Alaris Jinn: The Person, The Myth, The Legend. Has it really been as long as it has since we threw something at Alaris? It has, because we wanted to get them something that they didn't have already. Since their last recognition, it would be an understatement to quantify what all they've done in the Brotherhood and for Clan Plagueis. I'm going to do what I can, however, to go into details on that second part. I'll leave the other stuff for the Councilors he's served.

First, to break down the numbers: Since their last recognition, Alaris has participated in 262 competitions. For those entries, they've earned 8 Gold, 4 Silver, and 1 Bronze novae (Keep those in mind, we'll come back to that), as well as 14 Diamond, 40 Ruby, 34 Amethyst, 21 Sapphire, 21 Emerald, 4 Topaz, and 7 Quartz crescents. That's a placement every 58.8% of the time when they enter something. They've earned 2451 Clusters of Fire (151 gaming activities), 32 Clusters of Ice (1934 ACC words, 4427 Fiction words, and 3488 Roleplaying words), and 51 Clusters of Graphite. Their SA service netted 15 Scrolls of Foundation (the meat of which I'm sure the academic types will go into), with 23 courses passed, 7 degrees earned, and 65 courses graded. Alaris earned 1 Seal of Loyalty and 28 Seals of Transcendence (file those with the Novae, we'll come back to that). They were able to rank up 18 times in various DB societies: 1 in the SA, 2 in the Shroud, 1 in the ACC as a participant, 12 in the ACC as a judge,and 2 in the Envoy Corps. On a counting stats level, Alaris has been a stand out.

Beyond those counting stats, however, lies what Alaris really brings to the table. They are a quintessential example of one of the things I have always held in my heart in the DB: Leadership doesn't require a job title. In the time since their last medal in August of 2023, Alaris has never held an official position on the Plagueis Summit. Not even for a second. That has not stopped them from being a serious contributor to the Clan, both behind the scenes and in the brightest spotlight. In the background, Alaris is the most vocal of the Consuls Emeritus that are welcomed into the Summit discussions to offer perspective and insight. They have helped guide and advise all of us on the Plagueis summit in various ways, large and small. Alaris has consulted with and produced Clan fiction updates that have driven Plagueis Lore forward. Most importantly, however, Alaris has absolutely killed it when the Clan needed them to step forward at the times where it matters the most: Vendetta time. I think, because we didn't write up an award for Alaris immediately following the last Great Jedi War, it is lost on most just how incredible their performance was. They did "All The Things", of course. But that isn't even half of the story. Alaris took home the title of First Hero of the Sixteenth Great Jedi War with what is hands down the most dominant performance by a First Hero on record. Alaris's score of 702 points was by far the largest margin of victory the Brotherhood has ever seen, and not just on sheer points scored as that number can fluctuate with scoring systems. That 702 points was 45% again more points than the second place finisher scored. The point gap Alaris managed between first place and second place was more than the point gap between second and tenth. And it would be a disservice to characterize their work during the War as merely serving themselves, as much of their work came from helming team entry events (The RO, multimedia, and dossier events spring to mind as examples). Their efforts also included helping other members excel in other individual gaming events, such as the TOR conquest event. It wasn't enough for Alaris to just pile up a giant personal score, they wanted to make sure everyone else possible was coming along for the ride. I've seen a lot of Great Jedi War performances over the years, and this was hands down the best of them all. Not for the points that Alaris scored for themselves, but for the work that they did helping the Clan perform to its absolute best as a whole. Alaris has continued to bring that level of commitment and work ethic, often in the background and without fanfare or title, to their work for Clan Plagueis in the time since. It would not be an understatement to say that we would not be where we are today as a Clan without their tireless work.

There are few medal recommendations that I have written where I feel that the member being put forward for the award is more deserving. Alaris has continued to be a member that few others can match, bringing a drive for excellence and a lead from the front mentality that at times I myself envy. It is with a hearty congratulations that I offer my recommendation to support this award.

Stepping into a position like Headmaster is never an easy thing, but my ascension into this role was made so much easier by Alaris Jinn. I've worked with Alaris before as my Proconsul, so knowing that they would be my Praetor made my life so much easier. We were able to work well together from the get go, and with their help we quickly had a new course out to the membership. Not only did Alaris do the legwork of getting the "Weaponry" course ready to submit to the site, they walked me through the process so that I would be able to do it on my own in the future.

Alaris was also pivotal in helping me decide, 1). How I wanted to distribute duties to my Magistrates, 2). Who I wanted to hire for the jobs, and 3). How I wanted to structure the upcoming new additional to the Shadow Academy moving forward. While I had my own ideas on the topic, they really helped challenge me and ensure I was on a stable footing.

Alaris is a treasure to have on any staff, and I look forward to seeing what they are able to achieve in their future roles within this club. Thank you Alaris, for everything. You really deserve this award, and so much more.

Alaris walked into an unexpectedly challenging situation as P:HM. Bubba and I had just made the largest change to the HM office's scope and mission in at least a decade, and I had laid out a plan for course revisions that, even at the time, I knew was likely more ambitious than feasible. Meanwhile, my personal live devolved into a unending succession of dying pets and relatives, health issues, RL job chaos, and caring for a premature newborn. While we kept the office running well enough that regular members likely never noticed, it should be noted that Alaris never received the level of support, training, and mentorship from me that they deserved as Praetor. Nevertheless, they stepped up, managing recurring tasks like the SA Decathlon competition series, leading the staff, most of whom were hired shortly after they were, pitching in on grading, and just generally providing a stabilizing presence.

In the course of their duties, Alaris oversaw the automation of the Department of Legends. This involved reviewing and rewriting the exams for 14 courses to eliminate the need for manual grading as well as the wait for course credit when a member completes the exam. While they were at it, Alaris did an audit of the course notes to ensure they were accurate. Additionally, they wrote the working draft for Societies: Envoy Corps and functionally served as co-author for the finished course notes.

Ultimately, from the job posting onward, I laid out one duty above all others for the P:HM: ensure that my successor would enjoy a smooth and successful transition into the role, whether my Praetor got to be that person or, especially, if they did not. I'll leave it to Rhylance to cover the particulars, but suffice it to say, within days of the handoff, Rhylance and Alaris worked together to get their first course out the door.

Alaris, I appreciate your service on the HM staff for the past year, both under me and under Rhylance. Congratulations and thank you!

Alethia Archenksova
Headmistress Emerita