Orv is a true DB legend, without a doubt one of our most (multi) talented members and just generally a great guy. He's the only member in DB history to serve as both Seneschal and Herald (I'm rocking the sabers he made for me a decade ago), and we wouldn't be where we are today without his efforts over the years. Plus, his DB comics series is still hilarious, which is obviously worth EL3 all by itself.

Bork!

Lord Dacien Victae, 2024-06-05 12:59:40 UTC

Mango.

Howlader Taldrya, 2024-06-03 15:12:16 UTC

The Dark Council has two definitive 'hard skill' slots in Seneschal and Herald, and Orv proved himself more than capable of doing both, during times when we needed them.

Orv literally came to us in the heat of a major issue. Scriptkiddies had been running rampant through our site, SQL injectors were wreaking havoc, and the site had crashed literal days before a major GJW. We had to restore the site from a backup while implementing security changes that would patch those vulnerabilities and do it in an absurd timeframe. If that sounds intense, that is because it absolutely was. For a volunteer organization working for shiny pixels, it's even wilder. I'm only vaguely aware of how they had managed to save the site, but I will be eternally grateful for that. On top of that, he spent countless hours migrating old ASP code into the new PHP for the new site, working intensely to help ensure that we would have a shiny new site going into the future.

Throughout it all, Orv's sense of humor and whimsy persisted, and his comics helped bring much needed levity to the whole club in the coding courses he put forth on the Shadow Academy. Always calm and approachable, he never let really anything bother him, even though there certainly was enough in those days to qualify. As he pivoted to take up the mantle of Herald, it became increasingly evident that Orv is a man of myriad talents. His artwork in that role helped push the brotherhood forward with new and fresh styles that can still be seen in the site today.

As we take the time to look again at pillars of the club that have helped us get to where we are today, I am quite glad to be able to put words down in support of Orv being recognized again. He is an incredible member, a true renaissance man, and a genuinely nice person. May his mangos be few and his borks be loud. Thank you again, Orv.

Lord Muz Ashen Keibatsu, 2024-06-03 15:39:08 UTC

When Orvles took up Herald just over a decade ago, the office was in disarray. We had almost no files (old ones), no originals, no organization and certainly no request management outside of a mountain of emails. It was a few years before requests went through the website and long before apps like Trello were big. Splinter Orv hired a new crew and brought me on as Praetor (he may have been influenced by a 'totally radical' TMNT themed Powerpoint <3 ). I was assimilated into Bork society and found him to be, and still is, one of the coolest, most down to earth and funny people I've worked for in DB or RL. I would be there again in a heartbeat. He brought a whole new style of art with him that immediately screamed "fun", the results of which are still found everywhere on our website, email and his famous SA courses. Now while a fantastic artist he was, the Great Bork found many a mango with the organization side of Heralding, which we both kind of just stumbled through. He made a great and classic comic for tha–MOAR PANDA.

When I eventually succeeded Orv, he became a Magistrate to start an avatar "service" for DB, which included planning a generator of sorts as at the time we didn't have AI or HeroForge and whatnot. While that didn't come to fruition, he made dozens of artworks for it and dozens of personal avatars for members. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that his willingness and eagerness to turn around and work for me was absolutely amazing and incredibly humbling. I believe it to be at least partially why I am happy to do so for the next generation and even today. While it was Bubba that suggested it, Orv's fun and self-deprecating humor gave me the courage to push through my fears and out of my comfort zone to make and publish my own DB comics. I can't begin to express how grateful I am to have had him as a mentor, leader, and friend.

The visual styles of DB graphics have changed over the years with the contributions of the Heralds of the time. Orv's particular style and humor remains a treasure wherever it is found in some of the most random places of this storied club, including whenever the website hiccups (404) we get to see the little Orvlings trying to fix it, old humorous absurdities, is always family friendly and his work is still one of the first things a new member sees as they are joining us (oops, wrong one?) - it is that timeless. He even had his own character Orv killed for benefit of a GJW. He indoctrinated many into the Bork society and brought out fun in all aspects of it, infecting the club at large and making a wonderful, lasting impression.

In closing, Orvles doesn't always herdy dur mur flerpty floopin, but when he does, yer der shmer dor her der foomty, der shoopin flerprty dur!

May the Bork be with you always.

-Socks
VizCon, P:HRLD

General Socorra Tenebrosa Nhar’qual Erinos, 2024-06-03 23:22:37 UTC

I kind of sprouted all my mango seeds with the last promotion request, so I'll keep it short and sweet (like a mango) for this one.

We lucked out that Orv decided to rejoin us after reading our nicely worded recommendation that definitely wasn't a trap card, nope . Since returning what I think is like a week or so in change ago, Orv was able to update his CS, tweak his loadout, re-aquaint himself with the modern DB, and already floated some ideas for future competition ideas that could be a lot of fun. He's jumped into his first RP already, and continues to remind everyone that now gets the pleasure of meeting for the first time, or re-meeting him, how great of a member of the community he is and how his presence helps us all shine brighter.

I hope this means you'll keep sticking around to hang out with us, because it's been great having you back in Arcona and the Brotherhood!

-W

Lord Marick Tyris Arconae, 2024-06-05 01:20:00 UTC

You're already beginning to make a name for yourself, Sepulchralia. I have heard reports from Battleteam Selen Training Corps that you have managed to accumulate 5 XP.

I have recommended you for immediate promotion.

Congratulations, and may the Force guide you, Novice,

Headmistress Alethia Archenksova
Headmaster

Headmistress Alethia Archenksova, 2024-06-04 17:35:05 UTC

Sepulchralia, 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 Battleteam Selen Training Corps, I will continue to follow your progress with great interest.

May the Force guide you, Apprentice,

Headmistress Alethia Archenksova
Headmaster

Headmistress Alethia Archenksova, 2024-06-04 15:54:02 UTC

Val has been a fixture of this club for most of the last decade, since stepping up to become Fist as an EQ2 just over ten years ago. As Fist, Val made fundamental changes to DB gaming including: revamping the GMRG on the model of the SA Society (and introducing the leaderboard and DC Council accessories); bringing PvE gaming fully into its own by introducing the CE and undertaking the painful, neverending process of balancing Diablo 3 clusters; introducing mobile gaming to the DB; significantly simplifying the convoluted RoCs; implementing PvP Score; working with James to create the Fister Roboto, our beloved TG gaming bot, the forerunner to the Discord matchmaking system; and adding or removing many supported platforms as necessary to keep up with member interests--Val created the system for game approval that we still use today, with some tweaks.

Following Val's nearly three years as Fist, he took on two more important roles: first, as a temporary member of the Star Chamber, where he served for a year as a formal advisor to Sarin and helped oversee the transition to Mav's GM term; and, second, as PCON of the new Clan Vizsla, which he also played a leading role in creating. As PCON, Val helped lead Vizsla to a strong third place finish in GJW XIII and was then called to step up when real life forced Sarin to take a step back as CON for several months. He went above and beyond by taking the lead in organizing the first clan feud in years: A Fistful of Credits, between Vizsla and Plagueis, and keeping the clan's high level of activity going.

Beyond all of that, he has been a trusted advisor to every Grand Master since Muz and has had input on many of the major changes this club has witnessed over the last decade. When I wrote the "additional requirements" for Elder 3 promotions and wrote that "Highly impactful work in positions other than Consul or Council may also be considered," I had in mind people like Val who have had a major behind-the-scenes impact beyond what their time-in-position or official duties suggest; he hasn't held fifty positions over twenty years, but his work and attitude speak for themselves.

Lord Dacien Victae, 2024-06-04 14:01:37 UTC

Valhavoc, known as Glenn throughout the rest of this recommendation, is one of the finest members the Dark Brotherhood has ever had.I am biased in this recommendation because Glenn is also one of my real world best friends. My bias; however, does not diminish Glenn's impact on our club.

Glenn joined our Club in 2007, but did not fully embrace the Dark Brotherhood until 2012. Since that time Glenn has been a staple within the Dark Jedi Brotherhood. He held nearly all leadership positions going from BTL to AED to QUA to FIST and finally settling on PCON of Clan Vizsla. Along the way Glenn's demeanor, generosity of time, and analytical work helped change and shape our leadership techniques and gaming as the DB knows it.

Glenn's introduction to Fist came after one of the most tumultuous times in our Club's history when it comes to gaming. Glenn's immediate impact was felt and his ability to make a bad situation turn into a good situation was quickly put on display. His stability brought our club a new era of gaming and introduced us to quaint things like a voice Teamspeak server, adding your gaming tags to your dossier, rebooting the GMRG, adding support for mobile games, adding Destiny as a supported game, a beta test for a DB LFG chat, and running couple hundred competitions for our gamers.

Since Glenn's time as Fist he has only demonstrated a continued love (and hate) and dedication to our Club. He earned a staggering 333k XP just at the rank of Elder 1. He also helped create a new Clan for the Dark Brotherhood that filled a much needed Mandalorian presence.

Glenn's most recent leadership time was spent in Clan Vizsla. Glenn is a founding member of the club and helped write the Clan Proposal, the proposal for House Wren, and the proposal for House Saxon. Glenn's work behind the scenes helped develop staples of Clan Vizsla activity. This is most readily seen in the Vizsla Great Hunt which is a competition that has been run by all of our Consuls throughout the five years of Vizsla's existence. In addition to helping create the Clan and developing the Clan's mainstay competition, Glenn also stepped in to run a Clan Feud with Plagueis when I had to step away due to real life issues. Glenn was instrumental in the planning, development of grading systems, grading, and implementation of the Vendetta. This made Glenn one of the few non-council members to ever run a Vendetta level event.

Lastly, Glenn most recently, stepped in to support the Fist with new gaming initiatives. Glenn proposed, and had approved, within 24 hours, a new process to earn clusters in Diablo 4. Glenn put this work together with no expectation of reward, but only as a good member doing things to support our Club.

Glenn has done it all. He has served in Clan leadership positions, served as a Dark Councilor, served on the Star Chamber, and dedicated countless hours to our club. If anyone is deserving of EL3, it is him.

Grand Master Declan Roark, 2024-06-04 14:00:04 UTC

Kaiann has been a member since the dark ages. He served as both Headmaster and Lord Hegemon, and remained active as recently as GJW XII. His DC work is ancient history at this point, but he served the Brotherhood for many years and has earned this promotion.

Lord Dacien Victae, 2024-06-04 14:01:10 UTC

Beef served for years at high levels in this club, largely in his old clan Tarentum where he held the position of Consul multiple times. He also served as Sith High Warrior, for which he received a rare Silver Sash. Although he doesn't have the time to devote to the club that he once did, he remains regularly active to this day. Congratulations, Beef!

Lord Dacien Victae, 2024-06-04 13:59:22 UTC

Beef, or as his dossier corrects me, Zsarion Bloodfyre has been a fixture of this club for longer than many have been in it. He's also been a DJM for about as long as I've even been in the club. A tireless advocate of the Sith Order, a proponent of member rights, and an all-around good frined, it's hard to even scrath the surface of what he's done in those twenty years since his last promotion.

Sith High Warrior is obviously the position that he is most known for. Bloodfyre defined the role back in a Brotherhood that had order leaders on the Dark Council, a position that would eventually be combined with Obelisk High Commander and renamed Fist. His work to refine the Sith and how they work under the auspices of the broader brotherhood earned him a vaunted Silver Sash. Today, those who were not present back then may not have an appreciation for this work, but our past informs our future, and it is important to recognize that fact. Since then, he's served in a raft of support roles, from Left Hand of Justice and Combat Master to Docent. Clan and house leadership has seen him myriad times as well, and his tireless work as advocate for his members has always been intense.

While Boodfyre's time has become strained with his real life job of saving lives, he still shows up to weigh in on issues here in Clan Naga Sadow. Pitching in on wars and other events, he always has an eye for pushing the members forward by setting a good example. He's always been one of my touchstones for what I think when I hear the term Elder. It's my pleasure to help recognize the man who has done so much for the club with a long-overdue promotion to one of the highest ranks that a member can earn in the club.

Thank you, Beef. For all that you have done over your long career, and all of the insane stories that we will surely tell together in the future.

Lord Muz Ashen Keibatsu, 2024-06-03 15:18:10 UTC

Yacks is about as old as elders can get in this club, with a dossier over a quarter of a century old. Although he's retired now, his imprint on this club is strong: he played a leading role in developing the possessions system and served on the inaugural Regent staff as Special Magistrate, a job he held for three years as he helped to steer possessions from concept to a firmly entrenched feature of this club. He was our first Justicar, held every leadership position from BTL through CON and Sith High Warrior, and is one of just four non-GM recipients of the GLS. On a personal note, I always appreciated Yacks' grumpy advice and suggestions during my time as Headmaster. Congrats!

Lord Dacien Victae, 2024-06-04 13:55:15 UTC

Yacko. Take your promotion and you will god damn like it.

So here's the thing about Yacks. Despite all his protestations, and his yelling, and his general bastardy? He actually does care. He cares about doing what's right, and what's good - and then he does it. I have a pretty solid (and well-earned) reputation for yelling, and where exactly do you think I learned to yell at Grand Masters when they're being idiots? Yacks.

His promotion in 2015 to DJP goes into more explicit detail on his hard work and contributions in the past several decades, but suffice to say - his contributions have formed many of the structures and dare I say attitudes that the Brotherhood continues to function on this day. Hell, the XP system? That is promoting him today? He was in the room when it was conceived many years ago - and the ultimate form it took? Resembles very closely to what we discussed about recognizing our members with rank promotions.

For your instruction, and your unintended (or maybe intended?) contributions to how our Space Wizard Club works, you are promoted again. Jackass.

Howlader Taldrya, 2024-05-30 16:32:36 UTC

Four-score and umpteen years ago, I first interacted with Yacks as a lowly little Sith. And although I clearly surpassed his as the mightiest of old-school Sith (especially since he can't rebuttal), it doesn't mean he doesn't deserve this promotion.

Yacks has been many of the things in this club, including Chief Law Guy, but there's a whole slew of projects that has his fingerprints all over them. Yacks has be there for the initial concepts for the current Character sheet and the XP system, amongst other things. He always makes sure that any new system or idea makes sense and is actually fair for everyone.

I'm sure I'll be hearing from him about this, but too bad. You will be promoted and you will like it! Now go bask in your internet glory.

Lord Halcyon, 2024-05-30 19:14:17 UTC

Yacks. All the existing recommendations already cover all he's contributed and done. His accomplishments are such that in a world where new ranks exist to convey these accomplishments, a promotion is warranted to keep alignment. Way to stay aligned my friend. This is the way.

Lord Evio Nezsa, 2024-06-04 00:02:04 UTC

Since Haro's last promotion, he has participated in a whopping 165 competitions, earning himself a Sapphire Blade, 5 Crescents with Diamond Stars, 4 Crescents with Ruby Stars, 15 Crescents with Amethyst Stars, 28 Crescents with Sapphire Stars, 14 Crescents with Emerald Stars, 5 Crescents with Topaz Stars, 2 Crescents with Quartz Stars, 79 Clusters of Fire, and 11 Clusters of Graphite. Additionally, he has passed 23 Shadow Academy Courses. Beyond this, he led the 4th place team in the recent May 4th event and has been a regular source of activity on Discord.

With all that being said, Haro, congratulations on your promotion to EQ3. I look forward to seeing your continued efforts in the future.

Battlemaster Haro Zylrun has reached the required 23000 XP to reach the rank of Equite 3.

Eminent Ikarri Itinen, 2024-06-03 22:15:22 UTC

Raken joined the DJB shortly after I returned post-Exodus, and we worked closely together during our joint time on the Plagueis summit. I knew then that he was a rare talent and also a remarkably clearheaded leader. He went on to bigger and better things, up to and including DGM, but I think his most lasting impact on this club was his work on the Vongunknown aliens war and its aftermath, making them major events and marking a real break with the first decade of vendettas. Our vendettas have never been the same.

Lord Dacien Victae, 2024-06-03 14:38:11 UTC

The Rank of EL 3 is one of the most difficult ranks to obtain in our club. It is shrouded in intrigue and mystery because not only do you need the XP to reach the rank, but you also need the mythical "and additional requirements" tag to be promoted.

Raken is the definition of "additional requirements."

Raken has served from BTL to Deputy Grand Master in our club. Along the way he revolutionized the way our club views fiction, plot, and story content. The reason we have the position of Voice: Raken. The reason we have character sheets: Raken. The reason we have Vendetta's that are major fiction events: Raken. The reason we have orders and disciplines: Raken (he build the systems after a 20 minute conversation). The standard for creating a planetary system for Clans and the DB: Raken (see the Antei Document).

Raken dedicated years in the Dark Brotherhood to create fictional content that changed the way our club operates. He wrote fiction for 4 Dark Jedi Brotherhood Vendettas, created the precursor to the "enemy faction" system that we now use, and helped shape DB lore and history. He was also a key driving force beyond taking a Vendetta from a big competition to an actual EVENT that used meta gaming, videos, teasers, and tricky little things like shutting down the website because the DB was being invaded (still love that we did that).

The DB can never have enough creative talents. Raken was THE creative for a period that spanned over 5 years in the Dark Brotherhood. His impact is that of a Grand Master. A promotion to EL3 is more than deserved and was more than earned.

Grand Master Declan Roark, 2024-06-03 14:21:46 UTC

When I rejoined the DJB in 2006, Kir was already a legend, having served as TalCON and then helped pull Plagueis together from the wreck of the Clan Satal Keto / Exar Kun merger as DGM-CON. My first real interaction with Kir, though, was as his first Right Hand of Justice. Firefox picked me for the job just days before he retired, and Kir quickly swept in to pick up where he had left off. Kir was immediately welcoming and encouraging, and he set a standard of diligence and careful, evenhanded deliberation from day one.

I will never forget the night (and subsequent weeks of fallout) of the infamous Bane incident, in which a disgruntled member managed to trick the MAA into giving him control of Sarin's dossier. Bane removed the DGM and set about trying to take over the entire site. Jac and others spent literally all night trying to contain the damage, and once that was done Kir took over. It was his first case as Justicar (and my first as RHoJ), and without a doubt the most severe up to that point. Kir led the investigation and proceedings with a professional calm that clearly demonstrated the Chamber was capable of handling important, emotionally fraught cases fairly and expeditiously.

He went on to serve in that role for many years before finally stepping back. For his troubles, he was promoted to EL3, make a Sith Lord, and awarded a GLS. From my personal experience working with him, I'm confident he deserved that and more. Today I'm happy to give him one more promotion.

Lord Dacien Victae, 2024-06-03 12:59:57 UTC

It has been many moons since Kir has roamed these halls, and yet his presence can still be felt within the foundation of this club. When one has been a long-time Consul, Deputy Grand Master and Justicar, one does become a part of the tapestry of the club.

It's a common refrain of many during this era of the club, but Kir has always wanted what was best for this club and its members. It was never about what he could get out of it, but what could he do to make things better for others. Leaders such as him don't actually care about the medals and promotions. What they do care about is ensuring that this club is a place for everyone, and that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy themselves.

So, with those platitudes out of the way, please don't forget that Kir's a complete bastard, but he's out bastard, and is more than deserving of getting another notch on that e-peen. Congrats!

Lord Halcyon, 2024-05-31 02:38:49 UTC

My first encounter with Kir was way back in the year 2000. He was awarded a Dark Cross for having "performed many nitpicky duties and I believe I should reward him. After all, he shines my shoes, takes the lint from my cloaks, generally making me respectable, well at least presentable" by his Quaestor(?) Alex. I believe that his future in our little club was secured by encouraging him with awards - and he would continue to perform these menial - and not so menial - tasks over the coming decade and a half. By the time I came back to be a space wizard in 2008/2009, Kir had settled into role as Justicar and was by all accounts a pain in the ass to those that wanted to be shifty, or in the case of me, old and also a bear. Kir's professionalism when performing his leadershippy and Justicarly duties, and the overall professionalization of the position of Justicar and the way the DB does it law-business has been an inspiration to his successors, and to those that aspire to holding the position.

I am, however, not one of them. I still regularly complain about Kir and his professionalization, getting in the way of my desire to fire people out of a cannon. Stupid Kir and his stupid rules and his desire to see the good in people and have them continue in our club.

For his enduring legacy in our club, Kir is promoted to the next rank until we have to make a new one for James. Congratulations Kir, and I hope you don't read this!

Howlader Taldrya, 2024-06-03 12:57:42 UTC