Old Things & New Frontiers

It is hard to believe sometimes, but 2016 is now gone. We have done a lot of cool things in the last year, particularly the last month, so let’s take some time to look back on them before we jump head long into the new year. Some of the highlights include our long string of back to back Clan events (Starfall, Midnight), the inter-clan competition with Clan Naga Sadow called Shattered Ties, and Subterfuge, the inter-House competition where we got to fight for the glory of our House. As you can imagine there were a lot of fiction updates this year, which I hope everyone has been keeping up on. It is ok if you haven’t though. I’ll give everyone a link to them when I cover all of these more in detail further down in the report.

So, we’ve done all these cool things last year, but what’s next? Well some of it I can’t tell you yet, but trust me it should get a reaction out of everyone.

As it regards the House, I am planning a bunch of competitions just for you that will transition us as a House from the events that just transpired in ‘Midnight’ to where Excidium will end up as a result of our reaction to being betrayed by the CSP Emperor. Stay tuned. There are also some other projects I need to wrap up this month but I’ll mention them below.

Before we get into, it’s time for my favorite announcement. We have a new member! Everyone extend your warmest welcomes to Ra El! He has expressed interest in writing fiction with all of us and making pretty art work. Fun times ahead. ^^

The Order Campaign: MIDNIGHT!!! & A bit of Starfall

Our Consul Xen’mordin and Proconsul Elincia Rei have finished judging ‘Midnight’. The Order campaign is now complete and as a House we have a lot to discuss in its aftermath. I encourage everyone to start to think about how they would react to the events that took place over the last few months. As a reminder, let’s see what happened, but first here is a link of the collected fictions from the Order Campaign as they happened chronologically. This includes both the Midnight and Starfall events.

Read FULL STORY here.

Did you read it? Go read it or at least skim it.

So, Starfall happened first. For ease of understanding, here is a short summary of it:

Our Clan was successful in taking over Aesirus, but in the process we were all lured underground into a mine, save for the Emperor Xen and his Proconsul, Elincia Rei. Where did everything get fwec’d up? Well, Xen is being possessed by an evil Force ghost that calls itself Fallax. After Fallax detonated some charges in the mines to trap all of the Clan underground, the despot attempted to destroy us by activating the other charges. We were the fish and he had the dynamite. In order to ‘save’ the Clan from Fallax’s wrath Xen destroyed the unused detonators, thus preventing the remaining charges going off. Elincia was not so lucky and was taken captive.

Midnight follows directly after we somehow escaped from the mines. Here is a quick recap:

We returned to a CSP Empire that was no longer our own. It had been quietly taken away from us through the infiltration of the Emperor himself. A organization known as the New Dawn, led by Fallax, got our Consul to play with a holocron from strangers with the promise that Palpatine once owned it. In reality, it housed a malicious Force spirit that took control of Xen himself. The corruption took some time, but we felt its effects in Starfall and now in Midnight it has erupted into an outright war. As Palatinaeans, we had to fight for our home and fight we did. Some assaulted the Emperor’s mind, doing their best to return their Emperor safe and sound. (Sanity was a bit too much to ask for.) Others assaulted the Emperor’s new forces, thus attacking the Empire itself in a bid to kill Xen’mordin, who they believed Xen was already lost.

End result? We won, of course, but with a slight twist. Xen’mordin hopefully learned to not touch stranger’s holocrons without checking it out first, but he did not leave the fray without consequences. Nor did the CSP Empire. Key points in Ohmen are now destroyed and it will require rebuilding. The city of Teyr was completely destroyed. The trust of the citizens of the Empire is potentially shattered. Some Palatinaeans may or may not have some developed some trust issues with the office of the Emperor as well. But more shocking is that Xen’mordin, though saved from death and the influences of Fallax, is now chilling in a coma, cared for by his secret girlfriend.

So the Empire is in a chaotic state, and trust is at a premium. Where does this leave Excidium? How do we move forward from this?

• First, let’s remember Excidium’s purpose: Eradicate or neutralize threats to CSP’s empire. As such, if an Emperor deviates from the good of the Empire, then Excidium will act swiftly. This implies a degree independence from the Empire itself. A check against the Emperor so that events like Midnight don’t occur again. Excidium didn’t execute that objective for Midnight, but it sure will moving forward. Some of you may wonder if that is treason. Well, we aren’t part of the CSP military so...we have plenty of wiggle room.

• Second, as a result of the Order Campaign, the “Fallaxy Rule” was created, which simply states ‘Don’t trust the Emperor and his office blindly’.

If we take these two points into consideration, Excidium naturally starts to exert itself more in an independent manner, doubt seeding any order from on high (Clan). We are still part of the Clan and serve it so we can protect its interests, but that broken trust must be earned back. Until then, Excidium will keep its own consult when it comes to what is best for the Empire.

Last time I gave everyone homework to do. I asked you the following:

How would your character deal with this betrayal due to blind following of orders? Would they still follow every order of the Empire? Would they rebel? Would they take a more cautious stance towards the Emperor?

Continue to think about this as House development includes your ideas as well. Soon, I will ask you to answer this question (see House Projects for more info) so don’t put this off too much if you haven’t done so already.

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Now I want to shift gears and cover the Midnight results a bit. First, congratulations to everyone on a job well done on Midnight! You are all awesome people, so cheers! The Final Standings are as follows:

• First: Blade Ta’var
• Second: Archangel Palpatine
• Third: Jurdan Krennel
• Fourth: Lexiconus Qor
• Fifth: Mune Cinteroph
• Sixth: Zehsaa Hysh
• Seventh: Kell Dante
• Eighth: Kylex
• Ninth: Alara Deathbane
• Tenth: Jorm Na’trej

Full report with standings from the Consul and lots of pretty pictures!

Some high points I’d like to call out:

• A good job to everyone who helped develop the Clan story further. You may or may not realize it but it has such a big impact. This is always the best result of any big Clan Event. Words can’t express this properly but Thank you. (Yes, this was here before BUT it is no less true!)

• Excidium had a lot of submissions, outpacing Imperium nicely. Special Recognition to our heavy hitters: Archangel, Zehsaa, Kylex, Alara, Lucyeth, and Jorm. In addition all of them placed for Excidium in several of the competitions, the next step above simple participation. #SoProud #ExcidiumPride

• Excidium had a healthy representation in the overall standings. Six of the Ten placements went to Excidium to which I tip my hat to all of you. Bravo!! Special Recognition to Archangel, Zehsaa, Kylex, Alara, and Jorm for your overall placements! #ExcidiumPride #Wow

• Thank you for your wonderful entries. I urge everyone to check them out immediately after reading this report. Yes, immediately! Give yourself a pat on the back and admire all the wonderful creations from both Excidium and Imperium.

Shattered Ties, Subterfuge

Alright, now humor me for a short moment while we go further back into time at some the key highlights of this year.

Shattered Ties: This happened before Starfall and had our Clan pitted against Naga Sadow. There were also some Red Fury pirates that they were really just killing fodder for both clans. We were fighting for a mining operation, specifically the loot that went with it. It involved fighting both the Red Fury pirates and Clan Naga Sadow. In the end, we were victorious, but our hard won battle was short lived. GM Pravus took it all in the end and we just left with our lives. (@gmpravus Stop taking our stuff!)

Full fiction here.

Subterfuge: This happened before Shattered Ties and had House Excidium fighting House Imperium under the pretense that Imperium had betrayed the Empire. Imperium was also told this as well. Emperor Xen did this to test the mettle of each House. House Excidium did not win that exchange but it did gain some sweet intel on House Imperium. A little silver lining.

Full fiction here.

House Projects

A new chapter for a new year

Now that the Clan Events are complete, I’d like the House to explore the time between the aftermath of the ‘Midnight’ event to where Excidium will end up as a result of our reaction to being betrayed by the CSP Emperor. This event came with a lot of loss and there are real consequences to the neglect and betrayal wrought by the hands of our Emperor. We just need to write it happening. I am thinking of some writing and graphics competitions but you should see something soon. For now, think about how your character might react. Rest assured I’ll let you know when it’s ready!

Excidium’s New Ships!

You have been told about possession for everyone and how you can buy stuff for your character. Well, each Clan has an account as well. This was used to purchase a fleet, part of which is given to House Excidium. If you are looking to score some brownie points (especially if you are going after an Equite rank and need some projects), volunteers are welcome to help name the ships and ensure that our fleets have a proper fictional backdrop to support them. A purpose in life besides taking up space.

Anyways, reach out to me via email or telegram if you are interested in helping out. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Excidium, A House Structure (NEW CHANGES)

As usual, our lovely House Excidium overview, with a small change. I want everyone to keep this in mind whenever they write anything having to do with Excidium. This is how our House interacts with the Clan itself and we should ALWAYS be aware of its consequences. So just remember that when you do competitions, keep the House Structure in the back of your mind and explore how it interacts with the Clan itself. Play with loyalties if you want. It’s fun!!

Changes:

• Courtesy of an excellent idea from Jorm Na’trej, we have a new name for the mission board. From this point forward, it will be known as the “Dead Pool”. If you are thinking of Deadpool the movie and the scene with a dead pool, then it is something very similar to that, except that our list of names comes from the Excidium Quaestor. I think this fits the theme of the board really well. The phrase one would use is something like: "Draw from the Dead Pool, Excidiac." What do you all think of the new name?

Some Requests:

• Continue to provide feedback. This should be improved as we go. ^^

Personality Matrices for Everyone!

Everyone who publically published their Personality Matrix to the DB as a whole has been added to a shared folder with everyone’s matrix. This is an excellent resource for writing and a good resource when you are first learning about someone’s character. This should be particularly useful for upcoming fictions and run-ons! If you have one and it is not in this folder, let Mune Kitsune know!

Personality Matrices

Wiki Updates!

Plenty of change has happened with regards to Excidium and one of the tasks high on my radar is to have it properly recorded in the DJB Wiki. I have done an exhaustive read of the Clan Lore and made a note of all Excidium references. What’s left? Some needed updates. Now everyone knows I love the DJB Wiki, but this amazing experience is too good to not share. Therefore, I am calling for willing volunteers who would like to work with me to ensure the voice and spirit of Excidium is well represented. As a bonus, this would count as helping out in a House project, which is particularly useful to Equites or those aspiring to become one.

Now for those who are scared, I understand. I really do. But together we can beat the DJB Wiki and we have Dek Ironius II, who won the DJB-wide Wiki competition, to help us out. It’s like a strange adventure park with plenty of weird neighbors.

Tacitus Athanasius

The Legacy competition series is now over and awaits final judging. I want to thank Shadow and Alara for putting together a series of competitions that helped explore the legacy that your character left behind on Tacitus Athanasius. I hope everyone took advantage of it. Stay tuned for more news from Shadow and in the meanwhile check out the competitions page!

Interested in all the excitement? JOIN TACITUS ATHANASIUS!

If you have any specific questions about the team, reach out to Shadow Nighthunter.

Recognition

Great job everyone! Another solid month. Give each other a pat on the back. You deserve it.

• Kylex promoted to Knight! (JM4)!! (A big milestone in one’s DB career. Congratz!)

• Zehsaa Hysh received a Seal of Loyalty! (A big honor as it marks your loyalty to the clan. Congratz!)

• Shout outs to some heavy hitters this month! Great job Lucyeth, Jorm Na’trej, Alara Deathbane, Zehsaa Hysh, Kylex, and Archangel Palpatine! #Proud

• ACC fights!: Shadow took on Mateus kelborn, and yours truly took on Kordath Bleu. Sadly both were losses, but that is how we improve. As for me, I’ve learned that If you can’t win, make sure you pull their tail really hard and go down fighting. (Links to battles in the Member Spotlight further below.)

• Congratz to No one :( for the most Clusters of Graphite in Excidium! Come on, let’s fix this for next time.

• Congratz to Blade Ta’var for the most Clusters of Ice this month in Excidium!

• Shadow Academy Star: Arron Saylos did a wonderful job in the Shadow Academy this month, completing 5 Shadow Academy courses. Good work!

• Society Rank Promotions!

  • Alara Deathbane to INQ Rank VIII
  • Shadow Nighthunter to INQ Rank X
  • Kylex to INQ Rank IV
  • Zehsaa Hysh to INQ Rank III

• Lastly, I want to recognize everybody for your efforts and accomplishments. Every bit adds to this community and I want to thank all of you for taking some time to ensure the craziness of Excidium reigns supreme. You’re the best.

Competition Spotlight

A Clan event is just around the corner so we will be focusing on that, but rest assured there is plenty to occupy your spare time. For now, here is a quick summary of ongoing competitions. For the full list, please look here. Remember to check out all the tabs!

House Excidium Sponsored:

• COMING SOON!

Clan Scholae Palatinae Sponsored:

• Scholae Palatinae Fleet Names Many of our ships are lacking names right now. Only the destroyers have been named. The rest are up to you!

• Scholae Palatinae Fleet Aspect: Space Vehicle Cosmetic Eventually, all the ships in our navy will have a standard, consistent image. But what should it be? Describe the colour scheme, design, etc of the ships in the Scholae Palatinae navy. Aspects should be generic enough to be applied to a wide variety of ships.

• Scholae Palatinae Fleet Aspect: Space Vehicle Modification Some of our ships will have modified functionality to suit the needs of the empire. Pick a ship in the navy and write a custom aspect for use by the clan to describe how it's been modified. Write as many as you like, but modification aspects should be aimed at a specific model of ship.

• CDW: The Tower by Mune and Alara: Midnight has come to a close and the clan must continue forward, your character must press onwards with their existence with the knowledge of what has transpired as a participant in the battle to take back the Clan’s home and their Emperor. You have it all back what is life like right after the wild ride? Write about your character’s life during the aftermath. How has their views changed, their opinions and ideas. Their outlook. Especially after so unexpected a change. How does it affect the relationships between you and those around you.

• Sliter.io by Reiyden Rosenau: A simple fun addicting flash game. Easy activity!

DJB Sponsored:

• Star Wars Gender Swap: A graphics competition where you take your favorite SW character and give me a gender swap!

• Ode to 2016: Write a poem about 2016 and everything that came with it (ups and downs).

• Traditions: Write a fiction about what your character does to mark the passing of one year to another.

• Forging Knowledge- Armory Lesson 1: This is a bit different. This is a trivia competition where you answer questions about forging your weapon. I love thinking of how Blade made her lightsaber, so this sort of stuff is cool to me. If you also find it interesting, take a look! There is a fiction part coming after this as well.

• Parental Guidance: A fiction competition where you write a story from one of your character’s parents’ perspective. I am excited for this one.

Member Spotlight

We do so much more than just the numbers that are tracked on the website. We are a community and I’d like to take this time to show off some awesome things we’ve done as a House that don’t quite fit anywhere else. Thank you for your contributions!

Graphics

Christmas Card 1! by Zehsaa Hysh

Christmas Card 2! by Zehsaa Hysh

Fallax by Zehsaa Hysh

Winter Tales for Warmth, by Zehsaa Hysh

Fiction: Tales of Craziness and Mayhem

• Second place entry for Fiction 1 by Blade Ta’var

• Third place entry for Fiction 1 by Archangel Palpatine

• Fifth place entry for Fiction 1 by Kylex

• Fifth place entry for Poetry 1 by Alara Deathbane

• Second place entry for Midnight Fiction 2 by Archangel Palpatine

• First place entry for Midnight Poetry 2 by Kylex

• Fifth Place entry for the Midnight Fiction 3 by Kylex

• Second Place entry for the Midnight Fiction 3 by Archangel Palpatine

• First Place entry for the Midnight Fiction 3 by Blade Ta’var

• First Place entry for the Midnight Epic fiction by Blade Ta’var

ACC fights:

• Shadow Nighthunter vs. Mateus Kelborn

• Blade Ta’var vs. Kordath Bleu

DJB News

• DB fiction update!! Check it out here! This will help set us up for the next GJW in late Spring/Summer!

• New runon rubric. Check it out here!

• There is a new fiction DB podcast going on! Check out the details here. You can also reach out to Atra Ventus and Qyreia.

• New fiction rubric out. Please follow this from now on!

• New Available Species: Everyone welcome the Ryn to the DB universe.

• Fictional roles set for Dark Council. (Thank you VOICE office.) More details here.

• Trial of Acquisition now available to all who have obtained the rank of Knight. Go to your Admin menu and grab your sweet free possessions!

• More Possession Info from the Regent. Take a look here!

• More cool stuff from the Herald. Check out the details here. I see some cool hammers and trooper outfits...

• M:Herald position open and accepting all applications till Jan 31st. This is more of an administrative position so you do not need to be a great artist. I encourage everyone to apply.

• New Stuff from the Headmaster. Check it out here.

Conclusion

A new year is already upon us. It seems just like yesterday that I was just joining this Clan and meeting everyone for the first time. We had a great year in 2016, and I look forward to seeing more of everyone this coming year and doing some great things for Excidium. Take this time to relax before things kick back up again, and tackle some of those competitions if they interest you. In the meantime, I hope you had a great holiday season and had a lot of fun. Stay tuned for next time!

Reminder: Continue to explore how your character leaves their own mark on Excidium. Talk to the rest of the House about how the details might look. Apply this to your stories and complete your character sheet if you haven’t already. Also, remember to ask for ACC extensions if you need one. There is no need to time out. Email the ACC staff and it will be extended. Lastly, reach out to myself or Shadow if there are any competitions you would like to see but haven’t got the chance to participate in yet.

To the Future of Excidium!

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[CSP Chat - Log in to view join link]

Clan Feedback

Ask CuddlyBlade!

Archangel asks: “If you weren't a Zeltron, what species would you be, and why would it be a Rodian?”

Blade: NO. If Blade wasn’t a Zeltron, I would make her a race that lived a really, really long time. :)

Jorm asks: “Now that Xen had his big comp double event, do you have something in store for your Excidiacs?”

Blade: Yes. I want to explore just how loyal Excidium wants to be towards the CSP Emperor and his office. Trust was broken and there are natural consequences. I’ll be looking to make a few competitions this month to give everyone an opportunity to figure this out. Stay tuned. :D

Wally asks “What does Blade like more: Rancor Tequilla, or giving Zeltron hugs?”

Blade: After much soul searching and rethinking Blade’s life, I have decided she would choose Zeltron hugs. Wally had this genius addition to add that I like a lot: “plz help, send help, Blade...stahp”.

TL;DR

• Order Campaign: Midnight Results!

• Shattered Ties, Subterfuge Recap

• New Clan Event ‘Midnight’!

• House Projects

• Tacticus Athanasius

• Such activity, much wow

• Competition Spotlight

• Member Spotlight

• DJB News

• Final Thoughts

• Q&A Time!

Signed with Pheromones