Crossing from Knighthood into the Equites is a major milestone in a member’s career. Rrogan Skar has already crossed that threshold in all but formal elevation. Equite promotions are evaluated on activity, intangibles and leadership. Skar has proven more than worthy in all three areas. First, his activity credentials are self-evident. Since his last promotion Skar has garnered a Steel Cross for activity, an Anteian Cross for assisting the summit, a Topaz Crescent, 350 Clusters of Fire and six Clusters of Ice. He has participated in 36 competitions during that same period including going 10/11 in the GJW. He is nearly omnipresent on IRC and in the larger Brotherhood gaming community.

Skar has the intangibles and the work ethic to be Shadow Lord one day, I firmly believe that. This is why I chose him to be the Battleteam Leader for a reborn Shadow Gate. I can teach someone to write a report, create competition or draft awards, but I can’t teach heart. I can’t instill drive and love for the unit and one’s fellow members. As others will elaborate on further, Skar has that in spades.

The risk I took in Skar has already started to pay off. He and his Battleteam Sergeant Revs have already hit the ground running, putting out a timely report, rallying the troops for the war and bombarding me with ideas for competitions and fictional development for their Battleteam. I feel like I’m trying to hold back two Great Danes chasing a rabbit. Even with me pulling back on his leash at times Skar led Shadow Gate to become the most active subunit in Arcona and easily one of the most active units in the Brotherhood during the Great Jedi War with an average 7 out of the available 11 event participations per member. That is no small feat, especially for a young leader and make no mistake Skar played a vital role in Shadow Gate’s success. He was on IRC, Whatsapp, Google Plus Hangouts and email every single day of the war pumping his team, and offering to pitch in where he was needed for the war effort.

Hold your head high Skar, you’ve earned this! Welcome to the Equites my little brother. You have the heart of a champion and serve as an inspiration to all of us.

As the accolades are handed out and the heroes proclaimed from the Great Jedi War I want you to remember one thing: To paraphrase one of my favorites scenes from the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, ”My friend, you bow to no one.”

• Quaestor, House Qel-Droma, Clan Arcona

Champion Rajhin Cindertail, 2015-02-20 20:50:44 UTC

Today is a great day for Clan Arcona. Today we get to promote one of our highly active, highly motivated and overall fantastic members into the Equites. Rrogon Skar, ever since being promoted to Dark Jedi Knight, has been a driving member of the entire Clan, showing new and veteran members alike that there is always something you can do to contribute. He isn’t one to complain when a hard task is given to him and always delivers with quality and quantity that is suitable for the job at hand. His awards, as detailed in the primary recommendation, are phenomenal. Two of which to highlight again are his Steel Cross and Anteian Cross. Skar worked and worked to get his recognition through the actions of combing through massive word counts to accurately summarize Run-ons and participating in numerous events in multiple Clan Operations.

During his stint in Nighthawk, Skar has contributed to the wiki rework by summarizing all of the ‘combat action’ the fictional ship has taken part of so that we may incorporate it into the new wiki pages once completed. This took creativity and ingenuity to come up with a fictional reason and detail the how and why a ship would be in the areas described. I praise Skar for his efforts into ensuring we have a good backstory to use in the future. All in all, Skar is a model member, one that the juniors can strive to be like.

Rrogon Skar, I am proud to welcome you openly into the Equites and I only see you rising fast from here.

Congratulations.

Arcia Cortel, Captain of the Nighthawk

Arcia Cortel, 2015-02-20 20:48:12 UTC

I could sit here and talk about Skar’s gaming activity and accomplishments in the Brotherhood, but I will leave that to others. Instead, I would prefer to talk about the man himself who is known throughout the Brotherhood.

Prior to transferring over to Qel-Droma, I may have spoken to Rrogon once or twice. However, when I took over Battleteam Shadow Phyle, I began speaking to the lad more consistently. When that happened, I was surprised by the gem that was revealed to me. This is a kid who is more than willing to help however he can, even if he’s never done something of the type before. He has proved this in spades by taking up the role of Battleteam Leader of Shadow Gate, being a driving force in getting people to participate in the Great Jedi War before getting his own entries finished. And, more to the fact, he will argue with you when you talk about awarding him from his efforts.

“I don’t want to be rewarded for my actions; I do it because I like it and I want to help.”

Despite numerous arguments over the matter, where I’ve explained that the above quote is exactly why he should be awarded, Skar still refuses to budge on the matter. He has been an exemplar, selfless member throughout his days as a Journeyman and in his stint as Dark Jedi Knight. Between taking on a leadership role and his dedication to Clan Arcona during the Eleventh Great Jedi War, I firmly believe Rrogon Skar has more than earned the right to join the Equite ranks. I wish we had more members of his calibre and bearing the strength of character.

Welcome to the Equites, Skar. You’ve earned it!

• Aedile, House Qel-Droma, Clan Arcona

Adept Celevon Werd'a, 2015-02-20 20:48:49 UTC

Skar is my favorite member of Clan Arcona. Saying so will probably ruffle some feathers, but there is nobody quite like Skar in our unit. I have never come across another member with quite the same joy, the same simple love of the game. Skar could not care less about this promotion -- he'll appreciate it, and he'll be grateful, and he deserves it, but the Brotherhood isn't about awards and promotions for Skar. He just comes to hang out on IRC, play some games, RP a little bit, and spend time in a supportive, friendly community.

There's something pure and beautiful about that. Skar continues to rack up Clusters of Fire, pass dozens of Shadow Academy courses, volunteer for every single Arcona project that comes up, compete in every competition he can, and give a friendly hello to every new member on IRC. Skar is the guy I point to when I'm looking for success stories, new members who didn't necessarily have the quickest, easiest path to DJK, but who didn't make it to DJK and then just fade away. Skar's an integral part of Arcona, and more than deserving of this promotion.

Thanks for all that you do for us, Skar, and congrats!

Proconsul of Clan Arcona

Legorii Arconae, 2015-02-20 20:49:48 UTC

Young Skar has become, somehow, our spiritual mascot. He’s like the scrappy little brother that follows you everywhere you go, and sometimes makes you grumble and wish you didn’t have him with you. Except you don’t with Skar, because he’s just fun to have around. As a member, he’s passionate, active, and shows up everyday with a smile. He has never taken the straightest of paths, but he always somehow ends up at his destination.

Knowing all of this, I was pleased to see him selected as Battleteam Leader of Shadow Gate prior to the Great Jedi War. There were a few question marks about letting someone without much leadership experience taking on the role, but Skar put his heart into his application and swore to me in a personal message on the side that he wouldn’t let me down if chosen.

Skar has a lot of the elements I like to see in young leaders. He is passionate, will fight for what he believes in, cares about his fellow members, and ultimately puts them before himself. I’ve overheard him more than once saying things like, “Don’t worry about me, let’s get Member X taken care of first.” It seems small, but these are the traits that cannot be taught with any amount of training. They come from having a good heart and a willingness to help others. And that’s exactly what Skar has, and exactly how he has stepped up to lead since taking his position. He lead by example in the war, was on G-Hangouts, IRC, communicating and motivating and bashing his way to 10/11 events in GJWXI.

Keep up the good work, Skar. I have high hopes for you as a leader and member in this club. Keep your head up, and never let anyone or anything keep you down.

Consul of Clan Arcona

Exarch Marick Tyris Arconae, 2015-02-20 20:50:20 UTC