I was honored today with the title of a Son of Sadow. I will wear that name proudly and live up to the expectations bestowed upon me.

Adept DarkHawk Sadow, 2021-03-20 18:07:52 UTC

Per the decision of the current Sons and Daughters of Sadow.

Howlader Taldrya, 2021-03-20 17:33:26 UTC

Since his promotion back just over 2 years ago, Takagari “Darkhawk” KogaRyu has not stood still. No, this dude has been making some really excellent marks in his own corner of the Brotherhood and even some beyond in the greater Brotherhood. Although the greater number of the competitions and events he has helped to organize in the Brotherhood centered around Naga Sadow and her sub-units, he has even reached out on at least one occasion to run an event with members of a number of other Clans to run a holiday mini-event around Halloween time.

Perhaps I am getting ahead of myself.

In his time as an EQ 3, Darkhawk took the lead on organizing 13 competitions and helping to co-organize another 12 competitions. Some of these included gaming, such as Heroes of the Storm or Hearthstone. Others have given members a chance to help ‘own’ our corner of a galaxy far, far away by naming fleet assets we gained following a Vendetta; acted as a co-organizer and judge for a competition in which members could detail an enemy of the Sadowans; acting as an organizer/co-org for events contributing to the success of Redemption and Honor event. This event saw our Clan retake our home system and saw a good chunk of our Clan taking part. He was also a key contributor and fellow brain-stormer for the Tensions in the Orian Empire event we ran for the Clan to help push our fictional direction forward and saw us publicly grab control of the Orian System as a Clan instead of operating as a shadow government. He also acted as a co-organizer for a pre-War competition alongside 3 other Sadowans to help hype folks leading into Great Jedi War XIV: Homefront. Even when you look back into his time as Quaestor you can see that Darkhawk wanted to create interesting content, like when he conceptualized and ran Three Shades of Black.

Really, it is worth pointing out that Darkhawk served a respectable term as a Quaestor for which he earned a Grand Cross back in October of 2019. There is some excellence that he strides for. There are also instances like the Gold Nova he got in the 13th Great Jedi War for an impressively built Jedi holocron for the event you can look to. That is seriously the sort of thing that sets my own pursuits to shame. And yet, Darkhawk is again about as humble as they come when it comes to such accomplishments. For one, he took first in the recently Quaestor-run Inos Incursion, he is a regular contributor in Clan-run events and with the Crescents (and the nova) he has earned has a placement-to-participation over 20% of the 148 competitions he has taken part in. I mean, the Crescents aren't everything grant it but they do show that Darkhawk tries to bring excellence to whatever he finds himself in doing. This has been further reinforced by the hard work he put in as the Left Hand of Justice. Darkhawk has been a pretty handy partner in helping to lead Clan Naga Sadow, always willing to lend a hand, always willing to contribute through whatever means he has at his disposal.

Darkhawk has been making his own mark across more than just the Clan or the Chamber of Justice. I mean, when it comes to events he willing to put up his dukes against other members of the club to represent in arenas such as Jedi Academy or Heroes of the Storm. Considering those platforms are not his particular avenues of choice for gaming, I find that REALLY admirable. He is also again super humble, even when he is played cooperatively with members in PVE/PVO activities like in Heroes of the Storm, Battlefront 2 and Squadrons. All the way, he is never the sort to assume himself an ace or a hero in any capacity, but he still grinds out Clusters with his comrades-in-arms and his fellow club members. Now, before I start numbering things like the number of clusters, I do want to point out some of the more impressive bits that I have been noticing again as I review Darkhawk's dossier. This dude has written for 33 fiction activities, when you put aside the 2 ACC battles finished. Between those activities, Darkhawk has written a total of 65,851 words of fiction and another 7,648 in the 9 runon posts he has written. Let that sink in for a minute. He has written on average almost 2000 words in each fiction activity he has taken part in. That in and of itself I find again, admirable.

Darkhawk does not shy away from the things he feels need done. He has continued to push in other sectors of the club like the Shadow Academy, having passed 31 courses since his last promotion. That is pretty awesome, considering there are plenty of Equites out there who are content to never touch the Academy again after they go through their paces on the road to Knight. That work has seen him add six more parts to his Dossier ID line for six new degrees. In his positions as Proconsul and Quaestor, he has published 14 news posts in order to celebrate the accomplishments of members, to hype for events and to keep our members informed. Is that the greatest measure of a leader, though? Nah, I would say that Darkhawk's attempts to keep the folks on our mailing list both in the know, and working to ensure that our Clan is making full use of the mailing list to a degree that frankly puts some of his peers to shame- and I speak as one of his peers. He also makes sure to read and to cheer along many a member as they put up their own reports in much the same way he tries to get the Clan keyed up in emails around Clan-member-run competitions, events, Vendetta time and more. Specific to site comments amounts to no less than 66 report comments, and most of them that I can recall are either applauding other members or otherwise showing support. Darkhawk is a cheerleader (and I do not mean that in any way that might deprecate or diminish that contribution) for CNS!

Speaking of events, I would like to point out that Darkhawk has a pretty consistent record with Vendettas. In Great Jedi War XIII he took part in 19 of 32 available events. In Great Jedi War XIV he took part in 22 of 30 possible competitions. Digging back in old reports, I can positively report that Darkhawk was one of those who 'did all the things' alongside 10 other members in the Clan who got participating in every bin during Homefront. He also shares in that accomplishment, given that Darkhawk pushes and encourages other Sadowans to participate and to bring their A game!

Really, between the attitude and drive that this gent brings to the table, I think that he is a more than apt addition to the ranks of our club's 4th grade Equites.

But as he celebrates the accomplishments of our members, I want to take a chance to celebrate Darkhawk's.

He has earned a Grand Cross*, as I mentioned above. He has gotten a Gold Nova, as I had detailed earlier in this recommendation. He has earned a variety of 35 Crescents: 1 Crescent with Diamond Star*, 3 Crescents with a Ruby Star*, 13 Crescents with an Amethyst Star*, 14 Crescents with a Sapphire Star*, 3 Crescents with an Emerald Star* and a Crescent with a Topaz Star*. He has ground out 9 Pendants of Blood* for accomplishments in gaming; he has also racked up 27 Clusters of Fire* and 42 Clusters of Earth* in that time. For the frankly laudable amount of fiction he has written, he has earned 161 Clusters of Ice*. For his artistic endeavors- which I personally feel are nothing to shake a stick at, he has earned 74 Clusters of Graphite*. His contributions to the club have also been recognized in 2 Seals of Loyalty* he has earned.

Since his last promotion, Darkhawk has served admirably in the Chamber and in the Clan. He spent 2 months as an Appeals panelist in that time and later he took over following Ciara's ascension to Headmaster as the Left Hand of Justice. In our Clan, he served 15 months as a Quasetor and has since served another 11 months as my right hand in Clan Naga Sadow. I do not feel hesitant in saying again that Darkhawk shares in each victory within our Clan with each way he so selflessly gives back through word and deed.

Oh, and in the fashion that has become so accustomed to in our chat, I think I owe Darkhawk at least 13 BOOMs for the individual accomplishments that I have listed here.

For your time of service to the club, for your attitude, for the way that you try to give to the Clan a bit of your time and energy each day, I am proud to hold you up as the latest of our Warlords in Clan Naga Sadow. When paired with the supporting recommendations that others have provided, I think it is clear that you have more than earned your place.

We'll drink to you tonight, my friend.

(Don't forget it is customary for the new promote-ee to pick up the tab at these things ;-) )

Bentre Sadow
Overlord of Clan Naga Sadow

Adept Bentre Stahoes, 2021-03-02 06:39:21 UTC

DarkHawk is one of the most visible and hard working leaders of the Clan. He has a constant presence in Telegram and regularly sends out cheerful motivational emails to the members announcing achievements, reminding about ongoing competitions and events and encouraging activity. He also is a great contributor and sounding board for discussions and ideas on future developments and activities, and has a fair minded open approach to everyone. He has also worked with others to plan fun clan wide competitions such as The Three Shades of Black, Unrest in the Orian System and Winter in Orian.

In addition to this he was the Quaestor I followed in Shar Dakhan, and before moving to Pro Consul he worked with myself and others to begin the fictional update of our House and continued to advise and make suggestions as it developed throughout the summer and was always enthusiastic and supportive as this progressed. He is someone I genuinely enjoy working with and look forward to continuing to do so in the future.

He also has an impressive level of personal activity that sets a great example to members of our Clan, as someone who walks the walk and does not expect anyone to do anything he will not do himself, as seen in his impressive list of medals, seals, crescents, pendants and clusters, and the fact that he has been learning more DB wide games to further participate. That and the fact that his activity since his last promotion includes over a year as Quaestor and nearly a year as Pro Consul and in the Chamber of Justice, it is not hard to see how committed he is to being a highly active member and leader.

For all the above I am more than happy to add my name to the list of recommendations for his promotion to Sith Warlord.

Malisane Sadow Shar Dakhan Quaestor.

Malisane Sadow, 2021-02-28 14:17:17 UTC

DarkHawk has worked hard over the past two years since his promotion to Battlelord to provide entertainment, activity and lore to his Clan, and also worked to support those who needed advice during his time as Left Hand of Justice.

He is constantly messaging the Clan and letting us know what is going on, he is always providing encouragement and is eager to get involved and help people during difficult times. He has run events, supported the push to improve our gaming numbers and is always open to new ideas, as well as coming up with his own to better the experience for his members.

Others have spoken about his achievements, so I'll end it here with a congratulations to DarkHawk on his hard work and to encourage him to keep on serving his Clan and the Club moving forward.

Congratulations on Warlord, DarkHawk

Professor Sanguinius Tsucyra Entar, 2021-02-28 22:22:56 UTC

Darkhawk is a guy who tries his best to "do all the things." If you give him an assignment, he will work his tail off to complete it. He isn't afraid to ask questions and supports his members.

I remember during the most recent Great Jedi War, Darkhawk was always cheering his members on in the google group and telegram. He tries to write encouraging messages on what people have accomplished and really steps up to the plate.

I am truly honored to give my recommendation to this promotion. It was well earned and deserved. Congratulations Darkhawk and enjoy the fruits of your hard work!

~Tasha'Vel Versea, RM of Naga Sadow

Tasha'Vel Versea, 2021-02-27 23:25:17 UTC

DarkHawk joined the Chamber as Left Hand as a mid-term replacement following Ciara's elevation to Headmistress. Although he served a slightly abbreviated term, it was not a quiet term. Shortly after he settled into the job, the Chamber opened investigations into two GJW XIV cheating cases. DarkHawk didn't miss a beat, advising the defendants of their rights and patiently explaining the charges against them. I believe that his work on one of the cases likely resulted in a lesser sentence after conviction than had the defendant not heeded DarkHawk's counsel.

Beyond the unfortunate and rapid-fire GJW cases, DarkHawk acted as a capable and reliable advisor. His upbeat, positive attitude was also a welcome addition to the team.

Congratulations on this well deserved promotion!

Lord Dacien Victae, 2021-02-27 23:29:51 UTC

Darkhawk is one of those leaders that leaves everything on the field. Constantly and consistently active since his return, he has driven hard at his goals, be it to bolster the clan's war efforts, create engaging events for members to engage in, or work on projects to help people get drawn ever further into our little corner of the Star Wars Fandom. He seems to always be available to help a new member with a problem, to help an veteran with an issue, or just to chat when that is really all that is needed.

The other day, DarkHawk approached me and asked what more he could be doing, in light of his assignment as Left Hand of Justice expiring. We discussed at some length some different avenues before I realized that I had been operating under the assumption that he was gunning for the elder ranks. As it turns out, DarkHawk has his eyes on that prize as well, but he has yet to get recognized with the final Equite rank.

I've long been fond of pontificating about how ranks in the club are reflective of the role that you are already playing, that leadership is action, not position. In DarkHawk, that is particularly true. In my mind, and by any standard I could find, he is already a Warlord. For that, he has my appreciation and my thanks.

Stand and be counted, my friend. I look forward to seeing what you achieve in your drive toward Elder.

Muz Ashen, the Lion of Tarthos

Lord Muz Ashen Keibatsu, 2021-03-02 04:14:19 UTC