diff --git a/client/src/components/HeroElement.jsx b/client/src/components/HeroElement.jsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0352dfc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/src/components/HeroElement.jsx
@@ -0,0 +1,139 @@
+import { Link } from 'react-router-dom'
+import MoonDot from './MoonDot.jsx'
+
+// Font family tokens a line may opt into; default is the page serif.
+const FONT = { display: 'var(--display)', sans: 'var(--sans)' }
+
+// fontSize may be a number (px, from the editor) or a CSS string (e.g. a clamp()
+// used by the pre-populated default so the hero stays responsive until edited).
+function sizeToCss(v) {
+  return typeof v === 'number' ? `${v}px` : v
+}
+
+function lineStyle(line) {
+  return {
+    display: 'block', // each line stacks (so a span line behaves like the others)
+    margin: line.marginTop != null ? `${line.marginTop}px 0 0` : '0',
+    fontFamily: FONT[line.font] || undefined,
+    fontSize: sizeToCss(line.fontSize),
+    color: line.color || 'inherit',
+    fontWeight: line.weight || undefined,
+    fontStyle: line.italic ? 'italic' : undefined,
+    letterSpacing: line.letterSpacing || undefined,
+    textTransform: line.transform || undefined,
+    lineHeight: line.lineHeight || undefined,
+    maxWidth: line.maxWidth ? `${line.maxWidth}px` : undefined,
+    marginLeft: line.maxWidth ? 'auto' : undefined,
+    marginRight: line.maxWidth ? 'auto' : undefined,
+  }
+}
+
+function TextBlock({ props }) {
+  const align = props.align || 'center'
+  return (
+    <div style={{ textAlign: align, textShadow: '0 2px 22px rgba(0,0,0,0.82)' }}>
+      {(props.lines || []).map((line, i) => {
+        const Tag = /^(h1|h2|h3|p|span)$/.test(line.tag) ? line.tag : 'p'
+        return (
+          <Tag key={i} style={lineStyle(line)}>
+            {line.text}
+          </Tag>
+        )
+      })}
+    </div>
+  )
+}
+
+function Buttons({ props }) {
+  const justify = props.align === 'left' ? 'flex-start' : props.align === 'right' ? 'flex-end' : 'center'
+  return (
+    <div style={{ display: 'flex', flexWrap: 'wrap', gap: props.gap ?? 12, justifyContent: justify }}>
+      {(props.items || []).map((b, i) => (
+        <Link key={i} to={b.to || '#'} className={`btn ${b.variant === 'ghost' ? 'btn-ghost' : 'btn-primary'}`}>
+          {b.label}
+        </Link>
+      ))}
+    </div>
+  )
+}
+
+function Badge({ props }) {
+  return (
+    <span
+      className="sans"
+      style={{
+        display: 'inline-block',
+        padding: '6px 14px',
+        background: props.bgColor || 'rgba(11,22,48,0.6)',
+        color: props.textColor || '#c2d2e6',
+        borderRadius: props.borderRadius ?? 999,
+        fontSize: '0.74rem',
+        fontWeight: 700,
+        letterSpacing: '0.18em',
+        textTransform: 'uppercase',
+      }}
+    >
+      {props.text}
+    </span>
+  )
+}
+
+function HeroImage({ props }) {
+  return (
+    <img
+      src={props.src}
+      alt={props.alt || ''}
+      style={{ width: `${props.width || 40}%`, height: 'auto', display: 'block', borderRadius: 8 }}
+    />
+  )
+}
+
+function content(element) {
+  switch (element.type) {
+    case 'text_block':
+      return <TextBlock props={element.props || {}} />
+    case 'buttons':
+      return <Buttons props={element.props || {}} />
+    case 'moon':
+      return <MoonDot size={element.props?.size || 48} glow={element.props?.glow ?? 0.45} color={element.props?.color} />
+    case 'badge':
+      return <Badge props={element.props || {}} />
+    case 'image':
+      return <HeroImage props={element.props || {}} />
+    default:
+      return null
+  }
+}
+
+// Absolute-positioned wrapper + type-specific content. `wrapperStyle` lets the
+// editor layer on selection affordances without changing positioning logic.
+export default function HeroElement({ element, wrapperStyle, children }) {
+  const anchor = element.anchor || 'center'
+  const transform =
+    anchor === 'center'
+      ? 'translate(-50%, -50%)'
+      : anchor === 'top-right'
+        ? 'translateX(-100%)'
+        : undefined
+  // text_block/buttons may set a box width (px); kept within the viewport on mobile.
+  const boxWidth =
+    (element.type === 'text_block' || element.type === 'buttons') && element.props?.width
+      ? `min(${element.props.width}px, calc(100vw - 36px))`
+      : undefined
+  return (
+    <div
+      style={{
+        position: 'absolute',
+        left: `${element.x}%`,
+        top: `${element.y}%`,
+        zIndex: element.z || 0,
+        transform,
+        width: boxWidth,
+        ...wrapperStyle,
+      }}
+    >
+      {content(element)}
+      {children}
+    </div>
+  )
+}
diff --git a/client/src/components/MoonDot.jsx b/client/src/components/MoonDot.jsx
index f501643..28bff70 100644
--- a/client/src/components/MoonDot.jsx
+++ b/client/src/components/MoonDot.jsx
@@ -1,9 +1,8 @@
-// The little glowing moon used in the logo, login, and maintenance screens.
-export default function MoonDot({ size = 13, glow = 0.45 }) {
-  return (
-    <span
-      className="moon"
-      style={{ width: size, height: size, boxShadow: `0 0 ${size * 0.8}px rgba(216,226,239,${glow})` }}
-    />
-  )
+// The little glowing moon used in the logo, login, maintenance screens, and the
+// hero canvas. `color` overrides the radial-gradient start point (else the CSS
+// .moon default is used).
+export default function MoonDot({ size = 13, glow = 0.45, color }) {
+  const style = { width: size, height: size, boxShadow: `0 0 ${size * 0.8}px rgba(216,226,239,${glow})` }
+  if (color) style.background = `radial-gradient(circle at 35% 30%, ${color}, #9fb0c6 55%, #5d6e88)`
+  return <span className="moon" style={style} />
 }
diff --git a/client/src/routes/public/Portal.jsx b/client/src/routes/public/Portal.jsx
index 0c8713f..5f9600f 100644
--- a/client/src/routes/public/Portal.jsx
+++ b/client/src/routes/public/Portal.jsx
@@ -1,9 +1,66 @@
+import { useMemo } from 'react'
 import { Link } from 'react-router-dom'
 import PublicLayout from '../../components/PublicLayout.jsx'
+import HeroElement from '../../components/HeroElement.jsx'
 import { useSite } from '../../contexts/SiteContext.jsx'
 
+const DEFAULT_HERO_IMAGE = '/assets/img/uomysticmoon-main-hero.png'
 const HERO_BG =
-  "linear-gradient(90deg,rgba(11,15,20,0.34) 0%,rgba(11,15,20,0.5) 36%,rgba(11,15,20,0.78) 62%,rgba(11,15,20,0.66) 100%),linear-gradient(180deg,rgba(11,15,20,0.08) 0%,rgba(11,15,20,0.72) 100%),url('/assets/img/uomysticmoon-main-hero.png')"
+  "linear-gradient(90deg,rgba(11,15,20,0.34) 0%,rgba(11,15,20,0.5) 36%,rgba(11,15,20,0.78) 62%,rgba(11,15,20,0.66) 100%),linear-gradient(180deg,rgba(11,15,20,0.08) 0%,rgba(11,15,20,0.72) 100%),url('" +
+  DEFAULT_HERO_IMAGE +
+  "')"
+
+// Single-stop dark overlay driven by the editor's opacity slider.
+function buildOverlay(opacity) {
+  return `linear-gradient(180deg,rgba(11,15,20,${opacity * 0.15}) 0%,rgba(11,15,20,${opacity}) 100%)`
+}
+
+// The current hardcoded hero, expressed as a HeroLayout so the page is unchanged
+// until staff publish their own. Font sizes use the existing clamp() strings so
+// the default stays responsive (editor-created text uses px).
+function defaultLayout(teaser) {
+  return {
+    version: 1,
+    background: { image_url: null, position_x: 'left', position_y: 'center', size: 'cover' },
+    overlay: { opacity: 0.72 },
+    elements: [
+      {
+        id: 'default-text',
+        type: 'text_block',
+        x: 50,
+        y: 42,
+        z: 1,
+        anchor: 'center',
+        props: {
+          align: 'center',
+          width: 760,
+          lines: [
+            { text: 'Private shard project', tag: 'span', fontSize: '0.74rem', color: '#c2d2e6', weight: 700, letterSpacing: '0.22em', transform: 'uppercase', font: 'sans' },
+            { text: 'UOMysticmoon', tag: 'h1', fontSize: 'clamp(3rem,8.5vw,5.75rem)', color: 'var(--head)', weight: 600, letterSpacing: '0.02em', lineHeight: 1, font: 'display', marginTop: 14 },
+            { text: 'A private Ultima Online world in progress', tag: 'p', fontSize: '1.32rem', color: '#dbe2ea', italic: true, marginTop: 22 },
+            { text: teaser, tag: 'p', fontSize: '1.06rem', color: '#c4cdd8', maxWidth: 600, marginTop: 22 },
+          ],
+        },
+      },
+      {
+        id: 'default-buttons',
+        type: 'buttons',
+        x: 50,
+        y: 72,
+        z: 2,
+        anchor: 'center',
+        props: {
+          align: 'center',
+          gap: 12,
+          items: [
+            { label: 'Enter the Website', to: '/site', variant: 'primary' },
+            { label: 'Open the Wiki', to: '/wiki', variant: 'ghost' },
+          ],
+        },
+      },
+    ],
+  }
+}
 
 const QUICK = [
   { label: 'News', to: '/site/news' },
@@ -34,47 +91,47 @@ export default function Portal() {
     settings.homepage_teaser ||
     'Mysticmoon is still being shaped beneath a midnight sky — a quiet preview for the news, screenshots, guides, and community notes to come as the world wakes.'
 
+  // Parse the published layout; fall back to the pre-populated default if missing,
+  // malformed, the wrong version, or empty — so the hero is never blank.
+  const parsed = useMemo(() => {
+    try {
+      const l = settings.hero_layout ? JSON.parse(settings.hero_layout) : null
+      return l && l.version === 1 && Array.isArray(l.elements) && l.elements.length ? l : null
+    } catch {
+      return null
+    }
+  }, [settings.hero_layout])
+
+  const layout = parsed || defaultLayout(teaser)
+  const isDefault = !parsed
+  const bg = layout.background || {}
+  // Keep the exact multi-gradient look for the untouched default; otherwise build
+  // from the editor's overlay opacity over the chosen (or default) image.
+  const backgroundImage =
+    isDefault && !bg.image_url
+      ? HERO_BG
+      : `${buildOverlay(layout.overlay?.opacity ?? 0.72)}, url('${bg.image_url || DEFAULT_HERO_IMAGE}')`
+  const elements = [...layout.elements].sort((a, b) => (a.z || 0) - (b.z || 0))
+
   return (
     <PublicLayout header={false}>
       <main style={{ minHeight: '100vh', display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column' }}>
         <section
           style={{
             position: 'relative',
-            display: 'grid',
-            alignContent: 'center',
             minHeight: 'clamp(600px,72vh,860px)',
-            padding: '96px max(18px,calc((100% - 1080px)/2)) 96px',
             overflow: 'hidden',
-            textAlign: 'center',
             backgroundColor: 'var(--bg-deep)',
-            backgroundImage: HERO_BG,
-            backgroundPosition: 'left center',
+            backgroundImage,
+            backgroundPosition: `${bg.position_x || 'left'} ${bg.position_y || 'center'}`,
             backgroundRepeat: 'no-repeat',
-            backgroundSize: 'cover',
+            backgroundSize: bg.size || 'cover',
           }}
         >
-          <div style={{ maxWidth: 760, margin: '0 auto', textShadow: '0 2px 22px rgba(0,0,0,0.82)' }}>
-            <p className="eyebrow" style={{ color: '#c2d2e6', letterSpacing: '0.22em' }}>
-              Private shard project
-            </p>
-            <h1
-              className="display"
-              style={{ margin: 0, fontSize: 'clamp(3rem,8.5vw,5.75rem)', lineHeight: 1, letterSpacing: '0.02em' }}
-            >
-              UOMysticmoon
-            </h1>
-            <p style={{ margin: '22px auto 0', color: '#dbe2ea', fontSize: '1.32rem', fontStyle: 'italic' }}>
-              A private Ultima Online world in progress
-            </p>
-            <p style={{ maxWidth: 600, margin: '22px auto 0', color: '#c4cdd8', fontSize: '1.06rem' }}>{teaser}</p>
-            <div style={{ display: 'flex', flexWrap: 'wrap', gap: 12, justifyContent: 'center', marginTop: 34 }}>
-              <Link to="/site" className="btn btn-primary">
-                Enter the Website
-              </Link>
-              <Link to="/wiki" className="btn btn-ghost">
-                Open the Wiki
-              </Link>
-            </div>
+          <div style={{ position: 'absolute', inset: 0, padding: '0 max(18px,calc((100% - 1080px)/2))' }}>
+            {elements.map((el) => (
+              <HeroElement key={el.id} element={el} />
+            ))}
           </div>
         </section>
 
diff --git a/server/src/model/settings/settings.model.js b/server/src/model/settings/settings.model.js
index 90dbde1..08a1fa9 100644
--- a/server/src/model/settings/settings.model.js
+++ b/server/src/model/settings/settings.model.js
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ const PUBLIC_KEYS = [
   'homepage_teaser',
   'contact_email',
   'site_title',
+  'hero_layout', // portal hero composition (JSON). Draft key stays admin-only.
 ]
 
 async function get(key) {