Adept Xen'Mordin Palpatine has been one of the longest serving Dark Council members and Consuls in the Dark Brotherhood's history. His dedicated efforts provided innumerable contributions to both the Dark Brotherhood and his beloved Clan. I cannot articulate my thanks for his dedication, mentorship, and role as a steward withing CSP over these years. For his service to our club, Mav and I are honored to award Xen the Amethyst Kukri.
GM Pravus/Prophet Mav Cantor
When Xen hired me just under two years ago, he was taking a gamble on a young and impatient kid who liked to cause a bit of trouble. He was already a popular, intelligent and wise leader, with a newly clanned unit. He needed leaders who could see his vision and help him achieve it, but I wasn’t ready yet. I was too afraid of myself and didn’t have the confidence to take charge in things that matter. But Xen is a patient man, and walked me through what he believed I could turn into.
Whenever I was tackling a problem member or a solution I couldn’t solve, he was there for me to talk me through the problem itself and figure out solutions. As I wrote monthly reports and engaged the members with troubling feedback, he was there for me to help me understand the logic behind it, and give me the best advice for tackling inactivity. We have exchanged late night discussions about a lot of things from Shadow Guard’s identity to the Clan’s logo to the current leaders in House Imperium. In each occasion that I was pressed for answers where none could be found, Xen was a shoulder to lean on and a strong mind to push me through.
In the past eight months or so, he has helped me engage my creative skills to create more competitions, to hire new leaders and train more members, to review the current progression of the House and to help with my own progression. He has always been a kind and gentle person, who has always been available for some one-on-one discussions about how I could improve, as well as the team we are building.
Above most things, member input into the Clan has always been important to Xen. He would rather have a thrilling and fan-made story presented to the Clan, than a summit-heavy plot which didn’t appeal to the members. All through competitions such as Starfall, Midnight and Excursion, Xen retained the idea of starring members from Imperium and Excidium in the camera.
While Xen has always been a kind and goofy leader, he has challenged myself and my Aediles and Battleteam Leaders to push themselves further. With each event or award or promotion we push towards him, he uses his fine-comb to check for errors, for inconsistencies or other tidbits that seem mediocre. He pushes us to go further than we did before, to raise the bar of standards in this Clan and to grow not as successful individuals, but as a powerful team.
In short, Xen’Mordin has been my father figure for two years, the journey Imperium has taken under his lead from a simple idea on paper, to a thriving and colourful team is astounding. Thank you, Xen, for everything you have gave to us. Without your help, I would have gave up long ago.
Qor Palpatine
I returned to the Brotherhood in May of 2016, out of curiosity (having been gone since 2008.) I we met with a more welcoming atmosphere than that which I remembered leaving. Xen was in no small part responsible for making my return a welcoming and warm one. He made me feel valuable from the get go, made me feel as if I had come home to something I hadn't even realized I had missed.
Since then, he has encouraged me to take steps in a direction I told myself I would not go in again, that is to say he rekindled a desire to be more involved with the club and so applied to the RM position of CSP. I found in him a strong leader, one that I could learn from, talk to about everything and anything, and truly enjoy working alongside of. I feel that his very passion and fire has kindled the fire within many of us to strive for things we otherwise would not have without his guiding presence. I know that is the effect he has had on me.
I have known many leaders since my original joining in late 2003. I am sure I will know many more as time marches on, but none, I feel, are Xen’Mordin. Xen with a passion and belief in the clan, he is the very heart of CSP. His lessons to us all will be ones that continue to drive us forward for no short time to come.
I truly thank you my friend, Xen.
Mune Cinteroph
Rollmaster of Scholae Palatinae
One of the hardest things about being Consul is that you are always somewhat apart from the group. You speed through a day that is outlined by your to-do list; a list that is often things that need to be done opposed to things you would like to do. You are always in motion and you see the day through snapshots - a friend saying hello or wave in greeting that you were too late to see and could not return. And so many times you want to stop and reach out, to connect. But the job does not allow it. Not until it concludes.
Xen served as Consul of Scholae Palatinae. And, as Consul, you are allowed to pick your ‘Tyrant’ name - an old tradition amongst the Consuls - that reflects your most endearing quality (but in a negative, Sith manner). Xen chose the title ‘The Manipulative’ for himself and I think it fits perfectly. It was never the style or the words that he used to make a difference: it was the content. He wasn’t a manipulator, but he communicated great things that became the heart of a great clan - shaping our experience, our wisdom, and our belief in the principles that established this Clan. He helped Scholae Palatinae rediscover its values and common sense.
Common sense told us that our story had grown stale, so Xen forged a new path into a new system to give us life again. Common sense told us that leaders could unlock growth, so he entrusted his Clan to capable hands over six years and prospered for it. Common sense told us it was time to let him rest, so we stand here - united - in our belief that what he did, he did well and made each of us better for it. And let me offer lesson number one about Scholae Palatinae: all great change here begins talking ‘together’. So tomorrow, I hope the talking begins. I hope that our veterans share what it means to be part of this great Clan. And I hope that if they do not, that our youngest members challenge them on it. It would be a very Scholae Palatinae thing to do. A thing Xen has taught us to do over a lifetime of service.
You did it, Xen. You weren’t just counting the days. You made a difference. You made the Clan stronger, the culture freer, and you left it in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. So, as you ride off into the sunset, I say goodbye, bless the Xen-peror, and bless Clan Scholae Palatinae.
Braecen Kaeth
Consul Emeritus
Xen has been a fantastic friend, father figure, and fearless leader for Clan Scholae Palatinae for as long as I can remember. When I came here in January 2016, I knew right away he was the leader I wanted to serve. He was compassionate, ready to answer any questions I had, and willingly gave advice to anyone who offered it. Since I’ve stepped into my own path of leadership, I’ve admired his strength and have always admonished myself to keep things disciplined but always fun for members as he did. He was always ready to accept any amount of feedback or suggestions he received, no matter what it was. He was completely honest, completely transparent, and flexible to-a-reasonable-degree in any decisions he made. As stupid as my reaction was to losing the Sergeant position with Tacitus Athanasius, he took my concerns seriously and talked it all out with me personally: A gift and honor I don’t see even in the workforce when an issue similar to this comes up. His creativity in storylines, his anticipation of including as many members as possible, and his sensitivity to the emotions of everyone, no matter how ‘little’ their concerns seemed to be, are just a few of the things I really look up to Xen for. I have members telling me time and time again that it was Xen and CSP that brought them out of darkness of the dreaded RL. The same goes for me as well. If not for his open arms and open mind I would never be where I am now because of my own darkness that consumed me for quite a time. When I arrived at CSP, I had no friends, my fiance ditched me, my pets were dying left and right. I arrived here with not much hope for myself. Xen constantly encouraged me and helped me see the true value of myself in every award recc, in every promotion paragraph, and even in some of his reports and Telegram messages. That’s one thing about Xen I will never forget: He knows how to make someone who feels worthless feel like they’re on top of the world. Not just for myself, but for many members of CSP. I’m just one of the many people whom he has blessed that happens to be telling their story. I’m so saddened to see Xen go, but I trust his decision and wish all the best for him in his well-deserved retirement. Thank you so much for everything you have done for this clan. You have brought us CSPers to a completely new system in-character, and in-friendship. Rest up, Xen. Don’t forget the impact you have made on hundreds of lives. We will carry on your legacy as you rest knowing you are one of the most important Forefathers of our clan. Thank you for making Scholae Palatinae home for so many of us. Lots of huggles your way.
Alara Deathbane
Aedile of Excidium
I first came across Xen in 2006, when I took the role of Quaestor of House Caliburnus, with Xen as my Aedile. During that time Xen was instrumental to all we achieved, establishing the fictional background and lore of the house, and eventually tying with the historically stronger Acclivis Draco in a house feud. A decade later, I serve as Xen’s Proconsul, with Xen having led Clan Scholae Palatinae for 6 years. It was Xen that originally brought me back to activity in the club, asking for my assistance in a GJW competition and subsequently inspiring me to develop my character further and eventually joining the clan summit.
In my time in the club, there has been no individual that has contributed to the clan anywhere near as much as Xen has. 6 years is an incredible amount of time to hold one position in the club. Xen has never dropped that infinite patience, always happy to interact with his members personally about any concern they have at any level of the club. Since serving on the clan summit team from Xen I’ve learned more about the club, and leadership roles within, than I ever thought would be possible. The amount of new leaders Xen has brought through at the head of Scholae Palatinae is staggering, and they are now scattered across the Brotherhood in a variety of positions at all levels in the club.
Despite leading the clan for 6 years, Xen never stopped finding ways to improve it. Through a series of clan events that spanned many years, Xen constantly inspired the membership by pushing the clan into new territory. Memorable examples are Monstrosities (one of the best events I’ve seen run in the club) in which the system was attacked by giant ancient monsters, and the more recent Order Campaign in which the clan lost its system to a Sith Lord, Darth Fallax, putting Scholae in the position of having to reclaim its home. Both of these challenged the members with fictional situations never before seen to the clan to inspire their own character development. Since then, Xen oversaw a more obvious and long lasting change: the destruction of the Cocytus system and the development of the Caperion System. From start to finish, the new system has been developed in a way that has given an infinite array of options to expand the clan lore over the long term.
Xen is the most influential leader that Clan Scholae Palatinae has ever seen and has given the clan 6 wonderful years. Not only that, he has left the clan in a fantastic place to carry on following his departure from the Consul position. Xen’s legacy is one that will never be forgotten in Scholae Palatinae. Congratulations on everything you’ve achieved here.
Elincia Rei
Proconsul
Xen and I have known each other since the two of us were the rookies on the Dark Council. We both wanted to prove our worth to the others on the council, to make sure that we were not mistakes that leadership had made. Back then he worked with tireless efforts, managing the house at the time while trying to push his members to do everything that was thrown at them. I left, but returned to see my old friend still sitting in the same chair. 2391 days of being the leader of a single unit is a long time. It takes a vast amount of dedication and loyalty to his members to maintain the position for that long. When you are in a leadership position in this club you dedicate a lot of your personal time to it, you always are sitting there wondering if you have given the members enough opportunity to do something. I know Xen has given this club his heart and soul, and had continued to work tirelessly. You have nothing to prove my friend, this is well earned.
Congratulations.
Warlord Fremoc Pepoi
Former Fist of the Brotherhood
Xen. There are so many accomplishments, so many tidbits to choose from to illustrate this man's achievements. It's a tall order to do so, even more so to pick the ones that truly stand out. I could list you the inhuman amount of competitions this fellow has run. I could tell you about his participation numbers, his awards, all those flashy things you list in a recommendation.
Instead, I will tell you what kind of man he is. The kind of man who, even when exhausted, fed up, and pushed to the limit somehow finds the strength in him to keep a level-headed approach, to continue despite adversity. I had the honor to witness his approach to creating a feud. It was a grueling task, one that stretched out patience and saw us becoming increasingly aggravated and down right frustrated with the process. Even as I growled, cracked, giving our good friend Mav an earful, Xen was keeping his cool, encouraging me to stick with the process through to the end.
This is one moment in time. This great trait of his, his patience and the way he manages to find the right words to disarm a volatile situation even when said patience has long eroded is what makes Xen a true paragon of leadership. You know you can come to him, even as the guilty party, and he will find the words to not only set you straight, you'll come out of this conversation re-energized and feeling like you have a place in his clan. In his plans. He doesn't discard the people that wrong him, instead he has a way to bring them into the fold.
It has been a long road, one I feel honored to have been a part of.
For his immense service for CSP, this man deserves far more than a mere reward. He deserves all the monies.
In all seriousness, I firmly believe this fine work, regardless of past/recent rewards, is deserving of something exceptionally big.
Congratulations, my friend. fistbump and love
Cyris
Grand Master Declan Roark, 2017-08-16 23:19:40 UTC