Iâve known Muz since I joined the DJB. We joined into the same house only days apart. Ever since, Iâve seen great things coming from his hands. Sabers, robes, medals, GJWâs, RoSâs, etc, etc. you name it, heâs done it. Not only that, but over my time in the DB, heâs been the most easily approachable Grand Master Iâve seen. And not just to me, but to everyone, from the lowest APP to Dark Council.
As Grand Master, heâs taking his task seriously. His main goal is member retention, something that is working. Compared to last year, more members have reached DJK. Besides that, he has run several major events, like a Great Jedi War, and a Rite of Supremacy, and has done so successfully even with very little help.
What more can I say? Muz is the pwn. When the call for the Golden Lightsaber came up, the vote was unanimous. Everyone was in favour. I think that says enough. I deal with many awards in my office of Master at Arms, and many medals I sometimes dispute, but when the highest award possible comes up, there is no question about it being earned or not.
Muz, itâs a pleasure serving with you, and I hope that it will be for a very long time to come. ~Korras, Master at Arms.
I don't need to sit here and talk about how amazing Muz his or what he has contributed to the Brotherhood. We see it every time we log in to the site. We see it in the lightsaber construction tool, the robes on our dossiers, the new dossier set ups, and with recent Vendettas. Muz's devotion to making this club a better place by any means necessary can be seen through the fact that our gaming hosts are active and the site continues to function. We see it in new storylines that include members throughout the Brotherhood and new ideas that excite people for what's to come. As a member of the Dark Council, his devotion to maintaining solidarity throughout leadership and ability to rally all of us to perform at our absolute best is one of the things that makes him such a valuable asset to this club. For these reasons and for so much more, I cannot think of a better award to present to our Grand Master than the Golden Lightsaber. Congratulations, Brohim and thank
you for all of your work. We truly appreciate it. -DA Shikyo Keibatsu Sadow
Herald of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood
The Golden Lightsaber's description is as follows: "The recipients of the Golden Lightsaber have displayed the greatest forms of ability, service and sacrifice for the Brotherhood. Others pale in
comparison to what the holders of this award have accomplished." Muz "Hamak" Ashen embodies ultimate ability, service, and sacrifice all in one. The man dedicates himself fully to this club in ways that continue to stun me. Muz is ALWAYS present and responsive to communications; he goes out of his way to give people on of a leader's most prized possessions - his time. Without batting an eye, Muz fields questions, responds to contributions, weighs suggestions with a level head, takes critiques and criticisms, and is a friend.
Communication and his ability to enter into meaningful dialogs with the membership is only the tip of the iceberg. The guy is a constant source of artistic prowess. The dude can write. He is chock full of ideas that will be a boon to the club (my god, I wish I could code as fast as he thinks). Muz continues to ask himself and others how the club can be improved and molded into a more enjoyable place to be...he is never content with keeping things as they are...that is an amazing attribute. A stagnant club is a dead club, and this guy not only keeps us moving, but improving as we go.
Do others pale in comparison to what this recipient has accomplished? Absolutely. Muz, you have the most difficult job in the Brotherhood and you wield its power with excellence. Keep up the amazing work...you have earned this award twice over. -Orv Dessrx d'Tana Arconae, Praetor to the Seneschal
I've always known Muz to be the Grandmaster of the Brotherhood. I joined shortly before he actually became it, but in my eyes he's been the GM. The man has done wonders for the Brotherhood, including the reinstatement of the GMRG, constant graphical enhancements, possessions, fictional storyline updates, and created/judged two Vendettas. But within the last year, Muz created the Spoils of War Vendetta, a vendetta that he had to grade by himself without the help of the DC since they were taking part in it. Nearly nine months later, Muz was at it again with another Vendetta for the Brotherhood to take part in, but of course had the help of the DC this time. Between those two vendettas, he had dissolved the Tribune of Gaming, and the Tribune of Fiction. He recreated them into the Fist and Voice of the Brotherhood, Dark Council level positions that replaced those two Tribunes. With reinstating the GMRG to the Brotherhood, Muz created robes and weapons for each rank, but shortly after did the same thing for the ACC, creating their own set of robes and lightsabers since some members are more talented writers than they are gamers. Although this is only a few things, these actions have changed the Brotherhood, and more over Muz has earned this Golden Lightsaber. Congrats my friend, and thank you for all your hard work and continued efforts for the Brotherhood. ~ Fremoc Pepoi, Fist of the Brotherhood.
Never before in my DB career have I seen such defiance of expectations and such measures of going above and beyond to improve and perfect the Dark Jedi Brotherhood.
Since his elevation to Grand Master, Muz has led the Brotherhood through two Rites of Supremacy, one of which he graded and judged solo. He has assisted in the reform of the clans to houses knowing full well it was a controversial sacrifice, and he has replaced an inefficient 3 Tribune system with the Voice and the Fist of the Brotherhood who both ultimately have spurred on a revival of writing and gaming. He has reformed the unit powers, directed various changes to the dossier, approved Odan-Urr as the first light house of the Brotherhood, written dozens of pages of fiction, reformed clan/house military systems, and is now working on the upcoming tenth Great Jedi War.
I'll be using plenty of words to compliment Muz's work, but I think it can all be embodied into one single interjection: DAMN. If I were to list the top ten most productive and successful leaders of the Brotherhood, Muz would be in the top three. He has done nothing but work since he received the job. I'm sure other recommendations will spout insane amounts of praise for various projects he has begun, continues on, and has finished. I myself have named only a few of the accomplishments that Muz has demonstrated to the club at large. But above all, I consider Muz a mentor and an ally, a role model to look up to should I wish to further progress in the Brotherhood.
Muz has had to put up with a lot, and I mean, a LOT. The fact that despite that, he still continues to take time to help leaders like me who are begging for advice and consolation is really a blessing. There have been many times when I have felt down and out about my leadership - I've dealt with many highs and lows, and sometimes it's difficult to handle. Having seen it all, Muz knows how to ground leaders like me and help re-adjust our priorities. He is all about progress, even if perhaps to obtain that progress, we need to take a few steps back in order to rediscover our fotting.
You truly deserve the gold lightsaber, Muz. I see no one else in this club at the moment who is more worthy of it. You have been a paragon of achievement, success, and progress in the Brotherhood, and I can only hope that you continue your tenure with soul, zeal, and passion. Congratulations, Muz, and thank you. ~Ronovi Tavisaen Tarentae, QUA of House Tarentum
Muz has been Grand Master for nearly two years. In many cases such an award is given only when a GM stands down to signify the service the have performed for the club. However, I do not think it will begrudge anyone to hand this award to Muz "early". In these 2 years he has managed to keep afloat on all DB matters, mostly without the benefit of an active right-hand man. He has overseen the entire gamut of Vendettas, from GJWs to RoS', introducing comics as a new form of storytelling for the DB.
He has ushered in brand new Houses, the first truly unique entities the DB has seen in over a decade (Plagueis being only an amalgamation of two previous Clans). At the same time has has also taken the necessary steps to see the DB through rougher times of activity, streamlining the leadership positions as well as focusing the Dark Council's energies on projects such as the Grind Path, to help with the continued development of newer blood.
His own personal talents have also not languished, his tireless efforts continuing to bring us new robes and lightsabers. He has also been working on our own "head selector" while also plugging away at creating custom images for the eventual use in our possessions system. This work alone would outclass most any member in the club. To continue it while still managing to actually lead the club is astounding. He has also continued to write fiction for the club, continuing the DB storyline in between Vendettas.
So much has gone on in the last few years, it's hard to remember everything. However, the club continues to run as it ever did, new developments always in the works. Muz continues to work, never faltering in his activity for this club. He has gone full-bore all this time, without any hint of slowing down. For managing such a feat, this award has been more than earned by him. Congratulations!~DJM Halcyon Taldrya, Voice of the Brotherhood
The Golden Lightsaber is traditionally awarded after a Grand Master's term. In Muz's case however, we said screw it. What better way to show our appreciation than while he's still in office, rather than wait until he's retired? The man reshaped the Brotherhood as we know it from an outdated club to a modernized forum for all Star Wars fans to come together and have fun. Nearly every new feature has Muz's signature on it. I called the vote for Muz's GLS for a few simple reasons. His work as Herald has carried over to his term as Grand Master, with literally thousands of images created. He's one of the few Grand Masters that have a useful skill, and he leads by doing; rather than delegating work out. Projects long forgotten have been reborn, and released or are nearing completion. The Grind Path alone was of Muz's design, as he proposed it originally to Aabsdu and myself in the Spring of 2009. It has since taken shape into a giant project with hundreds of man hours being put into it. During his first few months as Grand Master, ran Great Jedi War 9 nearly by himself. This comes with the territory, but Muz is truly selfless in his love for this organization and what he does for us. Projects like Possessions, Prestige, the face generator, countless pages of Vendetta fiction, and several other secret projects that I'm not aloud to shed light on at this time, are all a possibility because of the work being done by Muz. I've been working with Muz for over two years now, since my appointment to Praetor to the Headmaster. He's always been a strong advocate of the Shadow Academy and what we do. The training of new members is an important priority that others sometime put on the back-burner. This is not the case with Muz, as he's our strongest supporter. I've watched the Academy grow from a place that veteran members say is a just a place for Journeymen to take exams; to a society in of itself. Muz appointed me as Headmaster 7 months ago now. In that time he's been an outstanding mentor and friend that I've grown closer to as time has gone on. I can honestly speak for his character when I say that he's our best hope for survival as we enter the new decade. As a member of the Dark Council, I have the extreme honor of knowing Muz, and one day when I look back at my time as Headmaster, I will think fondly of the support and friendship that Muz has given me personally; making my job so much easier. It is with this that I am extremely honored to recommend that Muz Ashen be awarded the highest award we have in our club, the Golden Lightsaber. Congratulations, you've earned it. ~Taigikori Aybara Dupar; Headmaster of the Brotherhood
Driftan Balephor, 2010-12-25 15:56:16 UTC