Bale may well be the first person in modern DB history (and maybe all of DB history) to earn the rank of Elder 1 twice. Although his dossier doesn't reflect it, he's been a member of this club on and off for decades, and much of our art dates back to his first stint as Herald after the Exodus: most of our medal images were created by Bale, as was the original version of the old logo (recently replaced by a new Bale logo!). He also happens to be one of our most compelling writers and just an all around great guy.

And now he gets a rank more befitting his creaky joints and gray hairs. Congrats and welcome back, old man.

Lord Dacien Victae, 2025-02-13 12:59:19 UTC

There isn't a whole lot I can say about Bale's art, his work as Herald, or his general activity in the club. I'll leave that for everyone else far more qualified than me to do.

However, I can tell you a little bit about Bale as a person and as a member of this club. To do that, I'll need to take you all back in time a couple of years. I approached Bale about a piece of art I wanted done following a tragic event. He did it for me, for free, out of the kindness of his heart.

Ever since then, every couple of days or so I get messages on Discord from him asking how me and family are doing. We talk all the time, both DJB stuff and not. He is honestly one of my best friends here in the club.

I'm sharing all this because Bale is the kind of person to put other people before himself. He's done a lot not just for me, but for the club too.

Bale, congratulations on Elder. You well and truly earned it. You can finally have +5 Might again!

Combat Master "Aequitas" Anderson, 2025-02-12 15:12:03 UTC

What a comeback! Bale/Malfaerak has been responsible for an absolute mountain of artwork, and not only was it a lot, it was also of incredibly high quality. Just look at that Letter of Reprimand? Don’t you just want to ‘earn’ one now?

It’s been wonderful seeing him return so strong after what were some of the craziest months where his real life and work were pummeling him. The big Dark Brotherhood 30th anniversary logo must be his crowning achievement, though. From the start he handled it like a professional graphic designer would, coming up with drafts and asking for opinions in the most formal manner on various iterations. All that time, effort, and quality that went in would be a lot of $$$. I was able to learn a lot from the process. Knowing how it works is one thing, but seeing it in action and him actually doing it is a whole different matter.

Anyway, me being in the office as Praetor, I can say that we are lucky to have him as Herald. Despite the downtime where I had to take over the reins for a bit, he’s still been very able to be contacted for essential things. The Trello board was pretty much wiped clean with new hires, Cassandra and Bruno, who he assigned the right jobs to. Communication is spot on, and nobody’s ever left hanging. There’s also always great feedback from him on all of our artwork. Turnaround times are very fair and support the staff under him; even if requests from outside the Herald’s office can push it a little bit, he’s always got our back!

Bale has always been a pleasure to collaborate with, we managed to fix things in the Warbanner that every Herald since I joined has been mulling about for years. He made it very clear what needed to be done, so it could be done, documented and all, with appropriate version numbers. Updating our fixes was made real easy with checkmarks. Truly, it was like detangling a giant knot. It’s also been refreshing to do more than just churning out Robes and having a stab at tangible goals and projects.

Along the way there've been so many challenges, and I am glad you faced and conquered them. It’s been great to have you around in the good, bad, and ugly times. There’s a lot you want to do still, and I think even the most impossible-looking challenges are doable now. You don’t say you are, but you are a very talented person, and I think you’ve really found your stride. All I can say is, keep it up. I definitely don’t regret taking up Praetor and am really glad to call you a friend, and you’re one of the big reasons I care about this community.

Mistress Aphotis, 2025-02-12 15:42:02 UTC

Bale. Incredibly talented artist. Meticulous writer. Deeply passionate. Brother.

It’s easy enough to just see why Bale deserves the accolades he is receiving. The new site logo, which was its own long odyssey, was a professional grade project brought to life. Cleaning up the Warbanner for easier (and better) usage. Art for members across the board. Bale brings his incredible skills to better this club. A club that despite its flaws still remains a deep passion for him.

His efforts speak for themself. Many congratulations on a well earned promotion brother.

Idris

Lord Idris Adenn, 2025-02-12 18:03:25 UTC