start of something new / 1/30 meeting + merge announcement

Change was a volatile beast that had plagued most of Clarence's life. He'd often tried to resist it, digging himself into the ground so that he couldn't move. At some point, though, he realized that practice was useless and never quite worked out for him the way he hoped. So here he was. Finally willingly accepting the natural sways of his life. He and Bex had talked the matter over starting quite some time ago, but finally things had come to a head and he felt the only natural course of action was change. So here they were. He'd led his clan to this mountain, an area he'd discovered some time ago while exploring out on his own. It was well fortified and offered shelter from the elements. When they came through the tunnels, he was pleased to see the former Sun Haven members had also arrived. Having already discussed what he and Bex would need to address, he decided it was time to kick things off.

"Members of Sun Haven and Ascendants, please make your way over here. Bex and I have a few things to address before you all settle in," the man called, pausing a moment in order to capture the attention of the group. "After much deliberation and discussion, Bex and I have decided it would be best for Sun Haven and Ascendants to merge into one group, which will now be known as Elysium. Given our common values and member base, we though it would be a natural progression of events." He let these words hang in the air so that everyone could get their bearing before he continued. "Given our new group, we also have a new rank system. We want to emphasize the balance of duty and self-care and so we have decided to split the group between myself and Bex to make sure these needs are met. I will be taking the role of Magna, which is the leader that presides over matters of protection and justice, while Bex will be taking the role of Helion, which is now that leader that presides over community and our merchant system. We hope that having a specific leader for both of these sides will make it a bit simpler to keep track of all we wish to do. We've also added two second in command ranks, Wardens of justice and community respectively, and all other ranks have been removed. If you're interested in learning medicine, there is now a title you may earn for such tasks," he explained.

"Speaking of justice, I'd like to explain my role a little better. We will now be implementing a court system. Rather than passing judgement in battle through death or serious injury, when any of our enemies are brought in, they will be tried through an open jury, over which I, or the current Magna, will preside over as judge. That being said, a new rank we have is that of a prisoner. It is one I hope we never need to use, but it is there should a moment arise in which we do. Along with this new court system is a new concept of inviting new members to join our group. We will no longer auto-accept anyone that arrives at the border, and they must be allowed to remain in Elysium as a newcomer by either myself or Bex. They will be asked to swear their loyalty to Elysium during their first meeting, at which point they will become an official Elysite. All of you are immediately accepted into the Elysite rank due to the fact you've been members of either Sun Haven or Ascendants prior to this merge." Finally, when he reached the end, he took a breath.

"In the merge, we wanted to include aspects of both clans that already currently exist. One part of that is the tradition of pendants. This ties in with all of our titles and I have made sure to bring both beads and necklaces for those of you that do not already have a pendant. Please make sure to grab one before the end of the meeting so we'll be able to keep track of your titles throughout your time here," he stopped once again before turning his attention to Bex, "Thank you all for paying me some attention, but please now direct it to Bex. If you have any questions, please hold them until she concludes the meeting," he finished.

//recap:
- asc and sh are now merging into Elysium
- there are now ranks including helion, magna, wardens of community + justice, elysites, newcomers, and prisoners
- there's now a court system
- we're keeping the pendant and title system that was previously part of asc
- bex will be explaining a few other elements of elysium, as well as making a few other announcements!

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