Arcona has seen its rough patches. There have been highs; there have been lows. A handful of members have been through it all. One member has been an integral part in this battle. That member is our beloved Proconsul Marick (or as he is affectionately known, Wally). Wally has been a driving force within Arcona since he stepped into the position of BTL of Oblivion Brigade. Even as a BTL he exceeded expectations, becoming an individual who was not afraid to express his opinion, nor stand up to anyone who he felt threatened Arcona. It follows, therefore, that one would assume Wally to be ignorant, obnoxious; the general assumption of Arcona of old. No. This man has more love, more care, more passion than anyone I have ever seen in Arcona. He is one of the nicest, easy-going, pleasant people I have ever had the honour of working with. He is, without a doubt, the single-most influential individual within the Clan. Without his input and support, Arcona would be in a very different situation right now. When he stepped up to the position of Qel-Droma Quaestor, he worked tirelessly to completely revitalise the house. And he succeeded. When he stepped into the position of Proconsul, he worked non-stop to ensure the Clan was a fun, enjoyable and active place to be. Again, he succeeded. I have an abundance of adjectives I could describe Wallyâs personality with: loving, thoughtful, kind hearted, a good listener, warm, considerate, tender, et cetera. I have yet more adjectives I could describe his involvement within Arconaâs success: driven, ambitious, integral, vital, dedicated, committed, extremely loyal, hard-working, persistent. The problem is, these donât even scratch the surface of his kind nature, nor his resolute allegiance to this club. The man is a king. There is no other way to put it. The accolades he has earned along his journey since his last promotion exemplify this dedication:
A Grand Cross of the Dark Side, four Silver Novae, one Bronze Nova, one Anteian Cross, a Scroll of Foundation, two Srals of Return, twenty Seals of Decimation, two Crescents with Emerald Stars, two Crescents with Sapphire Stars, and one Crescent with an Amethyst Star. And he has earned this while all the while learning, developing and, alongside myself, leading the Clan.
Yet this list doesnât seem to do his activity any justice. Instead, I will exemplify the projects he has worked on, what he did in such projects, and why it is that he genuinely deserves this promotion.
During his tenure as Quaestor of House Qel-Droma, Wally re-established House Qel-Dromaâs fictional background. He did this all from scratch and, similarly, created Port Olâval, Qel-Dromaâs new home that has served as a resource for creative writing and character development for the members of the House. Without this preliminary work his then Aedile, Invictus, would not have been nearly as able to step up so readily. Thus, not only did he pave the way for the membership to delve into a much richer, more accessible House, but he also left Invictus in a position of fantastic opportunity to undertake tasks otherwise impossible without Wallyâs prior activity.
Similarly, Wally led House Qel-Droma to become the dominant force of Arcona within the Tenth Great Jedi War. He was a veritable bastion of activity, leading from the trenches (which is evident by the sheer number of Seals and Novae he was awarded), and entering into anything he could spare time for. But this was not the defining moment of his activity within the War. Primarily, Wally was one of the few members who really pushed the boat out in terms of inspiring the membership. He would rally Arconans up, help them out, proof-read their fiction, ACC posts, whatever he could to help them to succeed. If there was a way to help Arcona win the Great Jedi War, Wally had found it and put it to use. While I acted as de facto Consul, Wally was right on my heels, acting as assumed Proconsul. He led the membership with such vigour and passion that more often than not, he was still online when most had gone to bed and woken up the next morning.
Following my promotion to Consul, and Wallyâs subsequent promotion to Proconsul, this man didnât see it as time to rest. He jumped straight into more work, and became integral to the authoring and development of the âArcona Family Feudâ event. Not only did he create a large number of the events, but he also came up with and implemented the scoring system that worked by factoring in participation into the scoring system. This was no mean feat, and it took him a long while to compile something that was accurate and fair. A clear demonstration of his dedication yet again, I would suggest. Similarly, he worked on the administrative side as well as the creative side in drawing up the weekly results and putting them into an easily readable spreadsheet that showed each individual and each teamâs scores and efforts. He even went as far as to compile a list of the top entries. He then integrated them into the Arcona Forums and the Arcona Post Website, in order to acknowledge entries by the general membership.
Following from this, he was integral within Project [Redacted], an initiative proposed by Invictus. Wally helped oversee a team of Journeymen working on the project in order to to help flush out the fictional background of House Qel-Droma by proof reading and offering creative input without hindering their own developments.
During my month-long Leave of Absence, Wally was left as temporary Consul. He excelled in this position, delegating tasks, helping the Summit, continuing to aid the members and really stepping up to the plate. It took me 14 months to become ready for Consulship; in 6 months of Proconsulship, Wally easily surpassed me in his ability to keep morale high, to motivate the members, and keep Arcona fully engaged. Similarly, he branched out, bridging what were once tense relations with Brotherhood leaders from other clans and houses in hopes for a more open line of communication and better unity between members. He developed better relations with the Consul and Proconsul of Clan Naga Sadow, Quaestor of House Plagueis, Quaestor of House Odan Urr, and Quaestor of House Scholae Palatinae. This is truly inspirational stuff from a member who not a year ago was a BTL.
Wally has also been integral in member training. Trained Socorra Erinos up to Dark Jedi Knight while helping her adjust to the Brotherhood. Furthermore, he introduced her to leadership and continued to help her development on her way to joining the ranks of the Equites. She has also officially listed him as her master, thereby completing one of the requirements necessary for this promotion. He has also been consistently active in proofreading ACC posts for new members and training them in the ways of the ACC: namely Journeyman Anigrel, Snabbie, and Incendus. Similarly, he has been working tirelessly with Celevon in the creation of the Spectre Cell Battleteam by revising the ideas brought up in the proposal, refining them, and helping with the unit-specific weapons and armour. This kind of dedication, along with his work within Clan leadership, is more than deserving of reward.
Wally even went out of his way, using his own imagination and initiative to create the idea of the Cythraul, a token of Arconan appreciation, give to members who show extreme promise. Wally undertook all of the legwork without any want for reward, wrote up the pages and spent many hours refining the concept. To create such a token of gratitude for other members of the Clan is admirable, and it exemplifies his dedication to this great Clan. He is a true leader, a true Arconan.
Let us not forget that Wally was also the mastermind behind the Arcona Contract Bureau. He still maintains service as Commissioner of the Arcona Contract Bureau and its development by creating unique, specialized contracts and grading them while offering insight, tips, and advice for helping develop the writers taking part in the activity. Each contract is tailored to the memberâs requested settings, so each contract is created from scratch with no stock templates used.
Wally has managed all of this along with his responsibilities as Proconsul, such as the standard administrative tasks of managing Arconaâs internal affairs, transfers between Houses and Battlteams, solving issues or conflict between members, and maintaining a highly active IRC presence.
If this list does not demonstrate â6 or more months of âsuccessfulâ leadership in Aedile or higherâ, I donât know what does. He has thrice over proven himself deserving of promotion to EQ3, and I feel terrible for waiting this long. This man is a machine. He doesnât stop loving. He doesnât stop caring. He doesnât stop working. He has already trained up a member to Dark Jedi Knight, and he has undoubtedly proven himself worthy of joining the ranks of the upper Equites.
Wally is an amazing leader, an amazing character, and an amazing friend. He deserves this more than anyone I know.
Well done, Wally. You more than deserve it. <3
~Wuntila Zratian Entar Arconae,
Consul of Clan Arcona.
Wally is a God. Thatâs the first thing that came to my mind when I sat down to write this rec. The guy has been a consistent feature within the Arconan summit in some form or another for about two years. I remember Wally becoming the BTL of Oblivion Brigade while I was Aedile of Qel-Droma all those months ago. He was young, eager and brimming with potential, something Celahir and I both saw. This has been proven time and time again as he progressed to Quaestor of Qel-Droma. This culminated in Qel-Droma being the powerhouse of Arcona during the 10th GJW, easily outscoring Galeres. Marick once said to me that he looked up to me, all that time ago. Now itâs the other way around, I look up to him. When I came back to full activity after the unfortunate period in RL, Wally took a chance and gave me the position as BTL of Shadow Gate. He didnât have to; in fact, I wouldnât have blamed him if he didnât. But I owe my rank of Equite 2 to him, having had the chance to earn it because of Marick. Not only has he helped me and contributed to making me the member I am today, Wally has had a positive effect on so many people. He hand-picked Invictus as his Aedile in the lead up to GJW X, as well as getting Socorra past that last little step to DJK. He has a massive effect on the Entar family too, despite not being a member: So much so, that we always joke and tease him about when heâs going to put Entar as his surname. Wally stood up to the plate as Proconsul of Arcona after the war, helping Wuntila steer the Shadow Clan to new heights of excellence, introducing a new fictional rewards for up and coming members - The Cythraul. As well as working on the Shadesworn, an elite group of Obelisks within Arcona.
Despite all that, there is so much more to Marick. Heâs a friend, a confidante, a respected peer and someone I try to emulate. He is welcoming to everyone and anyone, easy to get hold of and many are the times when one of the Summit has demanded that he go to bed because heâs stayed up late working on projects or helping members. While Wuntila has been on a LoA, working on his dissertation, Wally has stepped up to the plate, leading Arcona in Samâs absence. I honestly canât imagine Arcona without Wuntila and Marick at the helm. Marick has more than earned a promotion to the rank of Obelisk Exarch, As such; I recommend that he be promoted post-haste, as my mother is desperate to congratulate him.
Sanguinius Tsucyra Entar
Quaestor of House Galeres
Wally has shown himself to be the most likeable member of the Clan to non-arconans since the likes of Celahir. He is easily approachable for everyone from new members to the DC, and is fast showing his true strengths by having almost singlehandedly managed the Clan during Wuntila's period of RL ass-kickery. He's taken to leadership with a calm levelheadedness that Arcona desperately needed, and his ability to mediate problems should earn him a nobel peace prize with the crap the DB keeps throwing his way. I have absolute faith in his ability both to lead and to follow orders, and I eagerly await him to set the bar even higher for himself as his career in the Brotherhood continues. Also, his arms are bangin'. Congrats, mate. â Dash
I simply cannot imagine this place without Wally. He is such a giving individual; his time, his sweat, his tears, everything about him goes towards Arcona and the DB as a whole. His kindness, politeness, patience, and self-sacrifice practically make him a Saint, something that is so rarely seen in the world these days let alone the Brotherhood.
Wally is an amazing mentor. From the very moment I stepped foot into the DB, he has been there to answer my millions of questions, to guide much of everything that I have and still do, and he has been an amazing sounding board and friend that wouldn't hesitate to shoulder anything for me or any clansman.
He worked incredibly hard to motivate Arcona into participating in the GJWX, started with a video he produced to rally the troops at the beginning, and we can clearly see the fruits of that labor as well as his own astounding activity during the war. Wally went so far as to produce a hilarious and highly embarrassing video of him and other Arconans in order to get the Clan revved up and attempt to secure a placement for multimedia. The amount of work and embarrassment he was willing to go through showed how much his dedication was to helping Arcona win the war. That dedication led to folks like myself pushing day after day into participating and doing it well.
Due to his excellent guidance in the ACC I managed to beat all odds as a PRT and qualify in just a couple days, and then go on to beat out Wallyâs own placement in the ACC war event. He made it so much fun and worth doing, that I wanted to do my best. It continues to this very day. We both entered the current 5th Championship Ladder and were pitted against each other in the 2nd round. Wally gave no quarter, and it was the best I have ever seen him, which inspired a passion to not only match him but go beyond, and win. He remains to be an inspiration to me.
Wallyâs work for the Arcona Family Feud was no less astonishing. He tirelessly rallied active and retired members to trudge online and support the Clan in this hugely successful multi-week multi-event, which is no easy feat during slow seasons between wars. When he wasnât running events, he was excelling at his own entries - all the while he was in the process of moving to another state. Nothing stood in his way of supporting the Clan.
Wally is an excellent ambassador between Arcona and the other units. When we say that he is the âfriendly face of Arcona,â we really mean it. Incredibly approachable, easy to get along with, social, and very knowledgeable on every subject from DB to manga to politics. Heâs like Arconaâs First Lady (or First Husband? This is Arcona weâre talking about), such an amazing Proconsul right out of the gate. His leadership is highly valued, his mentorship is priceless, and his friendship is highly sought after. I am proud to have been his student, and am honored to write this recommendation. Thank you, Wally, for all that you do.
-Socks
Where to start with Wally, seriously. He's been a leading Arconan, both in activity and position, for as long as I can remember. To me personally he's a great friend, one of the few I've really come to trust albeit never having met in real life. His constant activity, on leadership level alone exemplifies the dedication of a devoted member, both of Arcona and the Dark Brotherhood as a whole.
The sheer amount of contributions he has made to Clan Arcona go above and beyond of what is expected of him. Of course it's a leader's responsibility to keep the clan running and always strive for improvement, but the way Wally has taken it upon himself to make the clan, and through that the entire club a better place for both old and new members, other leaders included, never ceases to amaze me.
Wally, I offered to write a little something for you because like all others I believe you've more than earned this prestigious award, but also because of how in the past you've shown that you seriously care about not just Arcona, but the entire brotherhood, it's an honour to have worked, and hopefully someday work with you again, and the brotherhood is lucky to have a member like you amidst themselves. Congratulations on Equite 3, it's well deserved.
~Celahir Erinos, former Consul of Clan Arcona
Ever since I joined the Dark Brotherhood, Wally has been a constant mentor whenever I was confused or needed help with something... Why am I writing that in the past tense? That still happens to this day. :P Every time I needed something or someone in the Clan needed something, even the simplest of things, he put whatever he was doing aside to turn his full attention back to us. I don't believe I've ever seen a time when he wasn't hard at work on some project or other that benefitted Arcona. It is my firm belief that Wally fully deserves this promotion. Congrats, Wally. :)
-Celevon
Wally is one of the premier members in Arcona. Through his care, Qel-Droma flourished with amazing speed. He follows his tenure as Qel-Droma's Quaestor with a bang up job as Arcona's Proconsul. Under his leadership, both Houses gain a certain amount of respectability just by being associated with him. He gives those leaders who work with him the fervor to do their jobs quickly and with the same tenacity and force he utilizes himself.
In my mind, Wally is one of the unmatched leaders. He shares traits with every last one in the past. He tolerates our bad taste jokes and even finds a few of them funny, but most of all he's willing to share with the class. Whether they are Arconan or not, this does not matter to him in the slightest. He treats all members as if they were his own and this makes his not only a good person to be admired, but it makes him a leader to be followed.
It's been more than an honor to serve with him as one of his Aediles, it has truly been my pleasure to help him with whatever he needs doing and I hope that we both get the chance to work alongside each other for many years.
~Balthier d'Tana
Aedile of House Galeres, Clan Arcona
Wally has, right from his first day within Arcona, been a font of excellence in leadership. A veteran from the Bounty Hunterâs Guild, he was already familiar with online Star Wars clubs long before he joined us, and it was an absolute pleasure to see how rapidly he developed into a skilled and experienced leader. I have had the extraordinary privilege of seeing this growth first-hand, first as his assistant when he created Oblivion Brigade more or less out of nothing, then watching him rise steadily through the Arconan ranks, his activity in the ReClanning process, and ultimately his current position as Proconsul. In all these positions, Wally has shown himself to be positively unmatched in the skills he brings to the area. Perhaps rare for an Arconan, he is also tolerant and friendly to more or less everyone, being one of the Brotherhoodâs few almost-universally-loved members.
So, having served him in his Battleteam, in his House, and now proudly serving under him as he fulfils his Proconsular duties with enthusiasm, vivacity, humor, verve and grace, I am proud to endorse Wally for promotion.
-Dark Adept Timeros Caesus Entar Arconae
(Itâs on the short side, but meh. How many times can a guy say âWally Rocksâ without repeating himself? Because Wally does, indeed, rock. <3)
Ever since he joined the ranks of our Clan's leadership, Wally (or Marick, as no one calls him) has put his heart and soul into making this place better. He was already a great guy when he arrived here, but over the course of the last year he's made himself into a great leader as well. Since his last promotion he has helped lead Arcona to victory in the Great Jedi War, been elevated to the position of Proconsul, and been awarded the Arconae title, all of which was richly deserved. I am absolutely certain that Wally will continue to play a vital part in Arcona for years to come, and I am supremely confident he will continue to be as exemplary as he has been for so long now. Congratulations, my friend.
DA Strategos T. Entar Arconae, Consul Emeritus
Darth Aeternus, 2012-04-21 11:38:57 UTC