I'm not going to talk about the individual competitions coordinated or entered by Raiju Kang; I'm also not going to talk about the length of time he was Consul; Mav has done so, Farrin has done so. Instead, I want to talk about his effect upon myself, and the Clan.

Prior to Tarentum's probation, I was playing ToR and staying in touch over IRC and such; however, I was generally in what I like to call "semi-retirement." I have never turned and walked away from Tarentum, and have always held myself to the standard that I will be involved in the Clan as needed, and when needed. It pains me to say that, when Scion needed me, I didn't come running. Instead, with his removal and Tarentum's probation, I knew I needed to work with my Summit however I could. I started emailing people, I started trying to help lay the foundation for getting ourselves back on our feet.

And then came Raiju.

It's no secret that, at times, Tarentum has had a very confrontational stance with the Dark Council. Despite the fact that we are very pro-Club; despite the fact that we believe in this organization; despite the fact that we have often tried to lead from the front, we are passionate, fiery, and fierce. This sometimes leads us to be oppositional and even offensive in our goal to defend Tarentum above all else. Raiju was a part of Tarentum before his return, so he knew this. Raiju was told very clearly that, if any of the veterans and Elders were being toxic, he could have us removed; I know that even I was on the radar.

And yet, when Raiju came in, he started trying to build bonds, and help HEAL wounds, as opposed to lopping off "infected limbs." He knows Tarentum's history is important, but needs to be moved forward into the now. As he built his Summit, he and I grew in our own bond that had been built years prior. He relied on me as friend and advisor, and used the benefit of active veterans and Elders to motivate the Clan. He never told me to back off, he never told me to stop trying to help, and knew that I would follow his lead. He took everything he was given, and despite growing health concerns, tried to help direct everyone into their best role in gaining our correct heading. He built what he could, he directed what he couldn't, and let the WHOLE Clan built our future together.

The reality is, Raiju didn't do everything, because he didn't have to. A good leader doesn't stand at the front and rope their followers, and drag them along to where they need to go; rather, a good leader tells people what's in front, what's behind, finds the right course, and invites others to follow towards mutual benefit. Raiju does not micromanage, he does not drive others away to create things himself. And, if not for his health and career choices needing his greater attention, Raiju would have stayed longer, and I believe he'd have done greater things.

Raiju has added his name to a long list of credible, exceptional leaders in Tarentum, and I believe he deserves acceptable recognition and reward for his efforts. I add my own emphasis to the already impressive voices of the Deputy Grand Master and Consul of Tarentum in seeking and encouraging every level of reward for the services of Raiju Kang to Tarentum -- services still not finished, as he helps to initiate our new Grey Faction.

You have my thanks, Raiju. And know that you've done a good job.

-Sith Bloodfyre-Tarentae Proconsul

When Raiju came back to Tarentum to take over as Consul, the Clan was in likely the roughest patch it has ever been in. There was a huge amount of resentment toward the Dark Council that had given serious thought to closing us down and the Grand Master and Deputy Grand Master who had just placed us on a do-or-die probation. Into that mix stepped Raiju Kang as the new Consul; though he had been a Tarenti before (serving as Aedile in the past) he had left to go to Odan-Urr prior to his Consulship. I’ll admit to being concerned that was just the spark that would ignite the powder keg Tarentum had devolved into at that point.

I’ll admit this now - I severely underestimated Raiju then, and I regret it. He calmed the stormy waters within and began to rebuild the connections without. He had a lot of big ideas for what he wanted to do with the Clan to bring it into the modern Dark Jedi Brotherhood - because it had been too long stuck in the past and isolated from others - and I was honored he wanted me to help him achieve his vision as the Clan’s Rollmaster. He turned the Clan around by getting buy-in from the entire unit, supporting his subordinate leadership, and pushing Tarentum to figuratively and literally get back into the game. He led the Clan Summit in reestablishing Tarentum policies and ensuring the day to day minutiae of Clan leadership was being executed flawlessly in ways that we simply hadn’t been doing. Without Raiju, I have no doubt in my mind that we would not have come out of probation; put another way, without Raiju, Tarentum would have been closed.

What a lot of people don’t know, though, is Raiju was helping lead the resurgence of Tarentum while at the same time battling serious real life issues. To me, his actions as Consul by themselves are noteworthy and definitely deserving of accolades; when you couple them with the context of what he was dealing with as he was doing them, however, it’s truly remarkable. I’m honored to call Raiju a friend and I was honored to work on his Summit. Raiju asked that I don’t award him a medal or anything for his actions; it’s kind of cliche that whenever a leader steps down they’re given a token of our appreciation for their work (I guess our version of the watch that so many people seem to get in real life upon retirement). However, this to me feels like quite literally the least we could do to have a lasting testament of our appreciation of what he’s accomplished for Tarentum. Thank you, my friend.

-Farrin Xies