The Crime of the Sky

'One cannot enter the Mansus in triumph when one has committed the Crime of the Sky.'

- The Last Elements of the Vitulation

The Crime of the Sky is a law of the House and the universe, which forbids immortal beings from having children with one another, else they feel compelled to consume their offspring, and become monstrous beings known as Alukites.[1] Even the Hours are subject to this danger, and so are forced to restrain their passions.[2]

A child of two immortals supposedly has special properties and "rare status", most of which are a mystery, though such a child is known to inspire an insurmountable hunger in their parents. So powerful is this urge that, should the child somehow survive birth, the parents will be compelled to hunt for them until the child is devoured or the parents die.[3] However, immortals are still able to have children with mortals it seems,[4] and Hours are able to create "children" by other methods, such as the Lionsmith creating monsters "as weapons are created".

It is unclear whether the Crime is a law created and enforced by the Hours, or if it is a force outside of their control.[5] In either case, the Crime of the Sky is a significant aspect of the Secret Histories universe.

Alukites

'One might mistake them for old women, until they discard their skins.'

- An Encounter with Soucouyants

Those who commit the Crime of the Sky become Alukites, also called Empousai or Soucouyants.[6] They are described as fallen immortals, monstrous and incredibly dangerous. Though a number of them regret devouring their children, they still possess a ravenous hunger.[7]

Many Soucouyants have been exiled to Raven Isle,[8] where they appear as elderly women who can remove their skin and are incredibly strong, though they exhibit a notable aversion to Mansus-light.[9][10] It is unclear if these are universal traits, however, as some Alukites such as Marinette and possibly Echidna have even more disturbing forms.[11] A number also wait in the Mansus, particularly beneath the Ascent of Knives.[12]

It should be noted that while male Alukites do exist, most are female, since a mother is always present at their child's birth, while the father may be distant.[13] Still, both parents feel the urge to consume their offspring.

Ascension

'Little of this flesh remains. I will pass through the Tricuspid Gate and I will not return. The Watchman awaits me. In His footsteps, I will find the Glory's light. The understanding is too much for my soul to hold, and so my soul will open. I will not be immortal: I will be more than that.'

- The Incursus

The standard method of ascension for Lantern, like many others, involves the gathering of seven Marks before performing a grand ritual under a specific Hours to pass the Tricuspid Gate and become a Long.[9] In Cultist Simulator the Watchman oversees the path of Enlightenment and is assumed to be the primary patron for Lantern-Long since the Intercalate [10]. Those who ascend further under him hope to become a part of the Pilgrimage, a prophesied event in which the Watchman will lead seven souls to rise higher. This event will likely serve as a prelude to the Second Dawn and the return of the Sun-in-Splendour.[11][12]

Uniquely, Long who ascend under the Watchman, and perhaps other Lantern Hours, surrender their physical forms and now dwell in the Mansus. These Lantern-Long are considered by some to actually be minor Names.[13]

The Ligeans and the Keys

'The Law goes back all the way to Stone: the Keys cannot be held or owned. This had, I believe, the unexpected consequence that those outside the law may hold and own them.'

- The Locksmith's Dream: Incursus

It is implied that Alukites are not only cursed, but considered outlaws of the Mansus. However, this also means they are no longer bound by other laws, specifically the Law which states that the Keys to the Mansus cannot be possessed. As such, the Keys are held by members of the Ligeia Club, seven female Alukites who despite their curse have significant influence and connections in the invisible world.[14] Their current members are:

Sulochana Amavasya, Marinette, also known as Our Lady of Wires, Kleidouchos, also known as Frau Schlussel, Echidna, also known as Mrs. E, Morgen, also known as Mme Matutine, Medusa, Rowena.

Influences on the Histories

'[Damaon] identifies the "Fear of the Crime of the Sky" as the reason that Hours do not satisfy other passions. He speculates on the horrifying possibility of Hours turned alukite. "What then would they devour?"'

- The Dream of the Conspiracy of the Lower Skies

Perhaps the most significant event influence by the Crime of the Sky is the Intercalate, in which the Sun-in-Splendour, ruler of the House of the Sun, was divided by the Forge of Days, to prevent them from having children together and risk becoming Alukite.[15]
While many Long, especially those of the House of Lethe, forbade heterosexual relationships entirely to avoid the Crime, it is curious that other methods of contraception are never considered, apart from one case...
Matthias was a Long who fell in love with a Name of the Moth, the Amethyst Imago, and had her castrate him with the Alakapurine Shears to prevent them from having children.

Other Notes

The Crime is likely inspired at least partially by the Greek myth of the Titan Kronos, who feared being usurped by his own children, and so devoured them at birth, only for the youngest Zeus to escape, free his siblings, and overthrow the Titans.
It is speculated that Hokobald of Pocsind, a Forge Long expelled from the Obliviates, is a male Alukite, based on his admission of having "undergone alterations" after "the consumnation of [a] particular delight".[16]
One theoretical reason for the Crime of the Sky is the metaphysical implications of ascension. For mortals, having children is in many ways a method of prolonging one's self, a successor to inherit their position in existence. Immortal beings seek their own preservation and continuation in the world directly, which is intrinsically threatened by the existence of an heir, someone who would replace them. Perhaps the compulsion to consume their offspring is then an immortal's uncontrollable instinct to protect themselves.
The Crime of the Sky could also be a form of population control, limiting the number of immortals among the ranks of the Long, Names, and Hours.

In-Game Sources

1. Read 'The Silver Book', Seek out a Ligeian 2. Read 'The Dream of the Conspiracy of the Lower Skies' 3. Inquisitions for the Demiurge, Discord Follower Count Lore Snippets: "If a child of two Long somehow survives their birth..." 4. Implied by the ancestry of the Lionsmith and the Mother of Ants. 5. Inquisitions for the Demiurge: Is the Crime Of The Sky an inherent fact/law of the universe or is it punishment from some specific entity?.. 6. Inquisitions for the Demiurge: Discord Follower Count Lore Snippets: "Empousai are alukites..." 7. Raven Feathers 8. Raven Isle 9. Soucouyants in the Dark 10. The Soucouyants' Retreat 11. Echidna 12. The Ascent of Knives, influencegrailc 13. The Red Church, influencegrailg 14. On the Smoky Satisfaction..., "There have always been seven...", "The Law goes back all the way to Stone.." 15. Read 'The Time of Division' 16. Read 'My Deeds, My Powers...'

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