KSD Transcendent

Consul’s Office

Teylas Ramar di Plagia leaned back in his chair and surveyed the four men standing before him. Flanking the Dread Lord stood the Proconsul, Selika Roh di Plagia, and the Clan Overseer, Dracaryis Sunstrider. For what seemed like an eternity, the Dread Lord shifted his view from man to man, giving each the impression that they were in the direct path of a scanning beam. Finally, the Dread Lord spoke:

“Kul’tak Drol and Abadeer Taasii, step forward.”

The two young men moved to a position directly in front of the leader of Clan Plagueis.

“Kneel.”

Abadeer and Kul’tak kneeled, and as Selika took position next to them, Dracaryis began to speak.

“Abadeer Tasii, for your service to Clan Plagueis in our recent battles against the forces of Clan Odan-Urr, the Dread Lord has seen fit to promote you to the rank of Hunter In fitting with your new rank, you will assume the duty of Battle Team Leader for the Apostles of Syn. Report to Taranae immediately to recieve instructions on your new assignment. Kul'tak Drol, you also distinguished yourself during the war. Report to Kalon immediately to assume duties as Battle Team Leader for the Disciples of Dreypa.”

“Rise,” Teylas said, “you are dismissed.”

Abadeer bowed his head and immediately swept from the room.

Turning his gaze to Doku Rivendare, Dracaryis spoke again:

“Doku Rivendare, step forward.” The Knight moved to occupy the position Abadeer and Kul’tak had just vacated, and kneeled.

“Doku Rivendare, for your long and faithful service to Clan Plagueis, the Dread Lord has seen fit to promote you into the Equite ranks. You are now a fully-fledged Sith Warrior. Report to the armory to select your new lightsaber, and then you will begin your training to learn the deeper mysteries of the Force.”

Again, Teylas Ramar di Plagia bid the kneeling man to rise, and dismissed him from the room.

Only Ra’gnar remained. The Dread Lord stood, and strode over to the man, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Ra’gnar. You have served Clan Plagueis faithfully for years. Your actions during the war with the Jedi scum of Odan-Urr have shown me that you are ready to take the next step in your training. Kneel.”

Ra’gnar kneeled. Teylas ignited his lightsaber and held the blade out, less than a millimeter from Ra’gnar’s right shoulder.

Dracaryis cleared his throat and spoke:

“Ra’gnar,” he began, “will you continue to serve Clan Plagueis as a loyal and faithful servant?”

“I will.”

“Will you actively seek out, and destroy the enemies of the Clan and the Grand Master of the Brotherhood?”

“I will.”

“Will you, at risk of your own life, defend the Dread Lord of Plagueis with all the power you posess?”

“I will.”

Silence filled the room. For what seemed like an eternity, Teylas held his lightsaber inches from Ra’gnar’s throat. Then, with a click, he deactivated his saber.

“Stand, Battlemaster.”

Ra’gnar stood, and stared at his Lord. “Battlemaster?”

“Yes. Congratulations. I expect great things from you. Do not disappoint me.”

Ra’gnar nodded, and turned to leave.

“Oh, Ra’gnar,” Selika spoke, “ Make sure you construct a lightsaber befitting your new rank.”

Ra’gnar nodded, and left the room, a sinister smile forming on the harsh lines of his face.

Message from the Overseer

It’s May! The Feud is over, and we’re already looking to the future!

I can’t tell you how proud the Clan Summit is of how well you all did during the feud. Your efforts ensured our victory, and I hope you all are enjoying the cool new dossier bling as a result. There were twenty awards and promotions that came as a result of the feud, which is almost unheard of. So congratulations to everyone, and thanks for playing!

As you are all aware, the next event is already in the works. The Clan Plagueis Pro-Bowl is already established. As I said in my initial news post, this is a three week event that will pit teams selected by Teylas and Selika against each other in some “friendly” competition. We’ve got something for everyone. There’s gaming events, fiction, puzzles...you name it, we’ve got it. Each week there will be 10 events for you to sink your teeth into. 3rd and 4th level crescents are up for grabs, and don’t forget: the more people who participate, the better chance for a crescent upgrade! So sign up, do all the things, and make me proud!

We’ve got a lot to go over in this report, and of course, I’ll put some of the info for the Pro-Bowl in (shameless plug).

Let’s get to it!

Welcome to Plagueis!

As always, I want to take this time to welcome some of our new members to the Clan. One of the best parts about being Rollmaster is I’m one of the first people to welcome our new members, but it’s imperative that you all do your part in bringing them into the fold.

New Members:

Rao’rorik - Assigned to the Disciples of Dreypa, House Ajunta Pall

Leben Kampf - Assigned to the Apostles of Syn, House Karness Muur

Arsolimese - Assigned to the Apostles of Syn, House Karness Muur

From The BTL Desks

With Malice moving on to become Aedile of House Ajunta Pall and Ra’gnar stepping down as BTL for the Apostles of Syn, I had to determine who would lead our intrepid battle teams as we move forward from the feud and on to the upcoming Pro-Bowl. As always, I wanted people who showed potential to serve as a leader not only at the battle team level, but at positions of greater responsibility sometime down the road. After a short application period, I selected Kul’tak Drol and Abadeer Taasii to assume the mantles of Battle team leaders for The Disciples of Dreypa and the Apostles of Syn, respectively. Both have hit the ground running, and I’m excited to see what they will do as they guide our JM3 and below along the path to JM4. Congratulations to both of you!

So, without further droning on from me, I’ll turn it over to our two BTLs for their reports:

Apostles of Syn

Hello Plagueis! Thanks for the chance at taking on the BTL position for the Apostles of Syn. I’ve had an exciting couple months now of getting to know the Club in general, and I’m excited to be able to give back now it what ways I can.

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Abadeer, I’m married to the newly promoted Aedile, Malice. We’ve got some really exciting competitions and events coming up, and I encourage everyone to participate! Check out Teylas’ latest bit of fiction for the Probowl, it’s really good. Send me an email if you want to get a hold of me for whatever reason. Need some help, or just someone to talk to I’m always available there or in Telegram.

Disciples of Dreypa

Greetings Plagueis! From the deep, dark hall of Ajunta Pall. First off, I want to once again thank the Summit for this opportunity to give back to Plagueis. I will do my best to lead the Disciples to further glory, and pass on the trust and determination to my team. All so that one day they may pass it on to their compatriots and keep the river that is production flowing. For the betterment of the Clan, for the betterment of the Club.

Now, Plagueis has had its rest after putting a whooping on Odan-Urr. It’s time to get riled up again for some good quality interclan mayhem! The Pro-Bowl! We have some strong contenders here in the Disciples, and I know every one of them that participates will make me proud, so go out there and get some shinies, folks! Always remember: virtus tentamine gaudet! Strength rejoices in the challenge!

Recent Promotions and Accolades

Equites

Tra'an Reith di Plagia - Awarded Grand Cross

Kalon Tsucyra Entar - Awarded Grand Cross

Eiko - Awarded Steel Cross

Ra’gnar - Promoted to Equite 2, Awarded Dark Cross

Doku Rivendare - Promoted to Warrior (EQ1), Awarded Anteian Cross

Va'nia Drellik - Anteian Cross

Brimstone - Awarded Steel Cross

Misium - Awarded Anteian Cross

Silent - Awarded Steel Cross

Taranae Rhode - Awarded Grand Cross

Kelly Mendes - Awarded Anteian Cross

Knights, Professionals, Captains

Alishu - Promoted to Knight, Brozne Nova, Anteian Cross

Kryy Vitaan - Awarded Anteian Cross

Laren Uscot - Promoted to Professional

Malice - Promoted to Knight

Kul'tak Drol - Awarded Anteian Cross

Journeymen and Novitiates

Leben Kampf - Promted to Apprentice

Syrak - Promoted to Novice

Abadeer Taasii - Promoted to Hunter, Awarded Dark Cross

Vanessa Rhode - Awarded the Anteian Cross

Novice Rao’rorik - Promoted to Promoted to Novice

Arsolimese - Promoted to Proselyte

Uncle Drac’s Promotion Tips

Journeymen: Run Some Competitions

You’ve all seen the competitions page, and so you know there are lots of activities out there for you to take part in. But did you know that you too can run competitions as well? For all of you JM3 and below folks, try your hand at running a competition for your battle team. Just contact your Battle Team leader with your idea and get it into the system. Organizing and Co-Organizing competitions counts towards promotion credit. Take a look at the current and past competitions to get ideas. You can find the competitions page here.

At the end of the day, the more you do, the faster you clear out those promotion requirements!

Equites: What It Takes

Each report, I’ve told you JM4 and Equite-level types what you need to do in order to get promoted. Normally, I’d throw out one or two tips on what you need to do, but this time, I want to share a promotion write-up that shows exactly what it takes to get promoted.

JM4 folks, take a look at Doku Rivendare’s promotion recommendation. This is the kind of activity we are looking for. Obviously, I would hope the timeline is much shorter than 11 years, but this is the kind of activity we are looking for in a promotion write-up.

Equite 1 folks: Look no farther than Ra’gnar’s recommendation if you want to know what you need to do. Ra’gnar is one of Clan Plagueis’ absolute best, and this write up shows exactly what you all need to do in order to take the next step along the Equite path.

As always, you are expected to produce as much if not more than you consume. Earning crescents and medals and clusters is great: but as an Equite you are expected to give a little bit back to the club we all hold so dear.

The Pro-Bowl!!!

That’s right, Ladies and Gentlemen! It’s time for the Inaugural Clan Plagueis Pro-Bowl!

This event will pit Consul against Proconsul: Teylas and Slags will pick their teams in a sort of draft.

The Pro-Bowl is a three-week, multi-event competition designed to test each and every member of the Clan. An opening event will determine which of our two leaders will have the first pick in a Draft-style event led by the Rollmaster. The Consul and Proconsul will alternate their selections until the entire roster is split between the two of them.

Once the roster is set, the two teams will battle it out in a series of thirty events spread over the course of three weeks. Events will include the standard fare of Fiction, Graphics, Gaming, and Trivia, along with some less common events designed to help test each member of the Clan.

Upon completion of the final scoring, the team with the highest cumulative score will be declared the winner!

Whose team will be victorious? Will the Dread Lord continue his domination over the forces of Clan Plagueis, or will Selika seize the opportunity to strike in her never-ending quest for power?

Read all the Pro-Bowl fiction updates on the forums.

Prologue and Week 1 Events

All of the competitions can be found here.

The Prologue Event is open to everyone, and will also pit Teylas against Selika to determine the order of picks for the Draft. The entire roster will be drafted from, no member left undrafted! Teams will span house lines, with members of HAP and HKM playing on the same team.

Each week will have ten separate events. The Quaestors and I have put a lot of time and energy into bringing you some of the standard fare, along with some newer events to help keep things fresh. Here is the full list of Week 1 Events:

Gaming Events

Week 1: Flash Gaming

Week 1: Gaming

Week 1: Racing

Fiction Events

Week 1: Fiction

Week 1: Poetry (Limerick)

Other Events

Week 1: Word Search

Week 1: Cryptogram

Week 1: Graphics

Week 1: Trivia

Week 1: Propaganda

Scoring:

Each individual will earn five points per event they participate in. Participation is defined a valid submission for an event. Simply signing up for an event or uploading an unqualified submission will not count. You have to put in the effort in order to receive the reward.

Additionally, the top three individuals in each event will earn placement points.

• 1st place finishes are worth three points
• 2nd place finishes are worth earn two points
• 3rd place finishes are worth earn one point

Events will have modifiers based off their perceived difficulty/level of effort required:

• Fiction Modifier: 3
• Gaming Modifier: 2
• Trivia and Puzzle: None

The scoring formula looks like this:

(Placement Score + Event Modifier) + Participation = Event Score

At the end of the competition, the individual scores for all three weeks will be added up, and the top three individuals will earn crescents.

Ask The Overseer

I asked, and you guys responded. Once again, it’s “Ask the Overseer time!

Eiko Asks:

Q: What is the Pro-Bowl competition you’re most excited to oversee?

A: Honestly, I’m looking forward to the actual draft. Seeing who winds up on what team will make for an extremely interesting event!

Alishu Asks:

Q: Are there any policies for using Plaguis NPCs? Let’s say I make a series of comps that revolve around Admiral Ranin, including bits of story/fiction. Should I be asking permission from the Summit first?

A: When in doubt, always ask for permission first. Generally speaking, the Clan NPCs are controlled by the Summit (for fictional continuity purposes). When writing your own personal stories, the sky is the limit. You can’t kill off our NPCs, that’s always out of the question. As for competitions, the Summit will have to approve anything that is open to the entire clan before it goes to the MAA, Voice, or FIST for approval.

Tra’an Reith di Plagia asks:

Q: What made you most successful as a leader? What can others do to imitate it?

A: Hah! You’re operating off the assumption that I’m a successful leader. In all seriousness, here is my take on leading: surround yourself with people who know more than you do. Actively learn from them. Make changes where they need to be made, don’t change something if it works. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, that’s one of the best ways to learn. Give your absolute best to those whom you are leading, every single day. Whether it’s in my day job or in the DB, I always ask myself the same questions: “Did I make a postitive impact today? What did I do well? What do I need to improve on? What do I need to do tomorrow?

And of course, don’t be a jerk. Nobody wants to deal with you if you are an ass-hat.

Abadeer Asks:

Q: Do you have any secret plans to use the chaos of the Pro Bowl to take over Plagueis while Teylas and Slagar duke it out?

A: The PCON does have a REALLY nice office....

Conclusion

Real world stuff is going to have me occupied during the latter portion of the month. I’m in the middle of changing jobs, and I promised She-Drac that I’d take her on a vacation before Uncle Sugar starts sucking my soul out again. So, I will be 100% off the grid from the 19th to the 31st of the month. No phone, no internet, just a big-ass mountain (Denali), a cruise along the glaciers, and some salty sea air. The Quaestors will keep the Pro-Bowl running while I’m out. The BTLs will send welcome emails out to any new arrivals, should we get any. Teylas and Slags will probably saran-wrap all of my office furniture.

As always, you all remind me each and every day how fortunate I am to be a part of Clan Plagueis. Thank you for all that you do to make this the best damn clan in the DB!

TL;DR

1) I wrote a crappy fiction. And Pro-Bowl!

2) New Leaders and People!

3) I gave the BTLs the mic for a minute, then immediately took it away.

4) Mo’ Promotion Tips!

5) More questions from you, more crappy answers from me.

Until next time!

Uncle Drac