Vampire Academy Trivia Questions

Now that we've closed off the Trivia Contest page and are sorting out everyone's answers, we're following through on our promise to post the questions here so that those who weren't able to participate in the actual contest can still enjoy the challenge. Answers are posted under the Notes section of our Facebook page, in order to avoid spoilers. If you don't have a Facebook page, you can email guardian@arcanevault.com and I'll send you a copy.

Here you are:

1. How many times does Dimitri catch Rose with bite marks - from someone other than himself - on her neck? What were the circumstances?

2. Are there more Moroi or dhampirs on the St. Vladimir’s campus?

3. What is Headmistress Kirova's first name?

4. At what point in the series does Rose wear something that she says reminds her uncomfortably of her mother? What did she wear, and what was she doing?

5. Who did the Academy find to supervise Rose's Qualifier?

6. Where does Avery's mother live?

7. What type of college classes did Adrian take before he came to spend time at St. Vladimir's?

8. How do Dimitri and Tasha know each other?

9. We meet several of Dimitri's relatives, but only one who has put in time actively working as a guardian. Who is it?

10. Where did Sydney grow up?

We'll announce winners as soon as we get through everyone's answers and draw names - likely tomorrow afternoon. In the meantime, let us know what you thought of the contest! Which question was hardest for you? Which was easiest? Did you like the format? What suggestions would you have to make this better for next time? We're getting a lot of requests to do it again, and we're definitely up for a Round Two at some point. We had fun - we hope you did too!

VA Trivia Contest Done!

Hurrah! We've gotten great participation in our first trivia contest, and we have plenty of correct answers for our drawing. We'll need to take some time to sort them through, but will announce winners soon.

Upon request, we'll also post the questions here for those of you who might not have gotten a chance to participate, so that you can still look through them for fun. We'll post the answers in the notes section of our Facebook page. (That way, there's no chance of spoilers!) If you don't have a Facebook page but want to see the correct answers, just email guardian@arcanevault.com.

We hope you enjoyed the challenge!

-Vault Guardian

Trivia Contest Extension!

We've almost got eleven qualifying entries! Contingency plan in effect - you've now got until 10 p.m. Pacific Standard Time to take on the Vampire Academy trivia contest!

Trivia Contest Update

We have a quick update for you on the Trivia Contest - we have several qualifying entries, but aren't quite up to eleven yet. If we don't have eleven by 4 p.m., we'll go with the contingency plan outlined in our August 19th post and extend the deadline to 10 p.m. PST. You are allowed to answer more than once, so if you know you were close, try again!

We've been getting positive responses on our Facebook page, and are interested to know what you think of the challenge. What did you think of the questions? The format? The rules? We'd like to do something like this again in the future - anything we could improve?

Ready, Set, Go!

The wait is over! Here's your link to the Arcane Vault Trivia Contest...rules are in the posts below. If you have further questions, you can leave them in comments here or post them on the Facebook page. Just know that we won't be giving any hints!

Click on the link to answer the trivia questions!

Only two more hours!

We're closing in on the beginning of our first Arcane Vault Trivia Contest, and it looks like there are plenty of VA fans out there who are up for the challenge! To answer a question that came up, YES, this contest is open internationally. We want all fans participating!

Just a quick summary of some of the key points before we begin... this should also clear up a couple of other questions that we've gotten:

1. There will be 10 questions, drawn from all 5 published books.
2. A couple of the questions will be relatively easy, but we've tried to pose some tough ones! VA fans know their stuff, and we want this to be a true challenge!
3. We'll be posting a link on this blog to the questions. They'll be given in the same format as our recent survey. Each question will have its own separate answer box, but you'll be able to see all of the questions on the same page.
4. On Sunday at 4 p.m., we'll finish figuring out who's got a qualifying entry, put the names in a drawing, and pick some winners! Qualifying entries will have all ten answers correct and confidential contact information included that we can use to get a hold of you if you win. (It won't be kept or used for any other purpose. If you don't want to try for a prize, you can leave out the contact info and still answer the questions.)
5. Yes, we can post the questions on our blog after the contest closes. You can still enjoy the challenge even if there aren't prizes at stake! We'll toss in a couple of bonus questions for your entertainment, too!
6. There will be 11 prizes; one item each for 11 winners. Here's the list:

Winner #1: Gray molnija shirt
Winner #2: Black molnija keychain
Winner #3: Black molnija keychain
Winner #4: Black molnija keychain
Winner #5: Black molnija keychain
Winner #6: Black molnija keychain
Winner #7: Red molnija keychain
Winner #8: Red molnija keychain
Winner #9: Red molnija keychain
Winner #10: Red molnija keychain
Winner #11: Red molnija keychain

Ready???

First Ever Arcane Vault Trivia Contest!

That's right, it's time to dig out your Vampire Academy books. You know, the oft-read tomes that you just can't resist? Well, get out your box of tissues and your bookmarks and get to re-reading, because we've got a list of trivia questions that are going to test your knowledge of Richelle Mead's amazing series!

Here are the rules:
1. There will be ten questions. You must answer all ten correctly in order to qualify for the prize drawing. (Yes, I said "prize drawing"!)
2. The questions will be drawn from all five published Vampire Academy novels.
3. The questions and the link to submit your answers will be posted at precisely 10 a.m. Pacific Standard Time (US) on Saturday, August 21st. You will have until 4 p.m. Pacific Standard Time (US) on Sunday, August 22nd to submit your answers.*
4. When you answer the questions, there will be a place for you to tell us the best way to contact you if you are a prize winner. You can tell us an email address, phone number, or street address. Your pick - but you must leave contact information in order to qualify for a prize. This will be confidential, and will ONLY be used if you actually win a prize. We are not going to keep anyone's contact information - we just need to actually be able to give you your prize if you win one. No need to leave contact information if you don't want to try for a prize.

Here's what the format will look like:
If you haven't taken our survey yet, please do! The trivia contest will use the same format. This will keep your answers and your contact information confidential. We'll set the program so that we'll be the only ones that can see your entries.

Here's the scoop on prizes:
We're offering up eleven prizes for eleven lucky winners! To qualify for prizes, you must answer all questions correctly and leave your confidential contact information. Qualifying entries will be put into a drawing, and eleven names will be drawn. One of the following items will go to each winner. Prizes will include one gray molnija shirt, five black molnija keychains, and five of our brand new red molnija keychains!

Any questions? Post them in the comments below, or ask us on our Facebook page! Now, get reading!

Contingency plan:
*We intend to pose some tough questions, but we know that there are a bunch of true VA experts out there! We expect to get well more than 11 qualifying answers to our trivia questions in the time that we've allotted for the contest. On the off-chance that we don't, though, we will reserve the option to extend the time allotted to 10 p.m. PST.

Vampire Academy Sale and Survey!

Great news! Arcane Vault is having a sale!

That's right, we love our fans. And with the addition of over 500 fans on our Facebook page in the last few days, we're showing the love with a 15% off sale on all Vampire Academy products. Bargain prices will be good for the next 30 days, starting today. To get the discount, use the code avault15 - and if you haven't visited us on Facebook yet, please do!

We'd also love it if you'd take a minute and tell us what you think in our first survey. We've got lots of design ideas for our next VA products, and want our fans involved in deciding which direction we go next! Fan input is important to us here at Arcane Vault, and we appreciate hearing what you have to say. So sound off!

Symbolism in St. Vladimir's School Seal

OK, so we have a long blog post for you today. We recently released the design for the school seal of St. Vladimir's Academy (on our Facebook page), and we promised to explain the meaning behind the symbols used. Here are all the details! Feel free to ask questions if you have 'em.

The shield in the middle of the seal is divided “per pale”, which means that it is divided vertically into two halves. Each way of dividing a shield is representative of something. A “pale” or “per pale” design represents great defensive military strength. (Think of the railings in a guard fence “impaling” the ground.) The choice of a “per pale” division is meant to represent the choice of Moroi and Dhampir society to act defensively with the use of their magic and guarding techniques.

When an observer is looking at the shield head-on, the side that is to the left is referred to as the “dexter” side. (If you were the knight holding the shield, then it would be referred to as being on your right, or the “right” side.) We’ve made this the side of the shield that represents the Dhampirs at St. Vladimir’s Academy. Diagonal stripes, or “bends”, are another way of dividing the field of a shield. A “bend” is supposed to look like the sash of a military commander, and represents defense or protection. It’s a sign of great honor. A series of diagonal stripes is known as a “bendy” pattern, and carries the same meaning. The “charge”, or picture, on the dexter side of the St. Vladimir’s Academy shield is a key. Keys represent things that are held dear and are therefore protected.

When an observer is looking at the shield head-on, the side that is to the right is called the “sinister” side. (From the point of view of the knight holding the shield, it would be the “left” side.) This side of the St. Vladimir’s Academy shield represents the Moroi of the school. One horizontal stripe (1/5 of the shield’s height or less) is referred to as a “bar.” Multiple stripes create a pattern that is referred to as “barry.” According to Guillim, a heraldic scholar from Elizabethan times, “bars” represent “one who sets the bar of conscience, religion, and honour against angry passions and evil temptations.” The “charge”, or picture, is a column, which represents fortitude and constancy.

If you look closely, you’ll notice that each side of the shield, whether “bendy” or “barry”, has 13 stripes. This number is the same as the number of Moroi on the Council: 12 Princes and Princesses from the 12 royal families and the King or Queen.

And now to the animals! Shields are often flanked by figures that are called “supports”. Supports are designed to look like they’re holding the shield up, and they add meaning to the overall design. We chose animals that are commonly found in Russian and Eastern European symbology as well as having heraldic meaning. The dexter support, on the Dhampir side, is a bear. Bears represent strength, cunning, and ferocity in the protection of one’s kindred. The sinister support, on the Moroi side, is a stag. Stags represent one who will not fight unless provoked, or peace and harmony.

The school motto, “Truth, Life, Blood” comes from a contest that Richelle Mead ran some time ago. We remembered that a fan had inspired her when she was trying to come up with the school motto, and we found it…here it is in the context of the school crest.

The date of 1807 is in honor of the release of the first edition of Vampire Academy in 2007. There weren’t many Europeans in the inland western territories of North America at that time, which would likely have been attractive to Moroi and Dhampirs setting up a school meant to be isolated from human society.

-from the Vault Guardian

For further reading on heraldry, try:
Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles. A Complete Guide to Heraldry. (Google Books)
Guillim, John. Guillim’s Display of Heraldry.
Symbolism: http://www.fleurdelis.com/meanings.htm
Terminology Encyclopaedia: http://www.probertencyclopaedia.com/heraldry.htm
How to describe a coat of arms: http://cheshire-heraldry.org.uk/lesson.html

New items on the way

In celebration of Richelle Mead's release of the official Promise Mark and Zvezda designs, we're planning a release of our own: shirts, keychains, and bookmarks with the new designs! But that's not all that's afoot. We will also be debuting the first items in a line of St. Vladimir's Academy school gear. Watch for "Property of St. Vladimir's Academy" shirts as well as...well...you'll see! Discussions have also begun regarding different styles of shirts, including tanks, v-neck or scoop-neck shirts, hoodies, and more. And don't think we're ignoring your favorite characters, either...keep checking back for items that give a sly wink to Adrian and Dimitri. (Just because those two can always use a sly wink.) We've got lots of ideas and would love your comments and suggestions!

Promises, Promises!

It's an exciting weekend here at Arcane Vault - we have a new shirt design to post, and more in the works - including something that's been highly anticipated by Richelle Mead fans for, oh, YEARS.

Fans are familiar with the Molnija Mark, and we're proud to offer the only officially licensed Molnija merchandise out there. Within the next couple of days, fans will finally be introduced to two more marks important to the Guardians - the Promise Mark and the Zvezda (also known as "the battle mark")! Richelle will be releasing them on her blog first (http://blue-succubus.livejournal.com), and we will be previewing shirts, keychains, and bookmarks that feature the design by mid-week.

We're honored by the chance to bring these meaningful symbols to the fans. Please keep checking back as we start to show off new goodies. We'll be updating our site as soon as our approvals come in - thanks for being part of the process.

Arcane Vault: Now with International Shipping!!!

That's right, we've got great news for our extra-patient international fans. We have finally gotten all the proper paperwork processed, and are ready to ship internationally. Order away! We are also working on new designs and new products to put our designs on. What would you like to see???

Arcane Vault would like to congratulate Richelle Mead! We might be one step closer to seeing a Vampire Academy movie: Preger Entertainment has optioned the rights to the series. Nothing official is in the works yet, and it still might not happen at all, but here's hoping! What do you think about the news?

International Orders....

To our International fans; we hear you! We are currently working with Ms. Mead and the folks at Penguin Press to see about working out a deal for international sales. More information to follow....

Unlock the Vault tomorrow...

arcane / är kān / adj. understood by few; mysterious or secret

~Oxford American Dictionary, 2nd Edition

Often times, those things we hold dear to our hearts, those passions that drive us onward, are those that set us apart from others. And sometimes we discover that our enthusiasm is shared by more people than we’d imagined. Others who share our love of the obscure… the secret… the arcane.

Arcane Vault is for the enthusiast of artists and stories and images that some may have never heard of, others have forgotten, and still others have yet to discover.

Unlock the secret.

SNEAK PEEK!

Make sure to check back tomorrow May 18th 2010 for the first looks at our new Vampire Academy T-Shirts.

Welcome to the Arcane Vault

The vault doors open June 1st.