Primary Recommendation:

Turel Sorenn is one of those few people that redefines the word champion. Everything he puts his mind to, he dominates, whether it be something so simple as a House competition or something as grand as putting his name on the GMRG leaderboard, or even battleteam leadership. Turel pushes himself, and the people around him, to be the absolute best that they possibly can. It is a gift, a quality, something that is highly prized and valued in this club. When those people put themselves out there and get results, there are many rewards to be reaped. Recognition is one of them. Promotions are another.

As promotions are generally equated upon achievements and projects, let us list them: In terms of personal achievement, Turel Sorenn shines as one of the Brotherhood's most active members in recent history. Since his last promotion, Turel has earned a staggering amount of awards: 14 Crescents of varying nature, 21 Clusters of Ice, 3 Scrolls of Foundation, an absolutely mind-blowing 1771 CFs (for posterity, this is being written the morning of the 9th of September - by the time you read this, this CF count will be higher, I guarantee), 6 Pendants of Blood (one for a cooperative Diablo 3 club first), a Seal of the Crusader, and for his work in varying parts of the club, a Dark Cross, a Steel Cross, and a Grand Cross. Turel has served as Battleteam Leader of the Knights of Allusis, the highest-performing battleteam of the House, for four months, as well as served as Professor of the Shadow Academy in the Combat Studies department for three months. He's hosted 7 competitions, entered 22, completed not only 10 separate Shadow Academy exams but earned the Philosophy Maven but is also one of the very first in this club to earn the Dark Sage of Gaming. Inevitably this tells you a story of a high-achieving member. Frankly, most people would strongly consider a promotion for that kind of activity as it is. However, he's also contributed project work incomparable: Turel is solely responsible for the maintenance of the wiki project that Odan-Urr undertook, in which every single wiki page was slated for updates and receives them. He took charge of delegating tasks and pages to people, as well as documenting the progress and required updates. The spreadsheet is massive. Not only this but he has had a direct hand in innumerable projects since, including HOU's Comedy Month, getting the running of trivia off the ground, our massive push at getting our members awarded on time, last month's long-running gaming comp, even some contributions to internal reports and documentation that will be used in the long-term as we drive towards Clanning. We wouldn't be doing so well as we are without his suggestions and their implementation.

One thing the Master-at-Arms office talks about often with Equite promotions is 'legacy'. What has this person left behind in their positions, through their actions? Turel's legacy is very obvious: Odan-Urr has benefitted from the knowledge and actions of a keen and inspirational leader, whose tempered insight and valuable input has shaped many decisions and projects such as our comedy month, his sensational wiki project, the way we examine our battleteams, even something so simple as setting the bar high for our internal Summit reviews. We have been blessed with the skills of one of the best gamers in the Brotherhood who has, as I understand, posted a record high of earned Clusters of Fire for the past few months. I don't think anyone has earned that before in such a small amount of time and probably won't again. We have been graced with the presence of a strongly developing writer, who I have watched take his skills from his first public run-on within two weeks of joining to dominating the ACB, competing in the ACC and doing so while earning the attention of some of fiction's big names and the Voice. The club has benefitted from the eyes of a keen Professor of the Shadow Academy whose constant work is improving the quality of the club experience. All this in mere months of joining, already leaving his name forever on the annals of Odanite history. Already his name will be etched in the history of the Brotherhood. Yes, the legacy that Turel Sorenn has created is a powerful one. None can deny that. Now it is time that he wear a mantle worthy of the achievements that he has won for himself.

I write this rec right now knowing that he is leaving us here in Odan-Urr for Arcona, to wear the mantle of the Shadow Clan as one of their Aediles. I know now that we are losing one of the very best of us, that Arcona has gained a far bigger boon than it perhaps knows. But this is not a time for commiseration - this is a celebration of a man who does so much not just for himself but for everyone around him. Look upon the work he has created, for you. For all of us. Smile and be thankful for everything Turel does, because it is done not for his own selfish pride, but for you.

On a far more personal note. I write this to a battle-brother, a best friend, a battleteam leader in my care - thank you, with every fibre of my being. I'm going to miss having you in my House, on my Summit. Even though you are literally just an email away, there is going to be a hole there that I don't think I can quite replace. You are a voice of reason, you are a voice of experience and wisdom, you are a friend and confidant. You are a helper. You are a motivator. You are everything that Odan-Urr needed and everything I needed to teach me how to lead better.

Mirus said it himself, but allow me to say it again: I consider you an equal. In more ways than one-- many ways, more than you know-- I consider you my better. Today it gives me pride to lead the charge to give you the keys to the kingdom, to have you publicly recognised for something you have already been for a long time. Welcome to the circle of equals. Welcome to the Equites. You have more than earned this. You embody the Equite spirit with every breath and action you take.

I know it's not the pony saber that you want so badly, but as my final, parting gift, take this. I know you wanted to be the first and only Knight to reach GMRG rank XII, but I would far rather you take the title as an Equite. Go to Arcona, go and help them in your own way - take this as yet another stepping stone on the meteoric rise that I know you will make. I hope that this rec is enough to move you to damn tears - because right now that's exactly how I'm feeling.

Congratulations, Turel. On behalf of every member of Odan-Urr, on behalf of a grateful House, please accept this promotion to Equite 1 with my thanks. You will be missed.

• Mirus Hi'ija, Praetor to the Herald, Praetor to the GM

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Supporting Recommendation(s):

Others will highlight all of Turel's amazing accomplishments as a young member of the Brotherhood--and rightfully so. You can see his stats and achievements on paper all you want, but that is not the core of what stands out so much about Turel.

Having only recently joined the Arcona Summit, I can't speak much for what he's done for us, yet. However, as a Consul in the Brotherhood, Turel still managed to catch my eye. He did so by taking the time to reach out beyond the borders of Odan-Urr on a fairly basic scale. It was almost as if the notion of not making friends with anyone he could (whether they were from Odan Urr or otherwise) just did not occur to him. That willingness to interact and engage with others lead to forming a friendship through TeamSpeak chats while gaming. That trickled into small things like him reminding me to protect my back door (in Star Craft, relax) or by trying out a new type of trivia that involved hit 90's songs that got even a jaded veteran like me to participate in.

Not only that, Turel had the initiative to look for opinions from members outside of his home unit. He has been active presence in all aspects of the Brotherhood, and activity across the board like that is not only rare, but contagious. His activity drives others, and thus makes the DB a better place. All of this, and he's still just a Knight?

I highly doubt this will be the last thing I write for Turel. I'm confident he has the intangibles, work ethic, and passion to make it to Dark Prophet. Here's the first step on that ladder. Walk your path with confidence.

-W

Consul of Clan Arcona

Exarch Marick Tyris Arconae, 2014-09-23 05:41:59 UTC

Turel joined the Shadow Academy staff just a few months ago and hit the ground running. In his short tenure, he has graded fifty exams with an astonishingly-low one hour average grading time. Moreover, he revised the two current Combat Tactics courses largely on his own and has done a substantial amount of work on two brand new courses that are still being written. He has a very quick turnaround time on emails and brings fresh energy and perspective to an old department. Thank you for all of your hard work, Turel! Congratulations.

• Dacien Victae di Plagia, Headmaster

Lord Dacien Victae, 2014-09-23 05:38:10 UTC

Turel has been the driving force of House Odan-Urr for as long as he's been a member of House Odan-Urr. Stretching from the time I acted as his Aedile, he never failed to impress his Summit in both his impressive activity and commitment to a leadership role, no matter the expected size and scope. Under his enthusiastic leadership and devotion to his battle team - the fabled Knights of Allusis - he has mastered the legendary ability to turn the smallest position into our greatest asset. It would be an understatement to describe his skill as “rare,” as he is only one of an extremely select few people who I have witnessed express the same dedication and caring attitude towards maintaining such a position that most would label as a lesser role. Having seen battle teams rise and fall, I have yet to see even the slightest decline in the activity our battle teams show. Not only is he directly responsible for those under him, he also went to great lengths to help out the other battle team leaders whenever needed. Turel did not deserve a position as a battle team leader - he deserved a Consul position. Unfortunate that we could not afford this to him, he took what was given and return it tenfold in the form of the Brotherhood’s greatest active battle team. While it saddens me to see him leave to serve as an Aedile elsewhere, I have no doubt that he will give Arcona the same level of excellence he has shown here. He will always be an Odanite at heart, and will forever he held as a beacon to all future leaders.

• A’lora Kituri, Aedile Emeritus of House Odan-Urr

Seer A'lora Kituri, 2014-09-23 05:38:35 UTC

Today HOU has lost one of its most prized posessions, Turel Sorenn. Though it is for the betterment of the DJB as a whole. I have had the pleasure of knowing Turel for a few months now, and in almost 14 years of being in this group, I can honestly say that he belongs in a class of his own.

When I first joined HOU, I remember thinking that this person was nothing more than a braggart. He boldly pronounced himself the "HOU Iron Man of Gaming". Little did I know I was about to pick my jaw up off the floor. While he bragged, he also backed up his claim. As proof in the past few months he has garnered himself almost 1600 Clusters of Fire. While many people can match this claim, it is often in only one game of choice. Turel has claimed these CF's by dominating in TOR, Diablo 3, Starcraft 2, and Pazaak. During this time he has also laid claim to 6 Pendants of Blood, one of which was a Club First Malthael Torment 6 kill. Which was not an easy feat in itself. Turel is now knocking on the door of GMRG 10, and possibly rank 11 or 12. It is quite possible the Grand Master will have an upstart Knight AHEM Templar guarding him.

In addition to gaming Turel has also helped with the formation of the ACB. He has also been awarded 18 Clusters of Ice for his participation in the ACC: Fading Light campaign, as well as First Place in a House wide fiction competition.

He has mastered all of these things while running KoA smoothly. To the point of being awarded a Grand Cross of the Dark Side. This award in itself shows a passion for his work and dedication to the Brotherhood. Lastly he is one of the most approachable people I have met in this club. He does not judge a person harshly, and always has a calm demeanor and sage advice for those who seek it. Honestly his name brings to mind the story of King Midas. Everything he touches turns to gold.

I mourn the loss of a teammate to another Clan. However I am overjoyed that he has the chance to grow in leadership within the Brotherhood. I will miss my friend on the battlefield, but look forward to the challenge of engaging a worthy foe. With all of this said I welcome you to the Equites of the Brotherhood. Turel Sorenn, first among equals.

• Seraphol Ceartas, Battleteam Leader, Knights of Allusis

General Takota Okami, 2014-09-23 05:39:13 UTC

It’s only been a few months since Turel had become a Jedi Knight, but those four months have let him prove that he is the most active member in our House by a long shot. Three merit awards have graced his dossier in the last months, ranging from a Grand Cross of the Dark Side to a Steel Cross and a Dark Cross-- all from numerous forms of activity throughout the House and Brotherhood. 13 crescents show that he hasn’t slowed down with activity participation over the months despite his work for his Battleteam and the Summit; along with his gaming goal and helping Arcona test run their new mission fiction system.

Along with those awards, he has worked for an astonishing 1771 Clusters of Fire and a grand total of six Pendants of Blood; earning himself the nickname ‘The Iron Man of Gaming’ within Odan-Urr. His well earned and worked for goal of making it to the top of the Grand Master Royal Guard rankings is just within his reach. Aside from the gaming crescents, Turel’s work in competition fiction and Arcona’s beta fiction system has earned him 21 Clusters of Ice. Even with this hard work at being the person to dominate Brotherhood gaming, he always found time to write and urge all those around him to qualify and try out the Antei Combat Center.

Aside from his awarded work, Turel Sorenn is always, always trying to inspire the House and those on his fellow Summit. Not only is he someone I can go to about things outside the Brotherhood, he’s always someone I can go to about things within the Brotherhood as well. He’s always giving me advice about fiction, ways to try and inspire me to write. His work is always done on time and is always keeping in touch with his Battleteam, always first to raise his hand for extra work and making sure to remind us things need to be done. But his House work isn’t everything. Turel’s work as a professor in the Shadow Academy is also worth noting; working on updating and writing new courses while grading the ones he is in charge of. He’s always looking to improve himself and find his way higher up into the ranks of the Brotherhood.

And he did. I’m very sad to see him gone to Arcona and become one of their Aediles, but as much as Odan-Urr is his home; Turel’s place is assisting in leading the club’s largest clan. Odan-Urr was a good spot for him to start and become who he is, and I could not be happier to see that we helped make such an amazing person and someone more than deserving of working his way higher and higher in the club.

I’m still trying to wrap my head around how he’s done all of this in this four month span. I sit here and think to myself; “Boy I’m lazy.” Turel, you’ve raised the bar so many times for how we want to see people accomplish things for themselves in this club. But there’s no way in the world we’re going to lower it. You set it, and seeing it where it is makes me want to meet it. Somehow. There’s no way I can so quickly, but to have a goal to deserve this promotion like you do is something worth working for.

You are more than deserving to get this promotion to the first level of Equite. If you try to tell yourself otherwise, you better stop. Of all the people I’ve heard of in the Brotherhood recently and how people work their way up; you are by far at the top of my list of people who deserve things here.

Turel, keep it up and continue being the awesome person you are in Arcona. We over at Odan-Urr want to watch you and feel proud for helping you get to where you are now.

• Rhiann Baenre, Rollmaster of Odan-Urr

Vivibelle Baenre, 2014-09-23 05:40:01 UTC

Having worked along side Turel since April 16th, when he became the BattleTeam Leader of the Knights of Allusis, I have seen first hand his eagerness and willingness to engage his team and the Summit through constant communication and moral boosting. Taking to IRC and email, he encourages participation on both House and Club wide levels. His efforts encouraged many members to participate in the Shadow Academy Leadership Rewards challenge, which allowed us to place second: a big feat for such a new House. On a personal level, Turel is very level headed, full of ideas and can accomplish any task he puts his mind to. He has a drive unlike any other to not only propel himself but to support others; always encouraging members to take Shadow Academy exams and to apply for various positions throughout the Brotherhood. This drive and passion for the Brotherhood have also landed him in the positions of Professor of the Assistants on June 2nd 2014 and Aedile of Qel-Droma on September 9th 2014.

His various awards speak for themselves when it comes to his outstanding activity and participation in any event or competition. He was awarded a Grand Cross for his multiple contributions to House Odan-Urr and a Steel Cross for his achievements in gaming. For contributing to both the Recruitment drive and Shadow Academy, he was awarded 2 Dark Crosses. As mentioned above, his activity in gaming is beyond words, so I'll let the numbers do the talking. In his career, he has earned 2447 Clusters of Fire and 8 Pendants of Blood. Other awards include: 26 Clusters of Ice, 1 Ruby, 3 Amethyst, 8 Sapphire, 10 Emerald and 9 Topaz Crescents.

With all that he has done and all that he will do in the future, I fully endorse his promotion to EQ1 and wish my friend and colleague all the luck in the world.

• Revak Kur, Battleteam Leader, Strike-team Ooroo

Grand Inquisitor Lizuni Heraga, 2014-09-23 05:40:37 UTC

I would like to endorse Turel's promotion to EQ1.

His IRC and mailer presence is excellent and very positive and fosters a lot of interaction around the House and club. Behind the scenes, he contributes his thoughts and ideas to every idea and project that comes across the Summit's table clearly and quickly, including supporting the push for the Leadership Rewards course (where our House placed second, missing out by just one member). He has also been an active contributor to a Battleteam Reshuffle project, that may or may not see the light of day, and has been working with Wally / Marick on the Antei Contract Bureau project in Arcona.

He has served in the Shadow Academy as a Professor since June 3, and has been a successful Battleteam Leader since his last promotion on 8 May to 9 September, when he became an Aedile of House Qel-Droma.

As a Battleteam Leader, he is always friendly and approachable and puts out his reports on time. He takes his duties seriously and handles himself with maturity when resolving disputes amongst his members. He also puts together recommendations in a timely fashion and has organized a half dozen competitions, and helped out with planning the competition queues for the rest of the Summit.

He has been assisting our Rollmaster get herself set up and taken a student of his own, Kagerou, whom he is attempting to help reach Jedi Knight status. His passion to be a voice for the House Journeyman is commendable and he always helps out any of the juniors he can.

He has also earned himself a Steel Cross for most of his gaming achievements, a Grand Cross for his initiative in coordinating a major House project (the organization of a Wiki update project, covering 52 pages) and a Dark Cross for work assisting the Shadow Academy. He has been one of the most active members I have ever encountered, and quite recently, he has taken it upon himself to become the first Lightsider at GMRG X. As part of this drive, he has gamed constantly, earning 1772 Clusters of Fire and 6 Pendants of Blood in four months. During these four months since his promotion to Jedi Knight, he has also earnt 21 Clusters of Ice, and the following Crescents: 2 Sapphire, 2 Emerald, 2 Amethyst, 1 Ruby and 7 Topaz. All in all, this is an impressive amount of activity from a relatively new member, and I am proud to call Turel a friend.

• Nathan Deciarus, Tetrarch of the Disciples of Baas

Mandalorian Darcy Avarik, 2014-09-23 05:41:02 UTC

The point at which a Dark Jedi Knight rises to the Equite Ranks is, in my opinion, at the point where that member's activity rises above merely checking off boxes in a list. It is when they go from being a consumer to a producer; when they go from casual to competitive; when they go from being a member to being an administrator. This is the threshold at which a member ceases to simply be a player of this game, and becomes part of its creative staff.

This is the bar we set, and it's one Turel Sorenn pole-vaulted over several months ago.

I'm going to open this discussion with his gaming activity, because frankly, if Turel isn't the FIST after a few more years of this level of activity I will be shocked. Just since his promotion from Padawan to Jedi Knight - the filthy traitor - he has amassed one thousand, eight hundred, twenty-three Clusters of Fire. He has also picked up seven Pendants of Blood in that time, and has risen to the ninth rank of the Grand Master's Royal Guard. This is an exceptional gaming career for any member, definitively so for an Equite - much less for a Knight. Before Turel, we had a word for this kind of gamer. That word was hypothetical.

Simply put, the man has gamed more than most of our gaming community ever will, and is only just getting started.

Turel's other niche, without a doubt, has been leadership. In his time as the Battleteam Leader for the Knights of Allusis - the team in which he began his DJB career, before rising to serve as BTS for his predecessor, V'yr Vorsa - Turel ran eleven competitions and posted six timely monthly reports. These are adequate statistics for a leader, until you look at his own participation - wherein you see that he participated in sixty-one competitions while he was at it. Turel doesn't just lead by action, he leads from the mud of the trenches, usually barking his orders between rounds of gunfire.

Turel's other activity and achievements are myriad, and have been listed in other parts of this recommendation - so I'll spare the Master-at-Arms another several pages of the same statistics. One look at his DJB history and the six pages of it that take place after his Knighting is enough to know that the man is active, dedicated, and driven in the Brotherhood. He has truly carved out niches in gaming and leadership, but not at the expense of anything else. Indeed - if there is a competition, project, or other activity Turel cannot do, I have yet to see it. He is a juggernaut, and is the kind of member you only see out of every hundred the Brotherhood takes in. On activity alone, he merits this recommendation more than once.

To bolster the opinion that he needs advancement with something more than statistics, I can wholeheartedly say that Turel Sorenn is one of the best people I have ever met in this Brotherhood. He is patient, and yet driven. His wisdom and his ambition go hand in hand, while his tenacity and honesty go to such extremes that if the man was written as a character in a book, I'd think he was a Mary Sue - no one is this good of a person. He has been a bastion of morale, a dependable helper, a fantastic soldier, and a good friend to myself and many others in this House. To his current Consul and his Arconan brethren, I issue this warning - if Turel Sorenn comes to harm or is done wrong, you will have an army on your doorstep the next day, standing behind him and before him in solidarity and unity.

Within two months, I expect that most of Arcona would issue the same warning to anyone else Turel meets. He is the soldier who should be the general; he is the Knight who ought to be the King. He is a man deserving of elevation, and reward. So please - let's stop pretending that this Obelisk Templar is a Dark Jedi Knight.

Congratulations, Turel. You've earned this - if you ever need anything, we are here. We love you, man.

• Liam Torun, Quaestor of Odan-Urr

Liam Torun-Urr, 2014-09-23 05:41:31 UTC