Blackflame still soon!

2/22/2017

EDIT: Something to say has presented itself! A fan made a subreddit for discussing my books, so instead of tolerating Weebly's sub-par comment system, CHECK THIS OUT!

I have a complete draft of Blackflame, and I'm working on it. Trying to get it juuuuuust right.

In the meantime, discuss amongst yourselves.

-Will

229 Comments

Patrick Foster

2/22/2017 05:40:29 pm

I just don't have enough of an opinion on 'amongst' to have anything to contribute.

Will link

2/22/2017 09:58:05 pm

I'll show YOU a mongst. The biggest mongst of all!

2/23/2017 05:55:40 am

It's not the size of the mongst that matters...

Jacob

2/22/2017 05:44:20 pm

I'm wondering if Lindon's village is going to be attacked my the school in this book...but it might be too soon for Lindon to return there and show off. He'd need to be at least jade

John

2/22/2017 05:57:19 pm

He had better be well past Jade by the time he has to fight his duel. So I don't think his level of advancement will hold him back from helping his village. But something else might. I imagine he will be quite busy leveling up.

Corey link

2/22/2017 06:03:40 pm

I would think he would be too busy training, but we don't know exactly how Will space out this book. He might skip ahead some time and the conflict might happen at the beginning of the book.

Jesus H. Christ

2/22/2017 06:06:24 pm

I think it's unlikely he will return to the village in this book. From the author's perspective, you want to maximize the buildup for the reader. You can only impress the village bumpkins -- and entertain the reader with the reveal -- a single time. You don't want to waste it by bringing him back to the village as a meager jade. He needs to come back as something the villagers have never seen before.

Tacroy

2/22/2017 08:53:02 pm

My bet's on Underlord or Underlord++ - I think he'll return whenever he gets to the same advancement level as the creepy space wedgie guy from the first book.

Will link

2/22/2017 09:57:33 pm

As you would expect, Jesus is correct.

Jacob

2/24/2017 03:05:20 am

From the mouth of [Will]s

Arc

2/23/2017 01:18:22 am

Wasn't it hinted at in book 1 that his village/family was already doomed by the school he betrayed?

Jacob

2/24/2017 03:03:52 am

That's what I'm remembering, yeah

Will link

2/26/2017 08:21:26 pm

I hint a lot of things.

WINK WINK

Adam

2/22/2017 05:57:01 pm

Time to reread the first two books for the fourth time.

Jacob

2/24/2017 03:06:36 am

I was thinking the same thing

Zach

2/22/2017 06:02:26 pm

<prepare the noose and angry mob> Can you wait, like 3 more days? Nothing on my list of things to read seemed too appealing a couple days ago, and when I saw your previous post I decided to re-read #1-2. #1 down...I just need like 6 quality reading hours, and then I'm ready. :-)

Zach

2/22/2017 06:10:30 pm

Also, it seems unlikely that the last words in the (even the draft) book are "Besides, she'd get another crack at the monster in the morning." That said--now that I typed that out loud--I think it'd be a bit of a spoiler if you actually put the last phrase in the book in a status marker. Hmmph.

Will link

2/22/2017 09:59:37 pm

You're right, those weren't the last words. I updated it.

Sean K

2/23/2017 12:16:45 am

Damn you Will. Nothing but LIES! Why do you torture us so!!

Corey link

2/23/2017 04:46:47 am

"And then Lindon had a heart attack and died."

:OOOOOO

In the first book, Suriel talks about different places on Cradle that were a big part of Reaper's life. One of them was how He died and was reborn. Perhaps Lindon was part of the same process?

Now I'm even more excited!

Zach

2/23/2017 06:31:28 am

BRAVO!!

Jeremiah

2/22/2017 06:09:45 pm

Hello self, how are you? I'm fine... what up? Oh, nothing. Just waiting on Blackflame and OKAK. Oh! Well, Will is slacking off much like Shera presented with a space of a few minute with nothing to do so you'll have to wait a bit longer! Too bad... I'll just continue talking amongst myself!

Aaron J.E.

2/22/2017 06:19:16 pm

*Breathing intensifies*

Zach

2/22/2017 06:22:35 pm

That's not it at all...you'll never make Copper like that. Even...in, out.....pause on the end. Repeat.

Mahfuz

2/22/2017 06:54:16 pm

You, sir, deserve gold!

Zach

2/22/2017 07:13:01 pm

I dunno...when I was 15, I thought a bit of gold would be fine. Then I got a bit of gold, and realized it just made me the equivalent of a penniless beggar to all those who no longer use a scale to count statuses...so now I just make cheap puns and analogies to make myself chuckle.

Meanwhile, these f'ing wings....why did I want them again?? I can't get through a standard door without apologies.

Azqa

2/22/2017 08:37:53 pm

Hot damn!

So...we know that Lindon will not face Jai Long at the end of Blackflame from an earlier blog comment. That makes sense since Eithan claimed a year of preparation/training time, and I don't think either of the books so far have covered that long a timespan.

Does anyone know how long they DID last? I got the sense that they were each a couple months at most, though I can't recall any specific description to support that. We know that Lindon has about 30 years before the Dreadgod destroys Sacred Valley in the probable future he's attempting to prevent and only 12 books in which to do it, so at some point the books will progress through time much more quickly.

I suppose Blackflame could open up with something like "It had been a brutally hard year of training under Eithan, but it had been worth all the pain. Lindon would have marveled at how anti-climactic his duel with Jai Long had been, if he hadn't been far more concerned with a real problem."

I kinda doubt it though :)

Will link

2/22/2017 09:56:13 pm

Without consulting my timeline, I think Unsouled covered about three months (spring into summer), and Soulsmith six (summer into early winter.)

That's off the top of my head.

Yes, the books will start progressing more quickly. Most of them. If I go according to plan, which I might not.

Also, I don't think I ever explicitly said he wouldn't fight Jai Long at the end of Blackflame. I think what I said was "No," in response to "Will he fight Jai Long at the end of this book or the next one?"

Could mean I'm refusing to answer the question. Also, it could be a lie, because I lie in response to spoiler questions all the time.

YOU'LL NEVER KNOW!

...except that you will, quite soon.

Nocturniquet

2/22/2017 10:13:31 pm

Yeah I thought I detected some sarcasm in your response to that question in the last blog. The guy asked two questions and all you said was 'No' without reference to which question you were answering.

I'm gonna go ahead and guess Lindon will spank Jai Long by the end of Blackflame, and he will join the cast as one of the main characters for the rest of the journey.

Havoc

2/23/2017 12:28:02 am

I took it to mean that the battle is not that the end of either book, but takes place at the beginning/middle of one of them.

Azqa

2/23/2017 08:58:56 am

Ahh fair point about when we see the duel. I had taken your response at face value to mean "No, Lindon will not fight Jai Long at the end of this book. No, Lindon will not fight Jai Long in the next one." I will trust you less in the future! Or something like that.

Thanks for the estimate on time duration of the previous books! Just thinking what Lindon's gone through in a guess of 9 months to ascend from foundation to Iron, and considering that he has to accelerate that over the next 12 months...it'll be great fun to watch!

Poshui

2/25/2017 07:44:38 am

Umm so how is soulsmith 6 months?

5 days after they leave heavens glory school they are sitting around the fire and Lindon becomes a copper... few days later I think about 3 they make it to the ruins. At the door to the top of the ruins Lindon said that the tomb is weeks away so the reference to 5 days may not have been the total time from heavens glory but as it refers to having bandages and they left needing them it makes me think it is. So maybe a total of 3 weeks to get to the ruins? From here there is about a day until they join the fishers and then Lindon training could be mentioned to be a long wile but it seems to starts the same night as jai long finds out about the Aurelius family coming in 2 to 4 weeks. In about 2 weeks from that time Lindon tries to rob the sandvipers. The next day Eithan locks Lindon in a room for his training. 2 weeks after that London spends 2 days getting his iron body. Say another 2 days to get to the top of the ruins and for Yerin to wake up tho that sounds more like 1 day to me.

So add that all up and I get 3 weeks to get to the ruins and 5 weeks once they are there. At 2 months if we go that way or if we take Eithans comment of watching them for 4 weeks being from them getting to the ruins and just over a week from heavens glory you are down to 5 weeks.

For unsouled I was thinking 2-3 months but it is hard to tell as it does not give much reference between events.

Will link

2/25/2017 08:02:44 am

@Poshui

You might be totally right. Maybe Soulsmith brought the total to six months, it didn't cover six itself.

This is why I have a timeline to reference, because I can't remember every span of time off the top of my head.

Brandon C.

3/2/2017 10:59:18 pm

I know I should stop reading your blog. I know you will write provocatively tantalizing bits of misinformation, which will drive me crazy for the next 3, or so, weeks. Bravo! I am now foaming at the mouth. Rest easy, in the knowledge that you have driven a fan to foamy longing. You may now sit at the cool kids table with Brandon Sanderson and Jim Butcher.

Dylan

2/22/2017 08:54:11 pm

Discussing intensifies

Will link

2/23/2017 07:37:54 am

Speaking of which, apparently there's a subreddit for book discussion now! Check it out!

https://www.reddit.com/r/Iteration110Cradle/

Zach

2/25/2017 08:32:57 pm

[Dylan's comments broadcasted in a baritone,reminiscent of an event announcer in a ring].

Shuffles slowly became aware of his surroundings, heavy with sleep. Laying on a cloud will do that--a cloud is a far better place to be than in the uncertain weather above deck.

"Dylan, dear....breakfast!" A pampering voice crooned in through the door, and then Maribel entered. Shuffles immediately snapped awake, and hopped twice, then soared across the room away from Maribel, landing on a support beam furthest from this new threat.

"Dylan, dearie, I brought you biscuits and gravy...come on down, now." Shuffles could smell the sausage gravy, and knew this was a treat. However, she kept calling him Dylan, and at last memory, he was on land with that bastard Calder. Nothing upsets a stomach more than waking up with a strange woman and not knowing how you got there.

...and I'm out of time. Takeaway: Dylan is Shuffles :-)

KangGree

2/22/2017 09:24:44 pm

Won't he have made something, maybe a golem or weapon equivalent to that spear or is he going to abandon the soul smith core?

Will link

2/22/2017 09:56:37 pm

He will make something. He's not abandoning any cores.

Corey link

2/23/2017 06:50:31 am

I dunno, Will, seems like a low probability to me (and suriel's presence ((Who is an amazing plot device by the way))) :P

Anon link

2/23/2017 08:56:15 am

It seems that if he is going to make anything it will be himself. I would speculate that he will use Jade or Lowgold+ senses in his second Iron body forging to give himself a Drudge Body combined with his Blood forged body. That way he will be able to use his own body to forge/soulsmith. Plus whatever else Will imagines for his abilities and development. It would be pretty useful to have a self repairing Drudge that you can't lose and can continue to upgrade. Also, improved maria perception, etc.

Also this might be how he resurrects himself (if he needs to) Lindon as a revenant (remnant, ghost, soul? I read it all really fast I can't quite remember to word) would place one of his cores in his dead repaired drudge body and then bind himself to the body thus returning to life as a low gold with one core that he can re-split... It's ALL up to Will anyway, so we'll just wait to find out.

Adarsh

2/23/2017 03:35:15 pm

Will had stated that Lindon will not be getting a second Iron Body,

Jacob

2/24/2017 03:14:53 am

Hmm...I'm just not thinking of this, but will this involve his river seed at all?

Mick

2/22/2017 09:51:11 pm

As with Soulsmith, I fully expect that this book will be ready when I get to have some holidays (lucky timing around that second book release). Now I'm going to make it interesting and not tell Will when my holidays are but know that they are soon. No pressure.

In the meantime, I'll keep reading the amazing Elder Empire Series. I don't know why I waited so long to read them but I have a strong intent on finishing them quickly.

April

2/23/2017 09:57:58 pm

Unfortunately, finishing Elder Empire quickly is not an option at this time, as Will has chosen a particularly painful torture for those of us who love EE. Read, enjoy, and join us in pestering Will so can finish (somewhat?) quickly.

TIm

2/24/2017 10:50:33 am

Does this mean the the series is not over?

April

2/24/2017 09:07:28 pm

That's correct. We have 2/3 or 4/6 depending on how you want to count it. Will has promised EE is next. We will have to start sending badgers again if that changes.

(That's a threat, Will.)

Tim

2/25/2017 02:40:29 am

Oh no! :(

If he is going to write Elder Empire after Blackflame, then it would mean that the 4th book of Cradle comes out in maybe 12th months, or longer, given that there are 2 more Elder Empire books to be written.

I think I'm going to cry.

Will link

2/26/2017 08:23:20 pm

YOU'RE going to cry?

I keep having this moment of "Man, once I finish this book, I can take a break...oh no, wait, I have to get OKAK done as soon as possible. And Cradle 4. AND I PROMISED MORE TRAVELER'S GATE, WHY DID I DO THAT?"

Nocturniquet

2/22/2017 10:08:17 pm

My wallet is ready.

Canadian Hunting a Moose

2/22/2017 10:10:56 pm

I really hope that this book focuses on Lindon really developing his own sweet style (read path) and learning what he can do with two cores.

Canadian Hunting A Moose

2/22/2017 10:19:26 pm

Since Lindon has two cores does that mean he'd be able to forge his body twice? He only reached iron with one core so far. Also, would he be able to bond with two different remnants when he goes from jade to gold twice?

David W

2/22/2017 11:30:49 pm

Maybe he's started mitosis. He has already divided his core, next his body. In another 1 or two years maybe there will be a small army of lindons running around.

Canadian wearing a dead moose

2/23/2017 12:07:10 am

Har dee har har. Got us a real funny man here folks.

Will link

2/26/2017 08:23:57 pm

Book 4: Lindons

Corey link

2/23/2017 06:48:37 am

I said this to another comment, but will write it here too ^_^ There is the possibility that he doesn't get a second Iron transition. We were shown Lindon transitioning one core to copper, which was it's own little event, but when he brought his second core to copper, it didn't mention anything special about it. Nothing like "almost died because I was vulnerable while transitioning again to copper".

Plus with his body already at Iron level, I'm not sure what else it would do. I'd be inclined to believe maybe it would still do the healing thing, but as for becoming an even better Iron body, I have no idea.

I did have some thoughts on his iron body in general in case you'd like to read it ^_^

https://www.reddit.com/r/Iteration110Cradle/comments/5vqnu7/the_significance_of_lindons_iron_body/

Canadian on a Moose skull throne

2/23/2017 07:28:41 am

Thank you for your input on the matter. I was thinking that already having an Iron body would likely hamper a second refinement of a different kind but since he did a flawless bloodforged body the first time I was contemplating whether it would be further improved by his second core advancing (much like a metal being refined multiple times). My more interesting thought was whether he would be able to bond multiple Remnants (one per core) or if he would be limited to one.

Azqa

2/23/2017 09:08:31 am

I can't find it in previous comments offhand, but I believe Will has said that even with two cores, Lindon can only have one Iron body.

Captain Nemo

2/26/2017 11:54:30 am

I can't find Will's specific response either (in fact, I didn't care to even start looking through the three billion comments to find it), but Azqa and Ardash are right.
I believe Will essentially said that he only has one body, so he only gets one transformation to Iron. His weaker core will have to advance to Iron for him to progress that core, but he won't go through another body transformation.

Will link

2/26/2017 08:25:18 pm

I, too, would not dig through that many comments if there was gold buried at the bottom, but I can personally confirm that he will not get more than one Iron body.

If I had decided to go that route, he wouldn't have any other powers. He would just be the Iron body guy.

...which would honestly be kind of cool. Why didn't I do that?

Daniel

3/7/2017 03:31:11 pm

Perhaps you did not do that because that would basically end with him being a super man type hero and de emphasize the whole magic powers shtick you seem to be angling towards in this series?

Lycan

2/22/2017 11:02:42 pm

Take my money!!!!

Sean K

2/23/2017 12:22:12 am

What is the turnaround time for when you are completely done with the book, and us being able to read it on Amazon? Lucky for us we don't have to wait on stupid things like printing before getting our book!

Just curious as I know the printing process normally adds like 3 months to the timeline of the book release.

Will link

2/23/2017 07:39:23 am

Turnaround time from COMPLETELY done to you being able to read it: about two hours.

Sean K

2/23/2017 12:58:00 pm

OMG that is amazing!! you sir, deserve a gold medal in awesomness!

The Entire Mongolian Empire

2/24/2017 05:24:01 am

That is astounding. Technology never ceases to amaze me.

Mariano

2/23/2017 01:48:10 am

I am so excited!!!!! You can only re read a book so many times before you get cranky that the next one is not here yet. Ask Patrick Rothfuss or Kel Kade!

Peter

2/26/2017 02:13:47 pm

So ready for the next book in King's dark tidings I hope it comes soon

Paden Woodruff

2/23/2017 03:06:08 am

!!! so excited !!!

Will do you by chance have ETAs on audible versions of Unsouled and Soulsmith?

Will link

2/26/2017 08:27:18 pm

I'm honestly not sure what I'm going to do with the Cradle audio rights. I wasn't intending to ever do an audiobook or a paperback version, because I expected Cradle to be the smallest of my series.

What a fool I was, eight months ago.

So now I don't know what I'm going to do with the Cradle audio. Something, though. Something.

Mark

2/23/2017 03:46:18 am

Which rank did the antagonist of the 1st book have?
I'm referring to the one, who was summoned during the tournament.

Will link

2/26/2017 08:27:47 pm

It has not been revealed!

But roughly on par with the Sword Sage.

Brandon C

3/2/2017 11:11:01 pm

Hold! If he was on par with the sword sage, and Suriel said he had grown past [Cradle], does that mean that the sword sage was ready to leave Cradle? And if that's the case, would Northstrider or the other people Suriel showed Lindon be closer to the Sword Sage's level?

Will link

3/7/2017 08:52:59 am

There are other ways to leave Cradle besides reaching the apex of the magic system.

Tim

2/23/2017 03:47:14 am

Will, how many pages does the draft of the 3rd book have?

Will link

2/23/2017 07:38:48 am

About 200 in Word pages, but that means nothing. It will change drastically from format to format.

Tim

2/23/2017 08:09:51 am

Then i should rather ask for the approx number of words.
This wouldn't change, no matter which format one is using.

Will link

2/26/2017 08:28:36 pm

About 90,000 words at the moment, similar to Unsouled and Soulsmith.

Tomorrow morning I'm about to dive into some pretty drastic edits, though, so that might shrink slightly or expand significantly.

Yosef

2/23/2017 04:15:06 am

Lindon needed a perfect iron body if he wanted to move past low gold, so he got the bloodforged body when he level uped one core. But does he need to go through another perfect iron body ceremony when he upgrades his other core from copper to iron? if he does will he be able to as he already has the bloodforged body? or because his body is a perfect iron then his second core will progress with out extra fuss? also having two cores reaching iron will that make his body even more useful?

Yosef

2/23/2017 04:27:21 am

Plus knowing that one of the cores will take in the sylvan riverseed (I'm guessing making that core lowgold) which will give him water madra and whatever else the label was going to say that we didn't get to read. Is there something like a sylvan lavaseed which could give power over fire madra or a sylvan stormseed that gives power over air and lightning madra. either one would be cool and if so does he get one these for his other core?

Corey link

2/23/2017 06:39:54 am

The question there becomes, will he lose his access to pure madra, if these pure madra sylvans cause him to taken in different madra? Lindon's situation is so unique with so much potential just because he's able to work with pure madra.

Making the coins that can expand his own power is awesome. Imagine introducing that to his village. Any unsouled (or possibly others) might be brought up only on pure madra, helped along with elixers too, so that they can make these coins to better themselves and the children. Helping people advance to copper and iron easily, without the need for expensive elixers or the spirit fruit.

Corey link

2/23/2017 06:36:08 am

That definitely seems to be what's implied! I find it fascinating that we are shown a taste of what 'normal' people do to get higher in the ranks, which is immediately flipped on it's head when we realise the implications of Lindon's duel core. He will most likely get to harvest two Remnants into his core.

There is the possibility that he doesn't get a second Iron transition though. We were shown Lindon transitioning to one core to copper, which was it's own little event, but when he brought his second core to copper, it didn't mention anything special about it. Nothing like "almost died because I was vulnerable while transitioning again to copper".

I did have some thoughts about his iron body in general though if you would like to read them on the Cradle reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Iteration110Cradle/comments/5vqnu7/the_significance_of_lindons_iron_body/?utm_content=title&utm_medium=front&utm_source=reddit&utm_name=Iteration110Cradle

Jeff

2/23/2017 11:46:10 am

Will stated previously that bringing the 2nd core to Iron will not change the body. It will only change the density and quality of the madra.

chad

2/23/2017 07:38:54 am

I've skimmed this site but obviously not enough. What series is Blackflame a part of?

Canadian riding a moose

2/23/2017 08:21:55 am

It's part of the cradle series. Starts with unsouled, next is soulsmith and blackflame is book 3.

Tim

2/23/2017 08:27:08 am

It is a western xianxia series called Cradle, which is the name of the planet
(Spoiler)

the people are using, who protect the planets of the universe, if i remember correctly.
As the name suggests, these people don't think highly of it, given that the cultivators, who inhabit this planet,are weaker in comparison to the ones of the other worlds.

Rhys

2/23/2017 11:18:00 am

Not quite true. It's called cradle as it is the best place for cultivators to grow powerful. The most powerful cultivators on cradle are far more powerful than the top level players we have seen in wills other worlds. i.e. simon is a bit stronger than Yerin but not much, while the Aurelian emporer is somewhere around the level of the blackflame emporer.

Mark

2/23/2017 08:43:21 am

Will, how much money do you get per read page, when one is using kindle unlimited.

Sean K

2/23/2017 01:13:43 pm

He gets about $2 per book, so 2/(# of pages) dollars.

Gunslinger

2/23/2017 01:14:20 pm

I want this book like Lindon wants treasures. Also that last line. You're such a tease.

Isaac Xander

2/23/2017 10:22:49 pm

Would the end of February be a reasonable estimate on when it will be available? First week of March? Second week?

Karlsin

2/23/2017 10:37:54 pm

Any chance for a 48 hour warning before the next one comes out to give us a chance to do a re-read of the previous 2?

Will link

2/26/2017 08:29:25 pm

Oh yeah, you'll get plenty of warning.

Nugaty_overlord

2/26/2017 09:04:10 pm

This is both great and immeasurably disheartening. i keep hoping to wake up and the book is out, now I fear it won't be out for a few weeks. I have no clue what I'm going to do with myself.

Will link

2/27/2017 06:21:12 am

I, too, keep waking up and hoping I have finished the book in my sleep.

Alas.

Mark

2/24/2017 12:04:46 am

Will, you should create a page on patreon.
With the fan base you have established you should get, at least, a few hundreds a month, and that is without any rewards.
If you were to come up with a few good ones, it could go over a thousand.
Given that it would not even take an hour of your time to create a page, it should be worthwhile, no matter how much you get.

Will link

2/26/2017 08:33:47 pm

I'm not sure how I feel about that, ethically. I guess it would be fine?

My main thing is, I'm creating a product that I hope to sell to you. But now I'm...asking you to pay me to create a product to sell to you? That feels sketchy.

The only Patreons (and Patreon-esque programs) I contribute to are for content that is normally free, like FilmCow and Erfworld. I know they get ad revenue, but I want to support them, and I don't have any other way to vote with my wallet.

Honestly, now that I'm thinking about it, you're probably right. I think I'm just uncomfortable with it because of my own issues.

It's not like I would be bilking people out of their money, or getting it under false pretenses. If you just want to read the books when they come out like normal, you can! If you want to support me further, you can do that too!

TL;DR - Good point, I'd never thought of that.

Nugaty_overlord

2/26/2017 09:00:11 pm

If you made a page for donations, and say, had a reward like an arc, or beta readership or something, name as a character, id spend 100 on an arc. Beta would probably be the top tier, and you'd have to interview along with it, but that's something I'd be interested in, and I'm sure many other people would too.

Will link

2/27/2017 06:20:44 am

In order to offer ARCs, I'd have to significantly change the way I write and release.

Right now, whenever I'm completely done with a book, I release it. Immediately.

Publishers can release ARCs because they have the book completely finished months before it goes to print, so they just print a handful of copies early for promotion and reviews.

I'd love to be able to offer that as a prize, but it would mean delaying the release for everyone else.

On the OTHER hand, I've already been trying to get a book ahead of my release schedule. Working from book to book causes certain problems, so I'd like to have one book finished ahead of schedule. If I could get that underway, then I WOULD have the ability to release an ARC...

And I would also have more time for beta reading, and thus more room for a beta reader contest thing. It's a thought.

Polycore

3/4/2017 03:57:53 pm

Hey Will,

Just wanted to let you know that I think it's a great idea too. I share a kindle account with some family members and I feel like you should get a little bit more for all the content you provide us. A patreon would also enable people in my situation to compensate a little bit!

By the way, I was wondering about the Traveler's gate world: are the territories worlds that were destroyed but somehow got anchored to the main planet in a stable manner? (without the fusion that would eventually destroy both worlds)

Anyway, thanks for your books, they are awesome!

Jim

2/24/2017 05:11:11 am

In the Epilogue of the 2nd book was Yerin's problem with her blood remnant mentioned.
I thought she absorbed it at the end of book 1, which made it possible to reach Lowgold.
Can someone tell me what i overlooked?

The Entire Population of Texas

2/24/2017 05:30:39 am

The remnant that Yerin absorbed was the remnant of the her old master, the Sword Sage if I remember his name correctly. The blood remnant is something different. What it exactly is is unknown, but apparently it will eventually consume Yerin if she can't control it.

John

2/24/2017 07:35:33 am

Maybe, many years from now, it will consume her and want revenge on the Sacred Valley. With the power it would have, it could destroy the Valley utterly.

Tom

2/24/2017 06:09:09 am

Would have Yerin beaten Li Markuth the way she is at the end of book 2.

Greg

2/24/2017 08:42:41 am

No, almost certainly not. Li Markuth was powerful enough to move beyond Cradle and said Gold was wholly insufficient to describe his power level. Yerin was still only Lowgold.

Tom

2/24/2017 08:49:42 am

What i wonder is how a 'mere' gold, no matter which stage, is able to travel through space.
Even more, how does he even know the organisation, which Suriel is part of. This information should be way above his status.
I hope Will is going to answer these questions in future books.

Greg

2/24/2017 08:52:51 am

@Tom he's not a mere gold. I'd bet that he's at least on a level with just about any being on Cradle.

Tom

2/24/2017 09:26:47 am

Are you sure?
I just reread it yesterday, and I'm sure he said it himself that he was gold.

Greg

2/24/2017 09:45:14 am

Yup:

"A gold badge, etched with a scepter.

The Grand Patriarch took it, chucking. "I had forgotten this custom. Are there any other sacred artists of the Gold stage currently in Sacred Valley?"

"Not to this one's poor knowledge, Grand Patriarch."

"Then it will do." The Grand Patriarch slipped the shadesilk ribbon over his own neck, then lifted the badge so he could examine it. "If there were, I would have had you craft something more valuable. Gold is entirely deficient to describe the current state of my advancement.""

Tom

2/24/2017 09:53:06 am

Ah, seems like i didn'T pay attention.
Thank you!

Sean K

2/24/2017 10:34:09 am

Will mentioned in a previous blog that Li Markuth was rough around the Sage Level and that he somehow left Cradle before reaching the high of Cradle Advancement somehow. He didn't say "Sage" level, but that he was two steps above Underlord, and he mentioned in other places that Sage is two steps above Underlord.

nitin

2/24/2017 07:01:53 am

Dumb question but does Lindon still not suffer from "weak spirit" problem? I mean he is advancing and all but how is that affecting his madra quantity?

Greg

2/24/2017 08:50:25 am

In Soulsmith, during an Eithan POV we were told that the quantity of Lindon's madra is relatively low for his age but the quality was high. My takeaway from that sequence was Eithan's assessment was contextualized within the Blackflame Empire (so it's lacking in comparison to Jades or Lowgolds), and that his weak spirit isn't actually weak anymore. Remember that in Unsouled, Yerin said that outside Sacred Valley being "unsouled" is a concept that doesn't really exist. Lindon's "weak spirit" affected the starting point, but I think has no bearing on where he actually is now.

Sean K

2/24/2017 10:35:49 am

Between the ancestral Orus fruit he had in the beginning and the Star Lotus pedal he got at the end of Unsouled, he has basically healed the deficiency.

Darryl

2/24/2017 09:28:06 am

Am I the only one that foresees Lindon getting Yerins "little friend" and being able to control blood Madra? At that point he could easily win the duel thanks to being able to stop/absorb/whatever the hell he wants to his opponents blood before getting in reach of the spear or any technique he may use. Pair that with his other core of pure and add in the river seed as a pet/companion that can help out or possibly use as a remnant for his secondary core which would probably end up keeping it pure since that is all the river seed feeds on.

Sean K

2/24/2017 10:36:31 am

I don't think Lindon will get it. Yerin will need it to keep up with him :P

Max

2/24/2017 11:29:18 am

In book 2, i think, Yerin said that rich families can bring their babies,maybe children, up to Jade, by using only 2 and a half pills.
Wouldn't this ruin their future.
We learned after all that to get a perfect iron body you don't simply raise your madra, but have to use a special method, often torturous ones , depending what kind of body you want.

Lindon took the poison of a sandviper, Yerin had to go into a pool of black water that smelled like fire , or something like that, Jai Sen had to have almost all of his bones broken, and Ethan, of cource, had only to catch birds, that lucker.

Can a pill really be a substitute for it?

Azqa

2/24/2017 12:06:59 pm

My impression that was a perfect Iron body was required to advance past Gold, and that it would make advancing to the upper Gold stages easier, but that it wasn't required and wasn't considered by most sacred artists who weren't going to try to ascend to that level.

Adarsh

2/24/2017 03:14:44 pm

You know, I bet that Ethan actually had to do something ridiculous like capture 5-ton Roc's or maybe catch a flaming phoenix with his bare hands. Theres no way a perfect Iron body can be obtained so easily.

Will link

2/26/2017 08:40:19 pm

This is one of those weird comment threads in which you're all saying different things, but everyone is right.

@Max: Under normal circumstances, you're right. This would be a method that just gives them a regular Iron body, which isn't great if you're trying to compete with your peers. But a wealthy heiress might not care, she just needs to have a minimum advancement level for social reasons.

That said, there are some REALLY good pills. If you had a pill made from crystallized dragon's flame and powdered unicorn horn, or something, it might start a process of reforging you into a perfect Iron body.

@Azqa: Yep, you're right. See above, re: if you're not trying to compete in the advancement race, so to speak, and you just want enough strength to do your job and defend yourself, you might not want to go through the risk/pain/expense of attempting to create a perfect Iron body.

@Adarsh: That does seem to be the case, doesn't it?

Mathew

2/25/2017 02:50:21 am

I'M quite curious how Lindon's father would react, if he were to discover that he was never a genius to begin with.
Would this knowledge be more devastating or could he easier let go of the past.
Isn't he so miserable, because he thinks that without his injury he could have become someone great, accomplished many great deeds.
But by knowing the standard of the rest of the world, he would be aware that the strongest he could have gotten, would be the strength of children of teenagers.

What is your opinion?

Mathew

2/25/2017 02:53:52 am

I know that it'S unlikely he ever gets to know it, given that he probably is going to be dead, when Lindon is coming home, as the epilogue of the 1st book is strongly implying it.

Poshui

2/25/2017 08:19:38 am

Not only is it likely the clan will be destroyed as uou are referencing but in Lindons view of fate his dad runs away and it seems dies trying to advance. This seems to happen with in 15 years from the 7 year festival being shortly after his sister becomes jade before she is 30.

That being said Lindon is a walking disruption of fate. All of the events shown to him will change by one degree or another based on the things he changed. That being said it could be that in the war with heavens glory the wei clan is forced to advance. This could end up with Lindon coming back to find a clan of gold level sacred artists ruling the valley.

Will link

2/26/2017 08:41:06 pm

^
This guy gets it.

Will link

2/26/2017 08:43:17 pm

Also, Mathew, you've raised a good question. Lindon's father would be devastated at the knowledge of how far behind they are in Sacred Valley, and would resist the truth as long as possible.

See, he KNOWS that the world outside the Valley is more dangerous, and therefore the people there must be more advanced. But he's picturing a wily, skilled Jade.

If he learned that Lowgolds outside were more common than Irons in Sacred Valley, he would feel like he'd wasted his life.

The creepy guy In your basement

2/25/2017 07:14:44 pm

About how many more days til blackflame I want some time frame to stop me form going f**king insane

Will link

2/26/2017 08:43:36 pm

Me too, Creepy Guy. Me too.

The creepy guy in your basement

2/27/2017 11:14:05 am

If you don't give me a time frame I may have to come upstairs

Dustin

2/28/2017 07:07:28 pm

Well, Will said he just began some serious editing, so realistically any time frame that he said would just be a lie to make you feel better. It'll be done when it's ready.

Firemonkey has a match

3/1/2017 01:38:41 pm

So... ya I would love for it to be out in the next 2 weeks, but honestly I have very few problems waiting for the book if that means it isnt garbage due to grammar slaughter.

Rather take longer and be good than rush it and read like almost all of these recent web series people have been throwing up on amazon lately that read like a lesson in basic auto correct does and don'ts.

Until its released I shall content myself with dying horribly in Killing floor 2 for hours on the end.

Dustin

3/1/2017 04:23:12 pm

I didn't say I didn't have a problem waiting. I certainly have a problem. I want to read it right now. But I agree with you that the wait is worth it when the end result doesn't look like something I wrote in 7th grade.

Will link

3/7/2017 09:01:50 am

>grammar slaughter

My first drafts are pretty clean. Even if I released something without a lick of polish, it wouldn't be too bad grammar- or punctuation-wise.

For instance, I don't edit these comments at all, but they're usually clean. Barring the occasional typo.

Here are the sorts of errors I catch in line edits:
--Inconsistencies (eye color, references to earlier drafts, using the wrong name for a character)
--Repeated words ("He couldn't FACE his sister's crying FACE without losing FACE, so he slapped himself in the FACE.")
--Out-of-character actions (Yerin runs from a fight due to cowardice, Shera bursts into tears, Simon kicks a puppy.)

Tim

2/26/2017 08:07:47 am

Which names do you come up for future ranks?
I refer to the major class( Gold, Lord), and not the subclass names(LOWgold, UNDERlord)
There should be 11 ranks.

Will posted at sometime, that Swordsage was 2 ranks above underlord, while the strongest(Northstrider, Eight-man Empire..) were 5

Will link

2/26/2017 08:45:13 pm

Is 11 the amount I said? I don't remember.

Let's see...

Copper
Iron
Jade
Lowgold
Highgold
Truegold
Underlord
Overlord
Archlord
???
Nice Try
Can't Tell You

...so yeah, at least 11, maybe 12.

Patrick

2/27/2017 06:56:33 am

Quick question for Will or if he's said it before to anyone who would know: will there always be 3 sub-ranks to an overall advancement level (i.e. low, high, true for gold, or under,over,arch for lord) or does that just happen to be the case for the advancement levels we've seen so far?

Also if that is the case and the Sword Sage/Li Markuth are two levels above Underlord, I take it that means two advancement levels, not the sub-ranks?

Tim

2/27/2017 07:01:54 am

This is an extract of one of your posts:
"...
The Sword Sage and Li Markuth are both roughly two stages above Underlord.

The three entities listed by Suriel as the top of the Cradle food chain are FIVE stages above Underlord..."

Isaac Xander

3/4/2017 12:13:07 pm

So, if the "three stages to a realm" file holds true, (at least outside of Sacred Valley) would the copper, iron, and Jade stages be considered part of the foundation realm? I know in Sacred Valley foundation is a stage in its own right, but with people outside being comparatvely op I get the feeling that the first recognized stage would be copper.

Isaac Xander

3/4/2017 12:30:52 pm

So it would be
Foundation - Copper, Iron, Jade
Gold - Lowgold, Highgold, Truegold
Lord - Underlord, Overlord, Archlord
----------
----------
Sage - Master, Grandmaster, Sage
Royalty - Duke, Prince, King
(Last two are my own ideas/suggestions)

Tim

2/27/2017 07:05:44 am

Will, which book are you going to write after you have taken your break from Backflame?
4th of Cradle, Elder Emp., or Trav. Gate?

Tim

2/27/2017 07:06:55 am

Will, which book are you going to write after you have taken your break from Backflame?
4th of Cradle, Elder Emp., or Trav. Gate?

Tim

2/27/2017 07:28:16 am

Sry for double post.
Couldn't post the first time, which is why i clicked another time on sending.
Didn't expect, both to have been sent, now, though.
Can you delete the first one?

David

2/27/2017 11:07:41 am

I honestly hope its the 4th Cradle. This stuff is like heroin to me. I check this website everyday. I've got a problem.

Tim

2/27/2017 01:28:13 pm

I know how you feel.
It was a good choice of Will to write Cradle.
The fanbase for xianxia's is currently huge.
By writing a 'western' xianxia, which has a ridiculous low supply, having a big fan base is already inevitable.
So when someone wants to read a western one one HAS to read Will Wight's work, which is good for him, but bad for us, as we don't have anyone else to turn to.
I know that there a many on royalroadl, but I'm not counting them, as these are written by authors, who are just beginning to write,
Will on the other hand has more experience, which is noticable when one compares the quality of the writing style.

Paden

2/27/2017 08:29:43 pm

Preach.

Will link

3/7/2017 09:05:48 am

Turns out it was a good idea, Tim, which I recognize in hindsight.

But unfortunately I can't take credit for it. I was just reading a lot of xianxia and I thought "Man, I'd love to write one of these."

So I did. I didn't expect it to catch on at all.

In retrospect, it seems obvious: I'm tapping into a large, hungry audience. For some reason, I didn't see it coming.

Max

2/27/2017 08:36:14 am

Did you already get feedback from a few of your friends for Blackflame?

Cradle Addict Dave

2/27/2017 08:41:29 pm

I really hope that "And then Lindon died of a heart attack" is not the last line of the book. That would be way too much of a cliffhanger. I know that the amount complete: "Lies" and the line itself suggest that it is just a tease but some part of me worries that it could be true.
If it twas true, thy'n eyes and skin would turn green and chaos would ensure..

The Vengeful Lightsyde link

2/28/2017 10:24:12 am

Will, how dare you try to distract us away from your blog. How naive.

kaden

2/28/2017 09:00:43 pm

preach

Paden

3/1/2017 02:00:52 pm

so i'm pretty sure i didn't write this but i had a similar entry earlier. is there really someone else here whose name is one letter off mine that had the same thought or did i double entry this and misspell my name? am i being gaslighted? gaslit? whatever the past tense of gaslight is? has spamming refresh on will's website finally driven me over the edge into crazy town?

Armada of raccoons and other woodland creatures that have been assimilated into their empire

3/1/2017 05:34:16 am

We must not fooled by this attempt to buy more time. No matter how tempting it is to read through the WoWs....

Aaron J.E.

2/28/2017 09:27:33 pm

My constant refreshes are probably hurting my computer somehow. I'll wait as long as it takes, but I sure will grumble the entire way ^.^

Ruan

3/1/2017 08:28:51 am

Soon: Copyright 2016-2017 Will Wight. All rights reserved. "Soon" does not imply any particular date, time, decade, century, or millennia in the past, present, and certainly not the future. "Soon" shall make no contract or warranty between Will Wight and the end user. "Soon" will arrive some day, Will Wight does guarantee that "soon" will be here before the end of time. Maybe. Do not make plans based on "soon" as Will Wight will not be liable for any misuse, use, or even casual glancing at "soon."

"Very Soon" is guaranteed to arrive between now and the end of time with a higher chance of arriving on the "now" half of the time table. Although this means closer to now than "soon" there is no guarantee that you will live long enough to see the content finally release.

Now ←-------------- Very Soon -------- Soon -------- Soon-ish --------→ End of Time

-Adapted from Blizzard's definition of soon.

Anyways I continue to casually check the blog daily in the hopes that soon will be today. Love the books, keep it up!

Will link

3/7/2017 09:06:46 am

I'm going to adopt Valve's definition of "soon."

Cradle 3 will become my Half-Life 3.

Kobin Bingham

3/7/2017 09:25:10 am

Have you read this wonderful book called Misery? It touches briefly on what can happen to authors who neglect their fans. :P

Ruan

3/7/2017 11:29:04 am

You monster

Ron

3/2/2017 03:44:23 am

Question regarding the youth of the Sandvipers, whose transition to iron we witnessed. Did he get a "perfect iron body"?
I would think it would take more than few drops of the venom of the sandviper, though less than the gigantic amount Lindon took.

The

3/2/2017 05:38:00 am

I believe that it is a perfect Iron body, simply a very weak one. Most perfect iron bodies require a significant amount of pain to create, but as we saw, the sandviper didn't even cry out. There version of the iron body is probably watered down

tievel1

3/2/2017 06:17:23 am

Keep in mind that the Sandvipers are a weak Sect on the outskirts of civilization. It's very possible that they are in fact doing it wrong.

Asterion

3/3/2017 02:00:21 am

Also, according to Eithan it is very rare for someone to even become an Underlord. This is why he is looking for exceptional people to explore the Sacred Arts. It is mentioned in that scene (or somewhere) that Kral had received a lot more venom, but it is also implied that even he did not have as much as Lindon. Kral was Highgold with a shot at becoming Truegold (although Eithan suggested that if he made it there he definitely wasn't making it any further). I think it can be surmised that through Eithan's ignorance (which is perhaps feigned) of the exact procedure and dosage of the venom and Lindon's willpower that they have created the truest Bloodforged body to be found.

George

3/2/2017 08:01:59 am

Sorry for the stupid question, but if Will writes that the rank Sage is 2 steps above underlord.
Does this mean
1) Underlord 2) Underlord
(unknown rank) (unknown rank)
(unknown rank) or Sage
Sage

Brian C

3/2/2017 11:52:28 am

I believe what he means is Sage is 2 realms above the -Lord realm. So it would go: Lord realm with the Under-, Over- and Arch- the different levels in the Lord realm and then 2 yet to be determined realms before you reach the Sage realm. Keep in mind this is my take on the WOW (Word of Will).

Sean K

3/2/2017 02:49:36 pm

So, um Will. Got any more of dem, spoilers? Maybe a sample chapta for ya buddies? May the big hit itself? I'll pay, I gots dem cash if you gots de goods!

Pondering Dave

3/2/2017 06:23:30 pm

I wonder if Will reads our comments in this blog and reddit to see our theories on the next book and then just changes it based on what we said to mess with us or just make sure he surprises us?

Paranoia?? maybe.. but its a thought.

Will link

3/7/2017 09:10:27 am

I actually have a comment on the subreddit where I respond to this!

Basically: I do sometimes change my mind based on what readers suggest, but it's never direct. I can't remember anyone ever suggesting a story idea that I hadn't already considered.

However, maybe hearing it from someone else will make it sound better or worse, so I might reconsider.

Hearing theories doesn't give me new ideas, because by definition you guys are working with incomplete information. What it DOES do is help me stay in touch with how readers are thinking about/engaging with the books.

And THAT is very valuable. Losing touch with readers is how you end up with a story going way off-the-rails crazy.

Andrew

3/3/2017 01:30:10 am

Doesn't Lindon forget a rather simpler solution for rescuing his family.
He certainly does not have to beat the dreadgod.
He simply needs to be strong enough to protect his family, while traveling to the Ninecloud court, given that the queen is after all strong enough to beat it.
I think Sage should be enough, or a bit higher for his family not to get hurt during the travel.

john

3/3/2017 05:42:08 am

You assume his family would believe him and that he is only worried about his family and is ok with everyone else where he grew up dying.

Swarm of Raccoons driving a car

3/3/2017 05:49:48 am

But what if the queen of the ninecloud court simply doesn't care about the sacred valley? Besides, aren't there four dreadgods? The queen might end up needing to deal with the others.

Andrew

3/3/2017 06:24:16 am

Swarm of Raccoons driving a car, I didn't write that he should ask the queen for help, but simply bring his family to her country, when he is strong enough to protect them during that travel, of cource.
If the Dreadgod comes to the Ninecloud Country, then the queen has to deal with it, which she will do not,because of Lindon, who she probably won't even know, but because to protect her country.

Lindon shouldn't have any attachments to the sacred valley, or almost none, so he shouldn't grieve much for it, if it's destroyed, as long as his family is safe.

As for you, john, you have a point. That might be a problem. Furthermore, what I didn't consider is their honor, which is very important to them, and leaving while knowing that everyone else is going to die might they consider as dishonorable.

Sean K

3/4/2017 06:26:59 am

Do remember, Suriel said that if Lindon tried to travel to the Nine Cloud Court as he was in book one, he would die One Million out of one million times as a dead certainty. Plus Lindon WANTS to become strong for his own sake.

StansPlan

3/3/2017 02:37:17 pm

You're assuming the distance to the ninecloud court is travelable. Someone in the subreddit did the math and to go from sacred valley to Nine cloud court would be roughly walking the circumference of earth 70 times. He would not only need to ultra strong ( read underlord at least) but he would need a means to travel a group of people over that distance relatively quick. If it will take 30 years for the dreadgod to appear, why not just train and get strong enough to take it out given you have that much time. It will only help lindon in the future if his goal is to leave Cradle.

Will link

3/7/2017 09:11:57 am

So the subreddit math wasn't entirely right, because Suriel was taking factors other than distance into account.

However, it's still like walking the circumference of the Earth let's say...50 times. Something like that; I'd have to check my chart.

Cradle's big.

Jordan

3/3/2017 08:28:48 pm

Ok Mr. Wight Ima need you to finish up this book and probably like the next 3-4 of them asap.. k thanks..

Jim

3/4/2017 10:16:15 am

I read that Will intends to write another Traveler's Gate book.
Is this a direct sequel of the 1st series, or does it take place far in the future.
I'm currently reading the series, and am now worrying, if will end on a cliffhanger.

James

3/5/2017 09:21:37 am

Hey Jim, since no one has responded to you yet I'll take a crack at it. No spoilers involved. The Traveler's Gate trilogy has a satisfying ending so that you're not left with a cliffhanger, at least from what I can remember anyway. However Will felt the pressure from so many of his readers to write another book because we want more Simon. It's like cowbell, can never get enough cowbell.

So when you finish the trilogy you'll be satisfied in a way, but not because you'll need more cowbell, I mean Simon.

Will link

3/7/2017 09:13:20 am

I agree with James.

I certainly wouldn't call the ending of City of Light a cliffhanger at all. It's a trilogy, and it ends. The main story is over, the journey of the main three characters is wrapped up, and the primary conflict is resolved.

But there is still room for more stories in the world!

Ferone

3/4/2017 01:57:05 pm

Hi, bit late to rthe scene jere.

One thing i'd first thought of when i read what the blood forged body did was 'oh cool, epic training time.' Which seems pretty definite asince he shrugged off a getting a gapimg hole in his body. Broken limbs from tortuous overtraining? Not a problem with lindons new and imroved bloodforged body. Got thrown into a pit filled with poisonous snakes againby your douchey underlord teacher? No worries, with lindons new bloodforged body you'll be read for round 2 in no time at all. Beaten to the point of becoming a cripple by your swordmaster friend/ potential-non-potential (hopefully will be, rooting for you my otp) love interest? Don't sweat it, with lindons new maximum level bloodforged iron body you can keep peeping (or in lindons caee listening) when she's bathing.

So yeah, loving the low-key op body that lets him keep on coming. I'm so excited!

Ferone

3/4/2017 01:58:31 pm

Sorry for the spelling errors... typing on phone without prediction... go figure

Finbar

3/4/2017 03:27:09 pm

The downside is that he uses madra whenever he gets hurt, so a large number of small wounds that wouldn't bother someone else much could drain him quite a lot.

Riley

3/4/2017 03:50:06 pm

But as he advances, I'm guessing he'll gain control over the activation of that ability. I see his body as a pure boon, and like many others have said, it will likely make further advancement easier because he can heal from anything. We've also seen that considering how brutal the advancement to Iron was, Lindon is able to ignore other pain he experiences (even an attack from a Highgold).

Ferones evil twin

3/5/2017 02:41:35 am

Exactly, he can take all the punishment you can dish out and then, with some R&R, he'll be right back up again. So good for training montages, and for grudge matches/ revenge fights.

Crying Knight

3/6/2017 12:49:33 pm

It appears risk and perceived threat affect how quickly you advance in the sacred arts. Once Lindon internalizes how difficult he is to really harm he's going to need some truly epic training bouts.

Will link

3/7/2017 09:13:52 am

I think you're going to enjoy Blackflame.

Riley

3/7/2017 08:18:59 pm

There's only one way for us to know for sure... ;) ;) wink wink

Ferones not so evil twin

3/10/2017 09:36:32 am

I think so too, or... atleast i hope so
*ominous mysic plays in background*

Hmm

3/5/2017 05:44:24 am

Usually in Xianxia novels, the longer the series goes on the higher do the standards become.
Right now the Sword Sage is regarded as very strong, maybe strongest in the contry or even on the continent the Mc currently resides.
If he were in the Ninecloud Country, though, would he still be considered strong(not very,though), or would he just be some Mob character.
Is the scale going to be raised that much that there will be dozens of Janitor Sages., who push Ethan fro mthe seat of best janitor in the world.

Nocturniquet

3/5/2017 08:08:53 pm

Will said in response to someone asking if the Blackflame Emperor and the Sword Sage could 2v1 the Nincloud Princess, "they both die to her guards and never get to her".

Lyrian Rastler

3/6/2017 01:37:10 am

Well, that is.................., yeah.....

jonathon

3/6/2017 05:21:04 am

Well, there is a big difference amongst guards.
There are those, who stand in front of the gate, who are rather paid to look dangerous and act as a door opener for certain people, like guests.
For these purposes they don't really need to be strong.
Then, there are at the top the royalguards, of which only the strongest can be part of.
So, if Wil refers to those, then it doesn't say much for the Sage + Emperor to lose against them. But, losing against 'mere' gatekeepers should say much about the general strength of the citizenz of the Ninecloud Country.

Light link

3/6/2017 01:54:20 pm

Was it only the people on your email list that received a copy of the first chapter?

Paden

3/6/2017 03:05:33 pm

What what whattttt? I'm on the email list (I think) and didn't get a copy. So maybe not?

zeussAXIS the drinking

3/6/2017 07:00:31 pm

I didn't realize I was on a bridge until I heard someone shouting this above the babble of the brook below. TROLL! TROLLIE-TROLLER-TROLLLLLL! :-)

Light link

3/6/2017 08:09:43 pm

Lol.

Will link

3/7/2017 08:50:39 am

No, I think most people got the last chapter.

john

3/7/2017 09:10:08 am

Is this a sick joke to torture us further? I got no such chapter.

Will link

3/7/2017 09:14:36 am

Don't worry, it's just a sick joke.

Tim

3/7/2017 09:56:39 am

Why did the Sword sage wait sooo long for Yerin to reach the lowgold rank?
We know that she reached Jade, when she was 7-8 years old, while she is now 14-15.
Seems ridiculous long to me.

Will link

3/7/2017 10:15:25 am

It does, doesn't it?

What a mystery...

Brian S

3/7/2017 03:01:13 pm

I'd assume it had something to do with Yerin rather than the Sage. Might have something to do with her sash thing.

What's more surprising to me than the amount of time it took Yerin to advance is that the Sage didn't just dump her as a failure and find a new, better, less tragic, more promising student. He must have cared for her like a daughter to stick with her and work her through her issues. This suggests to me that Yerin may still have a bit of grieving left to do still.

Family of racooons sneaking into a grocery store to acquire doritos

3/8/2017 05:04:41 am

I suspect that it has more to do with finding the perfect remnant for Yerin more than anything. If merely advancing to iron requires a complex process to make the perfect body, imagine the difficulty in procuring the ideal remnant.

I also suspect that he might have known he would die, and wanted Yerin to have his remnant

Family of raccoons invading a grocery store

3/8/2017 05:07:28 am

A similar scenario might how Jai Long was forced to remain a jade in order to wait for one of the stellar spear elders to die and create the perfect stellar spear remnant. The sword sage may have wanted Yerin to have a remnant of the endless sword.

And yes, it is implied that he also took in Yerin because he had a soft spot for children

Tievel1

3/7/2017 12:01:17 pm

Hey Will, can we get a rough ETA on the book? No need to be too precise, just enough to recalibrate expectations.

Are we looking at a day, week, or month timeframe? Thanks!

Will link

3/7/2017 12:15:03 pm

Not a day.

Tievel1

3/7/2017 12:18:51 pm

Thanks, you evil bastard.

Brian S

3/7/2017 03:02:22 pm

Will is not evil. He's Diabolical.

Zeussaxis the Distracted

3/7/2017 07:46:19 pm

Moratorium on "are we there yet?" questions: it's been less than 6 months since Soulsmith was published. Who here has experienced an author publishing a book more than once a year (in the same series | Sanderson is exempt)?

Family of raccoons collectively driving a motor vehicle

3/8/2017 05:13:24 am

I recall Will writing the Traveler's gates fairly quickly.

Will link

3/8/2017 09:06:51 am

Yeah, but there were about 6-7 months in between Crimson Vault and City of Light.

Attolis Black

3/29/2017 09:08:04 am

Wasn't the Night Angel trilogy published in three months?

Dustin

3/7/2017 10:11:56 pm

Will took the time to take a breather and respond to many comments. This means he's close enough that he feels he can take a breather...or he's slacking off.

Finbar

3/7/2017 11:02:48 pm

Maybe both.

Otarin

3/7/2017 07:43:31 pm

Hey Will, will we get to learn more about Yerin's unwelcome guest in Blackflame?

Will link

3/8/2017 07:53:33 pm

Yes.

the questioner

3/8/2017 07:38:35 am

Will, if Lindon were to fight against the Elders of his clan, would he win with his perfect iron body, or is the strength of a jade cultivator too high, no matter how weak they are.

Will link

3/8/2017 07:53:20 pm

Lindon at the end of Soulsmith *might* be able to beat a Jade from Sacred Valley. It would depend on the situation.

And honestly, a Wei clan Jade would be among the hardest for him to beat, because he'd have to deal with their illusions.

Otarin

3/8/2017 09:15:45 am

Also been wondering how a two person path like the sword of the endless path having only the sage and Yerin as followers of it is supposed to promote the disciple to gold other than the teachers death since you want a remnant in your core that is from your exact same path typically, right? I imagine this is a fairly common thing or at least not unheard of so I wonder how they resolve it, I can't imagine every master is willing to die for their apprentice.

Will link

3/8/2017 07:52:18 pm

It is pretty common, so usually you just look for a compatible Remnant. Which means the Remnant of a different sword Path.

It makes Highgold and Truegold a lot harder, because you have to work the remaining instincts of the Remnant inside you into your fighting style. Even when those instincts belong to a different Path.

Otarin

3/9/2017 03:21:24 pm

Awesome, thanks!

Overweight Rock Climber

3/8/2017 10:37:00 am

I've been watching Legion on Hulu and it make me wonder in a versus battle if the X-man Legion learned how to use his powers who would will, Yerin or Legion?
My bet is on Legion because the guy can teleport buildings with his mind and reshape reality. Of course all of it is on accident so far and he is batshit crazy.

OVERWEIGHT ROCK CLIMBER

3/8/2017 10:46:20 am

typos above: meant who would 'win'

Will link

3/8/2017 07:51:00 pm

Always Legion, because his powers are poorly defined and have no hard limit. Yerin has very clear things that she can and cannot do, whereas Legion might send her back in time or turn her into a sock, because his powers are whatever crap the writer decides would be interesting this week.

Brian S

3/8/2017 03:23:38 pm

Hey Will,

An author by the name of Andrew Rowe is obviously a fan of yours. In his book Sufficiently Advanced Magic he honored the Travelers Gate series with a cameo appearance of someone who appeared to look a great deal like Simon, including the doll. I thought you might find it flattering, and I also thought this would probably make you buy his book, which fortunately for you is actually pretty good.

Oh, and all the rest of you might want to check it out as well while you wait for the next book that Will will almost certainly publish this year. Maybe. Well...lets just go with soon.

Will link

3/8/2017 07:49:45 pm

Thanks for letting me know, Brian!

...but as a matter of fact, I was one of the beta readers for Sufficiently Advanced Magic. I gave him some feedback (probably way, way too much, for which I am slightly embarrassed) and he reciprocated by giving me a cameo.

He also wanted to do some cross-promotion, which would be fun, but I'm always wary of cross-promotion. Even the small amounts of promotion I've done haunt me.

Brian S

3/9/2017 05:04:08 pm

and so my plot to derail you from editing your new book and getting it published quickly by distracting you with another book fails catastrophically.

On to plan B....What was plan B again?

Will.2

3/9/2017 01:23:12 am

Will, the Sword Sage praised the chief of the Heaven Glory school(not sure the name is correct). Does this mean that he has a perfect jade body, or whatever it is called.
Or did he simply mean that his foundation is better than the ones of the other elders?

Will link

3/9/2017 07:18:07 am

The Sword Sage didn't REALLY praise him, he just took it as praise.

To a Sage, the Jades of Sacred Valley were like a bunch of blind monkeys swinging sticks around. He may have said "Nice swing," but he meant that in the context of a bunch of other blind monkeys.

Jigglepowers

6/14/2017 10:47:52 pm

Hey, I was wondering when the fourth book of cradle was coming out cause I've looked it up and nothing shows up. And, why did Simon agree to be the Queens bodyguard. He already had a lot of other things to do? Thank you Will, that is all

David

6/14/2017 11:58:53 pm

So it seems Will and everybody is on this reddit page now instead of the blog. Go here to ask your question.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Iteration110Cradle/

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11/1/2017 05:31:50 am

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