:root{
  /* --- Paper stack: three warm greys, no pure white page ---------------- */
  --paper:#f2f1ee;          /* default page */
  --paper-2:#eceae5;        /* alternating band, one step darker */
  --paper-3:#edebe6;        /* outline-button hover fill */
  --white:#fff;             /* cards and tiles only, never a page */

  /* --- Ink ------------------------------------------------------------- */
  --ink:#3a3e44;            /* text, solid buttons, dark sections */
  --ink-2:#4e535a;          /* running prose on paper */
  --ink-3:#575c63;          /* card prose */
  --ink-4:#5a5f66;          /* secondary prose, captions */
  --ink-5:#63686f;          /* home sub-lead */
  --ink-6:#5f646b;          /* eyebrows, metadata */
  --ink-7:#8c9096;          /* arrows, disabled-ish, mono labels */
  --on-ink:#f2f1ee;         /* paper on the dark section */
  --on-ink-muted:#c3c7cc;   /* prose on the dark section */

  /* --- Blue: the chromatic accent, with red for micro details ---------- */
  --rust:#2f6d92;           /* eyebrows on case studies, hover ink, prices */
  --rust-hover:#3d84ad;     /* the lighter blue used for link hover on index pages */
  --baby:#a8cbdf;           /* pale blue: fills on ink grounds only, never text on paper */
  --red:#c0392b;            /* micro accents only — the nav mark */

  /* --- Hairlines ------------------------------------------------------- */
  --line:#e2e0da;           /* default 1px rule and card border */
  --line-2:#e0ded7;         /* grid gutter fill behind joined cards */
  --line-3:#d3d0c9;         /* outline button / pill border */
  --line-4:#edebe6;         /* inner rule inside a white card */
  --line-ink:#3a3e44;       /* the emphatic rule that opens a block */

  /* --- Semantic, used as 10px uppercase labels ------------------------- */
  --gained:#3f6b4a;         /* "Gained", availability dot */
  --traded:#8a4a2a;         /* "Traded away", "Risk 01" */

  /* --- Validation states (CI terminal output) -------------------------- */
  --state-pass:oklch(0.75 0.16 150);
  --state-warn:oklch(0.82 0.15 85);
  --state-fail:oklch(0.72 0.19 25);

  /* --- Terminal / dark surface stack ----------------------------------- */
  --term-bg:#3a3e44;
  --term-chrome:#1b1e27;
  --term-border:#232732;
  --term-border-2:#2b303c;
  --term-dot:#3d424f;
  --term-dim:#8b8f96;
  --term-fg:#c8cdd8;

  /* --- Semantic aliases ----------------------------------------------- */
  --surface-page:var(--paper);
  --surface-band:var(--paper-2);
  --surface-card:var(--white);
  --surface-inverse:var(--ink);
  --text-strong:var(--ink);
  --text-body:var(--ink-2);
  --text-muted:var(--ink-4);
  --text-meta:var(--ink-6);
  --text-accent:var(--rust);
  --border-default:var(--line);
  --border-strong:var(--line-ink);
  --border-control:var(--line-3);
  --focus-ring:var(--ink);
}