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Description
Lineart: Illustrator CS4
Color and glowy effects: Photoshop CS4
Fonts:Trajan Pro
Symbols: Illustrator (me); Laurel Wreath from AllSilhouettes.com

As usual, please don't forget to comment!

This is the modern, updated version of the Key to the Foundation v1.0 ( [link] ).

The Clavis Solo, or Key to the Foundation, is an ancient configuration dating back to the First Bellan Republic over 2000 years ago. It most notably reflects the Bellan way of life, and their strict adherence to order and discipline. This is reflected by its strong integration of the number FOUR (4) into this configuration.

Most obviously, the Key takes the form of a square, which has four sides and corners. Furthermore, it contains four fundamental "Magisteria", or teachings, which are seen as fundamental to Bellan magic:

1) The Four Cardinal Elements:
The four magical domains used by the Bellan Republic. All forms of matter and magic are classified under one of these elements.

* TERRA (Earth) - Depicted as a Mountain. The foundational bedrock upon which the world is established. Essential for any form of advance, for everything that is built comes from the Earth, whether iron, or wood, or stone.

* IGNIS (Fire) - Depicted as a Flame. The ephemeral nature of passion that ignites and inspires movement. Essential for turning ore into iron, iron into steel, and steel into the basis for a forward-moving industry.

* AER (Air) - Depicted as a Whirlwind. The lofty heights and driving force of the imagination and mobility. The winds rule the conditions of the battlefield, whether bringing a bright sunny day, or a torrential muddy rain.

* AQUA (Water) - Depicted as a Drop. The foundation of life. Even the mighty steel mills of Bellan industry require water, and the power of steam is essential to driving many of its world. Even the greatest of armies is weak without water to drink.

2) The Four Virtues
While there are a great many Virtues upheld by the Bellan Republic, four stand out above the rest in an overriding fashion.

* VIRTUS (Courage) - Especially expected of leaders in society, war, and government. The First, and indeed, today's Second Bellan Republic, are both founded on the blood of soldiers with the courage to die, and leaders with the courage to take the first step. Placed between IGNIS and AER, VIRTUS promotes swift and powerful movements that will change the world. It is the domain of BELLONNA.

* HUMANITAS (Humanity) - Refinement, civility, learning, and being cultured. This is what separates the Bellans from the barbarians to the farthest north, and indeed, from animals that have no such compunctions. Situated between AER and AQUA, HUMANITAS is much like the currents of the oceans and skies, ever flowing in their pursuits. It is the domain of MINERVUS.

* CLEMENTIA (Mercy) - To be able to forgive an enemy, to be able to give them clemency to surrender when given the opportunity. CLEMENTIA is honourable and kind, mild and gentle. Placed between AQUA and TERRA, CLEMENTIA is the gentle flow of a mountain stream, refreshing and cool, able to wash away a harsh conflict. It is the domain of SATURN.

* INDUSTRIA (Industriousness) - The glue that binds all these together. Without hard work, self control, and discipline, Courage becomes Savagery, Humanity becomes Self-Righteousness, and Mercy becomes Weak-Willedness. It is also the foundation of the mighty Bellan industry. Situated between TERRA and IGNIS, INDUSTRIA represents a fine steel tempered by fire, providing a glorious backbone.

3) The Four Patrons
While the Bellans worship over a dozen deities, the Four Patrons are seen as the most important in Bellan Religion.

* BELLONNA - Goddess of War and Strategy. Symbolised with a circle beneath a crescent beneath an arrow, which represents her shield, torch, and spear, respectively. Warrior-Queen of the Bellan Pantheon, Bellonna does not just aim for mere war. She espouses war that is intelligent and cunning, war that can be best appreciated by those who think. She is the ideal pursued by the Bellan Army.

*MINERVUS - God of Wisdom and the Mind. Symbolised by a dot beneath a crescent within a circle, which represents his all-seeing eye. Minervus appreciates and commands all things wise and intellectual. Culture, refinement, science, and the humanities are all his domain. He is the ideal pursued by the Bellan philosophers, scientists, and magi.

*SATURN - God of Agriculture, Food, and Festivity. Symbolised by a cross beneath an arrow, both aside a crescent, which represents his Halberd. An ancient god, who clearly reflects the beginnings of Bellan Society as warrior-farmers, his key position as the leader of the Bellan Pantheon has since been replaced by Bellonna, as warfare developed through the ages. Nevertheless, he remains vital to the pantheon for his role in ensuring the bounty and provisions of the Republic. He is the ideal pursued by Bellan farmers.

*VULCANA - Goddess of the Forge. Symbolised by a cross beneath a crescent, aside a circle, which represents her hammer. Vulcana deals in all things that involve production. The steel works of the Republic are all inscribed with prayers to her. Because coin comes from the earth, and is minted by a forge, the economy also falls under her rule. She is the ideal pursued by the industrialists, merchants, and industrial workers all the same.

4) The Four Signs
Constellations in the stars. These four pieces of the Bellan Zodiac are representative of certain myths related to the Four Patrons.

*PANTHERA (The Panther) - Bellonna's patron animal, a mighty predator and fitting representative of her swiftness, power, and cunning. In all of Bellan myth, the appearance of a panther signifies Bellonna's involvement in the tale, and usually indicates that she has some activity behind the scenes. It can be expected that by the end of the story, Bellonna would have revealed her hand and explain how she had intervened and how it had affected the outcome.

*LOCUSTA (The Lobster) - The tale of the Lobster is well-known to the Bellans, and is taught early in their education. It tells of Locusta, a princess from before the time of the First Republic, who snuck into Minervus' orchard to pick fruit from a sacred tree. This fruit was said to hold Minervus' wisdom and would impart it upon whoever were to eat it. Tempted by such a prospect, the princess tricked and beguiled her way into the orchard and ate of the fruit. Despite learning of Minervus' great wisdom, she was horrified to discover that he had turned her into a lobster as punishment for stealing the fruit (instead of, you know, asking politely?). She was the placed in the stars as a reminder to all who would dare to try tricking Minervus.

*VACCA (The Cow) - Saturn's patron animal, a symbol of fertility and productivity on the farm. It is said that Saturn's Cow led the original ancestors of the Bellans to a fertile plain where they could settle down and build the farming community that would eventually grow into the mighty Bellan capital. Why Saturn prefers a cow to an ox is a matter of interpretation, but it is believed that the Cow was a guise used by his wife, Uberitas.

*PRINCIPE (The Prince) - It is said that the Prince was the first to engage in the worship of Vulcana, and thus to receive her many blessings. Under his rule, Bellan industry truly thrived for the first time, and thus allowed them to begin expanding their influence to other cities. Modern scholars and archaeologists frequently ascribe this identity to Licinus, a prince dating back some 2500 years.

At the centre or Nexus of the Key, binding all these together, one can see the Republic Seal, which in itself also has four elements: Hammers, an anvil, a laurel wreath, and the initialism SPQCB (Senatus Populus Que Casus Belli).

It should be noted then that the contents of the Key invoke Four sets of Four, surrounding a central pillar, which itself composes of four elements. As such, one can clearly see how much the Bellans value this elegant sort of symmetry, which has existed since the most ancient of times.

Description
Lineart: Illustrator CS4
Color and glowy effects: Photoshop CS4
Fonts:Trajan Pro
Symbols: Illustrator (me); Laurel Wreath from AllSilhouettes.com

As usual, please don't forget to comment!

This is the modern, updated version of the Key to the Foundation v1.0 ( [link] ).

The Clavis Solo, or Key to the Foundation, is an ancient configuration dating back to the First Bellan Republic over 2000 years ago. It most notably reflects the Bellan way of life, and their strict adherence to order and discipline. This is reflected by its strong integration of the number FOUR (4) into this configuration.

Most obviously, the Key takes the form of a square, which has four sides and corners. Furthermore, it contains four fundamental "Magisteria", or teachings, which are seen as fundamental to Bellan magic:

1) The Four Cardinal Elements:
The four magical domains used by the Bellan Republic. All forms of matter and magic are classified under one of these elements.

* TERRA (Earth) - Depicted as a Mountain. The foundational bedrock upon which the world is established. Essential for any form of advance, for everything that is built comes from the Earth, whether iron, or wood, or stone.

* IGNIS (Fire) - Depicted as a Flame. The ephemeral nature of passion that ignites and inspires movement. Essential for turning ore into iron, iron into steel, and steel into the basis for a forward-moving industry.

* AER (Air) - Depicted as a Whirlwind. The lofty heights and driving force of the imagination and mobility. The winds rule the conditions of the battlefield, whether bringing a bright sunny day, or a torrential muddy rain.

* AQUA (Water) - Depicted as a Drop. The foundation of life. Even the mighty steel mills of Bellan industry require water, and the power of steam is essential to driving many of its world. Even the greatest of armies is weak without water to drink.

2) The Four Virtues
While there are a great many Virtues upheld by the Bellan Republic, four stand out above the rest in an overriding fashion.

* VIRTUS (Courage) - Especially expected of leaders in society, war, and government. The First, and indeed, today's Second Bellan Republic, are both founded on the blood of soldiers with the courage to die, and leaders with the courage to take the first step. Placed between IGNIS and AER, VIRTUS promotes swift and powerful movements that will change the world. It is the domain of BELLONNA.

* HUMANITAS (Humanity) - Refinement, civility, learning, and being cultured. This is what separates the Bellans from the barbarians to the farthest north, and indeed, from animals that have no such compunctions. Situated between AER and AQUA, HUMANITAS is much like the currents of the oceans and skies, ever flowing in their pursuits. It is the domain of MINERVUS.

* CLEMENTIA (Mercy) - To be able to forgive an enemy, to be able to give them clemency to surrender when given the opportunity. CLEMENTIA is honourable and kind, mild and gentle. Placed between AQUA and TERRA, CLEMENTIA is the gentle flow of a mountain stream, refreshing and cool, able to wash away a harsh conflict. It is the domain of SATURN.

* INDUSTRIA (Industriousness) - The glue that binds all these together. Without hard work, self control, and discipline, Courage becomes Savagery, Humanity becomes Self-Righteousness, and Mercy becomes Weak-Willedness. It is also the foundation of the mighty Bellan industry. Situated between TERRA and IGNIS, INDUSTRIA represents a fine steel tempered by fire, providing a glorious backbone.

3) The Four Patrons
While the Bellans worship over a dozen deities, the Four Patrons are seen as the most important in Bellan Religion.

* BELLONNA - Goddess of War and Strategy. Symbolised with a circle beneath a crescent beneath an arrow, which represents her shield, torch, and spear, respectively. Warrior-Queen of the Bellan Pantheon, Bellonna does not just aim for mere war. She espouses war that is intelligent and cunning, war that can be best appreciated by those who think. She is the ideal pursued by the Bellan Army.

*MINERVUS - God of Wisdom and the Mind. Symbolised by a dot beneath a crescent within a circle, which represents his all-seeing eye. Minervus appreciates and commands all things wise and intellectual. Culture, refinement, science, and the humanities are all his domain. He is the ideal pursued by the Bellan philosophers, scientists, and magi.

*SATURN - God of Agriculture, Food, and Festivity. Symbolised by a cross beneath an arrow, both aside a crescent, which represents his Halberd. An ancient god, who clearly reflects the beginnings of Bellan Society as warrior-farmers, his key position as the leader of the Bellan Pantheon has since been replaced by Bellonna, as warfare developed through the ages. Nevertheless, he remains vital to the pantheon for his role in ensuring the bounty and provisions of the Republic. He is the ideal pursued by Bellan farmers.

*VULCANA - Goddess of the Forge. Symbolised by a cross beneath a crescent, aside a circle, which represents her hammer. Vulcana deals in all things that involve production. The steel works of the Republic are all inscribed with prayers to her. Because coin comes from the earth, and is minted by a forge, the economy also falls under her rule. She is the ideal pursued by the industrialists, merchants, and industrial workers all the same.

4) The Four Signs
Constellations in the stars. These four pieces of the Bellan Zodiac are representative of certain myths related to the Four Patrons.

*PANTHERA (The Panther) - Bellonna's patron animal, a mighty predator and fitting representative of her swiftness, power, and cunning. In all of Bellan myth, the appearance of a panther signifies Bellonna's involvement in the tale, and usually indicates that she has some activity behind the scenes. It can be expected that by the end of the story, Bellonna would have revealed her hand and explain how she had intervened and how it had affected the outcome.

*LOCUSTA (The Lobster) - The tale of the Lobster is well-known to the Bellans, and is taught early in their education. It tells of Locusta, a princess from before the time of the First Republic, who snuck into Minervus' orchard to pick fruit from a sacred tree. This fruit was said to hold Minervus' wisdom and would impart it upon whoever were to eat it. Tempted by such a prospect, the princess tricked and beguiled her way into the orchard and ate of the fruit. Despite learning of Minervus' great wisdom, she was horrified to discover that he had turned her into a lobster as punishment for stealing the fruit (instead of, you know, asking politely?). She was the placed in the stars as a reminder to all who would dare to try tricking Minervus.

*VACCA (The Cow) - Saturn's patron animal, a symbol of fertility and productivity on the farm. It is said that Saturn's Cow led the original ancestors of the Bellans to a fertile plain where they could settle down and build the farming community that would eventually grow into the mighty Bellan capital. Why Saturn prefers a cow to an ox is a matter of interpretation, but it is believed that the Cow was a guise used by his wife, Uberitas.

*PRINCIPE (The Prince) - It is said that the Prince was the first to engage in the worship of Vulcana, and thus to receive her many blessings. Under his rule, Bellan industry truly thrived for the first time, and thus allowed them to begin expanding their influence to other cities. Modern scholars and archaeologists frequently ascribe this identity to Licinus, a prince dating back some 2500 years.

At the centre or Nexus of the Key, binding all these together, one can see the Republic Seal, which in itself also has four elements: Hammers, an anvil, a laurel wreath, and the initialism SPQCB (Senatus Populus Que Casus Belli).

It should be noted then that the contents of the Key invoke Four sets of Four, surrounding a central pillar, which itself composes of four elements. As such, one can clearly see how much the Bellans value this elegant sort of symmetry, which has existed since the most ancient of times.