Mechronage has completed all the requirements for promotion to Dark Jedi Knight. He has earned several merit awards including both a Dark Cross and a Steel Cross, each for going above and beyond the call of duty. He has earned 10 crescents and participated in a multitude of competitions including events during the Ninth Great Jedi War and the Rite of Supremacy which is now in progress. He has passed Leadership Fundamentals and Leadership Studies, and has used what he learned to run several competitions for his House, including "My Tutelage", and "Parasitic Organisms". He has earned two degrees from the Shadow Academy, one in Philosophy and the other in General History. His Wiki article is very detailed and complete. He also took part in a Major House Summit Task, which was a run-on including myself, Apollo and Severon Vercingetorix.
Aside from fulfilling the basic list of requirements for the rank, Mechronage has come to embody what we search for in Dark Brotherhood members. He is fiercely loyal to his Clan and House. He is in constant contact with his leadership, and proactively offers help and advice to his fellow Clan mates. He has taken an unofficial role as a mentor to more than one of Tarentum's younger members, and is greatly looking forward to being able to officially take on an Apprentice of his own.
Despite having a rocky beginning in the Brotherhood and a difficult life in the real world, he has a passion for learning and self-improvement that is exhilarating to behold. I feel privileged to have been his Master for the past year and to have been there to guide him. When events in the Dark Brotherhood have a positive impact on someone in the real world, it makes all the time spent writing fiction and talking on IRC worthwhile. I am proud to say that Mechronage has had a positive impact in my life through his hard work and friendship here in Gladius, and I know I have had a positive impact in his life as well.
The path ahead of Mechronage is still long and difficult. The rank of Dark Jedi Knight is when a member of the Dark Brotherhood must turn his attention outward to other members, to his House, his Clan, and the Brotherhood as a whole. I am confident that Mechronage will rise to the challenge. I look forward to continuing the journey along with him not as his Master, but as his friend.
SW Scion "Firebird" Altera (Sith)/QUA/Gladius of Tarentum
What can I say about Mechronage that he doesn't say himself? He is a cornerstone of Gladius, an inseperable part of our house. He studied diligently with his master, Scion Altera, and was always supportive to every Gladian. When the House Summit asked something of him, he was there to respond with more enthusiasm than was asked for. During his MHST, he took the reins and created the story, while making us only a small part in it. He was and is always the first person to submit to my competitions and his work reflects the pride he feels in being a Gladian. Congratulations Mechronage, you made it!
DJK Severon Vercingetorix (Krath)/AED/Gladius of Tarentum
Scion Tarentae, 2010-01-20 14:29:58 UTC