:root{
  /* ---- Limestone neutral scale (snow → alpine night). Cool grey, taken from the Skuta rock. ---- */
  --stone-50:#F6F7F8;
  --stone-100:#EDEEF0;
  --stone-150:#E4E6E9;
  --stone-200:#D9DCE0;
  --stone-300:#C3C8CE;
  --stone-400:#9BA2AA;
  --stone-500:#727A83;
  --stone-600:#535B64;
  --stone-700:#3C444C;
  --stone-800:#262B31;
  --stone-900:#171B20;
  --stone-950:#0E1013;

  /* ---- Alpine night — dark surfaces & sky. Deepened to the real night render (near-black, blue-tinted). ---- */
  --night-950:#080B12;  /* true-night sky — sampled #010308, lifted just enough for surfaces */
  --night-900:#0C1017;
  --night-800:#161C26;
  --night-700:#232C39;

  /* ---- Twilight blue — the saturated blue-hour / sunrise sky (sampled #033166). A richer dark ground. ---- */
  --twilight-800:#071B33;
  --twilight-700:#0A2A52;
  --twilight-500:#123B6B;
  --dusk-500:#3E4E63;   /* muted dusk mid */
  --dusk-300:#7C8CA1;

  /* ---- Highland green — deep supporting brand color (moss on the limestone) ---- */
  --highland-100:#DBE4DC;
  --highland-300:#8AA491;
  --highland-500:#3D5A45;
  --highland-600:#2C4433;
  --highland-700:#1D3123;   /* deep highland — dark surface option */
  --highland-900:#12211A;

  /* ---- Ember / timber glow (the lit window) — the single warm accent.
         Bright end warmed to the golden peak glow sampled from the renders (#fba542 / #fc9429). ---- */
  --ember-100:#F8E6CD;
  --ember-300:#F3BE73;   /* golden glow peak */
  --ember-400:#E39A3E;
  --ember-500:#C87A2E;   /* primary accent */
  --ember-600:#A9611F;
  --ember-700:#844A17;

  /* ---- Semantic hues ---- */
  --green-500:#4F6B54; --green-100:#DEE7DF;
  --amber-500:#B4832A; --amber-100:#F3E6C6;
  --red-500:#A83C2C;   --red-100:#F2D9D3;
  --blue-500:#3E5568;  --blue-100:#D8E0E6;

  /* ================= Semantic aliases ================= */
  --bg-page:var(--stone-100);
  --bg-page-alt:var(--stone-150);
  --bg-inset:var(--stone-200);
  --surface-card:var(--stone-50);
  --surface-raised:#FFFFFF;
  --surface-ink:var(--night-900);       /* dark sections */
  --surface-ink-alt:var(--night-800);
  --surface-twilight:var(--twilight-700); /* saturated blue-hour dark ground */
  --surface-highland:var(--highland-700); /* alt dark section — earthy */

  --text-primary:var(--stone-900);
  --text-secondary:var(--stone-700);
  --text-muted:var(--stone-500);
  --text-faint:var(--stone-400);
  --text-on-ink:var(--stone-100);
  --text-on-ink-muted:var(--stone-400);
  --text-on-accent:var(--stone-50);

  --accent:var(--ember-500);
  --accent-hover:var(--ember-600);
  --accent-press:var(--ember-700);
  --accent-soft:var(--ember-100);
  --link:var(--ember-600);
  --link-hover:var(--ember-700);

  /* ================= Paper — the document surface =================
     The written conclusion, wherever it is read: a sheet floating over
     blurred terrain on screen, and the same sheet in Word / PDF exports.
     One surface, two papers. Never a tinted glass panel — paper is opaque
     (light) or near-opaque (dark), so 12-20 pages stay readable. ---- */
  --paper-light:#F6F7F8;            /* limestone sheet — the default */
  --paper-dark:rgba(11,15,22,.95);  /* alpine-night sheet, a trace of terrain showing through */
  --paper-dark-solid:#0B0F16;       /* same sheet where alpha is unavailable (print, Word) */

  --paper-ink:var(--stone-900);         /* body text on light paper */
  --paper-ink-muted:var(--stone-700);
  --paper-ink-faint:var(--stone-600);
  --paper-ink-on-dark:var(--stone-50);
  --paper-ink-muted-on-dark:var(--stone-300);
  --paper-ink-faint-on-dark:var(--stone-400);

  --paper-rule:rgba(23,27,32,.13);            /* hairlines between document sections */
  --paper-rule-on-dark:rgba(246,247,248,.13);

  /* Structure vs action. The two brand colors never compete inside a document:
     highland marks what the document IS (its scaffolding), ember marks what
     the reader can DO (the one call to action). */
  --paper-structure:var(--highland-500);          /* section numbers, table heads, quote rules */
  --paper-structure-on-dark:var(--highland-300);
  --paper-structure-soft:rgba(61,90,69,.35);
  --paper-structure-soft-on-dark:rgba(138,164,145,.35);
  --paper-structure-wash:var(--highland-100);     /* badge / callout fill */
  --paper-structure-wash-on-dark:rgba(138,164,145,.14);

  --paper-backdrop:rgba(6,9,15,.62);        /* blurred terrain behind a light sheet */
  --paper-backdrop-on-dark:rgba(6,9,15,.74);

  --border-hairline:rgba(23,27,32,.10);
  --border-soft:rgba(23,27,32,.16);
  --border-strong:rgba(23,27,32,.28);
  --border-on-ink:rgba(246,247,248,.15);

  --focus-ring:var(--ember-500);

  --success:var(--green-500);
  --warning:var(--amber-500);
  --danger:var(--red-500);
  --info:var(--blue-500);
}