I would like to award Liam Torun a Grand Cross of the Dark Side. Liam has long been a constant within Odan Urr, leading us through the last stages of us being a House and into Clanhood. When he stepped back as a leader and took a break I knew it would only be a matter of time before he came back into the light to take on a leadership role again. When the position of Knight-Commander of KoA opened he submitted one of the best applications I have ever seen in my time in the DJB. He had a plan to renew the Battleteam as well as how he envisioned the story of the group and what he expected of each member.
Fast forward 3 months. In this time Liam has helped form each member of KoA's storylines within the BT and the House. He has done this by writing fictions of no less than 500 words for how each member has found their way into the Battle team. That is 10 people. During this time he is also in constant communication with each of his members getting feedback for me on how they feel about the Hoth storyline and how they feel about each competition.
Recently both myself and Revak have hit a speedbump due to RL. When this happened Liam was right there helping us write the story for the House Hoth Butcher campaign. Giving insight into the different tribes and their ways and customs. Now he is building the first in a long series of stories to establish the Knights and how they operate in the Yhi System and beyond. The only reason it has taken him 3 months is because he has been so focused on his individual members as well as being a tremendous help to the House Summit.
Lastly to top all this off, since his last service award Liam has earned Cr:A x3, Cr:S x5, Cr:E, 6 CF's, 10 CFs, 49 CI's, 28 CE's and a DSS (for being the April Wikipedian of the Month). He has also helped co-organize 11 competitions, participated in another 4, and lastly does his reports as BTL in a timely manner. This kind of activity is the epitome of a Grand Cross. He is always willing to help his fellow members with advice, and has always been there when I needed help or advice as QUA of Hoth.
Liam Torun-Urr is a member whose leadership transcends position. He is a constant mentor, patient teacher, front line leader and sterling example of what a Clan title holder should be. He bleeds for Odan-Urr and most especially for its members. When Odan-Urr needed a new Knight-Commander for its most storied battleteam, Liam answered the call and proceeded to set the bar for what a BTL and summit member should be. Others will detail Liam’s specific accomplishments as Knight-Commander and a member of the House Hoth summit but I would like to recognize his largely behind the scenes contributions to the Clan at large.
Liam is a cornerstone of our community as he is near omnipresent on Telegram and often one of the first to reply to a new email thread. He greets and engages new join and veteran alike with the same respect and enthusiasm. That kind of contribution doesn’t jump off a dossier page but is so important to member retention and the strength of the unit. His most important unofficial role, however, is as an advisor to the whole summit. Liam has made significant contributions to every single summit discussion that I have been party to, be it event planning, fiction development, policy crafting or simply ways to make the Clan better. When something needs to be done, he’s the first to volunteer and when his summit team members falter, he steps up. He is the switch hitter for our team, filling whatever role the Clan needs him to fill.
The value he brings to the table of a relatively young (DB-wise) summit with his years of experience cannot be discounted. His advice may not always be followed, he may sometimes find himself in the minority, but we listen and we appreciate his sage counsel. Behind the scenes, he constantly pushes the summit to better leaders and we owe him for the critical role he plays. This award is but a small payment on that debt.
Congratulations old man,
Champion Rajhin Cindertail, 2015-09-26 05:45:04 UTC