Seekers of the Sky

The point of divergence is described as the death of Jesus Christ during the Massacre of the Innocents, as Joseph was unable to keep him safe:

And the Lord was angry! For He sent His Son to us to bring us redemption. But the people did not protect His Son as a child, and there shall be no deliverance for mankind. Eternal life is forever lost to men, and never shall they be delivered from death's reign. And the Son of God did beg, "Father! Forgive them, for they know not what they do! Was I not Your Son and Son of Mankind? Send me to the people again, so that I may redeem their sins!" But the Lord did say, "I gave My Son to men once, and will not do so again. But there remained a child in the land of Bethlehem, missed by the servants of Herod. Let him be raised by Mary and Joseph as their own, and he shall be My Stepson! And he shall be called the Redeemer, and he shall be given the Word, and that Word shall be greater than all the world's treasures, and if he can do what is destined, to turn human kind to the light, the sin shall be redeemed; and I shall do all for the Son of Men that I would do for My Son." That same moment, Mary did hear a plaintive cry, and, upon leaving the house, she did see a child, lying at the door. And she took the Redeemer in her arms and raised him as her own. And He grew and strengthened in spirit, filled with great wisdom[1]

The Word gave the wielder the ability to miraculously put any object into the so-called Cold. The Cold is a pocket dimension with unknown topology. It is known that time does not flow in the Cold (e.g. a clock removed from the Cold will show the same time as when it was placed). It is impossible to place a living being into the Cold. The size and the number of objects a single person can place in the Cold differs for each individual. To place an object into the Cold, one must first touch it. Apparently, the Redeemer's Word had no restrictions (i.e. he could place any number of objects into the Cold without touching them).

Any person can learn the Word from someone who already knows it. Only the wielder of the Word and the person who taught him or her the Word has access to objects placed by the wielder into the Cold. Due to the latter fact, it is not unusual for a wielder of the Word to be tortured for it and then killed to guarantee that the new wielder's property remains untouched. If a person dies, then his or her stored property remained in the Cold forever (unless retrieved by that person's teacher).

The Word spread quickly among the people from the Redeemer's disciples.

Using the Word, the Redeemer became the ruler of the Roman Empire. He attempted to fulfill his mission, to use his imperial power to turn the people to the light. As expected, these attempts were futile, as the animal instincts were rooted too deeply in the people. In desperation, the Redeemer decided to make wars among men impossible. He took most of Earth's iron and put it into the Cold, after which he ordered his disciples to tie him to a wooden post, which he took with himself to the Cold.

The history of the world without iron followed a completely different path from ours. As the events of the novels take place "two thousand years after the Redeemer", the characters can be seen as contemporary. In this world, Europe is dominated by a single country, known simply as the State. It can be assumed that the State is the old Roman Empire, which managed to remain whole during the Migration Period. The State consists of the territory held by modern France, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Yugoslavia (pre-1991 borders), Poland, Czech, Slovakia, Hungary, Germany, as well as its colonial holdings in the British Isles and the Americas. In the Balkans, the State borders the Ottoman Empire. To the North, after several vassal nations, it borders the Russian Khanate, a nation created by Genghis Khan after his conquest of the Rus' people. Beyond the Khanate, there exists the Chinese Empire (possibly split off from the Khanate, as it was also once conquered by the Mongols). The capital of the State is Lutecia (this reality's Paris).

After two thousand years, the Word has gained widespread use. It is usually used in domestic environment (e.g. its wielders can store their luggage in the Cold). Also, the Word is used to protect the riches of the nobility, the clergy, the treasure of the Possessor (the ruler of the State) and much more.

The lack of iron has had a negative impact on the rate of scientific advancement. The citizens of the 21st century State still ride horses and stagecoaches and are just beginning to learn the practical use of electricity. Non-automatic firearms exist, but only elite military divisions and officers have the right to carry them. Most soldiers carry swords into battle, usually made from bronze. The State's air force is made up of wooden gliders, sometimes armed with bombs and equipped with primitive short-range rocket boosters. China is considered to be the most advanced nation on Earth. For example, Chinese gliders are capable of flying nonstop from China to Europe by using long-range boosters (nobody else has that technology).

The iron deficit had another effect on the world economy. The economy of all the nations on Earth is based on the iron standard, not gold standard. While gold is valuable, it is seen only as a decorative metal, while iron is both a currency and a good (iron is not only extremely rare but is also perishable). Several characters mention that the secret of "cheap iron mining" has been discovered twice in history. It is believed that the Britons knew the secret, but it was lost during the invasion of Britain by the State, with the British king taking the secret to his grave. Several ancient Chinese masters also, apparently, knew the secret. They were executed by Genghis Khan after he conquered China, as he believed that "true warriors need not hide behind shields".

There is a single government-sanctioned religion in the State; however, there are two religious institutions: the Church of the Redeemer, and the Church of the Sister (one of the Redeemer's disciples). Both have their top clergy members located in the city of Urbis (this world's name for the Vatican). Despite the two churches, there is just one head, equivalent to the Pope. He is known as God's Stepson, the same title as formerly held by the Redeemer. According to this world's religious history, out of the Redeemer's twelve disciples, eleven betrayed him, leaving Judas Iscariot the only faithful apostle. They were almost immediately replaced by eleven Roman soldiers. The twelfth soldier refused to acknowledge the Redeemer as anything but a man and a would-be emperor and is viewed by the people of this world with almost as much scorn as we view Judas.

The religion of the Redeemer has an interesting take on the "thou shalt not kill" commandment. Murder is not considered a deadly sin, unless the person is guilty of killing more than twelve people. There are exceptions to the rule, such as child-killers. This is all based on the literal interpretation of a phrase attributed to the Redeemer, "[they] can kill a dozen men and still be without guilt in my eyes." It is also noted that anyone may take another person's kill for themselves, thereby absolving the real killer of responsibility before God (the killer can still be legally prosecuted).

Other religions still exist, such as Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism. Many American tribes are still pagan. While there are several denominations on the religion of the Redeemer, only one is allowed in the State. One specific denomination is the Aquinism, which follows the teachings of Thomas Aquinas, who believed in the existence of the Devil. After being exiled from the State, the Aquinians emigrated to the Russian Khanate, which does not have such strict religious laws.

• Ilmar the Slick: escaped convict, a thief. Usually desecrates graves and robs from abandoned places (e.g. ghost towns, lost cities). Deeply religious, devout follower of the Sister.
• Marcus: bastard son of the Possessor (official title: junior prince). Has no rights to the throne. Escapes from the palace; the Possessor wants him back at all costs.
• Helen the Night Witch: a duchess of the State. An ace combat glider pilot.
• Arnold: an officer of the Guard (the State's national security service).
• Jean of Baghdad: a baron of the State (only in title, as his supposed holdings lie beyond the State's borders). Served as the court medic. Delivered Marcus. Lives the life of a hermit.
• Sister Louisa: mother superior of a convent. Former lady of the court.
• Brother Jähns: a Dutch monk who broke his vow of celibacy and was punished by being assigned as the warden of an underground prison.
• Antoine of Lyon: a count of the State. A retired combat glider pilot. Helen's instructor. Writes poetry but refuses to publish his work.
• Bishop Gerard Lightbringer: ex-thief, now a bishop of the capital of the State. Known for performing healing wonders, using the Word. He is somehow able to put malignant cell into the Cold, which is a direct violation of one of the restrictions of the Word (nothing of the living can be taken with the Word) and is seen as a miracle.
• Peter: a young Magyar. His cancer was cured by Bishop Gerard. Extremely adept at languages, including Roman, Magyar, Gallic, Russian, Judaic, Ottoman, Germanic, and Iberian. Currently learning Chinese.
• Fahrid Komarov: a baron of the Russian Khanate and an intelligence agent.

• Certain qualities or details of several characters allow them to be compared with real-life people, who led different lives in the other world. The flier Antoine can be compared to Antoine de Saint Exupéry, officer Arnold is a duplicate of Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Bishop Gerard is an alternate Gérard Depardieu.
• The name of the Russian elite regiment is a popular trope among modern Russian science fiction writers of "killing Semetskiy" in their books, a popular book publisher.