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, some beasts, and even the occasional tree might 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)

Perfect Iron

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.
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.
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.

Character 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 Puppeteer’s 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

Iron Benefits

Achieving Iron grants a sacred artist a core that has an increased capacity to hold madra, and a strength of madra beyond that of Copper.
A body that has been remade by madra and purged of impurities. The body of an Iron artist is without a doubt superhuman. They are faster, stronger, and more durable by far than any normal human being. It is said that it takes ten coppers to challenge an Iron, and ten Irons to challenge a Jade. This has not been shown to be strictly true, but the saying serves as a rough guide and helps to illustrate the strength that is granted by an Iron body. (The inaccuracy of the statement is mostly due to the fact that the beginning and the peak of any given stage can have vast differences in power. This becomes more true at the height of the rank.)
The last benefit is the varied abilities an advanced Perfect Iron body can give.

Jade Level

Just as Iron renews and reforges the body, Jade has a similar effect on the Spirit. The base steps of reaching Jade is twofold. The first, like advancing to Iron, is to reach beyond the capacity of one's core. This is done slowly and over time. At each different advancement, the core is also able to grow until it reaches a certain threshold at which point it approaches the limit. The second critical step is to create a spiral in one's core through a cycling technique. Once the artist’s madra reaches a certain threshold of concentration and power while holding the Spiral pattern, they reach Jade.

The process one takes to reach Jade has a significant impact on the quality of the Jade soul and the likelihood of future advancement. The key factor in the Jade advancement process is the cycling technique one uses. If one does not have a strong enough Jade cycling technique, the spiritual foundation will become shakier and shakier with each advancement, until their spirit is no longer strong enough to advance. Techniques that grant firm spiritual foundations are rare, powerful, and highly valued. Such techniques have long and complicated histories. The Heaven and Earth Purification Wheel developed by Eithan Arelius is one example. Every path has its own Jade cycling technique that focuses on a different field. Some focus on processing aura efficiently, others help you recover your madra in a minute, and the HaEPW focuses on deepening one's core, increasing its density.

Jade Benefits

The spiraling motion of a Jade core condenses the quality of one's madra, increase receptivity to spiritual forces, speeds up madra recovery, and increases control over one's madra.
The greatest benefit of Jade is the gaining of a spiritual sense that allows an artist to sense madra and the madra of others. This sense can greatly increase with practice, skill and cultivation rank.
The spiral pattern of Jade is what allows for the containment of enough power to reach Gold. Eventually, the suction force of one's spiraling core will be strong enough to contain a Remnant.

Gold Realm

While the Foundation Realm is dedicated to setting a strong physical and spiritual foundation for advancement, the Gold Realm revolves around the accumulation and refinement of power.

Lowgold

The advancement rank of Lowgold can be obtained in one of three ways. Regardless of the path a sacred artist takes, the primary difference between Jade and Lowgold is a mountain of power.

The three paths of advancement:

One way to reach Lowgold is simply gathering power over time: “It would take you hundreds of years and a ridiculous amount of unnecessary work, but you could do it.” One could also increase power through costly elixirs and pills. Or do both. This slow and/or expensive path is most likely the original path to Gold that was used by sacred artists before the paths of using a Remnant or Contract were discovered. In modern times it is likely only used by those of pure madra.
The second and most common path is taking a compatible Remnant into one's core. This Remnant is a Spiritual remainder made of madra. It can come from either a human or a sacred beast and usually breaches the power gap between Jade and Lowgold. Adopting a Remnant comes with an advantage and disadvantage in the form of a Goldsign. Goldsigns come in two categories. The first is a goldsign that alters a physical characteristic. Examples include metallic frozen hair n the Jai Clan, a mouth like a serpent, and limbs covered in slick shadow. The second category are those that add on to one's form. Such goldsigns include the addition of Yerin’s bladed limbs, Naru wings, etc. When one takes in a Remnant, one must learn to control and absorb it, and some are very powerful.
The third and final path to reach lowGold is to breach the power gap via a contract with a sacred beast. This is done via a spiritually binding contract where the sacred artist and sacred beast swear to share cores and power.

Also, as stated in book 10, the universe itself recognizes the bond between two such individuals, which can allow one to give protection to the other, as Lindon did with Orthos and Little Blue in the Labyrinth.

Lowgold Benefits

The first and major advantage is actually entering the Gold realm of the sacred arts, wherein the potency and power is far beyond that of any Foundation realm sacred artist.
As one's madra is stronger, their Iron body is also reinforced and grows more potent.
One's spiritual sense increases in potency

- This pattern of increased strength and spiritual perception repeats when advancing from Lowgold to Highgold and from Highgold to Truegold.

Highgold

To reach Highgold, there are different steps depending on which process a sacred artist took to reach Lowgold, adopting a Remnant or not. Regardless, the basic requirement is for the artist to grow such a great quantity of madra that it will naturally and rapidly be drawn into their core, like a drain had opened in their core. Basically the great 'mass' of their madra causes it to condense and become far, far more dense and potent.

The Paths:

For those who accrue madra naturally and/or by contracting with a sacred beast, they must cycle, stretch and grow their core until they can hold the quantity/density of madra that causes the condensation and advancement to Highgold.
For those that take in a Remnant, the path includes the above and a few more steps. They may just do as above, but it is quicker and more productive for the artist to digest and master their Remnant. An artist can not reach the peak of Truegold and advance beyond unless and until they master it. To reach Highgold, an artist must learn to use more than the excess energy the Remnant provides. This is normally done by breaking down the Remnant and digesting its skills, abilities, and power.

Truegold

Truegold is the highest level within the Gold Realm. For the vast majority of the people of Cradle, Truegold is considered the limit of what one can reasonably achieve. Of course, among the most powerful clans, achieving the Lord Realm is a possibility. Even still, it is only the strong, brilliant, and utterly determined who may reach these heights. Unlike the Gold Realm where one may jump from Low Gold to True Gold in just two pills, there is no elixir or spirit fruit that can take one into the Lord Realm. To venture into the Lord Realm there are requirements beyond pure power. It is here that the foundation of one's body, soul, and character is truly tested and reborn.
Before one may advance beyond the Gold Realm, a sacred artist must first achieve the 'Peak' of Truegold. To reach beyond these extreme limits and to have one's body and soul remade in soulfire is the very essence of stepping into the Lord Realm. A sacred artist has achieved the Peak of Truegold when they have masterful control of their own spirit and madra, to the very end of what a perfect Jade soul may allow.

The Lord Realm

Soulfire is the Hallmark and Signature of the Lord Realm. But the demarcation between Truegold and Lord is not cast in concrete. For example, an exceedingly powerful Truegold who has actually woven a little soulfire can even challenge a new or weaker Underlord.

Soulfire

Soulfire is the trademark power of the Lord Realm and is purified vital aura, with no impurities or imperfections. When created, it is stored in one's soul space and may be used by the sacred artist in a variety of ways. By its very nature, soulfire does not consume, but rather burns away impurities as it refines physical vessels and empowers madra. Underladies and Underlords often use soulfire to imbue both items and techniques, vastly increasing their strength and power. As a sacred artist possessing soulfire has mastered the world around them, they may also use it to control the vital aura of the world. This process is generally not as powerful as ruler techniques and is thus not often used in battle. It is, however, very useful in daily life. And it’s of tremendous importance when Soulsmithing advanced constructs, including weapons.

Having reached the peak of Truegold, there are three steps to advancing to the Lord Realm. One, mastering yourself. Two, mastering the world around you. And three, connecting oneself to the world. These steps are beyond the simple accumulation of power and require insight into oneself and the world. It is for this reason that Truegold is often the last step on a sacred artist’s path. There are many who attempt the journey, but for one reason or another become stuck and never enter the Lord Realm.

Underlord & Underlady

The Path to Underlord & Underlady:

Master yourself. Using the power of a peak Truegold and masterful control of one's spirit, a sacred artist must open a space in the very center of one's spirit, the center of their being. At that very point, they must flex their spirit, like expanding an invisible lung. There will be a strain, like pulling in a breath of mud, before the sacred artist will feel space open in their soul. This opening is called a Soulspace and may be used to store a single item in one's very soul. When first opened this space is small, barely large enough to hold a bean. With time and effort, a sacred artist may expand this space until they are able to hold a much larger and more powerful object.
Master the world around you. A sacred artist begins by learning to sense the unity of aura. All vital aura is connected, and power flows from one aspect to another. Once one can sense this unity, they can begin to weave soulfire from the vital aura. In order to train one's self in this, a specific mantra can be used to guide the process. "Follow the unity of Aura. Each aspect links to the next. Vital Aura has no beginning and no end, it is all one." Once the artist begins to feel the unity of aura flowing in the world around them, they can 'pull' on that aura, bringing it into themselves and distilling it into soulfire. This process is far easier when one weaves soulfire from powerful natural treasures but can be done from the loose vital aura of the world as well.
Connect yourself to the world. Once a sacred artist has opened their soul space and filled it with soul fire, they connect themselves to the world around them by calling upon their soul fire and the vital aura of the world to reforge their body from soul fire. Igniting the transformation is quite difficult. Many Underladies and Underlords can not themselves say what it is that began their transformation. As mysterious as this step is, the truly wise have passed on their wisdom to their disciples. To begin the soulfire transformation, one must have a true and deep understanding of themselves and have a personal Revelation that causes the soulfire within to resonate with the vital aura around them, activating the advancement. Over time this revelation has specifically been discovered to be the true reason one pursues the sacred arts.

The mantra from above continues "Follow the Unity of Aura. Soul Fire is Vital Aura distilled, it is the power of the world condensed. Feel how it resonates with everything around you, drawing you closer to nature. Now follow that sensation back to yourself, deep into your soul, into your mind. Now, why do you practice the sacred arts?"

One strategy of finding this personal truth was shared by Akura Mercy, "follow your fear". Rather than asking what goal one travels to, what is it that drives one from behind.

Once this revelation is achieved, the transformation will begin. One's personal revelation connects them to their own spirit and then soulfire carries that resonance to the outside world. That then draws on the aura to fuel one's soulfire and burn away one's body and spirit, leaving one reborn as a Lord or Lady. The more soulfire one has, the easier it is to trigger the resonance. Some find their reason but don't have enough soulfire to trigger the resonance.

Lord Benefits

Advancing to each new level within the Lord Realm, the sacred artist is washed again in soulfire, rejuvenated body and spirit. Aging slows down. Strength and spiritual perception increases. By the time Ziel reached Archlord, he’d been washed three times in soulfire.

Overlord & Overlady

In Sects and Kingdoms outside of a Monarch's direct family or clan, Overlords and Overladies are Kings and Empresses, the peak of their people's power. The fate of whole nations and peoples are decided by the life and actions of such a one. For example, the Emperor of the Blackflame Empire is an Overlord.

When Yerin advanced to Overlady, it involved looking inside herself, for yet another Revelation. The Overlord Revelation is who you are now, in the present, compared to the Underlord revelation, which was what got you started, in your past.

Archlord

Even in the great families of Monarchs, many view Archladies and Archlords as the peak of what can be achieved. But even they, steeped in great power, are not yet capable of Ascending beyond Cradle. The Archlord revelation is looking into the future. It is who you are going to be, as we saw in Lindon's Archlord advancement in Reaper. It is touching The Way…

Sage and Herald

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Monarch