People of the Basin,

This year, we run the contest for the design of a Hallifaxian chair! The
prize for this will total a full one million [1,000,000] gold
sovereigns!

The contest will run the length of one year, from the first of Estar to
the first of Estar, beginning in CE 404. Submissions to this contest are
to be made by letter in a specific format, to be listed later in this
same post, and mailed to myself. Within two days, you will receive a
message that your design has been received and submitted.

To keep the contest fair, a points system has been instituted as
follows:

o Theme - Does your design fit the theme of this year's design? (Three
[3] points possible)

o Quality - While we can and will fix minor mistakes made in the design
whilst we work with the Charites to have the winner crafted, less work
for us means more points for you. (Seven [7] points possible.)

o Originality - If you can impress us, your score will rise. Show us
something that has never been seen before, wow us! (Ten points [10]
points possible.)

The three designs with the highest scores will be entered into a final
judgement, the winner hand-picked by nothing less than a unanimous
decision by the three judges.

A reminder that these chairs are made to sit the rulers of each
organisation at a place where no one man sits higher than another, and
the petty differences we carry through everyday life are set aside in
the interest of the greater good.

This is where you come in. While any could serve to design this
furniture, we look to the people of the Basin to bring their own
artistic eyes to the front. These chairs, and later thrones, serve to
represent each organisation as a whole, encompassing qualities both good
and bad, light and dark, known and unknown.

With this in mind, any easily recognisable disparaging designs, jokes,
or otherwise ridiculous designs will likely be instantly dismissed. This
is a representation of Lusternia past, present, and future, and your
designs should show a sense of respect and decorum for those who have
been and those that will be.

To begin this competition, we will begin with a show of good faith to
those who sit directly across us in views and is often on the other side
of every open conflict. A chair for New Celest is the design requested,
and all that is left is your creative input.

These chairs MUST be able to be submitted to a cartel. Read HELP
TRADEMASTER and HELP DESIGNS to inspect your design and make sure it is
up to snuff with the guidelines set forth by the Charites, and be sure
that these are original ideas. These will be private designs, to be used
once and then safely stowed away, so they should not exist in any other
cartel already.

The following format is to be used to submit your designs to me:

*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-
Name: (Example) Tremula n'Lochli

What Design is for: (Example) Celest Chair

Design: Note that this design will need to follow proper design protocol
including suggested commodities, appearance, dropped and examined
categories.

(Example) Commodities Marble 16 Cloth 4 Gem 5 Bird 2 Emerald 1

Appearance: a leader's chair of Hallifaxian values

Dropped: Standing tall, a high-backed chair with Hallifaxian design
awaits an occupant here.

Appearance: Crafted from marble and dusted with an overlay of crushed
gemstones, this high-backed chair is an imposing force to behold. A
soft, cloth cushion has been spread over the seat to provide comfort for
the user, and a large, spire-cut emerald surrounded by spiralling,
elegantly arranged feathers is on proud display on the rear of the
backrest.

*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-*~-

Should you not receive a message from me within two days, please make an
attempt to contact me to make sure you were not accidentally overlooked.
I will be doing my best to keep this from happening, but there is always
a slight chance.

I am the only person who will know whose design is whose. I will not be
sitting on the panel of judges, and will in no way attempt to sway the
judges in any sort of fashion towards a designer of my choosing. Our
judges enter the table free of outside influence, and any attempting to
contact them to bribe or tempt them will be immediately disqualified.

Any questions you may have may be posed to myself, Arimisia, or Munsia.

(in place of a signature there is an insignia of eight Taint-warped,
pink lightning bolts striking a barren wasteland)

Penned by my hand on the 19th of Shanthin, in the year 403 CE.