to take part, it is as simple as subscribing and going out and doing things. More details can be found if you click the handy link there.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Muz Ashen’s Seige of Heaven series, in which you can help with the rebuilding of Kar Alabrek. I ran out of time to partipate in part 2, but I hope folks will join me in writing for part 3! If that doesn’t strike your fancy, Darkblade and Scarlet are also hosting a puzzle party (I assume they are waiting on the next approval atm), the Combat Master is running the aforementioned “Guests” of the Matron competition which I know some of you are already participating in, 10 days remain in the latest MOBA test being run by the FIST’s office, there is a flash game comp you can partipate in quickly if you are pressed for time, or you can participate in the fiction competitions being run by our own Darkhawk and Firith’rar respectively. You also have the opportunity to Meme Your Summit members, or share about your shopping...hopes and dreams?. Needless to say, there is a lot that can be found.

Still not to your liking? We do have the current Slice of Life RO, Transmorgification which you can participate in. Or, you could always follow this link right here

Before we move on, there is an upcoming event that I highly suggest to our members new and old, though. There are still arrangements in the works- at least I haven’t seen the parent competition cross my desk yet- but I would like to provide you with the initial blurb from the Dakhani Summit:

”Rumors of disturbances in the Brotherhood worlds abound on the holonet sub-frequencies. The Dakhani summit isn’t completely sure about what’s going on, but they are unwilling to let their supporters get caught by surprise. The Empiricalum’s best scientists have proposed an ultra-secret project to bolster the Clan to compensate for any deficiencies, but they need your help! You’ve already donated a genetic sample to the laboratory personnel, now you need to demonstrate your skills and abilities in the following tests so they can determine where you would benefit most. There’s no time to waste, who knows when the rumors could be upon us!

Help Naga Sadow find out what makes you S.P.E.C.I.A.L. by demonstrating your Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility and Luck. Each of the included tests will award a given amount of points to the top three places, with some tests being easier and awarding less points than ones that require more effort.”

I have gotten a small peek at some the events planned, and I would encourage everybody to take part. I firmly believe that as you show off what makes you SPECIAL you will show the rest of the Brotherhood what I already know: how awesome we can be!

Journeyman Activity Report

Of course, what would a Rollmaster Report be without detailing the progress and activities of our Journeyman. Now, I know that normally I would be listing just our pre-Knight Journeyman, but I stumbled upon a thought recently. It could seem discouraging for some, that as soon as fourth-tier Journeyman is reached, the trek becomes an uphill affair. No longer are you directed by a fancy little checklist to tell you the path you must tread. It is not so, nor should your efforts go silent! As such, I have included ALL our Journeyman on the activity log for this month. I know this is usually just a general “hey, I can’t report what I can’t see. Tell me if there is anything I missed…” but I did want to say this much. If any of our members, from top down, are missing ways they can better participate then by all means, contact myself or any members of your House Summits. We will be glad to assist.

Now, that being said, this is the progress of (all) our Journeymen since the last report (October 21st)!

Coas Jewell:

Telegram Activity

Ingram Thorpe:

no observed activity

Marcinius Turelles:

email activity

Inyri Ginovef:

participated in 5 competitions
Promoted to Knight!
17 Clusters of Ice
3 Crescent with Sapphire Star
1 Crescent with Amethyst Star

Gabriel Cruvera:

15 Courses Passed in SA
Earned Dark Pundit in Essentials
Telegram Activity

Jason Kane:

No observed activity (though has been on Telegram at some point?)

Leeadra Halcyon:

Telegram Activity

Quo-Wing Tzun:

No observed Activity

Konar Auryus-Saas:

No Observed Activity?

Kyrath Amaranthi:

No Observed Activity

godarrow:

no observed activity :(

Jon Tin'Kodak:

transferred from Naga Sadow to Marka Ragnos
Discourse Activity

Vexra Darkstone

Joined Master-Student Program
Paired with Riku Amahara

Adrias Arlis

Promoted to Apprentice
took Trial of Identity
joined Naga Sadow

Katsumi Keigo

Promoted to Apprentice
took trial of identity
transferred to Shar Dakhan

Sanitas Peregrinus

Promoted to Apprentice
took Trial of Identity
Transfered to Marka Ragnos

Monthly Member Interview

If there is one thing I know has been enjoyed, it has always been a chance to “meet” our members, and to learn a little more about their characters. Now, I do plan to begin a bi-weekly interview with members to learn more about them, both in and out of character in addition to this little section, so if you have an interest in being featured, feel free to contact your Rollmaster on Telegram or via email (both on my dossier).

(Sorry if this is a little rough, I am trying to find a balance with things as I do them, which means things can come out a little fuzzier than I like. While in character interviews are good and fun I like to let people know a bit more about the person behind the keyboard, thus a small mix of both IC and OOC questions.)

Inryi Ginovef

"These things I do so that others may live."

Bentre: "A very good evening to you, Inyri. I hoped that I might have a chance to tell the Clan a little bit more about you for my next report. Would you mind an interview?

Inyri: “Alright.”

Bentre: "Awesome. So first off if you don’t mind, may I ask what brought you to the Dark Jedi Brotherhood?

Inyri: “I needed a change of scenery. I'm a part of another SW club, but I've been there for over 10 years, and that can make being motivated a real trouble. Couple that with another group I was with being wiped out by the Admin, and it was clear I needed something new. I know Teu Bukhari from outside the DJB, so I decided to give it a shot.

Bentre: “Well sweet, we are glad to have you here, let me tell you. So what have you found as your favorite part of our club so far?

Inyri: “Honestly, it's the variety of the fiction. You've got Sith, Jedi, Greys, Mercs and Soldiers all under the same roof, and everyone's got a different angle that they're more or less free to pursue. I'm more used to military unit themes where everyone's in a unit, they have different roles, but it has to contribute to the whole or it derails everything. Plus being up with the current movies appeals to me, as much as I'm a fan of many things Legend, I don't want to be locked in it because times changed and no one else did.”

Bentre: “Ah. So on the subject of fiction, how did come up with the initial idea for Inyri Ginovef as a character?”

Inyri: “I didn't have an initial concept for Inyri at first, I was about to model her off of my Grey from the other club, but I realized that wasn't very fun, so I decided on a new approach and modeled her more off of the star of the Splinter Cell series, Sam Fisher. Many of her combat skills mirror his, and she has a very pragmatic view on things. There's still more of her to develop but otherwise, the idea was to create a shadow operative that uses the Force without falling into the "Sith Assassin" archetype, instead making the Force just another tool in her arsenal rather than what defines her.”

Bentre: “I can understand how the path of character development goes, and I am glad you are finding a fun path for yourself. Though if I can look back some more, can you tell us a bit about where your character grew up originally? I always find it interesting to see from what kind of roots characters sprout fictionally.”

Inyri: “Inyri hails from Corellia, from a city near Gold Beach called Tyrena. It's more or less a tourist trap, but otherwise a nice place without the hugeness of Coronet City. Since leaving there, she doesn't really have anywhere to call home right now. Though she does reside, more or less, with the rest of her Battle Team on Level 9, that's just a place to rest her head, not a new home. That may not be something she has, given her more nomadic lifestyle now.”

Bentre: “So a bit of a curious question while I have you here. What is your favorite genre of music?”

Inyri: “Primarily, it's rock and roll and stuff close to it. My Pandora feed is all over the place, though the core of it is the Swedish power metal group "Sabaton". I love that band because so much of their focus is on military history, which I love to study. It's rare to have a group you can rock out to and learn something from. Past that, it really is a mix. AC/DC, Metallica, Theory of a Dead Man, Five Finger Death Punch, Icon For Hire, Digital Daggers, Rammstein, Eisbrecher, and a fair bit more is randomly in the mix. Though I will say I'm actually not a huge fan of Dragonforce, because their songs drag out for so long.”

Bentre: “So, given your successful career in the Dark Brotherhood so far, do you have any long-term hopes or dreams within the Club and Clan?”

Inyri: “Right now, I'm kind of without a goal. I would like to continue advancing and developing, but it's more taking opportunities as they come, nothing really is planned. Inyri kind of developed faster into the Sam Fisher role than I previously expected. Maybe it'll hit me, maybe I'll fall into it, right now, I don't know.”

Bentre: “Well if I can be of any help with figuring out a new goal or direction, let me know. Though on a similar note, with the release of Possessions, is there any one item that you really want at the moment? I mean, I know I am looking forward to hopefully eventually owning a party boat with a designated driver.”

Inryi: “Strangely, all I really want from the Possessions system is an HK-series droid. HK-47 and HK-55 are two of my favorite characters, because it breaks the mold of a droid, it's not just some loyal companion, it has personality, and sometimes I love the backhanded insults they can dish out. Hell, it was motivation for an HK-55 quest alone that I'm still subscribed to TOR. But it'd be an interesting character sidekick to write, I think. If it wasn't for the fact that droids as PCs are no longer an option, if I ever had to shelve Inyri, my first choice to make would have been an HK-series.”

Bentre: “So to shift gears a little, from a character standpoint, if Inyri could be granted one wish, simply by snapping her fingers, what would it be?”

Inryi (character): “If I could do anything, I'd put an end to this infighting. I get it, you Sith just have to fight something to show your strength, but has anyone even considered the possibility that someone else is watching and will see this as a sign of weakness on our part? We'll be so caught up in this stupid purge that when someone rolls up on us, we're going to have no way to respond. And we're all going to feel really stupid we did their job for them."

Bentre: “So what is your favorite food? What are Inyri’s favorite foods for that matter?”

Inyri: “I pretty much will eat anything in front of me that isn't from the sea, though I guess I'd say I'm a sucker for pasta dishes of any type. As for Inyri, well, she's actually into breakfast foods, even for lunch or dinner. Not to say she'd do that all the time.”

Bentre: “Now, you provided the quote at the top of this section to define yourself. Would you care to give a little more light on that?”

Inyri: “I've always liked this because I've kind of set myself up that I often put the needs of others above my own, and in my characters, they tend to have a strong sense of duty and know the meaning of sacrifice. The flipside of it, though, is when I do decide to put my own needs first, I tend to get backlash and called selfish, so it's not without issue.”

Bentre: ”I see. Well thank you in any case for your time, Inryi. I hope that you will continue to keep rocking things and keep making the Clan proud in all your efforts!”

Special Recognition

I know this section is normally reserved for a particular member, but as this is November and in the USA, this is (supposed) to be a time of Thanksgiving, I wanted to take a moment to specially recognize the Clan. You read that right. I am not saying I am thankful for my former House, Marka Ragnos, or a Battleteam. Nor am I thankful merely for our Summit or our Journeyman (who are keeping me in a job :P). I am not even mentioning just our current members, either. I am thankful for each and every one of you who have been a part of my time in the Dark Brotherhood at one time or another. I have been in the club for a year and some seven months and I have enjoyed almost every moment of it- we all have bad days of course. The Brotherhood is a blast and I am glad you have all been a part of that.

Closing remarks

I do have a confession to make, and for this I feel some small regret. My first month as Rollmaster has been very slow going, outside of some pairing students and duties outside of my being a Rollmaster- such as wiki and SA. I don’t want you all to believe that this is a reflection of how things are always going to be. I came in at an interesting juncture as we slide into what is for many, various holidays.

I know that there are plans by folks across the Brotherhood for holiday-themed and non-holiday themed events and competitions. There is the looming “threat” of the Great Jedi War at some yet-unknown date. With the Rise of the Lotus and other things going on while real life churns in the background, it can seem like you don’t have enough time to take part in everything. I urge you all to keep pushing, and to keep partaking. I am not sitting in the Temple of Blood for my own gain. I am here for all you wonderful folks.

There is a quote by a former Rollmaster which I certainly echo: “This is a great place to be, and the members are what make it that way. You guys can all be a part of that going forward, if you choose to be. Myself and all the other veteran members of the clan are here to help, most of us at any time, so all you need to do is ask.”

Here’s to exciting times ahead, y’all. You all continue to surprise and delight me, and I hope that never ceases. There are opportunities to take part both in competitions, as well as drawing, fiction chat, DB chat, Clan chat and just general camaraderie that is the Dark Jedi Brotherhood. Keep rocking, Naga Sadow.