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 consuming their offspring, lest they become monstrous beings known as Alukites. However, the act of procreation makes the former almost inevitable, as the parents develop an irresistible urge to consume them. Even the Hours are subject to this danger, and so are forced to restrain their passions.

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. However, immortals are still able to have children with mortals it seems, 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. 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. 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.

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

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. Still, both parents feel the urge to consume their offspring.

The Ligeians 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. 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

Influence 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.
• 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.
• Hokobald of Pocsind, a Forge-Long expelled from the Obliviates, was theorized as being a male alukite based on his admission of having "undergone alterations" after "the consumnation of [a] particular delight", as well as the inclusion of this quote in this The Lady Afterwards' glossary entry on alukites. This theory was confirmed by his description in Book of Hours.
• 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.
• The Crime of the Sky is a significant point of focus for The Lady Afterwards, a tabletop RPG module set in the Secret Histories universe, in which two Long discover the child they thought died at birth had survived to adulthood and now search for her. While the Long were shielded from the Crime in part due to their ignorance, they still felt the hunger to some extent, and could not resist it at all upon learning the truth. The child of their union displayed no obvious supernatural abilities, though they were supposedly of interest to the Hours and destined for great things.
• One of the Origins for the Librarian in Book of Hours, the Prodigal, is a child of two Long .
• A conversation between Fraser Strathcoyne and Serena Blackwood suggests that the Crime of the Sky was not made into a law until some point after the birth of Antaios; if this is correct, it means that the Crime of the Sky was originally imposed by the Gods-from-Stone to prevent their Names from creating offspring outside of their control, and when the new Hours came into existence they too fell under the power of the Crime of the Sky. It also suggests (along with various pieces of lore) that if the remains of the Gods-from-Stone were to be completely consumed, the Crime of the Sky would cease to exist with them and the urge for immortals to consume their offspring would fade.

Sources