2 years of complete commitment, despite a RL commitment littered with reasons to step down. Sarin is the quintessential Grand Master, shirking excuses and sacrificing for the better of the Brotherhood time and time again, displaying a selflessness that would put any other member of the DB to shame. Furthermore, his time has been the most productive I've ever seen the DB undergo with club-wide reductions in antisocial behaviour, the best GJW the DB's seen and fantastic improvements to the website. His influence is undeniable and the mark he's left with set a benchmark of what's to be expected of our leaders. Without a doubt, Grand Master Sarin deserves the best the DB can give in gratitude for such a brilliant tenure. Arcona's thanks definitely go to him for the bright future the DB now sees, due in large part to his patience, guidance and vision. – Sashar Erinos, Consul, Arcona

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I fully support awarding Sarin a Golden Lightsaber, and not just because he's a retiring Grand Master and I want to give him something nice. The "GM" rank for life thing is pretty nice. No, the Golden Lightsaber truly means something special, and it should remain that way. The award description refers to the Golden Lightsaber as being given to members who display the greatest form of ability, service, and sacrifice. I'd say this fits Sarin to the letter.

Though I'm sure others will bring this up, Sarin skillfully led the DB while on active military deployment… in a war zone; along with his family growing with the addition of not one, but two kids. Somehow, with all that, Sarin pushed the Brotherhood forward, either through his own direct efforts or in his delegation of duties to others.

On a more personal level, I have always appreciated the free reign that Sarin extended to me as both Headmaster and as Consul of Tarentum. It is because of his trust in me, and his support, that both the Shadow Academy and my clan have grown and rebounded. I didn't know Sarin that well before he became Grand Master, but over the past two years, I've gotten to know him better, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to work with him for the betterment of the Brotherhood. I'm thankful for his service, and grateful for what he has done for everyone in the Brotherhood. - Anshar Kahn Tarentae, Consul, Tarentum

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While I joined during the time of Jac Cotelin as Grand Master, almost all of my Dark Brotherhood career as a leader has been under the tutelage of Sarin. First coming to Clan Plagueis, he helped me through the ranks as Aedile and Question, and then Proconsul, before leaving me with Consul when he moved on to Deputy Grand Master. Since then, however, he has always stayed a role model mentor for me as a leader, something he does extremely well. He not only helped me as a Consul, but as Headmaster, and I have been extremely gifted with the opportunity to work with Sarin over the past two odd years. His work in the Brotherhood is not limited to Grand Master, but is perhaps most visible there on a large scale. He oversaw the greatest Great Jedi War ever, and oversaw its sequel, which we can only hope is Dark Knight-ish in nature. He oversaw the revamping of the Brotherhood website and character sheets as well. None of these were minor things, either, but major changes felt by all, and everyone can proudly say that they were all changes in the positive. Without Sarin, I would not be the leader I am today, in responsibility and position, and while Grand Master for two years, what Sarin did will last a lifetime, and I, personally, am grateful for all he has granted not only the Brotherhood but me. Thank you for all of your hard work, dedication, and motivation of me when things started to look grim ~ Aabsdu di Plagia Dupar; Headmaster of the Shadow Academy

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Grand Master Sarin has sacrificed his personal time and energy to ensure the Dark Brotherhood's continued success and growth. Over the last two years he has worked selflessly to improve and continue the strong traditions of the Dark Brotherhood. Sarin's presence has been felt throughout the club, his vision resonating from the Star Chamber all the way down to the newest Apprentice. I am honored, on behalf of Clan Naga Sadow, to recommend Grand Master Sarin for the Golden Lightsaber. - Robert Sadow. Consul, Naga Sadow

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The recipients of the Golden Lightsaber have displayed the greatest forms of ability, service and sacrifice for the Brotherhood; others pale in comparison to what the holders of this award have accomplished. And sacrificed, Sarin has. Since his return from the Emperor's Hammer, Sarin has proactively sought to do good within our club. This is not a recommendation for a mere two years as a Grand Master, but a long, hard-fought tenure as a leader and role model within our club. This is an achievement award. Since his sojourn from the dreaded Emperor's Hammer, Sarin has been an integral part of the Dark Brotherhood's growth, accountability and attitude. Not only did he provide a level of professionalism that we sorely lacked, but he brought a greater sense of unity and organization to his position and, thus, the club. Whether it was the project matrix, spurring new members to share ideas, asking for feedback from all sources or the occasional pat on the back for a job well done... he has done it all with heart; for the betterment of the Brotherhood. Thank you for the blueprint to something special, Sarin. You have instilled a new set of values in our leadership and your disciples will flourish within our club. Eternally. - Braecen Kaeth, Consul, Plagueis

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In an old recommendation for lowly pre-GM Sarin, Jac said of him, "Sarin has been a great Consul, and I look forward to seeing what will come from him next." At that point I don't know if any of us – Jac included – knew the truly prophetical nature of that statement. I should start by acknowledging that I have been given a gift – during my time in the Brotherhood I was able to directly serve under the two greatest Grand Masters this club has ever had – first Jac, and then Sarin. To begin with some honesty...initially I was hesitant with Sarin. I knew him to be a solid leader at the Clan level, but his style was different...so I waited and watched...and I was quickly and easily converted. Sarin approached his position with a personal drive and work ethic most of us find impossible to fathom. Consider this – Sarin achieved his success while on military deployment halfway around the world, while working 12 hour days, and while raising two children. Who amongst us can claim that sort of success? I certainly cannot, and I would be hard pressed to think of anyone who can approach that level of dedication. Now some people may say that it is easy to praise an outgoing GM merely with flowery words...so let's take a moment to examine the record of Sarin's achievements...He presided over two of the most successful and groundbreaking Vendetta events in Brotherhood history in the Rite of Supremacy and the Eighth Great Jedi War. In the afterglow of the Vendetta's he completely restructured the fleets of all of the Clans and the Dark Council, bringing us forward in the Star Wars timeline and proving his commitment to our canon. That commitment didn't stop at fleets, for he then continued the fictional development of the Brotherhood in a way that roused the spirit and inner child for many of the members, who became eager to read the newest plot updates. In practical matters he brought a new leadership style into the Brotherhood – he brushed past the typical internet drama as if it didn't exist, he forced accountability onto our leaders, and gave insightful assessments of our achievements, abilities, and pitfalls. He was the embodiment of teamwork, driving forward on tasks himself while simultaneously guiding all of us forward towards the successful accomplishment of our goals. In addition, the Brotherhood's website got a very popular facelift during his time as Grand Master, and the Dark Covenant was modified to make it more member-friendly and protective. Finally, his crowning achievement – the development and release of the new character sheets. These encompassed an amazing amount of work – Sarin made the expansion of the force powers a personal pet project and achieved a beautiful result, while at the same time monitoring and guiding the development of the order disciplines, hand-to-hand combat styles, and overall attributes and structure. These character sheets were the first step towards a new type of activity for our club, and Sarin brought it all together. Throughout these many accomplishments, and innumerable others which I haven't mentioned, Sarin maintained a positive attitude and a love for Star Wars that was a daily reminder of why we all originally joined this club. Personally, Sarin pushed me to be a better leader – when I had become lax in my work, Sarin pointed to how I could achieve more; when I occasionally became bitter or angry, Sarin lent an ear to listen and also offered valuable insight and perspective; and when I just wanted to talk with a friend, Sarin kindly obliged. The Golden Lightsaber is awarded for ability, service and sacrifice – Sarin showed many of us how to truly embody all of these, and his example will benefit the Brotherhood for years to come. If anyone has earned the right to carry our most cherished honorary, it is Sarin. Thank you for everything Sarin, and above all I am grateful to be able to call you friend. - Kir Katarn, Justicar

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I'll make this short-and-sweet, as I think what the man has done speaks for itself. Since getting the gig of GM Sarin has overseen two Great Jedi Wars, a Rite of Supremacy and the creation of a complex Character Sheet that included updated force powers and a Discipline system. However, what I most enjoyed under his reign was ensuring that leaders were made accountable for their actions. There has always been instances of leaders thinking their "above" everyone else, or just plain being inactive and letting others suffer because of it. Sarin has taken those leaders to task, removing them when they are no longer a contributing member to the club. If that was the only thing that Sarin was able to contribute during his time as GM it would be enough, but that was still only one piece of a larger whole. The club continues to grow in new and different directions because of what he has put in place. Thanks for everything, and hope to have you back in fighting form soon! - Halcyon Rokir, Sith Lord

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The Wiki, The Antei System, Force Powers, Character Sheets, Rite of Supremeacy: Second Darkness, GJW Eight: Incursion, GJW Nine: Unification, New Website Layout, Clan Artifacts Update, Order Discipline System.

The above sound familiar? You might say, “Hey, that’s the club I belong to!” but you would only be half-right. It is the club Sarin helped build for you. He has had a hand in virtually everything over the last two years of his service as Grand Master, before that his service as Deputy Grand Master, and before that his service as Consul.

Sarin has produced, guided, led, improved, and inspired so many different things in the club it is difficult to grasp because they have become fundamentals of everyday use. We have become accustomed to the advances he has ushered in and would have a difficult time imagining the club without. We are accustomed to using a professional quality service for free because of Sarin’s work to give us the best product possible.

But I mention these things for those who might not know Sarin, or realize how much of what you enjoy in this club has benefited from his involvement. Everything mentioned represents only a portion of what Sarin has done for all of us. There is another facet of his role as Grand Master not as easily quantified as the projects and innovations listed above and it is one in which Sarin has excelled and raised the bar for the Grand Masters that will follow him.

The fictional Grand Master is a terrible and cruel dictator. He is immensely powerful, sage in the ways of the Force and brooks no dissent or challenge to his authority. Supremely confident in his ability to rule with an iron fist from an iron chair, he crushes any who stand in the path of his vision.

The real-world equivalent is very different, or at least, should be very different. Some who have held the position in the past treated it as though they actually were that terrible dictator, unable to divorce the fictional concept from the reality. But what we have seen over the years when it comes to administrating or belonging to this club, is that the person with whom the title “Grand Master” is associated with needs to act as a diplomat, not a dictator.

This is where Sarin has done his best, and least seen, work. This is where Sarin has set the example for not just Grand Masters—not the terrible fictional creatures, but the people behind them—and anyone at any level in any position who wants to lead, administrate, contribute to, or otherwise endeavor to run this club. We have seen the members respond. We have seen people change their methods and model it on Sarin’s example.

Projects are great. Website features are really nice. Fancy names to describe simple things are fun. But when you see one’s behavior positively influenced by someone giving their best effort in every category of what they do, then you truly have something of worth.

A great many do not understand this necessary altruism. If confused, they can simply look at Sarin’s conduct and service over the years and see what he has achieved and, as a result, what we all have achieved. Too many have treated this club as an ego-gratifier, a cult of personality. They have sought recognition for deeds and actions worth little of it. They have lauded themselves with title and station far beyond their merit. They are perplexed and angry when not appropriately recognized for their deeds.

But if they were to pause briefly, examine the Golden Lightsaber on Sarin’s dossier and read what his peers have witnessed, then they might find there is more to leadership than litanies of titles and Force lightning. - Raken, Praetor to the Grand Master

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What is the difference between a great Grand Master and a mediocre one? I've asked myself this question many times, trying to distill from what I have seen the essence of what needs doing. It is not being in the right place at the right time. It is not being lucky enough to be in command when the game companies saw fit to grace us with the best that they had to offer in a way that we can use it. It's not just throwing money at problems until they go away.

So what is it? Is it working hard and long hours despite whatever real life obligations may compete for your time? Is it engineering and drafting together the perfect storm of councilors? Is it setting a no-drama standard and making examples of those who deviate? Or is it some cocktail of all these things?

I have sat at Sarin's elbow for more than 20 months, watching with keen interest, learning what lessons I could. And I think that it is not only the combination of that mad mixture of talent and planning, but also a genuine interest in the club, a real concern for how well it does. And his work ethic and attitude has set such an example that we've had an unprecedented amount of cooperation on the DC where before there would be constant bickering. His strength emboldened all of us, kept us all on task and goal driven. These are things that I wish to emulate, that any leader should seek to capture and chain to their will.

Now, people speak fondly of the era of Khyron, of the days before there was a real database, when we had a few hundred members and we're grappling beneath the stairs to build a fraction of what we have now. People call these times the Golden Age of the Brotherhood. I would disagree. I think that with the intense level of progress we've made, the depth of programming we have available, the immersiveness of what we have provided... this will prove with time to be a truer Golden Age of the Brotherhood. And I can think of no better reward for the man that I follow the footsteps of than a Golden Lightsaber. - Muz Ashen, Grand Master

Lord Muz Ashen Keibatsu, 2009-03-08 14:00:34 UTC

One of the primary tasks of the Star Chamber is to ensure that the Grand Master is properly recognized for his efforts. Section 3.04(c) of the Covenant states that the “Star Chamber is charged with ensuring proper recognition is given to the Grand Master for his services, including any appropriate medals or other honors, and will work with the Dark Council to provide for such.” To that end, the Star Chamber has gathered to conduct a review of the actions and activity of Grand Master Pravus. We have further sought the recommendations of Pravus’s peers, which are appended to this. Our findings are contained in this award recommendation, as we have found his performance to be excellent over the course of the last three years. Pravus tirelessly lead the Dark Brotherhood forward and pushed the Dark Council ahead in creation of new systems and activities, and giving focus to our membership.

This recommendation will focus on four areas of performance by Grand Master Pravus. These areas are:

• Creation of member focused activities

• Ensuring strong Club Level leadership

• Improvements to existing Club Level systems

• Implementation of new Club Level systems

As to the overall performance by Grand Master Pravus over the course of his three-year term, those matters are contained within the multiple recommendations that will be appended.

-Creation of Member Focused Activities

The primary role of the Grand Master above all others is to ensure that the Brotherhood maintains high levels of activity and participation. The Star Chamber expects a Grand Master to focus his efforts both on creation of club-level competitions as well as ensuring the leadership of the club is making unit- or system-specific events. This section focuses on the club-level activities headed by Pravus.

To ensure creation of member focused activities Grand Master Pravus focused the efforts of the Club leadership team towards aligning with major Star Wars events, such as movie releases, and holidays like May the 4th. Since starting his second term as Grand Master, Pravus’s team has centered activity on four different major events. The first was focused towards a celebration around the release of Episode 7. The release of the first Star Wars movie in over a decade was an opportunity not to be missed, as previous movies have brought with them a surge in new members it was key to show the people who had newly joined that the Dark Brotherhood is dedicated to providing events focused around the Star Wars universe and celebrates new additions to it. This mini event consisted of nine unique competitions and awarded three unique artifacts for member’s dossiers.

The next milestone in the Star Wars franchise came with the release of Rogue One. Again Pravus ensured that the Dark Council had in place a series of events to celebrate the occasion, with another nine unique competitions and three artifact awards for the winners. Finally this past May the Fourth brought with it not just a Star Wars Holiday, but also a Club Holiday. To celebrate May the Fourth thirteen unique competitions were run by the Dark Council, with a set of custom robes going to the winners.

However, one must not forget the awesome effort that is displayed in running a Great Jedi War. When Pravus took over the role of Grand Master, the club was largely burnt out from the constancy of the Dark Crusade. He was determined to conduct a Great Jedi War, but also wanted to make sure it was done right. Pravus assembled an incredibly fine team and coordinated the creation of a GJW that was incredibly well-executed and well-deserved. As a part of that, Pravus pushed the development of a radical new DB storyline and a compelling and complex enemy. The work behind the GJW will go a long way toward pushing the DB in the right direction in the future.

Grand Master Pravus has excelled at ensuring all key Star Wars moments have been celebrated within our Club, and with those provided significant events that all members have the opportunity to participate in. The GJW near the end of his term was an impressive feat as well. Through these efforts, Pravus has the Brotherhood storyline to a new level and brought the club into a more regular cycle of major events.

-Ensuring Strong Club-Level Leadership

The second major category through which is a Grand Master is evaluated is his ongoing staffing and development of club-level leadership. Ensuring strong club level leadership is one of the most challenging responsibilities of a Grand Master; he must assemble a cohesive team of people, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, and ensure that they are aligned to lead the Club forward. This group consists not only of the Dark Council, but the Tribunes and Consuls to each Clan as well. When choosing a Dark Councilor there is a lot of discussion within the existing DC as well as some key advisors to the Grand Master, but the ultimate decision and responsibility for that decision remains with the Grand Master. Moreover, the removal of non-performing staff can be as big of a task as choosing new team members. Throughout this term, Pravus had to select two Fists, two Headmasters, one Voice, one Master at Arms, and a Combat Master. Additionally he created and filled the position of Regent to ensure completion of the Possessions project and oversee the system.

Filling a Consul position can be even more difficult than that of a Dark Councilor at times; the nature of the position of Consul widens the pool of members to gain input from significantly. This starts with the existing Clan Summit and continues to Clan Title holders as well as general membership of the Clan. The changing of a Consul can be significantly more impactful to individual members of a Clan than a new Dark Councilor, and the situation must be approached delicately and uniquely with each Clan’s personalities taken into account. Over his time as GM, Pravus has had to select (and remove) multiple Consuls.

In evaluating Pravus in this category, the Star Chamber focused its review on both the quality of candidates appointed to positions (including their “fit” within the core team of leaders), but also on the efforts of Pravus to ensure that future transitions will be accounted for. We have been impressed with the teams assembled by Pravus. There is little disagreement or strife among the club leadership and we have found that Pravus has not only put the right people on the bus, but he has put the right people in the right seats on the bus. For example, the Star Chamber has been continually impressed with the Dark Council’s alignment on the implementation of new systems, which is a sign of a team working together.

We are also pleased with the efforts of Pravus to develop future leaders. He continually discussed with his senior advisors the possible up-and-coming leaders and the transitions that will be needed upon current leaders leaving their posts. To that end, Pravus has been able to ensure that new leaders can be installed without much loss of momentum. The Star Chamber is particularly pleased with the efforts of Pravus to develop Mav into his ideal successor.

Ensuring consistency and alignment as positions change or are created can be demanding, the risk of scope creep from old projects to a new individual’s ideas always looms during these times. Pravus’ expert leadership has ensured all of the Dark Brotherhood’s leadership continued moving forward as a team.

-Improvements to Existing Club-Level Systems

Continued improvements to existing Club Level systems is a necessity for any organization to continue to prosper and the Dark Brotherhood is no exception to this rule. One of the maxims that Pravus carried throughout his term is that we need to be an organization for today, as opposed to an organization of fifteen years ago. That meant someone needed to make the hard decisions to alter existing systems, no matter the headwinds.

One overlooked but important change was the re-configuring of DB holidays. For years the Club had celebrated a variety of internal holidays; some celebrated individuals who had made significant contributions to it, others simply celebrated leaving a different club and tended to focus towards the negatives of that organization at the time. Through his initiative to change this, Pravus gained alignment of the Dark Summit and restructured the Club’s Holidays into two specific events. The first was determined to be May the Fourth, or Star Wars Day. An appropriate day that any Star Wars fan can acknowledge deserves some celebration. The second holiday selected was December 16th, which was the anniversary of the day that the Covenant of the Dark Brotherhood was approved.

Pravus was also incredibly instrumental in the re-writing of the Covenant. His efforts helped to make it more clear (for non-lawyer types) and provide several improvements, including pulling the mythical Star Chamber from behind a curtain and defining what it truly is, who represents the Club on it, and what it is responsible for. One central idea that Pravus pushed without ego or self-interest was the three-year term limit on Grand Masters. Through that change, Pravus, who might have otherwise stayed on as GM, forced his own eventual retirement. But he recognized the importance of that provision and made it happen anyway. These efforts by Pravus have made it so the Brotherhood is an organization rooted in the present, as opposed to the past. We are more defined by the Star Wars universe and activities of today than the traditions that may have previously held us back on making creative and beneficial moves.

Beyond the changes to Holidays multiple other improvements were implemented across the Dark Brotherhood. These include, but are not limited to, improvements such as additional Non Force User Disciplines, transition of the Gaming Bot from mIRC to Telegram as well as better functionality for the Telegram version, an update to Dark Brotherhood storytelling which will utilize the Dark Brotherhood systems like possessions for enemy forces and characters.

We also saw a significant fictional shift to align our club with current Star Wars canon. At times this was controversial with the membership, but the ultimate goal of ensuring a new Star Wars fan could join the club and not be forced into reading legacy books and comics to understand where it is an a fictional organization was well placed. Additionally related to fiction the Dark Councils fictional responsibilities all got an overhaul and a new home planet was created.

Pravus also made some very hard decisions in relation to existing club structure. One such decision was the closure of Clan Tarentum. Without rehashing the decision, the Star Chamber was impressed by the thorough and thoughtful manner by which Pravus approached that decision. He left no stone unturned in obtaining advice, and in the end the Star Chamber agreed completely with his rationale for the closure. We believe the DB is stronger for it.

Overall, Pravus has worked to give the Brotherhood a “fresh” feel that was long overdue. He does not hold anything sacred that was done in the past if he finds that the change or removal of something will benefit the Brotherhood in the future. That is exactly the manner of working that the Star Chamber expects.

-Implementation of new Club Level Systems

There have been multiple new systems implemented under Grand Master Pravus’s watch, but the one on which we obviously focused was his effort in completing the long-awaited possessions system. This was a project started 15 years ago and worked on by an unknowable number of members, both those within leadership positions and outside of them, over that time period. Many thought this system was a mythical idea, always looming on the horizon and never arriving within our Club. Pravus proved those cynics completely wrong. He focused the Dark Council around completing Possessions from the moment he began his tenure. Multiple other ongoing projects were sidelined to ensure appropriate time could be allocated to the Possessions initiative.

As the time to begin open testing of the system for the club neared it became obvious to Grand Master Pravus that the Possessions system had grown in complexity and could no longer be maintained as an added task to an existing Dark Council position. He also was aware that the critical nature of a system which permeated every level of our Club and would impact each member was something which required a greater level of responsibility and time than would befit a Tribune. From this realization the Dark Council position of Regent was formed and filled. With a point person firmly established the Possessions system would move forward to beta testing and become a live system in late 2016. The dream of many members had finally become a reality.

Not content to rest with the newly created system Pravus continued to push the Possessions team forward. As quickly as new content was released for the Star Wars the Possessions Team was creating it for the Club.

Pravus’s leadership and guidance of the Dark Council allowed for an accomplishment that many members thought would never be done. Frankly, he did what members of the Star Chamber themselves were unable to do, and that leaves us grateful to him.

Aside from the addition of Possessions, Pravus has guided the club through the development of new societies, new gaming resources, and other exciting developments. The Brotherhood has expanded well-beyond where it was when Pravus re-took the position of Grand Master, offering more and more to members on a daily basis.

Overall the Star Chamber has found that Grand Masters performance in serving the club has been exemplary. We placed our trust in his leadership and decisions, and we were not disappointed in the least. Pravus has been an exceptionally strong Grand Master, and we look forward to having him (back) among our ranks as a member of the Star Chamber! Congratulations, Pravus, on your second Golden Lightsaber!

Awarded by the Star Chamber

• Grand Master Jac Cotelin

• Grand Master Muz Ashen Keibatsu

• Master Darth Aeternus

• Dacien Victae di Plagia

• Eminent Val Cole

Jac Cotelin, 2018-02-23 06:03:54 UTC