Val was a Journeyman when we crossed paths in Arcona in ‘11 or ‘12 and as his QUA, I watched him fly through the Equites and eventually land the open spot for my Aedile, which ironically a “Vynn Salm” had also applied for. Sorry not sorry Korvis!

Valhavoc is anything but a havoc, and is one of the most easy-going, friendly, and mild-tempered people that I’ve ever met. He was the bestest Aedile I could have asked for. He was meant to be QUA when I went to the DC, but a mere four days after he moved up he left for the DC too. A little sus. While Arc had to give him away, I read a rec somewhere that the DC gained a “best friend.” I have no context for it, but I believe it. He is a joy to be around even a decade later.

Our fellow leaders and retirees attached can speak far better than I on his Fist term (them having been you know, Fist), so here are some stats since last promotion. Buckle up, we are going for a ride.

Val has organized 94 competitions, co-organized 24, and participated in 502 (13 gfx! ❤️). 71 were gaming comps, but that’s a given. 8 legacy PvP matches, 393 gaming activities. 7 fictions and 2 Run-Ons. He flunked the SA with only 2 passed courses but graded 51!

Before we get into the awards and clusters let’s troll through his positions since last promotion:

Fist 9 months, Prof 9 months, Star Chamber member 1 year (was he their BFF also?), Magistrate to the GM 2 years, Docent for 11 months and Proconsul for 10 months. Most of those roles overlapped except for Proconsul—I imagine founding a brand new clan required a significant amount of time and effort.

Crescents: 5 Diamond, 41 Ruby, 64 Amethyst, 21 Sapphire, 11 Emerald, 3 Topaz, 1 Quartz.

Clusters: 46 graphite (woo!), 14 Ice, and… 5421 CFs. NBD. And the one that is no longer obtainable and makes us all jealous: 14 Pendants of Blood.

Seals: 7 Wrath, 15 Fury, 24 Discord, 16 Visions, 8 Enimity, 3 Ascension, and 10 Transcendence. That is 7 vendettas since last promotion, which also includes 2 Gold Novae for 1st place, 2 Silver, and 1 Bronze.

Through all of these years of remarkable and selfless work for the Brotherhood, he earned himself a Silver Sash, 1 Ruby Scepter, 3 Sapphire Blades, 1 Grand Cross, 2 Steel Cross, 1 Anteian Cross and … no Dark Crosses? I guess you can’t win everything.

And the obligatory stat for a founding member of Vizsla is 1189230 credits earned for the clan.

While "Valhavoc has reached the required 167500 XP to reach the rank of Elder 2," let us not forget his major contributions to our little corner of the internet. He has earned this promotion through hard work and a whole sh*tload of gaming. I feel privileged to be allowed to write this recommendation for Valhavoc and to call him my friend.

-Socks, VizCon

General Socorra Tenebrosa Nhar’qual Erinos, 2024-05-22 04:45:08 UTC

333k xp at his current rank. That’s more Xp than most members in our club. Glenn has done it all in the DB. Dark Council, Clan Summit, plank holder of creating a Clan, gaming extraordinaire, and an all around awesome human being.

Congrats Buddy.

Grand Master Declan Roark, 2024-05-20 23:52:34 UTC

I never thought I’d have the chance to write a recommendation for the very first Fist I ever worked for. Valhavoc built many of the core elements of gaming in the Brotherhood, and I was lucky enough to work with him during their implementation. He guided newer members and gave many people their first shot at a Magistrate position. Even to this day, he continues to contribute by helping add new modes, providing insight on changes, and giving feedback to his Clan and Summit.

Congratulations, Val, and thank you for everything.

Eminent Ikarri Itinen, 2024-05-21 00:07:30 UTC

It is the nature of the Fist position to have to adapt to change; gamers are a mercurial bunch and gaming industry trends are always a moving target. In this aspect Valhavoc set the bar high, so high in fact that I do not exaggerate when I say Val established modern gaming in the Brotherhood. As the current Fist I am standing on the shoulders of giants and Valhavoc stands the tallest. Whether it was embracing PVE through platform adoptions and the creation of the Cluster of Earth at a time when a not insignificant portion of the member base felt member vs member pvp was the only “true” gaming activity or revamping the GMRG to be more accessible with long term engagement through the leaderboard and council accessories, I am still working within the framework Val created nearly a decade after he left office.

While I may be replacing the Cluster of Earth and the GMRG Leaderboard because times have changed, it is in no way a refutation of the foundation Val set for gaming. On the contrary, it’s to his credit that those systems lasted as long as they have in something as rapidly changing as the gaming industry and our club culture. I am still building on the foundation Valhavoc created. On behalf of the Fist office and the gaming community, thank you for all you have done and all you continue to do. Your elevation within the Elder ranks is a small but very overdue recognition of the path your blazed for subsequent Fists to follow. I only hope that when my time is done, that I would be found to be half the Fist that you were.

Champion Rajhin Cindertail, 2024-05-21 15:31:33 UTC

There is no gaming system in the club that Val has not influenced in some way. Val revolutionized the way gaming works in this club, and every single gamer and Fist that followed him in position owes him a debt.

This promotion is long, LONG overdue.

From one former Fist to another, congratulations!

Master Dracaryis, 2024-05-21 19:12:43 UTC