On occasion when you have a brand new member join your unit, you have a really good feeling about them; you think to yourself, “This person could go places.” I had that feeling with Itshim, and so far he’s proven me right time and time again. I’m going to give my fellow recommendation writers the chance to speak to his character and work ethic - which I truly feel are the two things that set Itshim above his peers - and focus instead on what he has done to achieve this all-important rank.

Just since achieving the rank of Jedi Hunter twenty-eight days ago (which, it should be noted, is the bare minimum time in grade for consideration of Knighthood), Itshim has placed in eight competitions - notice I said placed, not just participated. He’s completed two fiction matches, two PvE matches, and two PvP matches; this activity across the spectrum garnered him an additional Cluster of Ice, twelve Clusters of Fire, and seven Clusters of Earth. He’s also served in a leadership capacity the entire time he’s been a Jedi Hunter, serving initially as a Battleteam Sergeant and now, for the past three weeks, as the Inmortuae Battleteam Leader.

In his short time as a Journeyman he has also: co-organized two competitions; made himself a force to be recognized in the Shadow Academy by ascending to the fourth rank of the Shadow Academy Society, earning two Dark Mavens, and passing two of the more difficult Leadership Studies courses; and created a high-quality Wiki article. The most incredible part? Itshim has had almost, if not all, of his promotion prerequisites (excluding time in grade) done for at least a week.

I want to close my recommendation with a final indicator of the kind of member Itshim is: the promotion requirements for Dark Jedi Knight require participation in at least 8 competitions. He has competed in more than three times that many at twenty nine. Itshim is the kind of member Tarentum needs as we seek to regain our glory, and he is the kind of young leader our club desperately needs to develop. For the reasons above, as well as the ones that will be coming in the supporting recommendations, I am happy to speak on behalf of the Clan Summit to recommend Itshim to the rank of Dark Jedi Knight.

Adept Farrin Xies Tarentae, 2015-07-15 18:03:56 UTC

I was asked to be Itshim’s Master soon after I returned to the DB. I had never been an active part of the Master/Apprentice program and I was rather reluctant to take on the duty, as I was afraid it was going to be nothing but me sending emails asking “Hello, are you there?” I have seen far too many people join, and never be heard from again, or be around for a week and then fade away. I could not have been more wrong. Itshim has been active from day one, completing SA courses and entering competitions, blowing up my email with MAA and SA emails. I said to myself “He’s going to reach JH, and realize he has to wait a month for a promotion, and disappear.” Instead he has continued on, doing what he has been since day one. Not only that, but he has listened to me talk about the old days (apparently I am a great substitute for a village elder) and instead of just humoring me, he has been interested, and has actually worked towards bringing Tarentum back to its former glory. He has served to inspire me to keep active, ensuring that I outdo him in SA activity (and I don’t know how much longer I can keep that up!), as I cannot outdo him in competitions. He has completely taken to the DB, and to his role in Tarentum, and as my Apprentice. He has tried out just about everything the DB has to offer, IRC, ToR, Pazaak, Telegram, SA, Competitions, etc, etc. If a club of Dark Jedi can be said to have a bright future, Itshim is it. It is my honor and privilege to say that Itshim deserves the rank of Dark Jedi Knight, and I am ready to stand in front of Clan and Council if need be to proclaim his worthiness to a lightsabre of his own. Itshim is someone that I am proud to serve with, and I look forward to serving with him for years to come.

Warlord Pel Tarentae, 2015-07-15 05:46:56 UTC

As the current Rollmaster of Tarentum, I’m glad I have the possibility of recommending this valuable member we all know by the name of Ithshim. This young Jedi Hunter had no time to adjust to his rank as he is one of the fastest growing members of Tarentum. His skills and dedication have made him an MVP and we’re damn glad to have him here.

As his Rollmaster, it has been a treat to work with Itshim. Everything I recommend for him, he get’s there and does it. There’s no buts or ifs when it comes to him doing work. He even goes above and beyond. For a member that just joined the club a few months ago he is amazing. He’s currently in charge of a Battleteam, Immortuae, he hosts many competitions and he’s helping Tarentum shape it’s future. He’s even took the role of a mentor for a younger Tarentum member and I’m sure that he will continue to mentor others, officially, now that he is a DJK.

I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for Itshim and I’m glad that I was a part of his past. Your ascension to the rank of Dark Jedi Knight is well deserved. Congratulations!

OE Frosty Romanae Tarentae, Rollmaster of Tarentum

Frosty Romanae Tarentae, 2015-07-15 05:47:49 UTC

It seems that not a day goes past where I do not hear about you, Khal Xanderi. Your superiors have sent glowing records regarding your accomplishments, which include:

• Participate in 2 competitions
• Pass 4 Shadow Academy courses from the (Journeyman Hall) department(s)

An expedited recommendation for your promotion has been transmitted to the Master-at-Arms.

May the Force guide you, Acolyte,

DA Dacien Victae di Plagia Headmaster

Lord Dacien Victae, 2015-07-15 14:43:26 UTC

You're already beginning to make a name for yourself, Khal Xanderi. I have heard reports from Battle Team Apostles of Syn that you have managed to:

• Participate in 1 competition

I have recommended you for immediate promotion.

Congratulations, and may the Force guide you, Novice,

DA Dacien Victae di Plagia Headmaster

Lord Dacien Victae, 2015-07-15 14:04:14 UTC

When you look to your membership to determine who is ready to rise through the rank of Equites, you have to begin thinking of future leaders within the Brotherhood. Who has not just an interest in themselves, but in their Clan? Who takes interest beyond the Clan, to the whole of the Brotherhood? Who has the impact upon others that is called for? Who can take the reins when no one else will? Who can set personal goals aside to ensure that others are taken care of? Well, those questions have a simple answer this time around.

That answer is Uji.

We know him as Donny and he currently sits as House Galeres’ Aedile, formerly the Battleteam Leader, or Captain, of Battleteam Nigthawk. I have to say, working with this man since his return has been a pleasure. He is full of ideas to not only promote tremendous activity within his single unit, but the Clan entirely. Since February of this year, Uji has consistently held a leadership position of some magnitude. That’s almost 5 months straight of leadership activity alone, ranging from BTS to AED, with at least 4 reports posted to the site! However, it’s not all reports. In promoting activity, one must also lead by example. Donny has no problem showing what he can do, having participated in no less than 30 competitions and (co)organized 6. Within the past year in commemoration to Donny’s high level of activity, he also managed to net himself 2 Steel Crosses and an Anteian Cross, for services rendered to the FIST staff and for his outstanding participation within the Dark Crusade and the Clan’s own Operation: Sojourn respectively.

Within the recent joint Clan Operation, Tides of Change, Donny showed that he still has what it takes to secure a win for the Clan. He participated in 5 of the events, coming in 4th for Gaming and 3rd for Week 1 Puzzle, as well as writing 1287 words of fiction and netting 100 Clusters of Fire just in the Operation alone! Speaking of word counts, Uji’s love for Run-ons has been proven by his total word count of 9,457 with his participation in the Great Jedi War, Arcona’s Operation: Resurgence, Galeres’ Operation: Revival and Nighthawk’s own ‘Introductions.’ These contributions helped in developing entertainment and solid storytelling for his fellow members. Aside from the Tides of Change event and piles of Run-On posts, Uji has also garnered a Crescent with Ruby Star, a Crescent with Amethyst Star, 5 Crescents with Sapphire Stars, 2 Crescents with Emerald Stars and a Crescent with Quartz Star for his overall competition activity within the last year and a half since his last promotion. When it comes to gaming and writing, he’s received an astounding 24 Clusters of Ice, 477 Clusters of Fire (not including those mentioned above), 1,302 Clusters of Earth and 9 Pendants of Blood. Speaking of Clusters, Uji recently placed 5th in the GMRG placements for the Dark Council guard! Furthermore, Uji has impacted Brotherhood-wide participation as well, shown within his 17 Seals of the Crusader and 11 Seals of Revelation. Even further, Uji has shown his determination in training up the future generations of the Brotherhood by mentoring a junior member to Knighthood, granting him a Scroll of the Master.

Moving on from the listed accomplishments, Donny has done more than just pin another medal to his chest or send a few more words to the competition organizers. Recently, he devised and hosted a ‘Character Workshop’ pilot, where a participant received input from selected advisors in areas such as Character Personality, Character Wiki, Character Graphics and more. I was proud to be the first guinea pig of this event and noted it to be a huge success. The level of input both he and the advisors provided was invaluable in fleshing out the character I use and I can only hope to see even more Arconans take the opportunity to participate. This can even be used as groundwork to forward to the Voice for Brotherhood-wide appeal!

At the end of the day, Uji is one of those members, those leaders, that does his best to contribute to the unit for the better and bring it with him as he rises through his own accomplishments. This has been a promotion long in the waiting, Donny, and I hope you wear your new rank with pride. Take it upon yourself to construct a saber unique to yourself and show the rest of the Brotherhood that you’re coming for them: Arcona can’t contain your drive for long.

Arcia Cortel Proconsul of Clan Arcona

Rear Admiral Arcia Cortel, 2015-07-13 19:31:46 UTC

The number of people in the Brotherhood who have known Uji - better referenced as Donny - longer than I have make for a slim list. I have witnessed, in my time, his veritable sprint to Knighthood, the months and months of dedication to both Clan and Brotherhood that elevated him into the Equite ranks, and, now, all that he has done to rise, once more, to the title of Prelate. I have witnessed it all, and if I speak passionately of his worth, it is not because of familiarity but because of respect - respect for all that I know he has done and for all the care he has.

Donny is a bastion and a beacon, and I do not use these adjectives superfluously. His activity in competitions, management as a magistrate, and projects was constant and numerous from the moment he joined until life pulled him away, and even then it couldn't keep him long: he returned quickly, and resumed his same pattern of staunch participation, involvement and creativity, immediately joining one of our Battleteams. After that, it was but a brief respite before he volunteered himself once more for leadership, first for Battleteam Sergeant, then Battleteam leader, and, over four months later, now on to Aedile. Donny's exemplary service is highlighted by the seemingly endless stream of innovation and encouragement he champions. He is an ideas man, a learning man, as well as a teacher and commander. He proposes multiple new ideas for Battleteams, fictional direction, wiki improvement, and skill tutoring, such as seen in his contributions to House Galeres and his implementation of recent Character Workshops. The combination of humble willingness to do better in any way he can, ingenious developmental skills, and managerial background all serve to make Donny one of those people our members just flock around, and he is always there to help them all to the best that they can be.

We do not reward without cause here. To get a reaction, there must first be action. Donny, we can offer you only what gifts you have given us in turn: time, loyalty, and gratitude. Thank you for all you've done, thank you for continuing to contribute, and thank you for standing as one of our brethren. Whatever rank we call you by, whatever you earn, it means most that your other title has always been "brother." Congratulations.

Atyiru Caesura Entar Consul of Clan Arcona

Master Ruka Tenbriss Ya-ir, 2015-07-13 19:28:00 UTC

I have only really started to get to know Uji, or Donny as I know him, in the past few months, but in that short span he has already impressed. We bonded over Destiny (a gaming community where he is a powerhouse) before I came to Galeres and that led to conversations on character development, fiction ideas and even leadership. I was very lucky to inherit Donny when I was asked to take the wheel of Galeres, and after working with him these past weeks I can say there is no one I would rather have as my right hand.

Donny is a workhorse who consistently displays boundless initiative, it is rare that I have to ask him to do something he has not already thought of (and probably started) himself. He has a demonstrated commitment to learning from those around him so he can better serve his unit. Most importantly he truly cares for the members entrusted to him and has already invested time and no small amount of patience into helping our members be the best they can be. I know to an outsider it sounds like I’m spouting platitudes, and these ‘soft’ factors don’t necessarily jump out of a member’s dossier. But I would not speak these words if they were not the truth, much less commit them to paper and affix my name. I do so here proudly and without reservation.

Donny has demonstrated all the qualities of a top notch leader, he is the real deal. The fact he deserves advancement within the Equite ranks is for me, a no brainer. Donny, I am honored to have you by my side and look forward to seeing you continue to rise.

• Quaestor, House Galeres, Clan Arcona

Councillor Turel Sorenn, 2015-07-13 19:29:54 UTC

I had the pleasure of working with Uji as part of the Fist Staff for about eight months. During that time he proactively set up monthly gaming events to provide members opportunities to participate in gaming competitions. In addition he was tasked to review and approve members requests for Clusters of Fire on a regular basis, his efforts assisted the Fist Staff in reducing the turnaround time for members to receive Clusters from several weeks to one to three days at most. Uji also assisted with the development of several Shadow Academy Gaming courses.

I am glad to see that Uji has continued to carry forward his motivation and desire to improve the experience of other members of our club, which has been clearly demonstrated in his Clan and House leaderships recommendations listed above. These selfless acts are a direct indicator that a member is ready to advance further into the Equite Ranks, and I am glad to add my recommendation to his promotion. Congratulations Prelate!

• Valhavoc, Fist of the Brotherhood

Valhavoc Ad Vizsla, 2015-07-13 19:30:31 UTC

Donny, Uji, S’nar, whatever he feels like calling himself at any given time, is one of the reasons I’m still going in the Brotherhood. Up until just prior to the GJW XI my experience with him was only in passing, just having missed him in various positions within the Clan. The months leading up to the War though, Uji and Kordath became partners in activity (and adventure/mishap). Uji was great at pushing me, and others, to do MORE for the War, for the Clan. For themselves, really, what was the point if you weren’t going to do things? He proved himself a leader without holding a position, one of the best things any member can do for his Clan mates.

Past the War, he pulled me into the Nighthawk team and pushed me even harder to stay active. He refused to see the people in his Team fall to the post-activity slump. Fun comps, running RO’s, Uji never thought about ‘let’s do nothing for a month’, out of the gate he did his best to keep the activity rolling. He’s been an inspiration, a friend, and a partner in more than a few good, bad, and weird adventures within the Brotherhood. Even if he made the foolish error of trusting me with taking over his Battleteam when moving up to Aedile, I still feel he deserves this promotion. Congrats, brother, you done good.

Captain of the Nighthawk

General Stres'tron'garmis, 2015-07-13 19:31:21 UTC

Since his last promotion two months ago, Rouvenor has been working steadily through the requirements to reach Jedi Hunter. I am pleased recommend for his promotion today. He has earned a total of 54 CFs for his consistent gaming for which he has also earned Rank 3 in the GMRG, and a Dark Cross for his efforts in the Rite of Supremacy: Disorder.

Rouvenor has also participated in five competitions, including This Is Who We Are where he took the top spot, Contemplating the Universe, and Red Fury, Crack The Code. He has passed a total of 18 courses in the Shadow Academy, including the Leadership Reports exam with a perfect score and has reached SA Society Rank 3. Furthermore, he is incredibly engaging in House discussions where he offers insightful opinions and well thought out responses.

For all this, I recommend Rouvenor be awarded the rank of Jedi Hunter. Congratulations Rouvenor, just one more push until Knighthood and your lightsaber!

Koryn Palpatine Thraagus, 2015-07-12 12:42:51 UTC

JScumm is one of the greatest gamers our club has ever had, as evidenced by his impressive tally of gaming and merit awards. He was elevated to the second Equite level over six years ago (May 2009), and since then he has continued to display an impressive amount of activity.

While he does not have much in terms of new leadership experience - a six-month term as BTL in House Galeres’ distant history, and a four-month run as our current BTL of Strike-Team Ooroo - he has met with some success in leading Ooroo and maintains a good report frequency that ensures he stays in contact with everyone while leading from the front lines with a truly impressive record of activity.

Since his last promotion, he has earnt himself a Grand Cross of the Dark Side, four Steel Crosses and two Anteian Crosses, all of which say the exact same thing: he is an upstanding gamer, and a hard-working member of his unit.

As a gamer, he has earnt 1251 Clusters of Fire, 281 Clusters of Earth and 20 Pendants of Blood. He has participated in over 70 competitions over the last six years, earning himself a nice collection of Crescents (2 Diamond, 4 Ruby, 7 Amethyst, 7 Sapphire, 12 Emerald, 5 Topaz and 1 Quartz). In Vendettas, he has participated well in the Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Great Jedi Wars, and the third round of Fading Light, earning himself 2 Gold, 4 Silver and 1 Bronze Novae. He participated well in the recent Clan Feud against Arcona as well, participating in 8 of 12 events and winning first places in Battleplan and Week 1 Graphics. He has also mentored A’lora Kituri to Jedi Knight, who is now one of the greatest assets our Clan has ever had.

This is an impressive record of activity that stretches back for six years, and today I wish to award JScumm for all of his efforts by elevating him to the next Equite rank. Congratulations, JScumm, Sentinel Shadow!

Mandalorian Darcy Avarik, 2015-07-10 00:21:44 UTC

When I first climbed through the ranks of the Brotherhood, JScumm was one of the first to mentor me through the Journeyman ranks after Jendan. Seeing me on the path to Knighthood, I can recall the dozens of emails and conversations held with him since that time. He was the first to explain to me the process for submitting to competitions, and also co-organized competitions with me to help me understand how the Brotherhood’s content is created and graded.

Personal mentorship aside, JScumm held several events where he would ‘train’ members to become better in the various gaming platforms. In fact - I can recall instances in which he observed matches between myself and the most difficult computer-controlled bots in Empire at War, explaining to me through the in-game chat the strategies he uses to win countless matches against the hardest difficulties. Working with the FIST office under Fremoc, I have seen him organize and volunteer for training nights over IRC for various supported platforms, such as Empire at War, Jedi Outcast, Jedi Academy and TIE Fighter. At that time, these events were a weekly occurrence, and are still something that I would like to see return. I have seen gaming events where the same members are always taking the top placements, but while JScumm was far from an average gamer, he wasn’t afraid to share his strategies to give others a fair chance.

That being said, in addition to his other achievements and statistics, I would consider him to be worthy of an elevation to the next Equite rank!

Seer A'lora Kituri, 2015-07-10 00:21:32 UTC

After being knighted in January last year, Zednich has slowly kept himself active with a mix of mobile competitions, writing and gaming. He has won himself 216 Clusters of Earth, 46 of Fire, and 11 of Ice. He has earnt 5 Pendants of Blood along the way. He has won Crescents with a Diamond, Topaz, Emerald, 2 Amethyst and 3 Sapphire Stars. He has won 6 Seals of the Crusader for participation in the Dark Crusade and the Fading Light ACC Tournament and Runons. For merit awards, he has received two Dark Crosses attesting to his activity. This effort, conducted across 26 competitions, and a further 22 competitions that he has co-organized, attest to Zednich’s activity across a range of fields.

This is only complimented by his hard work at the Star Wars Celebration convention earlier this year, where Zednich sacrificed his weekend to ensure that the Brotherhood was kept well informed of all the happenings and goings on. Having spoken with Pravus and Valhavoc, I have learnt that Zednich took 285 photos, filmed 7 videos and shared 357 messages, photos and videos over Telegram to keep the Brotherhood informed during the weekend of the Celebration. He also advertised extensively for the club, wearing a shirt and approaching total strangers to hand out recruitment cards. That takes some balls, to approach random strangers and advertise your geeky club to other random, awkward and shy individuals, but he committed the entire weekend between updating the Brotherhood, accosting random strangers and standing there, twiddling his thumbs while waiting for his phone to charge instead of just showing up and having a great time.

His efforts since becoming a Knight have made it clear to me that he has what it takes to succeed as an Equite, and today I wish to elevate him to Equite status. Congratulations, Zednich, and thank you for your hard work during the convention!

Mandalorian Darcy Avarik, 2015-07-10 00:19:43 UTC

Zednich only recently joined Arcona and took up the mantle of Battleteam Leader for us so I can’t speak for what he’s done for us at this point in time. However, I have had the pleasure of working closely with Zed when he took over the Professorship of the Combat Studies department from me. He seamlessly assumed duties for grading and maintaining five high traffic courses while taking the reigns of another three new courses at various stages of development. In the three months since he’s taken over he’s already graded fifty three course submissions.

Zed has already shown himself to be hard-working, professional and focused on the betterment of the Dark Brotherhood as a whole. When his thorough and well thought out application for Battleteam Leader crossed my desk, hiring him was a no brainer. Similarly I believe his elevation from Knight to Equite is also an easy decision and I proudly lend my voice in support of his promotion.

I look forward to working with you in Galeres and have no doubt you will continue to impress. Welcome to the Equites Zed!

Councillor Turel Sorenn, 2015-07-10 00:18:47 UTC

DeCicco's level of activity has picked up exponentially since his last promotion. He has completed 3 Shadow Academy courses, earning him rank 2 in the Shadow Academy Society. He has also been extremely active in gaming, earning himself 8 Pendants of Blood for his characters in SW:TOR, as well as earning himself 47 Clusters of Earth. This flurry of activity in gaming has earned him an elevation to GMRG rank 3 and given him a chance to interact with more of the members in Clan Plagueis. He has been a pleasure to have in Plagueis and we're very excited to see what he does going forward. For all of his activity and the level of engagement we are seeing from him, I am happy to recommend his promotion to Jedi Hunter. Congratulations DeCicco!

Jai'de Serpens, 2015-07-09 18:19:09 UTC

Justin Wayne is not what you call a crazy active member. He doesnt "Do it all", but he does the next best thing, he gives it his all. Justin has been in the DJB for several years now, slowly climbing through the ranks, and doing SA courses and competitions as his hectic RL allows. During the course of these competitions he has earned 2 Diamond and 3 Ruby Crescents. Recently though 2 of those Diamond Crescents were through FIST sponsored Mobile gaming events. This gained him 5 Clusters of Fire and, due to recent restructuring, 10 Clusters of Earth. He was also awarded a Seal of Revelations for this efforts during the GJW.

To put everything down to numbers he has earned 2 Dark Crosses (1 was very recent). 10 of 2 required Crescents, has competed in 17 of 15 required competitions. He has also reached Rank 4 in the Shadow Academy Society, earned 7 Clusters of Ice, and finally got a 3000 words of character development fiction finished.

Its been a long time coming my friend, but I am glad to finally see you off to the real world and as a Jedi Knight!

General Daniel Stephens, 2015-07-09 04:52:39 UTC

Lucien, you continue to impress. You're growing more competent each day and you will surely rival the Dark Council when the time is right. You have met the requirements for promotion, and a recommendation has be filed. Your accomplishments include:

• Begin to outline character history for eventual posting on the Brotherhood Wiki, as approved by House leadership or Master
• Logon to IRC and visit Clan channel
• Participate in 5 competitions
• Pass Dark Brotherhood Basics Shadow Academy course

I will continue to watch your progress, Lucien, but my direct intervention in your promotions must come to an end.

You will go far within this Brotherhood.

May the Force guide you, Protector,

DA Dacien Victae di Plagia Headmaster

Lord Dacien Victae, 2015-07-09 04:19:15 UTC