The Steam Age: Gears and Bones

The gears of the empire continued to turn. Coal burned in the boilers, steam hissed in the pipes—a golden age for alchemists, inventors, and adventurers. Until the dead rose again from the ashes. It could not be killed, could not be purified, could not be stopped by any known means. It was not a curse; holy water only produced a brief wisp of smoke upon it. It was not a plague; silver could not stop its spread. As this crisis crept silently toward the empire's borders, a young alchemist was appointed to a perilous mission, attempting to find answers in the cracks between science and faith. She saw the truth under the microscope, while the Church's inquisitors unearthed prophecy in ancient holy texts. But she did not know that this would be an apocalypse that would sweep the world. And this time, even the Old Gods were gone.