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.

Misc Related Info

• List of all named Paths
• Soulsmithing, including Scripting
• Bloodline Abilities — Arelius Senses, Akura Armor, Sha Royal Madra, Northstrider Blood Aura Affinity
• Magical Items — page work in progress

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).

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

See list of aspects of 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. 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.

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 brief, an overview. See the separate page on Advancement 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 / Ranks Every child begins at the Foundation level with pure madra. Then, the child may cycle a specific madra aspect, or in rare cases, keep a pure core. In either case, the Foundation level child will typically advance to Copper, then to Iron, and then to Jade. This is followed by the leap to the Gold Realm, first Lowgold, then Highgold, and finally Truegold. One might not advance to Truegold — or even Highgold — until adulthood, if ever.
After the Gold Realm, for a small percentage of sacred artists, one develops soulfire, the signature and hallmark of the Lord Realm. Advancement to Lord or Lady level is rare and also requires a Revelation, a specific type of understanding or insight. Even fewer will advance from Underlord to Overlord. Then, a handful advance to Archlord.
Only the rarest and most committed artist might possibly advance to Sage or Herald, typically after they reach Archlord —- but not always. The highest advancement level on Cradle is Monarch. (Unless the monstrous and nearly immortal Dreadgod is counted as a level.)

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.

A Striker technique projects the artist’s madra outside the body. These usually "strike" an opponent or object with the madra.

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.

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.

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.

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.