I do not think it would be an exaggeration to say that I have no idea where Plagueis would be without the contributions of Kelly Mendes. She has been an absolute beast of activity in the last year while also forging herself into an invaluable and irreplaceable part of our Clan Summit. Much of our success, from our performance during the three way event with Tarentum and Arcona to our 400+ entries as a unit over the three week span of The Enemy Below, can be traced back to Kelly's contributions.

Just on the competitive front, Kelly has been hitting every metric possible with gusto and verve. She has participated in 145 competitions and pulled in 18 crescents (5 Ruby, 7 Amethyst, 4 Sapphire, and 2 Emerald). She's done a lot of that damage during various Clan wide or multi clan events as well, maintaining a near 100% participation ratio for said events. Kelly has always been a force when it comes to gaming, but the last year has been something special. She has earned six Pendants of Blood, 599 Clusters of Fire, and 356 Clusters of Earth (across 160 PvP matches and 27 PvE activities). Most impressively she has achieved Rank X in the GMRG society and currently sits in 5th place on the quarterly GMRG leader board, the first member of Plagueis to appear on that list in several years. In fiction, she has amassed 39 Clusters of Ice from 4 ACC matches, 20 fiction activities (totalling 10,879 words!), and 1 RO post (an additional 1,389 words). In the Shadow Academy she has passed 6 courses, earned 3 degrees, and (in her capacity as docent and professor) she has graded 92 courses while earning 7 Scrolls of Foundation.

As a leader she has made amazing contributions to our Clan's overall health. First and foremost, she served as master to Obsidian and guided him on the way to Knighthood. Mastering new members through their neophyte and journeymen ranks is the most direct way to make sure our Clan continues to see success in the future, and Kelly made sure to not lose focus on that process while in Clan leadership. That Clan leadership has entailed time as both Aedile and Quaestor of House Ajunta Pall, serving in the positions for three and two months respectively. She did some of her best work during our The Enemy Below event earlier this year, helping lead her team to victory by keeping in personal, individual contact with her team members. She has internalized the Plagueis philosophy that mass email or telegram messaging doesn't produce results, only interactions can really show the members that you value each and every one of them and their contributions. Whether it was one on one telegram conversations or email messages, Kelly made sure to keep in contact with her team. She may have personally finished 6th overall, but her work as a leader during the event was a huge part of her team accounting for 241 of the 409 total entries Plagueis generated over the course of the three week event. Kelly brings that level of dedication to her work as a house leader no matter what, big event or no. She's a constant force on Telegram, both within Plagueis and without (having provided a whole slew of fiction questions for the fiction channel of late), and always striving for the sort of community building activity that the Brotherhood needs to thrive in the future. Outside of Plagueis, she spent the last four months of nearly a year serving the MAA's office and has also spent nearly 13 months serving the Shadow Academy as either Docent or Professor. Kelly's continued excellence has lead to her receiving four merit awards over the last year in the form of three Anteian Crosses and a Grand Cross.

Kelly is the sort of member that any Clan leader loves to have as a part of their unit. She is personally active while also seeing that her leadership can be even more important. She also looks beyond the walls of Plagueis to make the Brotherhood as a whole a better place, which by extension benefits her home clan even more. Kelly, you're a star in Plagueis. It brings me great joy to advance you for promotion to the rank of Equite 3. May it be yet another step along your ascent!

Master Selika Roh di Plagia, 2017-06-25 05:08:41 UTC

Azmodius Equesinfernum has been a major asset to Clan Plagueis ever since his promotion on the first day of 2017. He has spent the better part of the last six months on the Plagueis summit in some capacity, having joined in mid February as our Battleteam Leader and then moved on to Aedile of House Ajunta Pall in April. He has continued to make consistent and valued contributions to Clan Plagueis all year, and he has done the sort of work that can only be truly recognized through advancement to the rank of Equite 2.

In the realm of personal activity, Azmodius has participated in 43 total competitions and earned 19 crescents (9 Amethyst, 5 Sapphire, 4 Emerald, and 1 Topaz). Of those, 24 were during our recent The Enemy Below event (which was a 100% participation score). During that event, he placed third overall with a score of 193 total points, only 9 points behind first and second place. He has also earned 199 Clusters of Fire for his gaming, 5 Clusters of Ice through 4 fiction activities of 2,375 words, and six Clusters of Graphite for his graphics entries. Additionally, he passed 26 courses in the Shadow Academy on his way to earning 5 degrees (3 Mavens and a Savant).

Even with his mountain of activity, Azmodius has made even larger contributions as a leader. His efforts as Battleteam Leader of The Circle were hugely important to our Clan. As the unit that serves as a destination for all our new joins, maintaining a constant presence on Telegram and engaging his members daily was something that Azmodius excelled at. His activity in creating a positive new member experience for his charges is something that has helped Plagueis grow as we look to the future. He has encouraged and supported his members, helping them navigate the trials and tribulations that many have experienced outside of simply fulfilling promotion requirements. In addition, he has made substantive contributions to the monthly Rollmaster report, often collating and formatting activity data for inclusion in that report as is his assigned task. Following his time there, Azmodius transitioned to the position of Aedile of House Ajunta Pall nearly three months ago. Since his move, he has continued to serve as the kind of leader that is the example for others. He has released all three of his monthly reports in a timely manner, making sure our members stay informed about goings on in the Brotherhood and Clan as part of our regimented unit report schedule in Plagueis. Additionally, he has continued to be a ever-present part of our Clan telegram channel helping to build and reinforce the sense of community that keeps our members engaged and active.

All in all, Azmodius has been an excellent part of our Clan summit in Plagueis. The Steel Cross that he earned coupled with his Seal of Loyalty already speak volumes as to his value to our unit. It therefore gives me great pleasure to recommend him for advancement to the rank of Equite 2. I know it will not be his last stop along the way, but instead it shall serve as yet another rung on the climb up the ladder of his continued success. Congratulations!

Master Selika Roh di Plagia, 2017-06-25 05:08:47 UTC

greenfire, you have successfully completed the Trial of Identity and confirmed your e-mail address, for which you have earned the rank of Apprentice. While you may currently be on a shuttle to House Ektrosis, I will continue to follow your progress with great interest.

May the Force guide you, Apprentice,

Battlelord Farrin Xies
Headmaster

Adept Farrin Xies Tarentae, 2017-06-24 14:54:53 UTC

Ethan Martes has completed the following requirements to become a Jedi Knight:

• He has been awarded a Dark Cross for consistent activity in House Satele Shan
• He has been awarded 10 Crescents
• He has participated in 30 competitions
• He has organized the successful Deeper Look fiction competition.
• He has reached the fourth rank of the Inquisitorius
• He has been awarded 9 Clusters of Ice for just shy of 4,000 words of character fiction. Beyond this, he has written character fiction outside of competitions and shared it with he clanmates.
• He has been awarded 3 Pendants of Blood

In addition to these, Ethan served with distinction in our cooperative event with Clan Taldryan, entering 5 competitions, of which he took first place in one and third in another. Ethan is an absolute fixture in the COU Telegram channel, where he's warm, friendly, and encouraging to his fellow journeymen. For all of these reasons, it is my honor and pleasure to recommend that Ethan Martes be promoted to the rank of Jedi Knight.

Headmistress Alethia Archenksova, 2017-06-23 23:19:11 UTC

Ethan Martes.....this man has created one of the zaniest characters Ive seen in all my years in the DJB. His antics in fiction has given me quite a few laughes and is a refreshing change from the brooding Force user that many of us have created.

Since his last promotion he has organized two competitions, spent his required Time in Rank, awarded 3 PoB's, participated in 12 competitions (obtaining 4 Crescents), reached Rank 4 in the Inquisitorius, and written well over 300 words of character fiction. Beyond that though, he has cemented himself in as an active and talkative member in the COU telegram chat.

While he has only been here a few months, I can see Ethan going far in the DJB, and changing it for the better as he goes. Congratulations my friend, your ascension to Knight is well deserved!

General Daniel Stephens, 2017-06-22 22:09:39 UTC

It is my pleasure to shower him in praises he will probably say he doesn't deserve. Well, here goes anyways. Deal with it, Ethan.

One, Ethan is an absolute delight to write with, especially his great attitude. He follows through with his writing and willingly sticks around for more. Two, he has proven to be a dedicated learner and an avid writer. Third, he is a wonderful community presence and a great friend. Lastly, Ethan has been a great teammate to Odan-Urr and his House. I can't stress this enough because it is one of the best things he does for Odan-Urr.

I couldn't be prouder of all he has accomplished. Congratulations on this momentous promotion! To your inevitable rise to the Equites and a celebration of the awesomeness that is Ethan.

Aura Ta'var

Rollmistress

Aurora "Aura" Ta'var, 2017-06-23 04:12:54 UTC

I knew Ethan briefly before he joined the Brotherhood as he is game master for a Pathfinder game I participate in. I was excited to see him join as in our campaign I have gotten to see his writing and improvisation skills for characters.

I was not disappointed. Ethan's well formed character, a smooth talking Force user with an obsession with gambling (and other acts of questionable legality) has been incredibly fun to interact with and read. He is always a presence in the various chats he is in sending keeping up his antics and helping to lighten the mood.

It is my pleasure to recommend Ethan Martes for his Knighting!

Congrats Ethan, you have earned this!

Colonel Len Iode, 2017-06-23 22:47:30 UTC

Sev Ur, you continue to impress. You're growing more competent each day and you will surely rival the Dark Council when the time is right. You have met the requirements for promotion, and a recommendation has been filed. Your accomplishments include:

• Have an approved character sheet on record
• Participate in 3 competitions
• Pass the Advancement Survey Shadow Academy Course
• Pass the Comms 101: Discourse Forum Shadow Academy Course
• Pass the Comms 102: Telegram Shadow Academy Course
• Pass the Comms 103: DJBWiki (An Introduction) Shadow Academy Course
• Pass the Dark Brotherhood Basics Shadow Academy Course
• Pass the Essentials 101: History Shadow Academy Course
• Pass the Essentials 102: Departments Shadow Academy Course
• Pass the Essentials 103: Paths & Orders Shadow Academy Course
• Pass the Essentials 104: Ranks Shadow Academy Course
• Pass the Essentials 105: Organization Shadow Academy Course
• Pass the Essentials 106: Medals Shadow Academy Course
• Pass the Vendetta 101: Foundation Shadow Academy Course
• Pass the Vendetta 102: Submission Shadow Academy Course

I will continue to watch your progress, Sev Ur, but my direct intervention in your promotions must come to an end.

You will go far within this Brotherhood.

May the Force guide you, Journeyman,

Battlelord Farrin Xies
Headmaster

Adept Farrin Xies Tarentae, 2017-06-23 16:49:01 UTC

Mako is one of the most rock solid, dependable members and leaders I’ve ever had the honor of working with in the Brotherhood. It is my distinct privilege to submit him for elevation to the pinnacle Equite rank. For the entire time I’ve known him he never does anything halfway, it’s either given his full effort or he won’t do it. Mako is a treasure to whatever community he works in, be it the club’s gamers, aspiring artists or the members of COU. He has served in some sort of leadership or staff capacity almost his entire 17 months as an EQ3.

His record speaks volumes, since his last promotion he has earned: a Sapphire Blade for his work as Shan Quaestor and Magistrate to the Fist and a Grand Cross and Steel Cross for Clan activity. Additionally Mako was selected twice for the prestigious Seal of Loyalty. As a leader and staff member he is a first rate content creator, organizing 38 competitions and co-organizing another 53. As a member in the ranks he has certainly led from the front, participating in 252 competitions (and an additional 22 container competitions) and bringing home 47 crescents. He’s also hoarded 615 Clusters of Fire, 25 Clusters of Ice, 126 Clusters of Earth and an astounding 44 Clusters of Graphite.

Mako is the type of member that is so essential to the functioning of our Club, he is selfless, active and a true friend to have. His elevation to the highest Equite rank is well deserved and it’s my highest honor to recommend him for it. Congrats my brother, COU wouldn’t be the same without you.

Turel Sorenn
Consul, Clan Odan-Urr

Champion Rajhin Cindertail, 2017-06-23 15:55:08 UTC

In the year and a half since his last promotion, I've worked with Mako in all sorts of different arrangements: member of House while he was QUA, his AED, QUA of his house, in my capacity as ACC judge, and his capacity as M:HRLD. The one constant is that Mako lives life like someone lit a fire under his ass.

He hit the ground running as Satele Shan's Quaestor at a time when we needed strong, engaged, and highly active leaders. He moved first to revitalize our lore as a house on New Tython, but soon had to completely abandon his plans after the loss of the planet. Mako was instrumental in developing Shan's new planet, Daleem. He lead from the front in our feud with Plagueis, participating in 9 of the 11 competitions. The energy continued throughout his tenure as QUA, which ended with an 8-competition inter-house feud Mako organized with Arcia.

Since he stepped down from a a leadership position last year, Mako has nevertheless continued to make a dramatic impact on the club. Turel shared the numbers above, and I'm sure Vyr will detail his involvement with the Herald office, but I'll add in my two cents as well. Mako turns up when you need him. His comp participation is insane. Beyond that, he's a fixture in both art chat and COU channels. We need more people like him.

Mako, you were a fantastic mentor who showed me how DB leadership ought to be done, and you've been a wonderful guy to have on my team. Congratulations on making it to the top of the equites.

Alethia Archenksova
Proconsul, Odan-Urr

Headmistress Alethia Archenksova, 2017-06-21 19:35:33 UTC

Mako entered the office as a wildcard. He was very enthusiastic about graphics, but he lacked the skill most of my staff had. That was partially the reason I picked him for the position — I needed someone with experience leading a community and creating content other than graphics. At first, his duties were linked mostly with the DB Art channel. he was supposed to scan competition, write updates and pin them to make it easier for members to see. he also started coming up with daily drawing challenges that he posted in there. In general, he is a very proactive member of the art community.

Mako's work never ended on that, though, as he started creating competitions for members to participate in. He has created 9 competitions, including the Shroud War tournament which was a great success, with 31 participants and 68 unique entries. The idea of the Tournament was in the works for a while, but it was Mako's work that made it happen. In short order, he had created an idea for the Tournament and in cooperation with Arcia Cortel (Esca) made it happen.

To say that was the last of his contributions would be unfair as he had started working on Warbanners recently, gathering enough confidence to do so, and completed 12 of them already. Given time and effort, I'm sure Mako will develop his skills even more and, eventually, find a permanent place in the Herald's office. Thank you for all your work, Mako, and congratulations.

• Vyr (Morgan)
• Herald of the Brotherhood

Boss Morgan B. Sorenn, 2017-06-22 15:41:29 UTC

Out of the Odan-Urr artists, Mako has been one of my favorite. Far too often our work is a singular effort made with no connection to anyone outside of ourselves. Mako has helped reverse that trend by consistently participating in and supporting my graphics competitions. Several clan members have been gifted his art and each and every one of them is specially made for that person. He shares his gifts freely and I appreciate that a lot. Simply put, he brings joy to others and that is special.

This spirit of adding to the community is key to being an Equite and I am proud of his accomplishments. In addition to his amazing activity and his efforts in the DB art group, I recommend that he receive this promotion.

Aurora "Aura" Ta'var, 2017-06-23 01:56:29 UTC

In all capacities, Mako is among our best members and leaders. I cannot think of a time when he was inactive, being a constant presence to our Clan and the Brotherhood. None of his activities are lacking, with each aspect of his promotion assessment reading achievements across the board. During my time as Consul, I oversaw much of his tenure as Quaestor of House Satele Shan, through the thick of what would otherwise be seen as a "reset." Mako's task through all of this, in addition to the duties of a Quaestor was to create a new planet (now called Daleem) that the House could use as their fictional center of operations. He far extends himself past the expected duties of a given role, even as a member. His earlier recommendation for a Sapphire Blade speaks volumes about the particulars of his trials through Clan leadership, but I'm glad he managed to impress throughout his service.

As such, I feel Mako's more than earned his next promotion to EQ4!

Seer A'lora Kituri, 2017-06-23 06:38:21 UTC

The time has come, and Akaarn has satisfied the requirements for the rank of Hunter. He is a reliably active member of COU's Telegram community. He has participated in ninety competitions during his time in the Brotherhood, placing in twenty-one of them. While the majority of these aren't types that award clusters, he has nevertheless earned himself six Clusters of Graphite. Akaarn has also been awarded for his consistent activity on three separate occasions, once with an Anteian Cross and twice with a Dark Cross. Most recently, he has joined the ranks of the content producers by running Akaarn's Puzzle Corner #1. This was far, far more involved than the typical puzzle or riddle competition. Akaarn personally designed a script based on semaphore, and used that to write his ciphertext. He then made an image to give the impression that the text had been carved into a rock wall and photographed.

While many new members join up, burn through the checklist ranks until they hit knighthood, and then abruptly fade away, Akaarn's career has taken the opposite path. Jesse isn't here to chase glory or recognition, and he's certainly not here to pump up his own ego. He's here to to make friends and to be part of a community, to have fun and help other people have fun, too. So it might take a little while for that last step to Knight, but we can rest assured that Akaarn is here for the long haul.

Congrats, man. There's only one more step left to go.

Alethia Archenksova
Proconsul, Odan-Urr

Headmistress Alethia Archenksova, 2017-06-23 14:28:44 UTC

When I think of Akaarn, I think of patience and dedication. I see an awesome person in the Odan-Urr community that makes everyone laugh and prompts us all with great fiction topics. I see someone willing to share his passions, whether they be Star Wars related or crypto-related. I see a valued journeyman of Odan-Urr that has more than earned this promotion with the above and his wonderful activity so far.

It is my pleasure to recommend that Akaarn be promoted to Hunter. You're awesome, Akaarn. Keep it up!

Aura Ta'var Rollmistress, Clan Odan Urr

Aurora "Aura" Ta'var, 2017-06-23 04:21:50 UTC

Alandro Sul, you have successfully completed the Trial of Identity and confirmed your e-mail address, for which you have earned the rank of Apprentice. While you may currently be on a shuttle to Battle Team Zirael, I will continue to follow your progress with great interest.

May the Force guide you, Apprentice,

Battlelord Farrin Xies
Headmaster

Adept Farrin Xies Tarentae, 2017-06-20 12:29:12 UTC

You're already beginning to make a name for yourself, Ozosi Vym. I have heard reports from House Hoth that you have managed to:

• Join Telegram or IRC, and visit Clan Channel

I have recommended you for immediate promotion.

Congratulations, and may the Force guide you, Novice,

Battlelord Farrin Xies
Headmaster

Adept Farrin Xies Tarentae, 2017-06-18 23:57:26 UTC