feat: integrate CDN art assets across all game panels

Add cdnImage utility and wire zone/boss/quest/adventurer/companion/
equipment/upgrade/prestige/transcendence/achievement/exploration/
crafting/story panels to load art from cdn.nhcarrigan.com/elysium/.
Zone selector tabs display 16:9 zone art thumbnails. Background
image added as fixed overlay at 15% opacity. Document art generation
process in CLAUDE.md for future expansions.

Resolves #15

CLAUDE.md

@@ -7,6 +7,41 @@
 2. `pnpm build` — all packages build cleanly
 3. `pnpm test` — all tests pass with 100% coverage on `apps/api` and `packages/types`
 
+## Art Assets
+
+Game art is generated via the Gemini API (`gemini-3-pro-image-preview`, ~$0.134/image at 1K resolution) and hosted on the CDN at `https://cdn.nhcarrigan.com/elysium/`.
+
+### Process
+1. Generate images with `curl` to `https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com/v1beta/models/gemini-3-pro-image-preview:generateContent?key=<API_KEY>`, requesting soft-shaded anime style
+2. Save responses to `/home/naomi/code/naomi/elysium/img/<category>/<id>.jpg`
+3. Upload to R2 with: `AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=dd0a3d73969143ada84d50f8940cc5e2 AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=f73e9907da1b2297e93e17f786d6446d33d4ac60e185879578a0d5020899b18e aws s3 sync img/ s3://nhcarrigan-cdn/elysium/ --endpoint-url https://751c386661d378cc032093493cfb0869.r2.cloudflarestorage.com`
+4. Delete the local `img/` directory before committing (images live on CDN only)
+
+### CDN URL Helper
+`apps/web/src/utils/cdn.ts` exports `cdnImage(folder, id)` → `https://cdn.nhcarrigan.com/elysium/<folder>/<id>.jpg`
+
+### Directory → Category Mapping
+| Game entity | CDN folder |
+|---|---|
+| Zones | `zones` |
+| Bosses | `bosses` |
+| Quests | `quests` |
+| Adventurers | `adventurers` |
+| Companions | `companions` |
+| Equipment | `equipment` |
+| Upgrades | `upgrades` |
+| Prestige upgrades | `prestige-upgrades` |
+| Transcendence upgrades | `transcendence-upgrades` |
+| Achievements | `achievements` |
+| Explorations | `explorations` |
+| Materials | `materials` |
+| Recipes | `recipes` |
+| Story chapter banners | `story-chapters` |
+
+### API Rate Limits
+- 250 images/day per API key — use a second key if quota is hit
+- Free-tier keys cannot use `gemini-3-pro-image-preview`; key must be on a billing-linked project
+
 ## About Page
 
 The About page (`apps/web/src/components/game/aboutPanel.tsx`) contains a **How to Play** guide that should be kept up to date as new features are added to the game. When implementing new game systems, zones, mechanics, or significant UI features, update the `HOW_TO_PLAY` array in `aboutPanel.tsx` to include a description of the new feature.

apps/web/src/components/game/achievementPanel.tsx

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 /* eslint-disable react/no-multi-comp -- Sub-component is tightly coupled to this panel */
 import { type JSX, useState } from "react";
 import { useGame } from "../../context/gameContext.js";
+import { cdnImage } from "../../utils/cdn.js";
 import { LockToggle } from "../ui/lockToggle.js";
 import type { Achievement } from "@elysium/types";
 
@@ -76,7 +77,11 @@ const AchievementCard = ({
     <div className={`achievement-card ${isUnlocked
       ? "unlocked"
       : "locked"}`}>
-      <div className="achievement-icon">{achievement.icon}</div>
+      <img
+        alt={achievement.name}
+        className="card-thumbnail"
+        src={cdnImage("achievements", achievement.id)}
+      />
       <div className="achievement-info">
         <h3>{achievement.name}</h3>
         <p>{achievement.description}</p>

apps/web/src/components/game/adventurerPanel.tsx

@@ -9,18 +9,10 @@
 /* eslint-disable complexity -- Complex component with many render paths */
 import { type JSX, useState } from "react";
 import { useGame } from "../../context/gameContext.js";
+import { cdnImage } from "../../utils/cdn.js";
 import { LockToggle } from "../ui/lockToggle.js";
 import type { Adventurer } from "@elysium/types";
 
-const iconByClass: Record<string, string> = {
-  cleric:  "✝️",
-  mage:    "🔮",
-  paladin: "🛡️",
-  ranger:  "🏹",
-  rogue:   "🗝️",
-  warrior: "🗡️",
-};
-
 type BatchSize = 1 | 5 | 10 | 25 | 100 | "max";
 const batchOptions: Array<BatchSize> = [ 1, 5, 10, 25, 100, "max" ];
 
@@ -105,14 +97,15 @@ const AdventurerCard = ({
     ? `🪙 ${formatNumber(Math.ceil(cost))}${maxSuffix}`
     : "🔒 Locked";
 
-  // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/dot-notation -- "class" is a reserved word
-  const adventurerIcon = iconByClass[adventurer["class"]] ?? "⚔️";
-
   return (
     <div className={`adventurer-card ${adventurer.unlocked
       ? ""
       : "locked"}`}>
-      <div className="adventurer-icon">{adventurerIcon}</div>
+      <img
+        alt={adventurer.name}
+        className="card-thumbnail"
+        src={cdnImage("adventurers", adventurer.id)}
+      />
       <div className="adventurer-info">
         <h3>{adventurer.name}</h3>
         <p>

apps/web/src/components/game/bossPanel.tsx

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 /* eslint-disable max-lines -- Boss panel with sub-component and helper function */
 import { type JSX, useState } from "react";
 import { useGame } from "../../context/gameContext.js";
+import { cdnImage } from "../../utils/cdn.js";
 import { LockToggle } from "../ui/lockToggle.js";
 import { ZoneSelector } from "./zoneSelector.js";
 import type { Boss, GameState } from "@elysium/types";
@@ -56,6 +57,11 @@ const BossCard = ({
 
   return (
     <div className={`boss-card boss-${boss.status}`}>
+      <img
+        alt={boss.name}
+        className="card-thumbnail"
+        src={cdnImage("bosses", boss.id)}
+      />
       <div className="boss-info">
         <h3>{boss.name}</h3>
         <p>{boss.description}</p>

apps/web/src/components/game/codexPanel.tsx

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 import { type JSX, useState } from "react";
 import { useGame } from "../../context/gameContext.js";
 import { CODEX_ENTRIES, ZONE_LABELS } from "../../data/codex.js";
+import { cdnImage } from "../../utils/cdn.js";
 import type { CodexEntry } from "@elysium/types";
 
 /**
@@ -36,6 +37,18 @@ const sourceBadge: Record<CodexEntry["sourceType"], string> = {
   zone:        "🗺️",
 };
 
+const sourceTypeFolder: Record<CodexEntry["sourceType"], string> = {
+  adventurer:  "adventurers",
+  boss:        "bosses",
+  equipment:   "equipment",
+  exploration: "explorations",
+  prestige:    "prestige-upgrades",
+  quest:       "quests",
+  recipe:      "recipes",
+  upgrade:     "upgrades",
+  zone:        "zones",
+};
+
 /**
  * Renders the codex panel with lore entries grouped by zone.
  * @returns The JSX element.
@@ -155,7 +168,17 @@ const CodexPanel = (): JSX.Element => {
                       </span>
                     </div>
                     {isExpanded
-                      ? <p className="codex-entry-content">{entry.content}</p>
+                      ? <>
+                        <img
+                          alt={entry.title}
+                          className="codex-entry-image"
+                          src={cdnImage(
+                            sourceTypeFolder[entry.sourceType],
+                            entry.sourceId,
+                          )}
+                        />
+                        <p className="codex-entry-content">{entry.content}</p>
+                      </>
                       : null}
                   </div>
                 );

apps/web/src/components/game/companionPanel.tsx

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 /* eslint-disable max-lines-per-function -- Complex companion card with conditional renders */
 import { COMPANIONS, type Companion } from "@elysium/types";
 import { useGame } from "../../context/gameContext.js";
+import { cdnImage } from "../../utils/cdn.js";
 import type { JSX } from "react";
 
 const bonusLabels: Record<string, string> = {
@@ -96,6 +97,11 @@ const CompanionCard = ({
         : ""}`}
     >
       <div className="companion-header">
+        <img
+          alt={companion.name}
+          className="card-thumbnail"
+          src={cdnImage("companions", companion.id)}
+        />
         <div className="companion-name-block">
           <span className="companion-name">{companion.name}</span>
           <span className="companion-title">{companion.title}</span>

apps/web/src/components/game/craftingPanel.tsx

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import { type JSX, useState } from "react";
 import { useGame } from "../../context/gameContext.js";
 import { MATERIALS } from "../../data/materials.js";
 import { RECIPES } from "../../data/recipes.js";
+import { cdnImage } from "../../utils/cdn.js";
 import { ZoneSelector } from "./zoneSelector.js";
 
 const bonusLabel: Record<string, string> = {
@@ -105,6 +106,11 @@ const CraftingPanel = (): JSX.Element => {
                     }`}
                     key={material.id}
                   >
+                    <img
+                      alt={material.name}
+                      className="card-thumbnail"
+                      src={cdnImage("materials", material.id)}
+                    />
                     <div className="material-info">
                       <span className="material-name">{material.name}</span>
                       <span className="material-rarity">{material.rarity}</span>
@@ -144,6 +150,11 @@ const CraftingPanel = (): JSX.Element => {
                       : ""}`}
                     key={recipe.id}
                   >
+                    <img
+                      alt={recipe.name}
+                      className="card-thumbnail"
+                      src={cdnImage("recipes", recipe.id)}
+                    />
                     <div className="recipe-info">
                       <h4>{recipe.name}</h4>
                       <p className="recipe-description">{recipe.description}</p>

apps/web/src/components/game/equipmentPanel.tsx

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 import { type JSX, useState } from "react";
 import { useGame } from "../../context/gameContext.js";
 import { EQUIPMENT_SETS } from "../../data/equipmentSets.js";
+import { cdnImage } from "../../utils/cdn.js";
 import { LockToggle } from "../ui/lockToggle.js";
 import type { Equipment, EquipmentType } from "@elysium/types";
 
@@ -20,12 +21,6 @@ const rarityLabel: Record<string, string> = {
   rare:      "Rare",
 };
 
-const typeIcon: Record<EquipmentType, string> = {
-  armour:  "🛡️",
-  trinket: "💍",
-  weapon:  "⚔️",
-};
-
 /**
  * Computes a human-readable bonus description for a piece of equipment.
  * @param item - The equipment item.
@@ -128,7 +123,11 @@ const EquipmentCard = ({
     <div
       className={`equipment-card rarity-${item.rarity} ${equippedClass} ${ownedClass}`}
     >
-      <div className="equipment-icon">{typeIcon[item.type]}</div>
+      <img
+        alt={item.name}
+        className="card-thumbnail"
+        src={cdnImage("equipment", item.id)}
+      />
       <div className="equipment-info">
         <div className="equipment-name-row">
           <h3>{item.name}</h3>

apps/web/src/components/game/explorationPanel.tsx

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 import { type JSX, useState } from "react";
 import { useGame } from "../../context/gameContext.js";
 import { EXPLORATION_AREAS } from "../../data/explorations.js";
+import { cdnImage } from "../../utils/cdn.js";
 import { ZoneSelector } from "./zoneSelector.js";
 import type { ExploreCollectResponse } from "@elysium/types";
 
@@ -230,6 +231,11 @@ const ExplorationPanel = (): JSX.Element => {
               className={`exploration-card exploration-${status}`}
               key={area.id}
             >
+              <img
+                alt={area.name}
+                className="card-thumbnail"
+                src={cdnImage("explorations", area.id)}
+              />
               <div className="exploration-info">
                 <h3>
                   {area.name}

apps/web/src/components/game/prestigePanel.tsx

@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import {
   PRESTIGE_UPGRADES,
   PRESTIGE_UPGRADE_CATEGORY_LABELS,
 } from "../../data/prestigeUpgrades.js";
+import { cdnImage } from "../../utils/cdn.js";
 import { sendNotification } from "../../utils/notification.js";
 import { playSound } from "../../utils/sound.js";
 import type { PrestigeUpgradeCategory } from "@elysium/types";
@@ -366,6 +367,11 @@ const PrestigePanel = (): JSX.Element => {
                           : ""}`}
                         key={upgrade.id}
                       >
+                        <img
+                          alt={upgrade.name}
+                          className="card-thumbnail"
+                          src={cdnImage("prestige-upgrades", upgrade.id)}
+                        />
                         <div className="shop-upgrade-info">
                           <h4>{upgrade.name}</h4>
                           <p>{upgrade.description}</p>

apps/web/src/components/game/questPanel.tsx

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 /* eslint-disable max-statements -- Many local variables needed for quest state */
 import { useState, type JSX } from "react";
 import { useGame } from "../../context/gameContext.js";
+import { cdnImage } from "../../utils/cdn.js";
 import { LockToggle } from "../ui/lockToggle.js";
 import { ZoneSelector } from "./zoneSelector.js";
 import type { Quest } from "@elysium/types";
@@ -81,6 +82,11 @@ const QuestCard = ({
 
   return (
     <div className={`quest-card quest-${quest.status}`}>
+      <img
+        alt={quest.name}
+        className="card-thumbnail"
+        src={cdnImage("quests", quest.id)}
+      />
       <div className="quest-info">
         <h3>{quest.name}</h3>
         <p>{quest.description}</p>

apps/web/src/components/game/storyPanel.tsx

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 import { STORY_CHAPTERS } from "@elysium/types";
 import { type JSX, useState } from "react";
 import { useGame } from "../../context/gameContext.js";
+import { cdnImage } from "../../utils/cdn.js";
 
 /**
  * Substitutes the character name placeholder in story text.
@@ -102,6 +103,11 @@ const StoryPanel = (): JSX.Element => {
         : <div className="story-chapter-view">
           {isUnlocked
             ? <>
+              <img
+                alt={activeChapter.title}
+                className="story-chapter-banner"
+                src={cdnImage("story-chapters", activeChapter.id)}
+              />
               <h2 className="story-chapter-title">
                 {"Chapter "}
                 {activeChapterIndex + 1}

apps/web/src/components/game/transcendencePanel.tsx

@@ -7,12 +7,14 @@
 /* eslint-disable max-lines-per-function -- Complex component with many render paths */
 /* eslint-disable complexity -- Many conditional render paths */
 /* eslint-disable max-statements -- Transcendence panel manages many local state variables */
+/* eslint-disable max-lines -- Transcendence panel with CDN images exceeds line limit */
 import { useState, type JSX } from "react";
 import { useGame } from "../../context/gameContext.js";
 import {
   TRANSCENDENCE_UPGRADES,
   TRANSCENDENCE_UPGRADE_CATEGORY_LABELS,
 } from "../../data/transcendenceUpgrades.js";
+import { cdnImage } from "../../utils/cdn.js";
 import type { TranscendenceUpgradeCategory } from "@elysium/types";
 
 const echoFormulaConstant = 853;
@@ -301,6 +303,11 @@ const TranscendencePanel = (): JSX.Element => {
                           : ""}`}
                         key={upgrade.id}
                       >
+                        <img
+                          alt={upgrade.name}
+                          className="card-thumbnail"
+                          src={cdnImage("transcendence-upgrades", upgrade.id)}
+                        />
                         <div className="shop-upgrade-info">
                           <h4>{upgrade.name}</h4>
                           <p>{upgrade.description}</p>

apps/web/src/components/game/upgradePanel.tsx

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 /* eslint-disable complexity -- UpgradeCard has many conditional render paths for states */
 import { type JSX, useState } from "react";
 import { useGame } from "../../context/gameContext.js";
+import { cdnImage } from "../../utils/cdn.js";
 import { LockToggle } from "../ui/lockToggle.js";
 import type { Upgrade } from "@elysium/types";
 
@@ -53,6 +54,11 @@ const UpgradeCard = ({
   if (upgrade.unlocked && upgrade.purchased) {
     return (
       <div className="upgrade-card purchased">
+        <img
+          alt={upgrade.name}
+          className="card-thumbnail"
+          src={cdnImage("upgrades", upgrade.id)}
+        />
         <span className="upgrade-name">
           {"✅ "}
           {upgrade.name}
@@ -65,6 +71,11 @@ const UpgradeCard = ({
   if (upgrade.unlocked) {
     return (
       <div className="upgrade-card">
+        <img
+          alt={upgrade.name}
+          className="card-thumbnail"
+          src={cdnImage("upgrades", upgrade.id)}
+        />
         <div className="upgrade-info">
           <h3>{upgrade.name}</h3>
           <p>{upgrade.description}</p>
@@ -108,6 +119,11 @@ const UpgradeCard = ({
 
   return (
     <div className="upgrade-card locked">
+      <img
+        alt={upgrade.name}
+        className="card-thumbnail"
+        src={cdnImage("upgrades", upgrade.id)}
+      />
       <div className="upgrade-info">
         <h3>
           {"🔒 "}

apps/web/src/components/game/zoneSelector.tsx

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
  * @license Naomi's Public License
  * @author Naomi Carrigan
  */
+import { cdnImage } from "../../utils/cdn.js";
 import type { Zone } from "@elysium/types";
 import type { JSX } from "react";
 
@@ -44,7 +45,11 @@ const ZoneSelector = ({
             title={zone.description}
             type="button"
           >
-            <span className="zone-emoji">{zone.emoji}</span>
+            <img
+              alt={zone.name}
+              className="zone-tab-image"
+              src={cdnImage("zones", zone.id)}
+            />
             <span className="zone-name">{zone.name}</span>
           </button>
         );

apps/web/src/styles.css

@@ -33,6 +33,20 @@ body {
   color: var(--colour-text);
   font-family: var(--font);
   min-height: 100vh;
+  position: relative;
+}
+
+body::before {
+  background-attachment: fixed;
+  background-image: url("https://cdn.nhcarrigan.com/elysium/background.jpg");
+  background-position: center;
+  background-size: cover;
+  content: "";
+  inset: 0;
+  opacity: 0.15;
+  pointer-events: none;
+  position: fixed;
+  z-index: -1;
 }
 
 /* ===================== RESOURCE BAR ===================== */
@@ -2056,8 +2070,11 @@ body {
   opacity: 0.45;
 }
 
-.zone-emoji {
+.zone-tab-image {
-  font-size: 1.4rem;
+  aspect-ratio: 16 / 9;
+  border-radius: 0.35rem;
+  object-fit: cover;
+  width: 96px;
 }
 
 .zone-name {
@@ -4465,3 +4482,28 @@ body {
   font-size: 0.8rem;
   line-height: 1.5;
 }
+
+/* ===================== CDN ASSET IMAGES ===================== */
+.card-thumbnail {
+  border-radius: var(--radius);
+  flex-shrink: 0;
+  height: 72px;
+  object-fit: cover;
+  width: 72px;
+}
+
+.story-chapter-banner {
+  border-radius: var(--radius);
+  height: 220px;
+  margin-bottom: 1rem;
+  object-fit: cover;
+  width: 100%;
+}
+
+.codex-entry-image {
+  border-radius: var(--radius);
+  height: 80px;
+  margin-bottom: 0.5rem;
+  object-fit: cover;
+  width: 80px;
+}

apps/web/src/utils/cdn.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+/**
+ * @file CDN URL utility for Elysium game assets.
+ * @copyright nhcarrigan
+ * @license Naomi's Public License
+ * @author Naomi Carrigan
+ */
+
+const cdnBase = "https://cdn.nhcarrigan.com/elysium";
+
+/**
+ * Returns the CDN URL for a game asset image.
+ * @param folder - The asset category folder (e.g. "bosses", "companions").
+ * @param id - The asset identifier (file name without extension).
+ * @returns The full CDN URL for the asset.
+ */
+const cdnImage = (folder: string, id: string): string => {
+  return `${cdnBase}/${folder}/${id}.jpg`;
+};
+
+export { cdnImage };