...I am the infamous...

ODYSSEUS!!

Introduction

Oops, sorry. Forgot to turn my headphones down...what was I doing again? Oh, right.

Hello! I am Wally (@w4lly), and for those that somehow don’t already know me, I’ve been a member of the Brotherhood for about 16 years at this point. You might also know me by other nicknames: Wall-E, Wallace, Walladore, Wallers, Golden Retriever, etc. I currently live in New York City, where I also work in IT, but am likely moving a bit further north as we look to get our first house. Fingers crossed. I share space with my wife, Greer, and our two dogs you’ve probably already gotten tired of me posting about: Auri and Flynn.

Outside of my stint on the DC as Voice, I have spent the rest of my time in the club as a member of Clan Arcona, and proudly wear the title of Arconae. I formerly held multiple summit roles in Arcona, with a long run as Proconsul and Consul. A few years ago, I helped build and expand Voidbreaker Battleteam as well before passing the reins off to the next generation. I also have a lot of institutional knowledge about House Qel-Droma, as I was one of the original authors of Port Ol’val and our efforts to re-establish the house from scratch while honoring our history after we were granted the honor of re-clanning under Grand Master Muz Ashen.

Now, it seems we’ve come full circle. In what I consider to be somewhat poetic sentiment, I was appointed Quaestor of Qel-Droma for the first time on April 11th, 2011, and Zuji let me know I had the gig on April 11th, 2025. So, it is definitely interesting to return to the role that was more or less my first time on the DJBs wider stage and likely launched my entire career here.

Additionally, I am currently serving as Exarch of the Brotherhood (overseeing Rolelplaying Activities and the Envoy Corps), but Bubba has I reminded him he doesn’t actually pay me to be here and I chose to be out of my own masochistic desire agreed to let me aid Clan Arcona by stepping up to fill the vacant Quaestor spot. I believe my experience and track record of leadership will allow me to work in both roles without any issue.

For those that do know me...I’m sorry, but not sorry in advance? I promise I sometimes know what I’m doing.

As for who will be fictionally taking the reins of House Qel-Droma, and assuming the mantle of the elusive Blind Man...

(Feel free to skip the short fiction if you can’t bear to wait for the reveal)

Arcona Citadel Selen, Estle City 43 ABY

Footsteps echoed throughout the throne rooms' harrowed, historic halls as the occupants slowly settled into position. Tall, towering pillars shaped from ancient stone flanked the shallow dias at the center of the room, casting faint shadows that were barely held in the face of the wall of fuschia flames flickering in the background. The Serpentine Throne loomed at the center of it all, an artifact of great power granted to Clan Arcona. It was said to enable the Shadow Lord or Lady the ability to read the emotions and feelings of the denizens of Selen, with some speculating it could even reach Port Ol’val.

Rumors, of course. Just as rumors had been spreading about who the new Questor of House Qel-Droma would be. It had somehow been kept quiet, and was about to be revealed here. Considering the Qel-Droma’s leader's larger role in the operations of Port Ol’val, it was pertinent not to have any information leak prematurely, afterall.

The Summit Guard stood in position at the far ends of the chamber and at the door. Alex Draconis stood with his helmet tucked under one arm at the base of the dias.

Diyrian Grivna, Shadow Lady of Clan Arcona...stood in front of the throne, but very intentionally was not sitting or so much as leaning on it. Other than that, she wore her typical confident air that lacked any outward signs of concern.

“My fellow Summit members and our esteemed Arconae, today we gather to appoint a new leader for House Qel-Droma,” the Shadow Scion explained.

The doors opened, and footfalls filled the silence of the chamber. A hooded figure wearing a long, dramatic robe swirling with arcane patterns of the Shadesworn.

“...couldn’t be Marick, right?” Zig Kaliska leaned over and whispered suddenly into Mune Cinteroph’s pointed ear. The Shistavanen, fully aware that Zig was next to them, but apparently not that close.

“...no, not with his work as Exarch, and besides...” Mune gestured with the motion of their head and the point of their nose towards where Marick Tyris Arconae stood at parade rest with the rest of the Arconae, next to his wife. Who was also grinning from ear to ear as if she had been keeping a secret she could finally share.

Mune did a double take, then tapped Zig’s leg with a claw. “...hey, is he...smiling?”

Zig leaned over Mune, clearly ignoring any sense of personal space concerns. “...kark me, he is,” she said, squinting her eyes. Marick looked as stoic as ever, but it was clear that the corner of his lip was quirked while the rest of his face remained impassive.

“...concern,” Zig and Mune both whispered to each other at the same time.

The figure continued down the aisle until it reached the foot of the dias. The hood remained up.

“...we welcome, Wyndell Tyris,” Alex’s voice carried effortlessly across the chamber, “as the new leader of House Qel-Droma.”

The hood fell back to reveal wavy, inky black hair slicked back and hanging down in a short ponytail over one shoulder. Emerald eyes sparkled as a wide grin greeted all who had gathered. He made a sweeping, dramatic bow to the Proconsul and Arconae, then turned to face the Consul herself.

Diy’s eyes danced with amusement as she unfolded her arms. Wyn grabbed a hold of each side of his oversized robes and dipped into a courtesy towards the Shadow Lady.

“Eager to serve, m’lady. When do we start?”

Mune and Zig shared another glance, as if to say What’s the worst that could happen...?

So, I knew I was going to Wyn the second I considered applying to this role. Marick has had his arc, as far as I’m concerned, leading Arcona. Putting him back into that position does not serve his arc for me, imo, and when he’s no longer Exarch, he’ll probably finally just become a full time dad and clinic/orphanage operator.

Zig really grew into herself as Voidbreaker Battleteam leader. That arc was important for her, but I think she’s really settled as vice-Captain as a constant supporting presence for the Voidbreaker and what it represents. While it would be amusing to see her step up to a larger stage, I don’t think it’s the right fit for her fictionally.

Wyn, on the other hand, has always been (by his own admission) a support character. But I’ve had him for a very long time, as he was an NPC before the NPC system even existed as it does now. And I think that his skillset, personality, and overall vibe just fits better with Port Ol’val and the themes that House Qel-Droma embodies.

So, what’s the worst that could happen?

The Plan

With that out of the way, I’ll shift back to the out-of-character logistics of the role and my ideas for the House.

Aedile

I will be transparent and honest here. We did not get any additional applications for this role. Now, I know there’s a difference between interest and actually applying. Some of that could be just not...knowing how, being intimidated with the process, etc.

What I can say to all of you, even those not in House Qel-Droma that happen to read this: if you’re curious or interested in leadership, let us know. Even if you don’t think you’ll get the job, throw in an application. It could just be as simple as an email saying “I’m interested even though I’m new, here are some of my ideas”.

Even if you don’t get the job, you get a.) experience applying and b.) express interest so leadership knows. We are not mind readers, so help us help you. I personally will help you write an application if you need, or give pointers and proofreading.

That said, I will not be opening applications for Aedile at this time. I am confident that Mune and I can handle things together as a team (we’ve worked together very closely for years) and would prefer to see which members step up or make their presence known without having the formal title. In my opinion, the best leaders are either those that don’t want power, but want to help others, as well as the type of people who don’t need a title to do so. While it might seem intimidating, I’ve mentored and guided members that have worked on the DC and as well as many of our past and current Summit members.

If your interest does get sparked by anything we’re doing, please let myself, Mune, Bog, or Zuji know.

So, in the famous words of the sapient world killers from Rick and Morty.

Recognition (Awards, Promotions, Transfers)

I will be taking a bigger focus on this section in my future reports, which we will try to keep to a monthly cadence. This will be a focus on the accomplishments and highlighting the work our members put in, and shine a spotlight on everyone that is doing their part. That covers the first two.

For the third part, I wanted to wish Doon, who has left us for an awesome opportunity as a Battleteam Leader in Clan Odan-Urr, luck in his endeavor. We appreciate everything he did during his time in Arcona and as a leader in HQD. Likewise, we salute Esen and Remy as they join Doon in helping him with his next adventure. We know they’re only a few hop-skips away. My hope is that they will happily remember their time in Arcona and House Qel-Droma, and carry that same energy and excitement with them along their path.

Journey before destination.

With that said, one of my main goals and motivations for stepping back in at the Quaestor level for the summit is to work with each of you, the members, to better tailor House Qel-Droma to what you’re vibing with or want to see. I know our lore can seem intimidating and rooted in a long history, but Port Ol’val, the Voidbreaker, and even our overall presence in Dajorra and on Selen is very flexible. It is our sandbox within the Brotherhood’s larger sandbox, so hopefully we can do a better job of breaking down that barrier for even our newest members who want to contribute their ideas.

You’ll likely see this in the form of some worldbuilding opportunities, competitions, and general conversations on Discord. If you have ideas, concerns, anything, don’t be afraid to reach out to me in DM. My door is always open.

Lastly, I wanted to welcome Nicfer Luthol (Athanor) to House Qel-Droma. While Nicfer is a spicy tamale, Athanor is a good Wizard Doggo, and we’re excited to have him hop over from Galeres!

Ask Wally

I don’t do these very often, as I think they become report-fillers and I try to use my reports for education/awareness/knowledge purposes. However, we can have some fun from time to time.

Bril asks: Do you intend to help create more inter-house storylines in your tenure?

I hope to lend my experience as Voice and dealing with the stress crafting macro level fiction to help empower our micro level storytelling.

Excited to work with Koda and the bosses, but while I always have ideas, I'm more hoping to help erase barriers and help with output.

I'm probably low on the list of the clubs, or Arcona's best writers, but I don't know anyone that can match my output if you need 5 pages written at passable quality in a day or two. That's mostly what I'm good for.

But yeah, I think both houses have unique edges that are important for people never to feel stuck. However, I think with noticing how many people have...chosen to take their studies elsewhere, maybe we need to adapt more to what characters everyone wants to play.

The inter-house and Clan storyline should adapt to that.

Lontra asks: What is your definition of success? How do you plan to include the membership’s definition? How do you plan to help members with their individual career goals?

Success to me looks very different than most people. That’s something I’ve honestly had to come to grips with and work on as I’ve matured as both a leader and a member of this club. Metrics are important. Why? Because numbers are objective markers that can help us make informed decisions about what we do instead of just hoping blindly for things to happen in our favor. I think that being competitive is important, even though I feel that is shifting and shifting more to casual levels than those of old Clan rivalries. It’s probably for the better, but I do genuinely think that challenging ourselves, and challenging each other, makes us all better and can be a lot of fun.

To include members in this success, my goal is to do what I’ve always done: lead by example. Anything I want you guys to do, I will also be doing myself. I want to share my knowledge and experience, not hoard it. I want to create a culture of open collaboration and trust where we can challenge one another and push each other past our limits so we can go beyond.

As for working with individual members on their goals- that’s something that I have always believed in. 1:1 engagement is the core of leadership in this club, and the connections/bonds we form.

Jazzy asks: Your mom's a nice lady. But for real, which character are you planning to act as QUA IC?

Looks like I answered that one organically. Also my mom is very nice, just annoying so I make her go through Greer to talk to me.

Captain’s Corner

Hey. Hai. Hello! For the sake of introductions (being as it was Bograt who introduced me last, I should introduce myself… maybe?) I’m Mune! Your fluffy Shistavanen Captain. It has been some time since I took over as Voidbreaker II Captain, and as some of you have noticed, reports are not my thing. Luckily. I can just piggyback off of Wally’s reports. >.>

I joined the Brotherhood in 2003, but kind of disappeared for a good… six years, from 2010 until my return in 2016. Within a few years, I ended up here, where I’ve had the opportunity to make some pretty awesome friends and engage with some incredibly well-thought-out storylines and a stunningly built system in Dajorra.

On the topic of storylines!

Look forward to a roleplaying session I am currently plotting. Aiming for something a little different but no less interesting.

Also, our Voidbreaker II wiki will be receiving some updates over the next few days. Just some minor adjustments. As always, if you have ideas and thoughts regarding the ship, you are encouraged to speak up and share!

Expect to hear more from me when next our esteemed QUA reports!

In Closing…

The next report will be a more typical format, but since this was a fairly unique time in history, I figured it was worth being a bit funky. I look forward to serving and working with all of you going forward. More will be revealed in due time. Muahaha!

Arcona Invicta,

-W