Advancement Level

The sacred arts are Cradle’s “magic” system. This page provides a detailed and extensive description of the advancement levels or ranks within this system.

Humans vs Beasts

Humans, animals, and even plants engage in the Sacred Arts, albeit differently. Following their chosen Path, sacred artists develop their spiritual power or madra by cycling vital aura through their spirit and body. The sacred arts are structured in such a way as to naturally lead to advancement. However, humans advance differently than sacred beasts or sacred plants.

Editing Note

• In the books, ranks or levels are capitalized. Example: He is just a Copper.
• However, the words madra and aura and sacred artist are not capitalized. Example: The sacred artist can cycle vital aura into madra, of a specific aspect.

Advancement Overview

A sacred artist may progress through realms of advancement, with clearly defined ranks in each realm. Advancement comes when physical and 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, beyond that, there are Sages and Heralds and Monarchs.

Every child begins at the Foundation level with pure madra. Then, at Copper, the child may gradually begin to cycle a specific madra aspect, or in rare cases, keep a pure core. (See Madra) Only the rarest and most committed sacred artist might possibly advance to the Lord Realm, or even beyond, 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.)

The Foundation Realm

In childhood, typically. The main effort and role of the Foundation Realm is to set and create the very foundation that a Sacred Artist will use for the rest of their life. A weak foundation will limit their future advancement, while a strong one can carry them far beyond Gold.

Foundation Level

All citizens of Cradle are born at the foundation stage. Outside of children, the only people that remain at this primary stage are the spiritually crippled. This level grants the individual the ability to sense their own core and madra. Compared to all other sacred artists they are spiritually weak and have the bodies of normal humans. They are capable of activating weak scripts and can employ simple techniques, though doing so quickly exhausts them. Foundation stage artists can cycle but are not yet able to cycle the vital aura of the world.

Copper Level

Most sacred artists naturally advance to Copper as children. To do so, the first step is to build up a certain amount of pure madra. This can be done over time through simple or advanced cycling techniques. Alternatively, spirit fruit, elixirs, and constructs such as parasite rings can be used to artificially increase the amount of madra one has. Once a critical mass is reached, one encapsulates their loose core in a barrier/sphere of their own madra. The individual then uses their madra to squeeze their core until it can be compressed no further. This process is uncomfortable at the start and slightly painful in the last moments as one feels a great pressure bearing down on their very spirit. The individual may lose consciousness for a time at the end of this process while their soul advances. This process changes an individual's core from a loose collection of madra, to a small but bright star of madra within themselves. Condensing one's core gives one several benefits.

Strengths and benefits of Copper:

• The primary ability gained is what sacred artists call Copper Sight. This sight allows one to see the vital aura in the world around them. The seven most commonly cycled kinds of vital aura in the world are fire, earth, wind, water, force, blood, and life. They are not necessarily the easiest to find, but they are the easiest to cultivate. Depending on the density of that vital aura, its appearance when seen with Copper Sight can vary from dull and limited to intensely bright and overwhelming. It is important to note that some varieties of vital aura are far harder to see than others and may take time and training to see (one such example being death aura). Copper Sight varies by Path and individual; one artist may see the world and the vital aura around them very differently from another artist on a different path. Generally, the aura an artist gathers will be the most prominent in the surrounding environmental, especially as they advance and learn to find aura in different places.
• Conjoined with Copper sight is the capability to begin cycling vital aura into themselves and their core. Over time, as one cycles the barest amount of aura through their core, the core will eventually take on these aspects and begin to produce that madra on its own.
• With the condensing of one's core comes a potency and quantity of madra that was previously unachievable. An individual can now use a more varied selection of techniques and power more potent scripts.

Iron

Achieving Iron is a sacred artist's first critical step. There are three distinct types of Iron bodies, and the type of Iron body an artist achieves will have a significant effect on their future advancement. To reach the beginning of Iron advancement, one must stretch their core to increase the amount of madra they can hold at once. Eventually, they will reach the point where their core will feel like it is about to overflow. To reach this point an artist may use varied cycling techniques as well as a variety of other methods, elixirs, fruits, and constructs to aid their growth. A simple and inexpensive way to do this is to have the artist forge their own scales, and then once their core is full again, they consume their scales to push the boundaries of their core and force it to stretch and grow. At this point, a sacred artist's next steps will determine the type of Iron body they will have.

Iron Bodies

Regarding the term Perfect Iron Body, the author says: “There are actually grades of Perfect Iron Body so of course they're not all perfect. The terminology I regret, but I'm stuck with it now.” (Will Wight, conversation)

types of

1. Basic Iron Body. To achieve, once the artist's core feels like overflowing, they allow it to pour through their body as it reforges their body with madra. The artist will enter a trance during this process while their body is purged of impurities, and their body is remade. While this body grants great strength, speed, and durability, it will inhibit the artist's future advancement. If a prodigy, the artist may reach Truegold in their old age. But an imperfect Iron body would never be able to endure the soulfire transformation required to become an underlord/underlady.
2. Perfect Iron Body. To achieve this Iron body, a sacred artist must first reach the same threshold as required by the basic Iron body. However, before the artist allows their core to overflow, they must first use a cycling technique to infuse every inch of their body with madra. If they allow their core to overflow and begin the transformation before the process of infusion begins, they will be limited to a basic Iron body and will never reach the heights that a Perfect Iron body may allow them to achieve. On top of having a strong foundation for future advancement, a perfect Iron body is physically superior to a basic Iron body.
3. Advanced Perfect Iron Body. The highest and greatest Iron bodies give advantages and abilities beyond that of a perfect Iron body. To achieve an advanced perfect Iron body a sacred artist follows the same process required for a perfect Iron body, with an extra step added between infusing ones body and allowing their core's madra to wash through them. There is a great variety of advanced perfect Iron bodies, with each having its own requirements and granting certain benefits and abilities. Most of these abilities even develop and increase as one advances in the sacred arts. Methods of achieving an advanced Perfect Iron body vary depending on the specific outcome one is trying to achieve. However, different methods include repeatedly breaking every bone in one's body, repeatedly burning all the flesh one has, being bitten by a sand viper while simultaneously drinking its blood, and being wrapped in cloud-like silk while being suspended in the air for days on end.

Iron Body Examples

Characters with Advanced Perfect Iron Bodies:

• Lindon has the Bloodforged Iron body, which increases resistance against poison, and grants increased self-regeneration
• Eithan has the Raindrop Iron body, which increases one's reflexes and reaction speed
• Akura Mercy has the The Puppeteers Iron body, which grants perfect control of one's own body
• Yerin has the Steel Forged Iron body, which gives the user increasingly overwhelming strength the further they advance in the sacred arts