I can't say I knew Lariat well, in fact, I only met him yesterday, after the auction. And while our conversation was short, you could tell that the guy was intensely committed to his ideals for making Baja a better place.
In my book, anyone who's done as much as Lariat has done for this shard is A-OK.
Coming from an environment of trash talkers and inflated egos, it's hard to distinguish the good from the bad. Lariat is one of those dudes that help build things in Baja, not take away from it. He's a guy that people would log in to see, not log off in disgust.
I understand that there's a bit of criticism afloat about the guy. I can neither confirm nor deny those rumors. I can't even say I like him; having just met him. But he deserves far better than the horrible speeches given by petty folks tonight, at his farewell banquet. This is a guy who's done more for this shard than most guilds combined.
The Cartel would like to thank him for his generous gift tonight. We had lots of fun, and our primary focus was never to take the Harrower, but to foster an environment of good will and fair and balanced gameplay. We can only hope that we achieved this goal tonight.
Kudos to all that showed up. Here's to a better Baja!