The Sky, the myth-cycles of Horizon would have you believe, was born of the song that the Gods sang as they danced upon their newmade world. Some say that the song was a song of liberation from the harsh and merciless edicts of the Stars. Some say that it was a song of victory and conquest over the raving and wild Fire. Others will tell you that it was a song of mourning, for the Gods knew that the hour of their greatest triumph had already come and gone. [THE SONG WAS ABOUT FREEDOM FROM THE STARS, AND THE CREATION OF THE SKY WAS NOT AS ACCIDENTAL AS THIS DISCRIPTION IMPLIES; THE SKY WAS MADE TO PUSH THE STARS AWAY TO LIMIT THE RAVAGES OF THEIR AWFUL LAW UPON THE EARTH. HENCE THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SKY AND FREEDOM.]
Whatever the truth of the song, they sang it from one end of the world to another, and there was nowhere where it was not heard; it is said that this is how the Sky gained its love of travel and travellers. [TRUE.] A lot of the superstitions of sailors, railwaymen, military scouts and messengers, and other folk who spend a lot of time on long, dangerous journeys tend to stem from the worship of the Sky in the time before the Church of the Intercessor's creed prevailed.
The Sky is also associated with freedom and breaking the rules - but not in the blind, chaotic manner associated with the Fire. The Fire is about riots, psychosis, and unrestrained destruction; the Sky is about rebellions, revolutions, and liberation from the chains that bind us - both metaphorical chains and physical chains apply here.
This relentless devotion to freedom makes the worship of the Sky alluring to many, especially revolutionary sorts prone to assuming [WRONGLY] that *their* definition of freedom is the sort the Sky likes best. Ask any priest of the Intercessor, though, and they will patiently explain that the restraints and responsibilities that the Sky would have us shrug aside are what makes us who we are. If we were freed of the bindings of our homes, we would be beggars and nomads; if we were freed of the bindings of our responsibilities, no grain would grow in the fields and the factories would stand empty. The Sky would, if it had its way, liberate us utterly so that we would be free to starve, homeless and penniless, and then expect us to thank it.
And if the Sky *really* wanted us to be free, why won't it give us wings and let us fly? [THE SKY IS NOT BOTHERED ABOUT HUMANS FLYING BELOW THE CLOUDS, WHICH MARK THE BORDER OF THE SKY'S DOMAIN. BEYOND THE CLOUDS, PEOPLE ARE LIABLE TO GET SLAPPED DOWN. THIS IS DEEPLY HYPOCRITICAL - THE SKY RATIONALISES THIS, SO MUCH AS IT CAN BE SAID TO RATIONALISE ANYTHING, BY TELLING ITSELF THAT IF IT DOESN'T KEEP THE HUMANS BELOW THE CLOUDS THEY'LL PENETRATE THROUGH TO THE STARS, AND THEN IT WOULD HAVE FAILED IN ITS DUTY TO SHIELD THEM FROM THE STELLAR TYRANNY.]
The history books won't tell you this, but the Imperial Governor of Jurica just before the Great Storm was a monstrous bully - not even the Emperor at his most senile and bloodthirsty was as cruel or as petty. The Sky took pity upon the folk of Jurica, and sent the Great Storm to free them. [UP TO ELLIE WHETHER THIS ONE IS TRUE, AND HOW MUCH TRUTH THERE IS TO IT. "WIND OF CHANGE" COULD EASILY EXPLAIN THE SMALLER STORMS - IF SOME SORCERERS OF JURICA HAPPENED TO CAST IT AT THE SAME TIME AS THE SKY ORDERED ITS SHAMEN IN JURICA TO PERFORM THE RITUAL, AND AT THE SAME TIME AS THE FOLK FROM THE CITADEL INVOKED WHATEVER DUBIOUS ARTS THEY POSSESS, THAT WOULD BE MORE THAN ENOUGH TO CALL FORTH THE GREAT STORM.]You're new in town aren't you? Just wait until you witness your first thunderstorm in Horizon - the wind buffets against the Wall like a sledgehammer and is driven back every time. Some say that the Sky despises the Wall which keeps both Treacherous and True imprisoned, and would see it cast down. [IT'S TRUE THAT THE SKY WOULD DEARLY LOVE TO SEE THE WALL FALL. IT'S NOT TRUE THAT EVERY STORM THAT HAPPENS IN HORIZON OR VEGDARBARRA IS THE SKY TRYING TO SHOVE THE WALL OVER.]
Every so often a nutter thinks they can climb the Wall. Don't ask me why, there's far easier ways to get to the Treacherous Lands, but they do. Most of the time their corpses eventually are blown off the ledges they froze to death on and make a nice crater, and "climbed the Wall" has become slang for "committed suicide". Sometimes, they don't come back at all, and that's because the Sky has taken pity on them and taken them to a better place. [NOT QUITE TRUE. CLIMBING THE WALL IS A GOOD WAY TO BOOST YOUR SKY AFFINITY. WORTHY SHAMEN AND PEOPLE WITH HIGH SKY AFFINITIES WHO DO THIS WILL TEND TO BE ACCEPTED BY THE SKY, TAKEN INTO A CLOUD-FORTRESS TO LEARN HIGH MYSTERIES, AND THEN PLACED GENTLY ON THE GROUND ELSEWHERE.]
Once, on the top of a tall hill in Vegdarbarra, the Imperial Legions decided to construct a watchtower to survey the True Lands as far as eye could see. The Sky saw what they were doing but understood not, seeing only a sharp needle being raised to stab into its side. When the tower reached the clouds, the very hand of the Sky smashed it asunder. [IT WAS PROBABLY A DAIMON AS OPPOSED TO "THE HAND OF THE SKY", BUT THIS IS PROBABLY BASED ON A TRUE EVENT.]
Most people who reach the end of the Sky Affinity become eagles, for eagles are much like what the Sky would like to transform humanity into; solitary, bound by nothing, beholden to no-one. They make excellent messengers and spies, and indeed are capable of sudden sneak attacks.
The Cloud-Fortresses
Sit on the clouds and protect the borderlands of the Sky. They spit arrows and lances, and occasionally expel knights on flying horseback to repel invaders; all these things are merely made within the Fortresses, and were one to speak to one of the Knights they would find only a mouthpiece for one of the Fortresses. The Knights all wear blue armour, and often tilt their lances at the Cold Knights of the Stars.
The Sun
Used to be a daimon of the Stars, but these things were much more mutable back in the Mythic Dreamtime. It is bright, like the Stars, but was made hot unlike them so that it could go down to the Fire and admonish it for its wickedness. It does not burn, for it never gave a second thought to the Fire's suggestions and bargains, having been taught by the Stars that the Fire's freedom meant death.
But then the Gods made the Land, Ocean, and Sky. The Stars were driven back by the Sky, and sent the Sun to see what had happened. And the Sun rejoiced to see the freedom-that-does-not-destroy offered by the Sky, and joined its cause. And that is why, when the Sun is out, we cannot even see the Stars, for the Sun is the champion of the Sky against the Stars.
The Sun never intervenes in events within the mortal realm, although it does speak to the most powerful shamen and may take matters into its hands (take matters into its corona?) if humans manage to penetrate the deep Sky. Most of the time it fights the incomprehensable battles between Stars and Sky.
The personality elements mentioned in the character generation system hold here. Once you get to 5 points of Affinity, the character has either an overriding wanderlust or an instinctive inclination towards rebellion.
Increasing Affinity at this stage:
- Free yourself or someone else from an irritating constraint.
- Travel to one of the Four Nations you haven't ever visited.
Decreasing Affinity at this stage:
- Bind someone with a troubling constraiint (something which has a fairly major impact on their plans).
6-10:
At 6 points you receive a mild bonus to either travelling to distant lands or to freeing yourself or others (depending on which you've emphasised so far).
At 10 points you are either a great explorer or a great liberator, depending on which you have emphasised. A light breeze follows you everywhere, blowing out candles as you enter the room. You'd also be diagnosed with ADHD if you lived in the real world - it's very hard for you to concentrate on lengthly, repetitive tasks.
Increasing Affinity at this stage:
- Free yourself or someone else from a ttroubling constraint.
- Travel to a region of the Treacherous Lands you've not visited yet.
Decreasing Affinity at this stage:
- Bind someone with a maddening constraiint (something which dominates their life).
11-15:
At 11 points, bony nubs begin to grow out of one's back.
At 15 points, you've grown big beautiful wings and can fly.
Increasing Affinity at this stage:
- Free someone from a maddening constraiint (something which dominates their life).
- Circumnavigate either the True or Treaacherous Lands.
- Invent an entirely new method of traveel.
Decreasing Affinity at this stage:
- Bring a tyrant to power.
16:
At this point it's past time you turned into an eagle and flew away.
Increasing Affinity at this stage:
- Climb to the top of the wall and surviive.
- Overthrow a powerful tyrant.
- Map the True and Treacherous lands commpletely.
Sorcerers can steal this spell. The required relic is a piece of iron that has fallen from the sky. In the Taking the three words are trapped within the iron. Casting the spell is similar, except instead of speaking the words the sorcerer merely holds aloft the iron.
Smooth the Wheels
Collect a jar of rainwater in a vase and bless it in the name of the Sky. Sprinkle your vehicle with it before you undertake a journey. You will have an efficient journey unhampered by irritating delays.
To steal this spell the required relic is a vase made out of clay that has had sparrow bones scattered in it. This vase must be used in the casting of the spell.
Sorcerers must make a mask out of the skin of magpies, and paint it in the likeness of s God (a likeness which must be in use by an active cult) to steal this spell, and wear the mask during the dance so that the Sky will mistake them for a God. (This will involve at least one turnsheet action to get the magpies and make the mask, and a clever plan to discover how a cult represents its god.)
Slip the Leash
This spell is to be used if you have become a prisoner for some reason. Simply wait until your captors are moving you from place to place under the open Sky, look up, and whisper six words that the Sky will give you. You will get an opportunity to escape as soon as possible. (Of course, if you've been thrown in the Doghouse and won't be allowed to see daylight again...)
To steal this spell Sorcerers should tattoo the palms of their hands with certain symbols, and encode within the symbols the six secret words. Each symbol must be written with a different needle, and each needle must be anointed with the blood of a shaman of the Sky. To cast the spell they should hold their palms up to the Sky when they are moved outside instead of speaking the words.
Clear the Path
Before undertaking a journey, the shaman must anoint their vehicle with their own blood. No bandit, highwayman, thug, soldier or other danger of the road will assail the shaman on his journey.
Sorcerers must use a small spoon carved from the skull of a shaman of the Sky in the stealing of this spell, and use this spoon to scatter the blood.
- The warden of a prison.
- A monarch or mayor, or a high-ranking emissary of such folk.
- A cult leader.
- A shaman of the Stars.
When the sacrifice is made a terrible storm will ensue. During this storm, any attempt to rebel against people in authority - against rulers, against crime lords, against cult leaders - by their underlings will have a much greater chance of succeeding.
For a sorcerer to steal this spell, they must craft a knife for the sacrifice out of the bones of a dead daimon of the Sky.