An Elder of the Dark Brotherhood must rise above the pettyness of his order, above the pettyness of internal Clan squables, and above his own personal desires. An Elder in the Dark Brotherhood is a person who redefines our club and leaves a lasting impression through the merit of his work. Raken has done these things and he has done them at a level we have never seen before.

Raken has served as my praetor for over two years and in that time he has redined the role what it means to be a Praetor. Raken has dedicated hundreds of hours to the creation of a flowing and unified Dark Brotherhood storyline. This plotline, the first of its kind in DB history, has spanned 5 years of "DB" time and over two years of real time. He has crafted hundreds of pages of work that weaved the Dark Brotherhood from Antei to Government on the run to returning heroes.

Raken determined his niche in the Dark Brotherhood and ran full speed with it. He ignored Clan squables and seperated himself completely from the Politics of the DB. In doing so he allowed his creative freedom and skill as a writer to flourish. With two plus years of time to write, Raken has created a wonderful story and future for the Dark Brotherhood.

Finally, it should be noted that Raken has done all of this without ever asking for an award or for his name to be published in a report. He has been the untimate unselfish member. Raken truly belongs with the Elders of our Club and I wholeheartedly welcome him to the Rank of Dark Adept. Congrats! ~ Darth Sarin, Sith Lord

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Typically, promotion recommendations are an argument for “why this member deserves it” – however, in our current situation, this isn’t the case. The recommendation for Raken could be written by any member in the Brotherhood – everyone can see the projects he’s worked on, and his ideas come to fruition. In serving as Praetor to the Grand Master for more than two years, Raken achieved more than any Council assistant I have ever seen – indeed, he accomplished more than most Dark Councilors! He has revolutionized the storyline presentation of the Brotherhood, in a way we will be hard pressed to keep up with in the future. He helped run several of the most successful competitions in Brotherhood history – an RoS and two GJWs. Finally, his importance in the creation of the new character sheets and discipline system was immeasurable. Over the last several years, we have made it much more difficult to join the ranks of the Elders – you must prove consistent dedication to the Brotherhood as a whole. Raken has forgone membership in a Clan entirely, so he could focus solely on the Brotherhood’s needs. He has sacrificed the House and Clan relationships that many people hold most dear, all in a continuing effort to make our club more enjoyable to everyone. Raken’s dedication and work ethic are unquestionably superior and the importance of his accomplishments are manifest – I can think of no one who has deserved this promotion more. Congratulations Raken, you absolutely deserve it. ~ Justicar Kir Katarn

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To be welcomed into the Elder roles it requires one to do work not just for themselves or their Clan, but instead to truly do work that is beneficial to the entire Dark Brotherhood. Raken has no Clan ties, and every single bit of effort he produces is tied to the betterment of the club as a whole. Our entire storyline and the development of our fictional role has been spearheaded by him, the countless pages of fiction created rivals that of actual professionals. The new role that Orders play was also his brainchild, with that aspect continually growing and expanding. Even the DB military has been completely revamped, now resembling something much more "realistic". For most they will only truly give themselves to the club when given the "power and prestige" of being on the Dark Council. Yet here is someone who takes a position that has no real "power", and yet without him this club would truly be worse off. It is for a member like him that suck ranks were made for, and as such I am proud to welcome him into our ranks. Congrats! ~ Halcyon Rokir, Sith Lord

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What is there to say about Raken that hasn't already been said? As P:GM, he was a major architect of the Ninth Great Jedi War, writing the entire fictional backdrop to the War himself. Raken is, above all things, a man who gets things done. He has met every task set in front of him. When debating promotion to Elder status, the question is frequently, "Is this someone you couldn't picture the DB without?" In the case of Raken, the answer is an emphatic "Yes!" He is the yearly winner of the Silver Sash, arguably the rarest and most coveted award in the Brotherhood. He has authored numerous proposals. He is a font of solid, practical ideas. It is my honor to recommend Raken Spiderlord for promotion to Dark Adept, and to the illustrious ranks of the Elders. ~ Jedgar Paladin, Sith Lord

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I'm stricter than most when it comes to determining if a member is worthy of becoming an elder. I ask several questions that will often make people uncomfortable. Elder status is intended to be a rare thing, indicative of the highest levels of work and dedication to this little online club we have here. Not to the clan, not to the house or clique, but the the club in it's entirety. That's a big distinction there. There's a lot of people who will toil to make their clans better, by building wiki pages or helping the occasional new guy. And they're recognized by their clans, with the clan name. Yes, it is a great honor, and it shows dedication, but to merely one clan out of six. The clan title is the clan level equivalent of the elder title, for the bearers are indeed the elders within the clan. But the actual title itself... no, that is a Brotherhood-wide honor. It proves that you have transcended clans, that you seek for a common and greater plan.

All too often, I get the PM from someone saying that they want to achieve elder, but don't know how to do it. That they have run into a brick wall and do not know how to proceed. They ask me if there are any assignments, any pointers that i can give them. And my advice is universally the same. We all determine our own levels of involvement. If you need to be given an assignment, you are not an elder, you are a lackey. And that is all right... not everyone is cut out to be an elder. Most of the members in the club never reach the ranks of the elders... less than 2% of anyone who joins our club works their way that high.

So we weigh each decision carefully, so as not to trivialize the rank. Today, we examined Raken. Raken is a great mystery to most people, because his time in a clan was limited, his ascension to aid the Iron Throne came at an early rank. His works in Plagueis were years ago, during formative years there. And his disappearance from the popular rooms, from loud discussions and debates has been eerie to those of us who have grown up that way in thsi club. But his absence was to focus on his work. Eschewing clan titles and honorifics for hidden work, Raken toiled to give us wonderful fictional updates, background stories for two of the best Great Jedi Wars in history, worked to restore Orders to a more dynamic and glorious place in the brotherhood, and massive amounts of raw assistance and finetuning needed by the DC. As a published author in real life, I stand in awe of his writing, his skills far surpassing any professional author working the Star Wars franchise today. His advice is simple and direct, and his work entirely without ego or drama. It is for this, this marked humility, this unflappable work ethic, that I am proud to call him a friend.

The questions I often ask are simple. "What would this club be without this person?" An elder needs to have made an indelible mark. I do not think anyone can claim that Raken has not done so. The effects of the Vong war, leadership in exile, the plotline of defeat and return, while seemingly universal, has been echoed to one extent or another in every clan's private runons and events. Every member has seen the beginning stages of the Order reimagining that he as done, on character sheets with force powers that Raken had helped refine. A flowing storyline that weaves from war to war, depth to our mundane NPCs that were once nameless drones, and foreshadowing of future events and wars, all painted with the masterful words of this silent 'Red Tower'. So, my answer to my own question is that it would be worse off. Without hesitation, Raken's efforts have made this club a better place for everyone here. Many make that claim, but so very few actually live up to it. Today, I am honored by the opportunity to raise him up, to recognize him for what he is. An Elder of the Dark Brotherhood. ~ Muz Ashen, Dark Lord of the Sith

Lord Muz Ashen Keibatsu, 2009-05-11 10:11:56 UTC

The fourth level of Equite is an honor and prestige that very few members of the Dark Brotherhood ever achieve. It is even more rare to see a member accomplish this achievement in just a few years. To become an EQ4 a member must display not only activity, but the foresight to shape and understand ways to make the Dark Brotherhood a better place.

I can easily say that my Praetor, Raken, has achieved mastery of improving the Dark Brotherhood. Raken is the innovator and originator of the best Dark Brotherhood fiction in years. His work on the Rite of Supremacy and Great Jedi Wars are unparalleled in DB history. His competitions as T:F have been heralded by members who have previously ridiculed the best of our competitions.

Raken is one of the Dark Brotherhood's brightest Stars and this promotion is merely a stepping stone as he continues to move forward in our organization. Congrats my friend.

GM Sarin

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One only needs to read the first few paragraphs of the Brotherhood's latest plotlines to know that Raken deserves this promotion. His writing is brilliant and his take on the story arch of the Brotherhood is even more so. Raken's writing is taking this club to a new level fictionally.

Outside of his work on the storyline of the club, Raken has been a constant intrument for ingenuity and innovation in the DB. His term as Fiction Tribune has been marked by exqusite competitions that push the boundaries of what had become an all--to unimaginitive post. Raken is constantly giving his input on changes that go on in the DB and adding his two cents to everything.

As far as my role goes, Raken has been decidely helpful in testing and improving coding projects. He gave very helpful feedback on the Character Sheet system and has always been one of the first to diligently respond to my requests for help or advice. I appreciate his efforts.

He's a constant source for light-hearted humor as well. Though my time on IRC is limited, I often open the channels just to see what Raken has said. His outlook on the DB keeps things in perspective; an extraordinary trait among extraordinary talents.

Thank you, Raken, for all that you do.

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If I were asked to create a list of the top five most productive Brotherhood members in my memory, I would place Raken on it without a second thought. There are simply few members who have the drive to pick up project after project and continue to make good on all of them - especially when you consider the scope of many of those projects...a GJW plotline, a new discipline system, etc. And as fiction tribune, Raken has brought forward fresh and interesting topics that have left me wishing I had some free time in which to write.While some people may decry the fact that he is becoming a Warlord after just two years, I challenge any of them to name a member who has done more work for the Brotherhood as a whole in such a short period of time - I know that I do not measure up to his example myself. Beyond all this, Raken brings a relaxed personality and common sense to work with him, which elevates the quality of his work while keeping him separated from the "drama" that inevitably tries to waste everyones time. All of this Raken does with one simple title - Praetor. He is a living lesson in humility, he donates his time freely wanting only a little entertainment in return - no demands for positions, power, or awards are ever heard from him. For his alone I would say promote him, for everything he's done I'd say there is no other possible course of action. Congratulations my friend, on becoming a Sith Warlord. -Justicar Kir Katarn

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I've worked with and I would think became friends, or what passes for friends in an online community, with Raken. One thing many people won't really see is his work ethic. The entire fictional reality of the DB has fallen on his shoulders, and he's taken it and run with it. He's put together perhaps the most realistic military force in the DB along with all of the background needed for them. He continues to put out fictional updates that is on par with the best of professional SW fiction out there, and moving the "DB story" along at a crisp pace. His work as T:F has seen competitions that are actually fun to do. It's been a long time since I've seen such a consistent output of "I want to do this" fiction topics. This is all on top of many of the other work he's done that hasn've even come out to light yet. The club is very lucky to have someone like Raken who is both highly skilled and wants only to help the club grow. Congrats, buddy!

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Raken is one of those people that few people really recognize. His work is largely under the radar, but absolutely critical for our operation here. The stuff that has already been released is just a taste of what he's already done, and what he is working on. Everyone saw the intense amount of work he did for the last GJW. Over 90 pages of raw and wicked fiction that actually gave us a running plot and developed our club in ways that previous wars couldn't. It is, I believe, one of the most significant factors that made the war stand out among the others. His work as an author is more descriptive, more powerful, and just flat out better than almost all of the commercial authors working the Lucas franchise. And this is a trend he has continued. With the 'fictional updates' that Raken has developed to help bridge the gap and progress the storyline between wars, we are starting to see the seeds that will grow into major events. Again, this has helped the club grow in ways that just a couple years ago seemed beyond our capacity. And this is to say nothing about his work on projects we're working on. Raken has penned scads of pages to help explain the function and history of our order reboot, which isn't terribly far from launch. The number of projects that Raken has had influence over is impressive, considering as short of a time he's sent here. There are some people in this club that prefer to create rather than consume. Raken has created such an impressive body of work that it makes many of us who prefer to create enjoy it. I know I'm not the only one who looks forward to the next thing he writes, with baited breath. Raken has more than earned his stripes in my mind, and I am humbled to be able to reccomend him for elevation. ~Muz Sadow, Deputy Grand Master

Grand Master Declan Roark, 2008-08-03 15:02:13 UTC

One year and eight months ago Raken, the Broken One, entered the services of the Dark Brotherhood. Poised with the natural hatred and anger of an orphan turned slave, Raken easily took to the calling of the Dark Side. His power and talents soon called him to my attention and since that day his duty to the Dark Brotherhood has been priceless.

Over the course of the last eight months, Raken has established himself in the legendary company of members such as Darth Vexatus, Darth Ashen, and Darth Cotelin. His work on the Dark Brotherhood plotline, Dark Brotherhood wiki, and Dark Brotherhood Order Discipline system has been without equal.

Raken has penned no less than fifty pages of proposals, fiction, and non-fiction to the Dark Brotherhood archives. In addition to his productivity in improving the Brotherhood, his work as an adviser and confidant have saved me countless hours in decision making.

Raken is without equal in the Equite ranks and it is a priviledge to elevate him one step closer to the Elders he so deserves to be with.

Congratulations Sith Battlelord Raken.

Grand Master Declan Roark, 2007-12-03 17:05:55 UTC