Double crescent

The symbol of the Ascendancy is called the Double Crescent.

Varieties

It comes in differing colors and metals. The Ascendancy is the only one allowed to express the original black and orange color.
Anyone serving in the Executive Office of the Ascendancy is allowed to use the double crescent symbol but only in a monotone silver.

Background

The Double Crescent, like all the symbols of the CCD, is the graphical form of a mathematical equation. As the mathematical basis of these forms evolves and image variations are developed, there is a sense that even though it is at times difficult to predict an outcome, the resulting images have a strange familiarity to them, reminiscent of decorative patterns from the ancient world.
On the other hand the sharp edges, the lack of color, and the natural mathematical presentation give them a distinctly futuristic look. It may be very difficult to judge totally new forms since the aesthetic we use is based on all of our previous visual experience and training. The potential for the unexpected is clearly there, even from the simplest of beginnings.

The Arcus Band

A black crown-like headband that is designed based off the Double Crescent and worn only by Ascendancy. It was crafted from precious metals taken from other pieces of the old Russian Imperial Treasury.

Description

It is worn around the head like an open-faced laurel which is symbolic of rule in the absence of violent conquest. The shape itself was reminiscent of the Double Crescent: dual sickles wrapped about one another that come to sickeningly sharp points near the temple. A thin strip of silver lines the edge of the Arcus. In the back, a knot of metallic orange, burnt as the scorched sun, seems to hold the two arcs together.

Make

The color is made of a deep black gold. The Band was originally cast from Russian gold that metallurgists transformed into black metal using plasmonic technology. An incredibly intense beam of laser light that unleashes as much power as the entire electric grid of North America onto a spot the size of a needle point creates a blast that forces the surface of the metal to form nanostructures. These subparticle shapes render the transformed metal capable of absorbing virtually all wavelengths of light – making it geochemically and literally pitch black.

Symbolism

The sharp edges, the lack of color, and the natural mathematical symmetry to the Double Crescent lends the Arcus Band a distinctly futuristic aesthetic. It is a symbol of the Ascendancy as sure as his flag.
Historically, bands, corollas, chaplets, wreathes and crowns are ancient symbols of leadership, academia, or divine right. The Arcus Band is none of these, but yet worn by the Ascendancy, symbolizes his place as authoritative ruler of the CCD. That it was commissioned at his own command symbolizes once more his self-proclaimed divinity over others.

Affinity

In his previous life, Nikolai owned and wore what was called the Helm of Hades. Nikolai’s affinities for a headdress are likely connected to this previously coveted object.

Destruction

The Arcus Band was essentially destroyed, the metal warped and melted, by the beams of electromagnetic radiation expressed by Atharim weapons in a firefight against Ascendancy.
: Government