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January arrives, and a new year is upon us! Let us take a moment to relish in past glories, before venturing forward into a future filled with even greater victories for the First House of the Secret Order!
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Competition Results - Vendetta 2024 Victory
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As previously announced, House Palpatine was successful in winning the Secret Order's first Vendetta! Thanks to everyone who participated and helped us earn the title of First House of the Secret Order! Special shout-outs go to...
- JUG Andrew, who won the Pazaak tournament, placed in many of the other Vendetta competitions, and ultimately tied for first place overall in the Vendetta standings.
- MRD Sam Arsio, our resident puzzle-master, who won the Puzzle competition in decisive fashion
- KNT KEBLAOMEGA, who both won the Cluster race and turned in the highest Flash game score
- NOV OL" Davy Jonez, who placed third and second in the two Arts competitions
- KNT Aardvark, who won the second trivia competition and placed second in the puzzle comp
For our victory, we have received the title of First House of the Secret Order, the A/FRG Scholar of the Storm as our new House ship and base of operations, as well as the following artifacts...
- Eight Sith Talismans
- A Sith Talisman enhances it's wearer's Force attacks. When Jedi first discover Sith Talismans, they find the trinkets can be made to serve the Light without adverse consequences. However, to counteract this exploitation, later Sith purposely infuse Sith Talismans with malignant energy, making them anathema to Jedi. A bitter argument breaks out as Galactic Museum of Coruscant curators fiercely assert the Sith Artifacts, like any historical curios, belong in a museum. Brokering a compromise, the Chancellor's office grants the museum rights to display Sith Artifacts, except for Sith Holocrons, which are surrendered to the Jedi Temple.
- One Cortosis Vambrace
- Originally hand-crafted by the Morgukai warriors, this armour is ideal for engaging in battle with Jedi. It is crafted from the rare ore, Cortosis, which has the unusual ability to repel lightsaber strikes and in some instances, short out the lightsaber's power cell temporarily.
- One Sith Sword
- The Sith Sword is a weapon created during the days of The Sith Empire using arcane alchemical techniques. A Sith Sword is physically identical to most archaic swords, though the alchemical treatment it receives makes it as dangerous as a Lightsaber, just without some of the utility of the latter.
- One Sith Scroll
- Before Holocron technology was developed, and sometimes even after, the Sith recorded much of their dark knowledge in traditional forms. Locked away in the mausoleums dedicated to ancient Sith Lords are thousands of scrolls, tomes, and tablets bearing instructions on how to master a variety of Sith techniques. Like Sith Holocrons, these ancient writings describe the methods of using lost Dark Side Force Powers, the construction of Sith Weapons and Sith Artifacts, information on Sith Alchemy, and treaties on the domination and destruction of others.
- Sith scrolls, tomes, and tablets function in much the same way as a Holocron for the purposes of learning new Force Powers and Force Talents. However, these writings have no Gatekeeper, and as such their knowledge is open to anyone who can master them, given time. Searchers should beware; many Sith writings are imbued with the madness of their creators, and the knowledge they contain has been known to drive the unprepared student to insanity.
Artifacts may be used at the discretion of House Leadership.
Thanks again to all who participated and helped mark this Vendetta as another glorious moment in the history of House Palpatine!
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Competition Announcement - Trials and Tribulations of the Secret Order
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It's that time of the year again, where we have a competition that encourages each member to take the next required step towards Knighthood!
Starting today, all members of the Secret Order are encouraged to take the next step towards their creative work requirement and submit an appropriate creative work as part of a competition!
Fiction is generally the most common creative work, but non-fiction entries (art, music, sculpture, epic poem...) will be accepted. Please reach out if you have any questions about the content of your submission.
If you have yet to achieve the rank of Stalker (and do not have a previously submitted creative work), this should be about finding the parts you need to assemble a lightsaber.
If you have achieved the rank of Stalker (or have already submitted a creative work about finding your lightsaber pieces), this should be about assembling your lightsaber.
For those who already hold the blade – you are welcome to compete as well! For you, I ask that you submit a piece about your efforts to help (or hinder) other members of the Secret Order in their respective quests. The choice is yours!
If you're not sure where you are in your creative work journey, please reach out! I keep track of this information (particularly for House Palpatine members, but can assist with House Valkorion), and can help clarify what your next work would be.
Competition starts today and will run through February 16th, 2025. For more information, please view the competition listing
Last year House Palpatine saw four members rise to the rank of Knight. We've got one so far this year (congrats KNT KEBLAOMEGA!), so we're on our way towards topping last year's number already! So consider this competition a good way to make sure you're ready and in line to take the next step towards that path!
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Competition Reminder - Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes Territory Wars and More
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Friendly reminder that there are regular, ongoing competitions for Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes! A competition is run for every two Territory Wars, with awards going to the members who earned the most banners (based on maximum banners) during the two Territory Wars.
Additionally, a participation competition is run for each marquee event, giving any member who unlocks the new character/ship a chance to earn a Crescent with Quartz Star!
Finally, remember that Clusters of Fire can be earned in Galaxy of Heroes by winning rounds in the Grand Arena!
For more information about these events, keep an eye on the SWGoH Discord channel on the Secret Order Discord server.
For more information about the Territory War competitions, please view the current competition listing. And for more information about submitting Grand Arena wins for CoFs, please review the MAA Manual.
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!
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Guidance and Expectations
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With a regular influx of new arrivals to the Secret Order, I believe there's still value in a monthly drop of current guidelines and expectations for members of the Secret Order. So please find this month's updated section below, with some additions to account for new platforms and guideline clarifications.
EXPECTATIONS
The expectations here are pretty simple: participate with the Secret Order! That sounds obvious, but it's worth stating. Participation comes in many forms, of course - whether it's participating in a Secret Order competition, playing one of our many supported platforms, creating fiction or art, or simply hanging out in the Discord channel, the base expectation is that you're here to engage with the Secret Order. There's a lot of different avenues to participate in, and sometimes that can be overwhelming. But if you're having trouble finding something to do, please reach out to me directly and we'll work something out.
CLUSTER OF FIRE
Clusters of Fire (CoFs), the SO medal for victory in PvP matches, are still submitted via a manual process. You must e-mail the screenshot of your MP winning match to our Master-At-Arms INQ Taurus (themadbull99@gmail.com), his Praetor KNT Legion Ordo (ehlegionx@gmail.com), and to myself, WAR Locke Setzer (locke.f.setzer@gmail.com).
As a quick refresher, for all platforms except Galaxy of Heroes (which just requires winning a round in a Grand Arena Event), CoFs are earned not just by winning a PvP match, but by placing in the top 50% of your winning team.
- In matches with 3 or less players on each team, only the 1st place player (according to score/kills/efficiency) would be eligible.
- In matches with 4-5 players on each team, only the 1st or 2nd place player (according to score/kills/efficiency) would be eligible.
- In matches with 6 players on each team, only the 1st, 2nd or 3rd place player (according to score/kills/efficiency) would be eligible.
And so on. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to myself or INQ Taurus. Approved platforms are listed here.
RANKS
Promotions are granted to individuals who have engaged in Secret Order related activities for the minimum specified time period for their current rank (at least). There are, however, three ranks that require an additional action to achieve.
- Acolyte - In order for a Novice to be promoted to Acolyte, they must complete the DB:CORE exam, located here.
- Stalker - In order for a Juggernaut to be promoted to Stalker, they must complete a creative work demonstrating how their character acquired the parts to make a lightsaber. Fiction is the common route, but there are many other options available. Please consult with the Herald (along with your House Leader) to identify if your desired creative work will be accepted before proceeding.
- Knight - In order for a Stalker to be promoted to Knight (and be granted the ability to wear a lightsaber openly, including on their TIE Corps uniform), they must complete all Shadow Academy courses regarding lightsaber construction, as well as a creative work demonstrating how their character assembled their lightsaber. Fiction is the common route, but there are many other options available. Please consult with the Herald (along with your House Leader) to identify if your desired creative work will be accepted before proceeding.
For more information about ranks of the Secret Order, please review the relevant Dark Side Compendium page on the Emperor's Hammer Wiki. If you're not sure where you are on your creative works journey, please reach out - I am tracking this information for you!
TRACKING ACTIVITY
As your Quaestor, I want to ensure that you are properly rewarded for everything you do. Keep in mind, however, that I can only see the things that appear in the database (SP/MP submissions, IU courses completed, competition awards granted, fiction submissions posted to your account, etc.). I do keep an eye on Discord (especially for things in #artworks-and-writing), but if you participate in a competition, game, or perform any kind of DB approved activity that doesn't include a submission or award through the website, I'll only know about it if you tell me. So please do so!
At the very least, as we come to the end of the month, if there's something you think I should know about that you participated in that I otherwise wouldn't, please drop me an e-mail or message on Discord so that I can include it. I want to make sure you're getting full marks for everything you do here, but I can only account for the things I can see. So please help me to see more, when needed!
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That's it for now! As always, please reach out if you have any questions or concerns. My door is always open!
In Service,
WAR Locke Setzer
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