Sacred Arts

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 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. 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 Way. At the highest levels of power, a sacred artist can ascend off the world of Cradle and into The Way. Once there, they can continue to progress and advance, and even join the Abidan.
When sacred artists die on Cradle, they leave behind a Remnant, which can also be quite powerful.

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, animals and plants first need to develop a spirit, and therefore leave behind a Remnant when they die. That takes years. Animals and plants do not develop a spirit until they are old. Very old. Most die young. So only some beasts, and even fewer plants, become spirited, and thus sacred.
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. Then they might begin to experience the magical sacred arts, albeit in their own way.

This is similar to how natural spirits like Sylvan Riverseeds develop, except their environmental vital aura must be a nearly perfect balance of earth and water. A natural Sylvan glade, for example. A fresh-water pool surrounded by a forest. See Little Blue

Sacred Beasts

Sacred Beasts are animals who can engage in the magical sacred arts. In many cases, they are born as dumb animals, but who have then lived at least a full century in an environment rich in a specific aura —- thereby developing a spirit -- thus a Remnant — and 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

Sacred beasts can evolve over a long time, or can be born with the gift. If the sire is a sacred beast, the offspring will be born sacred, too, cycling the same madra as their parent. If the sire was just a dumb animal, the offspring will not be born sacred, and will have no madra at birth. They must evolve over centuries to absorb the specific vital aura 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. An example is the ancestral orus tree that Lindon finds in book 1, Unsouled. Also, far away from Sacred Valley, 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). Wei Shi Seisha, a soulsmith, refined Lindon's orus fruit Remnant into an elixir for the family.

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).

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

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 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. This madra is the only type that doesn't have a corresponding vital aura. 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.

Your body is built up with a madra core in your center, usually placed just beneath your navel, and madra channels, looping from your core through your 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 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.