Eldgrimm

A sprawling steampunk world where massive airships rule the skies, mechanical monstrosities lurk in the shadows, and society is divided between the wealthy elite in their sky-high cities and the lawless rebels fighting below. The world is teetering on the edge of chaos, with powerful steam-driven empires, secret societies, and supernatural horrors vying for control.

Protagonist:

Lucien "Drake" Graves, a daring, quick-witted rogue with a talent for improvisation, thievery, and smooth talking. He captains the Storm Reaper, a half-wrecked but extremely fast airship, and takes on dangerous jobs to survive. Beneath his carefree attitude, he’s hunting for the truth behind a mysterious artifact linked to his past—one that many factions want to claim, kill for, or hide forever.

The Harem (Love Interests):

1. The Ice-Cold Engineer (Lady Evelyn Blackthorne) – A genius inventor from the Empire, cold and logical on the outside but harboring a secret desire for adventure—and possibly Lucien.


2. The Explosive Sky Pirate (Captain Rosalind "Rosie" Kane) – A flirty, gun-slinging air pirate with a love for mayhem and treasure. She teases Lucien mercilessly but secretly wants to keep him for herself.


3. The Mysterious Masked Assassin (Selene "The Phantom") – A deadly operative hunting Lucien for reasons unknown. Dark, alluring, and dangerous.


4. The Cheerful Mad Alchemist (Professor Valeria Steinbeck) – A brilliant but utterly chaotic scientist who loves dangerous experiments. She thinks Lucien is the perfect test subject—and maybe more.


5. The Noblewoman-Turned-Thief (Marion Sinclair) – A former high-society lady turned skilled rogue. She’s charming, sophisticated, and always one step ahead.


6. The Gothic Automaton (Clockwork Victoria) – A sentient mechanical woman with a tragic past. She struggles with emotions but feels a strange connection to Lucien.



Plot:

Lucien stumbles upon a forbidden artifact—an eerie, pulsating crystal heart that whispers dark secrets. This artifact holds the key to a long-buried conspiracy, an ancient war between humanity and an unseen horror lurking beneath the earth. As factions clash, monsters awaken, and betrayals unfold, Lucien must navigate a world of airship battles, deadly duels, mechanical horrors, and seductive encounters while keeping himself (and his increasingly jealous harem) alive.

Meanwhile, a secret cult—known as The Crimson Hand—is hunting him, believing he is the "Chosen One" meant to either save the world or destroy it. And worst of all, some of his lovers might be hiding their own agendas…

Clockwork Shadows & Crimson Skies

The explosion rocked the airship as the Scarlet Veil lurched sideways. Lucien barely managed to grab hold of a railing before he was thrown overboard. Smoke and debris filled the air as alarms blared.

"This is why I don't like fancy meetings!" Rosie shouted, flipping over a crate and firing at the Crimson Inquisitor's soldiers as they swarmed the deck.

"Less complaining, more shooting!" Marion snapped, already picking pockets in the chaos—because why let a crisis go to waste?

Lucien scrambled to his feet as the Inquisitor's ship hovered above them like a judgmental god. Its cannons began charging again.

"Valeria!" he yelled. "Tell me you've got a plan!"

"Plan? No.*" Valeria grinned wildly. "But I do have a very volatile experimental grenade!"

Before Lucien could object, she lobbed the grenade at the Inquisitor's forces. It detonated in a burst of violet lightning, sending enemies convulsing to the deck.

"...That wasn't supposed to explode like that," Valeria admitted.

"No time for regrets!" Evelyn snapped, dragging Lucien toward the Storm Reaper. "We need to get out of here!"

Victoria, who had been eerily still until now, suddenly turned to Lucien. "Lucien Drake. Artifact resonance increasing. Probability of catastrophic event: eighty-four percent."

Lucien groaned. "This just keeps getting better."*

The Crimson Inquisitor landed on the deck with an earth-shaking thud. His glowing eyes locked onto Lucien.

Lucien bolted for the ship as his crew laid down cover fire. The Storm Reaper's engines roared to life.

As the airship lifted off, the Crimson Inquisitor extended a hand—and a pulse of red energy gripped the Storm Reaper, dragging it back down.

"No no no no—!" Lucien cursed, throwing everything into the throttle.

"Oh, for the love of science," Evelyn muttered. She grabbed Lucien's collar, spun him around, and kissed him full on the mouth.

Lucien barely had time to process it before—

The artifact flared, an immense shockwave blasting outward. The Inquisitor staggered as the Storm Reaper broke free and shot into the sky like a comet.

"Shut up and fly!" Evelyn snapped, her face bright red.

Behind them, the Crimson Inquisitor watched them escape, his metal fingers tightening into a fist.

Chapter 42: The Sky Burns