After much deliberation and over 60 amazing submissions, the Holmgard Press team have narrowed the options to SIX finalists.

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CAST YOUR VOTE HERE!

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Every submission was a worthy contender, and narrowing the choices to a dozen was nigh-on impossible! In the end, it fell to Kai Initiate, Ivy Dever, to help choose the final five, and even then, we had to make it six.

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We hope you agree the finalists contain a wonderful range of designs.

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Your task was to design THE CREST OF THE ORDER OF THE WAKING FLAME. Until now, all that is known of this symbol is of being: "a half-lidded eye enwreathed in fire".

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The Order of the Waking Flame

“You have to warn them. They are in Dalobu. Understand? Inside Dalobu. The statue shows the way. Nessa must be told, the Twins have returned. They bring with them the old plague, the worms of the Künae.”

The woman is delirious with pain and fear and is not making sense. You notice a curious brand on the woman’s forearm, a half-lidded eye inside a spire of flame."

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Formed sometime after the arrival of the Shianti, the Order of the Waking Flame was created to protect against threats from other dimensions and “serve the greater good.” They seek out paranormal occurrences in their homeland of Dessi, investigating and often banishing the cause. They draw most of their members from the area around the town of Dalobu, which is their base of operations.

In MS 4812, Dalobu was burned during a Cener plague. It never recovered and most of the Order were killed. The remainder went underground –literally, taking up residence in the hillside catacombs upon which the city was built. Here they continue to watch for other-worldly dangers to their beloved homeland. And if they detect one, they act swiftly to eradicate it.

The symbol is branded upon the forearm of members using two brands: one of the eye, the other of the fire. Each branding is its own separate ceremony, with the first marking a member as a “Kindling” and the second completing their initiation, usually after a successful quest or mission.

Only women are allowed to join the order. While they may be scouted from a very young age they cannot receive their first brand until they are 19 years of age.

These brands are made with magic-imbued Blue Steel. The brand of the eye is said to confer wisdom and the brand of the flame is said to bring physical strength.

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