What does one give a member of the Brotherhood who already has its highest honor? In the case of Sarin, the quintessential collector, find something he does not have and give him that. In that instance, we of Revan would like to show the Grand Master our appreciation in the form of the Ruby Scepter. Not long ago when we heard about the return of Independent Houses, Sarin and I had the idea to carve a niche into the Brotherhood based on a slightly different philosophy and methodology. We had the extravagant notion that if we created an environment within the club where mature, working professionals, students and others could collect to express themselves and share a good time, we would have something special on our hands. At this point, that idea is a reality and an obviously successful one. For that, we of Revan are very grateful for our own private corner of the Brotherhood to call home. Though Revan's success has been dependent upon many, we are able to single Sarin out among them and show him our specific thanks for the work and ideas he has contributed to this endeavor. It may easily be said that without Sarin, there would be no Revan. Going it alone, if I even would have tried, I would have sorely missed the motivation, inspiration, and companionship Sarin brought to the table. And this is nothing new. Sarin has always brought these qualities and more to every table at which I have had the pleasure of his company. Revan would undoubtedly be different, if extant at all, and not as fine a place as it is now were it not for him. Over the last 11 months Sarin has earned 7 Seals of Unity, 2 Seals of Loyalty, 2 Scrolls of Foundation, Crescent with Ruby Star, and the Golden Lightsaber. He has made time to help me found Revan, serve as its Aedile, act as a Docent of the Shadow Academy and as a member of the Wiki staff. During the recent Rite of Supremacy Sarin made the time to submit to nearly every event including Round 1's Fiction and Poetry, Round 2's Fiction and Graphics, and the Finals Fiction and Graphics events. He helped us to win both rounds involving the ACC which lifted us past our opponents. He also placed 4th in Round 1's Fiction event helping us to win that event. In Revan we talk a good deal about Sacrifice. We believe it is how one achieves anything worthy of doing. Sarin has set this example of Sacrifice time and again, not only for Revan, but the entire Brotherhood. This small honor is the least we can do. Raken, Independent House Revan

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Sarin is the consummate leader. His ability to inspire others, and me personally, has been nothing short of unwavering. Look at Revan. Sarin and Raken have created a haven for those looking for something different. The sheer amount of energy needed to craft a thoughtful, focused vision, and then realize it through the charter, application, and implementation of Revan is a testament to Sarin's ability to attract, guide, and lead others. Look to Revan's first public test, the Rite of Supremacy. At the time of this writing, Revan has advanced to the finals, knocking off two established clans and so far meeting its final competitor blow for blow. While this may seem surprising to those on the outside looking in, let me lend some context: I knew Sarin when he was the commander of Avenger Squadron in the Emperor's Hammer. He led the squadron to compete in a fleet-level event, and win, besting superior numbers with quality. Sarin showed the quintessence of sacrifice during the event, asking no more from his pilots than what he did himself. And really, this trait has transfered along with Sarin into the Dark Brotherhood, where his stints as GM and now in Revan are a model for commitment and quality. Sarin, never one to follow, has led headfirst into positive territory, and most importantly, caused others to want to be around him. Tek Cicero Dantes

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Esteemed members of the Brotherhood; When my Quaestor Raken had asked me to say a few words concerning the possibility of awarding him a Ruby Scepter, my initial words were to be, “[CENSORED] YEAH!” However, as from the gut and emotional a response as that is, I know there must be a logical reasoning behind this award. According to the standards set forth for this award, it is said that the persons that have been given this high honor are those that are counted on within the Brotherhood as a great mentor, whose work touches and influences a wide range of others. These persons have contributed much in the areas of instruction, invention, and mentorship. Grand Master Sarin is guilty on all these counts. =) I can speak on these actions both as an observer and as a person who has benefitted from his wise mentorship. As an observer, I have seen the tasks and the guidance that he had given his prior Student, the now DJK Anarya Elvendar. The Knight had challenges when it came to writing, but with the patience of a master teacher, Sarin had markedly improved her writing, making her a stronger member in the Brotherhood as a result. It was such good guidance that she was recommended for and approved to become a DJK, Revan’s first in their short history. Personally, Sarin has been of great inspiration and help to me. We had often discussed what I can do to further my DJB “career”, often inspiring me to push myself to help out the House and Brotherhood. I’m not ashamed to admit that Sarin to me is a role model, and although he doesn’t have a big “bark”, his dedication to ignore the guano and concentrate on what’s truly important in the Brotherhood, and passing those ideals down to others is a true mark of a mentor. Through Sarin’s quiet advice, I personally had taken the big step from Epis to Pontifex, a feat that I will forever be grateful to him for. Furthermore, he has not stopped there, as he already has plans for what to do next after our current RoS is complete and what we can do to make Revan and the Brotherhood in general stronger and more awesome. By doing so, he is also working with me to take the next leap, from Pontifex to Dark Adept, which is one of my goals. In all, the name “Sarin” conjures up a lot of memories and feelings. A true leader, a gifted and master mentor, I can think of few that have been as effective in these requirements as this member. Thereby I humbly support the awarding of a Ruby Scepter to our fine leader, Grand Master Sarin. To Sarin, thanks for all the smacks upside the head to motive my lazy butt. =) KPN Lambow

What can you really say about Sarin that hasn't been said before? Through my entire career in the brotherhood Sarin has been here always at the forefront of the brotherhood being an amazing guide and leader in the club. All you have to do is take a glance at the History of the Brotherhood and you will see Sarin's hand in things. However I would like to say a few things about the recent work he has done within the new Independent House Revan. It started as something unique for the modern Brotherhood, an independent house, it could have been a disaster a clusterfuck if you will, but there were several people who would not let that happen. One of them happened to be Sarin. Knowing that one of the most prestigious and decorated members of the club was on the side of the House gave it instant credibility and standing. His experiance and knowledge, has given me personally a great desire to continue to preform and not let myself get overwhelmed or burnt out. Knowing that if something happens I have a solid member like Sarin to fall back on gives me a great deal of comfort. In all honesty there really aren't words to describe Sarin, he has been a long term fixture in the club, and hopefully will continue to be for a long time yet. Congrats Sarin, and thank you for your selfless devotion to the Dark Jedi Brotherhood. ~CBO

I'm not much for words these days, but when asked if I had any comments concerning an award for Sarin, I couldn't resist. My interaction with the Grand Master has been limited, but poignant, and he has a number of remarkable traits which I could take the time to cover, but I won't. For me, and the purposes of the award, only a few need to be noted. The Ruby Scepter text includes these points; "Their work will have touched a wide range of others within the Dark Brotherhood as they will have contributed significantly in the areas of instruction, invention and mentorship.". Concerning his traits specific to the awarding of a Ruby Scepter, Sarin has a core trait which exists as an undertone to the three mentioned - he knows people. To be a successful instructor, one has to know their student. To be successful in the areas of invention, one must know what their people want, don't want and don't know they want. To be a successful mentor, one must be able to gain trust and know their people enough to be able to influence them. Sarin is all of these things - and excels in all of those traits. To keep this current, lets look at Revan and their recent success in the Rite of Supremacy. As an instructor, Sarin was a key-player in the strategy of IHR. His experiences in the echelon of the DB, especially where Vendettas are concerned, taught IHR the mechanics behind events and how they might pan out when compared to other Clans. This was an invaluable resource to have for the young House and played a large part, I believe, in how IHR approached the RoS. Invention. While I may look at this a bit differently, sociologically, Sarin's 'invention' came to fruition in the re-invention of himself. While it could have been very easy for him to go 'GM' on the House - he submitted to interacting with the House as any member. He shared his desires for the House and approached it as any other hopeful - knocking himself down to 'our level' and becoming 'one of the boys'. This had a huge effect on the younger members of the House because it instantly made him approachable and brought in a 'fearless' nature to the House. People could do the best they could and knew that, even if their best wasn't that great, there'd be no GM to berate them but only support their efforts. This also solidified his ability to mentor, without question. Through each phase of the competition Sarin was there to guide, influence and advise. He chided members who were disappointed by outcomes, diplomatically and influentially turned IHR to the same mind of honor, breaking the clan-esque habit of complaining and screaming 'bias!'. He responded to requests for help and offered it across the board. As for an impact on the Brotherhood as a whole and the scope of this particular snap-shot? Sarin was pivotal in IHR's victory over all the other clans of the Brotherhood -- if that isn't a large scope effect, I don't know what is. While this is my snap-shot of a single moment in time, it is indicative of his career in the DB, and serves to show his worthiness for such an award. Thanks Sarin. ~Dalthid

Darth Aeternus, 2010-02-17 14:00:09 UTC

I have long held that leaders hold the responsibility for the success of their unit, that they rise and fall based primarily upon how those within their charge perform. Under strong leadership, a unit will prosper, and the Dark Council is no different from any other unit. It is here where our Grand Master shows himself to be a masterful leader, guiding this Dark Council to a year of incredible change and growth.

Shortly after taking office in February, Pravus shook the Brotherhood with a monumental decision. He immediately elevated all of our units to Clans. He made the hard choices, and removed leaders struggling. He gave struggling units like Tarentum and Odan Urr a chance to succeed, and they did. Tarentum, once a House at risk of closure, ponders an expansion to a second House. Odan Urr, once overburdened with novitiates and inactive members, plots a Feud with Plagueis. Both are better because of Pravus and the actions he took.

But Pravus was not done there. He built a plan for the next year, and began to fill it with objectives for his Dark Council, in preparation for the movies. He identified key areas of concern: with our systems, and with our membership experience, and sought to remedy them both. Along the way, he empowered current Dark Councilors to finish long-standing projects, such as the Fiction Society, as Evant describes below. He hired V’yr, and tasked him with rebuilding our website’s graphics design, which had remained unchanged for so many years, the fruits of which we can all enjoy now, with a new logo and new schemes for our different orders.

Central to most of Pravus’ plans were small groups, made up of different members and Dark Councilors, and with whom he frequently communicated. Pravus is never afraid to tell us when we are wrong, or when he thinks we are going in the wrong direction with our projects, which has been invaluable in creating the systems we have today. Every Dark Councilor has had the Grand Master correct our course or refocus our efforts for the better of the club. His guidance has been instrumental in actually seeing projects finished.

He identified that our Order/Path system was too static and too limited for characters and units. Upon reaching Grand Master, he decided we had to evaluate if we could incorporate non Force users. Further, he wanted us to work towards utilizing Orders that were not based solely on Brotherhood lore. These two core guiding principles are what lead to the creation of the Paths and Orders proposal, which now allow units to use greater flexibility in defining themselves, all while giving our membership more options for how to build characters.

Pravus paved a way forwards, directing our club into Disney’s new canon in a way that allows us to fully embrace the excitement of a brand new Star wars story. It was his decision to embrace the new universe, reversing course and abandoning the Legends content in favor of a universe that is ripe with possibilities, as the New Order and Resistance battle it out.

He also charged us with examining the membership experience, concerned both with our struggling membership retention in past years, as well as with our staggering decline in members reaching upper Equite and Elder rankings. To address both, he charged members of the Dark Council with tackling the problem in a variety of ways. We revamped the join process with his guidance, rebuilt the promotion standards, and continue a data-driven approach to identifying problems.

None of of us could really argue the impact that Pravus’ second reign as Grand Master has already had on the Brotherhood. Pravus has been exactly what this Brotherhood needed, and in every way, he is deserving of recognition and this Ruby Scepter. Thank you, Pravus, for all you do!

~Mav

Telaris "Mav" Cantor, 2016-01-01 02:14:46 UTC

Declan Roark has been an exemplary Consul in Vizsla’s first year, leading the Clan to impressive showings in two Vendettas and numerous other events, including a Clan Feud. He has been a whirlwind of personal activity, while still contributing at the highest level to club-wide decisions and advisement. In short, the former Grand Master has been an instrumental leader in the Brotherhood’s last two years, and more than deserves this Ruby Scepter - his third.

Vizsla is a product of intense effort from Declan, where he put hundreds of hours into organizing and planning the unit and the proposal for its founding. Once established, Vizsla performed extremely well, taking high placements in both recent Great Jedi Wars and maintaining an enormously high participation ratio over >70% in the latest GJW. In line with his Clan’s motto, Declan leads by example, with 21 total competitions organized and 98 competitions participated in, including 11 total Novae and 4 Crescents since his last Sacramental. Declan engages in every activity the club has to offer, earning 1100 gaming clusters, 50+ Clusters of Graphite and 30+ Clusters of Ice.

And of course, the former Grand Master continues his high service to the Brotherhood with over 2 years on the Star Chamber and as a Professor in the Shadow Academy. His input is invaluable in helping us decide major decisions for the Brotherhood. He provides guidance and counsel to numerous Dark Councilors - past and present - and has done so since returning to life outside of the Dark Council.

Congratulations, Declan, and thank you for all your hard efforts in establishing Vizsla and continuing to make the Brotherhood a better place as an advisor .

Telaris "Mav" Cantor, 2020-08-27 19:40:42 UTC