When we think of an Equite, we think of a great leader and a member that contributes to the Brotherhood as a whole. And of those that fit these ideals, A'lora is one of the first to come to mind. Under A'loras tutelage, Odan-Urr has become one of our most active units, and not only has A'lora excelled as Consul, but he has left his mark on the wider Brotherhood by assisting various Brotherhood-wide projects.

When we appointed A'lora, we weren't sure on the future of Odan-Urr. The unit had struggled in recent times to really excel. A'lora turned that around, immediately. In our very first unit report, Odan-Urr was our third most active unit, and they haven't let up since, quickly cementing themselves as a fixture in gaming, fiction writing, and graphic design. A'lora had done so well as Consul, that within only a handful of months of appointment, he had already earned an Amethyst Kukri, in no small part due to his transformation of Odan-Urr. The unit has only excelled since, consistently ranking second or third in the number of members participating in competitions, the number of competitions being run, and in a variety of cluster measurements that demonstrate not only are Odan-Urr's members active in competitions, but they are engaged in every facet of the Brotherhood.

As others illustrate below, A'lora engaged his Clan with the Brotherhood immediately, launching a co-op competition with Arcona that was enormously successful. Since then, A'lora hasn't stopped. He's run some 50 competitions as co-organizer as Consul, and while for some that would imply he isn't doing a ton of work, for A'lora, being a co-organizer means helping grade, helping plan, and helping organize participation. A'lora participates regularly in competitions, and when he does, he leaves quite a mark, having won 11 Crescents or Novae since his last promotion. Prior to his role as Consul, he was recognized for his incredible efforts in the Great Jedi War, earning an Anteian Cross for his overall efforts and a Silver Nova for placing in a graphics competition.

The consistency that has marked Odan-Urr over the last month as a supremely active unit would not have been possible without the dedication and guidance of it's consul. His steady leadership has taken a unit on the brink and created not just a competitor, but one of the best units in the Brotherhood. This, combined with his incredible talent and dedication to the Herald's office before appointment as Consul (detailed by Vyr, below) and his work on character sheets under Marick (as evidenced by his Grand Cross) makes A'lora more than deserving of promotion to Equite 4.

Congratulations, A'lora. You deserve it!

Deputy Grand Master Telaris "Mav" Cantor
Grand Master Pravus

Telaris "Mav" Cantor, 2016-04-05 14:00:17 UTC

When I try to think of a succinct way to describe A’lora and what he means to the Clan, “Consul” doesn’t quite cut it. He’s so much more than that. A’lora Kituri is quite literally the paragon of Clan Odan-Urr, one of House Odan-Urr’s first new Journeymen who, applying his considerable talents, quickly left his mark not just on the unit but the Brotherhood as a whole. As a true leader, he set the bar to a height that Odanites will strive to match and discuss for years to come. His notable contributions in the realms of the Herald, the Voice and the Clan collectively read like the exploits of an Elder, a rank I have no doubt he will one day achieve.

For the past eight months I have had the privilege of serving as A’lora’s deputy, working hand in hand with him to raise the Clan into new heights. I firmly believe that the Clan is on the verge of what will be remembered as a golden age and that is due in no small part to A’lora’s steady hand and vision as Consul. Returning to Odan-Urr as the new Pronconsul after almost a year on Arcona’s summit, I was immediately set up for success as A’lora provided me with subunit and Clan internal reviews prepared at his direction and a comprehensive roadmap of past and future Clan events simply called the “Codex.” He gave me all the tools I needed to do my job and the trust and freedom to do it. The latter part is especially noteworthy because he effortlessly demonstrates the leadership style many strive for, he doesn’t micromanage, he empowers and brings out the best in his subordinate leaders. A’lora is willing to take risks and place his trust in his leaders, he gives the summit his vision and maximizes our leeway to accomplish it.

We worked together on adjusting the summit roles, most notably the Clan Rollmaster position. A’lora had the courage and foresight to try something different with the Rollmaster position and use it as a second Proconsul to handle project and administrative support while House summits assumed responsibility for Journeymen. When the needs of the Clan changed to require a more traditional Rollmaster, he didn’t hesitate to evaluate the need and make the changes required, hiring and working with Xantros to retool the position into what it is today, a leader wholly focused on developing all our members, not just Journeymen.

The fruits of A’loras tenure as Consul can be seen in the high and still rising levels of activity within the Clan. In addition to the events he organized with Vyr, I got the opportunity to work with A’lora on The Rise of the Force Ascendant a thirteen competition Clan event that boasted 30 unique participants with an average of 4.6 entries per member (averaged over the entire Clan roster), making it the most successful internal event in Odan-Urr history. He was instrumental in the drafting and proofing of the fiction and supplemental wiki pages for the event, the development and grading of the events and the promotion of the entire event.

Speaking of communication and event promotion, A’lora has received the best unit leader report Crescent an impressive eight times. His presence and level of engagement with the Clan members is exemplary but he goes beyond that to assist Clan members with their fictions, ACC matches and on three occasions has drafted entire species proposals for the character sheet system on behalf of COU members (two of which were approved and one is under review with the Voice).

The most recent, and I believe strongest, example of A’lora’s visionary leadership came when we were both approached by the Grand Master about COU’s role in the club lore. He had the courage and foresight to take the Clan in a bold new direction by leaving New Tython behind and becoming the rebel Clan who openly opposes the Iron Throne and the Inquisition. I don’t think those outside Odan-Urr truly appreciate what a sacrifice and a huge risk it was to leave the rich and familiar world so many had invested in building. Such a drastic shift could have easily lead to mass defections and a disgruntled member base, but A’lora immediately and clearly communicated his reasoning for the decision and his vision for the future getting the entire Clan on board. What could have been a disaster has lead to more optimism and renewed interest in helping build our new lore than I have ever seen. That positive outcome is due almost entirely to A’lora’s clear vision and empowering not just the summit but the member base as a whole to help plot this new course.

So on behalf all Odanites present and future I thank A’lora for all that he has done and continues to do for the Clan. I can think of no one else more worthy of the pinnacle Equite rank. Congrats boss.

Turel Sorenn

Proconsul, Clan Odan-Urr

Champion Rajhin Cindertail, 2016-04-05 13:59:22 UTC

To say that A’lora Kituri is the most profound leader Odan-Urr has seen since its inception is not an understatement. A’lora was the first member who joined Odan-Urr and has been in it since the beginning. He has held positions of Rollmaster and Aedile in the former House and easily stepped up when we eventually clanned, and became Consul. I have had the privilege to work with him as his Rollmaster (for a few days) and as his Proconsul, helping him with the huge undertaking of adjusting our internal structure, lore and the difficulties they presented. Right off the bat, A’lora had a vision for the Clan and he steered me and the rest of the Summit to fulfill that vision.

We’ve worked together on three major events as a Summit: Tales of New Tython, Sentinel Network and our coop event with Arcona, Tides of Change. Tales of New Tython showed an 87% participation rate, and combined with the Sentinel Network event, made for an excellent warm up and intro to the Tides of Freedom. The coop event with Arcona, though lighthearted and friendly in nature, was a true test for Odan-Urr. After our showing in the Crusades and GJW, A’lora roused the Clan and they held their own against the First Clan. This might not seem like much as we lost the event, but after Tides moral was on the rise and people became much more engaged in the goings-on in the Clan. I believe that, though we all worked as a Summit, A’lora’s vision and his friendly and open attitude towards his members were a big part of that small success.

As I became Herald I had to leave my position, so Turel can speak more on A’lora’s accomplishments later on, but I will touch on him as a person because I find that raw data is not enough to express A’lora’s importance to Odan-Urr.

Speaking of the Herald’s office, A’lora has a long history of working with me and former Heralds on DB graphics. His most recent exploits regard the ACC venues, mostly, so I’ll leave that to Marick to explain. However, in July 2015., A’lora received an Amethyst Kukri for his work for the Office, which include multiple excellent graphics, as well as organizing documentation and supporting others through constructive criticism and advice. He has continued this tradition in the DB Art Club where he advises aspiring artists working in 3D.

Though he is young, he is kind to everyone and anyone in the Clan and outside it. He is level headed and is often the one who maintains order in an argument or discussion. He is open to all ideas, values all opinions, but holds his position with unwavering resolve: in short he works for the members and the betterment of the Clan, and the Club, and that is the hallmark of a great leader. Personally I expect to see much, much more from A’lora in the future, maybe as Consul, maybe as some other position, but he will undoubtedly remain one of the best leaders we have in the Brotherhood.

• Vyr (Morgan Sorenn)
• Herald of the brotherhood

Boss Morgan B. Sorenn, 2016-04-05 13:59:54 UTC