Valhavoc is one of my favorite people. He is level headed, calm, mature, but passionate and aggressive in his protection of our club. Most of us who have been around for a while know that the gaming side of the Brotherhood has a reputation for people trying to sneak things past the rules, for trying to game the systems and wreck competitions. While I think this is not a broadly correct picture of our gamers, there is no denying that there are some who deserve that reputation. Valhavoc has been the vigilant watchman over this aspect of our club. That is, in itself, a full time job, aside from keeping on top of necessary rewards scale changes and exploring new games for our members to enjoy. It's a lot of work, especially during a season of vendettas and a Great Jedi War. As such, I would like to present him with a token of our esteem, the sacramental weapon known as the Amethyst Kurki. Thank you for all that you have done, and all that I know you will continue to do. ~Muz Ashen, the Lion of Tarthos

Lord Muz Ashen Keibatsu, 2015-02-22 02:54:01 UTC

For the last twenty seven months Arch has served as Praetor to two different Fists of the Brotherhood. Over that time he's had the opportunity to work on many different projects which have enhanced the experience of the Brotherhood's gaming community.

While I can only speak accurately to his contributions since July of 2013 when I assumed the office, I can say that Arch has been an invaluable member of my staff since that time. One of the first projects he worked on was the streamlining of the old Rites of Combat. This transformed the Rites from a massive text block into a more concise and platform focused set of rules. Redundancy was eliminated throughout the document, and specific rules for different PVP formats (1v1, FFA, etc) were made consistent across all platforms. This entire process made the Rites a much more user friendly document.

Another ongoing project has been the leveling of Clusters of Fire across all platforms. I can't accurately say how many times these values have been reviewed and adjusted, but I can say its been "alot". While the process may seem easy to an outsider of the Fist Staff there was much data collection required throughout it. Matches and Events were timed from a variety of gear and skill setpoints, data collected and analyzed, then finally the information was used to match up this information to the appropriate Cluster of Fire value for that specific activity. Then repeat for every other activity being reviewed. This is an exhaustive process, and Arch was key to ensuring it all occurred in a timely manner.

One of the more popular changes was the revision to the GMRG in 2014, which the Fist Staff has deemed "GMRG v2.0". The change revamped the system from advancement and demotion based on monthly performance to one with advancement, to a point, followed by a quarterly competition among the Societies top members. In addition the winning top members received newly created Accessories for their placement. This change resulted in a significant increase in GMRG membership, and has provided motivation for multiple members to take a more active role in the Brotherhood's gaming platforms in pursuit of a Dark Council Accessory. The process of reaching this change was not simple, multiple options were considered and there was alot of conversation behind the scenes.

The final point I'd like to mention is the significant improvement in Cluster of Fire award turnaround. With Arch's help we were able to determine a strong format for a site integrated Gaming Submission Portal. Since the implementation of that portal the review and submission times of Clusters of Fire by the Fist Staff have been reduced from a potential 1-3 week wait to less than 24 hours, in most cases. Again, without Arch's input and assistance this would not have been possible.

It is only fitting that as he retires from the Praetor to the Fist position we recognize the many contributions Arch has made to the Brotherhood's Gaming community. His hard work and assistance were critical in the implementation of these activities. Thank you for everything you've done over in your time as P:Fist Arch, please accept this Amethyst Kukri as a small token of our appreciation for you work.

-Valhavoc, Fist of the Brotherhood

Valhavoc Ad Vizsla, 2015-01-09 00:34:25 UTC

During the last eleven month since Yacks has last been rewarded for his work as Proconsul of Taldryan, Yacks has been a real source of inspiration and a true example to everyone in the Clan and the Brotherhood. Whether it is a competition hosted by a journeyman seeking to fulfill his or her promotion requirements or the year-long Fading Light competition to be participated in to ensure Taldryan's reputation and success as First Clan of the Brotherhood you can be sure Yacks is one of the first to be there.

But his work doesn't stop by just leading the Clan as an example in participation, Yacks also is a steady source when it comes to organize and run competitions for Taldryan like the Clan-wide Gathering Darkness event, that lasted between the second and third chapter of Fading Light and outlined a major part of Taldryan's most recent history, incorporating the winning submissions, as well as keeping the members of Taldryan up to date with regular newsposts and reports.

Yacks, I can't even describe what it means to me to have you as my Proconsul. You are the amazing counterpart of me and have most likely been the true leader of Taldryan due to extremely changed working conditions in my Real Life during the last couple of month, without your hard work Taldryan would have never been as it is today and wouldn't even be able to become even more better. Yacks you have done so much for Taldryan and for me, please take this small token of appreciation for your hard work from me and everyone you have been here for. Thank you Yacks and congrats on your Amethyst Kukri, you deserve it and so much more!

Rian Aslar Consul of Taldryan Son of Taldryan

Zanet Xox, 2014-12-03 03:07:43 UTC

V'yr has been a consistent hard worker since the day Orv hired him as a Magistrate to help out with creating lightsabers. Since Orv stepped down V'yr has nearly been our sole lightsaber designer, with an incredible 14 of them under his belt. It takes anywhere from a day to several weeks to do a single lightsaber, not counting the other stuff he is working on at the same time. Some are much more difficult than others and require learning new techniques before even getting started. On top of that he asks for feedback from the member and sometimes goes through many rounds of changes, much more than he is required to, for the sake of delivering a fantastic experience and a satisfied member. To help in teaching the Herald staff how to make them, he created a lightsaber tutorial video that can be found on youtube, which garnered a lot of views that sent visitors to the DJB website. When searching for "photoshop lightsaber tutorial" on Google, his video can be found on the very front page as part of a G+ post by the DJB profile. His is only one of a very few videos I've found on creating the hilt, versus the giant amount of tuts on the glow effect, which makes it incredibly unique.

On top of that he has also helped out with various miscellaneous tasks around the Herald office, such as many Avatar approvals or denials, which also includes taking the time to image hunt for copywritten GFX as well as back and forth member interaction to verify sources. He also updates the Activity sheet and participates in all Herald policy discussions that have led to important changes like the new warbanner rules. He designed the Matriarch Robes for Herald Style Hannukah and the new female paper doll that we now use for robes, inked lines for the Sith and Jedi join form characters, created several graphics for HOU as well as for a BT event, and of course he is responsible for adding Muzfasa to Mirus' rolling Herald banner, which I have to credit him for because it left us all in stitches.

After I became Herald I promoted V'yr to Praetor, and between the two positions he has nearly 8 months under his belt of actual full-time work worthy of a Praetor position and more. This wasn't his first Herald staff rodeo though, and it shows in the quality of his work, the attention to detail, and the insistence of working with the members regarding their lightsaber or images needed for their projects. V'yr actively participates in critiques, which is a very important aspect of the current Herald staff. He's taught all of us some great graphics lessons and his own skills have increased exponentially since coming aboard due to his willingness to listen to feedback and the work and re-work he puts into the graphics, always striving to make them as best as possible and then some.

V'yr is an integral part of the Herald staff and I know for fact that it wouldn't have run as well without him during these past 8 months. He's been an exemplary member and is so much fun to work with. Thank you, V'yr, for your hard work, dedication, and positivity!

General Socorra Tenebrosa Nhar’qual Erinos, 2014-07-21 12:38:14 UTC

The true indicator of an elder in the Dark Brotherhood is their ability to consistently dedicate their time and energy to our club in a way that enhances the experience of our members. The true indicator of a Dark Prophet is that they provide this activity behind the scenes, without drawing attention to themselves, and without expectation of award.

Halc is the epitome of what we expect our Elders and Prophets to be. Halc has served as a crucial member of the Character Sheet/ACC teams over the past year and has provided an exceptional amount of work behind the scenes. He has edited documents, written guides, re-written tests, graded tests, graded ACC matches, participated in beta testing, and provided countless volumes of feedback to our members as they navigate the new ACC experience.

Thanks for all you have done! - GM Pravus

Several months ago, Sarin sent Halc, Shadow, and a couple of others the alpha version of the ACC Guide, Fundamental, and Qualification exam, looking for input.

The result was a complete and total re-write of the ACC Guide and the Qualification exam, with Halc and Shadow splitting the work and reach writing half the guide. The outcome? Nothing short of a gigantic and amazing shift in the way we do things. Working with those two, we came up with a new direction for qualification that will help to streamline the ACC Entrance experience. Halc specifically took on a role as a Judge, applying his extensive expertise from his time as Combat Master to assist us in a number of areas, especially in the area of the Judging Guide. Halc took part in the Closed Beta we ran, one of a small handful of people to test the earliest code Kalen put together, and later, served as one of our most active judges in the Open Beta. His work goes on the ACC goes beyond just the ACC Guide or the Judging Guide, as he also is one of the more active graders for Qualification exams, offering valuable input to many members on ways they can improve. At every turn, and with every document, Halc has been there to provide instrumental feedback, and has been essential to completion of the ACC, and thus, he more than deserves this Amethyst Kukri! ~ Mav

Grand Master Declan Roark, 2014-05-08 14:14:11 UTC

Dark Jedi Master James Lucius Entar Arconae has served as a project manager for over a year. James utilized his specific knowledge of coding to transition our great ideas into reality. Additionally, and probably more importantly, James stood as a voice of reason and helped guide the ACC project back into the realm of possible when our ideas became too grandiose or impossible to implement. James coding support included the identification of bugs, bug fixes, and solutions to coding problems the rest of us were incapable of solving. Additionally, James provided direct support to the Office of the Voice in the manner of automating competition administrative support (the awarding of CIs, the automatic closing of competition sign ups). James has dedicated a year of his life to supporting, tweaking, and working on bringing the ACC to our members. We are a better club due to his efforts and an AK is a truly well deserved award. - Grand Master Sarin

James has always been there for any request I had, big or small, related not just to the ACC, but anything coded related on the site. Early on in the process, James helped guide discussions on coding, and more recently, he stepped in and helped organize and streamline our final launch process, by taking the final set of feature requests and organizing them into various tiers and timelines, such that he and Kalen were finally able to complete the necessarily things for launch! James more than deserves this Amethys Kukri for his work, not just on the ACC, but his continued work at making the DB a better place for all of us. ~Mav

Grand Master Declan Roark, 2014-05-08 14:04:48 UTC

Bearers of the Amethyst Kukri award have shown their dedication and focus on furthering one aspect of the Brotherhood far beyond what was expected of them. There is no one I can think of that sets the bar like Cethgus. Cethgus has served consistently as a member of the Arcona Summit (since his last elevation) for 10 months. He started as a Battleteam Leader of Void Squadron that lead into an Aedileship and now, for the past 6 months, another stint as Quaestor of House Galeres.

Despite this, everyone underestimates Cethgus. They let his past reputation cloud their judgment of him, and don't realize that while one of the Brotherhoods top gamers, he is also one of our best leaders. For all we tease him, there is not a single member in Arcona or in the Brotherhood who gives more of himself to others. And to be honest he does not get the credit he deserves for his unparalleled work ethic.His easy going nature and smile remind me of a puppy you can't really get mad at even after they've chewed up part of the couch. It also makes him extremely approachable to our newer members. He is never afraid to help a member no matter what their background, limitations, or quirks are. The most recent and heroic example of this was him taking on Cyrinity under his wing and guiding her to Dark Jedi Knight. He did this not only with the patience of a saint, but in record setting time.

Cyrinity, one of our recent recruits, had "limitations" that made it very, very difficult for her do the Shadow Academy Courses on her own. Cethgus took it upon himself, however, to talk to Solari and Muz and get approval to help read her the exams out loud over Google + Hangout (with one other member present to bare witness, of course). This might not seem like a lot to most people reading this, but having been in a few of the hangouts and getting to watch the process, I have never in all my years seen anyone be that patient with another human being. I say that as someone who has walked elderly women through using a computer for the first time (it's...painful). Cethgus would literally re­read the same question multiple times. He would explain what it was asking, and let Cyrinity find the answers on her own. It get's even more frustrating when it takes a third or even a fourth time of explaining the same thing. And yet never once did Cethgus give up or try and pass his responsibility on to another. He stuck with what he set out to do, and he actually executed.

This is just one example of the things Cethgus does as a mentor and leader. He has been invaluable in helping Arcona reach its 25 DJK's last year. He has made relations with the MAA staff, and used them to help work with making sure our members were getting their summit tasks and MAA tasks to help speed up their progression and to not hamper their progress. Cethgus has also mentored 4 members (Saarin, Kyrun, Cyrinity, and most recently Lexi ) to Dark Jedi Knight. And those are just the ones directly credited to him. His name has been attached to almost every House Galeres promotion and the House’s entire energy and efficiency orbits him as their sun.

He lead by example in the Dark Crusade, hitting 29/31 events and earning 12 novae. He was one Gold away from tying me for 1st overall in Clan Arcona. On a DB­scale, he placed 8th overall in total novae earned as well. And yet, there is still more. Cethgus volunteered to help the Fist staff in the area of TOR specifically. It did not take long for him to earn the trust of the Fist, who appointed him Guild Leader of the DB TOR Guild. Cethgus has made it his mission to not only help himself, but every other member of the DB guild. He organizes raid parties, helps members through flashpoints, helps them get new gear and is online more than anyone sane should be to answer questions.

The amount of time Cethgus puts into the DB is frightening. I sometimes take it for granted, as I know that even if I’m pulled away for a day or two, I know that Arcona has someone like Cethgus there to stand their ground and make sure things still get done. There is no statistic for that and no other way I can really thank him for the amount of time and energy he puts into this place. There is not a single member of the active Brotherhood who does not know Cethgus’ name by now, or what he’s done. He not only dominates gaming in competition but dedicates himself to helping others share in his passion for gaming. He leads by example and deed and has the biggest heart of any leader I’ve ever worked with in this organization.

I see no one more deserving of this award. Congratulations, Cethgus, and remember “Stab them with the pointy end”.

Consul of Clan Arcona

Master Gavriel Kadesh, 2014-01-27 03:33:49 UTC

For the longest time the Shadow Academy’s Department of CORE studies has been left with a gaping void. A new house, featuring a new breed of member, was introduced to the Brotherhood three years ago. With the house came three new Orders for members to align with, but those Orders has no CORE courses to accompany them. Members of those orders were forced to study their dark counterparts in order to progress.

Thanks to Rosh Nyine, this is all about to change. Nyine has written three new courses: Consular CORE, Guardian CORE and Sentinel CORE. The sum of all of these courses is 9346 words. Those words are a combination of research (using Wookieepedia, the DJB Wiki, RPG sourcebooks and other references) and original fiction where the orders had holes or work was needed to tie them into the Brotherhood.

What’s more, Nyine completed this project in under a week. This allowed us to hand over the work to be proofread in a timely manner, enabling us to bring these courses to the Brotherhood much sooner than we had anticipated. What has also sped up this process is the quality of his work. Despite taking such a short time, fewer corrections were made during the proof reading process than some courses we’ve had in service for years.

Nyine’s dedication, speed, and accuracy have been a great boon to the Shadow Academy. His work will live on for years being one of the first things a new recruit to the Brotherhood reads.

Master Windos, 2013-10-06 23:37:36 UTC

Sarin, along with all of his other responsibilities as Voice, is the glue that holds the Dark Crusade together. Without his fiction prompts and back-story for each planet the vendetta would be nothing but a series of bland, disjointed, events. A fictional Sith planet with only a one line blurb on the Wookieepeida is no hurdle, as Sarin expertly fills the gaps, makes the planets interesting and makes the membership want to fight for them.

As busy as the Crusade has kept him, he still find time to help out those who approach him. In my experience he’s been instrumental in making sure that fiction I post in reports is not going to encroach on office Brotherhood story-lines or cannon. His deep knowledge in this area means these types of queries are answered nearly instantly, meaning that the pieces can be pushed on into editing and refining quicker than they otherwise would have.

Sarin, you’re one of the greatest assets the Brotherhood has, the lifeblood of the Crusade and a good friend. I’m proud to say that I work alongside you and I admire and envy your drive, dedication and skill.

Solari, Headmaster

|o| >o< |o|

Sarin/Pravus has been on the collective Dark Council since my appointment to Praetor of the Headmaster way back when. Since then, he has been at the forefront of nearly every major change in recent Brotherhood history, and putting aside his retirement from Grand Master to come back and hold several Council level positions. The most recent of which, has been his term as the Brotherhood's Voice. Since his elevation to the leader of all Brotherhood fiction, we have seen a seamless transition from past models of operation, into a new direction that brings a fresh and well desired take on official fiction. His creation of Dark Crusade planets alone have been fabulous and extremely detailed while not compromising content. His grading has also been crucial, with his fiction marks reaching into the several of hundreds of entries. He is a beast, and I am sincerely glad to see him awarded for these feats. Congratulations!

Taigikori Aybara, Justicar

|o| >o< |o|

Sarin's time as Voice has not just been defined in the vast amount of fictions which he has prepared for each round of the crusade, or even the in depth intelligence briefs with target profiles for each individual planet. While he could have done only those things and still been a very successful Dark Councilor he chose to go a step further.

Recognizing that there was a gap between the graders expectations and members perception of those expectations he published rubrics that would be used while grading fiction entries, providing transparency to the process as a whole. He continued by showcasing examples of high quality Fiction entries and, more recently, Battleplans for members to reference and learn from. These references have been consistently updated with the newest entries as the Crusade has progressed. In the midst of all of these activities he continued guiding and assisting the Combat Master with the ACC recreation, character sheets, and probably a few other things that Mav has in the works that most of us haven't heard of just yet. So far all of these products from the ACC are looking fantastic.

I couldn't be happier that I have the opportunity to write this supporting recommendation for a great friend and mentor. Congratulations Matt, well done sir.

Valhavoc, Fist of the Brotherhood

|o| >o< |o|

The fact that I'm not a great recommendation writer is not a very well kept secret. Hence, I will leave it to my fellow councilors to elaborate on the contributions made by Sarin that make the Brotherhood a better place. I will let the volume and quantity of these recommendations speak for itself, and only add that I wholeheartedly agree this AK is very well deserved. Congratulations, Sarin!

James L. Entar, Seneschal

|o| >o< |o|

Rewards for members like Pravus (Sarin) are difficult because they have everything in the club already. After a decade of service to the Brotherhood, they often have two of everything. But there is a good reason for this: Members like Sarin work and work hard on behalf of us all.

Since assuming the duties of the Voice of the Brotherhood, Sarin has worked diligently not only from within his office but outside it as well. He has overseen the development of the new character sheets, the Antei Combat Center restructuring, and the new Lightsaber Guide. He helped develop the new fiction rubric, created a DJB Nova Library to showcase winning fiction entries, created and guided a very successful club-wide run-on, as well as having written over 10 pages of official fiction.

As one of the co-organizers of the Dark Crusade, Sarin has been indispensable to Muz and I as he has readily taken on additional responsibilities both within the realm of fiction and outside it. He has read and scored over 500 pages of member submitted fiction. He has also helped to create, edit, and score events outside his normal department.

Beyond all this however, what I appreciate and respect most in Sarin's work is that I know without a doubt if I need something to get done (regardless of what it is) I can count on him to get it done and get it done on-time. This is a trait in Dark Councilors worth its weight in gold. And when presented as consistently and devotedly as it is with Sarin, it needs to be recognized and rewarded.

Sarin, please accept this small token of appreciation for all that you do on behalf of a grateful Brotherhood.

-Raken, Deputy Grand Master

|o| >o< |o|

It has always been a challenge to pick the right person for a Job on the DC. There's a need for so many things that it becomes more and more of a wishlist with each moment. We need someone who can work with the rest of the team, someone who has ideas and a vision for the way that things could be, the intelligence to draw a map on how to get there, and the work ethic to get to that point. It's now no surprise that Pravus (Sarin) has all of that. After he stepped down from DGM a few years ago due to real life, and took some time off from leading, there were several concerns about him coming back to the full time Big Show. Complaints about recycling leaders circulated. Concerns about his brash attitude surfaced. Forgotten to many was the man who could help to build a team of all-stars. Lost to most was the man who led from the trenches, getting his hands filthy to show the rest of the club how it was done.

I remembered. We needed him, even if not all of us knew it.

Pravus has been indispensible in the formation of crusade events. He has been the point man on crafting the backstory, filling in the details and the objectives from the sweeping broad strokes that Raken he and I worked out, from what sparse details were to be found in sourcebooks and on the wookieepedia. He dove into the grading like a madman, getting a huge amount of grading done before our already fast team has even had a chance to dig into it, helping draw down our turnaround time to utterly spoiled levels when compared to those 'good old days'. And that is just on the crusade, my insane idea of a massive vendetta. He's also run hard at the ACC rebuild, he's been working hard with us on building the next GJW, and on myriad other projects that i dare not whisper the names of for fear of delaying their release.

The Amethyst Kukri is awarded for outstanding service for a specific project. For his contributions to the success of the project, for the blood, sweat and tears he has poured into making my hare brained idea that almost killed us into something that many will talk about for years. For doing it even though he knows he can never get promoted again. For his love of the brotherhood.

At our level, that's what keeps us running so hard. Please accept this token from us, and our thanks. Your work means a lot to the Brotherhood, to the Dark Council, to me.

Thanks again,
Muz

Lord Muz Ashen Keibatsu, 2013-10-03 01:48:01 UTC

Dash. Dash has been my praetor for a loooong time. He has picked up many projects, and dealt with a lot of whine over the years (in case you hadn’t noticed: people who whined when I disagreed with them, got to deal with Dash. That was not entirely unintentional.). He had fun with it, true, but I appreciated it nonetheless. It’s not a big secret that I am not much of a fan of whining. Also, I lost count of the amount of medals, promotions, and competitions he processed. So, now I’d like to thank him with an Amethyst Kukri.

Darth Aeternus, 2013-09-22 01:20:50 UTC