Event History

One of the coolest things about the Dark Jedi Brotherhood is the constancy and continuity of its community across the Clans, in that its foundations remain relatively unchanged over the years. This makes it easy for members to come in and out, their levels of activity varying appropriately with the demands of their real life situations, and the amount of leisure time that they have available to dedicate to our crazy little hobby. Sight is one of our members who has taken full advantage of the continuity of the Brotherhood community, finding himself welcomed into a new home in Arcona, fitting right back into the tapestry of new friends and old that sustains us.

Sight has been a true model of activity and personal leadership, representing one of the crucial ingredients of success in any Clan by being enthusiastic, friendly, and helpful toward all. He's the rare mid-level veteran who knows what he wants out of the club, and does what he enjoys, serving as an example to fellow members of what the organization is really about.

I'll cede the true cataloguing of his achievements to his Summit leaders, and instead thank Sight for being, above all, a friend. Leaders are commonly asked to walk a thin line between fluff and commendation in their promotion recommendations, but in Sight's case, I can say with conviction that his friendliness, on IRC particularly, makes Arcona a more fun place to be, improving the DB experience for everyone. That, ultimately, is what we should seek to award amongst our members -- activities and achievements that make the club more fun for all of us.

Congratulations, Sight, and thank you for the important contributions you provide to Arcona and the Brotherhood. It's been awesome getting to know you, and I look forward to continuing to do so.

Proconsul of Clan Arcona

Legorii Arconae, 2014-06-02 13:51:32 UTC

Sight’s promotion to Knight took place while within the confines of House Odan Urr. There he was one of their most active members, constantly placing in competitions, assisting on projects and pushing others to learn more about the DB. He then decided to change things up a bit.

Since joining us from HOU, Sight has been a force to be reckoned with for some of our more tenured members. Dark Crosses, Crescents, CoFs and Pendants flood the inbox eachweek with his name attached to them. Every night you can find him gaming or offering insight to junior members on what they can do to get that next elevation or award, which is something to expect from an Equite. With his drive to 100% everything he does and his strong willingness to help others, there comes a time where you realize his own elevation is the only thing worthwhile.

I commend you for your efforts, Sight, and I look forward to seeing a great deal more from you in the future. Congratulations on this advancement within the ranks.

Welcome to the Equites.

Battleteam Leader of Nighthawk

Rear Admiral Arcia Cortel, 2014-06-02 13:49:45 UTC

Sight is an older soul to this club, but he comes back to join our ranks now as a whirlwind of exuberant energy. One of the first things he said to me was that he’d stayed up all night doing the coding courses in the SA, and I had to do a bit of a double take. Sight’s relentless. He earns savants, he games, he competes, all like crazy.

But he’s not just interested in himself. He constantly chats and interacts with his Battle team members and clanmates. He approached me personally expressing his longstanding wishes to be a mentor to others. Since then, we’ve set him up with a student, as our Quaestor can tell you, and it’s been nothing but brilliant. For being recently returned, Sight has been simply amazing. He deserves Equitehood, and more, for all his efforts. But for now, welcome, Sight. Congrats. You earned it.

Aedile of House Galeres

Golden Envoy Abbey Atty Attiter Ann, 2014-06-02 13:50:33 UTC

I am honoured to be recommending Sight for his elevation to the rank of Equite One. Since his last promotion he has been an active and steady member of the Brotherhood as a whole. As well as making himself known inside of Clan Arcona and House Galeres helping not only boost activity inside the House but inside his Battleteam as well.

He has been a constant active gamer, making his presence known as well as helping others inside games, including doing mob killing inside of Diablo 3. Helping others get gear and always being talkative to those around him with the game. For all of this gaming work he has managed to earn himself an impressive 683 Clusters of fire. As well as four pendants of blood showing his dedication towards the gaming community as well as expanding his experience and knowledge of the Brotherhood.

His activity and passion for competitions has also helped him inside of the Brotherhood, managing to place in sixteen competitions. Earning himself a Crescent with Diamond Star, four Crescents with Amethyst Star, six with Emerald Star, two with Sapphire, two Topaz and one Quartz a very impressive list of medals considering the amount of work he has done for competitions. Participating in a total of 35 amount of competitions, keeping a steady drive and making sure that he participates in everything possible, having a steady level of activity inside of the club.

He has recently begun teaching his own student helping mentor someone up the Journeymen ranks. Developing another member inside of the Brotherhood and helping them understand the club and how it works. Showing his devotion not only to his developing himself but helping others develop themselves inside of the club. For all of his work he has also managed to take in three Dark Crosses, showing his drive.

I am proud to be writing this recommendation for Sight he has been a steady member inside of House Galeres. For all of his constant hard work and his drive he has shown he is ready to step up to the Equite Ranks. Congratulations on this elevation Sight, I look forward to seeing what you do in the future. Keep up the hard work.

Quaestor of House Galeres

Cethgus Tiberius Entar, 2014-06-02 13:51:04 UTC

It seems that not a day goes past where I do not hear about you, Strata. Your superiors have sent glowing records regarding your accomplishments, which include:

• Pass Dark Brotherhood Basics Shadow Academy course
• Register on the DJB Forums
• Pass 4 Shadow Academy courses from the (Journeyman Hall) department(s) (currently 10/4: DJBWiki: An Introduction, Essentials 1: History, Essentials 2: Departments, Essentials 3: Paths & Orders, Essentials 4: Ranks, Essentials 5: Organization, Essentials 6: Medals, Vendetta 1: Foundation, Vendetta 2: Submission, Vendetta 3: Fiction and Graphics Tips)
• Pass 8 Shadow Academy courses from the (Journeyman Hall) department(s) (currently 10/8: DJBWiki: An Introduction, Essentials 1: History, Essentials 2: Departments, Essentials 3: Paths & Orders, Essentials 4: Ranks, Essentials 5: Organization, Essentials 6: Medals, Vendetta 1: Foundation, Vendetta 2: Submission, Vendetta 3: Fiction and Graphics Tips)

An expedited recommendation for your promotion has been transmitted to the Master-at-Arms.

May the Force guide you, Disciple,

SWL Dacien Victae di Plagia Headmaster

Lord Dacien Victae, 2014-06-03 14:41:03 UTC

I am delighted to announce that Lexiconus is now eligible for promotion to the rank of Jedi Hunter. Since joining only a few weeks ago he has proven to be a perfect example for any Journeyman to follow.

Firstly, he is now a regular in #arcona, where he is among the more talkative members, often starting or joining in with all sorts of topics of conversation. He has also been seen on the DB's voice server.

His competition activity has been second to none, having already taken part in no less than six competitions, managing to place in two of these. Also impressive has been his activity within the Shadow Academy, allowing him to not only obtain the 3rd rank within the SA Society, but also passing both leadership courses, showing a potential interest in future leadership.

Character development has also proven important, with Lexiconus writing over 2,000 words of character fiction.

Finally, he has been at the rank of Guardian for the requisite 21 days.

Congrats, Lexic. Now push on for that saber. ;)

Clan Rollmaster, Arcona

, 2014-06-03 12:59:11 UTC

There are a few in the club whose names live on long after they are gone. Their names, to an extent, become part of Brotherhood legend. Their efforts and deeds on our behalf stand the test of time. Purchased through toil, their labors of love elevate them into rare company. I have the pleasure of knowing a few of these men and women and the honor of calling them friends. One such, whose name I know will live on long after his service, is Valhavoc.

Simply, Val needs to be an Elder. He has smashed his way through every rank and position he has been given as one possessed. And though I cannot make him an Elder, yet, I can get him as close as some of us will ever come.

Sith Warlord is the pinnacle of the Equite population. These ones have shown devotion beyond the norm and proved themselves ready for the ultimate step to Elder. Val has shown that he belongs among them. Underneath the hood of his usual ease and humor is a workhorse engine constantly hitting on all eight cylinders. Below, I'll enumerate some of what he has accomplished as Fist since his last promotion.

Since October Val has run the popular Gorefest gaming competition. Ever on the lookout for ways to entice members to get together and game, he also proposed the idea of the Grand Master's Royal Guard Progress Bar. Further in the realm of the GMRG, and I will not spoil it, Val has devised another great "meta-game" for GMRG members to delve into and earn awards. But you will see more about that in the coming months.

Val also took the initiative to redesign the way the GMRG rank structure functions. This was a very popular change and offered our busy members "safe ranks" for the first time. No more losing all that hard work due to real-life crushing one's time to game. Val saw the complaint our members had and took action.

Venturing out beyond the GMRG changes, one notices Val's comprehensive reformation of the Rites of Combat, the "rules" which govern all our gaming activity. Historically, these were somewhat complicated and over-involved. Val has streamlined the RoC so that it is straightforward and accessible to our members new and old alike. Again, we can see the pattern emerging of our membership desiring change and Val quickly and thoughtfully responding to that desire.

Val was also left a sizable mess to clean up following the departure of the previous Fist. Namely this was in the area of the only Star Wars Massively Multi-player Online Roleplaying Game available to us, Star Wars The Old Republic. As one who plays ToR, I was able to witness his efforts to restore the Guild and viability of this platform first-hand.

Across the whole of ToR, Operations, Flashpoints, etc., Val cleaned up and simplified what awarded Clusters of Fire and what did not. He reorganized the Guild rank structure, called for Unit Representatives from each of our Clans and Houses to aid members in enjoying and maximizing their ToR experience, and purchased a new and dedicated TeamSpeak server not just for use with ToR, but all our gaming platforms. I even tried to pay for this so he would not have to and Val has yet to give me his PayPal info. The man simply wants to help in every way he can and asks for nothing in return.

I say often, "The work is the reward." Val embodies this. He enjoys what he does. Val is truly a subject-matter expert in his chosen field. He loves gaming and loves coming up with ways to make it more fun and accessible to all of us.

Such is the example of his recent organization of a Brotherhood Guild for the wildly popular Diablo III. Val adapts to what members want and need and he does it quickly. Another example of this can be seen in his constant push to provide mobile gaming opportunities for our members. He recently developed a support structure for the fun and challenging Star Wars Assault Team mobile application. He is constantly on the lookout for more mobile platforms he can work into a format that makes them available for our members. By doing this, he allows them to benefit from the synergy of doing what they enjoy normally and reaping benefits on the club-side of things.

What really sets Val apart though, in my mind, are his constant works outside of his chosen office. Val is a gifted organizer and has an eye for detail. He has helped us immeasurably throughout the challenging Dark Crusade event far beyond simply running gaming. He has contributed to every discussion we have had, pointed out improvements, and discovered flaws where we otherwise would have missed them. He has covered down on judging when and where we needed it and was often the first to ask for more work to do.

Val has also contributed greatly to our ongoing Possessions System work. He is constantly among the first to respond with feedback and ideas to our email exchanges and makes himself available virtually 24/7 to bounce ideas off of. Email, IRC, WhatsApp. Val is always there to help out.

He also was a key part of our Prestige redesign that went live recently. Val worked up much of the re-balanced values and helped sort the logic behind making everything as fair as possible.

Did I mention he somehow found time to mentor Zednich to Dark Jedi Knight?

As anyone can see, Val continues to revolutionize the way we handle gaming as a club. But beyond this, he continues to prove himself as a valuable Councilor even outside his own position. Besides perhaps Herald and Seneschal, I cannot think of a DC job for which Val is not qualified. Moreover, Val is one of our most trusted members. He has earned it, and our respect, time and time again.

But if I keep going, he'll never get promoted. So I will just say, thank you, Val, for everything you do for the club and the rest of us on the DC. It would be a darker place without you, partner.

Congratulations on Sith Warlord!

-Raken, Deputy Grand Master

Raken, 2014-06-03 04:50:07 UTC

I recently contacted the Deputy Grand Master and Grand Master requesting the elevation of our Fist, Valhavoc. My recommendation was based on a long and lengthy list of Val's accomplishments over the past 8 months. Simply put, Val has updated, rewritten, and improved nearly every single gaming aspect of the Dark Brotherhood. Val's work has streamlined the submission of CFs, clarified awarding criteria, and reinvigorated the GMRG.

We should also not overlook Val's steady and consistent contribution following the epic meltdown of his predecessor. A normal, consistent, and thought provoking human being is exactly what the Dark Council needs more of.

Thanks for all you do!

Grand Master Declan Roark, 2014-05-29 15:36:59 UTC

Valhavoc is one of the most responsive Dark Councillors I have ever had the pleasure to know. During my time as Aedile and Proconsul in Plagueis, I witnessed Val quickly and directly addressing questions and concerns raised by my members, clearly taking their suggestions to heart. He also took the time to mentor Zednich, providing goals and guidence and coordinating with the Plagueis Summit to move Zed through the ranks and ensure he was appropriately rewarded for all his work.

In the month since I assumed the mantle of Headmaster, Val has rewritten or edited three seriously out-of-date gaming-related exams, consulted with me on the future of gaming-related Shadow Academy degrees, and assumed the responsibility of being Professor of the brand new Department of Gaming Studies without missing a beat. As FIST, Val goes above and beyond, taking a "Whole Brotherhood" view of his position -- an ideal for the Dark Council.

This promotion is fully earned, and I'm sure it's only one more stepping stone for a bright career. Congratulations, Val!

Lord Dacien Victae, 2014-05-29 16:38:29 UTC

The importance of the Fist to the Dark Brotherhood cannot be overstated. Gaming has been one of the two primary sources of activity for this club from the beginning.
The efforts that Valhavoc has made to re-invigorate interest in gaming have been tremendous to observe.

Working with other members of the DC for feedback and additional input, he completely revamped the GMRG rank system to encourage people to game more, without artificially restricting them on how quickly they could advance.

He runs the monthly Gorefest competition.

He was instrumental in keeping the Prestige revamp discussion alive and moving in the right direction, so that we could properly award people not just for their participation and performance in competitions, but also for how much they give back to their Battle team, House, Clan, or to the DB as a whole.

He made sure that when the expansion for Diablo 3 was released, the rules for awarding Clusters of Fire were awarded as quickly as possible to avoid a sudden imbalance in how people could accumulate them.

And he's consistently trying new games out as platforms for DB activity to see if it's something that will catch our interest.

In short, he's making it easier, and hopefully more fun and more rewarding, to play games within the DB community.

How could we not reward that?

Congratulations on your promotion to Sith Warlord, Valhavoc!

Master Gavriel Kadesh, 2014-05-29 17:22:40 UTC

Since being appointed Fist of the Brotherhood, Valhavoc has been working non-stop to revolutionarize anything gaming-related in our club. From the GMRG to the Cluster of Fire calculation tables, from Diablo 3 to cell-phone games, there is not a single gaming-related aspect I can think of that hasn't seen Valhavoc's touch of improvement. And it doesn't stop there: Going beyond his call of duty as Fist, Valhavoc has contributed to numerous other projects, which include, but are not limited to, the recently completed Prestige rework, the Possessions System, several Shadow Academy courses, the Old Republic Guild, and even mentoring a student to Knight.

Valhavoc, this promotion is fully earned, long overdue, and well deserved. Thanks for all your work!

Ascendant James Lucius Entar, 2014-05-30 13:48:07 UTC

I'd never gotten to write a promotion recc for Val before, which I am more than happy to remedy right now. He was my Aedile and the best one that anyone could ever have. He seriously works and plays hard. I watched this man blast through ranks at record speed and I knew one day he'd even surpass me because of how dedicated he is. He was supposed to be my successor too, but he went from new QUA to Fist in all of 5 minutes and all I could do was shout at him because I had already stepped down! But as Fist he went on to do great things as my fellow Councilors have explained. I expected it though, his work ethic is incredible and he brings a maturity to the position and the club, both of which is admirable and hopefully emulatable by others. I seriously missed working with him, so being on the DC and getting to collaborate with Val again has been wonderful. Thanks for all you do Glenn, and congratulations!

General Socorra Erinos, 2014-06-02 15:01:21 UTC

There are those who take a job and do the work. They show up on time, do as they're told, keep their head down, and refuse to make waves. Stable, reliable, consistent. These are some of the good traits. Some of the lesser ones are beurocratic, risk-averse, and narrow. There is a time and a place for that.

The Dark Council is not that place.

Since taking up the mantle of the Fist of tjhe Brotherhood, Valhavoc has acted much as the name implies. He gets ferocious when he sees people abusing our systems tot heir own end. Downright brutal. His love for this place, his devotion to all of us to fight so hard, to care that we all get a fair shake is central to how he operates. He takes that fire and he drives us forward with it. He is constantly refining our policies, not only in his area of expertise, but also any time that we brong anything to the table of Dark Councilors. He weighs in, without fail, turning his formidable mind and impressive experience, in the real world and in the Brotherhood, to bear on the situation at hand. He is unafraid to question why we do things. He is not complacent with what we have already done, seeking to improve, even if by inches.

He may be a younger member as far as time in the club goes, but he has more than earned his stripes. Holding down any dark council gig is hard enough. Just doing what you are told is difficult sometimes. It is the mark of a man to seek higher, to push further, and work harder than he has to.

Valhavoc, I am glad to know you, and even happier to have you on my Dark Council. Please accept this promotion as a token of our esteem. Thank you.

~Muz Ashen, The Lion of Tarthos

Lord Muz Ashen Keibatsu, 2014-06-03 02:31:35 UTC

Manual Administration

Zanet Xox, 2014-06-03 00:09:08 UTC