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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
- 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 that are known to all members and leaders. Any issues related to the appropriateness of a promotion or award should be directed to the MAA prior to submitting.
- Do not presume Independent Unit institutions confer validity on recommendations. How a Clan is run is determined by the Clan Summit, not the Master at Arms. However, any authority specific leaders and bodies within a Clan may have (other than official Brotherhood positions) does not carry to the awarding of medals or promotions.
- All recommendations for rewards are required to contain specific, concrete details for activities described. While recommendations should detail a member’s character and personality, factual data should be provided in a contextual manner. Straight lists of activities do not give appropriate recognition to the membership, and are frowned upon.
- Summits are encouraged to keep activity trackers of their members, or request members to keep personal trackers, so that medals and promotions may be granted at appropriate times.
- 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 sum 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 a number of 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 instances of denial due to double dipping.
- 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.
- All promotions have time-in-rank guidelines. At the Journeyman level, time-in-rank is a hard requirement that can only be bypassed under rare and exceptional circumstances. At the Equite level, time-in-rank may be bypassed if the MAA agrees the member has accumulated the appropriate activity – but these circumstances should be rare and applied to only the most exceptional of members.
- Medals and promotions, once granted, can only be revoked by the Chamber of Justice. This includes instances in which new medals may be created, resulting in the conversion of 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.
Transfers
- Transfer requests are not a forum for argument or discussion. Problems with unit superiors should be addressed directly between the relevant members. Transfers that are a result of conflict should be brought to the attention of the Master at Arms prior to submitting, so the MAA may ensure the transfer is a 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 may 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 extremely frowned upon. 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 MAA directly and explain them in greater detail.
- 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 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 wishing to organize a competition for a unit they are not a member of, including Brotherhood-wide competitions, must get approval from their superiors. Currently, this is accomplished through administration on the Brotherhood database.
- Regular competition type is the standard as it allows the submission of documents and text through the website. If a competition requires alternate submission methods, Manual type should be used with appropriate reasoning in the request.
- 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.
- If an organizer has an open competition that remain unjudged after 30 days, express 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 (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. This process will be coordinated by the Master at Arms staff.
- 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 situation and provided with the competition runner’s reasoning.
- Crescents levels are tiered based on a breakdown explained in awards with appropriate upgrades or downgrades.
- Flash and mobile games are subject to a one tier downgrade due to low effort required, as determined on a case-by-case basis.
- All competitions of the “Fiction/Run-on/Poetry” type automatically award Cluster of Ice based on word count. Competitions which do not award CIs but are still writing-based should be submitted as “other” type.
- 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 competitions with subjective grading criteria (any and all fiction and graphics competitions, for example). Placing in competitions with objective grading criteria (say a high score in a game) is frowned upon, but not prohibited.
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.
- 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. Worthy members may also be awarded the title by the Grand Master after many years of service to the Brotherhood. Those awarded with the Sith Lord title are also entitled 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 special 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 lore.
- One with the Force - This is a special 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, and Satal was a Clan Title for members of Clan Satal Keto
- Families - Families exist only for roleplaying purposes and as an external sign of friendship between members. Families do not confer or allow any additional authority or privileges in managing units or the awarding of medals or promotions within those units. Members who consider themselves a family are subject to the Brotherhood’s Nepotism Policy in all regards; any sign of bias or nepotism will be brought directly to the Justicar. Any group of members may take a shared name for fictional purposes, but that does not grant them special privileges or ownership of said name. Members outside of the family who coincidentally join with the same name are not required to change their name.
- Avatar of Strife - This title is awarded to those having the highest ELO gain in a quarter.
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 conferred 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 exclusive right to determine who will receive a Clan title. Clans may organize a system of their choosing to help determine 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 Proconsul of the Clan 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 conduct an investigation in conjunction with the Justicar to ensure that no Clan is in violation of any of the provisions of the Covenant. 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 who is 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 normally 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 wishes of the Clan members as much as is reasonably possible but will also be tasked with protecting the rights of the member in question from arbitrary action. A Clan title may not be rescinded by the Master at Arms without the consent of the Clan 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, see: General Guidelines for Awarding a Clan Title. A Clan Consul may not award himself the title.
- Members may not carry the same name as one of the Clan titles without having actually 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 they serve on the Council or they may choose not to display it in order not to appear biased. Council members are free to decide how they want to proceed and shall not lose their title if they choose 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 a variety of circumstances, including deletion after the Split, requested deletion, 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, 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. The request should at the very least supply the Dark Councilors with the basic information that was 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
Proof of medals, even when dated properly, will not be assumed from the presence of those medals in the EHDB database. Members may not have their EHDB medals that were 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 prior to 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. The request should at the very least supply the Dark Councilors with the basic information that was 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