Overview

The Sacred Arts are Cradle's magic system. This page provides an overview of the concepts.

Spirit

On Cradle, sentients, animals, and plants can engage in the mystical practice of sacred arts. All sentient beings are born with a spirit and pure madra. 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. Centuries. 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 -- e.g. earth, water, life, blood, shadow, fire, force, etc. -- they can absorb enough of the stuff to develop a spirit and cycle madra. Then they might begin to experience the magical sacred arts, albeit in their own way.

Sacred Beasts

Sacred Beasts are animals who live at least a century or more in an environment rich in a specific aura and develop a spirit and thus a Remnant. Then they can cycle madra. One such beast is the ancient white fox Elder Whisper in Sacred Valley, who absorbed the abundant light aura from Mount Samara for centuries. Lord-level sacred beasts can often change shape, becoming more humanoid. Some even make it to Monarch, such as the sacred lion Reigan Shen, and the sacred 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.

Sacred Plants

Plants, especially long-living trees, can do the same, but for them a spirit takes at least twice as long to form, compared to animals. 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 and shares with the adventurers. 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 can distill these sacred plants into elixirs.

Perhaps the most remarkable sacred plant on Cradle is Monarch Emriss Silentborn, who began life as a tree.

Vital Aura

In the world, vital aura gathers around the elements it belongs to; for instance, earth aura gathers around stones and rocks, and water aura gathers around rain and pools of water. Dream aura gathers when sentient beings sleep. Light aura gathers in bright places e.g. around Mount Samara’s ring in Sacred Valley. Life aura gathers around newborns and green plants and all living things. 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.

Madra

Madra is spiritual energy refined from vital aura in the surrounding environment. Madra is created by cycling vital aura into the body — vital aura of the specific type or aspect to which the body has attuned. Vital aura from water becomes water madra when cycled into the body. Vital aura from fires in the environment, cycled into the body, becomes fire madra. There are many types of vital aura, and many aspects of madra. A sacred artist will use one or two, typically. Akura Mercy cycles shadow aura into shadow madra.

Madra is the magical energy running through sacred artists' bodies and stored in their core. It is used to power techniques, and “cycling” it and using it for techniques is what is called practicing the sacred arts.

The body is built up with a madra core in its center, usually placed just beneath the navel, and madra channels, looping from thecore through the body and back. Similar to arteries and veins for blood, the madra channels carry and distribute madra throughout a sacred artist's body. There are a few ways to replenish and expand the amount of madra a sacred artist's core can hold. One, by cycling the madra already existing in the body. Two, by drawing in vital aura from the environment. This does have to be aura that is either pure, or of the same type as in the sacred artist's core. Three, by using elixirs and pills to flood the core and channels with dense and distilled madra.

Cycling

As a default, a newborn baby will have pure madra. This madra is the only one that doesn't have a corresponding vital aura. To get a core to another kind of madra, a sacred artist has to cycle vital aura of the chosen element(s), which will slowly turn the madra in the core into that kind, until the body at last produces that kind by itself. There are multiple ways to cycle madra. One can cycle to take in and process aura, one can cycle to use a technique, one can cycle to restore lost madra, or one can cycle to refine and control the madra they already have. All of this will be done at different times throughout the life of an artist, as they advance along their path.

A major step in a sacred artist's advancement is to develop a Jade cycling technique which they will use for the rest of their lives.

Path

A sacred artist's path is simply the set of techniques and style that a sacred artist cultivates throughout their life. Often, a path is passed down from generation to generation along a family's lineage.

Techniques

There are four basic types of techniques. Often, a technique will be a combination of multiple technique styles. As you use a technique, it will get engraved into your soul over time, which make a technique stronger and more versatile.

• Striker -- Strikes an opponent with madra from a distance.
• Forger -- Creates stable, physical manifestations or objects of solid madra.
• Enforcer -- Empowers the body or an object the artist is holding. Depending on madra type and technique, the benefits will vary.
• Ruler -- Uses madra to control vital aura to create an effect around the artist e.g. control wind or trap an opponent within illusions.

Scripts

On Cradle, written scripts are used for guiding, shaping, or controlling native energy. Scripts are composed of runes, sometimes only a few of them, and can be used in many ways. For example, in forging constructs or to contain sacred beasts and Remnants.

Advancement

A level of advancement, also known as a rank, is a level of spiritual development on Cradle.

Brief highlights of each advancement level:

• Foundation: At the Foundation level, young sacred artists can cycle pure madra to slightly strengthen their body or activate simple scripts.
• Copper: The sacred artist develops Copper Sight, an awareness of vital aura in the surrounding environment, and can begin to cycle aura to aspect their madra.
• Iron: At Iron rank, sacred artists gain an Iron body that increases physical endurance, flexibility, or speed, etc.
• Jade: The sacred artist develops Jade senses, also known as spiritual awareness or sight. This is also the last stage to prepare for the Gold Realm and beyond by developing a cycling technique and beginning to further push the madra channels throughout the entire body.
• Gold: Typically, at Lowgold, a sacred artist will adopt a Remnant and gain a Goldsign. Or else, contract with a sacred beast. Lowgold is a large jump in power from the earlier stages. Gold is split into three levels: Lowgold, Highgold, and Truegold.
• Underlord: To advance to Underlord, you must have a personal revelation that acts as a catalyst for the advancement. Usually, the Underlord revelation is about why you started practicing the sacred arts. You also must create a soulspace to advance to Underlord. You are reborn in soulfire, body and spirit, with an even more advanced Iron body. The aging process drastically slows down and the sacred artist can activate Lord-level weapons, to a limited extent. Vastly increased in spiritual and physical power.
• Overlord: Revelation: Who am I today, as a sacred artist? Reborn in soulfire again. Your soulfire gains a greater depth and potency. Can activate more advanced weapons. Increased spiritual and physical power.
• 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. Increased spiritual and physical power. Aging slows significantly.
• Sage: Often attained at the peak of Archlord but not solely limited to Archlords. Capable of affecting the physical world through the use of their Authority. With the workings of willpower, they are able to affect reality, e.g spatial transfer. Also able to bend physical laws through sheer willpower given the task to be carried out is within the domain of the icon which the sacred artist manifested. A large leap in spiritual strength. Achieved by manifesting an Icon. Touching the Way. Aging stops fully. Capable of ascending.
• Herald: Often attained at the peak of Archlord but not solely limited to Archlords. It occurs when sacred artists merge their body and spirit in a clash of wills with their remnant. Advancement to Herald gives total control over ones body which leads to possession of more than physical feats like superior strength, heightened spiritual perception and pressure, rapid regeneration, better Aura and madra control. Aging stops fully. Capable of ascending.
• Monarch: The most powerful rank achievable on Cradle. Achieved by advancing to both Herald and Sage i.e manifesting and icon while also possessing a body merge with it’s spirit.
• Ascension: Sages, Heralds, an exceptional Archlord, and all Monarchs are advanced enough to ascend from this iteration into the Way. Simply stepping through a portal, guided by Abidan attendants.

Iron Body

An Iron body is the focal point of a sacred artist’s advancement to the Iron stage. The purified and enhanced physical form granted by this advancement level can determine the path of a sacred artist’s future development.

There are different Iron bodies that a sacred artist can attain dependent on their training before advancing to Iron. If a sacred artist conducts no special training they end up with a base form Iron body.

Soulsmithing

More detailed mechanical information on Soulsmithing can be found here. A Soulsmith makes constructs, using some kind of base materials, their own madra, bindings (techniques) from Remnants, and possibly Scripts. To be a good soulsmith one must have either pure madra — which can work with anything — or a compatible madra, because a soulsmith forges his/her own madra into the work.

The most essential tool for soulsmithing is a drudge — a constructed assistant with knowledge of madra and aura, etc. The more the drudge knows, the better chance for success. Every soulsmith has one.

Bindings are the physical manifestations of techniques, harvested from Remnants, formed in the spirits of sacred beasts, sacred trees, and sacred artists. Most often, bindings are combined with dead matter, goldsteel, and/or mundane materials to produce tools and weapons, but can be used independently. Bindings can be dangerous, so soulsmiths use special tongs to grasp them.