The time had finally come. It had been a long, harrowing period of time for the Herald and her staff, but their task was finally done. In one fell swoop they could present their completed works before the Dark Council and the Brotherhood and stand tall as the architects of something truly great. For many of them, this was their first time working on such large-scale projects of this nature. For many of them, this was their first time standing before the Grand Master. However, instead of the assembled Dark Council, given recent events, it was the lone man, the undisputed master of their Brotherhood, seated alone at the Dark Council's table. Silent, impassive, the sheer power that he radiated in that moment was one of the most oppressive feelings an unprepared being could ever hope for.

Two strode into the room with practised surety. First, Socorra, the Herald herself, with a duraplast box a couple of feet square tucked securely under one arm, dressed resplendently in the gold-tinged panoply of the Shadow Clan, crimson hues as blood leaving their light remarks. Behind her and with equal ease came her Praetor, Mirus, who in both hands carried a larger sealed box, heavy and clanking with the combined force of a wide variety of items. Travelling behind them, far more sheepishly as they approached one of the greatest assemblies of Force-users the Galaxy had seen for a considerable length of time, were V'yr Vorsa and Rhiann Baenre, both wearing different sets of armour - V'yr in the leathers of her hand-crafted robes, and Rhiann in a fierce-looking teal number. The only one not present was A'lora, who eschewed the Dark Side as best as possible. V'yr was simply here to gather information.

There was little left to say. They had been given a task and it would, surely, be done. Socorra turned to her Praetor and motioned to the crate.

A silent nod and the Praetor placed the casket atop the wide table, tearing back its lid to reveal its myriad contents. A lightsaber placed in the hands of those best suited to wield them. It was no surprise that in the hands of the Grand Master himself, Mirus placed his golden-plated saber, a weapon totally of his own creation, for an expert analysis by the greatest creator of lightsabers in Brotherhood history. Robes received the same treatment, stretched and tested for durability, armoured plates checked for imperfections.

He took his place at the end of the table, standing at a rather military parade rest, locking eyes with his Master. In moments his handcrafted lightsaber was disassembled with the Force, studied in seconds, then re-assembled as rapidly as it had been taken apart. The Lion's nod was almost imperceptible - but it was a mark of pride. Rhiann, meanwhile, was eyeing off James' datapad sitting in front of him, obviously wanting a model of that calibre. V'yr decided, as all good Neti did, to stand off to the side and remain perfectly still, almost tree-like in her observation of the only time she could enter a room with a terrifying Dark Side practitioner and not instantly be cut down.

Obviously pleased with the work of the Herald staff, Muz's own haunt, the Grand Master placed the hilt of his protege's lightsaber down before him. "Well done." A man of few words, the enigmatic Lion of Tarthos could only offer them the flat stare that he was so famous for - but it was a stare with approval dancing in ebon irises, for those who knew what to look for.

This year's bounty was given freely to the Brotherhood, and would be welcomed, eventually, when the artisan serfs began producing this en masse for the brethren. Socorra exhaled slowly, for her head was not joining that of her quarry's - the head quietly left in the box, a trophy kept of victory, of proof of the subjugation of the masses that had declined the Herald's offers.

However, as that gaze darkened imperceptibly, a glance that only few recognised, Socorra motioned to her team. The Praetor and Magistrates left the room and went back to their duties - they were not privy to the discussions of a Council whose actions manipulated the very fate of the Galaxy. Things moved on - after all, there was a war to win.

HSH: Day 8, Finale

The Herald staff is pleased to bring you Day 8, the final day of Herald Style Hanukkah!

The first lightsaber is designed by Rhiann and built by Mirus and deserves no less attention than the second, especially for someone I hired in March to do warbanners and learn some more Photoshop. Now Mirus is a wiz in Corel and able to create lightsabers like nobody's business, producing a good number of them for this year's HSH. Pretty cool, huh?

Keeping secrets is pretty hard around here especially when we're so open to ideas and advice. In truth, the Episode VII trailer lightsaber was planned the second we saw it. Muz was first to call dibs and so today I am excited to show off his 'unstable' work, which is going to be very rare. I'm very grateful for all of his contributions for HSH, especially during the hectic holiday season.

I'd like to specially thank V'yr for his constant critiques, advice, and hidden touchups of a lot of the content this year. He really does excel in making graphics pop just right. For someone I hired to help out part time and mostly on sabers, A'lora too stepped up in a big way, surprising me with robes I don't recall seeing him doing before! Thanks so much to Rhi for the awesome banners, and of course to Mirus for the event-long fiction. I couldn't be more proud of my staff coming together and working as a team this holiday season.

Please help show some love to everyone in the comments below, and don't forget to go to your selectors and try out the new goodies! Happy New Year from the Herald staff, may it be a good one!

Arcane lightsaber for EQ1

Sleeper lightsaber for EQ4

They are not fully uploaded, but when ready you can obtain them by going to your lightsaber/robes construction tools. Enjoy!

‐ HRLD Socorra