README.md

@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ The design reference is [BACKEND_DESIGN.md](https://gitea.whitlocktech.com/Runic
 ## Project structure
 
 ```
-UOMSITE/
+website/
 ├─ server/                     Express API
 │  ├─ src/
 │  │  ├─ server.js             bootstrap: ensure schema → seed → listen (0.0.0.0)

client/src/components/SiteFooter.jsx

@@ -5,31 +5,40 @@ export default function SiteFooter() {
   const { contactEmail, siteTitle } = useSite()
   return (
     <footer
-      className="sans"
+      className="sans site-footer"
       style={{
         borderTop: '1px solid var(--line)',
         padding: '28px 16px',
         color: 'var(--muted)',
-        textAlign: 'center',
         fontSize: '0.9rem',
         background: 'rgba(9,13,18,0.6)',
       }}
     >
-      <div style={{ display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', alignItems: 'center', gap: 6 }}>
-        <span>{siteTitle} is an independent private shard project.</span>
-        <span style={{ color: 'var(--dim)', fontSize: '0.84rem' }}>
-          <a href={`mailto:${contactEmail}`} style={{ color: 'var(--accent)', textDecoration: 'none' }}>
-            {contactEmail}
-          </a>
-          &nbsp;·&nbsp;
-          <Link to="/site/status" style={{ color: 'var(--accent)', textDecoration: 'none' }}>
-            Shard Status
-          </Link>
-          &nbsp;·&nbsp;
-          <Link to="/admin/login" style={{ color: '#5d6b7d', textDecoration: 'none' }}>
-            Admin
-          </Link>
-        </span>
+      <div className="site-footer-inner">
+        <div className="site-footer-badge">
+          <img src="/assets/img/runic-emblem.png" alt="" aria-hidden="true" />
+          <span>
+            Powered by
+            <br />
+            <strong>Runic Gateway</strong>
+          </span>
+        </div>
+        <div className="site-footer-info">
+          <span>{siteTitle} is an independent private shard project.</span>
+          <span style={{ color: 'var(--dim)', fontSize: '0.84rem' }}>
+            <a href={`mailto:${contactEmail}`} style={{ color: 'var(--accent)', textDecoration: 'none' }}>
+              {contactEmail}
+            </a>
+            &nbsp;·&nbsp;
+            <Link to="/site/status" style={{ color: 'var(--accent)', textDecoration: 'none' }}>
+              Shard Status
+            </Link>
+            &nbsp;·&nbsp;
+            <Link to="/admin/login" style={{ color: '#5d6b7d', textDecoration: 'none' }}>
+              Admin
+            </Link>
+          </span>
+        </div>
       </div>
     </footer>
   )

client/src/contexts/SiteContext.jsx

@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ export function SiteProvider({ children }) {
     siteTitle: brand.name || settings.site_title || 'Runic Gateway',
     siteShortName: brand.shortName || brand.name || settings.site_title || 'Runic Gateway',
     contactEmail: brand.contactEmail || settings.contact_email || '',
-    heroImage: brand.hero || '/assets/img/hero-moon.png',
+    heroImage: brand.hero || '/assets/img/runic-emblem.png',
   }
 
   return <SiteContext.Provider value={value}>{children}</SiteContext.Provider>

client/src/lib/heroLayout.js

@@ -1,19 +1,27 @@
 // Shared hero-layout helpers used by the public portal and the admin editor.
 
-// Neutral built-in default; the instance hero image (BRAND_HERO) overrides it at
-// runtime, threaded in as `defaultImage` by the portal.
-export const DEFAULT_HERO_IMAGE = '/assets/img/hero-moon.png'
+// Runic Gateway default hero emblem; the instance hero image (BRAND_HERO)
+// overrides it at runtime, threaded in as `defaultImage` by the portal.
+export const DEFAULT_HERO_IMAGE = '/assets/img/runic-emblem.png'
 
-// The original hand-tuned multi-gradient hero background over a given image
-// (used for the untouched default so the live page stays consistent until edited).
+// Default hero background: the emblem centered behind the text as a medallion,
+// under a symmetric dark overlay tuned to keep centered hero copy legible.
+// Two layers (overlay gradient + image) so the per-layer background-size in
+// `heroBackground` can contain the square emblem while the overlay stays full-bleed.
 export function heroBgStack(image) {
   return (
-    "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('" +
+    'linear-gradient(180deg,rgba(11,15,20,0.62) 0%,rgba(11,15,20,0.48) 38%,rgba(11,15,20,0.52) 58%,rgba(11,15,20,0.86) 100%),' +
+    "url('" +
     (image || DEFAULT_HERO_IMAGE) +
     "')"
   )
 }
 
+// Keep the emblem fully visible and centered, capped so it never overflows a
+// narrow viewport; the overlay layer covers.
+export const HERO_DEFAULT_SIZE = 'cover, min(74vh, 640px, 86vw)'
+export const HERO_DEFAULT_POSITION = 'center, center'
+
 export const HERO_BG = heroBgStack(DEFAULT_HERO_IMAGE)
 
 // Single-stop dark overlay driven by the editor's opacity slider.
@@ -26,13 +34,20 @@ export function buildOverlay(opacity) {
 export function heroBackground(layout, { isDefault = false, defaultImage } = {}) {
   const bg = layout.background || {}
   const fallback = defaultImage || DEFAULT_HERO_IMAGE
-  const backgroundImage =
-    isDefault && !bg.image_url
-      ? heroBgStack(fallback)
-      : `${buildOverlay(layout.overlay?.opacity ?? 0.72)}, url('${bg.image_url || fallback}')`
+  // Untouched default: emblem contained + centered behind the text (per-layer
+  // size/position so the overlay stays full-bleed while the square emblem fits).
+  if (isDefault && !bg.image_url) {
+    return {
+      backgroundColor: 'var(--bg-deep)',
+      backgroundImage: heroBgStack(fallback),
+      backgroundPosition: HERO_DEFAULT_POSITION,
+      backgroundRepeat: 'no-repeat',
+      backgroundSize: HERO_DEFAULT_SIZE,
+    }
+  }
   return {
     backgroundColor: 'var(--bg-deep)',
-    backgroundImage,
+    backgroundImage: `${buildOverlay(layout.overlay?.opacity ?? 0.72)}, url('${bg.image_url || fallback}')`,
     backgroundPosition: `${bg.position_x || 'left'} ${bg.position_y || 'center'}`,
     backgroundRepeat: 'no-repeat',
     backgroundSize: bg.size || 'cover',

client/src/routes/admin/AdminLogin.jsx

@@ -151,7 +151,8 @@ export default function AdminLogin() {
         backgroundColor: 'var(--bg-deep)',
         backgroundImage: BG,
         backgroundPosition: 'center',
-        backgroundSize: 'cover',
+        backgroundRepeat: 'no-repeat',
+        backgroundSize: 'min(60vh, 520px)',
       }}
     >
       <div style={{ width: '100%', maxWidth: 400 }}>

client/src/routes/player/PlayerShell.jsx

@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@ export default function PlayerShell({ subtitle, children, footer }) {
         backgroundColor: 'var(--bg-deep)',
         backgroundImage: bg,
         backgroundPosition: 'center',
-        backgroundSize: 'cover',
+        backgroundRepeat: 'no-repeat',
+        backgroundSize: 'min(60vh, 520px)',
       }}
     >
       <div style={{ width: '100%', maxWidth: 400 }}>

client/src/routes/public/Maintenance.jsx

@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ export default function Maintenance() {
         backgroundImage: heroBg,
         backgroundPosition: 'center',
         backgroundRepeat: 'no-repeat',
-        backgroundSize: 'cover',
+        backgroundSize: 'min(60vh, 520px)',
       }}
     >
       <div style={{ maxWidth: 640, textShadow: '0 2px 22px rgba(0,0,0,0.85)' }}>

client/src/styles/theme.css

@@ -1009,6 +1009,67 @@ button[disabled] {
   border-color: #8a4b47;
 }
 
+/* Site footer: powered-by badge left-justified, info centered. */
+.site-footer-inner {
+  position: relative;
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  justify-content: center;
+  gap: 16px;
+  max-width: 1100px;
+  margin: 0 auto;
+}
+.site-footer-badge {
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  gap: 10px;
+  flex: 0 0 auto;
+}
+.site-footer-badge img {
+  height: 48px;
+  width: 48px;
+  object-fit: contain;
+  filter: drop-shadow(0 0 6px rgba(127, 153, 189, 0.35));
+}
+.site-footer-badge span {
+  font-size: 0.72rem;
+  line-height: 1.25;
+  letter-spacing: 0.06em;
+  text-transform: uppercase;
+  color: var(--dim);
+  text-align: left;
+}
+.site-footer-badge strong {
+  color: var(--muted);
+  font-weight: 700;
+  letter-spacing: 0.04em;
+}
+.site-footer-info {
+  display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
+  align-items: center;
+  gap: 6px;
+  text-align: center;
+}
+/* Pin the badge to the left while the info column stays visually centered. */
+@media (min-width: 641px) {
+  .site-footer-badge {
+    position: absolute;
+    left: 0;
+    top: 50%;
+    transform: translateY(-50%);
+  }
+}
+@media (max-width: 640px) {
+  .site-footer-inner {
+    flex-direction: column;
+  }
+  .site-footer-badge img {
+    height: 40px;
+    width: 40px;
+  }
+}
+
 /* Draft-preview banner on the public renderer. */
 .page-preview-banner {
   border: 1px solid var(--accent);

server/src/config/brand.js

@@ -31,8 +31,8 @@ const brand = {
   // Visual
   accent: process.env.BRAND_ACCENT_COLOR || '#7f99bd',
   logo: process.env.BRAND_LOGO || '', // empty → no logo image rendered
-  hero: process.env.BRAND_HERO || '/assets/img/hero-moon.png',
-  favicon: process.env.BRAND_FAVICON || '', // empty → no favicon link injected
+  hero: process.env.BRAND_HERO || '/assets/img/runic-emblem.png',
+  favicon: process.env.BRAND_FAVICON || '/assets/img/favicon.ico', // Runic Gateway default emblem
 }
 
 // Discord embeds want an int (0xRRGGBB). Parse the accent hex once; fall back to