Introduction

Greetings Qel-Dromans, Arconans and various others (Voyeurs!) from differing units. Welcome to the June Report for House Qel-Droma.

We apologize in advance for any undue confusion, sudden vision loss or an erection lasting more than twelve hours (seriously, if you're experiencing either of the last two, stop reading and go see a doctor).

This special Father's Day edition comes to you from the new Quaestor & Aedile of Qel-Droma. With that said, let's get right to it.

Brotherhood News

• Rumors of the new Path system abound and the Grand Master and Deputy Grand Master have deigned to share some details on the subject in GM Report #39 and DGM Report #WhyYouNoNumberTheseMav?. Included amongst the details are that custom species are being disallowed except for grandfathers (because of Father’s Day, plus respecting your elders, or something like that).

• Jam3z is up to his normal awesomeness, including adding new Telegram features to the website! Read more in the Seneschal Report.

• Ranks for the Shadow Academy Society have seen a minor but import revamp.

• If you’re bored of your accessory, you can now request Crusade Ribbons to display in their place.

• While it’s necessarily light on details (most of the work seems to still be in the planning stages), you can glean some insight into the process of constructing the Fiction Society in Evant’s latest Voice Report. There are also details on a few Voice competitions.

• In addition to the Clusters of Fire and Clusters of Ice, you can now earn Clusters of Earth thanks to Valhavoc. Read about it in his latest report. What I want to know is when we’ll get Air and Heart. That’s right, Glenn, Ma-Ti and Linka judge you! And Suchi isn’t that fond of you either.

• You can find out why there are no more trees in Aabsdu’s office in the latest MAA Communique. (Hint: Don’t decorate your office with bamboo trees when your new Praetor is a Panda.)

• There are also some new details on what does (and doesn’t) belong in your character’s wiki page, so check those out here.

Clan News

• Terran Koul got appointed Aedile of Qel-Droma.

• Nothing else important happened. Stop asking.

• Drop down to the “Communication” section. Why are you even reading this?

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Seriously, go away.  
 
 
 
 
 

• ...fine. Celevon has informed me that I’m supposed to mention that something called “Tides of Change” (Troutrooper ran a competition?) ended and we’re waiting on grades. They should be in relatively soon.

• Legorii has stepped down to pursue a degree in law. Which just goes to show you, even the Dark Brotherhood thinks that lawyers are too morally reprehensible to leave in power.

• Also, apparently Arcia has replaced Legz as PCON. What even is a Proconsul?

• Turel also betrayed us and left for Galeres. That bastard (I’m suddenly picturing random South Park episodes right after Kenny dies..). Apparently they were so in need of fabulousness that they made him Quaestor. Traitor. He also released his first report, showcasing said fabulousness.

• Lastly, the Shadow Lady tells us how to become shiny and chrome that she might carry us into the Halls of Valhala. I have it on good authority that this is the concept art for her new character. Check it out here.

House News

• Celevon betrayed the Strategos and took over his office. It was violent. It was brutal. And it was awesome. There are, of course, some differing opinions on how the events transpired...

• Changes (<---- Cel’s section is boring and unimportant. Feel free to skip it!)
  As all of you have no doubt noticed, there have been a few changes to the House since my last report. Strategos stepped down as Quaestor. Thank you, Strat, for stepping up to the plate when we needed you. With that position vacated, our lovely Consul asked me to step into the position, which I was more than happy to do. This, of course, left the Aedile position open. After careful consideration, Terran Koul, formerly known as Invictus has been chosen as the new Aedile of Qel-Droma (A.k.a. The other guy writing in this report).
  One of the planned changes is the revamp of many (many, many, many) wiki pages and the creation of new ones to get Qel-Droma’s history and fictional aspect up to speed. Should anyone be interested in lending a hand (don’t cut it off and hand it to me... you need that!), feel free to email myself ([Log in to view e-mail addresses]) and Terran ([Log in to view e-mail addresses]); we will give you options on what you want to work on.
  One such thing I would suggest you keep a lookout for is mentioned in the Galeres Report: Character Workshops. If you’ve already read that report, skip to the next part. For those of you who haven’t seen this, I will explain.

• Character Workshops are an opportunity we’re opening for members seeking to improve their character design. Some activities included, but not limited to: wiki creation and overhaul, Character sheet design and point allocation, graphic design.. There are many opportunities in this area. It will be held on weekends, via IRC or Google Hangouts for anywhere from one to three hours on chosen days. If you’re interested in being either an Advisor/Teacher, Participant or both, you can sign up here.

• Apex Brigade
  Apex Brigade has been closed, it’s members distributed between Shadow Gate and regular membership. Rrogon Skar stepped down as Battleteam Leader, with former Battleteam leader of Apex taking his place. I am speaking of Rhiann Baenre. Her first decision in the new position was to open applications for her XO/BTS. After reading through the applications, she chose K’tana.

• Communication
  Here is a reminder that there are several avenues of communication open to House members beyond the traditional IRC channel and Clan mailer. We have the House Mailer and a House [Telegram - Log in to view join link] group. Please contact Terran or myself should you wish to be added to the Telegram group.
  We’re here for you, ladies and gents. As such, you can feel free to prod us on Telegram (I highly suggest this version if either of us are on the go), IRC or shoot us an email if that’s your preference. If you have an idea for a competition, send us that.

Competitions

Clan

• Shipping Arcona Style

• Treason? Treason!

• Seeing Double

• Cards Against Arcona

• Sentence Run-On II

• An Arconan Vacation

• Dozen of Games III: The Finale: Helicopter

Brotherhood

• An Objective History

• Keeping it together

• Judecca World

• GMRG Gorefest: June 2015

There are also other competitions you can find in the Competition Center, however their organizers didn’t bother to bribe me.

Awards

Timeros Caesus Entar Arconae

• Crescent with Sapphire Star

Strategos Thanatos Entar Arconae

• Crescent with Ruby Star

• Crescent with Topaz Star

Marick Arconae

• Clusters of Earth (x15)

Alaris Jinn

• Crescent with Emerald Star

Terran Koul

• Dark Side Scroll (x2)

Celevon Edraven

• Clusters of Ice (x9)

• Clusters of Earth (x9)

Mirus Hi’ija

• Crescent with Sapphire Star

• Crescent with Emerald Star

• Crescent with Topaz Star

Kanis Da’uul

• Clusters of Ice (x4)

Adam Bolera

• Clusters of Fire (x87)

• Clusters of Earth (x45)

Juliana Kelrune

• Crescent with Emerald Star

Transfers

• PRT Spyros: to Rogues

• PRT Sumsol: to Rogues

• Turel Sorenn: Appointed Quaestor of Galeres

• Ernordeth Puer-Irae: to Galeres

• Legorii Arconae: from Clan Roster

• Dyart Angran: from Clan Roster/Shadow Academy

• Juliana Kelrune: from Clan Roster/Shadow Academy

Promotions

• Juliana Kelrune: Novice to Protector!

TL;DR

• Arcona’s Summit should be finished with our game of Musical Chairs.

• Legorii is in the process of selling his soul by going to Law School.

• Check out all the reports!

• Competitions == Shinies

• My new Aedile loves his links to Captain Planet

• Communication is a good thing... join us on Telegram!

• The Aedile Manifesto can be found below this

Aedile Alley

Greetings, minions! I mentioned in my initial communique that, in the spirit of transparency, I would summarize many of my application’s key points in our House report. Hopefully, this gives those of you interested some idea of where my thoughts are on the state of Qel-Droma, and how we can improve - both as individuals, and as a whole. I’ll do my utmost to be brief, something rather removed from my nature, and there’s a TL;DR at the bottom, just in case. If you have any questions, or suggestions, on any of these, feel free to drop me a line via [Log in to view e-mail addresses], Telegram or IRC. I am always at your disposal.

To say that Qel-Droma has had a rocky past two years would be an understatement. There have been a few months, here and there, that showed a resurgence of activity, but by and large it has been at an all-time low. If we in Arcona are to continue to be a two-House Clan, that has to change - sooner, rather than later. We have had the misfortune of having a great number of leaders that were appointed to the role of Aedile or Quaestor, only to find themselves amidst unexpected real life constraints that rightfully took priority. This led to a House that lacked a strong motivating force when it needed it the most. Coupled with that, we had a roster that, as often happens after protracted Vendettas, had a great deal of dead wood on it. Though much of that has since been cleaned out, it leaves us significantly smaller than our sister House - or most of the other Houses in the Brotherhood. We currently have two dozen members - with fewer than that being truly active. Even when we grow our numbers and once more have enough members to sustain a second or (one day) a third Battleteam, there are no active, reliable members to lead it at present. There are a handful of veterans, such as Timeros and Marick, but they are all otherwise occupied by life or non-House positions in the Dark Brotherhood. Consequently, those new joins would inevitably fall by the wayside and themselves become inactive or transfer out given a lack of experienced leadership and direction.

How, then, do we address these issues?

Accountability

Too often as leaders we expect our members to be more active than we are ourselves, excusing it due to the extra responsibilities placed on us by command or by the amount of time our careers or families consume. That is, quite frankly, bullshit. That’s not to say that leaders need to be as active as their most active members - but they cannot expect to hold any member to a level of activity higher than their own.

Second, Battleteam Leaders are not babysitters. Treating them as such does a disservice to them and to their members. They ought to be capable of more than submitting the occasional competition and writing reports. By placing an emphasis on holding Battleteam Leaders accountable for their teams, we can help these Battleteam Leaders grow as leaders, and ready them to face the challenges of leadership among the Upper Summit in the future.

Accountability doesn’t, and shouldn’t, rest on members and Battleteam Leaders alone, though. It is a burden that ought to be carried by every leader in a member’s chain of command. Too often, when there is a problem, it is just the member(s) directly involved that are addressed. In fact, the failing is one of every member in that individual’s chain of command, and it ought to be treated as such.

Command Structure

In addition to the necessity of empowering Battleteam Leaders, the position of Battleteam Sergeant is often improperly utilized. Battleteam Sergeant is a position in which a bright, younger member can gain training and experience. Alternately, it’s one in which a veteran member can pair with a younger leader to keep them on the right track. Either way, the goal is for one member to train the other and to impart the necessary skills and knowledge for that member to become a successful leader in the future.

We’re also discussing the feasibility and logistics of periodically swapping out unit leaders amongst the disparate units in Arcona. So, for instance, a BTS or BTL or Aedile in HQD might swap places with one of their counterparts in GAL 4-6 months. This serves to prevent leaders from becoming complacent and allows the leaders in question to gain a fresh perspective on their roles and responsibilities. Every leader has a unique style, and every member presents their own unique challenges and rewards. Swapping out leaders could serve to better train our leadership and membership by exposing them to a broader range of individuals with their own unique personalities and skillsets. This isn’t definite at present, but it’s being discussed, so if we go this route in the future, you’ll be sure to hear about it in advance.

Too often situations are overlooked or tasks are forgotten because there isn’t a clear structure of responsibility in place. House Qel-Droma - and Arcona as a whole - is in dire need of a Project Manager. A quick perusal of the Wiki reveals a dozen different projects that were started and then subsequently abandoned, unfinished, without any explanation. Whether the reason be time constraints, a lack of motivation, laziness or sheer forgetfulness, far too often things don’t get done. To combat this going forwards, we’ll be maintaining a list of all running projects at the Battleteam and the House level and expecting regular internal reports on their progress.

Building Relationships

At the end of the day, we’re all here for the same reason - and it’s not Star Wars. It’s not the writing, it’s not the gaming, it’s not the artwork. While all of those things are important, even integral, to the Brotherhood experience, they are not unique. They are not irreplaceable. There are a hundred other Star Wars clubs that offer many, if not all, of the same activities. We stay because we form relationships with our brethren. That is what anchors us here. It builds loyalty and is key to member retention. To that end, we need to foster interpersonal relationships and help our members to build rapport with one another. This is true at all levels - within Battleteams, among members of HQD, and between the two Houses as well. We shouldn’t feel like two neighbors living in the same apartment. We ought to feel like two groups of siblings in adjacent rooms.

Retention & Recruitment

Once our leadership situation is back on track, a major point of focus will necessarily become retention and recruitment. While the idea is so simple it often goes without saying, I think it is commonly overlooked. Seldom do you see leaders actively acting to promote retention and recruitment beyond the day-to-day necessities of their position, and yet it is imperative to the success of the unit as a whole. The first key is fleshing out and ensuring the consistency of our fictional narrative. Just this week I had a member talking to me about which House they belonged in more. They seemed to think it was House Qel-Droma. While that would have ordinarily thrilled me, it turned out to be based on inaccurate information about the fictional nature of our House and it’s background. That’s a failing that falls squarely on the shoulders of HQD’s leadership, and it is one that we need to rectify. We also need to do a better job of promoting and rewarding members while making sure that it’s actually deserved. Finally, we do a terrible job of providing access to information needed by newblets and veterans alike. They need a single, centralized place they can visit when looking for information and we currently do a piss-poor job of granting that. Whether it be in-universe information about the House and Clan or out-of-universe information such as writing tips, there ought to be one, single repository in which members can find what they need - and they shouldn’t ever have to wonder whether or not it is up to date.

TL;DR

• Accountability
  
  • Lead by example - and be seen doing it.
    
  • Empower Battleteam Leaders.
    
  • Crap should always rolls uphill.
    
• Command Structure
  
  • Utilize Battleteam Sergeants as intended: for training.
    
  • Promote cross-unit training and acclimation.
    
  • Establish a Qel-Droman Project Manager.
    
  • Clear and coordinated roles and responsibilities are key to success.
    
• Building Relationships
  
  • Encourage interpersonal rapport.
    
  • Shepherd inactive members.
    
  • Foster inter-unit cooperation.
    
• Retention & Recruitment
  
  • Ensure a robust and consistent fictional narrative
    
  • Guarantee the fair and deserved promotions and awards of members.
    
  • Provide a centralized portal through which members can access necessary tools and information.
    
  • Aim for opening a second Battleteam in October and a third in Spring.
    

Closing Words

And so ends another report. Thankfully, this one lacks all of my rambling commentary. I maintain my open-door policy and welcome anyone to speak to Terran and I should you have any questions. Comments go below this report thing. Seriously, it is our pleasure to make sure you are having an enjoyable time within Qel-Droma and our extended Arconan family in Galeres. Competition ideas: let us know. Need to rant? That works too.

Stay tuned for more entertainment, coming your way next month.

Happy Father’s Day! This goes to you, whether your child is human or a pet (it’s still Father’s Day in America).

OP Celevon Edraven
Quaestor, House Qel-Droma

SBL Terran Koul
Puppetmas— Aedile, House Qel-Droma