Will Wight, New York Times Best-Selling Author of 'Cradle'
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In which we ramble on.
And by we, I mean me.

Cradle World: The Abidan (Part 1)

3/29/2017

56 Comments

 
(NOTE: Like any information about the future, this is subject to change. I created this system for a different story before writing Unsouled, so if I decide I need to alter how the Abidan work in order to suit the story, I will. Nothing is etched in stone.)

(NOTE II: Return of NOTE - Credit for the idea behind this post goes to Reddan, from the comments! Great idea, Reddan! The Judges are coming soon!)
The Way and the Worlds
Iteration: Any universe that the Abidan recognize as capable of sustaining human existence and living out a complete life-cycle.
      Every Iteration has a destined progression. A world is born, it lives out its existence, and then it quietly dies, breaking into fragments. These fragments float through the void, crashing and combining randomly until they form into a new universe.
       They are called "Iterations" because the thousands of universes currently in existence are thought to be different versions of the same original world or worlds, spun out in different combinations again and again for eternity. Even the Abidan Judges do not know when this cycle began.
    On its own, an Iteration should exist for billions of years, except for a certain underlying requirement: each Iteration is anchored to the Way by sentient consciousness. As long as humans* are around, the world is tethered to the natural law and order of the Way. The fewer humans there are, the looser that connection becomes.
         When humanity dies, the world dissolves.

The Way: The source of order, the Way is a force that spans all of existence. Its presence protects against the destructive and corruptive influence of chaos, and its nature sustains reality.
       An Iteration dying is part of the Way. Death is meant to be the end; this is part of the cosmic order. Only when an Iteration lives too long does it becomes a danger.
      When a world's population drops so low that it weakens the influence of the Way, but not so low that the Iteration breaks into fragments, that is when corruption sets in. Chaos seeps into the world, infecting it, subverting the laws that govern reality.
       At this point, the Abidan can destroy the remaining population, thus removing the Iteration's last hold on existence. But now the world will break into fragments, and those fragments are tinged with chaos. They might crash into other Iterations, infecting them, or combine to create worlds that are corrupted from the very beginning.
      There is only one being capable of erasing a universe from existence entirely, without breaking it down into fragments.
        And he's missing.

The Eledari Pact: An ancient agreement between the original Court of Seven that both increases and restricts the powers of the Abidan.
      Agreements and restrictions are inherently ordered, so this pact is the tool that allows the Abidan to control the power of the Way as they do. There are many rules in the Eledari Pact, but the most relevant one is this: the Abidan cannot use their powers to prevent the natural progression of an Iteration.
      They cannot stop a global war from claiming billions of lives and destroying a planet, unless that war was started by outside forces or by a significant subversion of Fate. Abidan only descend to correct a deviation, though they're granted a certain freedom of action in doing so. This law exists both to preserve the natural balance of existence and to prevent the Abidan from settling down in lesser worlds and ruling like gods.

*(The Abidan definition of "human" is pretty loose, but never too far removed from the humanity we know. When a new Iteration forms that may be able to support life, the Abidan select a new population of human pioneers and send them to inhabit a suitable planet.)
***
Today, some basic terminology to help you understand the cosmos the Abidan are dealing with.

Tomorrow, the world!


Next time: the Hound and the Titan

-Will
56 Comments
Corey link
3/29/2017 05:56:42 pm

When an iteration is formed but there is no human life there yet, how does the Way sustain the iteration? Is there a specfic amount of time that the Abidan have to populate it before the iteration will break down?

Reply
Will link
3/29/2017 06:36:10 pm

There is a certain amount of time! Depends on a lot of factors, including the stability and compatibility of the fragments that combine, which is part of what the Ghosts do: they're trying to ensure that the newborn worlds remain as stable as possible for as long as possible.

Incidentally, most of the "pioneers" that the Abidan drop on a world are not aware of the Abidan or of the full scope of the universe. It would be an experience like thinking you've died, only to see a flash of blue light and to wake up in a field with a bunch of supplies and strangers. This is your life now.

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J
3/30/2017 12:43:46 pm

Please tell me you plan on writing a book or seven following this plot point. That would be so cool, starting up a new civilization in a new universe with different laws of physics and magic systems for the people to figure out. God that would be a fun read....

Will link
3/30/2017 01:32:21 pm

That was the book I wanted to write before House of Blades. I spent so long working on it that I had taken it way too many directions, so I thought, "This is my best idea, but I don't think I'm capable of writing it right now. What is an idea I have that I can DEFINITELY write and finish?"

And that's how House of Blades was born.

Diego link
3/30/2017 10:33:47 pm

I'm going to just put this out there and I don't know if it's just me or if its happening but not large scale enough to affect every corner of the multi-universe you have envisioned.

Wouldn't it actually be beneficial for these world spanning Organizations to encourage most, if not all , worlds to at least be aware of some way of ascending?

I mean heck if I knew how to become an immortal u could bet I'd be at least trying. In my head at least having more immortals around means more people to combat chaos. I mean even if some turn out evil, who wants chaos to destroy everything?

Will link
3/31/2017 06:41:56 am

The thing is, their priority is to let worlds develop naturally.

Cradle is an exception to the norm in that advancement is built into its magic system. In most worlds, you'll be lucky to get one low-ranked Abidan out of it during its entire lifespan.

So in most worlds, it's not possible under normal conditions to ascend.

And here's part of the reason they want these Iterations living healthy, natural, normal lives: the more healthy and ordered the Iterations are, the closer the Way is, and the more powerful the Abidan are.

***

However, they actually HAD plenty of people in the Abidan. As many as they needed.

It was only when Ozriel vanished that they all of a sudden had a personnel problem.

(I'll go into that in Ozriel's section.)

Daniel
3/31/2017 04:12:32 pm

That kind of implies that there was one starting human universe where the way was born if the new iterations don't have enough time to evolve humans normally

Will link
3/31/2017 08:36:12 pm

It does imply that, yeah. However, wherever humans originated, it comes from a time before Abidan were keeping records. The theory is that the original human world already dispersed into fragments.

However, it could be out there somewhere.

There's another theory that says that the Way is like an island, and the void (chaos) is like an ocean. Which means that there could be other islands out there, other multiverses, where the Way emerges from the void and existence is possible.

Therefore, the original human world could simply be separated by chaos that everyone assumes is endless.

...or not. It's speculation.

Havoc
3/29/2017 05:56:48 pm

Great post Will.

Do any iterations have civilizations that exist across multiple planets? Would something like the Star Wars galaxy be more strongly connected to the Way since there is so much sentient life?

Reply
Will link
3/29/2017 06:39:41 pm

Thanks!

And yes, absolutely! Sanctum is one such Iteration, where they have many populated planets and enjoy a strong connection to the Way.

Barring external factors, worlds like that will live until the natural expiration of that universe, so billions of years.

Reply
Adarsh
3/30/2017 09:41:18 am

Which of your books took place on Sanctum?

Will link
3/30/2017 11:35:52 am

None of them, Suriel just mentions it a few times. It's the headquarters of the Abidan.

Devin
3/29/2017 06:02:44 pm

Do the inhabitants of the territories fit the definition of human? The ape from Lirial (whose name escapes me), the Avernus bird-men, the Nye, Marakos/the gnomes from Elysia, the lizard creatures from Naraka Kai kills? Or are those humans who were affected by the time they spent on a fragment drifting through the void?

Reply
Devin
3/29/2017 06:24:01 pm

Follow up. Assuming that the Territories are fragments that haven't fully combined with the Traveler's Gate World, what happens to travelers when the territories do fully combine?

Reply
Will link
3/29/2017 06:33:46 pm

They do count, but not fully. They're either humans who were warped by their time in a fragment or the descendants of humans like that. OR they could be non-humans that achieved sentience and became more human.

Either way, they count, just not as much as a full human would. Just like how Valinhall held together for a long time without humans in it regularly--it was populated by the Nye and a bunch of other sentient beings, but humans are a much better anchor (so to speak).

The Traveler's Gate world, Amalgam, is unique in that it has formed a stable relationship with the fragments "orbiting" it. The Way between the main world and the fragmentary worlds is thin, so their realities tend to bleed together (showing up primarily as natural Gates--randomly occurring portals to a Territory that weren't created by a Traveler).

However, normally when one world bleeds into another, the bleeding gets faster and faster until they collide. Like what happened with Limit and Harrow, the two worlds that Suriel is trying to euthanize.

Amalgam is unique because it has formed an equilibrium with its extra fragments. They're free to exist and grow without accelerating into existential destruction.

Mahfuz
3/29/2017 08:04:03 pm

Do the territory denizens remember their previous worlds? Like do they have oral histories or something?

Will link
3/29/2017 08:12:22 pm

If I remember correctly, the Nye Eldest drops one in House of Blades.

Will link
3/29/2017 08:14:46 pm

Yeah. Chapter 8:

“For generations beyond remembering, Valinhall has been as it is: separate. Alone. Its own world. Legends say that, in a time before, we were more than we are. We had cities, trees, a sun. Like your own world. But that world was broken, this House one of the shards. The shard drifted into the nothing beyond all worlds, and as it drifted, faded. Became weaker. This I myself watched happen, but we could do nothing. For many long years, we did nothing but watch.”

Mahfuz
3/29/2017 11:59:40 pm

...is that you, Aizen-sama? Is this all according to the plan? LOL

Also, Valinhall is a relatively new fragment that joined with Amalgam and was molded to Valin's will, right? If that's true then were all the other territories molded to someone or something so that they could become stable? Is that what the original founders were?

I just realized this might be why Elder Nye could sorta-revive Valin...

Will link
3/30/2017 11:05:49 am

Just according to keikaku...

And yes, that's what Founders are. The person whose will shapes the Territory to the greatest degree. Valinhall is still young and malleable, and most of the other Territories are way more stable, so they don't need a Founder anymore.

Valinhall does because it's still, to some degree, in the process of being formed.

Nocturniquet
3/29/2017 06:20:07 pm

When you say universe do you mean literal full scale universe like the one we exist in or do you mean a sorta localized sphere of planets and stars, perhaps the scale of one galaxy, and nothing else exists at all?

Reply
Will link
3/29/2017 06:34:12 pm

Full universe. Some of the Iterations have galactic colonies.

Reply
Nocturniquet
3/29/2017 06:47:00 pm

That would imply that the most developed and advanced iterations have multiple worlds all united under one government and/or race. Makes sense that the "Court of Seven" would rule from this iteration. I wonder if in the most advanced iterations, they are so knowledgeable that things like the Abidan are not myths, just everyday facts of life.

And hell I wonder if the average citizens discuss the policies this Court of Seven implement or think about. I wonder if this iteration is so fucking advanced that even a child in this civilization would seem like a god to the strongest people on Cradle. At some point this becomes an epic fantasy space opera now that I think about it...

Will link
3/29/2017 07:51:36 pm

Sanctum is like you've described. It's a galactic civilization with faster-than-light travel in the form of skipping through the Way, they're fully aware of the Abidan, and they benefit from the technology of other worlds.

However, it's the exception. Most Iterations, even the technologically advanced ones, are unaware (or only vaguely aware) of the Abidan. That's a result of their non-interference policy.

There is at least one organization out there that unites worlds and gladly interferes in natural development. They encourage inter-universal trading, develop weapons based on the magic of several different worlds, and even raid other worlds for resources.

Mestama
3/29/2017 06:45:11 pm

A plot point for future Cradle is now foreshadowed. I bet Suriel gets in big trouble for creating a deviation instead of fixing it. Lindon will face major scrutiny for supposedly being infected with chaos by being a deviation.

Reply
Will link
3/29/2017 07:47:36 pm

There are lots of potential plot points for Cradle foreshadowed over the next few posts.

Reply
Devin
3/29/2017 06:58:06 pm

If the Territories continue to grow from their connection to Amalgam, could they eventually merge fully with Amalgam without causing a Limit and Harrow situation? If they couldn't, what does a Territory growing entail for the humans on Amalgam? Stronger Travelers?

Reply
Devin
3/29/2017 07:01:58 pm

Last question (maybe) In the short story Steel Diplomacy you have descendants of Elysians that have been away from the City for a while. What would happen to them as they spent longer and longer away from the Territory?

Reply
Will link
3/29/2017 07:47:05 pm

Nothing happens to them. They're fine. They're descendants, so technically they're natives of the Unnamed World (the Traveler's Gate world that isn't a Territory).

As for the Territories continuing to grow, they don't grow any closer to the main world. That's what I meant by them finding an equilibrium. They expand horizontally but not vertically, in a sense.

Tacroy
3/29/2017 07:51:19 pm

Are Iterations sequential? Like, does one universe die and then another one spin up, but the members of the Abidan court are able to travel through time to some extent? Or are they all scattered throughout a multiverse, and coalesce at different times?

Reply
Will link
3/29/2017 07:53:00 pm

They're all scattered through a multiverse. There are thousands of simultaneously extant universes managed by the Abidan.

It's just that, at any given time, one might be dying and another being born.

Reply
Will link
3/29/2017 07:55:33 pm

...also, that was a good question, so I rephrased that section of the post to suggest the answer more clearly.

Reply
Alex
3/29/2017 10:24:29 pm

How does ascending to higher iterations work? Is it like a ladder, where there is one iteration that is higher than the one before, or is it like a pyramid, where there are many "infant" level iterations and as you go higher there are less and less iterations.

Reply
Will link
3/30/2017 01:31:08 pm

"Higher" isn't literal, it just means "more advanced." Cradle prepared people for interdimensional combat better than most Iterations do, and once you learn that lesson, you're ready to participate in the truth of the multiverse.

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KSanger
3/29/2017 11:27:06 pm

Does Lindon's fate intertwine with the missing Abidan? Incarnation possibly?

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Yosef
3/30/2017 04:04:46 am

If Travelers don't kill or trap the incarnations, and their are left free to roam the world would there be a point where the adiban would step in to stop the world warping into the territories of the incarnations?

Reply
Avinash
3/30/2017 09:02:39 am

highly doubtful

as that would go against non interferance policy (i mean they are willing to let whole worlds die so wrapping a world doesnt seem much since only one world will change to another both of which are natural worlds.)

Reply
Diego link
3/30/2017 09:06:20 am

1.) Are humans from each iteration biologically diffrent? (I asked this in the previous post)

2.)Easy to deduce Amalgam is Simons World but i find it weird no myths of people ascending exist in this world and as well as in Asylum. (The emperor was the closest we got to an immortal there)

Reply
Will link
3/30/2017 09:07:37 pm

Ah. Sorry I missed this post, Diego, but I think I answered you on the other thread just now.

1.) They may be biologically different in some ways, but essentially no. Not in the Iterations we've seen, anyway.

2.) That's why Cradle is unique. The magic systems of the others don't naturally lead to someone ascending beyond the world.

Especially not in Asylum. The Emperor had even a slight knowledge of the Abidan because he was such an exception to the rule; Asylum was specifically designed to be extraordinarily difficult to leave.

Reply
Guy who plays Zelda too much
3/30/2017 09:36:53 am

By "Tomorrow, the world!" You mean that Blackflame is released tomorrow right?

Reply
Jon
3/30/2017 09:38:03 am

Hey Will! I love the world you are creating. Really the only thing I can compare it to is Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere. I was just wondering if that was the plan from the very beginning or if this idea of iterations developed as you wrote new books? Also are we going to be seeing new iterations, complete with different magic systems?

Reply
Will link
3/30/2017 11:35:25 am

Ideas don't ever stop developing, in my experience, even unto the point where I was tweaking details before I released this post.

However, these basic mechanics were in place years before I wrote House of Blades. I didn't call them Iterations--that was a term I invented when I wrote Unsouled in order to give Suriel something to say other than "worlds" or "dimensions."

>Are we going to be seeing new Iterations?

One of my main goals in making this system was to create a framework in which I could write whatever stories I wanted. So if I want to do an interdimensional war that spans hundreds of worlds, I can. If I want to do a classic fantasy novel that never mentions the Abidan or any other worlds, I can.

But the reader, in the back of their mind, already knows some of the shared rules of this multiverse. YOU know what's going to happen when humanity is destroyed, even if the characters don't. YOU know how someone can read the future (Fate) and still end up wrong. That sort of thing.

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Enkidu
3/30/2017 09:38:42 am

Anyone else feel a little Zelazny in that post? It felt a little like "All roads lead to Amber." I loved the Amber books and the Abidan feels like a more universal scale of Amber, with the princes not necessarily being backstabbing power-hungry monsters. If I have to wait for Blackflame, this is how I would prefer to do it. Masterfully done as ever, Will!

Reply
Will link
3/30/2017 11:24:16 am

*I* definitely felt some Zelazny in this post.

Among other things, the initial draft of this system owes points to Zelazny's Amber, Star Trek's Galactic Federation, and Bleach's Soul Society. It all drifted and evolved over time, requiring some gradual planning and re-planning. I couldn't even tell you how many drafts of this I went through before I even wrote House of Blades, much less now.

With Amber, I loved the idea of having powers that drew from different worlds, but I hated the idea of infinite universes.

Because if the possibilities are TRULY infinite, you can always pull from a dimension where your loved one never died. Or where you became Supreme Overlord of Earth. Or where there's a weapon that suits your exact needs at this precise moment.

If it's truly infinite, there CAN'T be one true world. Because there's always a version out there that is the exact same, except the deck of cards in your pocket is shuffled slightly differently.

So I knew pretty early on that I wanted a system of finite worlds, even if that number is very large. I'd rather have a Chronicles of Narnia multiverse than a Rick and Morty multiverse.

As for the order versus chaos thing, it's funny, because that didn't come from Amber. I had intentionally ditched that at the beginning, because "order" typically has really boring powers. Also, it's been done so much.

I came at it from a different direction: what powers did I want the Abidan to have?

I wanted them to have powers that were universal, so abilities that wouldn't fail them if they dropped into a world with a weird magic system. I also wanted them to be defensive and rules-oriented, and specifically I wanted them to be able to adjust the rules of the world.

So, you know, after a few years and a bunch of different versions, I finally admitted it: there's nothing more universal, defensive, and rules-oriented than "order." I was only trying to avoid the order/chaos duality because Zelazny and Modesitt did it.

Eventually, I gave in.

Reply
Ruan
4/3/2017 01:00:00 am

A finite universe is better yes, it adds some accountability since losing a world to chaos would mean absolutely nothing if there are infinite worlds. I do however want to say infinite universes does not imply that every scenario (like a world where you have lady bug wings and talk to muffins) exists. People often mistake infinite universes with the idea that everything is possible somewhere. Take the fact that there are infinite numbers between 1 and 2, that doesn't mean that one of those numbers is 8. I think it would probably be similar for a multiverse. It is infinite, but still limited in some ways.

Rhys
3/30/2017 10:19:01 am

So will, Question time:
1. You mentioned that the blackflame emporer was the level above under lord. How much higher were the proper black fame family?
2. How big is the ninecloud court, compared to the blackflame empire now and at its height.
3. Were any of the dragons at the peak of the cultivation of cradle I.e like northstrider or Shia miara
4. Who would win a war between ninecloud court of today and the blackflame empire of the dragons
5. Finally has the loss of the blackflame family resulted in a reduction of territory? Have other states taken land from them now there is no longer a blackflame cultivator to be afraid of?

I posted this on a other thread but it got buried so I thought I'd ask here. Thanks Will

Reply
Will link
3/30/2017 11:28:55 am

1.) Can't tell you, spoilers.
2.) Can't tell you, spoilers.
3.) No.
4.) The Ninecloud Court of today. The Ninecloud Court existed back during this dragon empire, and they outlived it for a reason.
5.) Yes! Partially because Blackflame cultivators were scary death-weapons that are now gone, lending boldness to the border-states, and partially because the clans are still (fifty years later) pushing and testing the new Imperial clan, trying to get as much autonomy as possible. It's resulting in weaker borders due to a lack of cooperation.

However, the Naru clan are much better administrators than the Blackflames ever were, and the life of the average citizen in the Empire has improved over the last few decades.

Reply
Rhys
3/30/2017 02:17:18 pm

Cheers will

Will link
3/30/2017 09:10:36 pm

I just answered you in a little more detail on the other thread, but in a nutshell:

The highest levels of the Ninecloud Court (like Luminous Queen Sha Miara) are on the same tier as the Dreadgods. They are capable of evaporating seas and obliterating nations singlehandedly.

The dragons of the Blackflame Empire were scary, but not THAT scary.

LG
3/30/2017 10:35:11 am

I cant wait for book 3 .... just hoping its in the next few days!!!

Reply
Corey
3/30/2017 12:52:00 pm

It's at least a few weeks if not a few months ^_^;;

Reply
Will link
3/30/2017 01:36:15 pm

Well, not a few months, no. I really am almost done.

But it will probably be a couple more weeks.

Reddan
3/30/2017 02:17:17 pm

Thank you Will for putting this together, and for the credit. I'm almost ridiculously excited to read this and the following installment(s)!! I'm glad my small suggestion could be valuable.

Reply
Will link
3/30/2017 09:11:47 pm

I thought it was a great idea. It was something I probably needed to type up eventually anyway, for index / reference purposes, and it makes a good, informative blog post.

Plus, it's a question I can answer!

Hope you enjoy the tour of the Abidan!

Reply
Will link
3/30/2017 09:12:18 pm

...and if you don't, remember that it's your fault!

Reply
Alex
4/7/2017 01:58:40 pm

why not make it that life is responsible for the health of the iteration and not just humans. You can just say the reason why a lot of the worlds that are becoming chaos ridden have many humans on it is because they are persistent and are good at adapting. you can even say the reason that the worlds live long enough to become chaos ridden is because of said humanity's ability to survive.

Reply



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