Dralin is one of the first people I met upon joining Clan Tarentum two and a half years ago. Back then he was always helpful and ready with advice and encouragement, and he helped me get oriented and established in the Clan. As I moved from RM to AED of House Gladius I watched him get discouraged and languish at the rank of Jedi Hunter. It was my turn to give the advice: I showed him how close he really was to Knighthood. He quickly earned the rank and truly came into his element at that time.
Ever since becoming a Knight, Dralin has been active in the usual ways. He participates in competitions and visits IRC often. His activity record for the past two years is fairly extensive. Where he truly shines, however, is in activity that is "off the books" so to speak. He is one of those rare individuals that will both promise to help and also follow through on that promise. When new members ask for help on IRC, he is there to answer their questions. When I needed a logo for Gladius, he designed it. He has designed lightsabers, report banners, and warbanners for various members of the Clan. He has been a trusted friend to me in deciding the direction of House Gladius, as well as to others in deciding the direction of Clan Tarentum.
Dralin is one of the most selfless, quiet, and hard working members of the Clan. Never in the spotlight, never seeking reward, but always there when you need him. He has quietly become a truly indispensable member of the Clan and I am honored to recommend that he be elevated to the rank that is commensurate with the level of work that he does.
~Scion "Firebird" Altera
Quaestor of House Kaerner
Dralin Fortea was the first member of the Brotherhood not named Ronovi to reach out and engage me in conversation, even though we were in different houses at the time. He was instrumental in my understanding many DB workings in the early days of my time here. These actions showed right away his strong character and his dedication to the Brotherhood. It left an impression on me immediately and helped me feel comfortable within the Brotherhood right away.
Since then we have chatted on many an occasion (more times than with some of those in my own House) and since joining Kaerner he has offered to help where he could, and Teia has praised his help with her battleteam as essential to its early development. The freedom with which he offers his skills to projects, both big and small, is astounding and it would be understandable if he didn't follow through on all he offers. However, he does come through, time and time again, helping those in need, with his own free time, whether the project is for his House, battleteam, Clan, or not.
Taking the position of M:HRLD further shows that he has the interests of the entire Brotherhood, not just his House and Clan, at heart. Never once have I heard him sing his own praises, he simply continues to give his sweat and blood to the Brotherhood. Therefore I recommend Dralin's promotion to Krath Priest.
While maybe we don't say it enough, Dralin, we appreciate all you do and none of it goes unnoticed!
Congratulations!
~Tier-Avis Nami
Aedile of House Kaerner
I have only become familiar with Dralin recently. Though from only weeks of knowing him, I was impressed with Dralin's hard work. Dralin is the kind of member that this Brotherhood can greatly benefit from. He is hard working, but gives his work from the shadows, not caring for personal achievement from the deed, but rather for the well-being of his house and clan.
Dralin has given his all for the two new houses of Tarentum. He is always striving to help out Kaerner's two battle team leaders, Teia and myself, as well as lending his help to the Quaestor, Aedile, and even down to individual members of Kaerner and Tarentum. Dralin has notably helped with a banner project for the battle team, Spectre, has given tremendous effort for his own battle team, the Reckoners, even going so far as to bring report headers to Spectre, the Reckoners, and a Reinthaler battle team, Black Phoenix.
Dralin's work is not only bound to Tarentum, but it also stretches out into the whole of the Brotherhood as well. Dralin has recently become a Magistrate to the Herald, crafting warbanners and lightsabers for the entire Brotherhood of Dark Jedi.
Ever present and willing to help, Dralin is a shining example of how one member can bring great aid to the Brotherhood. For his superb help for me, and the whole club, I can only think of one way to reward Dralin for his achievements. And that reason is why I come before you now to request this promotion to Krath Priest for Dralin Fortea. Congratulations, buddy!
~Jagen Phoenix
Tetrarch of Spectre
I completely support a promotion for Dralin. He came to ME looking for ways to help the Reckoners - not the other way around. He's already, in this short time, been an irreplaceable resource in the building of the BT. I've never been in a leadership position in the DB before, and knowing that he has my back without me even having to ask helps me in so many ways. Dralin is "unofficially official" (as Scion said) my second-in-command in the Reckoners, since it's an Obelisk BT and thus doesn't have FLs.
Yesterday in chat, Jagen randomly mentioned he'd like banners for his reports, and I said, yeah, I'd like some too - and RIGHT THEN Dralin said, okay, I can make them, and offered to create a insignia for the Reckoners in a private message with me.
Dralin has also been very helpful in the development of fiction for the Reckoners, which is currently a bit of a daunting task because we're making almost everything from scratch. He won the first Reckoners competition, which was to determine our motto. Our motto is his entry: "Nobody escapes their day of Reckoning."
I didn't know Dralin's history until recently, as he's been on LoA for most of the time I've been a member. But I can't imagine working without his support now. And I'm honored to be able to call him a friend.
~Teia Coran
Sergeant of the Reckoners
Robert E. Lee once said, "Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more, you should never wish to do less." Dralin defies this quote by going above and beyond the call of duty in order to better his House, Clan, and fellow members. Dralin was an inspirational member of Gladius, and now keeps that same drive in House Kaerner.
I met Dralin in Gladius when he was Rollmaster. He was quiet yet he was always willing to work with members to better them and the House. He talked with individual members and worked with the rest of the Summit to make House Gladius a better house in Tarentum.
Dralin continued to help when Scion, Apollo, he and I worked to reform Gladius after the Ninth Great Jedi War. He was willing to do whatever the cost to better Gladius and to make what Gladius did in Tarentum more productive. Although we were never able to truly implement that plan, his help was influential in our decision making.
When I became Aedile, Dralin helped me with all that I did by adding suggestions and doing tasks. He was always willing to help and willing to sacrifice his time for the clan and the House. He truly embodied the spirit that we strive for in all our members.
Dralin is a good guy, so good that even the word "good" is too low for him. He is the model member, always seeking to better himself, his Clan, and his House.
Congratulations Dralin, you've earned this.
~Severon Vercingetorix
BTL of Black Phoenix
I view Dralin Fortea in many different ways. I first and foremost view him as a friend, the man who introduced me to the Brotherhood and observed the result of such an invitation to this incredible club. I secondly view him as a brilliant, talented writer, a master of the creative word no matter how he tries to argue with me on the subject.
When it comes to this promotion to Krath Priest, however, I give my third view: My view of Dralin as a steadfastly loyal member of Tarentum; a former Gladian who cared for his house; and now a Kaernite who is a major asset in the birth and growth of his new house.
While Dralin has not held many leadership positions in Tarentum - his latest position was of Rollmaster for House Gladius, and it earned him a Seal of Loyalty - he has shown his higher-ups time and time again that he doesn't need to be wearing the captain's hat to do a captain's job. His work in the GJW was fruitful, especially when it came to trivia; his continuing assistance in the development of the Battle Team Reckoners is even more bountiful. His work fictionally and conceptually has boosted the aura and the appeal of the fiction-oriented battle team, and he is now directing graphics-related contributions to other teams such as Spectre and Black Phoenix.
What I find most impressive about Dralin is that he does his work with little fanfare and no demand for attention. He more often than not works unseen, in the shadows, if you'd like to use a darker metaphor (how appropriate). He has contributed a number of graphics in the shapes of banners, logos, and headers to several noted leaders of Tarentum. His recent work as the newest Magistrate of the Herald has made its way to many DBers' dossiers, images of warbanners and lightsabers alike. And even after all this - after all his charity, all his dedication, and all his favors - he expects no reward for it. That is an honorable trait I wish to see occur more often in this club: The ability to do great things without demanding recognition is not a common trait to have.
A great quotation by Sydney Smith goes: "Whatever you are by nature, keep to it; never desert your line of talent. Be what nature intended you for and you will succeed." I can only hope that Dralin continues in his line of talent - through writing, through art, and through his own means of charity and dedication to his house and clan. He has been a Dark Jedi Knight long enough - now it is time that he joins many of us as an Equite, another major step in his Brotherhood career. Congratulations, Dralin, and thank you.
~Ronovi Tavisaen Tarentae
Consul of Tarentum, PYRG
General Ronovi Tavisaen, 2010-04-17 01:36:53 UTC