Ood gets things done. As Headmaster, I often find myself pulled in twelve different directions at the same time, and I rely on him to tackle projects that I can’t always devote my full energy to. He is incredibly diligent, reliable, and motivated, which shows in his rapid turnaround: in the span of just a few hours he coded eight new history courses into Markdown, uploaded them to the website, created over eighty new exam questions, and put up with my nitpicking. He also has impressive staying power. As a member of the Shadow Academy staff for a decade, he has graded more than 1,000 exams, written and edited dozens of courses, dealt with the endless personnel management apparatus that is the Shadow Academy, and still goes at it with a zeal that’s truly unrivaled.

To a large extent, Ood is the embodiment of the Shadow Academy’s institutional knowledge. His career has spanned the majority of post-Exodus Headmasters, and he has already served two Headmasters in his fourteen months as Praetor. He has helped set policy, select and shepherd projects, and pushed the staff to keep an unprecedented 24-hour turnaround time on exam grading. I would hard pressed to run this office as efficiently as it currently runs without him at my side.

Ood, you have made an indelible mark on the Shadow Academy. Congratulations!

Lord Dacien Victae, 2014-08-14 17:35:30 UTC

I think I have described Ood as a 'dog with a bone' numerous times now. In fact that is likely the briefing I gave Dacien when he took over as Headmaster. that description reigns true to this day. If you give Ood a task, you can rest assured that he will come through. He won't rest until he, and those he has recruited to help, have delivered the final result.

While I was Headmaster and had to focus on internal reports, and the Dark Crusade, and "the bigger picture," Ood was the person with his feet on the ground, doing the real work and keeping the Shadow Academy on the straight and narrow.

From everything I have seen, and heard from Dacien, Ood has not wavered in his devotion to the brotherhood nor the academy.

Ood is one of the primary reasons our new Journeymen have awesome courses dedicated to helping get them up to speed. Why old courses are being dusted off and refurbished. Why the Shadow Academy continues to thrive.

Augur Windos, 2014-08-14 17:30:58 UTC

Ood is ruthless when it comes to getting things done. He possesses a single-minded, lazer-like focus that few possess and even fewer can actually take advantage of. For Ood, there are no excuses and no walls in achieving his objective. And for the last year and eight months since the last time I wrote something about Ood, his objective has been the Shadow Academy. His passion for it stretches the imagination and becomes contagious to anyone who gets to work in the office with him. Most recently, I had to go through the process of creating my first Shadow Academy Exam. During that time, Ood was helpful and resourceful. As a member of Clan Arcona, he has recently stepped up in helping to mentor one of our newest Battleteam Leaders (Lexiconus) and has been, per usual, talkative on IRC when present.

Congrats Ood, and keep up the good work.

Exarch Marick Tyris Arconae, 2014-08-14 17:31:26 UTC

Ood and I go back a ways to his time as another Eclectic Pedagogue and Professor during my Headmaster days, so when I returned to the Brotherhood to not only find him still around but Praetor to the Headmaster I was impressed and excited. He has done nothing except impress me since. I rejoined the SA staff as a Professor and immediately started working with Ood on ideas to revamp the Department of History. That project has been a long time coming, but once the notes were written Ood was there to mark them up. Once the exams were crafted Ood was there to formalize them and give feedback. He has been an integral step to the revamp process of the History Department, essentially solely responsible for actually putting the courses online, and I’m sure my experience extends to the vast audits Bubba has been conducting. This work alone is reward-worthy, so when I think about how it extends to the entire Shadow Academy...over the past year he has been Praetor, this promotion is easy to fathom. Thank you for being as hard a worker the DJB and SA can ask for, Ood. Congratulations!

Zanet Xox, 2014-08-14 17:31:55 UTC

In my time so far as M:HM, it has been a pleasure to work with and get to know Ood, and I am definitely happy to join with the rest in offering my recommendation for his long-deserved promotion to EQ4. As Praetor, Ood excels in the background minutiae that is so absolutely vital to running the Shadow Academy, from coding to clerical work. It’s mostly unnoticed outside the SA staff - after all, the SA continues chugging along like a finely-oiled machine - but Ood is one of those that keeps it that way, and certainly deserves praise (and this promotion!) for that. Additionally, I doubt there are very many others with the breadth of knowledge regarding the SA that he has, and for that he is a vital resource for junior leaders like me to go to for anything Academy-related. Thank you for everything you’ve done for us and continue to do for us, Ood!

Adept Farrin Xies Tarentae, 2014-08-14 17:32:18 UTC

Ood's final Equite promotion is extremely overdue. He deserves the promotion for his work in the Shadow Academy alone. During the six months that I have worked with him, Ood has been terrific at teaching me everything I need to know about the Academy and I'm sure that many others have shared similar experiences as he has been working for the Academy since 2006 with no break in between. In his long and fine career in the Brotherhood he has served almost every role that one can be appointed in without being seated on the Dark Council itself. He has experiences as a Docent, Professor and Praetor to the Headmaster as well as being a Rollmaster, Aedile, Quaestor and Proconsul of numerous Clans and Houses. Hidden under his countless accolades and numerous shinies lies his brilliant personality and odd humour. Ood is not just someone who you can rely on to get a job done, but also to socialise and talk with. He has definitely served the Brotherhood in its entirety and I'm sure he will continue to contribute for many years to come.

Meleu Karthdo, 2014-08-14 17:32:37 UTC