Perfection. Effort. Efficiency. Caring. Friendliness. Wisdom. Honesty. Loyalty.

When I write these statements I try hard to find a theme that fits the person. I try to find something that defines them. For most people it's easy -- there are one or two character traits that set them apart from others, discernable at the first glance.

For Pyralis, how do you choose among so many outstanding qualities?

You can look at his works and see the perfection that he strives for. In everything he does, Pyralis gives 110% effort. He marks everything with a touch of professionalism that has been sorely needed in the Brotherhood. He leaves no detail undefined and always gives the best product that he can. Pyralis is a perfectionist in the true sense of the word. It is a trait that so many others lack and that I appreciate greatly.

But I also appreciate his effort and his efficiency. Pyralis has an initiative that matches my own. He does not wait to be assigned a job - he finds work to do. He looks every day at what the Brotherhood is and what it could be, and takes active and appropriate steps to make responsible changes. In the past two years since Pyralis has returned to activity, he has sought out more projects and finished more tasks than most members will do in three to four times the length of time. In the past few months especially, Pyralis has branched out to help so many DC members with projects; his presence is felt everywhere. The list never dwindles; as Pyralis finishes one task, he has already found the next two or three.

He and I often talk about "why". Why do we do the things that we do for the DB? For Pyralis, the simple answer is that he cares. He cares not only for the structure of this club, for what we do and what we stand for, but for the members that make it up. And to them he is friendly. Pyralis will never shy away from lending a helping hand. He is always there when you need him. He wants the best for all and is willing to sacrifice anything to give this experience to others. Sometimes when you care that much it hurts. Pyralis, more than anyone I know, hates to see anything go wrong. But also, unlike most who are upset with things, he is always there to help fix it. He is constructive in his actions.

And in his efforts he is wise. Years of experience have taught him well. Many different positions have given him insight into every facet of the club. He has a foresight that I always seek out when in need of advice, and his solutions to most problems always lead to a better result.

That's what we need here more than anything: better results. For years we have gone and done the same things without definitive change -- and we were not honest with ourselves about the lack of progress. Pyralis brings a stark honesty that is refreshing. He tells you how it is and doesn't hold back what he is thinking because he's afraid of your response. He examines a situation and puts his common sense to work without hiding or pulling back from the swings. It's something that we've needed on a lot of our initiatives and I am grateful for the honest advice.

Pyralis is loyal. Not just to his friends and clan, but to the Brotherhood. Should I ever become inactive while still sitting in the position of Grand Master, I know that Pyralis will be the first to stand up to bring me down. He knows what the Brotherhood needs and will stay loyal to the cause of advancing our interests. He will be a loyal friend, but he knows enough that blind loyalty without honesty is a facade. His loyalty to our cause is genuine and true.

But none of those qualities are his best. To me, they all add to a single defining factor that makes Pyralis one of the greatest members ever:

Idealism

Pyralis envisions the Brotherhood as it should be. He is never ever satisfied with the status quo. We can do better. We must do better. If it isn't broken, Pyralis will make it better anyway. He wants this place to be the best possible and will do what it takes to get us there. Pyralis, much like me, is in search of the day when he can be content with his surroundings. He wants a time when he can sit back and say that his job is finished. But his ideal nature, the driving force behind all that is Pyralis, will never let him be satisfied. It drives him. It motivates him. Sometimes is discourages him. But that's what makes it real -- a true love for this Brotherhood now and forever, and a push to make it forever better.

Pyralis, the Brotherhood is forever better for your continued presence, and I am forever greatful for your friendship.

After three years as an Adept: rise tonight, Master.

Lord Jac Cotelin

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I am incredibly happy I am finally getting the opportunity to write a recommendation for Pyralis. With the exception of Jac, I can honestly not think of one person on the Brotherhood who puts forth more effort and damned hard work into this club than Pyr. He is constantly at work; his to-do list never shrinks because as soon as one thing is done, he adds three more. In addition he never waits for tasks to be given to him; he constantly is seeking out new projects and reexamining issues that most of us have forgotten about. Then on top of all his work at the highest levels of the club, he still finds time to be an incredibly active clan member in Taldryan. He also maintains lively relationships with members across the club, again showing his heartfelt commitment to maintaining the Brotherhood.
I trust him more than anyone in this club besides Jac, and I value his advice on any subject. We do not always agree, and often we find ourselves arguing opposite views, but we do this because we are both advocates for the betterment of the Brotherhood – and in this the members have no better advocate than Pyralis.
I've been pretty general up to now, but let's take a moment to list some of the many projects he's worked on since this time last year: Ran 32 ICTEs, Created the ICTE Website, Wrote and revised the Clan & Order Powers, Created websites for House Tridens and Ektrosis, Finalized the DB IRC Guide, Edited several Dark Voices, reviewed the Rites of Combat for XvT/XWA, Work on Decrees, Created Outer Rim War 3 website, Conceptualized Dark Iniquity, wrote the Alacrity documents, submitted multiple reform proposals, wrote Praetor Policy, Updated the DSC/Codex, Created DB link reorganization, worked on Dismissing Disruptive Members policy, the GMRG website, Timeline Proposal, Aphotic Guise, took a major part in the Amalgamation changes, advised the GM, DGM, and rest of Dark Council and some Consuls on a frequent basis, and many, many other smaller projects I haven't listed.
No one outside of the Grand Master himself can step forward with a more impressive list of substantive contributions for a single year than this. Pyralis is an absolute pillar of the Brotherhood. Without him the problems identified in the first Amalgamation document could have been fatal to the club, but he was always willing to jump in head first and take on more duties. Everyone who enjoys the club as it current stands should take a moment to thank Pyralis for all of his contributions. I am therefore very proud to be able to recommend that the Grand Master promote Dark Side Adept Acxodim "DV' Pyralis to the rank of Dark Jedi Master in recognition of the immense effort he has put forth in the name of the Brotherhood. Kir Katarn

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The honored rank of Dark Jedi Master conjures images of the greatest members in the history of the Dark Brotherhood. These members have excelled in almost every aspect of the Dark Brotherhood. They have risen above their orders and embraced the entire Dark Brotherhood. Such members are pillars of strength, leadership, and integrity for our organization. I can think of no Dark Adept more deserving or fitting of this elevation than Dark Adept Acxodim “DV” Pyralis.

Pyralis has served in the Dark Brotherhood for over eight years and has served at the rank of Dark Adept for nearly three years. He has served with distinction in positions ranging from Battle team Leader to Praetor to the Grand Master. Throughout his career he has displayed a spirit of innovation that has improved the entire Dark Brotherhood from his work as the Headmaster to his efforts as ICTE Manager.

Pyralis has truly achieved at all aspects of the Dark Brotherhood. He has earned almost every available merit and competition medal the Dark Brotherhood has to offer. His prowess as a competitor has seen him win Battle team, House, Clan, and DB wide competitions. He has also excelled in the pursuit of Dark Side Lore graduating from an amazing 28 Shadow Academy Courses.

Pyralis has achieved and done just about everything a member of the Dark Brotherhood could hope to accomplish; however, this activity is not his most outstanding quality. His most outstanding quality is his willingness to befriend, mentor, and help those around him. His advice and friendship have benefited many members of the DB and have improved the organization as a whole. This attribute, above and beyond his activity is the key reason he should be promoted to Dark Jedi Master.

DJM Sarin 25 January, 2006

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While I cannot say that I always agree with Pyr's actions, in fact on several occasions I have been opposed to his ideas. That said Pyr is constantly working on improving the Brotherhood. He has dedicated a massive amount of time to the Brotherhood trying fulfill his vision of a better Brotherhood. When so many others spend their time complaining about problems Pyr is always working to find solutions to the problem. As I have said while I may not always agree with Pyr, his actions speak louder then words and his efforts have earned him a place among others whom have been granted the title of Master.

His most Gracious Lordship, Spears the Vicious, Knight First Class

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I would appreciate if you could mention somewhere that I support this wholeheartedly and I am very appreciative for all his efforts - some of which go far beyond any reasonable call of duty.

-Kaek

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During my time in the Dark Brotherhood I have had the honor of serving under and with many of the better leaders in the Brotherhood at this time. However, none of them has pushed me and expected more out of me than Pyralis. His style is one of expecting the best one has to offer and then accepting nothing less.

Pryalis has mentored me and made my time in the Brotherhood more enjoyable than I'm sure he even knows. I enjoy ours conversations immensely and his point of view causes me to question everything that I take for granted. He truly knows how to take someone from where they are and elevate them to that next level.

Many of the things that Pyr does are done behind the scenes and as such much of his work goes greatly under appreciated. While he may be content with it being that way I believe it is more than time for Pyralis to be honored in this public way and continue on his trek down the Dark Side. Congratulations on your promotion, Pyr, and I personally look forward to seeing your accomplishments and hard work continue to push the Brotherhood forward towards better things.

Dark Jedi Knight Jaysen

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What can I say about Pyralis? Well, I’ve known him for a year or so as he was running the ICTE when I got back into playing. Pyralis was very diligent in running the events, awarding people well, and was very easy to talk to and get help from. He’s always willing to offer suggestions, help, or anything if possible. That’s something I learned about Pyralis then and can still see today as he is doing Envoy work for House Dinaari. Once I started helping him run the ICTE I found out he did quite a bit more work than I imagined. I learned about different ways to run competitions, how to develop incentives to get more activity going, and most importantly all about interaction with our members. For all that I picked up under Pyralis while in the ICTE, I am truly grateful. We may not always agree on everything, but that doesn’t change the awesome things he has done and the respect I have for him.

Taking a more open look at Pyralis and all he has done for the DB, it gets pretty amazing. He’s been helping Jac as a Magistrate and Praetor for more than a year now. The most prominent of things right now would be his work involved with the Leadership Manuals and the Dark Council Amalgamation. Pyralis has shown again and again that he cares about the Brotherhood and about its future. With these guides and changes made, we make the future of our organization here brighter and brighter.

For all Pyralis has done that I can see over the last year I’ve know him and the fact his last promotion to Dark Side Adapt was almost three years ago, I fully support a promotion to Dark Jedi Master. Congratulations my friend. =)

~Obelisk Prelate Duga Arkarso Consul of Clan Taldryan

Pyralis has been one of the biggest contributors to this club and there is no doubt that he’s earned the rank of DJM. I’ve only known him in the past year or so but the amount of work that I see him do and the amount that I can only guess at he’s done in the past or is currently working on is amazing. From writing the three sections for the Alacrity of the Commander documents to the work on the latest DC project Amalgamation where numerous positions were streamlined for efficiency Pyralis gives these projects everything he’s got. It doesn’t end there though because not only has he done work that will impact on the entire DB but he’s also focused on his house. Just recently he’s been working on a document to revise and replace House Dinaari’s promotional guidelines to make it easier to acquire and retain new members which also follows along with his job as house envoy.

Some view the position of envoy as a useless one because they hold the view that if a member wants to be active it is entirely up to them. I will admit that being a former envoy myself I saw that some of that could be true but Pyralis has proved it wrong. He’s taken the position very seriously and from day one made the extra effort to grab the new kids’ attention and get them interested. The moment that a new person joins Pyralis sends them a letter filled with the essential information for the person to get a good start in our house. Once a new person has taken the Test of Lore he then sends them a small reminder of how to move up in rank and where they can find our current guidelines. He even wants to do away with the generic AWOL checks and instead move to a more personalized system to try to keep people active and on the roster which makes more sense.

The codex says that those of the Elder class are the best researchers and have overcome the shortfalls of their order and no one can argue that Pyralis matches this description. His position as Praetor to the Grand Master demands that he be one of the best writers and researchers despite the fact that the Sith aren’t known for those skills. Pyralis has done a lot of great work and has waited a long time to be elevated to this esteemed rank, and I think it’s time that he is granted the title of Dark Jedi Master. You’ve been a wonderful mentor and a great friend to me. Thank you and congratulations Acxodim “DV” Pyralis.

Kraval Novir QUA of House Dinaari

Acxodim Pyralis, 2006-01-30 23:00:00 UTC