Keeper of the First Lamp
Awarded to whoever lit the wick at the very beginning. Edge worn from being touched too often. Smells faintly of beeswax.
est. in a damp workshop · vol. ix
small emblems, earned honestly
A cabinet of curiosities for digital badges — scavenged, hoarded, polished, and proudly pinned to a cork wall lit by a single flickering candle.
- 1,247badges hung
- 312keepers
- 88trades this moon
❖
section i · the wall
The Collection
Hung in no particular order, organized by a logic only the keeper fully understands. Hover for a closer look. Click to read its provenance.
-
-
Eye of the Long Hallway
-
Furnace Mark IV
-
“swapped for a button shaped like a moon”
-
Mountain & Lamp
For finishing a thing in the dark.
-
The Honest Tick
-
Compass, Slightly Wrong
-
“found in a tin under the lathe”
-
Triangle of Patient Effort
Three sides, three winters. Granted to those who returned to the same small problem until it gave up. The keeper holds the only mold.
-
The Honest Trade
A round thing for another round thing.
-
Diamond, Inelegant
-
“signed by the keeper, in pencil”
-
North-of-North
-
Crossed-Out, Then Done
For a list completed by the lamplight. The badge bears a faint scratch across the corner: the keeper insists this is part of the design.
-
Watcher in Rust
-
“found a typo, kept reading”
section ii · the ledger
Recent goings-on
-
> forged — Triangle of Patient Effort · minted by @orris
-
> traded — Eye of the Long Hallway ↔ Compass, Slightly Wrong
-
> verified — The Honest Tick · signed by the keeper
-
> hung — Watcher in Rust · pinned to row 4, hook 12
-
> found — found in a tin under the lathe · donor anonymous
-
> forged — Furnace Mark IV · tempered three times
-
> traded — The Honest Trade · round-for-round
-
> repaired — Diamond, Inelegant · corner re-soldered
section iii
The Forge
Bring an idea, a small loyalty, a private joke. The keeper will sketch it onto a 128 by 128 plate and hang it on the wall.
section iv
The Trade Board
A cork board, three pins, four hand-written notes.
-
wanted
anything circular, anything rusted. will swap one Furnace Mark IV.
— @orris
-
offered
a duplicate Compass, Slightly Wrong. seeking moss-tone replacement.
— @bramble
-
found
a button shaped like a moon. owner please claim by candle-mark.
— the keeper
-
free
three small Honest Ticks, mildly tarnished, still good.
— @ferno
section v · the colophon
A short manifesto
The site is a corner of a workshop. The corner is well-lit; the workshop is not. Inside the lamplight, badges hang on mismatched hooks, organized by a logic only the keeper fully understands.
“A badge is small on purpose. Anything bigger would be a sign, and signs are loud.”
— the keeper
We hand-draw every emblem at 128 by 128 pixels. We do not use stock art, photography, or three-dimensional renders. We use a single accent color, the color of an oil lamp at midnight. We use ink the color of ink. The page is parchment because parchment is kind to the eyes after dark.
If you would like a badge, the forge is open. If you would like to trade, the cork board has pins for you. If you would only like to read, that is the most goblin thing of all, and you are most welcome.