Scion Tarentae slouched forward at his desk, resting his tired head in his left hand as he sifted through reports on his screen. It was something like 0330 hours but it seemed like the paperwork was endless lately. Something ominous was nagging at the edges of his mind, keeping him from sleep. A premonition, he supposed. Sometimes he wished the Force would just spit it out and tell him rather than its usual slow drip of mysterious hints and vague feelings.

A new message appeared in his inbox. The sender was unfamiliar to him; it was not anyone from Clan Tarentum. He opened it. It contained only a video.

The next few minutes were etched into Scion's mind, and he would remember them to his last day.

He put in a call to Castle Tarentum's hangar bay.

"Flight Officer. Get a TIE Defender ready for me to depart immediately. I'm on my way down there. File a flight plan to the Sword's Sheath. It's an emergency. Things are about to get busy."

The old man pulled a key from his pocket and opened his liquor cabinet. Inside was a generous selection of scotches, most of which he pushed aside. In the back were a couple bottles of the really good stuff that he saved for special occasions. He took two dusty old bottles out and placed them in a satchel. Then he took two more bottles before locking the cabinet back up, and taking a long swig of his flask. There isn't enough alcohol in this entire frakking system for what's about to happen.

Wheels were suddenly in motion that he had feared for his entire career in Tarentum. The Estle-Eden Axis was a crucial element of Tarentum's strategy: in times of war the Shadow Clan could be relied upon to lend its considerable aid to their cause. This betrayal could not be allowed to stand, but the cost would be astronomical. Outright war with Arcona would be suicide. The only survivable option would be to find the Shadow Clan's weakest point and strike a crippling blow, then disappear into the stars before they could retaliate.

Inevitably, he thought, this would bring the end of Tarentum's reign in Yridia.

For the moment, though, he needed to comfort his friend Hades and rally the allies he could. The Inquisitorious were everywhere, and they had succeeded in making nearly everything dangerous. He had been offered a high ranking position within the organization and turned it down, citing any bantha fodder excuses he could come up with to get them off his back. It was only a matter of time before they started to suspect him. They probably already did.

The Story So Far

DB Chapter 2 - Treason

Grand Master Pravus has released a whopper of a Dark Brotherhood fiction update! Be sure to read it, there's some important stuff in there!

You can find Chapter 1 in this Google Drive folder.

0.0.7 - Nanite Plague

A plague of nanites has infested Eden City. Solas Night-Thorn's winning entry reveals that it was the Nekros Syndicate itself that unleashed the plague through their shell company, Omega Industrial. You can read Solas' full story here.

I'm sure we'll be hearing more about Omega Industrial and Eden City in the near future, when the next set of competitions start!

0.0.6 - Seeking the Light

Kadne Jax, one of Tarentum's many "independent contractors", was sent to Eden City to investigate a new religious organization that has sprung up there, and whose origin is unknown. In the course of her investigation she was captured! Read the full story here.

0.0.5 - Eradicate the Settlement

Corvus Tanian's mercenary forces have vacated their settlement, just in time to escape destruction by House Mortis. We do not yet know where they fled to, or what their plan is. Read the full story here.

Earlier Fiction

As always, all of House Mortis' fiction updates are available in our Google Drive for your reading enjoyment. Updates are also posted to this thread in Discourse if you prefer to read them there.

Aedile Applications Open

Zekk has decided that it's time to step down due to pressure from real life. I'd like to thank him for the work he has done as Aedile. He's been with me since I started and although he might tell you otherwise he has been a valuable member of my team as we make Mortis work day to day. Thanks again for everything Zekk!

With the vacancy in the House I would like to formally open a request for applications. All the usual rules apply, but I have some particular things I'm looking for this time:

• A gamer to balance out my fiction. I don't know what games are popular with the kids these days, so I want an Aedile who can focus on running gaming competitions for the House, who is familiar with the FIST's policies and can organize unique and interesting gaming events.
• Someone who is outgoing and will be able to keep communication going with all the members of the House. I try to do this but it's not one of my strengths, so I need someone who can help me out there.
• At least a passing interest in fiction and is excited to help out with the crazy new scheme I'm trying out with our ongoing story. You don't have to run it, but if you're my Aedile I will ask you for opinions and expect you to help out from time to time.
• Less than 48 hour turnaround time on email and Telegram.

I don't have any particular rank requirements in mind, but I'm leaning toward hiring a younger member who wants to learn the ropes. Experience as a BTL is a plus, as is a solid record of activity. I'm starting out by opening applications within Tarentum. If I can't find the right person, I'll open it to the Brotherhood as a whole.

Applications should include:

• Name and PIN, of course
• A brief summary of your experience
• Qualities that you think qualify you for the job
• Two lists
  • Things that are going well in Mortis
  • Things that need improvement
• A paragraph or two about what you would change to improve the issues in your "needs improvement" list

Please email your application to the Clan Summit, Zekk and me by September 25th.

Quaestor's Corner

Big report tonight! There's a lot of stuff going on around the Brotherhood, and here in Mortis. I don't have much for my op-ed column tonight, just that I'm happy with the level of activity on the gaming side and the number of promotions is great. Congratulations especially to our new Knights Tahiri, Alexander, our new Professional Tebbo, and to Solas joining the ranks of the Equites. You guys are the backbone of the House and of the Clan. Keep up the great work!

I'm looking for feedback on the fiction side. Participation has been very low on those competitions, and I'd like to pin down what the problems are so I can improve them. I have a few ideas about what might be stopping people from taking part, but it would be great to confirm my theories and get any feedback you guys may have. These competitions and this story is for you to have a part in and enjoy. If you have an opinion, please shoot me an email or a message on Telegram to let me know.

Competitions

No competitions for House Mortis right at this moment, but more are on the way this week! Stay tuned on the mailing list!

The List of Everything

Promotions

These are the promotions since my last report.

Sep 1, 2016 Solas Night-Thorn was promoted from Knight to Warrior
Aug 27, 2016 Tebbo Jensen was promoted from Yeoman to Professional
Aug 25, 2016 Balinéadut was promoted from Neophyte to Acolyte
Aug 22, 2016 Lunamilevolk was promoted from Neophyte to Acolyte
Aug 16, 2016 Tahiri Drakon Night-Thorn was promoted from Hunter to Knight
Aug 5, 2016 Alexander Drago was promoted from Hunter to Knight
Aug 3, 2016 Zanai Atzeer was promoted from Recruit to Trainee
Aug 3, 2016 Zanai Atzeer was promoted from Apprentice to Recruit
Aug 3, 2016 Zanai Atzeer was promoted from Initiate to Apprentice
Aug 2, 2016 Lunamilevolk was promoted from Proselyte to Neophyte

Awards

These are the awards since my last report.

Sep 4, 2016 Lunamilevolk was awarded 1 Crescent with Emerald Star
Sep 4, 2016 Solas Night-Thorn was awarded 2 Clusters of Ice
Sep 4, 2016 Khaldrago Quincy was awarded 1 Anteian Cross
Sep 4, 2016 Samael Ozriel was awarded 1 Steel Cross
Sep 4, 2016 Solas Night-Thorn was awarded 1 Crescent with Sapphire Star
Sep 3, 2016 Samael Ozriel was awarded 2 Clusters of Ice
Sep 3, 2016 Saitou Tarentae was awarded 4 Clusters of Fire
Sep 2, 2016 Samael Ozriel was awarded 1 Crescent with Amethyst Star
Sep 2, 2016 Alexander Drago was awarded 1 Dark Cross
Sep 2, 2016 Alexander Drago was awarded 1 Crescent with Amethyst Star

Transfers

These are the transfers since my last report.

Aug 1, 2016 Balinéadut transferred from Tarentum to Mortis