Rian Aslar is a stellar example of what it means to be a leader within the Dark Brotherhood. He is steady, constant, and ever-present. Rian doesn’t exhibit the flair, or bravado of some of Taldryan’s past leaders, but instead he sets about his daily work in a calm and determined manner. Rian makes use of every resource he has at his disposal, asking advice from other summit members around the DB, and asking for advice from the elders at his beck and call within Taldryan. Rian also shows the fortitude to look former Grand Master’s and Dark Councillors in the eye and simply say “no, you’re wrong” when he doesn’t like the advice. It’s valuable maturity and self-assuredness that go beyond the normal ken, and it deserves recognition.

As for what Rian has done specifically of late, I would like to point to Taldryan’s resurgence in the Dark Crusades. Taldryan has been at the forefront of the Dark Crusades since it began. We’re the only unit to have defeated Arcona. If not for a cruel twist of fate, we would have defeated them twice. We dominated the first round of the skilled competitions. We have consistently been one of the top three performers within the DB, and have never failed to achieve less than a 100% participation ratio under his watch.

Rian isn’t just content with watching Taldryan get back to winning ways, but is constantly striving to make sure that we can, in the near future, return to our rightful status as a Clan in the Brotherhood. He’s ensuring that we train up new leaders in Taldryan, using Summit tasks to help teach members how to become viable leaders in the DB, instead of just writing reams of fluff fiction that benefit no one. Rian has taken his charge seriously to return Taldryan to its rightful place, and has done it all without any look toward his own benefit. It’s all for Taldryan.

The Amethyst Kukri is awarded for working on Clan Level projects, or on projects for the Dark Council. It is given when “such work reaches a level of exceptional value, a token of appreciation is needed to honor such tasks.” Taldryan is more than just a project for Rian. It is a labor of love, and under him its transformation has truly been exceptional. For these, and many more reasons, I recommend that Quaestor Rian Aslar be rewarded with an Amethyst Kukri.

Dark Jedi Master Keirdagh Taldrya Cantor,

Aedile of Taldryan.

Let it be known that in this recommendation you will find my deepest and earnest words regarding one of the Brotherhood’s most dedicated members. In no way, shape or form should it be taken lightly or undermined, for this member has truly set himself apart from the rest and with great effort he has made his attempt on making this club better than what was given to him; an effort that he is still pursuing each and every day. Rian Aslar or Ri-Guy as I like to call him has been and continues to be the epitome of Leadership within the Dark Jedi Brotherhood. Starting as Rollmaster of Taldryan he earned his passage into the role of many great Taldryan leaders before him and was very influential in that position; many of Taldryan’s current DJK’s and Journeymen were greeted by Rian. His ethic as a Junior member on the Taldryan Summit at that time was welcomed and saw Taldryan push through one of our hard patches. Shortly after leaving the position of Rollmaster Rian took up the mantle as my Aedile while I was Quaestor in Taldryan. And thus, Rian’s work ethic that surpasses most in this club took hold of the House in a great way and gave me the momentum needed to push Taldryan further. It was a large task for Rian to take on as his House was limping after multiple setbacks. Rian played his part as Aedile with flying colors by putting out regular reports, competitions and actively engaging members in the House. I could not have carried on as QUA in that time were it not for Taldryan and its high-time that Rian is recognized as one of the sole-reasons for Taldryan getting back on her feet. After I resigned roughly a year ago from Quaestor, Rian eagerly stepped up to the plate and began to lead with an immense sense of power and knowledge. Taldryan’s activity skyrocketed and continues to do so! Tal has been at the forefront of the Dark Crusade and we have the leadership of Rian Aslar to thank for that. It takes someone who is firm in their behavior and ideals to be a leader in Taldryan. It also takes someone who is openly supportive of the general Brotherhood membership to be in the position he is in and he fits that criteria with ease. Taldryan has been blessed with another member who will go down as one of the “Greats”, and that member is Rian Aslar. His time in the DB has stretched from Leadership, to working with the Justicar, to aiding the Dark Council with in-detail reports on the status of his House, to doing simple Wiki-grunt work. If there were ever an inspiring member to bring Taldryan to the top of the Brotherhood once again, it is Rian. From a first-hand experience I have seen Rian start as a lowly-apprentice who could barely speak English – to surpassing my own feats with the mere blink of an eye. Rian has been in the DB for a relatively short time of 4 years and has been in Taldryan since – most of that time being spent on the Tal Summit. He has seen where Taldryan came from, has seen how far we were setback and is once again seeing us to an awe-inspiring powerhouse. Ri-guy, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for being one hell of a Leader and for being an inspiration for the multitude of members above and below you. Keep it up, and enjoy this shiny! Sid

Exarch Shaz’air Taldrya, Quaestor Emeritus

Rian is, without a doubt, up there with the truly exceptional leaders who have always made Taldryan what she is. Many people talk about leading by example, but there are few people who truly manage that, Rian is one of those few.

Being Quaestor of Taldryan is no easy job - having to balance the task of encouraging our newer members into activity, with tempering the sharp wit of some of our older members, leadership in the House has always been a case of balancing a fine line. Rian has managed this with aplomb. He is one of those rare leaders who will always listen to whatever advice or opinion you have, and will fully consider it before giving you a reasoned explanation of why he is, or isn’t in agreement with you; this has made him an eminently approachable leader to all members of Taldryan, old and new alike.

I have seen many leaders come and go, but Rian is most definitely one who will stay in my memory. He had managed to revitalise Taldryan, breathing new life into her, and giving us all a renewed sense of pride. We have long been talking about how Taldryan will dominate the Brotherhood again one day, but until Rian that seemed little more than a pipe-dream. His pro-active, enthusiastic and encouraging leadership truly has turned the House around, and I have little doubt that with Rian at the helm, Taldryan will continue to thrive.

KE Nyssa “Bubbles” Taldrya

Rollmaster of Taldryan

I've had Mentors in the Brotherhood before. But what sets Rian apart from the rest is that he makes it really easy for me as a student/Apprentice.

He is always available whenever I need to ask him anything, be it about competitions, Crusades or anything about the Dark Brotherhood in general. He's very warm, encouraging, friendly and answers patiently and promptly. And coming from a Mentor that really helps. He motivates me a lot to do my best in all the DB comps. I remember one of my first competitions after coming to Taldryan was in a Crusade Run-On, something I was not familiar with. Rian was of great help in explaining and showed me how a Run-on works.

He sends me periodic reminders about what tasks I've done till now for the next Ranks and which tasks I have yet to do. And these help out a lot. Like when you're really busy in RL and forget what tasks you've to do next or when you don't keep record, remainders like these are of immense help. In a word, they make advancing up the ranks easy as cakewalk.

Rian leads by example, something that made a huge impression on me. All of us have busy lives. But he efficiently juggles RL and DB together. Coming back home after a whole day of work, writing House Reports, doing Summit work, doing comps and other stuff is no mean feat. His actions and participation in the Crusades speaks volumes. As a leader of Taldryan he's always among those submitting the most number of entries or participating in almost all events. He is one of the people in Taldryan who motivates me to do as many comps as I can even if it's a last minute entry. As a leader he gives a purpose to work for.

He works hard in the DB and is doing an awesome work leading Taldryan. And as an Apprentice, it's an honor having Rian Aslar as Master. He totally deserves an Amethyst Kukri!!!

Draco Sangria Apprentice to Rian House Taldryan #9738

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Prior to the launch of the crusade, it had been some time since I was last truly involved in the day-to-day operations of Taldryan. Part of it was that I had a lot going on, and was in semi-retirement mode. But part of it was also that we have not had a leadership team that was always at the top of its game. Enter Rian. This guy is Taldryan to his core and has done a phenomenal job in reinvigorating the house. He deserves our recognition for the work he’s done.

I’ve had the distinct pleasure of watching Rian grow and mature as a leader before our very eyes. I think even Rian would admit that when he took over he was a little green, but he has come such a long way. He has pushed the house to greatness in the Crusades. He has encouraged new members through the grind to get to the higher and more stable Equite ranks. He is actively pursuing the interests of Taldryan on the Dark Council; and he’s been able to keep a steady grip on a unit that can sometimes get ahead of itself when drama comes knocking.

Rian it quickly becoming one of the leaders of Taldryan that I will always remember. He will create a legacy through the next year, but his work until now deserves recognition. Please keep up the excellent work, Rian!

Jac Cotelin,

The Hunter of Buffalo

Rian’s position as Taldryan’s Quaestor is, at times, a strange one. Here is a man that is in charge of one the Brotherhood’s independent units - tasked with (amongst other things) leading his House to victory (which he has been successful at, but I will get to that later) and training its new members to be productive and happy members of this club - this is true of all leaders of this club. In his situation, however, Rian is also shouldered with the responsibility of herding and corralling Taldryan’s old people. Sometimes this means reigning us/them in when we/they go off the reservation, sometimes that means letting experienced members do their thing, and sometimes that means asking for help - something that many members would never do out of pride or ego. Rian has performed all of these aspects masterfully, and Taldryan is better for it.

Now to the meat and potatoes: Taldryan is the only unit thus far to deny Clan Arcona a victory in any Dark Crusade round, and would have a second time if not for an unfortunate set of circumstances that I will not dredge up in detail. Further to that, under Rian’s leadership - Taldryan’s marginal victory over Clan Arcona in the first round was greater than Arcona’s in the second (Taldryan’s 1.90 to Arcona’s 1.84 vs. Arcona’s 2.31 to Taldryan’s 2.27). The House also scored a relatively crushing victory against two other Brotherhood houses in the most recent crusade round. Here, Taldryan’s fleet points totals and overall score (points towards victory) were higher than the combined total of our opponents.

Rian has also taken it upon himself to be involved with Taldryan’s Journeymen - mentoring, assisting and pestering them to complete their summit tasks. In the end, these Journeymen all stand a good chance to make it to the important rank of Dark Jedi Knight - and none of that would have been possible without Rian.

For these reasons, and those reasons mentioned by my peers - Rian Aslar has earned an Amethyst Kukri for his dedication and service to Taldryan. It is my honour to assist in showing our appreciation for all his hard work.

Dark Jedi Master Howlader

Medalbot

The AK is given out for single tasks that are above-and-beyond the norm, or for their exceptional overall work. While there isn’t a single “thing” to point to, it is clear that Rian, as leader of Taldryan, has proven to be truly exceptional. He has been a huge part of Taldryan for quite some time now and has been a focal point for Tal during that period. He has been a constant for the House in terms of leadership and the stability he brings cannot be overstated. However, it is his recent actions as Quaestor that has really kicked us into high-gear.

Taldryan has been one of the premier units during the course of the Vendetta under his leadership. He has proven capable of corralling a disparate group of members and focuses us to achieve a multitude of goals. He has matured tremendously in this time and has stood up for Taldryan on numerous occasions. His attitude is refreshing as he has not become cynical when he could easily have turned that way. Instead he continues to be positive and strives for more. He has been a key contributor as an individual, but beyond that he is our leader and what Taldryan has done is a reflection of Rian.

Congratulations, Rian! Keep up the great work!

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DP Halcyon Rokir Taldrya

Sith Lord

In my years in Taldryan I have seen many different people active in many of the clan's (and later house) summit positions. None of them have performed as consistent as Rian has. That might not sound like a big compliment, but it is. I know from my time as house summit that it is a grind. You do it out of love for your house or clan and the DB, but it is still a continuous labor. You are constantly being tested and asked to juggle your time. It always conflicts with your "own" DB time, your remaining free time and quite often your important real life time. If that isn't enough, a summit position can be a thankless job too. Members below you will bitch at you; people in higher positions will bitch at you. Everyone bitches at you.

Rian takes it. He takes it all and keeps performing. I have never seen him lose his temper, appear lost or without focus. He will approach problems in a calm and decisive manner and is not afraid to ask the advice or help of others. He is a man of few words, but you just know he is always on the ball. And when he does say something, you know you have to pay attention because it'll be damn important. He is one of the few people I will follow without question.

He pulls not only his own weight, but continuously ensures that the future of the house and the DB is safeguarded. He does this by inspiring others to excel, by training the DB youth of today into its leaders of tomorrow and by always leading by example.

For his non-stop efforts into seeing house projects being thought up, assigned, troubleshot, resolved and completed as well as surviving the grind and stress inherent to the position while still making the house that much better than it was yesterday on a daily basis, I strongly recommend Rian Aslar be awarded the Amethyst Kukri.

OT Talon Drear Taldryan

#122

Don't let anybody tell you differently; a year is a long time. Last 12 months on a job and people have probably accepted you as part of the group (maybe invited you to join the lotto pool or go out for drinks on Friday). Managed to stick around for another birthday and you get a celebration (along with more candles than you know what to do with). A 1 year old child is far more independent than a newborn, and we here on planet Earth have travelled somewhere in the range of about 938 million kilometers (or about 583 million miles if you're going to be that guy).

On August 8th, 2012 our colleague and friend Rian Aslar took the reins of House Taldryan as her Quaestor. Others before me have talked about his many accomplishments since. His guiding hand through this crusade competition, his personal growth, mentorship to younger generations, and overall consistency and reliability. In short, everything you could ask for and more in a leader. The Amethyst Kukri is awarded when a member's work is of exceptional value, worthy of a special token of appreciation. For his year of service to both Taldryan and the Brotherhood as Quaestor, we wish to show our gratitude. Thanks Rian!

-Ben

Darth Aeternus, 2013-08-10 21:09:05 UTC

Rian is, by any stretch of the imagination, a rock star in the Herald's office. The amount of work that he has done is staggering, and he's been integral to the Herald staff's pivot towards focusing on custom item requests from members over quarterly releases that, while gaining the office good press, have in the past not seen usage that really warrants the amount of effort going into those projects. However, if the office were unable to fulfill requests the system would break down. Rian has been indispensable in keeping the system churning along without the wheels falling off.

Since the last time that I have sat down to write out a recommendation for him, Rian has created a truly amazing amount of work directly for members. Just in the realm of Warbanners alone Rian has completed 17 warbanner requests for members. Warbanners might be the simplest work that we do, but they're also the item that more members than any other use and are often the first custom graphic that is requested. Making sure these items turn around to meet member expectations is a key task for our office, ensuring members have a positive experience with our organization and helping retain them. He has also completed a pair of leadership graphic requests, helping to keep leader reports eye catching to promote consumption of that content. But, more so than anything else, Rian has been the primary staffer assigned to custom weapon requests. These weapons offer a step up in degree of difficulty, as customized blasters offer different challenges from artistic, one off lightsaber hilt designs. But, Rian has risen to the challenge on every occasion, completing an unbelievable 15 custom weapon requests since his last recognition. Many staffers don't generate that amount of content over entire tenures on staff, but this is just normal for Rian. Lastly, he is responsible for the Great Jedi War weapon reward for Clan Odan-Urr, working back and forth through several revisions with the Clan in order to ensure that the final product meets their exacting standards.

I have no problem characterizing Rian's service as absolutely essential over the past year. It is not an exaggeration to say that, without his perseverance, the Herald Staff would have been unable to fulfill anywhere near the number of member requests that have been met over his time on the staff. You have my thanks, sir.

Master Selika Roh di Plagia, 2021-02-25 02:33:06 UTC

Rian has done a great job running the Herald office and was a major contributor in his first vendetta on the DC. He took over the job at the end of the last vendetta and did an excellent job wrapping up the remaining work, getting dossier art out in a timely manner. He and his staff have also kept up a solid pace for processing requests and releasing new content.

Congrats, Rian!

Lord Dacien Victae, 2022-08-05 14:15:38 UTC