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The Master at Arms oversees a wide range of activities in the Brotherhood -- awards, promotions, competitions, titles, transfers, name and email changes, as well as managing rosters and positions. The page details various policies connected to these activities. Some items detailing more in depth policies, such as promotion guidelines, can be found in the Master at Arms Policies category. Any questions concerning these items should be directed to the MAA, currently Howlader.
Awards & Promotions
- All recommendations for awards and promotions are required to contain specific, concrete details for the activities described. We are not interested in the fact that someone is great; we are interested in how they are great. While recommendations should detail a member’s character and personality, factual data should be provided contextually. Straight lists of activities do not give appropriate recognition to the membership and are frowned upon.
- While unit leaders are given the authority to award medals and grant promotions, the Master at Arms maintains the authority to approve, remand, or deny requests according to Brotherhood-wide standards known to all members and leaders. Any issues related to a promotion or award’s appropriateness should be directed to the MAA before submitting it for review.
- Do not presume Clan titles or fictional positions of leadership constitute the authority to award medals or promotions. These remain strictly in the realm of officially recognized Brotherhood positions.
- Medals cannot double-dip activity. All activity, once recognized by a medal, cannot be used toward future medals. This does not always apply to promotions, which tend to be focused on the total of accomplishments since a member’s last promotion. There has been confusion around these subjects, so example situations are listed below to provide further clarification:
- A member receives an Anteian Cross for participation in a large-scale Clan event. Four months later, that same member is recommended for a Steel Cross for activity in the intervening period, as well as the participation in the large-scale Clan event. That Steel Cross will be rejected.
- Continuing from the above, if that member is instead recommended for a promotion (and assuming all guidelines and requirements are met), that would be acceptable.
- If a member is promoted appropriately (assuming all guidelines and requirements are met) for work only internal to their Clan, and then is recommended for a sacramental award for the completion of several projects for a member of the Dark Council – that award is appropriate.
- If a Consul is promoted for their long-term work for their clan to a high-level Equite rank, and then is recommended for a sacramental award for work internal to the Clan one month later, that medal will be rejected.
- For the purposes of Master at Arms staff evaluations (including but not limited to promotions and awards), a demotion is the equivalent of a promotion.
- All medals and promotions should be known and directed through (up and down) the chain of command appropriately so each leader knows what is being requested and can avoid denial due to double-dipping or an award being recommended for the same thing within a short period.
- The Master at Arms maintains authority over all promotions. If you think a member deserves a promotion but does not yet satisfy the stated promotion guidelines (perhaps due to a database error), contact the MAA and explain the discrepancy.
- Promotions between ranks have time-in-rank requirements. These requirements are not absolute. There may be extreme circumstances where it may be waived in the case of Equite promotions, but this is highly unlikely, and the standard(s) of activity is significantly higher for rapid promotions. See the Promotion Guidelines page.
- Once granted, medals and promotions can only be revoked by the Chamber of Justice and include instances in which new medals may be created, resulting in converting old medals. This does not apply to obvious administrative or technical errors, which can be administratively (rather than judicially) removed by the Master at Arms or designate.
- All medals and promotions must be submitted through the website, where leaders have the administrative authority. Pre-approval is not necessary. In cases where a higher award or rank is warranted (beyond the administrative authority of a consul, for instance), the Master at Arms staff should be contacted to facilitate the promotion or award.
Transfers
- Transfer requests are not a forum for argument or discussion. Problems with unit superiors should be addressed directly between the relevant members. Transfers resulting from conflict should be brought to the Master at Arms’ attention before submitting, so the MAA may ensure the transfer is the last resort option. The MAA will involve the Grand Master or Justicar, where appropriate, if unable to resolve a dispute.
- Transfers between Clans may be held until such time that the Master at Arms is satisfied with the reasons for the transfer.
- The direct recruitment of members from one unit to another with promises of medals, promotions, or other entitlements is forbidden and will result in disciplinary action. This does not include application periods for positions open to the entire Brotherhood.
- Multiple transfers between units in a short period of time, or Clan hopping, is strongly discouraged. Because of that fact, the Master at Arms limits unit to unit transfers to once in a two-month period. If there are extraordinary reasons why you need to transfer, feel free to contact the Master at Arms office with an explanation.
- Rogue hopping, wherein a member transfers to Rogue status before transferring to a new Clan, is forbidden and may result in disciplinary action when discovered.
- Members accepting leadership positions in units to which they do not currently belong should first request a transfer to the appropriate unit with confirmation of the appointment given as the reason.
- Clan summits may use the Disruptive Member Policy to decline a member's transfer into the unit. All inquiries on this matter should be directed to the Justicar, with the Master at Arms and Grand Master copied.
Competitions
- Members looking to organize a competition for a unit they do not lead must seek that unit’s summit’s approval. For example, a battleteam leader would seek permission from their Aedile and Quaestor to run a House-wide competition. This is accomplished through administration on the Brotherhood website. The Master at Arms must approve Brotherhood-wide competitions.
- All competitions are expected to be judged and closed within (30) days of the end date. Competitions still open after this time will result in a warning email to the organizers.
- Suppose an organizer has an open competition that remains unjudged after 30 days. In that case, an explanation must be given for any new competition submitted by an organizer or co-organizer while the old competition remains unjudged. Without said explanation, new competitions will be denied.
- Competitions that remain open after (45) days without appropriate explanation will be judged by the appropriate member of the Dark Council or appropriate clan summit member (say: Voice of the Brotherhood for fiction, Herald for graphics, Fist of the Brotherhood for gaming-related, etc.) within (5) days and then closed by the Master at Arms. The Master at Arms staff will coordinate this process.
- Organizers who fail to grade their competitions within the required 45 days will not receive any credit for their competition organization, and the person that did the judging will receive credit. For auto-graded competitions (i.e. most gaming competitions), the Dark Councillor or summit member that closed the competition will not receive credit.
- Competitions with valid participation are expected to place crescents accordingly, but there are always situations where no submission has met the subjective criteria for placement. Should this situation arise, the Master at Arms must be notified of the status and provided with the competition runner’s reasoning.
- Subjectively graded competitions (including but not limited to: fiction, graphics, poetry, caption contests, and other forms of creative activities) should not have ties when finalized, as there is always a method of appropriately discerning placement.
- Crescent levels are tiered based on a breakdown explained in awards with appropriate upgrades or downgrades.
- Container (also called parent) competitions should be one tier higher than their sub competitions if the container has three or more sub-competitions.
- Members of a Dark Council staff, but aren't Dark Council members, who run club-wide competitions for their Dark Council department are expected to run crescent levels at the DC club-wide level.
- All competitions should be submitted with the appropriate competition approval guidelines in mind. See the Voice Competition Approval Guidelines and Herald Competition Approval Guidelines for more information.
- In the event of a tie during a non-group competition, the Master at Arms expects the next placement to be one less than the previous. This means that if two members place first, the next placement should be for third, not second.
- Competition organizers and co-organizers are ineligible for placement in their competitions.
- Rewards for Brotherhood activity should be fictional and restricted to the DJB website. Any real-world incentives shall comply with the Real World Incentive Policy.
- Objectively graded or primarily site-graded competitions should not have co-organizers. Supervisors can be added manually if necessary, by contacting the Master at Arms office.
Names
- Official dossier names are limited to four total words. Hyphenated words are counted as two words, and nicknames or shortened names are counted toward the total.
- Direct usage of canon or Legends Star Wars names is generally prohibited, though exceptions are made when only a first or last name is used. If you are unsure, feel free to submit the request, and the Master at Arms office will work with you.
- Offensive names - While there is no formal list, the Master at Arms Office reserves the right to review potentially offensive names.
- The listing of banned names is as follows: Darth, Anakin, Skywalker, Vader, Solo, admiral, master, lord, Amidala, Calrissian, Chewbacca, Kenobi, Organa, Padme, Sidious, Thrawn, Yoda, Arconae, Palpatine, Sadow, Taldrya, Tarentae, Revan, Sith, krath, obelisk, Kylo, Ren, Poe, Dameron, Hux, Snoke, Rey, Finn, Phasma, Kanata, Tekka, acolyte, adept, apprentice, augur, battlelord, battlemaster, cadet, captain, colonel, commander, corsair, courier, eminent, general, grand, general, grand, master, hunter, initiate, knight, legend, lieutenant, lieutenant colonel, major, master, moff, mystic, neophyte, novice, padawan, peacekeeper, private, privateer, professional, prophet, proselyte, raider, ranger, reaver, recruit, runner, savant, seer, sergeant, trainee, trooper, vanguard, warden, warlord, warrior, yeoman.
Titles and Honourary Names
The following titles are currently in used in the Brotherhood:
- Sith Lord - This title is granted to all Grand Masters and is retained for life. The Grand Master may also award worthy members the title after many years of service to the Brotherhood. Those awarded with the Sith Lord title are also entitled to the use of the Darth title.
- Dark Lord of the Sith - Dark Lord of the Sith is reserved for the sitting Grand Master.
- War Heroes - For excellence in the field of battle, members can be given notable titles for placing in the top three in a major vendetta. First Hero, Second Hero, and Third Hero are the titles awarded, each for their respective vendetta. Clan feuds, while a form of vendetta, are not eligible events for these titles. For example First Hero of the Dark Crusade.
- Legacy Titles - An unofficial title that is granted to the membership upon ascent to Elder. These titles appear on the member's dossier page but carry no official standing within Brotherhood lore, only personal.
- One with the Force - This is a unique title given to honor those members of the Dark Brotherhood that are no longer with us, as a way to commemorate their time in the club.
- Retired Titles - Kunar was a Clan Title for members of Clan Exar Kun, Satal was a Clan Title for members of Clan Satal Keto, and Tarentae was for members of Clan Tarentum.
- Avatar of Strife - This title is awarded to those having the highest ELO gain in a quarter.
- Antei Combat Centre Titles - Combat Center Champion and Combat Center Gladius are awarded to first and second places, respectively, in some Brotherhood-wide ACC tournaments.
- Families - Families do not confer or allow any additional authority or privileges to manage units or award medals or promotions within those units. Families are not official for the purposes of the Brotherhood's systems or policies. Families exist only for roleplaying purposes and as an external sign of friendship between members. Members that choose to use the same name as an existing family are under no obligation to change their name and may not be asked to fulfill requirements to use the name by any member. If the member feels pressured to do so, they are strongly encouraged to contact the Master at Arms staff, the Grand Master, Deputy Grand Master and Justicar.
Clan Titles
- Clan Titles - Clan titles may be awarded to members that have shown the most loyalty, dedication or activity in their clan.
- A Clan title should only be bestowed upon a member who has served their Clan for a lengthy period of time and has demonstrated their loyalty through their actions in promoting the welfare of the Clan. There is no limit on the number of members who can receive the Clan title, but it is recommended that this achievement be difficult – but possible – for the average member to attain. The Dark Council will not impose any specific requirements for a Clan title except the general guidelines contained herein. The specific requirements are to be determined by the Clan leadership, or their designees subject to these policies.
- Procedures - Clan titles are awarded based on the exclusive set of standards and requirements that the Clan itself has promulgated subject to these policies. The Clans have the sole right to determine who will receive a Clan title. Clans may organize a system of their choosing to help decide who should receive the Clan title. Whatever the result, the Clan title award must be reported to the Master At Arms only by the Consul of the Clan or the Clan Proconsul if the Consul is unavailable or is receiving the award him/herself.
- The Master at Arms does not have the authority to interfere in the Clan procedure for determining the title unless accusations of unfairness and discrimination are made. In these instances, they will investigate in conjunction with the Justicar to ensure that no Clan violates the Covenant provisions. The Master at Arms is also responsible for updating the master list of Clan titles on the Brotherhood’s wiki and for adding the title to the member’s dossier.
- A member who leaves the Clan to go to another Clan forfeits their title in all cases. A member who leaves the Clan to go to the rogues or removed to the rogues does not forfeit their Clan title. A member who is appointed to the Dark Council does not forfeit their Clan title.
- A Clan title can not usually be rescinded except as a result of leaving the Clan to go to another Clan or for an extreme change in circumstances. If a Clan wishes to rescind a Clan title from one of its members, it must consult with the Master at Arms. The Master at Arms will defer to the Clan members’ wishes as much as is reasonably possible but will also be tasked with protecting the member’s rights in question from arbitrary action. A Clan title may not be rescinded by the Master at Arms without the Clan’s consent except in the case of a member departing the Clan. A Clan title may not be rescinded by the Clan except in consultation with the Master at Arms.
- The Clan title shall not be automatically conferred on a Clan Consul just because they were appointed Clan Consul. A Clan Consul may not award himself the title.
- Members may not carry the same name as one of the Clan titles without having earned that title. Members who receive the title are not required to display it.
- Dark Council members who have received the Clan title may opt to retain it while serving on the Council or choose not to display it not to appear biased. Council members are free to decide how they want to proceed and shall not lose their title if they decide not to display it. The Grand Master, however, may not display a Clan title at all while they are in office though they retain the title for use in retirement.
- Current Clan Titles are:
See Also: Clan Title Census
Restoration of Former Member Dossiers
There are occasions in which people wish to become active members again in the Dark Brotherhood, but their dossier is no longer available. A dossier may be lost under various circumstances, including deletion after the Split, failure to reply to the DB-Wide AWOL checks or database error. Unless the Chamber of Justice has acted to remove a member’s dossier for cause, or the member has requested a deletion under the auspices of the former deletion policy or Section 2.02 - Termination of Membership of the current Covenant, all former members are entitled to have their previous rank and medals in the club restored.
A member who wants to have their dossier restored must contact the Master at Arms, the Grand Master, the Deputy Grand Master and the Seneschal with a request. At the very least, the request should supply the Dark Councilors with the basic information on the dossier, such as the profile name, the profile email address, or the pin number. The Seneschal and Grand Master will search database backups for a copy of the member’s records. If the record exists, the latest version will be restored. If the record does not exist, the member will have to supply extrinsic proof to establish his dossier status. The following is a non-exhaustive list of extrinsic sources:
- Former DB websites
- Wayback machine website caches
- Dark Voice Newsletters
- Verified Emails containing an ID Line
- Message Board posts
Even when appropriately dated, proof of medals will not be assumed from the presence of those medals in the EHDB database. Members may not have their EHDB medals obtained after April 12, 2003, transferred to their DB dossiers.
The Master at Arms is responsible for determining if extrinsic evidence is sufficient for proof. Upon proof of the member’s dossier possessions, the Master at Arms will restore the dossier as such.
Other
- No Emperor’s Hammer Dark Brotherhood ranks or awards are transferable to the Brotherhood except those obtained before the split (April 12, 2003). Evidence of the pre-split dossier is required before a dossier can be restored. A member who wants to have their dossier restored must contact the Master at Arms and the Seneschal with a request. At the very least, the request should supply the Dark Councilors with the necessary information on the dossier, such as the profile name, the profile email address, or the pin number. The member will have to supply extrinsic proof to establish his dossier status. The following is a non-exhaustive list of extrinsic sources: former Brotherhood websites through Internet Archive, Dark Voice newsletters, verified emails containing an ID Line, message board posts. The Master at Arms is responsible for determining if extrinsic evidence is sufficient for proof. Upon proof of the member’s dossier possessions, the Master at Arms or Seneschal will restore the dossier as such.
- Members who wish to leave the Brotherhood should consult the Deletion Policy for their options. Permanently deleted dossiers cannot and will not be restored under any circumstance.
- Refer to the Clan and House Policies for information on requirements for clan status.
Notes