Adventures in Steampunk Stories

Why he's the most

dangerous Why he's feared Explanation He can't be killed He's not part of this world. He can only be banished — or sealed forever He knows all secrets He has seen millions of worlds and knows all the weaknesses of all the gods He does not obey the rules His magic works differently from the magic of your world. He can do things that seem impossible He is patient He can wait centuries for his victim to mature He has no weaknesses He has no soul to take away. He has no body to destroy. He only has a goal

9. How he can be defeated

The only way to get rid of the Lord is to break the contract. But this is almost impossible. However, there are three ways:

Method Description Atonement If a person who has entered into a contract does a completely selfless act - saving an enemy, sacrificing himself for a stranger, giving up his dream for the sake of peace - the contract can be broken. But only if the act is sincere. Curse If you put a curse on a Lord that sends him to the Halls, he will be stuck there forever. To do this, you need to collect a Silver Heart.

Special Contract Conditions:

· The contract cannot be terminated. No magic, no power can undo it. The only way is to kill the Lord, but this is almost impossible. · The contract works even if you die. It will pass on to your children, grandchildren, or anyone who carries your blood. · If you break the contract (do not pay what you promised), the Lord will take everything - your soul, body, memory, and you will become his "Eternal Knocker" - a slave who will jingle rusty rings forever.

6. How he manipulates

The Lord of the Rusty Rings is a brilliant psychologist. He does not threaten, does not intimidate, does not promise gold. He just listens. He sits opposite you, looks into your eyes and listens to your pain. And then he quietly says:

"I understand. You're tired. You've lost everything. You don't know how to live on. I can help you. It won't cost you too much. Just... one memory. You don't use it anymore anyway. Give it to me, and I will give you what you want."

And the person agrees. Because he always seems so understanding. So fair.

7. His hidden purpose

, the Lord of the Rusty Rings, doesn't just collect emotions. He wants to return home to the Between Worlds, but to do so he needs to destroy your world. Only when the world finally splits (the sky falls to earth, the earth opens, and the Halls collapse), the resulting emptiness will create a gate through which he can leave.

Therefore, he will push the heroes to disaster. He will whisper to Bronevoy that "Thunder" is the right way. He will promise Isolde freedom. He will give Uncle Kostya hope for the resurrection of his daughter. He is the same invisible whisper that destroys everything.

How to summon

him Unlike normal demons, the Lord of the Rusty Rings cannot be summoned randomly. His summoning requires three conditions:

Condition Description Place of power This must be the place where the tragedy (massacre, suicide, catastrophe) took place. The more suffering, the easier it is for him to come. Ringing You need to hit the rusty metal three times against the rusty metal. The sound should be clear, without echo. Name You need to pronounce his real name, which is known only to ancient demonologists. If you pronounce it incorrectly, he will still come, but in a rage.

Summoning ritual (briefly):

At midnight, at the intersection of seven roads, draw a circle of seven rusty chains. In the center of the circle, put an object that is dear to the summoner (memory, desire, fear). Strike the rusty anvil three times with the rusty hammer and say the name:

"He Who Knocks in the Night, He Who Waits in the Shadows, He Who Sees Through Hearts, Come and Hear My Voice. *

It will not come like thunder. It will just appear. He'll stand in the shadows, invisible, and look at you. And you will feel his gaze on your back.

5. Contract with the Lord of the Rusty Rings

He does not require souls - souls are too "dirty" for him. It requires emotion, memory, connection. And he pays accordingly.

What he can give (services):

Service Price Knowledge (any – past, future, secrets of the gods) The brightest moment of happiness in your life Power (physical, magical, political) All your memories of love Resurrection (bring back the dead) Connection with the one you resurrected (you will be connected and you will feel his pain) Immortality Your name will be erased from all records, and no one will ever remember that you existed Healing (cure an incurable disease) One day of your life - but the best day you have already lived or will live Revenge (destroy the enemy) Your ability to rejoice (you will only feel pain and apathy) Path (show the way to the Island or to the Halls) One of your friends - he will become your enemy forever

The form he takes to communicate (so as not to drive him crazy):

· A tall, skinny man in a tattered black cloak. · The face is pale, without a single emotion, with thin lips and deep dark eyes. · On each finger there is a rusty ring, which makes a quiet ring. · His voice sounds like the scraping of metal on glass, but the words are clear.

3. His character and philosophy

Externally:

· Polite, calm, even gallant. He speaks slowly, choosing his words, and never raises his voice. · He never bargains – he either accepts the deal or leaves, leaving the person alone... But his departure is usually worse than his presence.

Internally:

· He is an absolute cynic. He does not believe in love, kindness, hope or sacrifice. He believes that all people are selfish and willing to betray each other for gain. · He is not a villain in the usual sense - he just needs suffering, like a man in the air. This is not cruelty, this is his nature.

His philosophy:

"You think that your feelings are something important. But this is just chemistry, steam and electricity. I've seen millions of worlds, and they're all the same: people suffer because they want what they can't have. I give them what they want. And they pay me what I want. It's fair."

LORD OF RUST RINGS

(aka "The One Who Knocks", "Guest from Beyond")

1. Who is he and where did he come

from Name: The real name is not pronounced aloud - it consists of sounds that do not exist in human language. People call him the Lord of the Rusty Rings or simply "The Guest".

Where he came from: He came from the "Between Worlds" — the space between realities, where there is no time, space, or even thought. He did not die, was not born, was not created. It just always existed, even before the gods and the world existed.

Why he's here: He heard the Wind Mother crying and felt the rift between the worlds. To him, it's like a crack in the glass—he seeped through it into your world to feed on the pain and chaos of the split. He likes that people fight and suffer - this is his food.

2. Unlike

the Cauldron Demons, the Lord of the Rust Rings is not made of steam, metal, or shadows. He is completely different.

His true form (when viewed unprotected):

· A huge creature similar to a spider, but with three heads (human, animal, and mechanical, intertwined together). · The body is made up of rusty chains that are constantly moving, wriggling like snakes. · Instead of eyes, there are glowing white spheres that look through time and space. · Dozens of hook arms protrude from his back, reaching out to living creatures. · Rusty rings are constantly spinning around it - they make a ringing that makes people see their worst nightmares.

The form he takes to communicate (so as not to drive him crazy):

· A tall, skinny man in a tattered black cloak. · The face is pale, without a single emotion, with thin lips and deep dark eyes. · On each finger there is a rusty ring, which makes a quiet ring. · His voice sounds like the screech of metal, but the words are clear

The Ruined Arch is a huge monumental place, with statues and patterns, which is actually a portal to another world. Different hieroglyphs are written on the arch itself. No one knows what it is and how to use it. This arch stands on an island from the legend. To make the portal work, you need to insert the traveler's sword into a special statue in front of the portal. The traveler's sword is the key to moving to another world.

Between the worlds, a world in which all the threads of time, all storylines, and paths meet. There is no such thing as time. This world literally exists and at the same time it does not exist. The gods gather here, and only a worthy or lost person can get here. Here you can see both your fears and your happiness. It is in this divine place that the traveler's sword is forged. In this world, all portals to other worlds intersect.

When you appear in this world. You will have a bag with many strange parts and mechanisms. You'll have old engineering glasses on your head. And on the back, a traveler's sword will be fastened on straps. This sword shines green and blue. It is long and jagged. With a swing, it can create such a wave that can cut through any object. It does not break. This sword is the strangest artifact. It has an inscription in the ancient language: This sword was created in the Interworld. As long as this sword is with you, you are essentially all-powerful. But many in this world want to buy or take away this sword.

6. What Happens If the Heart Reunites

Option 1: Peaceful Outcome

· The heart unites, and Aeterna slowly descends to the ground. · Cities are reunited, people forgive each other. · Mother Wind stops crying, the fog dissipates. · The shadow loses its power because there is no more separation.

Option 2: Disaster

· If the Core is used for self-interest (e.g., to create a weapon), the Heart explodes. · Aeterna falls, Kotlan-Grad collapses. · The shadow gains power and takes over the world. · The island disappears forever.

Option 3: Partial Reunion

· The hero connects only the two parts, but leaves the Core on the Island. · The world is becoming more stable, but not united. · The war continues, but now everyone has hope.

7. Prophecy of the Heart (from the priest's diary)

"When the broken heart is reunited, the world will hear the weeping of the wind. Whoever comes with pure intent will become the new guardian. But he who comes with gain will bring death. The shadow will wait. The shadow will whisper. And only the one who can not listen will save everyone."

B. LIBRARY OF THE FIRST Description

: An underground archive where all the knowledge of the First City is stored. The books are not paper, they are engraved on thin silver plates that can only be read by the light of the Core.

What can be found there:

· The Architect's drawings are how the world works, how the winds work, how to connect the Heart. · Journal of the Last Priest - A description of how the Shadow deceived the engineers and how this can be fixed. · Maps of the old world - where all the ruins, all the artifacts and all the passages between heaven and earth are located. · The prophecy of reunion is a text that states that only a person with a pure heart will be able to unite the Heart and return the world to unity.

C. THE GARDEN OF THE MOTHER WIND

Description: A garden on the top of the Island, where trees grow with silver bark and glowing leaves. This is the place where Mother Wind cried after the split. Her tears turned into a spring, the water of which can heal any wounds (including mental ones).

What can be found there:

· Living water – if you drink it, you can temporarily see the past. · Flowers of Memory – if you smell it, you can remember what you forgot. · The Stone of Decisions is a huge boulder on which, if you sit down and close your eyes, you can see all possible futures.

D. ARCHITECT'S

WORKSHOP Description: An abandoned workshop where the Architect created his drawings. Inside is a table littered with tools, and a giant model of the Cradle City before the split.

What can be found there:

· The Architect's Compass is an artifact that can draw lines that change reality (a very dangerous thing). · Living paper is sheets on which you can write a question, and they will give an answer. · A model of the city - if you rotate it, you can see how the world has changed after the split.

D. TOMB OF

THE LAST PRIEST Description: A dark cave beneath the Temple, where a priest who tried to prevent the schism is buried. His body is mummified, but has been preserved thanks to magic. What can be found there: · His diary - in which he curses the engineers and describes how the Shadow deceived everyone. · Key Amulet - That Can Open Any Door

What happened to the Lower Half: She was found by Bronev in his youth. He didn't know what it was, but he felt power. He hid it in the deepest bunker in Kotlan Grad and uses it as a power source for the Thunder. But he does not know that without the Core, it is unstable - and can explode, destroying all of Kotlan.

What happened to the Core: It fell on the Island and grew into the ground. It has created a protective field around itself - the same fog, false signals and anomalies. It has chosen the Island as its home and does not allow anyone who has come with self-interest.

3. What is on the Island (except the Core)

An island is not just a piece of land. This is a frozen moment in time, where the magic and technology of the First City has been preserved. Here is what you can find there:

A. TEMPLE OF THE WINDS (main place)

Description: A gigantic structure of white marble and silver, rooted into the rock. The roof of the temple is a transparent dome that rotates, tracking the movement of the sun and moon. Inside there is emptiness, the floor is covered with mosaics depicting the split of the world. In the center is the altar on which the Core lies.

Security:

· Stone Guardians are statues of ancient engineers that come to life if someone approaches with weapons. · Wind traps are invisible currents that can throw a person into an abyss. · Voice of the Wind Mother – if you enter with impure thoughts, you can hear whispers that will drive you crazy.

Secret: To enter the Temple, you need to have no weapons and sincerely desire peace. If you have even a hint of self-interest, the doors will not open. Therefore, Uncle Kostya could not enter himself - he needed a hero with a pure heart.

SILVER HEART(

The Artifact That Shattered the World)

1. What is a Silver Heart –

it is not just a crystal and not just a mechanism. It is a living artifact created by the Wind Mother at the beginning of time. It consists of three parts:

Part What Does Where is the Upper Half (Celestial Shard) Keeps Aeterna in the air, controls the winds, powers magic In the center of Aeterna, in the forbidden Tower of Winds The lower half (Earth Shard) Nourishes the land, gives fertility, controls tectonics Lost after the split, presumably in the ruins of the old city under Kotlan-Grad Core (core) Connects the two halves. Without it, they cannot reunite On the Island, hidden in the Temple of the Winds

Appearance:

· It is a ball of silver metal the size of a human head. · The surface is covered with the finest veins, which pulsate with blue light, like blood vessels. · Inside there is not a solid substance, but liquid light, which shimmers with all the shades of the sky. · If you touch it, you can hear the voice of the Wind Mother - not words, but emotions.

2. Heart Story (post-split)

Immediately after the split: The heart broke into three pieces. The upper half remained in Aetern, without which the city would have fallen instantly. The lower half fell to the ground and was buried under the rubble. The cannonball was blown away by the wind far into the ocean - to where the Island later grew.

What Happened to the Upper Half: She became the "Engine of Aeterna". All the boilers, all the mechanisms of the city are powered by it. But it is gradually fading away. The Council of Poplavks knows about it, but hides it from the people. If it goes out, the city will fall in a week. Therefore, they are desperately looking for the Core.

11. What the ancient legend (words of the gods) saysMother

Wind, torn in half, whispers in the wind:

"I am not angry with you, my children. I'm crying. I weep that you have forgotten: you are one. You are my hands, my legs, my heart. As long as you're separated, I can't smile. While you are fighting, I am dying. Find my Heart. Connect it. And I will breathe again. I will live again. And you, you will be a family again."

12. Symbols of the legend in the world

Symbol Where the Broken Ring occurs On the coat of arms of Aeterna (top) and on the flag of Kotlan-Grad (bottom). Both halves of the same ring. Weeping Woman in the Clouds In the old temples that have survived on the Island. Golden Thread Legend has it that it still connects heaven and earth – invisible but real. The steam rising up Is the tears of the Mother Wind. She cries so much that steam comes out of the ground. Mist: This is its lower half, which is looking for the upper half.

7. The Shadow's Curse: The Shadow's Wages for His Rise

The Shadow has taken its toll. One in ten children in Aeterna was born dead or cursed. But the engineers quickly found a way to deceive the Shadow - they began sacrificing children from the lower regions, poor people who could not defend themselves.

This is how the "Blood Tax" was born, an unspoken law that was in effect for 200 years. Only when the Council of Floats changed, this tax was abolished. But the Shadow remembers. And she waits.

8. What was left of the shattering

, the Silver Heart, the artifact that connected heaven and earth, shattered in half. One half remained in the sky (it still supports Aeterna). The second fell to the ground and was buried in ruins. They say that it lies where Kotlan-Grad now stands, and is waiting to be found.

But if they are reunited, the city can be reunited. Or collapse completely.

9. As the legend is told in Aeterna

"Our city was once part of the earth. But we, the chosen ones, realized that our destiny is in the sky. We have risen to get closer to the stars and to the Architect. Those who remained below chose darkness and dirt. But we are not to blame for their choice. We gave them a chance - they refused. Now they are our enemies. But we remember that we were once brothers. And we grieve for them."

— From the celestial treatise "The Ascension of the First City"

10. How this legend is told in Kotlan Grad

"They stole our city. They rose on our bones, on the blood of our children. They made a deal with the Shadow and sold their souls. And we were left here to die, starve, build anew from the ashes. Do they call themselves the chosen ones? No. They are traitors. And someday we will get our own. We will bring them down from heaven to earth, and let them taste our bread. Let them taste our pain."

— From the Earth propaganda "The Truth About the Day of Sundering"

5. The Moment of Division: How It Happened

It happened on a single day, which was later called "The Day the City Screamed".

In the morning, at dawn, the engineers started the giant engines. The city began to rise slowly. The earth trembled, houses cracked, people cried.

The miners and those who remained on the ground grabbed poles, trees, and stones. They shouted:

"Don't leave us! We are your brothers! You will die without us!"

The engineers shouted back,

"We'll be back! We will build a staircase! Wait for us!"

But their voices were drowned out by the roar of the cauldrons.

At this moment, Mother Wind could not stand it. She stepped into the center of the split and spread her hands, trying to hold the two halves together.

"Stop! she cried. "You'll kill each other!" You'll kill yourself! I won't allow it!"

But it was too late. The power of the Shadow was stronger. Mother Wind was torn in half - her upper half rose into the sky with the city, and the lower half remained on the ground.

Since then, she has been crying. Its upper half is clouds, its lower half is fog. And she will never be able to unite again.

6. What happened to people on this day

On Earth (future "Dirty"):

· They saw the city disappear into the clouds. · They were waiting for him to return. We waited for a day. We waited a year. They waited for decades. · They were starving because food supplies were in the air. · They hated the sky. They hated those who flew away. And they called themselves "The First" - those who remained faithful to the land.

In the sky (future aeternians):

· They looked down and saw no land, only fog. · They cried because they had lost their homes. · They quickly realized that without land, they would starve to death, and began to descend for resources—not as brothers, but as predators. · And they called themselves "Windblowers" (contemptuously) or "Chosen" (as they called themselves).

3. Intervention of the gods: Whose voice is louder?

The gods were also divided.

The architect sided with the engineers:

"Man is created to rise. I have given you intelligence to transcend nature. Raise the city. I'll give you the blueprints."

Steel Grandfather (then still the Blacksmith) sided with the miners:

"Fools! If you go up, you will be torn from the roots. You will become strangers to yourself. I will not give you steel for this madness."

Aeria tried to reconcile them:

"The wind can raise and lower. I will give you power, but only if you promise that one day you will return."

Somna just watched from the shadows. She already saw how it would end, and she was silent. Tears rolled down her invisible face, but no one saw.

Mother Wind did not interfere. She was crying. And her tears turned into a mist that enveloped the City.

4. Pact with the Shadow: The Cost of

Lifting The engineers realized that they did not have enough strength. The architect gave the drawings, but without energy, it's just paper. And then a secret group of engineers descended into the deepest dungeons, where the Shadow-Under-City lived (the same ancient god whose name is forbidden to pronounce).

They made a deal:

"You're going to give us the energy to uplift. And we will offer you a sacrifice - every tenth child born in the City. Their souls will be yours."

The shadow agreed. But she didn't say that it would cost the entire City.

Engineers began building giant cauldrons that fed not on steam, but on the blood of the earth - the same black tar that was actually the breath of the Shadow. They pumped it out of the depths, and the Earth began to suffocate.

Metal Grandpa, seeing this, was furious. He realized that his brothers had betrayed not only the land, but also himself. He struck with his hammer so hard that he split the City in two.

"SILVER LEGEND"

(How a single city split into heaven and earth)

1. Prologue: The City That Touched the Stars

In the beginning, when Mother Wind was not yet crying, there was a Cradle City on the ground. It was not built - it was grown from wind and metal. It was the same for everyone: for engineers and miners, for aristocrats and beggars. The city breathed like a living being. Its cauldrons beat in the rhythm of hearts, and the towers went so high that they touched the clouds.

In the center of the City was the Silver Heart, an artifact created by the gods. It gave light, warmth and magic. It connected heaven and earth with one golden thread.

People were not divided into "heavenly" and "earthly". They were just children of the City.

In those days, gods walked among people. The architect showed the drawings to the children. Aeria danced in the squares. The Steel Grandfather (then he was just a Blacksmith) forged tools for everyone. Somna whispered dreams to the prophets. Mother Wind stood over the City and smiled.

And she was happy.

2. The First Crack: The Height

Controversy But people always want more. And one day, at a council of elders, a dispute arose.

The engineers said,

"We have to go higher. Closer to the stars. The air is cleaner there, there we will be closer to the Architect. The city must fly!"

The miners answered:

"You think you are gods! The earth feeds us. The earth provides metal and coal. If we get off the ground, we will starve to death. The city must remain in place!"

The dispute lasted seven years. The brothers stopped talking to each other. The sisters shared the rooms with walls. The city split into two camps, although the walls were still intact.

Mother Wind looked at this and said nothing. She knew that her children had to decide for themselves.

ANCIENT PANTHEON (FORGOTTEN)(

Gods before the schism, who united heaven and earth)

These gods are common. Only old people remember them, but their symbols are still found on old maps and artifacts.

--- MOTHER WIND

The supreme goddess who created the city

Name: Aeterna (the city is named after her) Sphere: Unity, life, breath, birth.

Image: A giant woman's face carved into the clouds. It doesn't move, but its eyes follow everyone. In each hand there is a city: one in the sky, one on the ground. She cries because her children are separated.

Belief (ancient):

· In the beginning, there was one city. Then the brother quarreled with his sister, and the city split. · Someday, he would be reunited, and Mother Wind would smile again. · Whoever finds the Island will be able to talk to her.

Symbol: Two hands clenching together.

--- IRON HEART

God of Sacrifice and Choice

Name: Guardian Sphere: Boundaries, balance, transitions, sacrifice.

Image: A knight without a face, dressed in rusty armor. There is emptiness in his chest, but inside the emptiness there is a red light that beats like a heart. He stands on the border between heaven and earth and does not let anyone in.

Belief (ancient):

· To pass from heaven to earth and back, you need to make a sacrifice. · This god is the guardian of the threshold. · He is neither good nor evil, he is just.

Symbol: A vertical line crossed by a horizontal line (a cross, but no top). SHADOW-UNDER-THE-CITY

God of secrets who lives in dungeons

Name: Chaos (or simply Shadow) Sphere: Forbidden knowledge, anarchy, destruction, truth.

Image: A shadow that moves by itself. She has a human form, but she is constantly changing, like a cloud. She doesn't speak, she whispers the voices of the dead.

Belief (ancient, forbidden):

· Everything that is built will be destroyed. · The truth is always hidden deeper than you think. · The one who listens to the Shadow gains knowledge, but loses his soul.

Symbol: A spiral going down.

BLIND MINER

God of the future and prophecy

Name: Guide Sphere: Fate, foresight, mines, risk.

Image: A hunched old man in a helmet with a lamp that never goes out. His eyes are sewn up with a coarse thread (in order not to see the present, he sees only the future). In his hands is a pickaxe, with which he feels the way.

Belief:

· Everything that is about to happen has already happened in the bowels of the earth. · To find out your fate, you need to go down into the mine and listen to what knocks in the stones. · He rewards the brave and punishes the indecisive.

Temple: Abandoned mines where echoes can be heard. But the most important temple is a rift where the earth diverges and its interior is visible.

Holiday: Descent - On this day, all miners descend a meter deeper than usual to "see" their future.

Dogma: "If you are afraid of the dark, you will never find gold. If you are not afraid, you will find only death. The truth is in the middle."

8. STEAM MAIDEN

Goddess of mechanics and cunning

Name: Whistle (popularly) Sphere: Mechanisms, invention, dexterity, deception.

Image: A thin, nimble girl with red pigtails, all in oil and with nuts in her pockets. Instead of one arm, she has a steam manipulator, which she uses to play pranks. She constantly laughs and builds cunning devices.

Belief:

· Any problem can be solved by cunning, not force. · The Machines are the children of the Whistle. · If the car breaks down, it means that you did not think to appease it (clean, lubricate).

Temple: Any repair shop. But there is also the main one - the shipyard where the "Thunder" (a giant airship) is being built.

Holiday: Trick Day - Everyone hides their tools from each other, and whoever finds the most wins the title of "Inventor of the Year".

Dogma: "Whoever knows how to twist will not burn. Those who do not know how to do it will burn twice."

PANTHEON OF THE EARTH (Kotlan-Grad)

(The gods of "Dirty" are harsh, rude, working)

Below they do not pray - below they demand. The gods here are respected older comrades who also once worked in the mine.

5. BLACKSMITH

The Supreme God of the Earth

Name: Steel Grandfather (or simply Grandfather) Sphere: Work, survival, fortitude, earth.

Image: An old miner with a huge gray beard, dressed in oiled overalls. In his hands is a hammer weighing a ton. His face is scarred, like cracks in cast iron. He always smokes a pipe, from which not smoke comes, but steam.

Belief:

· Land is not just land. This is the body of the Blacksmith. The ore is his bones, the oil is his blood. · To survive, you need to work as hard as the Blacksmith works. · He does not give gifts – he gives strength to those who are willing to sweat.

Temple: Any workshop, any mine, any boiler. You don't need statues, you need work. Holiday: First Strike Day - Commemorates the first time the Blacksmith struck the hammer and created the earth. On this day, everyone gets up an hour earlier and works in silence. Dogma: "The blacksmith does not hear prayers. He hears only the blows of the hammer." RED MOTHER

Goddess of Furnaces, Sacrifice and Hope

Name: Mother of Fire Orb: Sacrifice, Love, Devotion, Fire in the House.

Image: A fat woman in a greasy apron, with a red scarf on her head. She is constantly stirring something in a giant cauldron. Her hands are scarred, but she is smiling. Tears flow from her eyes, which turn into steam.

Belief:

· Those who give of themselves to others become stronger. · The stove is the heart of every home. As long as it burns, the family is alive. · She receives the souls of the dead and melts them into new bodies.

Temple: Any kitchen, any oven. But there is also the main sanctuary - a stove in the center of Kotlan Grad, which has been burning for 200 years without stopping.

Holiday: Evening Kissel - all families gather at one table and eat jelly from root vegetables. It is believed that if the jelly is not burned, Mother is benevolent.

Dogma: "Warm your neighbor and he will warm you. If you don't warm up, you cool down. And the one who has cooled down is dead."

3. SILENT CAULDRON

God of steam and heat

Name: Heptarch (from the Greek "seven" - seven fires inside his cauldron) Sphere: Steam, energy, heat, industry, work.

Image: A three-headed giant with a body made of brass cauldron, from which steam is constantly pouring out. The arms are the steam pistons, the legs are the wheels of the train. Each head has its own expression: one is harsh (discipline), the second is kind (warmth), the third is empty (death).

Belief:

· Steam is the soul of the world. Without it, everything freezes and dies. · Labor is a sacred act, and the factory is a temple. · God rewards those who spare no effort, and punishes the lazy.

Temple: An underground boiler room in the center of Aeterna, where hundreds of boilers operate. It is believed that a prayer pronounced in the noise of a couple is heard best.

Holiday: Night of the Unquenchable Fire - no ship extinguishes the engines, the whole city works non-stop. At midnight, a giant column of steam is released into the sky.

Dogma: "He who does not warm others will freeze himself."

4. SISTER OF GREAT SHADOWS

Goddess of secrets, memory and dreams

Name: Somna (from Latin "dream") Sphere: Dreams, forgotten knowledge, subconscious, shadows.

Image: A woman with a face hidden by a veil of thousands of thin copper threads. You can't see your eyes, but you can feel that she is looking through you. She doesn't walk, she slides. Her voice is the voices of all the dead that she remembers.

Belief:

· Everything that has been forgotten lives in the shadows. · In a dream, you can see the truth that is hidden during the day. · She is the keeper of all secrets, including those that are better not to know.

Temple: An underground archive filled only with candles (no steam so as not to make noise). Millions of parchments with the names of the dead are stored there.

Holiday: Night of Silence - everyone vows to be silent for 24 hours and listen to the shadows. It is believed that on this night, the dead can speak through the living.

Dogma: "A shadow is a trace of light. Seek the truth not in radiance, but in what it leaves behind."

HEAVENLY PANTHEON(

The gods of Aeterna are elegant, cold, haughty)

The Celestial Inhabitants do not pray like slaves, they make contracts with the gods. This is an aristocratic religion, where the deity is a partner, not a master.

1. GREAT DESIGNER

Creator God, Chief Engineer of the Universe

Name: Architect (real name forgotten, not spoken aloud) Sphere: Creation, design, mathematics, the beginning of everything.

Image: A giant figure made of polished bronze, sitting at a drawing table the size of a planet. In his hands - a compass and a ruler. His face is hidden by a mask of gears that rotate in time with his breathing. He never speaks, only draws.

Belief:

· The world is a complex mechanism created according to a precise drawing. · Everything that happens is calculated in advance. · The task of a person is not to ask, but to understand the scheme and follow it.

Temple: A giant dome of glass and aluminum in the center of Aeterna, inside which is a moving model of the universe made of gears, pendulums, and steam pipes.

Holiday: Day of Accuracy - all residents adjust their chronometers, and at noon, at noon, at a signal, millions of pigeons with clocks on their legs are released into the sky.

Dogma: "Don't ask why. Ask "how". And you will find the answer in the blueprints."

2. LADY OF SILVER WINGS

Goddess of winds and freedom

Name: Aeria (from "aero") Sphere: Wind, flight, intuition, chance, air currents.

Image: A graceful woman made of moonlight and silver threads. Hair blows even when there is no wind. Behind his back are transparent wings made of parchment and metal feathers. She always laughs and spins, changing direction without warning.

Belief:

· Life is a flow that cannot be controlled. · Freedom is the ability to fly where the wind blows, not where the cards point. · She is the patroness of pilots, adventurers, and those who break the rules. Temple: An open platform on the very edge of Aeterna, where the wind blows the strongest. In the center is a rotating silver pillar to which colored ribbons are tied. Holiday: Night of the Thwarted

DOCTOR HELMUT "THE GRAY PROPHET"

(A mad scientist who truly believes he is saving the world)

1. Appearance and first impression

Age: 55-60 years (appears older due to constant exposure to fumes and radiation)

Appearance:

· Tall, thin, stooped, like a withered tree. · His head is almost bald, but on the back of his head there are still sparse gray strands that he never cuts. · The skin is grayish-pale, with a metallic sheen, as if covered with a thin patina. · Eyes - different colors: the left one is bright blue, lively and sharp; the right one is completely mechanical, with a rotating diaphragm and red backlight (I made it myself). · Instead of a left hand, there is a steam manipulator with a dozen thin tentacled instruments (scalpel, key, soldering iron, pipette - all in one). · Wears a sloppy lab coat over an old vest with frayed elbows. The coat is stained with oil, acid, and blood (not his own).

First impression: Quiet, absentminded, he speaks quickly and haltingly, often distracted by his own thoughts. In casual conversation, he seems like a harmless eccentric. But if you start debating his theories, the fanatic within him awakens—he begins speaking loudly, aggressively, pointing fingers, and arguing that he alone knows the truth.

Signature gesture: He constantly adjusts his glasses (he has three pairs on a chain - one on his nose, two hanging on his chest, and he changes them depending on the task: with red lenses - for reading blueprints, with blue ones - for small soldering, with regular ones - for people).

2. True essence and motivation

Who is he: Doctor Helmut was a hereditary engineer, a former professor at the Academy of Steam in Aeterna. He was expelled for "radical experiments"—he attempted to transplant human organs into machines. The official reason: "cruel treatment of test subjects." The real reason: the Council was afraid of his ideas.

His philosophy (Gray Evolution):

· "The human body is imperfect. It dies of old age, of disease, of injury. It is capricious, emotional, weak. Steam and steel are ideal.

MASTER OF CEMETERIES (aka UNCLE KOSTYA)

(An ancient necromancer-mechanic who pretends to be a kind old craftsman)

1. Appearance and first impression

Age: Looks 70 years old (real age is about 300, he still remembers the First City before the breakdown)

Appearance:

· A small, stooped old man with a kind smile and thick gray eyebrows. · A bald head surrounded by a fluffy corolla of gray hair. · He wears a greasy apron, an old sweater with patches, and a funny mechanic's hat. · Instead of his right hand, there is a wooden hook hand, which he himself carved and varnished. · He constantly chews a pipe that never smokes (there is no tobacco inside, but a live firefly). · He always has an old backpack with him, stuffed with tools, wiring, and strange bronze parts.

First impression: He seems to be a harmless eccentric grandfather who loves to tinker with mechanisms, tell stories and treat with cookies. Everyone treats him kindly: "Uncle Kostya, have you lost your glasses again?", "Uncle Kostya, fix my kettle!"

He always appears at the right moment - he repairs a broken ship, saves a boiler from an explosion, gives good advice. The hero is imbued with trust in him, as in a wise mentor.

2. Real Identity (Who He Really Is)

Name: His real name is Constantine von Ritter, the former chief engineer of the First City, who made a deal with ancient magic to save his daughter. True Nature: He is a "Mechano-Necromancer". He sees the souls of the dead and can place them in mechanisms. His workshop is a graveyard where every rusty bolt holds someone's voice. He is not a villain by nature - he is an obsessed father who has been trying to resurrect his deceased daughter for 300 years.

His Motivation: His daughter, Annushka, died of illness a week before Aeterna's departure. He made a pact with the Shadow of the City (an ancient entity that lives in the dungeons), received magic, but the price was the gradual loss of humanity. He wants to find the Heart of the Winds on the Island, an artifact that can return the soul to a dead body. But for this you need to make a sacrifice.

Age: 67 years old (looks like 50 - thanks to steam injections that prolong life)

Appearance:

· He was short, stocky, with broad shoulders and a short bull's neck. · The head is almost bald, but on the back of the head there is a gray hedgehog. · The face is covered with a network of deep wrinkles, like cracks in old cast iron. · The left eye is mechanical, red, with a rotating diaphragm (lost in his youth during the collapse of the mine). · The mustache is thick, gray, hanging down, like an old Cossack's. · His clothes were a black leather jacket with metal patches, and a long overcoat made of coarse cloth over it. He never takes off his hat made of gray astrakhan (even in the workshop).

Voice: Hoarse, low, with a metallic tinge (there is a small steam amplifier in the throat so that it can be heard even in noisy factories). He speaks briefly, in chopped phrases, like hammer blows.

Signature Gestures:

· He constantly clenches and unclenches his fist (his left hand is a mechanical prosthetic claw). · When he speaks, he pokes his index finger (human) into the chest of the interlocutor. · He smokes thick cigarettes made of newsprint, stuffed with makhorka. The ashes are shaken off on the floor, even in the Council Chamber.

. Biography (how he became "Iron")

Early years:

· He was born in a miner's barracks, his birth name was Pyotr Gromov. · His father died in a methane explosion, his mother died of consumption when he was 8 years old. · He was homeless, stole coal, lived in drainage pipes. · At the age of 14, he went to work at the Krasny Molot plant - he riveted steam boilers.

Climbing:

· At the age of 25, he organized the first "Workers' Hundred" - a detachment that defended factories from looters during the Great Famine. · At the age of 30, he led a rebellion against the old Council of Engineers, who wanted to sell the land to Aeterna for crystal. The engineers were thrown into the crater, and Gromov became the Commissar. · At the age of 40, he carried out the "Great Descent" - an operation during which the "Dirty" won back three large deposits of black tar from the ruins. Since then, he has been nicknamed Bronevoy - because he personally went on the attack in a steam exoskeleton similar to an armored train.

COMMISSAR DROZDOV (senior, stern, gray-haired)

· Who: Chief Councilor of Kotlan Grad, a former miner with an amputated leg (prosthesis is an old steam cylinder). · Character: Speaks in a low voice, does not tolerate objections, but is fair. He personally checks the boilers at night. He hates Aeterna with all his heart, but once he loved a woman who flew up. · Role in storyline: He will instruct Simbad (or the hero) to sneak into Aeterna and steal the reactor blueprints so that the Dirties can build their lifting mechanism.

Historical Schism: 300 years ago, Aeterna was a land-based city. The Council of Engineers decided to take her to the skies to escape the earthstorms. But not all of them flew away. Someone did not fit, someone stayed to service the ground pumps. They were promised that they would return. They did not return.

Attitude:

· Hatred and envy. The "dirty" believe that the sky-dwellers are cowards and traitors who stole the best technology. · Addiction. Aeterna still takes the ground crystal and metal. The "dirty" sell it, but secretly hold on to the best resources, building their own "People's Airship" so that one day they will rise up and reclaim theirs. · Propaganda: In every workshop there is a poster: "The heavenly thief looks down, the earthly worker forges the future. The steam is ours, the crystal is ours, the sky will also be ours!"

Method of combat: The "dirty" invented "Earth Anchors" - missiles with harpoons that can pierce the skin of an airship and pull it to the ground. They rarely use them (expensive), but they keep them ready.

Red Steam TechnologyThese are not the delicate bronze movements of Aeterna. It is a rough, black, roaring style: Feature Description Color scheme Red, black, gray, dull brass. Everything seems to be forged by hand and covered with soot. Not airships, but "Land Cruisers" - steam-powered trains with huge wheels-rollers that can ride over sleepers, mud and even ruins. Weapons Not elegant revolvers, but "Sledgehammers" - heavy steam hammers that shoot red-hot bolts. And the Whistles are sonic cannons that stun enemy airship crews (designed to fight Aeterna). Energy Not liquid crystal (it is not there, everything went to the sky), but "Black Tar" - viscous oil with an admixture of coal dust. It is mined at the risk of life in faults. Architecture Giant concrete cubes with thousands of pipes sticking out in all directions. Smoke comes even from living rooms - they heat with coal. The windows are narrow, like loopholes (so that the heat does not escape).

Life and everyday life The house of an ordinary "Gryaznuli": · A room of 12 sq. m for a family of 4 people. · Instead of a bed, there are hammocks (saving space). · The main subject is the "Red Corner" (a stand with portraits of heroes of labor and slogans). · Food: soup of mushrooms and crushed breadcrumbs, jelly from root vegetables, bran bread. Meat - only on holidays (giant rats are bred, which are fattened with waste). Holidays: · The Day of the First Steam is the anniversary of the launch of the very first boiler (everyone goes out to the square and whistles in unison into the factory whistles). · The Week of Remembrance is a mourning for those who died rising to the sky in the old days (they listen to the recordings of the voices of the dead from cardboard rollers). · The Shrimp Race is a competition on homemade steam cars through the ruins (very dangerous, but very prestigious). Faith: Officially, it is atheism. Unofficially - "Cult of the Cauldron". They believe that the earth is a huge furnace in which the souls of the dead are refined, and the steam that comes out of the earth are the voices of ancestors. Each factory has its own "Cauldron Spirit" - an old mechanic who personally started the furnace during the construction of the world.

Official name of the state: UNION OF THE LOWER TERRITORIES (SNT)The capital is KOTLAN-GRAD (the former terrestrial part of Aeterna, which remained on earth)

2. Ideology and structure of society

The main idea: "The Earth is our mother. It feeds us, it holds us. The sky is an illusion for the weak. He who has torn himself away from the earth has torn himself away from the truth."

State structure:

· The Council of Steelworkers is the supreme body of 12 people (former engineers, miners, commanders of the people's militia). · The Chief Commissioner is elected for life (but not a dictator - he can be re-elected if he loses in production). · Each settlement is a factory. There are no cities in the usual sense. There are "Combines" - giant industrial clusters, where housing, a canteen, a school and workshops are in one building. · The money has been canceled. Instead, there is "Trudodni". If you receive a ration, you work out the norm. Overfulfilled - received an additional day off or access to scarce books.

Social classes (all are equal, but there is specialization):

· Stokers - maintain earth thermal power plants (prestigious, qualifications are required). · Collectors are the same "Divers" who climb into the ruins of old cities for metal (dangerous, but they give two workdays for one descent). · Repairmen - repair mechanisms, trains, drilling rigs (respected, their word is the law in the workshop). · Agrarians (rare) - grow mushrooms and root crops in greenhouses underground (they are considered wise, because they communicate with the living, not with iron).

The island cannot be found by coordinates. He can be summoned. This requires three things:

1. Tears of the "Sky Whale" (the rarest liquid that is mined once in a hundred years, when whales migrate over the poles).
2. A compass made from the bone of the same cartographer (who died seven days later).
3. A song that will be sung by a person who has never lied in his life.

And then a white beam will appear above the clouds, and the island will lower a rope ladder of fog to you. But they warn: if there is self-interest in your heart, the ladder will turn into snakes.

It will not be just a piece of land, but a living legend that every child in Aetern knows, but no one believes. However, those who searched for it for too long went crazy or disappeared.

THE LEGEND OF THE FLOATING ISLAND (

or "Eden the Soaring", or "Cradle of the Winds") What it looks like in legends They say that this island is not a ship or a platform. This is a real piece of land that was torn away from the continent even before the Great War. It hovers at an altitude where there is almost no wind, and is hidden behind a layer of eternal cirrus clouds.

It is described as follows:

· Shores: Made of white marble that glows a faint blue light at night (reflects moonlight). · Center: Crystal Lake, the water in which does not evaporate, but rises up in small drops, creating a constant fog and a small rainbow. · Trees: Giant ferns and trees with silver bark that does not burn or rot. The leaves rustle, even when there is no wind, because they are alive. · Main Temple: In the center stands an abandoned observatory made of white glass and metal that does not rust. Inside there is a globe of the sky, where instead of continents, all the air currents of the world are depicted. It still rotates slowly, even after hundreds of years.

Origin

Engineers' Version (Scientific): This was an experimental laboratory city of the First Age. Scientists tried to create a perpetual motion machine based on an antigravitational crystal. But the experiment went wrong.

Pirates Version (Romantic): This is the tomb of the Last Heavenly King. He was so cruel that the gods of the wind became angry and tore his palace off the ground, lifting it up into the sky - so that he would never touch the sinful earth again. It is said that his heart still beats in the sarcophagus, and whoever gets to it will have the right to control all the winds.

CAPTAIN ALDRIC "WINDBREAKER" (

Seasoned, cynical, but with a kind heart)

Age: 43 years old Appearance: Stocky, with weathered skin the color of old bronze. A thick beard with gray streaks, braided into three braids, at the end of each there were copper beads. Instead of the right leg - a steam prosthetic spring (lost in a fight with an earth dragon). He wears a shabby captain's coat with many pockets, and a live mechanical parrot on his shoulder (beak is a lighter, eyes are lenses).

Character: Rude, likes to lie, but keeps his promises. He hates the aristocrats of the Spires, adores children and street children - he gives them sweet charcoal candies. The main weakness is that he collects maps of non-existent lands, draws them himself, passing them off as real.

History: In his youth, he was an admiral, but refused to bomb the village of Gryaznul and fled. Now he is the "Celestial Postman", delivering letters between disparate platforms that do not recognize the authority of Aeterna. But his real passion is to search for the Floating Island of Legends - a place where, according to rumors, old technologies do not rust, but work forever.

Special Talent: Senses pressure change an hour before a storm. He can predict the weather by the way his pipe smokes.

A business card phrase: "I don't rob, I just take what the wind brought. And if the wind didn't bring anything, then I didn't blow well."

Junga Pip (real name - Penelope) Age: 12 years old. Appearance: A tomboy with a short haircut, always stained with soot, with huge round glasses. She is the eyes of the ship. Climbs into the highest "crow's nest" and signals with flags. She cannot read, but she knows all the constellations and types of sails of her opponents. Harper treats her like a granddaughter and forbids touching her during the fight. Role: Observer. Her main skill is to sleep 5 minutes a day and always be on the alert.

Silent Nell Age: Unknown. Appearance: Mountain woman with a shaved head and a metal plate instead of half a skull. Constantly in a steam exoskeleton-loader. She does not speak - her vocal cords were torn out in debt. He communicates with gestures and growls. In boarding, she is the first to pierce the side of the ship with a sledgehammer. She never sleeps, just sits with her eyes open by the engine. Role: Boarder and loader. She is not interested in gold - she collects patches from killed officers and sews them onto her exoskeleton.

Steering wheel Toby "Tick" Age: 19 years old. Appearance: Skinny, pimply, always in oversized overalls. Around the neck is an amulet made of bearing. The youngest, self-taught. He loves risky maneuvers: flying between two rocks, turning off the engine in a dive. He stole the helm from the training ship and escaped to the pirates. He is feared more than his enemies, for he can crash a ship for the thrill. Role: Pilot. He bites his nails and constantly twists some kind of bolt in his hands.

Marcus "Fat Score" Age: 35 years old. Appearance: Huge, pot-bellied, with gold teeth and a monocle on a chain. He is dressed in a once expensive vest, all covered in oil stains. A former auctioneer from the Broken Anchor Market. He was kicked out for forging receipts. Now he evaluates the loot on the fly, he can tell in 5 seconds whether it is worth cutting the ship into metal or selling it whole. Cowardly, but cunning. Role: Economist and negotiator. He is also the "voice" of the ship - he parodies the voices of radio operators in order to deceive traders.

Old Boatswain Krug (aka "Grandpa") Age: 68 years old. Appearance: A dwarf with disproportionately long arms, prosthetic springs instead of legs, and his entire face is scarred by boiling water. The Circle remembers how Aeterna was still being built. He is responsible for the boilers and personally monitors the pressure in each pipeline. He speaks only with curses and proverbs in thieves' slang. He eats only liquid porridge, because he fed his teeth to the steam turbine during the accident. Role: Mechanical engineer. If he starts whistling, it means that in 10 minutes everything will explode.

Senior Officer Lira "Osprey" Age: 27 years old. Appearance: Dreadlocks made of copper wire, tanned skin, a bat skin cape on the shoulders. The most accurate shooter on the entire Plateau. Lyra is a "foundling" that Harper picked up in a wrecked ship as a child. She has ultra-sensitive hearing (the effects of steam poisoning), so she wears huge sound-absorbing headphones, taking them off only before firing. She is in love with the sky and draws clouds with charcoal on the walls of the hold. Role: Sniper and reconnaissance navigator. It is useless to speak to her in a whisper - she will hear anyway.

Captain Harper "Iron Palm" Age: 50 years old. Appearance: Gray stubble, left eye - telescopic sight on leather tape, instead of the left hand - a mechanical hook wrench. Harper was an admiral of the Aeterna fleet, but was betrayed for refusing to bomb the Dirt on the ground. Now he only robs the ships of the Float Council, returning the "tax" to the poor areas of the Hold. He is an ascetic: he drinks only water, does not smoke, and demands absolute discipline from the team. His credo: "Rust is the honesty of steel." Role: Tactician and navigator. He sleeps in a capsule with a gas mask - he is afraid of poisonous fog.

"FLYING DUTCHMAN" in steampunk

Ship name: "RUSTY TIDE"

(Former military frigate, converted into a raider, hull stained with rust, but engines are new, stolen)

Type: Heavy boarding airship with ram and six steam catapults.

Morning in Aetern: It does not start with the sun, but with the "Horn" - the main funnel of the city releases steam at 6 am, and all the ships echo it. · Fashion: Women wear corsets made of aviation belts, men wear leather jackets with many pockets for tools. Hats are flight goggles or helmets with flaps. · Rain: Aeterna creates rain by dumping condensation from the lower plates. This means that it is always drizzling in the Hold, and the inhabitants carry complex mechanical transforming umbrellas with them.

How to name the inhabitants?

· Aeterny (officially). · Windblowers (a contemptuous nickname from earthlings). · Chain dogs (due to the habit of wearing safety ropes on the belt).

The idyll of the sky city collapses due to three threats:

1. Sediment: The city is getting heavier. The reactors are old, and the Divers are finding less and less fuel. Aeterna is slowly falling. Someone suggests dropping the lower tier (Hold) to lighten the weight. A class war begins.
2. Earthlings (or "Dirty"): According to rumors, people survived on the surface. They build huge catapults and try to shoot down Aeterna in order to bring her back to earth. They consider the heavenly inhabitants to be cowards.
3. Internal Sabotage: The secret sect "Unanchored" believes that the city should be a free fleet and split into thousands of ships to explore the skies, rather than hanging over one place. They blow up cables, disconnecting entire neighborhoods, losing them in the clouds forever.

Aeterna is a parasite that lives off the "Divers" - desperate people who descend on mechanical spiders to the ground to pump old oil and metal from the ruins. As well as air pirates robbing other cities and ships.

· Currency: "Obol" is a small toothed washer made of white alloy. One obol is one hour of boiler operation. They can be used to buy food, air (yes, they pay for oxygen in the lower tiers) or a parking place. · Main Market: Broken Anchors Market is a flying bazaar that changes its location between platforms every day. They sell maps of long-sunken airships, smuggled coal and rumors. · Food: The main course is "Sky Oysters" (mushrooms grown in ropes on the excrement of flying whales) and dried moss tea.

There is no monarchy. It has been replaced by the Council of Supreme Judges, the seven largest owners of tugboats that hold the city in place.

· Titles instead of blood: The rank of "Captain" is more noble than the Duke. Even a child is called a "navigator's assistant". · Flag color: Each district has its own flag and its own anthem, but the Golden Screw, a symbol of perpetual motion, flies over all of them. · The Law of the Wind: There are no written laws (they are useless because the city is changing). There is a Code of Height: "The one who is higher is right." The dispute is resolved by a duel on steam backpacks outside the city. Falling down is considered a shameful defeat.

Aeterna is a capital that does not stand on the ground. It is assembled from hundreds of ships, airships and platforms, fastened by giant chains and held in the sky by liquid crystal reactors. It is the capital of air pirates and wind traders. The city is constantly changing shape: districts can detach for long-distance raids or dock for grand bazaars.

There is no king in Aetern, there is a Captain's Council. Laws are written right on the sails. The lower level of the city (the hold) is a creepy ghetto where stokers live and where rivers of waste oil flow. The upper level is the spires, towers, and gardens that soar above the clouds. The main event of the year is the Race of the Winds, where the best pilots compete in steam airplanes, and bets are made on entire factories.

It consists of three tiers connected by locks and suspension bridges:

· Spires (Upper Tier): Elite quarters on the lightest airships. There are mansions made of glass and aluminum, winter gardens and observatories. The air is crystal clear. The spires are always moored to the main reactor and never detached. · Plateau (Middle Tier): The bulk of the platforms are former cargo balloons converted into markets, housing, shipyards, and pub docks. It is noisy, crowded, humid from the steam from the kitchens. This is the "center of gravity" of the city. · Hold (Lower Tier): Darkness, oil, and dirt. A bunch of old rusty ships hanging in a foggy layer - an eternal cloud shroud that hides the earth. Mechanics, smugglers and those who cannot afford to climb higher live there. Instead of windows, there are portholes, behind which there is eternal gray darkness.

Important detail: The city hovers over the Shattered Continent, a surface that shattered in war hundreds of years ago and is now uninhabitable. The only way to survive is to stay in the sky.