When I look back at my extremely long tenure on the Dark Council, I can run through an equally long list of members who have worked on my staff as magistrates and Praetors. I have been truly fortunate to have worked with some of the hardest working people in the club, but there is one person who truly stands out above all the rest:

And that is Alaris Jinn di Plagia.

I first brought Alaris onto the staff back in 2017 at the beginning of my third year as Fist. Almost immediately, Alaris showed that his primary concern was not medals or recognition, it was providing Activity for the club's members. Within a couple months, Alaris helped me to realize a vision of a long-term competition series that would be known as the Brotherhood Gaming League. This competition series spanned nearly a year and ran across the breadth and depth of nearly every single supported gaming platform at the time. Alaris developed the scoring method, bracketing concept, and even suggested permanent titles for the winners of the three main competitions. Upon the announcement of the death of one of the DB's longstanding members, it was Alaris who suggested we name the tournament after him. The Frosty Romanae Memorial Brotherhood Gaming League was just one of Alaris' major contributions to the DJB gaming community, and it is one of the primary drivers for the addition of competition placements into the current GMRG Scoring Model.

When it comes to providing activity and opportunities for members, Alaris truly shines. He has run nearly 60 gaming competitions, 9 major bracket events, and more non-standard gaming events than any staff member over the past five years. Across both of his Magistrate tenures, Alaris has approved 769 PvE/PvO activities and 341 PvP activities, making him one of the few staff members of all time to have over 1000 activity approvals.

Alaris is without a doubt one of the DB's best. He is a person of character whose first and foremost goal is not his own recognition, but the overall experience of every single member of this club. It is that kind of member who warrants elevation to the ranks of the Elders, and I am truly honored to have this opportunity to recommend him for this well deserved and long overdue promotion.

Congratulations, Alaris. Thank you for all you have done and all you will continue to do in the future.

Dracaryis di Plagia

Fist of the Brotherhood

Master Dracaryis, 2021-12-28 03:27:01 UTC

I was honestly surprised at how long it had been since Alaris got EQ4. In those nearly nine years, he's made contributions across the Brotherhood. Unit leadership with successful Proconsul stints in two different clans, the ACC staff, extended productive time as a Magistrate in the Fist's office (which I believe Drac addressed in detail above), and his time in the CoJ where he served with utmost integrity even when his work was at odds with his own personal feelings. He has been awarded six sacramental awards in that time (one RS, three AKs, and a pair of SB's) while still earning 9 merit medals to go with them. His sacramental recommendations read like a who's who of the recent Brotherhood leadership: Drac, Rian, and Dacien on his RS; Pravus, Taig, Mav, Rhylance, and myself on his AKs; Wally, Evant, Mav (again), and Ronni on his SBs. Reading the recs on any one of them details his exceedingly large set of accomplishments. The contributions there and for those who he was working for/with on them are in the rarified air.

Alaris isn't a "consumer". He's out there doing the work that helps the DB run almost every day he's been here. There aren't that many members that have 137 organized competitions on their dossier, with an additional 15 co-organized. He has also graded 43 exams and judged 41 ACC battles (and I'm sure has advised on countless others given the co-operative nature of prior ACC judgements). His personal activity numbers are all equally impressive, 24 short of 500 competition entries and literally thousands of clusters of various types. Oh, and just over 25,000 words of fiction as well.

Alaris is a member that has given back to the organization more than most, and should be an Elder without any doubt in my mind.

Master Selika Roh di Plagia, 2021-12-28 03:26:13 UTC

Alaris has demonstrated a commitment to this club that rivals some of our greatest members. For the past fourteen years, Alaris has served the Brotherhood at all levels and across the Clans: currently serving for the third time as a Proconsul, Alaris has been everything from regular member to Consul and Fist of the Brotherhood. Alaris also holds the distinction of being one of the longest serving members of the Chamber of Justice, having six separate stints as either an Appeals Panelist, Right Hand, or Left Hand -- including, on a personal note, serving as my first Left Hand of Justice when I was confirmed as Justicar.

Finally, I want to acknowledge the grace and good humor with which Alaris handles discussions of his term as Fist. It's no secret that Alaris made errors in grading GJW XIII. It was a disappointing and abrupt end to what had been a promising term on the Dark Council. But Alaris accepted responsibility for honest mistakes, took a step back to reset, and reemerged as a major competitor in GJW XIV. Now serving once again as a Proconsul (and as a rare two-time recipient of the di Plagia clan name), Alaris has proven that our mistakes don't have to define us and that dedication and the right attitude can carry you far in this club.

Congratulations, Alaris. This has been a long time coming, and you've earned every bit of it.

Lord Dacien Victae, 2021-12-28 15:17:51 UTC