A lot has happened in the year that Locke has now been Consul. Where once upon a time Clan Naga Sadow was very much the writing Clan that had always had a problem finding gamers, today Clan Naga Sadow is the writing Clan that also enjoys a huge member base of The Old Republic players. That has meant considerable change in the way of doing things, not least the fact that the Clan has become redefined by the new younger generation of TOR addicts, whose knowledge of not just the Dark Brotherhood but of the Star Wars universe is rooted less in Grand Admiral Thrawn and Naga Sadow, and more in Ahsoka Tano and Darth Malgus.

Most leaders would have balked at such a transition. Locke, however, has held fast through what have been testing times, and with his Summit has been forced to oversee the what have been difficult, but very much necessary, decisions to redesign Clan Naga Sadow for this new generation, whose idea of what it means to be a Dark Jedi, or how to spend their recreatonal time, is far removed from the days of the Emperor's Hammer back in the 1990s, or even of the first years following the Exodus during the 2000s. This has meant more than just changing the wallpaper and redesigning the Clan's fictional identity, and has meant working closely with the House Summits, the way in which the Battleteams work and operate, and how things such as the Black Guard or the Master Student Program are used to engage with what can at times be a distant, video game world oriented membership, in order to integrate them into the "game" that is the whole Dark Brotherhood experience. For a traditionally writing Clan, that has not been an easy task. But while the Clan of 2013 is a long way from the Clan of five years ago, Clan Naga Sadow remains an enthusiastic and united community in which to be a part.

Yes, there remain challenges ahead, as there always have been, and always will, but as we move forward into Locke's second year as Consul, Clan Naga Sadow continues to develop into its new identity, both fictionally and actively, and as Star Wars itself moves into a new era under Disney, it will be leaders like Locke that the Dark Brotherhood needs to shoulder the challenges ahead. For this, Locke deserves all the praises that this award represents, and I look forwad to seeing where the Clan goes in the next year.

Congratulations, Lord Consul!

Darth Vexatus, Son of Sadow

--

A while back, I picked, from a few applications, Locke Sonjie to serve as my Adelie in the newly formed House Shar Dakhan. I left the summit but he remained, and went from Proconsul, to Consul, a position he’s held for about a year straight now. A year straight, as Consul of one of two clans in the Dark Brotherhood, I’ll let that hang a moment.

Locke has been thanklessly working hard, behind the scenes, on projects all aimed at making Naga Sadow better, investing the precious time he has between a real life job and his education to see that the best can happen for his parent clan. I couldn’t possibly detail everything, but I’ve always considered that to be a side effect of being Consul. One never really knows the things they've done in detail. We can only miss them when they’re gone. I do know in recent times, he’s contributed to the Clan in the vendetta events, not content to just administrate, he still works.

Having said that, I checked out the definition of Sacrament, which roots in sanctify, which says (according to Google) “Make Legitimate”

Locke Sonjie, well, the man IS legitimate. He works hard, he listens, he helps, and he SERVES. Such contribution is exactly the criteria for the Sapphire Blade, an award I respectfully ask be bestowed upon him. Simply put, he deserves it, if for no better reason than putting up with me. Fortunately, (or not) he works with, around, and for so much more.

As a Quaestor emeritus for House Shar Dakhan of Clan Naga Sadow, his former boss, and ultimately, his friend, please consider my former Aedile for a Sapphire Blade.

OP Mirado Pepoi L’eonheart

--

Since starting with the Sadowan summit as an Aedile to House Shar Dakhan, Locke has proven his drive to ensure our members are happy. That was a fair way back now and Locke has worked his way all the way to Consul, a position he has held with honour for a year. Within that time Locke has coordinated with other units of the Brotherhood to create events for his members to take part in as well as to create a fictional arrangement between ourselves and Scholae Palatinae for continued future events. But this collaboration is not all, he has also worked tirelessly to hear his membership and ensure they are happy, going as far as personally getting in contact with members who have drifted away from the Brotherhood and implementing a suggestion box for our members to anonymously leave their opinions or (obviously) suggestions on what direction the Clan should take.

Aside from all this work, Locke still puts all his available time (as limited as it is as a University student) into making sure that his Clan succeeds and continues to make its members happy. As a member of his summit, I have seen and heard how hectic this drive can be as well as how often it succeeds. It is for that reason that I feel we truly need to honour Locke with something befitting his efforts to the Clan and the Brotherhood; to show we appreciate his monumental efforts to make this environment warm, welcoming and fun for all. With my voice counted among the others gathered here, please allow me to congratulate you, Locke. You've earned it.

Exarch Methyas Pepoi L'eonheart Consul Emeritus, Naga Sadow

--

I've known Locke for a couple of years now. If there's one thing I've got to say about it, it's this: He's what I aspire to be in a Consul someday. He's the dedicated, devoted member that balances a hectic life of work and school, to personally inspire his members to effort and participation. He's always calm and collected, never rushing to judgement, always seeking to listen and hear everyone. He's friendly, approachable, always ready to hear someone out and give them good feedback and advice. He never complains, only seeing it as a reason to work harder. He never says anything other than "Thank You", and "How can I help?".

He leads the charge for activity personally, as often as he can, always remaining in touch, always working to serve others. I've never seen or heard of him refusing to help someone, or at least helping to find someone skilled enough to do so. I've never heard anyone say anything bad about him, because there isn't anything bad to say about him. His personal efforts remain the strong backbone upon which Clan Naga Sadow continues to function smoothly.

I'm proud to be able to add my name and words to this request for his award. He is more than deserving.

Congrats Locke. You've earned it.

OE Tra'an Reith, Quaestor of House Plagueis

--

If I were allowed only one word to describe Consul Locke Sonjie, I would have to break the rules. So much goes into being an effective, exemplary leader, and he accomplishes it all. Not only does he execute his leadership well, but he has done so now for an entire year. In my time in Naga Sadow, both as a member and leadership role, Locke has performed admirably bringing activities and events broad in scope to the Clan to keep its members active and entertained. Such events include the Clan Feud (that CNS Won!) and Horizons; and not only does he encourage participation, he sets the bar by participating right along with the rest of the Clan. There aren’t a lot of things that come to his desk that he doesn’t share and ask for input from everyone. Such matters include Naga Sadow’s Fleet and details of the Black Guard, which he along with Proconsul Atra have worked tirelessly to iron out and reintroduce. It is evident by his attentiveness to the Quaestors and the development of the Houses that the present and future of Naga Sadow mean a great deal to him. We know that on top of his Consul duties, Locke has RL and an education to juggle. Despite that we have a leader that listens, leads by example, and continues to help each of us grow. It is by this recommendation that Locke be awarded a Sapphire Blade for his ongoing dedication to Naga Sadow.

OT Kairus Quaestor of House Shar Dakhan

--

Okay... Time to write a rec. I'm not really good at these things, or speeches, or much of anything for that matter. I mean, this guy wears purple as his order's color. There must be something wrong with him. And this guy is tireless! There isn't much I can say that hasn't been handled hardcore by all these great recomendations above. Locke is the definition of a work horse. This guy never rests, never sleeps. Why? Because he doesn't sleep, he merely lays down and plots out how to spend our fleet points for hours until the sun arises once more.

If you want to know what a leader looks like when they lead from the driver's seat, it is him. He is in constant contact with all of his Summit members, asking for updates and helping however he can. When Locke asks for something to get done, it is never something he isn't willing to do himself. In fact, he would do it himself if given the opportunity but then he'd be burnt out and I'd be left with more to do, so I take it off his plate. Still fights me on it.

His organizational skills are phenominal, forms and spreadsheets all over the place. He doesn't like to leave any stone unturned and is never afraid to ask more and more questions. Even though I now thoroughly despise the word "why" I am still glad he asks it without hesitation. This is what a Consul should be, someone who lives and dies for his Clan and never once asks for something more... Some recognition. All he wants is a happy Clan, and he expects only what he would expect of himself.

Having spent 1 year in the role of Consul, he is still working as fervently as the first day on the job, and that is something to be proud of. I hereby recommend him for the Sapphire Blade, and hope he doesn't get burnt out any time soon!

Congratulations, Locke

OP Atra Ventus, Proconsul of Naga Sadow

, 2013-03-29 13:24:35 UTC

I am proud to submit KE Locke Sonjie for the Dark Brotherhood's Sapphire Blade. Locke has been a tremendous addition to the role of Consuls and has served in the best way I can image. Locke serves by caring about his members, checking on his members, and fighting for his members. He engages the DC for their awards, he engages the DC on their behalf, and he generates a solid foundation for Naga Sadow to operate from. Congrats Locke!

GM Pravus

In a time where activity wasn’t exactly at a high point in Naga Sadow Locke stepped up as an Aedile and showed people, including his fellow summit members, that it is perfectly possible to participate in all events in a given competition, first by participating in all five events in the third round of Fading Lights, as one of only two people in the Clan to do so, and later by being the only Sadowan who participated in all 11 events in the eleventh Great Jedi War, he also participated in the first round of the Fading Lights where his run on team just missed out on the medals in fourth place.

In the last 14 months he has also participated in 20 Clan competitions, placing in the top three in 13 of them, seven out of those he placed first. Beyond participating in competitions he has also organized or co-organized 26 competitions in the last year, some of them were part of a multi-event clan competition he ran together with the Proconsul at the time, Macron Sadow. This event, Orian Assembly Three: Vengeance, ran for a little over three weeks and it came with many fictional updates from both organizers to help the people of the Clan to not only see the fictional direction the competition was going in but the clan as a whole as it played a big part of our fictional advancement, following the Dark Crusade and Fading Lights, the two major Brotherhood wide events that had helped stall the fictional advancement of Naga Sadow for the better part of two years which further emphasized the need for plot updates like the ones Locke and Macron provided. His most recent series of competitions, Proving Grounds, is a series of short and fun competitions with three competitions per week over three weeks, these have seen more participation than most competitions in the Clan has for the past two years.

His fictional updates also showed in his regular reports where he would start the report off with a brief piece of fiction revolving around mostly Shar Dakhan but sometimes the Clan as well and most recently he posted a rather long piece of fiction that explained the transition from me being Consul to him taking over, how a former Arconan had become his Proconsul and how the Clan would now be taking a more prominent and more public role in the running of our home system, Orian.

Outside of his regular duties as Aedile he also served as my sounding board last fall when we had to decide how to spend the many fleet points Naga Sadow had earned during the Dark Crusade and Fading Lights, I’m not exaggerating when I say we spent 20-30 hours discussing this, if not more. His input played a big part in our move towards trying to make the way our navy and army would work more realistic, even if the Brotherhood as a whole pays little attention to this. Of course this meant that I couldn’t have my Brotherhood-class Star Battlecruiser… damn him. In the end the many hours of discussions lead to a more well-rounded fleet and a much more well-rounded army, which may not have been the case if I’d been left to my own devices with the fleet points.

In the past year or longer Locke has consistently been the most active summit member, and member in Naga Sadow and I can’t think of anyone more worthy of this Sapphire Blade. Congratulations Misty… I mean Locke.

Son of Sadow

…………………………….

I am honoured to be recommending Locke for this Sapphire Blade. He has been a hard working and dedicated member of the Brotherhood, participating heavily during the Great Jedi War as well as the Crusade. As well as trying to help motivate members and keep them driven inside of the Clan, taking valuable time in his very busy personal life to go out of his way to assist them with anything and everything he can.

Since his last award, Locke has been a driving force inside of the Clan. Though most of his time has been spent leading, first House Shar Dakhan, then the Clan, as Malik has spoken about, I am here to point out all the things that are taken for granted. Since his last elevation Locke has managed to participate in a spectacular forty competitions, these include Fading Light, Great Jedi War XI and the Crusade in general, helping Naga Sadow continue to participate in events and giving the approach of leading by example. All the while encouraging members to participate themselves. For all his efforts he has managed to earn himself: Two Crescents with Sapphire Star, Five Crescents with Amethyst Star, One Crescent with Topaz Star, One Crescent with Quartz Star, Five Crescents with Emerald Star and Two Legions of the Scholar.

If this wasn't enough for the participation in competitions, Vendettas and the Great Jedi War, it has also seen Locke pick up Twenty-Seven Seals of the Crusader and Eleven Seals of Revelation in response to the competitions he has participated in. With Locke its almost a guarantee that he loves his fiction. Its something that I have come to expect from him and he has undoubtedly proved it to most. For his work inside of Run-Ons, fiction events or just general writing activities offered by the Brotherhood he has managed to earn himself a total of Twenty-Seven Clusters of Ice.

But Locke, having spent most of his time in the Brotherhood in leadership, listens to what the members want. For that reason he has run a huge amount of competitions, supplying members with things to get stuck into and engage with the lore and direction of the Clan. Needless to say he has aimed to please everyone and in doing so, has given the members of Clan Naga Sadow forty-two different competitions to get involved in! That’s an insane number, yet continuing to promote each of them with the same passion he has always had for this Club.

For all of his efforts Locke has put in inside of Clan Naga Sadow, he continues to earn himself merit medals. Through dedication, drive and passion he has managed to achieve One Steel Cross, One Anteian Cross and One Dark Cross since his last elevation. Locke is never one to want praise or thanks for his work, he keeps his head down and tries to stay under the radar. Even for the good that he does, all of his efforts and time he committed into the Clan saw him receive Two Seals of Loyalty as recognition for this time consuming, hard work.

He goes out of his way to help others, I have seen him come in exhausted from work and instantly sit down and start interacting with members and leaders alike, all to improve the working of Clan Naga Sadow. Though he may not care to admit it, he puts the members of this Clan above himself all the time, if he has a spare five minutes he will speak to members and try and get their opinion on matters like where to take the Clan in the future, what they want to see inside of the unit, competitions, events, anything you can think of. All geared towards getting everyone and anyone involved in the progression of the Clan.

Sometimes what people ask of him takes him out of his comfort zone. With Locke very much preferring to write, he has taken up the call of gaming when it is needed, as such he has also managed to earn himself Ten Clusters of Fire. All the while encouraging the gamers of the Clan to continue their quests, their raids and their flashpoints.

Since I’ve joined Clan Naga Sadow, my journey with Locke has been a non-stop upwards ride. Sure, we have had some downs, but that is always going to happen in any endeavor. He has always looked ahead; what we want to achieve, what we want to happen and has not stopped getting everyone involved in learning their roles and responsibilities. Since stepping up to the position of Consul of Naga Sadow, Locke has released multiple joint report informing members of all the changes that have been taking place inside the Brotherhood as well as trying to get older members back in the swing of things on the site.

He has had to take control of a relatively new Summit since taking on the responsibilities. Having to teach a Proconsul on the fly, and having to adjust him into the way Naga Sadow operates. Something I can say he did with great detail and quickly, making me feel part of the team almost instantly and getting me to the level of understanding I have for this great Clan to date. Though he has pushed me further, making me think on everything and never taking out of the equation the way to speak and interact with members and deal with every kind of situation that takes place inside of the Brotherhood.

As well as showing me all of my roles, we have recently had to start over with a new House summit within House Shar Dakhan and a new Quaestor of House Marka Ragnos. Locke has been interacting with them and getting them to a level where they have been productive and hell-bent on the expansion of Clan Naga Sadow, keeping the clan at an all time high in terms of membership. When Locke took over the Consulship, we had forty-one members at best, now we sit at sixty members with activity flooding our inboxes on a daily basis.

He has been productive in organizing and maintaining smooth and effective communication with both members and leaders. Recently, Locke has organised and run a three week long event with a series of competitions called ‘Proving Grounds’ which have been wildly successful so far in attracting members of all ranks and experience to participate. In a Clan that that had so recently suffered from a lack of activity during the last few rounds of the Dark Crusade, the work Locke has put in to capitalize on the revamping of the Clan, the new Summit and the drive towards the future has produced that activity that was so needed.

Since Naga Sadow change we have seen steady progress, something that the Clan needed for some time. Leadership is about giving and Locke continues to do so, making sure that the members under him are always busy with something to do, from running competitions to having events to get involved in. It seems that he is always looking at new ways that he can expand and progress the Clan something that is expected of every Consul. During my time serving under him he has seen Clan Naga Sadow get involved in a joint event with Scholae Palatine. This event was something that was planned form the start, with Locke constantly communicating with the summit of Scholae to get the event organised as well as having a plan on how to deliver fun competitions to the members.

The event was well executed from the beginning to the end, making sure that he knew each step and that everyone did there jobs, as well as pushing the Leaders of Naga Sadow to get there members involved, for all these late nights of planning and constant back and forth communication we saw a well organised event that brought us more activity. Locke is a stable figure head for Naga Sadow and always knows whats going on, as well as how to drive and encourage his members keeping open communication with everyone. Its an awesome sight to see and one that has been missed in Naga Sadow.

For all of your hard work, it is with joyous and well deserved honour that I see you awarded this Sacramental Blade. You have been completely outstanding in everything you strive to do; from day to day IRC presence to emailing members, to working with the leadership and guiding new journeymen. All of it is to a very high standard. Thank you for everything Locke and I look forward to our huge pile of work in the future. Congratulations bud, looks like the drinks are going to be on you tonight!

Proconsul of Naga Sadow

I’m not one to mince words. Locke has been a godsend to Naga Sadow.

His work within the Clan has given hope to it, revitalized the love that the members have, encouraged new members to join and contribute. We often find that units are like families. They have the jokers, the parents, the annoying children, the weird uncle. Locke is the guiding light within that family, the father figure.

My interactions with Locke have always been interesting. We first hit it off when I was Quaestor of House Galeres all those years ago and Locke was in his first stint as Consul of Naga Sadow. We often had long discussions via pm about issues we were facing and possible solutions and ideas. I cherished those namely because Locke always had a unique way of solving those problems and made me think about how I as a leader could contribute and continue to both involve and motivate my members. Since then, I’ve counted him as both a friend and an example to follow.

Locke has always been an inspiration to those around him, even though he won’t admit it or even thought about it himself. He creates lore, he teaches both leaders and members how to behave, what he expects from them and what they can expect from him. He gives so much, his time, his ideas, his dedication.

Locke is more than deserving of the rank this Sacramental. As such, I’m adding my recommendation so that he can stand as a veritable beacon of what it means to continually put others before . Congratulations, Locke. I know it won’t go to your head when I say nice things.

Mandalorian Declan Roark, 2015-06-29 19:13:28 UTC

There is a lot to say about Locke Sonjie. For one thing, Locke was one of the heavy hitters of Clan Naga Sadow in the recent Pro Bowl. He completed 16 of a possible 25 competitions and brought home 103 points for the Frog Dogs.

Given that his last recognition was in 2019, I do feel that gives me a decent amount of ground to cover even putting the Pro Bowl aside. He has given a LOT of counsel and direction and insight to myself and the Summit in all that time. This was a part of what he offered in the 15 months he served as a Battle Team Leader, the 9 months he served as the Aedile of House Marka Ragnos and most recently as he has taken the Quaestor's seat in the same house. In particular, Locke has proven a very down-to-earth voice of reason within the Summit. He also wrote up 5 news posts over the course of his leadership positions since his last awarding in 2019 to help keep his members in the know.

His personal activity has not been anything to scoff at, either. I am normally rather loathe to go about giving a list of accomplishments, but there is a good little bit for me to cover. In this time, Locke has organized 7 competitions and has racked up 61 competition entries on his own part. Through a variety of competitions, he has earned a small trophy case of awards including a Silver Nova for a vendetta battle plan competition, 2 Crescents with a Ruby Star, 7 Crescents with an Amethyst Star, 2 Clusters with a Sapphire Star, 3 Crescents with an Emerald Star, a Crescent with a Topaz Star, a Crescent with a Quartz Star and a Legion of the Scholar. He has also earned 5 Seals of Visions and 7 Seals of Emnity for Vendetta-time efforts!

Locke is more than just competition numbers though. He has been a bit of a monster in gaming with 22 PVP matches and 114 PVE activities. When you look at the number of Heroes of the Storm matches he can complete in a night of gaming, you realize that this is even more impressive than it looks from the above number. Looking at gaming clusters alone, Locke has earned 15 Clusters of Fire and 1703 Clusters of Earth.

Gaming is not the only arena in which Locke performs well. He is also a decent writer (in my humble opinion) and has demonstrated his skills having completed an ACC battle, written for eight fiction competitions and written 4 run on posts. His word total comes up to the tune of 6735 words- 4001 in general fiction activities and 2734 in run on content. This writing has gathered up 15 Clusters of Ice.

Taking all these things into account and given the fact that (as shown by the conversations we have had within the Clan Naga Sadow Summit) Locke very much cares for Clan Naga Sadow and her future, I feel it is appropriate to recognize his contributions to activity both within the Clan and within the club at large with this Sapphire Blade. I hope that he will continue to provide his insight and experiences to the Clan for a long time to come, and that as part of the Summit he will help create even more fun stories and experiences with all of us.

Bentre Sadow, Consul

Adept Bentre Stahoes, 2021-10-25 05:03:05 UTC

One of the two best Questors a Consul could ask for. Adept Sonjie is one of those guys you just want in your corner. I mean the guy is one of the MANY vital members to Clan Naga Sadow. A former Consul himself and now he has been helming the Quaestor position in House Marka Ragnos for over a year now.

As a new Consul, having the Adept continue his leadership is truly a blessing for the Clan . Adept Sonjie’s knowledge of ships and fleet development has refined both the Houses and Clan fleets into a Navy worthy of giving pause to opposing forces.. His assistance and inputs are critical when it comes to regularly strengthening our fleet and troop assets. Furthermore, I can not leave out how much of a vast resource the Adept is when it comes to furthering the Clan’s fictional expansion. His depth of knowledge and his ability to reiterate planning details in a “matter-of-fact” helps refine both the Clan and House fictional development.

As a member of the Rotworms, the Adept helped lead his team to victory during the *Pro Bowl VI - Alliances event. Locke earned himself a first place finish during week one of the event. He participated in over twenty of the events competitions and added a total of one hundred and twenty six points to the Rotworms overall total.

As Quaestor, Adept Sonjie has put together a solid performance over the last few months. He has participated in forty seven comps and an additional fifty eight gaming activities. During this course of activity the Adept has earned himself eighteen Crescents, three hundred and thirty seven Clusters of Ice, four hundred and twenty three Clusters of Earth, two Clusters of Ice, six Clusters of Earth and fourteen Seals of Ascension.

Gaming is not only one of the Adepts dogged qualities. He is pretty staunch in the literal arts. The adept has authored nearly two thousand words towards HMR fictional development. Over the past few months the Adept has kept himself and House Marka Ragnos on the uptick of excitement. Not only participating in competitions, Adept Sonjie spearheaded the “It Came From Kar Alabrek” HMR Event. He organized eight competitions and co/org’d two competitions into a two part mini event protecting HMR assets. His ability to generate an intriguing tale together drew in thirty seven total entries and nine unique participants to the event.

For all his consistent leadership and dedication to develop the Clan further, Adept Locke Sonjie has proven himself to be both an exceptional member and a worthy leader for Clan Naga Sadow, and I hereby extend my recommendation for this award.

Warlord DarkHawk Sadow

Consul

Adept DarkHawk Sadow, 2023-01-06 23:35:47 UTC

What can I say about this young man that has not already been said. He is one of the Old Guard’s of CNS and his presence is felt constantly throughout the Clan. Over the past few months Locke has maintained a steady flow of activity. He has competed in nearly ninety comps and has earned himself hundreds of Clusters of Earth & Fire.

During his time as Quaestor this year the Epis has been a valuable resource helping me settle in as Consul by assisting with promoting Clan activities, multiple award sweeps as well as helping with restructuring the Clan Fleet. Locke helped with the creation of the Sepros Defense Force & Sepros Mining Outpost ensuring CNS had the resources to protect our own backyard and furthering CNS storyline. Giving CNS members more lore & assets to enhance their own fictional storylines.

When he is not helping me, Locke is usually on the front lines with members answering questions regarding CNS/Club. He has a vast amount of knowledge and always willing to assist others. Whether he takes time out to assist with CS or loadouts, members know they are in good hands with the Epis. During the recent ProBowl and GJW he was right behind me in promoting and getting folks active in major Club events. His leadership as Quaestor was emulated by five Marka Ragnos members garnering their own placements during the War. Those war efforts led CNS to edge out the other Clans in overall participation rate in each phase of the GJW.

He consistently competes in our monthly Order of the Blackguard competition and has an ongoing feud with his Aedile for higher placement. This in House rivalry has increased our overall participation rate amongst members increasing Clan espirit de corp. During the Great Jedi War XVI: Transcendence, Locke crossed off eight comp bins, racking up over fifty individual points. His gaming prowess led to his placement in the GJW HoTs competition. I am honored to be able to be a part of this award. Congratulations Sir, well deserved!

Adept DarkHawk Sadow, 2023-10-26 22:02:51 UTC