Sacred Arts

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In the Cradle series, sacred artists practice the sacred arts. This is Cradle’s “magic” system, based internally, on the soul or spirit. This page provides a quick overview of this progressive power system.

In Brief

In the Cradle series, the sacred arts are a kind of magic, centered around the soul and spiritual power. Following their chosen Path, sacred artists develop their spiritual power or madra by cycling vital aura through their body — into their core and through their madra channels. In Cradle's mythos, spirit (madra) is everything.

A sacred artist draws vital aura into their core where it merges with their own madra, and they make it part of their spirit. (Abidan Archivee320)

The sacred arts are structured in such a way as to naturally lead to advancement. Even animals can develop a spirit, in some cases — and become sacred beasts. Some become highly advanced, progressing to Monarch level. It’s rare, but even ancient sacred trees can develop a spirit and advance in power. One of the highest forms of spiritual power is to touch the heavenly Way and manifest the Icon and Authority of a Sage. At the top tiers of advancement, the rare sacred artist can ascend off the world of Cradle and step into the mystical Way. Once there, they can continue to progress and advance, and a few join the Abidan. Some might even join the enemy Vroshir.
When sacred artists die on Cradle, they leave behind a Remnant, which can also be quite powerful.

Sacred artists follow a thousand Paths to power, using their souls to control the forces of the natural world. But Lindon is Unsouled, forbidden to learn the sacred arts of his clan. -(Unsouled synopsis)

Cradle’s Gravity

Humans need vital aura and madra — at birth, it’s pure madra — because in this mythos, the planet is just incredibly large, increasing the gravity, the G-forces on the human body. Madra helps strengthen the body enough to withstand these forces. Author Will Wight isn’t too concerned about the “physics of fantasy” but he explains it on his Archives: [Archives]

Related Pages

Humans, Animals, & Plants

On Cradle, humans, animals, and plants can engage in the mystical practice of sacred arts. All humans are born with a spirit and pure madra, and thus they typically catch on naturally in childhood, at least at a simple Foundational or Copper level, if there is even just a little vital aura in the environment. However, some animals and plants could also evolve to practice the sacred arts, in some cases.
If an animal or a plant lives long enough in an area rich in a specific vital aura -- earth, stone, water, life, lightning, blood, shadow, fire, force, etc. -- they can absorb enough of the stuff to develop a spirit, and a core, and madra channels. Then they might begin to experience the magical sacred arts, albeit in their own way. And they will leave behind a Remnant when they die.

Sacred Beasts

Sacred Beasts are animals who can engage in the magical sacred arts. In many cases, they are born as dumb animals, but have then lived at least a full century in an environment rich in a specific vital aura, and developed a core, beginning to cycle madra. One such beast is the ancient snowfox Elder Whisper in Sacred Valley, who absorbed the abundant light aura from Mount Samara for centuries. Lord-level sacred beasts can change shape, such as Orthos does in book 9, Bloodline. Some make it to become Monarchs, such as the sacred lion Reigan Shen, and the dragon -- who changes into a boy -- Seshethkunaaz. When sacred beasts die, they leave behind a valuable and powerful Remnant, especially if they are advanced in the sacred arts.

Offspring

If the sire is a sacred beast, the offspring will be born sacred, too, cycling the same madra aspect as their sire. If the sire was just a dumb animal, the offspring will not be born sacred, and will have no spiritual core or madra at birth. They must evolve over centuries to absorb the specific vital aura most prevalent in their environment, and then they can cycle that aspect into madra.
Unlike humans, Sacred Beasts are not born with pure madra. They never develop pure madra.

Sacred Plants

Plants, especially long-living trees, can do the same, but for them a spirit take at least twice as long to form, compared to animals. Several centuries, at least. Eventually they do develop a spirit -- leaving behind a valuable, powerful Remnant when they die. See Emriss Silentborn for an interesting example. Also, trees live for centuries in the life-aura-rich southern jungles of the Blackflame Empire. These trees age, sucking up aura, and develop a spirit, with possibly sight, speech, mobility. Some can walk, or even fly. Talented refiners at Lastleaf Fortress change these sacred plants into elixirs. (See book 4, Skysworn).

Plants had to live much longer to advance than animals did. If a fox or a turtle survived their first century, they would absorb enough vital aura from the world around them to ascend into sacred beasts. These animals cycled madra, advanced in power, and left Remnants just as humans did. The oldest of them could even speak, and legends said some could take human forms. Plants did the same, but it took several times as long. Some trees had to stay undisturbed for five hundred years or more before they absorbed enough vital aura to develop a rudimentary spirit...(Unsouled, ch 2).

Spirit Beings

Spirit-beings seem to spring up naturally on Cradle, wherever vital aura is plentiful. They can even occasionally become more sentient, more alive, a character. There are all kinds of spirits. They can be formed of multiple aspects of madra. There are pure nature spirits, like Little Blue. Shadow spirits. Grave spirits. Plague-spirits killed Sha Leiala. Dream spirits.

“Sylvan Dreamseeds,” Dross explained. “Just like Riverseeds are pure spirits that are born in areas with a strong balance between water and life aura, these little guys are born under the influence of dream aura. From the dream tablets, you see. The library and the Well are here purely to create the right conditions for their birth.” (-Ghostwater)

A Remnant is kinda-sorta a spirit of the dead. A mind spirit is a sort of intelligence, like Dross, and the Ninecloud Court Spirit, who announces the Uncrowned King Tournament. A Dreadgod is, at its essence, a hunger spirit. Storm madra can accumulate over millennia and form a giant spirit of lightning.

A huge stormcloud, crackling with sapphire lightning, with two limbs molded to resemble a pair of thick arms. A natural spirit, formed from the Storm Core’s power. (Reaper, ch 6)

Vital Aura

In the world, vital aura gathers around the elements it belongs to; for instance, stone aura gathers around stone, and water aura gathers around water. The more of an element that is present, the more aura gathers there. Slowly, and at different speed for different elements, the elements themselves will start to gather the aura, and if left undisturbed for long enough, these veins of vital aura are refined into a higher state. Pools of water will turn into sacred pools, which are often used to refine elixirs, and Titan's Bone, which comes from stone, is almost unbreakable.

Hunger Aura

Hunger aura is different. According to Subject One, "Hunger aura is not a natural force. It is a corruption of the natural order of Cradle. A manifestation of ambition, of selfish desire, created by the presence of Monarchs.” It corrupts. Long ago, before intervention, “hunger aura drifted all over the world, and where it moved, all other aura weakened. It corrupted everything; Remnants, natural spirits, sacred beasts. Even humans...When your body and your spirit have both grown too great for this world to contain, you must escape to a place that can contain you.” (Reaper, ch 21)

Madra

Madra is the spiritual energy running through our bodies. It is used to power techniques, and “cycling” it and using it for techniques is what we call practicing the sacred arts. As a default, a newborn human baby is born with pure madra in its core, formed fro life, blood, and dream aura within the body. So in early childhood, humans have a pure spirit. This pure madra is the only type that doesn't have a corresponding vital aura from the environment. To get one's core to produce a specific aspect of madra, one must cycle vital aura of the chosen aspect(s), slowly transforming the madra into that kind / aspect. Gradually, a sacred artist can produce the specific aspect of madra. For example, Yerin can cycle aura from anything sharp in the area, and transform it into sword madra.

Madra builds up in the core of a sacred artist, usually just beneath the navel, and madra channels loop from the core throughout the body. This mimics blood veins, but for madra. There are three ways to replenish and expand your madra pool. One, you can cycle it. Two, you can cycle to draw in vital aura from around you. This does have to be aura that is either pure, or of the same aspect as in your core. Three, you can cycle expensive elixirs and pills.

Hunger Madra

See hunger madra and see Subject One. Hunger madra is the aspect produced by cycling hunger aura. Hunger madra is the relentlessly driving all-consuming power in each Dreadgod and in hunger madra weapons, like the Archstone.

"You understand the allure of hunger madra, I see. Endless power.” (Reaper, ch 21)

The Core

The core of a sacred artist is a space in the body where madra is collected and stored, similar to your chi. Every human sacred artist has a core, at birth filled with pure madra, but after about seven years adapting to a specific aspect: earth, water, shadow, storm, etc. (See Madra for a list of aspects). However, the Heart of Twin Stars technique allowed Lindon to split his core while it was still at the pure madra stage, creating two cores.
Core Capacity: The core has limited capacity, determining how much madra an artist can use before needing to replenish. Without intervention, core capacity remains unchanging throughout the levels of advancement. Changing core capacity is a very slow and difficult process. Most sacred artists do not even attempt to grow their core capacity, ignorantly considering it a waste of effort, yielding a poor cost-benefit ratio. The Heaven and Earth Purification Wheel is a cycling technique developed by Eithan Arelius that focuses entirely on increasing core capacity. Over the course of years it slowly but dramatically expands the density of the core.

Madra Channels

Madra channels are pathways carved in the spirit of a sacred artist, radiating from their core outward to the rest of their body. This allows the artist to pull madra from their core into the rest of their body to be used in different techniques. While all sacred artists have madra channels, the extent to which they reach in the body does vary. If the madra channels do not extend throughout the entire spirit it will eventually impede the ability to advance.

“You're only halfway through pushing madra channels through your entire body, so if you advanced to Iron now, you'd be crippling your own future. Lowgold would be difficult, and you may reach Highgold in your old age.” (Soulsmith)

Remnants

Every sacred artist with a viable spirit leaves behind a Remnant upon death. A Remnant is somewhat like a spirit, or ghost, made of madra. Remnants are powerful — the more advanced in life, the more powerful — but not as powerful as when alive, and corporeal. Remnants are used in Soulsmithing work, and when sacred artists advance to Lowgold, adopting a Remnant and its Goldsign. Humans leave behind a Remnant after death, as with Yerin Arelius's master, the Sage of the Endless Sword, in book 1. sacred beasts leave behind a Remnant. Ancient sacred plants leave Remnants, as did the Ancestral Orus Tree in book 1, Unsouled. The Monarch Emriss Silentborn is actually a Remnant of a sacred tree.
However, Dreadbeasts do not leave a Remnant. They cannot. Their spirit is mangled into their flesh, corrupted by hunger aura. And Jai Daishou could not leave a viable Remnant, because he’d torn his spirit asunder when he employed the Archstone.

Advancement

  • This section is kept brief, an overview.
  • See the separate page on Advancement Level for details for each level.
  • In the books, ranks or levels are capitalized. Example: He is just a Copper.

A sacred artist may progress through realms of advancement, with clearly defined ranks in each realm. Advancement comes when spiritual development and understanding is ready, and not before, unless it’s forced with expensive elixirs. The known realms are the Foundation Realm, the Gold Realm, and the Lord Realm. Additionally, there are Sages and Heralds and Monarchs.

Levels, at a Glance

Highlights of each advancement level, in brief. Details are copious on the separate webpage: Advancement Level

  • Foundation: At the Foundation level, young sacred artists can cycle pure madra to very slightly strengthen their body or activate scripts.
  • Copper: The sacred artist develops Copper Sight, an awareness of vital aura in the surrounding environment, and begins to cycle aspected madra.
  • Iron: At the Iron level, sacred artists gain an Iron body that increases physical endurance, or flexibility, or speed, etc. See Iron body by character
  • Jade: The sacred artist develops Jade senses, which is spiritual awareness. This is the time to develop an excellent cycling technique and begin to push out the madra channels.
  • Gold: Power up! Typically, at Lowgold, a sacred artist will adopt a Remnant and gain a Goldsign. Or else, contract with a sacred beast. Lindon advanced from Jade to Lowgold using an infusion of Blackflame madra from Orthos, his contracted soulmate. He lacks a true Goldsign but when channeling his Blackflame core, his eyes turn red. The red eyes are not a Goldsign. They are the hallmark of a contracted / bonded partner.
  • Underlord: Revelation. Why did I first decide to engage in the sacred arts? Create a soulspace. Reborn in soulfire, body and spirit, with an even more advanced perfect Iron body. Aging process slows down. Ability to create soulfire and activate Underlord-level weapons.
  • Overlord: Revelation. Who am I today, as a sacred artist? Reborn in soulfire again. Your soulfire gains a greater depth and potency. Can access more advanced weapons.
  • Archlord: Revelation: Where am I going, as a sacred artist? Washed in soulfire a third time, strengthening the body and the spirit even more. Can employ Archlord-level weapons. Aging almost stops.
  • Sage : Spiritual power. Authority. Will. Manifest an Icon. Spatial shenanigans. Touch the Way. Aging stops. Ascend.
  • Herald : Merge body and spirit. Achieve superior strength. Leap tall buildings in a single step. Aging stops. Ascend.
  • Monarch: Can fart out big fat blobs of hunger aura. Ascend.

Beyond Cradle

Monarchs, Heralds, and Sages can ascend. The rare and exceptional Archlord, too. Ascending sacred artists step into the blue portal, attended by lesser Abidan guides, and make an afterlife in The Way and The Worlds. They may eventually join the Abidan or possibly the criminal Vroshir, but most who ascend from Cradle just start a new life.

Four Basic Techniques

There are four basic techniques that a sacred artist will use in battle or daily work and life. As an artist repeatedly employs the same technique, it will become cumulatively engraved into the soul, making the technique faster, stronger, and more versatile. Some madra types are more amenable to certain techniques. At advanced levels, a sacred artist will use a combination of multiple types of techniques. This is known as layering a technique. For example, one can layer a Forger technique onto a Striker technique to give it more solidity.

  1. A Striker Technique projects the artist’s madra outside the body. These usually "strike" an opponent or object with the madra.
  2. An Enforcer Technique activates the user's madra to empower one's body or something one is holding. Depending on madra type and technique, the benefits will vary.
  3. A Forger Technique creates stable, physical manifestations or objects made of madra. These differ from Striker techniques in that they are able to exist independent of their originator once they are created.
  4. A Ruler Technique employs madra to control the ambient vital aura in the area to create a large scale effect, for example controlling the wind, kicking up a sandstorm, or trapping an opponent within an illusion formed of light and dream aura.


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