All,

Some things are better late than never, and I hope that this announcement carries that regard. Some months ago, Spears Tarentae stepped down from Consul of Tarentum, a position that he took after a long and prosperous tenure as Headmaster. Wrongly, I let Spears retire from his leadership positions without recognizing him properly for all he has done for the Brotherhood. That a person such as Spears can serve honorably and graciously for so long and not be placed into the ranks of the Masters is terrible. Tonight I intend to correct that wrong.

The first time I ever really interacted with Spears was in his try at leading the SWG guild. The game was new and Spears was a fiery member that took the guild by the horns and tried to pull it along. There really wasn't a lot to pull back then, but many noticed his strong effort. He was also serving as Praetor to the Headmaster at that time, pulling in an absolute ton of responsibility upon himself. In the time he served as P:HM he probably could have been promoted a couple more times easily. When Kaiann was moved to Lord Hegemon, there was absolutely no question who was going to take over as Headmaster. Spears was made for that position.

As Headmaster, Spears quickly made it known that he was not going to settle for the status quo. He implemented staff changes and course changes that began the SA down a path to where it is today. He had great ideas for new areas the SA could expand into and new ways to modify our existing structures. The Test of Lore was something that Spears and I worked closely together on -- we must have sent twenty drafts back and forth. I was very impressed by his effort with that. In fact, I was always impressed by Spears's devotion to the administration of the Academy. It's sad to say, but a lot of times I can judge how an office is going best by the lack of complaints...I barely ever had to deal with anything SA related, if ever. Spears ran a tight ship and he ran it well. Outside of Spears, I think only Anshar could really tell you what it takes to run the SA today -- there is a lot that goes into it. The new member emails, the tests, the development, the reporting, the staff management, the envoys...Spears did it all.

Even after the Shadow Academy, Spears remained dedicated to the DB and took the potion as Tarentum Consul. It was good to see the fire in him -- he wasn't going to put up with crap from anyone who would get in the way -- not even me. Even in the short stint as Consul, Spears was able to get a lot of things started that have been continued since by the new generation of leaders.

And all of this is without mentioning his steady work as Right and of Justice, a position that Spears excelled at.

Spears is a hard working member who has always had the best interests of the DB at heart. He is talented, innovative and strong-willed. He knows how to motivate people and knows how to keep them motivated. He was definitely a person that knew how to properly award a staff -- he took care of those that worked for him. I should have taken care of him in the same light.

Spears, please accept my apology for not doing this sooner. Late though it is, it is none less earned. You have been a steadfast proponent of the Brotherhood's interests and I thank you for that. You may be justifiably proud of this...

I hereby elevate Spears Tarentae to the rank of Dark Jedi Master with all honors and privileges that rank does so accord.

A full set of recommendations can be read here.

Congratulations, Spears, and thanks.

Lord Jac Cotelin

Grand Master of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood