Messenger of Fire

The youngest member of the salamander family is also its most intense. She’s a messenger and a student of fire, as evidenced by the flaming torch in her right hand and the rolled parchment scroll in her left. She might be young, but she’s an old soul: gaze into her eyes, and you’ll see that she seems to be looking through us, not at us.

As an elemental creature of fire, she’s pictured in her underground realm. Historically, salamanders were believed to live in fire, because they would scurry in and out of fire pits and fire places. In this case, she’s pictured at the bottom of a long flight of stone steps. A mysterious ruby glow in the distance seems to hint at slow-burning conflagration on another level. It’s the fiery entrance to her subterranean realm.

She wears undulating copper bracelets on her upper arms, and a strapless orange blouse that contrasts with the green hue of her skin. Her midriff-baring skirt is loosely tied with a green belt, crafted from the same fabric that holds her parchment scroll. Her bronze headpiece is adorned with strings of 40 silver beads — one for each numbered card in the minor arcana. Her torch is crafted of antique bronze. It conducts heat, but she’s a creature of fire, and it’s not too hot for her to hold.