The Brotherhood without Dash is inconceivable. They are inseparable. They are one.
Teroch, Sashar, Dash, Rufio, whatever you want to call this man, he has remained a stalwart member of this club for longer than I care to imagine. A bastion of activity and dedication, Dash has served to train up some of the best members in the Brotherhood. He has guided, he has nurtured, he has fathered. I think that is the best way to describe him: a father. A shining light in the darkness. Someone to whom one can always turn. Someone who will always offer advice and friendship in times of need. Someone who will demonstrate unfaltering loyalty to his cause, and drive every ounce of his ability into seeing it through to its end. I turn to him for counsel; I know many of my summit do also. And he has gone overlooked for as long as I care to remember. This upsets me.
As a member of Arcona, Dash showed himself to be a part of the Clan's very foundation. He proved his worth time and time again. Whether it was helping the newer members find their feet, or whether it was helping me find mine upon my ascension to Consulship, he treated everyone the same, and he gave everyone the time they deserved. I think this is demonstrable in his extremely impressive student list, which boasts two Obelisk Templars, two Obelisk Prelates, one Sith Warlord, and one Dark Jedi Knight. To see one student through to DJK is seen as an achievement in the Brotherhood. To see one student through to the Equites is commendable. To see five students into such a bracket is nothing short of astounding. And, in absolute honesty, I see his success in his role as a mentor resulting from the time he gives each of his members, and the dedication he himself puts in to understanding, learning about, and fundamentally knowing his students. I am proud to call myself one of his unofficial students. As is Marick. As is Socorra. As is Celahir. The point is, he is extraordinary. Not in one facet of the Brotherhood, as many are, but as a person, as a member, as a mentor, as a guide. Of course, his talents speak for themselves. He is a polymath. But his true, innate skill rests with what I previously called 'fatherhood'.
This skill filtered outside of Arcona, also. Indeed, his position as Combat Master served to reify his position as a mentor. He was the first port of call for all aspiring combatants. He was the figurehead of the Antei Combat Centre, and he was to ensure that all participants were trained and held to the same standard. Whether that was grading the ACC Basics exam, whether that was putting members through qualification (or, in some cases re-qualification), or whether that was giving judges rigorous tests and training exercises in order to prepare them as judges of the Combat Centre, Dash did not fail to deliver. I can testify to many, many hours Dash has spent guiding aspiring judges. Many more have been spent helping aspiring combatants.
It is fair to say that Dash is a pillar of our community. He served Arcona for many, many years. He served Arconans for many, many years. He served the Arconae for many, many years. He served the Brotherhood for many, many years. His thirteen-month tenure as Combat Master was the icing on the cake.
On the Brotherhood Wikipedia, it states that: "To see one possess the Ruby Scepter is to know that this member is one of the great mentors of the Brotherhood. Their work will have touched a wide range of others within the Dark Brotherhood as they will have contributed significantly in the areas of instruction, invention and mentorship." There is no one I can think of whom embodies this more than Dash. His work with the membership has been consistently extraordinary. Leaders, official students, unofficial students, judges, magistrates, combatants. All of these people have been touched by Dash's influence. I dare say that his true legacy extends throughout the Brotherhood, and that there not one unit that has not felt his influence.
The firelight ruby used within the scepter is a jewel of Antei. And I feel that is an appropriate reward for one of the jewels of our Brotherhood.
Well done, Jon. You've more than earned it. ~Wuntila Arconae, Consul of Arcona
A member like Dash is hard to come by and I have certainly never met anyone like him. As a mentor, I owe him almost everything - he was the person who convinced me to give the Brotherhood a shot, the one who helped me create my character (that 3 years later I still love and enjoy writing). He was the one to first pushed me into going for a Battleteam leader roll, and the one who inspired me to hopefully one day reach his level of cunning, creativity, and poise as a leader. I watched him handle situations without blinking - situations I thought would tear the very fibers of Arcona and the Brotherhood apart. He would just stand there, think for a minute and then launch into doing what ever was unnecessary to solve the problem. What he has given for Arcona will never truly be weighed on a scale or accurately represented. If you cut him with a knife, the man bleeds Arcona. He had done a lot of things that have put him at odds with many, many members. In fact there will be plenty of people reading these recommendations with their eyes perpetually rolling. You don't help build a Clan from the bottom of the barrel to to the top without making a few enemies. Polarizing would be the best way to describe it, I suppose. Regardless, It will stand before every single member of the Brotherhood right here and right now and lay down that Dash cares and has given more to the Brotherhood as a whole than a non-DCer has right to. He has served thanklessly as Korras' right hand, all while keeping the ACC running and operating at full capacity for an entire year. Despite being hated by countless members of the club, he has stood tall and worked tirelessly to help the MAA staff process awards and medals in a timely and effective manner. He helped effectively train almost half of the current Arconan Summit, the foundaiton upon which Arcona sits as First Clan of the Brotherhood.
For everything you have done in your long career, the sacrifices you've made, the people you've helped, and the things left done unseen in the background, it gives me no greater honor than to lend my voice to your Ruby Scepter. Thank you for everything, Sarge. -Marick Arconae, Proconsul of Arcona
The men above speak volumes about how Dash has impacted Arcona. There's something to be said there about how his influence has taken Arcona and built it up with his strength, crafting a powerhouse that leads the Brotherhood, not only in Vendetta but also in example. He has, as Marick says 'Bled Arcona'. This could be contrasted against his sudden departure from Combat Master, or his abrupt exodus from his home clan of Arcona. But what happened outside of Arcona is what I am here to talk about. He has served on the Master-at-Arm's staff under Korras, working in one of those jobs that gets very little attention or accolade. His term as Combat Master has seen stability and the work on new character sheets as a small community effort was enjoyable and challenging. A few months back, Dash left his home in Arcona. Some might say that it was to escape politics or to strike a blow against some in the clan in some passive aggressive display. That wasn't it. Dash, having two positions on the Dark Summit, knew that with Arcona triumphant, could start to link the success of the clan with some sort of bias on his part. That his presence would stifle the growth and development of Arconan leaders. He knew when to peel back, to cut the apron strings. That ability to know when to let go is difficult, at best. To still be there for advice, but to let them make their own mistakes. Arcona is more Dash's child than it ever was Mejas's, Nighthawk's or Donitz's. This last year has proven that in my mind. His retirement from COmbat Master has a similar motive. The climate in the ACC is changing, and he knew that with the long sense of tradition he had built, that those needed changes would be stymied by the overarching sense of stability he had toiled to instill. He knew that it was time to step back, but we all know that he'll never be out. He'll continue to offer his help, his advice. A big part of mentorship is knowing when to back away. He has used his influence to try to help new members figure out how and when to promote and award their members. He has worked to try to improve the Combat Centre. He has used his experience to try to improve the Brotherhood in many aspects. An award for his mentorship is more than warranted, even necessary to show that we do appreciate his efforts. Thank you, Dash. ~Muz Ashen, Dark Lord of the Sith.
Lord Muz Ashen Keibatsu, 2013-01-09 13:32:48 UTC