Atra is an essential member of the Brotherhood, and one who benefits it in multiple ways, from Clan Naga Sadow, to the Antei Combat Centre, and beyond. He has worked with me on Summit twice, first as my Proconsul for four months (just counting the time since his prior promotion) in 2013, and then more recently in 2015, where he began as a BTL, stayed there for 26 days, then Rollmaster, where he stayed for four months, and now Quaestor of House Shar Dakhan, where he has been for two months. Atra basically goes where he is needed, and that's one of the things that makes him such an important member for the Brotherhood and of Naga Sadow.

As Proconsul in 2013, Atra helped lead the clan during the early parts of the Dark Crusades. This began with the Prologue, where he helped organize our teams so the clan could field multiple sizable teams. Atra took the initiative to organize the discussion on this and to encourage newbies to join in. Then he set an excellent example along with his team by leading the pack in every part of the Prologue Runon, eventually winning it.

During the Crusades, he did everything he could to get the clan active, to have fun with the Crusades, and to make things exciting for our members. He eventually earned a Sapphire Blade in April of 2013 for efforts that stretch back to his previous promotion. These include things such as overhauling and redeploying the Black Guard so, at the time, it became a fully functioning part of the clan. When he began, it was disorganized, rarely awarded, and meant little. By the time Atra was done, the wiki page was updated, the Black Guard had a full roster, and our members actually wanted to be on it. Atra also ran an internal ACC Dojo of sorts to help our newer members get up to date on the ACC. Furthermore, during this time, Atra completed every available competition presented in the Dark Crusade. He literally had a 100% participation rate in each chapter, showing others that it could be done and challenging them to do the same. Also, during this time, Atra wrote a guide for the Brotherhood's use of pazaak, and was one of the driving factors in introducing the platform to the DJB. He also participated a lot in the Shadow Academy, even completing three degrees in one day to show that it was possible to be a high level clan leader, dominate the Crusades, and still have time for other parts of the DJB.

Fast forward to 2015.

On February 21, 2015, Atra returned from the Rogues. On March 2nd, he became the Battleteam Leader of Devil's Shroud. In this position, he quickly jump-started the team, getting the members involved in the club, as well as setting an example for them in participation by entering every competition of the Proving Grounds clan event that was running at the time. He also helped plan the "What Lies Beneath" event for House Shar Dakhan, along with current Quaestor Lexic and Aedile Inarya.

It was only a month later that the Rollmaster position became available, and Atra applied and got the position. As detailed in the Grand Cross he received on June 24th, Atra revamped the clan's Master-Student program. He created a new form for it, and he frequently talked about the program on all of the clan's forms of communication, including IRC, email, and Telegram. He kept reminding people, and kept building excitement for it. He also dealt with the issue of seeming lack of interest in reports at the time by adding a "member interview" section to his reports. This not only made specific members feel important and part of what was going on, but also made his reports more interesting to read.

It was also during this time that he helped Shar Dakhan's leadership finish their event. While he was no longer directly part of the Dakhani Summit, he still helped them run the event and judge it, seeing it through to the end. In addition, during this time, Atra led the clan in an initiative to improve our participation in the ACC. This has been ongoing, and he has since entered several duels himself, but also offered assistance to others. The fruits of his labor can be seen in the most recent ACC event, Rivalries, which has seen a massive increase in the amount of CNS members participating. In the Fading Lights ACC tournament, only two CNS members actually participated. In Rivalries, at least six have done so, and a couple - such as Bentre and Armad - have participated in and completed multiple duels, even winning a few.

Finally, on July 14th, 2015, Atra applied for and was chosen for the position of Quaestor of House Shar Dakhan. That was two months ago, and his leadership has shown through in Shar Dakhan's high levels of activity. He had very little time before the clan was thrust into the Awakenings event, but he still led his House in participating in it. In Awakenings, only three members completed all nine of the competitions. One was Atra, and the other two were Bentre and Lexiconus, both members of his House. Furthermore, Shar Dakhan took four of the top 5 individual scoring positions for the event, including all of the top 3, with Atra placing first overall in the event. In the team portion, three of the four active members of the winning team were from Shar Dakhan. The House saw a massive uptick in participation in this event, in no small part due to Atra's leadership, both as a leader to offer encouragement, remind his House about competitions, and offer them advice, but also on the front lines, by participating in literally everything.

Additionally, he organized or co-organized 16 competitions since his last promotion, providing activity for at least 34 unique members for a total of 61 total entries.

That leads me to my next topic. In addition to being a great leader, Atra's activity is extremely high. He has entered a total of 51 competitions since his last promotion. These include 100% in the first Dark Crusade chapter, 100% in the second chapter, 100% of the Proving Grounds competitions (9/9), 100% of the Red Fury competitions (12/12), and 100% of the Awakenings competitions (9/9), and many other competitions. In every clan or club-wide level event that has been run while Atra has been on the active roster since his last promotion, he has completed every competition available.

Then he's (kindly) let everyone else know, and encouraged them to try to top him, fostering a competitive spirit and bringing up the activity levels of our members in each of these events.

For all this, he's earned two Diamond Crescents, four Ruby, nine Amethyst, two Sapphire, and three Emerald. He's earned four Pendants of Blood, 113 Clusters of Fire, 47 of Ice, and 629 of Earth. He's earned a Dark Side Scroll, three Scrolls of Foundation, four Legion of the Scholar, one Seal of Loyalty, six of Reminiscence, 11 of the Crusader, and earned three bronze novae and a gold one.

His merit has been exemplified by the three Dark Crosses he has earned, as well as an Anteian Cross, a Grand Cross, and a Sapphire Blade, all since his prior promotion.

If that was not enough, Atra has been a judge in the ACC for the past six months, and worked on the CS2.0 guide, as this recent Steel Cross from the Combat Master attests.

So here you have a guy that, despite his quirks (such as an unhealthy interest in the color blue), has been Proconsul, Battleteam Leader, Rollmaster, and Quaestor, as well as ACC Judge. He has gone wherever was needed, and as I've worked with him for that entire time, I have to say that he has personally been a superior asset, and someone I can call on to be where I need him. He and I have discussed things countless times, and he's someone I know I can trust to be sensible and level headed at all times. Somehow, amidst all of my constant questions and discussions, he finds time to participate in nearly every competition available - and every single one for any clan event that he is not running. This is a feat unrivaled by anyone else in the clan, and rare even in the Brotherhood. In addition, he goes beyond the clan, in works such as helping with CS2.0 and by being a judge in the ACC.

For all these reasons, and those found in the supporting recommendations, I find Atra's promotion to EQ3 to be well-overdue.

Congratulations, my friend, you've definitely earned this one!

Consul of Naga Sadow

Epis Locke Sonjie, 2015-09-20 06:54:49 UTC

Atra has been a mainstay in Naga Sadow ever since, and probably before, I joined. He challenges members to go beyond their comfort zone, usually to the benefit of their own DB careers. In the short time I knew him as BTL, he constantly pushed his team to the limit, challenging them to defeat him in terms of participation or flat-out in gaming, generating activity where there was none.

After he became Rollmaster, Atra quickly spread his wings and created a lot of systems to help him run the positions, many of which I use myself today. It was during this time that he began an ACC Dojo where he taught a group of people, under his expert knowledge of the ACC, to properly read character sheets, how to set up a proper story, and how ACC scoring worked.

He abdicated his position as RM to become Quaestor of House Shar Dakhan. Even here, he worked miracles, using his knowledge from RM to support both myself and any members I sent his way. He did not slow down when he became Magistrate to the Voice, somehow keeping up all his previous incentives, and generating events for both the Clan, the DJB and his House.

All in all, Atra is a part of the hard core of Naga Sadow, and of the Brotherhood. His presence invites people to naturally gravitate towards him and his personality makes short work of any issues that might abound. Atra embodies what it means to be a DJB Member, and even though my experience is limited, I see him going further than this. For all his accomplishments I’m proud to support his promotion. Congratulations Atra.

Rollmaster of Naga Sadow

Marcus Kiriyu, 2015-09-20 04:22:24 UTC

Since the first time meeting Atra, he seemed friendly and very helpful. He is willing to help anyone to succeed, and achieve their goals. Anytime I had a problem or question, Atra seemed eager to help. He always has valuable information and tips to give. He helped me with my writing, I didn’t like doing fictions until he explain a few pointers , and it helped me to be willing to take a shot at writing, Now i don’t mind it as much. Also referred me to a writing Workshop on IRC.I have enjoyed working with him.

Atra has weekly meetings with the Battleteam leaders if they have any concerns or need help with anything. I find this very helpful. He offers advice, useful info,and answers the questions we have. A lot times he takes time out of real life to help. Anytime i needed help he was always there to give advice..A strong willingness to help. He has many roles in the Dark Brotherhood.

He always puts a smile on anyone’s face, when I first met him, I was down and out, and he had me laughing and smiling in no time. He has a great personality, quite the people person. I feel he deserves this and more.

BTL of Sapphire Squadron

Scarlet Agna, 2015-09-20 04:22:51 UTC

Well, what can I say about Atra? The man has been a near constant presence within the Clan. Old Attie has been a constant support to myself and new members especially from the moment they hit the ground, with email and Telegram in particular. Even after leaving his position as Rollmaster to become the Quaestor of Shar Dakhan, it seems that Atra's focus has never changed from helping each and every member to grow, and more importantly to flourish. For example, he was a great source of encouragement when it came to my applying for the position of BTL. I was more than a little hesitant to step into the role for fear of falling short, but Atra encouraged me to apply. Once I was chosen for the position, he has acted as a constant sounding board and support, for example helping me to assess the viability of different competitions given my target audience for my inter-Battleteam event,Incursion.

If I have needed to bounce an idea off somebody? There's Atra, prepared to give me his honest opinion, as he has done multiple times leading up to the conception of my first big ‘event’ I have lead as a BTL. If I needed a little help figuring if my fiction makes sense? I was able to hit him up on Telegram to discuss what I was wanting to do. If I want to kick around a bit in Jedi Academy or want to take a tumble in the ACC? There was Atra, ready to take part. Even afterwards, he has often given and gives feedback on the ACC match, or points out strong and weak points in my fighting style. To be blunt, be it fun or business, Atra has often acted and acts as a direct point of contact.

Granted, my experience in the DJB has been brief compared to a lot of people. I can not, however, deny that it has been greatly enhanced due to the concern and work of Atra and others like him. The spirit of camaraderie the man possesses and expresses are a great encouragement. Even when an idea doesn't quite pan out the way you might hope, Atra is there as a supporting voice. As Quaestor, he has orchestrated meetings with our BTLs to discuss the things we are doing well, the things we need to work on and to discuss our plans for our respective Battleteams.

Atra Ventus is by my observation a 'family man'. That is, time and again I have seen as he supports his House, his Clan, and the club as a whole. To be honest, I am not quite sure how he conjures up the energy day after day to keep driving like he does, but I have to admire it. It is my hope that he will continue to press forward. His devotion and drive helped to make some of my earliest days in the club a memorable lot, and his focus on our Journeyman make him- in my opinion- an invaluable leader. For these reasons, I wish to add my voice in recommendation that Atra be promoted to the next level of Equite. The old man deserves it.

BTL of Devil’s Shroud

Master Bentre Stahoes, 2015-09-20 04:23:17 UTC

I have had the pleasure of working with Atra in a number of different roles in my time as Aedile of House Shar Dakhan. The first time that I worked with him was when he took the position of Battle Team Leader of Devil’s Shard, during his time in this position Atra work tirelessly creating a stronger fictional background for the Team rewriting and updating the team’s wiki pages as well as the team’s overall structure. In this position he also served as a guide to both myself and the then Quaestor Lexic helping us in our new roles offering invaluable help and guidance. He also played a key role in helping the House’s upper summit run its first major event “What Lies Beneath”. Atra’s involvement in the event stretched to helping myself and Lexic write the Event’s storyline, create the separate competitions that were being run such as a gaming event, fiction, graphics and a House wide Run-on, helping us write the Run-on prompts as well as helping us grade the event as a whole.

Atra soon moved on to bigger and better things getting the position of Rollmaster, during his time in this position I worked closely with him in the elevation of the Journeymen of House Shar Dakhan, helping them settle in and find their place inside the House. If I was to list the the number of people that Atra as helped during his time in this role it would be endless. He was the first port of call for not only the members of House Shar Dakhan but the Clan as a whole offering help and support wherever he could working selflessly to make sure that our members got the best out of the club that they could.

In his latest role I have had the pleasure of having Atra as my Quaestor, he work in this roles has included setting up a activity table designed to keep track of the activity of all of the members of House Shar Dakhan, this table is updated weekly and has proved to be an invaluable tool in helping both myself and him know what is going on inside the House. Working beside Atra I have been able to see first hand his dedication to the Clan and the Dark Brotherhood as a whole. He is the most motivated person that I know always putting our members needs before those of his own. Atra is one of the biggest personalities inside Clan Naga Sadow and has a enthusiastic nature that is contagious. He is one of the most open Leaders that I have ever work with willing to help any member at the drop of a hat. Atra is not the type to do things for awards or recognition, Atra does things because it is what he loves doing. This promotion has been long overdue and I cannot be more honoured then to be writing this recommendation now. You are an inspiration to all those around you and you deserve this.

Aedile of Shar Dakhan

Inarya Tiberius Entar, 2015-09-20 04:23:41 UTC

Atra is a pain in the bum. Plain and simple. The guy is simply amazing and puts me to shame each and every day as Quaestor. He loves his job and he loves his members and I cannot think of anyone who so encapsulates what it means to be a leader in this club. Atra is a role model, a friend and an inspirer. He reminds me of what it means to be so full of vigour and gung-ho-ness. His attitude is to always help people, no matter what unit they’re in or who they are. Due to our different time zones, Atra and I work well in dealing with any issues that come up with our members, with him helping any of mine while I’m not around and vice versa. I can rely on him to have my back in supporting and serving our members. He leads and supports, he does not demand that they follow him, he asks, he sets an example and encourages others to reach higher.

Since Atra’s return, I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know him and become friends with him. His dedication to the club, returning after a difficult period in his life, is shown each and every day. His communication with the clan is superb, with regular contact and team building through a variety of different mediums such as irc, telegram, email and G+. Our regular hangouts have built a culture within Naga Sadow that has continued to breath new life into it, notice me Senpai. His work in Shar Dakhan as first, Battleteam Leader, Rollmaster and finally Quaestor has enabled the House to grow and show in Awakenings that it is full of fantastic and energetic members.

Our members love Atra, his easy going, yet cheeky banter has made him a hit. Yet he isn’t full of hot air. Everything is backed up by his actions. When he says he’s going to do it, he does it. He creates lore, he generates what I call Sadow-mania TM (this is now copyrighted, Atra. No stealing this off me, douchebeard <3), getting our members invested and involved with Naga Sadow.

His work has enabled us to capitalise on the influx of new members, raising several to Knighthood and providing us with a core of hungry new Knights that will take Naga Sadow forward into the future. Others have gone into great detail about Atra’s achievements and why he deserves this promotion. I know that you’ll agree with us. The fact that he’s not been promoted before now is heinous and I’m glad that we’re finally able to reward his fantastic work and investment in the Brotherhood and Naga Sadow.

Thank you for making this club a better place for me, your House and many others, Atra. You push me everyday to continue my job as Quaestor, just as you push everyone else to be the epitome of awesome. Congratulations Moose, enjoy the extra points on your CS and carry on being your same old self.

Quaestor of House Marka Ragnos

Professor Sanguinius Tsucyra Entar, 2015-09-20 04:24:06 UTC

I am honoured to be recommending Atra for his elevation to the rank of Seer. Since I joined the Clan he has always been around to provide support and activity, being a huge part in the activity increase that we are currently seeing today. Always pushing himself to achieve perfection, Atra is truly an outstanding member of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood.

While Locke speaks about his service in leadership, I am taking the time to speak about the things that he does as a normal member of the club. Sometimes we forget that being a normal member is still tough enough without them taking on the roles of Leadership. Atra has always been leading from the front and since his last promotion has taken part in one hundred and thirteen competitions. For this hard work he has managed to earn himself the following medals: one Gold Nova, three Bronze Nova, four Crescents with Ruby Star, two Crescents with Diamond Star, two Crescents with Sapphire Star, three Crescents with Emerald Star and nine Crescents with Amethyst Star. Already racking up an impressive amount of medals, though during this time Atra has never stopped giving his members opportunities as well, while participating in competitions he has also ran forty-four competitions of all different types for members to get involved in. Atra dabbles in all different types of activities from ACC to Gaming and Fiction not holding himself to one specific area of field.

Atra has always been helping members throughout the Brotherhood, one of the first times I heard of him was for his effort inside of the gaming community. Playing on ToR and on Diablo 3 he spent hours assisting members in gearing up their characters, I have found myself sitting down with Atra on more than one occasion and discussing builds for my Characters as well as running in games with him. Since his last promotion he has managed to earn himself a total of six hundred and twenty nine Clusters of Earth. As well as taking members on in PvP as well to earn himself another one hundred and thirteen Clusters of Fire. He constantly pushed themselves against opponents to strive to better his gaming performance.

From all this activity he keeps doing, it's amazing to watch him take the time to answer any questions members have, most of the members of Naga Sadow have spoken to Atra about their own character sheets and how to improve of them. As well as sparing against him in the ACC to get practice in, he is always willing to get involved and show people how the complicated system works taking part in a total of nine ACC matches. Atra is alway giving his time to our members regardless of how busy he has been. When we needed leaders to step up to the plate Atra was one of those members that came back into the frame, determined to make sure that CNS activity did not drop he has proven himself an experienced and valued part of the clan leadership.

Congratulations on this elevation to the rank of Seer. You have truly earned this reward and I thank you for all the work you have put into Naga Sadow. I look forward to working with you in the future and seeing how you continue to progress inside of the Brotherhood.

Proconsul of Clan Naga Sadow

Cethgus Tiberius Entar, 2015-09-20 04:24:28 UTC

I am honored to be asked to write on behalf of Atra. When I joined the Brotherhood, just after his last promotion, My Master had been deployed over seas and I didn't know a single person within the club. At the time he was the Proconsul. Atra contacted me and asked if I wanted to be written into a Run On. He worked with me to get me more involved in the club. I, more than likely, would not have stayed around and grown in the club had it not been for him.

Sense his return he as done a great job of motivating those around him and I had the pleasure of working with him in the clan event. Not to mention being instrumental in planning the next clan wide event.

The club is a better play for having him, and he has been a big influence in the DJB, and CNS, and more specifically my own personal career with the Brotherhood. It is with great pride that I am able to add my voice to the well deserved promotion. Thank you Atra.

Lak Nafri, 2015-09-20 04:45:26 UTC

When you talk about Equite promotions, the thing that is always brought up is how each one is case-by-case. This can be frustrating at times when you try and evaluate everything a member has done since their last promotion, especially when there are gaps of time where a member was not able to be active in their Clan or the Brotherhood.

Prior to having to take an LOA, Atra and I served as Proconsuls for our respective units together. We called each other Brocons. It was my first real taste of working with a leader from another unit. It never felt that way, really, because Atra was just so personable. I mention this here because It was that trait that made him such an influential leader before he had to step away.

Fast forward to his return 6 months ago. I put out a call for ACC Judges. Atra was one of the first applicants I had. He did not waste anytime establishing himself as one of my active new hires. He was the first to finish his training matches/exams, and to date I have leaned on him and count on him

Even after I helped award him a Grand Cross for his work as a Judge back in June, Atra dutifully continued his work as a member of my staff. Since that date, Atra has graded 16 ACC Matches (28.57% of all matches) which puts him 4 matches ahead of the next two Judge. Not only is he the leading Judge over this time period, his judgements are sound and well constructed and I’ve yet to have a single complaint or question thrown my way in regards to his decisions. This has to do as much with skill as it does his overall demeanor and ability to talk to almost anyone and get along with them. His amiability shows in his judgements as he always looks to show writers his every thought and whim so they have the best understanding of the call he makes. This trait is not something I can really teach, and Atra has it in abundance.

ACC Judging, as I’ve said in the past, is not an easy task. Each match takes a minimum of 45 minutes to grade properly, and often times it goes beyond that. That means that Atra has probably spent about 720 minutes (12 Hours) of his time on just grading and evaluating ACC matches. He does this without complaint or concern, and he is also always willing to help another Judge out with questions. He is active every single day on our Telegram group, a constant voice in email chains for feedback and proofreading of proposals, and does it all with a smile on his face and not an ounce of negativity.

Atra’s contributions to the ACC are small compared to the larger impact he has on the Brotherhood. He also spends time in the DB Art Group offering advice and sharing his knowledge of art and technology with others. His passion for the club as a whole is contagious, and I truly believe the club is a better place with him doing the various things that he does.

Welcome back to the spotlight, Atra. Regardless of what everyone else says in this recc, I’m personally happy you came back to the DB, and am eternally grateful for your friendship and the hard work you pour into your friends, clan, and the club as a whole. Thank you for everything, and I look forward to being asked to weigh in on your next promotion down the line ;).

For now, my numbers are bigger than yours. Catch up ;). Brocons 4 Lyfe.

Combat Master

Lord Marick Tyris Arconae, 2015-09-20 06:52:05 UTC