Adept Xen'Mordin Palpatine has been one of the longest serving Dark Council members and Consuls in the Dark Brotherhood's history. His dedicated efforts provided innumerable contributions to both the Dark Brotherhood and his beloved Clan. I cannot articulate my thanks for his dedication, mentorship, and role as a steward withing CSP over these years. For his service to our club, Mav and I are honored to award Xen the Amethyst Kukri.

GM Pravus/Prophet Mav Cantor

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When Xen hired me just under two years ago, he was taking a gamble on a young and impatient kid who liked to cause a bit of trouble. He was already a popular, intelligent and wise leader, with a newly clanned unit. He needed leaders who could see his vision and help him achieve it, but I wasn’t ready yet. I was too afraid of myself and didn’t have the confidence to take charge in things that matter. But Xen is a patient man, and walked me through what he believed I could turn into.

Whenever I was tackling a problem member or a solution I couldn’t solve, he was there for me to talk me through the problem itself and figure out solutions. As I wrote monthly reports and engaged the members with troubling feedback, he was there for me to help me understand the logic behind it, and give me the best advice for tackling inactivity. We have exchanged late night discussions about a lot of things from Shadow Guard’s identity to the Clan’s logo to the current leaders in House Imperium. In each occasion that I was pressed for answers where none could be found, Xen was a shoulder to lean on and a strong mind to push me through.

In the past eight months or so, he has helped me engage my creative skills to create more competitions, to hire new leaders and train more members, to review the current progression of the House and to help with my own progression. He has always been a kind and gentle person, who has always been available for some one-on-one discussions about how I could improve, as well as the team we are building.

Above most things, member input into the Clan has always been important to Xen. He would rather have a thrilling and fan-made story presented to the Clan, than a summit-heavy plot which didn’t appeal to the members. All through competitions such as Starfall, Midnight and Excursion, Xen retained the idea of starring members from Imperium and Excidium in the camera.

While Xen has always been a kind and goofy leader, he has challenged myself and my Aediles and Battleteam Leaders to push themselves further. With each event or award or promotion we push towards him, he uses his fine-comb to check for errors, for inconsistencies or other tidbits that seem mediocre. He pushes us to go further than we did before, to raise the bar of standards in this Clan and to grow not as successful individuals, but as a powerful team.

In short, Xen’Mordin has been my father figure for two years, the journey Imperium has taken under his lead from a simple idea on paper, to a thriving and colourful team is astounding. Thank you, Xen, for everything you have gave to us. Without your help, I would have gave up long ago.

Qor Palpatine

I returned to the Brotherhood in May of 2016, out of curiosity (having been gone since 2008.) I we met with a more welcoming atmosphere than that which I remembered leaving. Xen was in no small part responsible for making my return a welcoming and warm one. He made me feel valuable from the get go, made me feel as if I had come home to something I hadn't even realized I had missed.

Since then, he has encouraged me to take steps in a direction I told myself I would not go in again, that is to say he rekindled a desire to be more involved with the club and so applied to the RM position of CSP. I found in him a strong leader, one that I could learn from, talk to about everything and anything, and truly enjoy working alongside of. I feel that his very passion and fire has kindled the fire within many of us to strive for things we otherwise would not have without his guiding presence. I know that is the effect he has had on me.

I have known many leaders since my original joining in late 2003. I am sure I will know many more as time marches on, but none, I feel, are Xen’Mordin. Xen with a passion and belief in the clan, he is the very heart of CSP. His lessons to us all will be ones that continue to drive us forward for no short time to come.

I truly thank you my friend, Xen.

Mune Cinteroph Rollmaster of Scholae Palatinae

One of the hardest things about being Consul is that you are always somewhat apart from the group. You speed through a day that is outlined by your to-do list; a list that is often things that need to be done opposed to things you would like to do. You are always in motion and you see the day through snapshots - a friend saying hello or wave in greeting that you were too late to see and could not return. And so many times you want to stop and reach out, to connect. But the job does not allow it. Not until it concludes.

Xen served as Consul of Scholae Palatinae. And, as Consul, you are allowed to pick your ‘Tyrant’ name - an old tradition amongst the Consuls - that reflects your most endearing quality (but in a negative, Sith manner). Xen chose the title ‘The Manipulative’ for himself and I think it fits perfectly. It was never the style or the words that he used to make a difference: it was the content. He wasn’t a manipulator, but he communicated great things that became the heart of a great clan - shaping our experience, our wisdom, and our belief in the principles that established this Clan. He helped Scholae Palatinae rediscover its values and common sense.

Common sense told us that our story had grown stale, so Xen forged a new path into a new system to give us life again. Common sense told us that leaders could unlock growth, so he entrusted his Clan to capable hands over six years and prospered for it. Common sense told us it was time to let him rest, so we stand here - united - in our belief that what he did, he did well and made each of us better for it. And let me offer lesson number one about Scholae Palatinae: all great change here begins talking ‘together’. So tomorrow, I hope the talking begins. I hope that our veterans share what it means to be part of this great Clan. And I hope that if they do not, that our youngest members challenge them on it. It would be a very Scholae Palatinae thing to do. A thing Xen has taught us to do over a lifetime of service.

You did it, Xen. You weren’t just counting the days. You made a difference. You made the Clan stronger, the culture freer, and you left it in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. So, as you ride off into the sunset, I say goodbye, bless the Xen-peror, and bless Clan Scholae Palatinae.

Braecen Kaeth
Consul Emeritus

Xen has been a fantastic friend, father figure, and fearless leader for Clan Scholae Palatinae for as long as I can remember. When I came here in January 2016, I knew right away he was the leader I wanted to serve. He was compassionate, ready to answer any questions I had, and willingly gave advice to anyone who offered it. Since I’ve stepped into my own path of leadership, I’ve admired his strength and have always admonished myself to keep things disciplined but always fun for members as he did. He was always ready to accept any amount of feedback or suggestions he received, no matter what it was. He was completely honest, completely transparent, and flexible to-a-reasonable-degree in any decisions he made. As stupid as my reaction was to losing the Sergeant position with Tacitus Athanasius, he took my concerns seriously and talked it all out with me personally: A gift and honor I don’t see even in the workforce when an issue similar to this comes up. His creativity in storylines, his anticipation of including as many members as possible, and his sensitivity to the emotions of everyone, no matter how ‘little’ their concerns seemed to be, are just a few of the things I really look up to Xen for. I have members telling me time and time again that it was Xen and CSP that brought them out of darkness of the dreaded RL. The same goes for me as well. If not for his open arms and open mind I would never be where I am now because of my own darkness that consumed me for quite a time. When I arrived at CSP, I had no friends, my fiance ditched me, my pets were dying left and right. I arrived here with not much hope for myself. Xen constantly encouraged me and helped me see the true value of myself in every award recc, in every promotion paragraph, and even in some of his reports and Telegram messages. That’s one thing about Xen I will never forget: He knows how to make someone who feels worthless feel like they’re on top of the world. Not just for myself, but for many members of CSP. I’m just one of the many people whom he has blessed that happens to be telling their story. I’m so saddened to see Xen go, but I trust his decision and wish all the best for him in his well-deserved retirement. Thank you so much for everything you have done for this clan. You have brought us CSPers to a completely new system in-character, and in-friendship. Rest up, Xen. Don’t forget the impact you have made on hundreds of lives. We will carry on your legacy as you rest knowing you are one of the most important Forefathers of our clan. Thank you for making Scholae Palatinae home for so many of us. Lots of huggles your way.

Alara Deathbane Aedile of Excidium

I first came across Xen in 2006, when I took the role of Quaestor of House Caliburnus, with Xen as my Aedile. During that time Xen was instrumental to all we achieved, establishing the fictional background and lore of the house, and eventually tying with the historically stronger Acclivis Draco in a house feud. A decade later, I serve as Xen’s Proconsul, with Xen having led Clan Scholae Palatinae for 6 years. It was Xen that originally brought me back to activity in the club, asking for my assistance in a GJW competition and subsequently inspiring me to develop my character further and eventually joining the clan summit.

In my time in the club, there has been no individual that has contributed to the clan anywhere near as much as Xen has. 6 years is an incredible amount of time to hold one position in the club. Xen has never dropped that infinite patience, always happy to interact with his members personally about any concern they have at any level of the club. Since serving on the clan summit team from Xen I’ve learned more about the club, and leadership roles within, than I ever thought would be possible. The amount of new leaders Xen has brought through at the head of Scholae Palatinae is staggering, and they are now scattered across the Brotherhood in a variety of positions at all levels in the club.

Despite leading the clan for 6 years, Xen never stopped finding ways to improve it. Through a series of clan events that spanned many years, Xen constantly inspired the membership by pushing the clan into new territory. Memorable examples are Monstrosities (one of the best events I’ve seen run in the club) in which the system was attacked by giant ancient monsters, and the more recent Order Campaign in which the clan lost its system to a Sith Lord, Darth Fallax, putting Scholae in the position of having to reclaim its home. Both of these challenged the members with fictional situations never before seen to the clan to inspire their own character development. Since then, Xen oversaw a more obvious and long lasting change: the destruction of the Cocytus system and the development of the Caperion System. From start to finish, the new system has been developed in a way that has given an infinite array of options to expand the clan lore over the long term.

Xen is the most influential leader that Clan Scholae Palatinae has ever seen and has given the clan 6 wonderful years. Not only that, he has left the clan in a fantastic place to carry on following his departure from the Consul position. Xen’s legacy is one that will never be forgotten in Scholae Palatinae. Congratulations on everything you’ve achieved here.

Elincia Rei Proconsul

Xen and I have known each other since the two of us were the rookies on the Dark Council. We both wanted to prove our worth to the others on the council, to make sure that we were not mistakes that leadership had made. Back then he worked with tireless efforts, managing the house at the time while trying to push his members to do everything that was thrown at them. I left, but returned to see my old friend still sitting in the same chair. 2391 days of being the leader of a single unit is a long time. It takes a vast amount of dedication and loyalty to his members to maintain the position for that long. When you are in a leadership position in this club you dedicate a lot of your personal time to it, you always are sitting there wondering if you have given the members enough opportunity to do something. I know Xen has given this club his heart and soul, and had continued to work tirelessly. You have nothing to prove my friend, this is well earned.

Congratulations.

Warlord Fremoc Pepoi
Former Fist of the Brotherhood

Xen. There are so many accomplishments, so many tidbits to choose from to illustrate this man's achievements. It's a tall order to do so, even more so to pick the ones that truly stand out. I could list you the inhuman amount of competitions this fellow has run. I could tell you about his participation numbers, his awards, all those flashy things you list in a recommendation.

Instead, I will tell you what kind of man he is. The kind of man who, even when exhausted, fed up, and pushed to the limit somehow finds the strength in him to keep a level-headed approach, to continue despite adversity. I had the honor to witness his approach to creating a feud. It was a grueling task, one that stretched out patience and saw us becoming increasingly aggravated and down right frustrated with the process. Even as I growled, cracked, giving our good friend Mav an earful, Xen was keeping his cool, encouraging me to stick with the process through to the end.

This is one moment in time. This great trait of his, his patience and the way he manages to find the right words to disarm a volatile situation even when said patience has long eroded is what makes Xen a true paragon of leadership. You know you can come to him, even as the guilty party, and he will find the words to not only set you straight, you'll come out of this conversation re-energized and feeling like you have a place in his clan. In his plans. He doesn't discard the people that wrong him, instead he has a way to bring them into the fold. It has been a long road, one I feel honored to have been a part of.

For his immense service for CSP, this man deserves far more than a mere reward. He deserves all the monies.

In all seriousness, I firmly believe this fine work, regardless of past/recent rewards, is deserving of something exceptionally big.

Congratulations, my friend. fistbump and love

Cyris

Grand Master Declan Roark, 2017-08-16 23:19:40 UTC

Combat Master is one of the most unique positions in the Dark Jedi Brotherhood. While it is not formally part of the Dark Council, the workload is on par with that of any Councilors. The position combines both staff management and personal exertion of tasks. It would be more accurate for me to say that Atra has been like a second Praetor to me, all while staying on top of the expectations that come with his actual position . And Atra not only meets these expectations, he exceeds them.

As Combat Master, Atra’s first immediate impact became the planning and execution of the ‘Guests’ of the Matron ACC Event. The event generated 47 total participants while generating 51 total matches for the ACC. He has produced 9 reports, each with helpful tips and tricks to help members get more out of the ACC and have a better experience. He updates the Voice Staff Resource Hub with recaps of every report, making it easy for members to find changes and get answers to their questions. He has rewritten multiple cs mechanics to read better, caught countless syntax errors in existing database entries, and is perpetually looking for ways to balance the system in the interest of fairness and playability for the membership. One of the larger things he tackled was how the “mental” Force Powers worked in our system. This update had been pending for a long time, and Atra made sure it got pushed through approval process and then executed. Feedback from members has been positive as more and more writers turn to the ACC as a writing outlet/platform.

A lot of this has to do with how Atra handles, well, everything. Atra is patient, calm, and always finds a way to get members the answers they are looking for. Are those always the answers that they want to hear? No, but Atra tells it like it is, and never escalates or tries to strut his bravado or throw his weight around. His ability to stay level and handle the technical side of the ACC and CS’s makes him invaluable, but his passion and heart for giving back to the writing community is where he truly shines.

Atra also implemented a recurring feature to his reports that highlighted a member who showed high or notable levels of activity in the ACC as a platform. He worked their character into a fictional story that he has maintained on a thread on discord. This is a great way to give back to the community and make members feel included in things, and the feedback has been entirely positive.

On a more rudimentary level, Atra has graded 15 matches on his own since taking over as CM for the last 8 months.. This does not take into account the time he’s spent helping the judges with their matches, providing second eyes while training and onboarding new judges thanks to turnovers. Atra expertly maintains his own staff of 5 Judges, patiently guiding and serving as an anchor in the storm that can be member writing. This means working with each of the judges to help make sure they are kept up to date on grading procedures, and that they are staying on top of grading times and turnarounds. Atra has made updates to the ACC Exam where and when they were needed. He has also helped qualify 15 members into the ACC, which is the same as bringing 15 new members into the fold of a previously niche activity within the Brotherhood.

Beyond his duties as CM, Atra is still a part of the Voice Staff. To that end, Atra has proof read every single document I’ve put out since taking over as Voice. He was a steady hand on the backend of the soon to be released Arx article, the Fiction Center, all three entries into the New Order: Anthology fictions, and the Writing Department revamp projects. He also stands as a stalwart fixture in the Fiction Chat as the master of the daily fiction questions. Every morning, Atra checks the member-submitted sheet and posts a question for the members of the Fiction Chat. These questions help keep members talking about their characters, their CS’s, and the relationships they are forming with one another. This has helped grow our community significantly, and Atra has been a sterling example as not just an admin, but a participant. Atra was also integral in working with James to implement a few coding-related improvements to administrative tasks, as well as assisting with the Snapshot features and NPC Slot system.

Atra also helps handle the Character Sheet queue when my Magistrates/Praetor need an extra hand. This has prevented the need for me to jump into the queue on multiple occasions, allowing me to focus on the other elements of my job that require my attention more. The peace of mind that comes with having Atra around as an admin is invaluable, and I don’t really have the writing talent to properly voice how much easier it makes my job having here. Since taking over as CM, Atra has managed to approve 168 Character Sheets. That is 20% of the total number of sheets approved, second only to the automatic approvals from member activation.

On a more fun note, Atra has also passed me for most CS’s approved (since the new system launched) overall. I’d like to say I’m sad about this fact, but that would not be the truth. Put simply, Atra is a workhorse. But more than that, he is a passionate contributor who dedicates all of his time and energy to helping make the Brotherhood a better place. I’m probably missing a few things, but with how much Atra does, it’s almost impossible for me to keep track of everything. He’s just that good.

I have no doubt that this award, combined with his upcoming work with GJWXII will help contribute to his path towards achieving the rank of Elder. For now, however, I’m honored to award him his first Amethyst Kukri.

Congratulations Atra. Thank you for existing.

-W

Voice of the Brotherhood

Legend Wally, 2017-06-30 01:58:37 UTC

I wrote six months ago in my supporting recommendation for Marcus’ promotion to EQ2 that I wasn’t sure if it was possible to have a better Praetor than he has been… and that was after a month on the job. Now, after seven months on the job, I’m absolutely certain how right I was.

One of the first tasks I undertook when I became Headmaster was a full and thorough audit of every single course within the Shadow Academy. The idea was to have the course Professors and Docents do the work on their individual courses, my Magistrates doing a lot of full re-writes or stepping in when the PROFs/DOCs couldn’t, and Marcus, Ood, and myself overseeing it all. I felt this was a nice division of labor and we would be able to knock it out quickly and efficiently.

It was a good idea in theory, but with a myriad of issues coming up in RL Ood and I both were forced to step back more than intended. Rather than bend under the pressure, Marcus stepped up: the audit of the entire Shadow Academy - over eighty courses - is completed, and it simply wouldn’t have happened without my incredible Praetor’s leadership. He kept it organized using project management boards (a Godsend, since my organizational skills are often lacking), he kept the SA Staff on task with both the carrot and stick when necessary, and he polished every single edited course before it went live. Does that mean we’ve made the SA perfect and eradicated every mistake? Of course not… it’s hundreds of thousands of words maintained by volunteers. However, I am confident that it is exponentially better than it ever has been before, and that’s a credit to Marcus. It was truly a team effort, but Marcus was largely the one calling the plays.

I consider myself lucky to have served under Bubba, both as a Magistrate and a Praetor, for as long as I did. I feel I learned a lot working under him. Ironically, I feel as if rather than teaching Marcus he’s continuing my education into what a leader in this club should be. He’s dedicated, he’s driven, and he’s capable. Even when his own RL caused issues - he got married and went on a honeymoon in the middle of the audit! - he hasn’t let it slow him down or affect his DB work. I’ve joked with the DC before that I’m worried about one of them stealing him for one of their staffs; now I’m worried that Pravus and Mav will steal him for a DC spot because he’s shown that he’s that capable.

For all that he’s done for me, for the SA, and for the DB as a whole, I’m honored to recommend my friend and Praetor Marcus “Jue Long” Kiriyu for this Amethyst Kukri. Thank you for all you’ve done and continue to do.

Adept Farrin Xies Tarentae, 2016-12-29 19:52:04 UTC

Bubba,

Thanks for your hard work on credit bonus modeling, member experience modeling, development of the trial of acquistion, and item naming logic. Without your support we would have struggled to make possessions a reality.

Grand Master Declan Roark, 2016-12-09 21:07:37 UTC

Adept Montresor,

Thank you for your support to possessions and your keen ability to break the system and purchase a Super Star Destroyer.

Grand Master Declan Roark, 2016-12-09 21:04:57 UTC

Locke has been a consistent and strong leader for Naga Sadow over the last year. As Consul, he has guided his Clan through a Feud and major internal projects, all while a constant presence in regular Dark Summit and Council communications. While Sang delves into the specifics of his work running the Clan, we can see from the unit reports themselves how his efforts bear out. Naga Sadow has performed admirably this year so far, with 38 unique members participating in both of the last two quarters, good for greater than fifty percent unit activity in each quarter and placing them tied for second this quarter in most active number of members. Notably, the unit boasted the second most Knights of any unit this year at 7. Locke’s tenure has been characterized by a return to stability that has seen Naga Sadow grow as a unit and develop under his guidance.

Since his last promotion, Locke has organized 16 competitions and co-organized another 19; many of those 19 were actually Feud competitions, where Locke was intimately involved in every stage of planning and execution of the Feud, including grading half of the competitions on Naga Sadow’s side. While his unit may not have won, they put in a great effort and took the Feud down to the wire. He has participated in more than fifty competitions, earning more than twenty crescents. He’s active in virtually all aspects of our organization, with more than 200 gaming clusters since his last promotion and more than fifty fiction clusters. He’s completed ACC matches, and earned a degree. In short, Locke does a little bit of everything, and does it well.

More than that, though, Locke is a leader growing himself. Locke takes advice well, seeks it often, and his unit is all the better for it. After an early couple of Unit Reports suggested that Naga Sadow was behind in Cluster of Ices, we had a brief discussion with Locke about ways to improve those numbers and to make sure that his prolific fiction writers were being properly benefited. Naga Sadow’s Clusters of Ice climbed immediately in every unit report; in the most recent report, they actually had the most of any unit. It is desire to improve and ability to implement suggestions so that he can help his unit grow that demonstrate Locke’s commitment to his unit.

Locke’s leadership of Naga Sadow over the last year is more than deserving of this Amethyst Kukri. Congratulations, Locke!

Grand Master Darth Pravus and Deputy Grand Master Telaris “Mav” Cantor

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Sang’s Recc: Locke has served as Consul of Naga Sadow for the past 11 months. During this time, he has mentored two members to serve Naga Sadow as Proconsuls and four members serving as Quaestors. Locke has worked with them to show how leaders are supposed to act, behave and provide for the members.

He has run several internal projects and events as well as the recent Vendetta with Scholae Palatinae. Under Locke's leadership, the Warhost has grown and expanded and we now have an up-to-date military that allows the members to participate and own. It's a marked change from the previous Dlarit Corporation and has made Naga Sadow more of a military Clan than a business Clan.

Naga Sadow's wiki has been woefully neglected in recent years. In a push to update the wiki, we've seen members contribute and seen CNS' timeline match up with the current DB timeline after we underwent the timeline changes. Locke has also pushed to improve Naga Sadow's gaming presence. When he first came into the position of Consul, Naga Sadow had faded as a gaming powerhouse. With the combination of his drive and others members getting out there and gaming, we've seen a massive increase in Clusters of Fire & Earth being awarded to Naga Sadow.

During the past 11 months, Locke has organised a long running campaign/event that saw a new enemy in the form of The Dominion. This led to several events such as Ashes Fall, Operation: Cobalt and Operation:Firestorm. These saw a large number of Sadowans participate and also gave the summit feedback on what the clan enjoyed and how we could improve their experiences.

These were also followed by the recent Vendetta with Scholae Palatinae entitled Shattered Ties. This was sadly a loss for Naga Sadow, but saw 25 members participate and produce a total of 198 entries for Naga Sadow. Locke was the main figure from Naga Sadow pushing the vendetta and working with our counterparts in CSP.

Finally, I can talk about how Locke has trained me as Proconsul and taken ideas from me to utilise in training and supporting our House Summits. Since becoming Proconsul 4 months ago, Locke has explained every situation and decision taken and why it was done. He's included me in every issue and sought my opinion at every step. He's encouraged me to bring in new SMART targets for our leaders, who will lead and own their development. He's also instituted weekly meetings with our House summits over G+ hangouts where we can have a face to face discussion on projects, tasks and members. This has enabled the summit to improve efficiency and has also given us the chance to answer questions without having to type huge amounts of text on Telegram.

Locke has trained me well, I've yet to have a major muck up as Proconsul, whereas I'm always messing up at work. If I do something wrong, Locke doesn't castigate me. He explains why it was wrong and how I can improve. He doesn't judge and he doesn't hold grudges. Without him, Naga Sadow would certainly not be the place it is. I'd be leading it instead and we don't want that. I'd turn it into COU 2.0.

His hard work over the past 11 months, leading the clan, encouraging members, always open to have an ACC match, proof fictions, answer character development questions, explain why members can't have their own ISD mk.II, keep me on a tight lease and keeping Naga Sadow running means that Locke more than deserves this Amethyst Kukri.

Congratulations on your AK, Locke. Now you can tuck it between your legs and pretend that everything is bigger in Texas.

Proconsul of Naga Sadow

Grand Master Declan Roark, 2016-09-17 14:10:44 UTC

Braecen recently celebrated one year as Quaestor.

That statement on its own may not seem remarkable, but that is only due to the depth it belies. Braecen has done more for this Clan in his time with us this last year than I can rightfully declare of any other member, members I already frequently praise for their own amazing dedication. This man is a star among stars' company. Allow me to explain why.

Brae is a bastion of your typical and multitudinous personal activities, above and beyond any more reasonable level. He's been the driving force for competition development at all levels of his House and assisted in creation of Clan-level content, and has himself, in the last eight months since his last accolade, organized or co-organized 38 competitions, from our Stimulus Comp packages to Open Battleteam Fictions and a civil war parody. Beyond that, he's also participated in 163 competitions, placing in 42 of them and garnering himself four Ruby, eleven Amethyst, fourteen Sapphire, ten Emerald, and three Topaz Crescents. That's eighteen competitions every month with a 25% placement ratio. Add further his plethora of gaming and fiction activities, including 25 PvP matches, 39 PvE matches, 6 completed ACC battles - notably during his Clan's most recent major event, Sins of the Past: Episode II - and 18 unique fiction activities amounting to 20423 words of fiction in total. These feats earned him a sizable pile of 1080 Clusters of Fire, 63 Clusters of Ice, 126 Clusters of Earth, and 2 Pendants of Blood. The bow decorating all this personal activity is Braecen's strongest quality as a teacher and mentor, willing not only to learn but desperate to share that knowledge with as many people as he possibly can. He's recently passed two Shadow Academy courses and gained a Dark Sage in Tactics, along with earning one Scroll of Indoctrination for recruiting and training Shawnathan Do'Urden, now an Acolyte, as well as a Scroll of the Master for mentoring PaRapRappa to Knighthood.

For all his stardom in the numbers game, though, Braecen must be paid most heed for one of his greatest passions: leadership. There is no one on Arcona's summit more dedicated and driven, full stop. Not a single day goes by that he isn't here, checking in, and making sure every gear and clockwork cog is functioning - whether or not he's sick or on vacation. Braecen is a powerhouse of unparalleled management and production in every aspect of what it takes to keep a House going: he consistently submits ideas for new content and new competitions to ensure our members are never without something to do; he encourages and teaches his subordinates and his members to do the same, pushing them to make their own ideas a reality and gain experience in competition organization; he performs biweekly audits of his membership in order to track their progress for participation, awards, and promotions; he acts as a mentor to the leaders serving under him and champions Arcona's Post DJK Mentorship program in incentivising and driving lower level Equites to higher heights; he helps organize monthly email reminders for fiction and gaming competitions; he displays constant chat presence and spurs participation with frequent - rather frequent, heh - reminders of activity and encouragement; and he continuously leads by example with stringent participation himself, whether it be throwing himself into clan events or always getting in a match with someone for that last clan gaming comp. On top of the utter leagues of mentorship and content creation is his work in organizing fictional expansion of his House and Battleteams, revamping wiki pages and rewriting histories after discussions with House and Battleteam members about their future fictional identity. Fiction updates to this end are regularly delegated out and published in his reports, amongst a plethora of other information and evaluations of the state of the House. The list goes on, and it must be acknowledged not only for its depth and breadth, but for its consistency. An Amethyst Kukri is awarded for no less than outstanding, long-term, dedicated service to one's Clan. I can't imagine a leader who better embodies that accolade.

Braecen, you little ask for any thanks, and yet without fail uphold your House, your Clan, your summit, and your fellow members. We are nothing but the better for having you in our family this last year, and if we can offer even this token for the last eight months to let you know of that appreciation, then it's worth it. Congratulations, and thank you.

Atyiru Caesura Entar

Consul of Clan Arcona

Zanet Xox, 2016-08-29 17:31:28 UTC

The Pantheon of Arcona Consuls is filled with some of the greatest members and biggest personalities in the history of the Dark Brotherhood. Nighthawk, Priyum Patel, Tarkin, James, and Mejas Dota all served as bastions of Arcona's strength within the Dark Brotherhood. We can add a new name to that list and it is the current Consul, Seer Atyiru Caesura Entar.

Atyiru has become an institution within the Dark Brotherhood. She is a poised and talented leader that is universally loved by our club membership, respected by her peers, and identified as a key future leader within our club by the Dark Council. Atty handles the daily rigors of leadership within Clan Arcona with a measure of adult supervision, inspiration, and encouragement that very few leaders of our club have ever been able to match.

Many look at Clan Arcona and see it as the most active and most dominating Clan we have had since the 2004-2009 run of Clan Taldyran as the dominate force in our club. Many say that it must be easy to run such a Clan that that Atty's work is truly that of a caretaker assigned with the task of simply not messing things up. As your Grand Master, I can dispel any such notion.

Atty is an expert manager of intra-clan politics and personalities. It is not an easy task to lead a group of successful Elders and Equites (especially when so many of them are former Consuls) and steer them towards a common goal. Opinions differ, in character development of the Clan story differs, and selecting new leaders from among such a talented pool leads to differing opinions. Atty has handled all of these things with an expertise that is uncommon within the DJB.

Outside of managing the most active Clan in our club, Atty remains one of our most versatile members contributing heavily to our DB Art team/club/group and remaining one of our key fiction writers (and sometimes proof reader of DJB fiction). She is also one of our most trusted members when it comes to handing out both DJB and real world advice/counsel.

Below you will see a host of detailed reason on why Atty is overly deserving of an AK, but as a GM within this club I know that Atty simply deserves the award for both her dedication to Clan and Club.

Congrats.

GM Pravus

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Over the last nine months, Atyiru has shown herself a gifted leader and an active member. As Consul of Arcona, Atyiru has one of the most difficult jobs in our Brotherhood: She has to manage the personalities and activity of our largest unit, which is no small task. As Uji describes below, she manages her unit masterfully; we see this not just in the words of her subordinates, but in the very activity the unit generates. Arcona our most active unit in terms of raw competition submissions and clusters. They have the most unique participants by far, the most unique individuals earning every type of cluster, and they participate in more competitions than any other unit. Atyiru maintains high standards and her unit is incredibly consistent because of it, consistently motivating nearly two thirds of her members - if not more - to participate in competitions every quarter. Indeed, Arcona's performance these last few months is no anomaly. Arcona is at or near the top of every category we track since we started tracking unit performance beyond the number of Knights - a metric where Arcona also excells, often with the second or top number of Knights in a given set of months. We have always held that a unit leader deserves the accolades for their unit's success, and Arcona is an excellent example of a unit succeeding.

But beyond her work for Arcona, Atyiru continues to excel as a general member and leader, and as a larger contributor to the Brotherhood as a whole. On a personal level, Atyiru leads by example, and has participated in more than sixty different competitions over the last nine months, placing in more than half of them. She has participated in every facet of Brotherhood life, earning Clusters of Fire and Clusters of Ice for her efforts.

Atyiru is one of our most recognizable members; it is no surprise, then, that she has been a major driving force outside of her unit, as well. She has had a major hand in building a substantial art club, as V'yr describes below. She is consistently helpful and weighs in on every major issue put forth to the Dark Summit, and her attitude of helping wherever she can means that few months go by where Atyiru isn't involved in some facet of a society or some project on the summits.

Atyiru's steady hand atop Arcona has lead to an incredible amount of success for the unit. Her personal activity and leadership are undeniable, and her commitment to the Brotherhood as a whole is clear. For these reasons, Atyiru more than deserves this Amethyst Kukri.

Congratulations, Atyiru! You deserve it!

Telaris "Mav" Cantor Deputy Grand Master

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Firstly, I should state that at the time when I was considering starting some sort of chat channel or mail group about art — or graphics, as they are more commonly called — Atyiru had already created one such group for Arcona. When I became Herald, she invited me into the Arconan art group as a guest, to see what they had to share and whether I could help them with advice. Immediately, we started talking about creating a DB-wide group, not just one for Arcona. And that’s how the DB Art Club channel was born.

Saying that Atty had a major influence on the current state of the Art Club is an understatement. With what little time she has between classes, exams, papers and being a Consul in the First Clan, she has still managed not only to put out a fairly large ensemble of images she drew herself, but has improved her skills while doing so. You may think that personal improvenet isn’t really a factor, but consider this: How we improve ourselves influences how we help others improve. Atty has been a constant positive force in the Art Club, helping aspiring artists like herself with critiques and advice at every point.

She has posted an impressive amount of drawings, each successively better than the last, in the Art Club. A total of 44 images, some of which were drawn for other members of the Club, such as Zujenia, Uji, Teu, Turel and others, myself included. The total number of images created for the DB itself is far greater, numbering close to 100 pictures at this point. She does all of this to improve herself and those around her which, in and of itself, is the spirit the Art Club was founded on.

I’m am nothing but grateful to Atty for her continued support of my endeavor to make the DB Art Club a more permanent place for every aspiring artist in the DB to join and, without fear of ridicule, present their skills for everyone’s benefit, including theirs. I truly believe that Atty deserves a form of recognition for her efforts, and I am glad the GM and DGM have seen fit to award her.

Congrats, Atty, and thank you for your support.

• Vyr (Morgan)
• Herald of the Brotherhood ___________

There was a period of time that Atyiru was known as the Mountain of Arcona. This title was given to her offhandedly years ago for her efforts during during the Dark Crusade when she an Aedile in House Galeres. She was - and has remained - a steadfast icon of Arcona. She has become how the Clan identifies themselves: unbreakable, unbending and always present at the forefront of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood.

A constant source of inspiration, Atyiru is connected to her members like a heartbeat - without interruption. There is truly no single individual who can match her presence. She consistently works to maintain less than a 24 hour turnaround on email, devotes time to develop relationships with other Clan Leaders, and a regular in other groups and Brotherhood-wide Societies - Antei Combat Center, Art Club, etc. Atyiru has set the standard for Arcona as a whole. Our Clan has a history of being insular and standoffish, but with her example, and delicate touch, you now see members of Arcona working to advance relationships with other Clans, filling vital roles as Magistrates or Praetors, and working to advance the participation in club-wide events. She pushes members to contribute as either consumers or producers; thus, increasing Arcona’s acceptance of the Brotherhood and shifting the paradigm of how the Brotherhood perceives Arcona. This is done through careful planning and organization of her leadership team’s agenda, a careful nudge or redirect via e-mail or Telegram to a member.

Atyiru’s personality - her grace - simply draws people together. She has established herself as a positive influence and a valued partner with her fellow Clan Leaders since her appointment; inviting many of them to join Arcona chat groups, Google hangouts, and what-used-to-be Arcona-only events. Furthermore, she has pressed people to expand their presence into other channels (such as Odan-Urr) to harmonize Arcona’s presence within the club. This is a boon for Arcona as it introduces new ideas, removes us from our own echo chamber, and allows younger units to ask questions, and received feedback or direction. Under her direction, you cannot help but be drawn into the web of friendships she weaves and all of the positive things that bloom from it.

She has true strength as a leader. When you shine the light on her role as mediator, you can see why it is so impressive. Atyiru manages one of the most cantankerous, opinionated, and obstinate groups within the Dark Jedi Brotherhood. The Elders and Summit of Arcona are known for their willingness to say what needs to be said and rarely (read: never) hold back when they have an opinion to share. She willingly accepts this advice, or a dissenting view, with a calm temperament from each of them. Yet, when the conversation veers away from productivity, and sometimes niceties, she slams her foot down hard and squashes the vitriol. Over this year, her bend-don’t-break mentality has seen Elders with strong opinions - Wally, Braecen, Sashar, Timeros - bend their visions to align with hers. This required a radical paradigm shift in the production and consumption of content, how members were recognized and rewarded, and, finally, how we communicate with one another.

She has also charmed, cajoled, and kidnapped veteran members and Arconae from their hibernations to participate in her Summit. She has the largest collective of opinions in her “small” group, but knows when to use the right tool for the right job: to get discussion moving, to complete tasks stuck in a mire, to enhance productivity, to mentor others, etc etc et al. Rather than ignore the contributions of her members and make decisions for all of Arcona, she solicits feedback regularly via e-mail, chats, hangouts and shared documents. This includes multiple rounds of feedback from the initial project design group to an eventual invitation to every member from Apprentice to Adept to provide their insight. The woman never sleeps, because she is instantly accessible for every member. She slaves away to ensure that communication is at the forefront of what she does; her role is to reveal to the membership what others are doing, how they can progress or participate, and finds a way to make it unique, engaging, and fun! Probably why she has won the best Consul reporting regularly since her induction into the role.

To understand the amount of effort she puts into her role first requires understanding how Arcona operates. Atyiru has built a culture around members - not leaders - driving the participation and content within the Clan. That does not mean, however, she is not involved in every piece of content being produced. With the MAA restricting co-organizers it is impossible to credit her for her work on the site, but not impossible to account for it. She has been an invaluable partner in the creation, proofing, set-up and approval for numerous competitions: Fall of SCEPTER, Fall of Perdition, Arcona Halloween Horror Nights, An Arconan Holiday, Captain Arcona: Civil War, Arcona Stimulation Package (Bladeborn, Curator, Chronicler), First Encounters, Back To School, Strands of Fate, and the list goes on and on. The truth is, Arcona produces more content than any two Clans combined. They also have participation numbers only surpassed by three Clans combined. It only highlights what she has built; that clans driven by members - not leaders - are more invested in creating, participating, and supporting for their fellow members. It is such a selfless thing, but for those of us who know Atyiru… it is a perfect way to honor her as a leader and person.

To say it’s an honor to serve as Atyiru’s Proconsul would be a vast understatement. I have had the pleasure of working alongside her since my beginnings within Arcona when she and I raced to reach Dark Jedi Knight. She and I served together within Galeres until her eventual placement as Consul. I have never met Atyiru’s equal in patience, in her talent, and her love for her Membership. Hopefully this award will show her that all of the of the sleepless nights she has spent working for the betterment of Arcona and the Dark Jedi Brotherhood has not gone unnoticed.

Congratulations Abbey! Thank you for everything you do.

Uji Tameike
Shadow Scion of Arcona

Grand Master Declan Roark, 2016-04-23 01:52:40 UTC

GM Kreeayt Havok has been awarded the Sapphire Blade for his consistent dedication to helping the membership of the Dark Brotherhood. Havok is generous with his time, energy, and efforts within the gaming realm and provides DJB members advice, gear, and a host of other benevolent items that are an indicator of his generosity. I have witnessed Havok's patience and good will with our members all in the name of making the DJB a better organization (especially within TOR).

Havok, I am greatly appreciative of your efforts.

GM Pravus/Sarin

Grand Master Declan Roark, 2016-03-04 23:43:45 UTC

Battlelord Teylas Ramar has skillfully led his Clan over the past ten months and served as a consistent and focused leaders for his members to rely on. In a period of turnover and change, Teylas has been a constant that has benefited Plagueis and our club as a whole.

Teylas has run competitions (40), has participated in competitions, but more importantly he has served as a stable leader for Plagueis. This stability has led Plagueis to one of its best periods in its entire history.

Thanks Teylas.

Grand Master Declan Roark, 2015-12-26 04:35:57 UTC