It's never an easy task to train someone up to the rank of Knight. It's a harder task indeed to come to a club with little to no knowledge of Star Wars beyond the bare-bones basics of the movies and delve into a rich and storied history and drink it so deeply it becomes an integral part of what you do with your time. Rhiann is someone who has come a long way since joining the Brotherhood, not just in the scope of her Star Wars knowledge but her willingness to come out of her shell and participate with a large group of new people and actively work at becoming a part of this very wonderful community. I know there likely won't be many other recs on this page other than mine, so it is my goal here to paint a picture worth far more than a thousand words, to give Rhiann the best possible gift on the day of the most memorable promotion that many members in the Brotherhood cherish for their entire careers.
The rank of (Dark) Jedi Knight is a very important step for every member - it's the day they step out of the shell of requirements and numerical promotions, step out from the shadows of their Masters and become someone of their totally own reckoning, raised and judged on their own merits to greater heights as they explore the deepest depths of our wonderful club. Today is that day. Today is the day Rhiann stands on her two feet and shouts to the heavens that she has joined the ranks of the Knights. Today is the day that Rhiann steps forward and takes the spotlight for her ceaseless work and is recognised for the incredible person that she is.
I've known Rhiann for a period longer than a year now - at first she wasn't quite sure what to think of me, but now I am very proud to call her one of my closest friends. She joined the Brotherhood after I told her about it, during my period of recruiting for Clan Naga Sadow towards the end of 2013. Her first hesitation was a lack of Star Wars knowledge beyond the bare basics, which I waved off. We as members know that's not so important to be a member here, so much as the person you are is important. Her second hesitation was the fact that it would be meeting a lot of new people, something she wasn’t entirely comfortable with. I waved that off too, telling her that the Brotherhood has some of the best people I know. She became a member of the Clan under my tutelage and reached the rank of Protector in a matter of days, which is always a formidable achievement in and of itself. However, that's not the best part of her time spent in the Brotherhood in my eyes. A lot of our friendship has built and grown over the period that she has spent in the Brotherhood, and it's been more than one late night that we've been sitting up on Skype, working on competition entries, playing Pazaak, promotion requirements or ideas for projects that either of us are currently undertaking. Of course, there's plenty we do outside the Brotherhood, but this does now take up a good part of what we do and I feel this is a worthwhile way to pursue a friendship.
After a short vacation, Rhiann made the switch to House Odan-Urr after I joined it, a decision that she has expressed to me that she has not regretted it. Immediately we got straight into the task of preparing her for her next rank promotion, almost all of which she had done the work for thanks to her tireless efforts during her last promotions. She is like a machine, working hard consistently to put out the results that she knows she needs to get, making her work even harder for what she wants. Since her last promotion alone, she's earned 19 Clusters of Fire, a Legion of the Scholar and an incredible six Crescents - three for first place, two for second and one for third. That's a strong track record, especially when taking into consideration her opposition in many cases were seasoned Equites and members who know how to put out results for Brotherhood competitions. That's not all, of course. Her Cluster of Fire total is just over 150 (all of which was from kicking my ass at Pazaak repeatedly), her completed competitions number 18 and she has a Dark Cross for consistent hard work for Clan Naga Sadow. Not only this, but she successfully ran a Brotherhood-wide graphics competition and judged it, which is a solid achievement for any Journeyman. She's also written a series of competitions for House Odan-Urr at the Summit's request for a project, for which the feedback has been great. Finally, she's written a 3000+-word fiction and completed her character wiki page as approved by Shadow. Almost all of these were completed in the past seven days alone, a testament to her drive and ability to get work done in a timely and efficient manner.
If anyone has any doubt that Rhiann Baenre is anything other than a dedicated, hardworking member of the Brotherhood, let those doubts be laid to rest now. When Rhiann sets her mind to a task, it gets done to the absolute best of her ability. Considering the constant and incredible results that she has given us over the past months, that ability goes above and beyond that which many Equites can give out. Not only this, but she's proven herself to be a multi-faceted and talented individual in each of those aspects. She's an incredible artist that I hope one day will join the Herald staff. She's a keen gamer - not just on Brotherhood platforms, too, and her results in Clusters show that. She's a wonderful writer with the ability to spin mind-blowing pieces of fiction that never fail to bring a tear to your eye or let a smile crawl its way across your lips, whenever she demands it happen. Her pure skill at completing competitions is impeccable, too – for her eighteen completed competitions, she’s placed in twelve of them. These competitions range from creative naming to trivia to graphics, fiction and wiki. Her talents are numerous and many; none can dispute that. Rhiann is the kind of member the Brotherhood needs in the future: someone adaptable, able to handle multiple roles as need be. Yet I’ve never heard someone say a bad word about her. Her activity in IRC proves this; she gets along great with her House-mates and those from other units and is always ready to just sit down and chat. This is a good attitude. Someone willing to get out there and mingle with other units is just as important as skill in the Brotherhood as we look towards the future.
Members like Rhiann are the future of the Brotherhood, and it makes me smile to know just how bright our future looks.
I am extremely proud to call Rhiann not only my student but also my friend – and now it is time to give my friend something she ever so richly deserves. Therefore, it is my absolute pleasure to recommend Rhiann Baenre for the rank of Jedi Knight, a promotion so richly deserved. Take up your lightsaber and rise a Knight of Odan-Urr!
Seer A'lora Kituri, 2014-03-11 23:05:35 UTC