Cradle World: The Blackflame Empire

3/15/2017

(This post includes background information about the Blackflame Empire: the setting of Blackflame and the next few books in Cradle. No specific story elements are spoiled.)

The Blackflame Empire was founded by dragons.

In Cradle, dragons are a race of sacred beasts that can...well, they're dragons. You know what they can do. Like all sacred beasts and Remnants, their intelligence is based largely on their age and advancement levels, so many of them have human-level intelligence or better.

A family of black dragons once conquered and ruled half a continent, which is a truly massive amount of territory in a world the size of Cradle. They held their empire against all rivals for centuries.

Until a mysterious disaster killed most of the dragons, crippling their ability to continue the bloodline. As you know, no one in a fantasy novel ever discovers the truth behind ancient disasters, so I'm sure it will remain a mystery forever.

With their rulers dead or dying, a clan of humans stumbled upon a method of harnessing the dragons' power. They abandoned their old Path, instead choosing to develop the same sacred arts used by the dragons.

The Blackflame Empire shrunk in size, the humans lacking the ability to control quite as much territory as the dragons could, though it was still home to over a billion people.*

This clan started calling their main branch the Blackflame family, for obvious reasons, and they stayed in control for almost five hundred years.

But human bodies were not well-suited to the power of dragons. Slowly, the family declined, until even those who lived in the heart of the empire thought of them more as symbols and legends than actual individuals.

More and more of the day-to-day workings of the Empire were left to the Blackflames' traditional servants, the Naru clan. They became the face of the Blackflame empire, with their loyal reputation and shining emerald wings, and the people grew to know and trust them.

Fifty years ago, they quietly ascended the throne.

The first Naru clan Empress has since moved into private seclusion, and her son now rules the Empire. As for the Blackflame family themselves, they died out decades ago, gradually eaten from the inside out by their own madra.

That's the story, anyway.

-Will

*(A truly ridiculous number of people live in Cradle. The main planet of Iteration 110 is quite a bit bigger than Earth.)

P.S. I didn't want to share more from the actual document, so I thought I'd whip up a world-building thing. Hope you like it! And if you don't, don't worry, I'll be mixing it up again next week.

125 Comments

Jon-e da ogre is me Jon-e HAPPY

3/15/2017 04:49:34 pm

Neid mur

Will link

3/15/2017 05:18:44 pm

Koming suun.

Jon-e fac-unge piszt

3/15/2017 08:30:19 pm

Ned meer na-wah

Ihsan

3/15/2017 04:53:59 pm

omg, i'm starving. I'll have to continue stellar transformations until the sundering (blackflame release).

close door training incoming.

3/15/2017 05:07:48 pm

I feel like I've been in closed-door cultivation on Blackflame forever. Soon I'll have to go out adventuring again.

Corey

3/15/2017 05:21:01 pm

Just don't go into Life-Death closed door seclusion, trying to break through the finishing book bottle neck.

3/17/2017 04:38:34 pm

go out and defeat opponents, take their madra and loot and rejoice.

secondly, i love your books man. keep it up.

thirdly, how much time will you spend reading oathbringer (title?). Do you read books a couple of times to get the full effect like i do or can you do it with just one pass.

Aaron J.E.

3/15/2017 04:54:57 pm

Yup, empire-shacking catastrophes never become important story elements. Ever. Honest.

;)

3/15/2017 05:07:03 pm

It's probably just a story. Best forget about it.

Daniel

3/16/2017 02:16:14 pm

Nothing to see here just a dash of exposition that has nothing at all to do with anything plot related. Honest. You all believe me right?

Endan link

3/17/2017 01:06:29 pm

Sooo they weren'the killed by Mr. Reaper guy that has a name I forgot about? Or the dreadgods? Aw man....

Dustin

3/15/2017 08:23:23 pm

Whenever ancient unknown catastrophes that wiped out civilization in the past are mentioned in books I always just assume it was super gonorrhea.

April

3/15/2017 08:44:23 pm

Reasonable

3/16/2017 07:33:13 am

Curse you, Dustin, now you've spoiled the surprise for everyone.

3/15/2017 04:58:06 pm

Do these dragons happen to breath black fire?

3/15/2017 05:08:12 pm

Maybe they do, maybe they don't. Who knows? IT'S A MYSTERY!

James

3/15/2017 09:09:54 pm

So you're a Mystery writer now Will? Don't diversify on me, I need more fantasy!

Executive

3/15/2017 05:16:25 pm

We talking fu manchu dragons or those pesky ones with wings and legs? It's important... for science

3/15/2017 05:18:19 pm

Chinese dragons, not Western dragons.

All the excess energy that would go to their wings instead goes to their awesome beards.

John

3/15/2017 10:35:12 pm

Their beards must be fireproof, or else they wouldn't have them for long.

Maybe slaying them for their beards to make fireproof suits contributed to their dying out.

3/15/2017 10:37:28 pm

By the way, I figure that is what happened to Patrick Rothfuss. He used up all his energy growing his beard and does not have enough left to finish his damn book.

3/16/2017 07:34:05 am

It's a beard-shaped alien parasite.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiJWCJc4Oec

Jerry

3/15/2017 05:47:10 pm

And... Yerin's dark passenger?

Dragon.

Awesome...

Raj

3/16/2017 05:21:03 am

What do you mean by dark passenger?

3/16/2017 06:50:29 am

Probably confused Yerin's "unwelcome guest" with Dexter's "dark passenger".

Nitin

3/15/2017 07:08:38 pm

The dragon advances.
The dragon destroys.
The dragon consumes.

Okay...

So empire is run by bunch of cooks? No wonder Eithan is so happy about being a janitor.

3/15/2017 07:26:25 pm

Dragons don't make great cooks. Everything is pretty much either seared or blackened.

Isaac Xander

3/16/2017 11:25:25 am

I think he meant that the Blackflame family's servants became the ruling family

Paden

3/15/2017 07:20:23 pm

Teasers are awesome keep 'em coming!

3/15/2017 07:41:41 pm

Thanks, Paden!

Bryce

3/15/2017 07:39:13 pm

More next week, so i guess its safe to assume 2 weeks at the earliest. =(

3/15/2017 07:53:01 pm

I was saying there will be something different next week, which COULD be an announcement.

But it won't be the release of the book, no.

reubs

3/17/2017 01:08:49 am

Because the release is actually this weekend? We know your wicked ways Will. :)

Josh

3/15/2017 07:47:48 pm

AAAAAAAAAAHHH!

There, got that out of my system. I re-read Unsouled and Soulsmith last week because I was too excited about Blackflame. Now I refresh your blog a few times a day and every time I see a new post I'm like "IS THIS IT? IS IT GO TIME??!?".

Then it is not. Sadness, ensues.

Best of luck Will!

Otarin

3/15/2017 07:55:14 pm

Love this type of stuff Will! It tides us over a bit and ups the anticipation even more plus hopefully it gives you a little break from focusing on the book itself so much.

3/15/2017 08:43:06 pm

So, did Valin ever visit the Blackface Empire during his wanderings?

3/15/2017 08:46:40 pm

Urghhh, auto-correct. Blackflame. Curse your made up, compound words, Will Wight.

3/16/2017 07:34:52 am

He steered clear of the Blackface Empire. It gets SUPER racist.

3/17/2017 12:51:39 pm

Do sacred artists of the blackface empire gather mandra by being giant dicks to everyone? Like would their houses just be completely covered in racist insults?
Jokes aside you could take the concept of a dark face and make sacred artists whose whole thing is generating fear and making themselves look scary. Would be lacking in direct attacks but it doesn't seem like many of the paths so far have much in the way of mental defenses and too much fear can actually kill people. Though I don't know how well that would work on irons

Zeussaxis

3/15/2017 11:27:43 pm

I doubt I can go 2 for 2...and this one required a Googling beforehand. I thought I recognized a name...

"Naru" + dragons seems like there might be a reference here to Warcraft and the Naaru in Outland (and subsequent lore). Awfully wise and powerful beings, them...

3/16/2017 07:35:38 am

No, no connection whatsoever.

Although I do sometimes take names from Warcraft and just change a letter, this isn't one of them.

Jordan

3/16/2017 12:54:01 am

Just give us the book!! Or don't... it give me more time to outline mine.. thanks!

3/16/2017 12:58:43 am

Urggg auto corrected by the iPhone.. gives..

Lyrian Rastler

3/16/2017 01:07:08 am

New merchandise, huh. Sweet!

P.S You Gonna explain the backstory in the book in more detail, right. Cause that backstory is not gonna cut it for us

P.P.S Ill loose my mind if that book is not released by the end of the month cause my exams will be over at around that time, and I haven't been able to read a good book in like sooooooo long

P.P.P.S Is this how this P.S system works?

P.P.P.P.S Never mind, don't wanna know

P.P.P.P.P.S ................don't know what to write anymore

3/16/2017 01:11:32 am

I believe it is P.S.S

3/16/2017 06:55:06 am

You believe incorrectly. The "p" is for post, Latin for after, and "s" is for "scriptum", meaning "written" or "writing". So something written after a postscript would be a post postscript, or p.p.s.

Rhys

3/16/2017 04:41:46 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 blackflame. It's now and at its height.
3. We're 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?

3/16/2017 06:38:15 am

Now that Will has given us the history of the Blackflame empire, you have to wonder if Lindon is going to fill one of his cores with the power of dragons since we know he faces on if the teaser is correct.

Justin

3/16/2017 08:43:48 am

The toxic resilient and healing power of his "scorpion iron body" (at least that is how i remember it) will nicely counteract the corruptive tendencies of his new dragon core....idk probably not though. Also says they were "eaten from inside out by their madra" but maybe Lindons handicap of already low madra will protect him from this..... but he has already reached iron and seems to be progressing well so maybe that really isn't even a factor anymore.

Crying Knight

3/18/2017 02:03:16 pm

I don't think just the Blood Forged Iron body is going to be sufficient for Lindon to survive using the dragon path. It's not like it appears to be some secret technique the Black Flame emperors wouldn't know about. It probably helped but you use madra to heal damage using the blood forged body and if the dragon madra is corrosive enough (more so than the venomous madra the sandvipers used) then it may cause low level damage even as it heals major wounds.

Of course lindon has a second source of madra due to his twin cores so if he uses the pure madra from his second core to heal himself using the blood forged body he won't suffer the same effects as the previous emperors.

Sean M.

3/16/2017 12:10:05 pm

This was exactly what I thought of when I read they were eaten inside out by their madra. Seems the power of the bloodforged iron body would restore and counteract the caustic effects of the dragon madra. It also seems like Eithan was probably planning exactly that by conveniently showing up with the Sandviper method in Lindon's time of need. We know the next book features Eithan giving Lindon a "tour" of the various paths practiced in the blackflame empire so I imagine one of those paths may be the blackflame (or whatever Will ends up calling it), that or Lindon comes into contact with someone in the empire who can pass on the dragon's methods during one of the training sessions/trials he is going to face. Will also said before that the covers on his books have to something important to do with Lindon's growth (or something to that effect) and the current cover looks a lot like a core covered in blackflame. That could just be symbolic of the empire's training because he said all the covers would feature a round object, but it looks a bit too convenient for me considering one of the possible lines in the next book has someone's core being filled with dark bloody light.

Thisguyiknow

3/22/2017 02:20:28 pm

The cover for Blackflame, the flame isn’t truly black. But more blackish red. You could pretty much describe it as a dark, bloody color. And seeing how madra is seen as light…one might jumps to the conclusion that Blackflame madra would look like dark, bloody light. Now seeing how Blackflame madra gradually eats you from the inside out. I wonder what would happen if say, someone with a super Bloodforged Iron body that heals itself with ones own spirit were to take in Blackflame madra?

Jay W.

3/17/2017 08:39:00 am

The dragon advances.
The dragon destroys.
The dragon consumes.

Maybe those lines aren't about a literal dragon. Perhaps it's about Lindon after he hopefully starts on the path of the dragon. Then it could go something like this:

The dragon advances.
The dragon destroys.
(Lindon tears through wall)

The dragon consumes.
(Lindon eats some food after doing hard manual labor)

Madeline

3/16/2017 10:02:36 am

The loyal servants of the Empire with green wings are Light creatures from World of Warcraft? :o

Jeff

3/16/2017 11:43:50 pm

Quit with the writing here on the web site and get more with the writing in the, you know, the actual book thing!

(*Pointing*)

DDOO 'ehht!

Azqa

3/17/2017 11:36:45 am

While I'm sure this was meant tongue-in-cheek, I just want to say that as fast as Will puts out books, I'm happy to see him post updates on his blog. The updates are always relevant (even a post about merchandise is relevant IMO because it's directly related to promoting an ongoing series) and are great interactions with the audience. So thanks for that Will!

Now if your comment was on Rothfuss' blog...

Mike

3/17/2017 12:39:03 am

If the world is so large.... does gravity not work the same way in this universe?

3/17/2017 12:58:59 pm

The planet may be hollow or it may be made of less dense matter or the gravitational constant could be significantly lower in the universe or yeah it could be magic. Though if humans exist it must have some relation to the basic model or they wouldn't be human.

3/17/2017 01:01:26 pm

Daniel's right.

Part of the answer is "magic," and part of it is how this world developed differently because of magic.

3/18/2017 02:28:36 am

Thanks for answering this Will. I always wonder how much thoughts of details like this enter into the minds of fantasy authors.

Zeussaxis the Amateur Geologist

3/17/2017 02:44:27 pm

Consider that the gravity of a planet is (in part) determined by the density and material of its core, it's atmospheric makeup, size, number, etc. of its moons, and proximity to other celestial bodies.

Then consider that 'celestial bodies' can mean more than just planets, and you have magic. :-)

3/17/2017 03:10:23 pm

What are you talking about? The gravity of a planet is determined by the mass of the planet, and the distance between the effective center of mass of the planet and the place where the gravity is measured. Anything else non-magical has a negligible effect on the weight of a person or thing.

Mathematically, the gravitational constant at the planet's surface is equal to G x M / R^2 , where G is the universal gravitational constant, M is the mass of the planet, and R is the radius of the planet. This is also equal to (4/3 pi G) x D x R , where D is the average density. So if you took the Earth and scaled up the size (larger R) with the same density, the strength of gravity at the surface would increase. But if you scaled up the size while proportionally lowering the density, you could have a larger planet with the same gravity as at the Earth's surface.

How to scale up the size while lowering the density? I don't know. Magic, maybe. WIth what Suriel can do, I would not put it past her (or those like her) of having built Cradle as a hollow shell, thus reducing the mass (and average density) to allow a larger planet without significantly increased gravity at the surface. Or, I guess Cradle could just be made of some magical material with low density.

ZEUSSAXIS

3/17/2017 03:32:51 pm

I appreciate the physics...I'm sure that applies if you want to assign a gravitational quotient (is that a thing?) to a planet as a whole. I'm certainly not an expert in the subject.

However, when you consider the gravitational pull of earth's own moon and its affect on the tides, I don't think you can pick any one place on the planet and measure that same macro value.

It's not a large leap to considering a planet in a different universe, about which much isn't known, having properties which greatly change it's gravitational quotient (I used it twice, so now it's a thing!). Let's say Cradle has a core made of cheese instead of iron--wouldn't that change the rules?

More realistic (in a fantasy world), Daniel's theory of a hollow planet...

I think we're on the same page but my message begged for a correction re: physics?

3/17/2017 05:23:40 pm

Again, anything beyond the mass of the planet and the distance from the center of mass is negligible in determining the force of gravity on a person or object on the surface of the planet. The moon has a negligible effect on your weight -- you cannot measure a difference in your weight 12 hours apart (with the moon on different sides of the planet).

Of course you can measure the gravitational constant at any point on the surface of the planet, and it will be the same (at the same altitude) wherever you measure it, whenever you measure it. This is basic high school physics.

The moon's gravitational effect is negligible at any mass that people are able to experiment with. The mass of water in ocean's is vast, which is why the minute gravitational effect of the moon is able to be noticed on tides.

ZeussaXIS isnt an astrophysicist

3/17/2017 06:06:35 pm

I still feel you've missed the point. I have to agree with your physics-based arguments related to our universe because a) it's not my bag, and b) the conclusions sound reasonable.

However, you continue to assert that calculations must be based on science, and not fantasy with a science wrapping. The original assertion was that the planet might be hollow (or have some space between the core and crust). In real life, we have no examples of this to work from (as far as I'm aware). Randall at XKCD.com does a phenomenal job at this in his "what if" blog...but almost every article ends in "that don't work".

My argument here is that, when working with fantastical content, you can't start a theory by basing it on non-fantastical laws-you'll just be frustrated and argue for 30 years whether Han shot first.

Instead, ignore what you know as fact and start from the fantastical...then work toward tying it to what you know.

3/17/2017 06:49:29 pm

You just continue to make incorrect statements. Keep digging your hole deeper and you will change your weight eventually.

It certainly is possible to base a fantasy world on real physics, with slight changes for magic. That is actually the best way to do it, otherwise you have a world where anything goes at the whim of the plot, and that does not make for a believable fantasy world. Even with magic, the best fantasy worlds have well-defined rules. Look at Sanderson, or Rothfuss, or Lyndon Hardy whom Rothfuss got some of his ideas from.

I certainly did not miss the point. If anyone missed the point, it is you. You got your physics wrong, and then throw up your hands and say well it must all be magic moons somehow! That is a terribly unsatisfying explanation. You may as well say it is just midichlorians doing it.

A much more satisfying explanation is to have some well-defined rules -- real physics is convenient -- with some modifications for magic. Such as a hollow planet built with magic (or even technology so advanced that it is like magic), or a planet with everything underneath the crust being made of some magical, low-density material.

ZEUSSAXIS ISN'T JOHN

3/17/2017 07:39:18 pm

Where I'm wrong:
- I made a fantastical projection for how gravity might be measured differently in a couple scenarios on Earth. I'd argue these aren't fantastical, but there's no point except to a tiny bug flying across the ocean in the path of the moon and the risen tide. Given that it's pointless on earth, it's worth chastising.
- I didn't make a clear astro-physical case, clearly segregating it from the fantastical possibilities in an alternate universe.

Where I'm right:
- Even a physics-based interpretation of the universe we're reading about must take into account the things I proposed as factors. We've both agreed that the "hollow planet" idea changes things significantly.
- The universe in question is already many degrees beyond the explainable based on our laws of physics. It's fun to propose how this would work in the real Milky Way...but only as fun as making things up.

3/18/2017 09:04:27 pm

Since it looks like this has become a real discussion, I'll give a real answer!

I made Cradle very big. Why? A few reasons.

First, a lot of wuxia and xianxia stories do it so they can scale up to ridiculous numbers. Where first the character thinks a huge city has ten thousand people, later a huge city has ten BILLION people.

Also, they're so special they're not just one in a million, they're one in a TRILLION! And they go from crossing a thousand miles in a single step to a hundred thousand miles!

So in part, it's an homage to the genre.

In part, it's so that I can set other stories in the same world and they've never even heard of the people, places, or events in Lindon's story.

And in part it's to illustrate that this isn't Earth. The Iterations are Narnia-style "worlds," not different planets, but since it's a whole new universe each time, they are ALSO different planets.

I wanted a way to show that without putting a second moon in the sky, so "greater surface area and population" it is.

***

As for the mechanics of it: I said "Magic" earlier, but that basically boils down to "This is how vital aura works."

Vital aura is the power of the world that sacred artists harvest and use to strengthen their madra. It's the spirit of the world, basically. It makes what would otherwise be an uninhabitable planet, habitable.

The planet IS less dense than earth, but because of its huge volume, it's more massive. Gravity is much greater. Humans are supported by madra from birth in part because otherwise they wouldn't be able to adapt to the gravity.

You have other problems too: does this less-dense core spin fast enough to create a magnetosphere? Wouldn't continents bigger than Earth's just be massive deserts everywhere except immediately along the coast? Wouldn't the surface of such a planet be wracked by storms?

Vital aura!

I'll get into it later in the books, but for me building this world, aura served a couple of functions. First, it allows people to adapt to what would otherwise be very harsh natural conditions (Sacred Valley and the immediate surrounding areas have, so far, been very mild. Conditions will accelerate as we get deeper into Cradle). Second, vital aura is generated by natural forces AND it changes natural forces.

I'll continue showing how it works in future books, but the bottom line is that aura allows me to have thriving ecosystems where everything is fire-aspect: trees with burning fruit pollinated by insects with wings of flame, and so on and so forth. Same in the depths of the ocean and on the tops of clouds.

It's magic. But it DOES work consistently according to a set of rules, and it DOES interact with physics.

However, I'm not as attached to real-world physics as Brandon Sanderson is. He enjoys figuring out the physical implications of every nuance in his magic systems. I do not enjoy that, so I will not be doing it.

If there's a gap between real physics and magic, I'll be filling in that gap with magic. Not physics. Just a personal preference.

Jeremiah

3/21/2017 03:56:08 pm

You may not enjoy figuring out how magic interacts with and is subject to physics, but I would feel sure you wouold enjoy the fact that Sanderson has done so.

3/21/2017 06:35:25 pm

Jeremiah, what I like and appreciate is all the thought and planning that Sanderson puts into developing his magic system, and how clear the rules usually are. AND what an impact they always have on the surrounding society.

That's cool, and I know from experience that it's very hard to do.

But as for him figuring out all the details of how his magic interacts with physics...no, I don't really care.

Harry Potter magic doesn't interact with physics, and yet each individual book in the series has a very tight magic system (the series as a WHOLE doesn't, because some magic introduced in a later book could have solved problems in an earlier book, but each book on its own is very consistent).

As long as the rules and abilities are clear to me, great! I don't care if they're consistent with known physics or not. Where does the extra mass go when Professor McGonnagall turns into a cat? Magic.

3/29/2017 12:30:42 pm

I may be weird, but yes, things like that bug me. Less in fantasy as the author can say "because magic" and it works (though some take that to an extreme, which usually is enough to turn me off from a book) but in sci-fi that is a definite deal-breaker)

3/29/2017 02:05:46 pm

Apparently that's a pretty common view, April, and that's fine!

I'm just saying that MY tolerance for physics-defying shenanigans is pretty high, as long as it's consistent within the work. If a character survives getting hit by a tactical missile and then is threatened by a knife, Will is not happy.

But if we're getting into the realm of "Dragons could never grow that large because their bones couldn't support their own body weight," or "A conjuration spell could never work because it adds mass to the universe," then I don't care.

It's fantasy. Magic > Physics.

Wernda84321

11/14/2024 01:08:09 pm

I know that nobody will ever read this, but I would like to point out that the way provides the laws of any given iteration and that we already know that the laws aren't the same for every iteration. We know this because every iteration has a different power system that is a fundamental part of that iteration, so who, other than Will, is to say if every iteration has the same laws of gravity?

Enkidu

3/17/2017 08:47:12 am

OK, not exactly a comment on this post, but I've been ruminating on a theory, so I'm gonna drop it and see what happens:
*Low Probability: Jai Long's sister convinces him to leave and they go to a remote area (on the border of the Blackflame empire) where she can be safe* - The Sacred Valley.
If Lindon never left sacred valley, Jai Long never gets the spear, and never has to duel, so his priority becomes his sister.
He takes her to the sacred valley where her only advantage, an iron body, makes her not necessarily weak. There she meets a boy with a damaged foundation who is also mistreated by his clan. She finds herself drawn to him and together they build a life together until the dreadgod attacks. If Lindon never left the sacred valley, he and Jai Long would be brothers-in-law.

*Mic drop*

3/17/2017 11:38:35 am

That....would be hilarious and awesome!

3/17/2017 01:01:27 pm

That would be fantastic and very keeping with wills style.

3/17/2017 01:34:56 pm

Man, I want to comment on this, but by definition it involves spoilers.

Send me your email address, Enkidu. You can use the Contact links on the site.

3/17/2017 01:47:44 pm

Hey Will. If I copy Enkidu's post can I send you my email and get some spoilers too?

3/17/2017 02:54:47 pm

I send you an email, (my name is Brandon). That theory has been bouncing around my head since I read Soulsmith for the 4th time. If Ilona Andrews would release White Hot (I know, but I like it...) I would have something else to obsess over.

3/17/2017 02:56:05 pm

Sent*

Sean K

3/17/2017 07:28:22 pm

OMG Enkidu, AWESOME theory! Unfortunately you are probably sworn to secrecy by now and will be killed by garden gnomes if you tell us what will told you.

So, mind sharing?

I can see it

3/18/2017 07:56:02 am

Will, didn't you kinda confirm this theory with your comment?
If it's not completely true, then partial, at least.

I can see it now.
Lindon is being invited by the jai clan, after they have heard of the match between Lindon and Jai Long.
To deal with the potenital threat the family now faces legally, they offer Lindon to train him, hoping Lindon will take care of their problem, which book 2 has shown us.
He is being led to his room, after having accepted their offer.
Before he reaches it, though, he stops, having heard a female voice calling out for assistance. The guid notices what he intends to do next, and tries to discourage him, telling him that the person in need is not someone worth his time. Being reminded of days past, he walks determined into the room, ignoring the call of the guide.
In it he finds a girl not much younger than himself, seemingly fallen out of her bed. While he is walking towards her, he keeps growing the suspicous that he should know her.
Finally, before placing her on her bed, after he lifted her up,
he... drops her on the ground, and runs screaming out of the room.
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/b9/2d/33/b92d33929ef9b7d6f44459f5e7114fb9.jpg

3/18/2017 08:40:10 pm

@ICanSeeIt

Colder.

Sharon

3/18/2017 02:08:53 am

Good theory....

Shane

3/18/2017 10:30:41 pm

Wow! If that wasn't actually the case a non-canon short-story should be written where it is true because that theory is great!

Bravo on connecting those dots! I only thought of those probabilities as material for future comparisons for how awesome Lindon is. Now that you've mentioned it, it makes perfect sense! And matches how cunning Will is at slipping in the small details into his stories!

3/17/2017 01:03:46 pm

So if there is sword mandra that gathers on edged weapons does that mean there is club mandra that gathers around blunt objects?

not a madra expert

3/20/2017 04:07:17 pm

From what I can tell of the world and the usage of Madra in particular, I think the most analogous form of "blunt" madra would likely be named "force madra" or somesuch. Sword madra seems to have less to do with swords specifically and more to do with cutting or sharp edged implements. I'm reasonably certain (fact checking would be appreciated) that Jai Long has "sword madra" in his sacred path, yet he uses a bladed spear rather than a sword. As a side point, the name sword madra just sounds so much better then sharp madra or cutting madra that it makes sense to use it.

3/21/2017 06:39:31 pm

You've nailed it.

Sword aura is really force aura gathered to a sharp edge, but what they call force aura is generally weaker and diffuse, so sword aura is brighter and easier to see.

And I absolutely do call it "sword aura" because "cutting aura" or "sharp aura" sounds ridiculous.

AppleSauceForAll

3/17/2017 06:00:07 pm

Seems to me that while London does want power, it is because of the suffering he endured while in Sacredy Valley. At least it started there. Even still he wants to protect the valley from an impending Dreadgod attack. So he wants power for himself and to save others. His goals don't really seem conpletely selfless though. I think he will find a noble cause. Giving power to those that have none. I think he may actually fix Jai Long's sister's core, or give her a new one that he constructed. A Soulsmith if you will. Which I would think would be a vastly overpowered in potential.

Furthermore, I would say it would be something only someone without a path could achieve. After all, he has a pure cores which it seems all madras users would start with.

Could and will likely be wrong though.

3/17/2017 07:27:32 pm

Brain fart here - where is it mentioned that jai long's sisters core is damaged? I'm sure your right I just can't remember this in the books

3/17/2017 09:01:13 pm

Soulsmith chapter 6 towards the end of the chapter. It says that her core is cracked.

Ben

3/17/2017 06:39:37 pm

You have until I finish Iron Fist to get this book out. Tick tock.

3/19/2017 01:09:06 pm

Hey if you all want a book to read in the mean time you could try the Daniel black series by e. William brown. Be advised it does have explicit moments so you can ignore this if you don't enjoy that kind of thing but it is a very well written entertaining fantasy series.

3/20/2017 05:56:07 am

I am curious. What did you like about the Daniel Black Series? It read to me like a 14 year olds fantasy life.

3/20/2017 05:58:32 pm

I personally enjoyed the blend of classical magic with science based applications and the fact that it revolved around adults and wasn't a coming of age story about a special snowflake of a bratty teenager.

3/20/2017 06:02:46 pm

Admittedly the first book has some flaws. Mainly that yeah it does kinda read like a 14 year olds dream life but it's not a long book and the take takes off a lot from there

3/20/2017 07:09:32 pm

I liked them too, actually, which kind of caught me off-guard. I almost quit reading several times in the first two chapters. Harem stories normally give me eye cancer, and I started off skipping ten pages at a time as the story seemed to exist only to highlight how awesome Daniel was.

But about halfway through the book, I realized the author REALLY put a lot of thought into this.

The story is basic wish fulfillment, but the fundamental divine system of gods and goddesses is very cleverly put together. There are a lot of incredible world-building details about the rich history and medieval culture of the setting, and he obviously did a lot of research (or has a lot of knowledge already) about architecture and medieval warfare.

He can use magic to hand-wave away a lot of the minor details, of course, but that's just how I like it.

The sex scenes strike me as unnecessary and weird, mainly because they feel so out of place. They're constructing a fortress and all of a sudden these girls start talking like porn stars; it's like playing Minecraft while porn videos pop up like ads every once in a while.

But I got a lot of ideas for world-building reading those books, mainly focused on the little details of how mythology, culture, politics, and magic interact. He's got a unique vision for it which I found fascinating.

It's a pity about the core story elements--the pure wish fulfillment that reads like a teenager's daydream--because I thought the actual plot was a great idea. Ragnarok is preluded by the gods initiating an ice age, and an old, forgotten pantheon has freed Loki and enacted genocide plans in order to destroy the mortal worshipers of the new gods to weaken them for the final battle.

Really cool, and it sets up a nice long conflict with lots of epic fights, as well as room for growth and expansion.

IMO, there's a lot to like, but there's also a lot you have to hold your nose and push through. I certainly wouldn't recommend the series to most people, but I personally got a lot out of it.

And even eventually enjoyed it, because the wish-fulfillment elements do slowly die down as the series progresses. For the most part.

3/20/2017 10:46:01 pm

You know the sex never really bugged me in those books. the sex scenes were never particularly intrinsic to the plot but they weren't really as far from normal human interactions as most of western society would think. Could the books have been written with out sex and been great still? Yes. But just from reading his work I think that mr brown has studied some human psychology because from a neurological perspective emotions are essentially a series of drugs that are designed to help you survive as an organism. The need to breed(AKA sex to us humans) is right up there with fear and rage as the most important emotion required for a species that can't replecate themselves to survive. In humans this emotion is amplified tremendously by adrenaline which is in rather large supply as one is constantly fighting for ones life in a post apocalyptic wasteland. Layering that on top of the fact that the girls in question grew up in a society where sleeping with some one is a reasonable plan to get them to protect/care/provide for you and the fact that both girls are either A part sex demon or B designed to be easy to suduce for the sake of an old witch's evil plot and you end up with something that, while not really necessary, is not an illogical conclusion to the scenario brown crafted in his novels.

3/21/2017 06:24:04 pm

"...they weren't really as far from normal human interactions as most of western society would think..."

I'm going to push back on that a little bit, Daniel, because it sounds like you're suggesting what I object to is the cavalier historical attitude toward sex.

I understand the setting in the books. I'm not objecting to the world because it jars my delicate modern sensibilities.

But by book two, he has a harem of four impossibly beautiful supernatural women waiting on him hand and foot, eagerly submitting to him and calling him "master." Not to mention all of the other women who regularly throw themselves at him as payment for his heroism or in desire for his unstoppable manliness.

If you're arguing that this is all in the name of historical realism, we're not going to agree.

That is the wish-fulfillment component. As for the fact that it's out of place, it might not conflict with the setting, but it definitely conflicts with the tone.

We go from detailed architectural construction to a tense high-stakes battle to a graphic sex scene...pretty much over and over. Rinse and repeat. He has a problem he needs to solve, he invents a solution using magic, he implements that solution, it culminates in the battle, afterwards he relaxes with a graphic sex scene.

It's unnecessary, disruptive, and almost always a jarring tonal shift.

3/22/2017 11:43:31 am

That wasn't really what I was trying to say. The gust of what I was attempting to say was that taken individually any of the situations where he ends up sleeping with the various women are entirely plausible and that's why the sex in those books doesn't bug me. That being said however all four coinciding at ruffly the same time is stretching the bounds of plausibility and wandering into the realm of wish for filament like you said. I was simply attempting to explain why it does not bug me as it seems to bug most of the people here. Sorry if that came across poorly I am not the best at explaining myself.

3/22/2017 09:32:28 am

If Daniel Black is not your cup of tea I might suggest "Perilous Waif" by the same author. That book was a blast!

Also if you want to see a well-realized magic system coinciding with physics try the Elfhome series by Wen Spencer. I describe it as "science fantasy", and it's a lot of fun.

Patrick

3/19/2017 01:19:54 pm

All this discussion of Jai Long's sister's core made me remember something I was thinking about after I finished Soulsmith.

How is her core damaged?

Like, is it truly wrecked, with cracks and fissures everywhere, or is there one crack that goes through most of it, making it impossible to use madra?

Because if its the latter case and she meets someone who has split their core and might be able to help her split hers the rest of the way, potentially allowing her to be a sacred artist again...

Well, wouldn't that be interesting?

Numuhukumakiaki'aialunamor

3/19/2017 10:28:06 pm

I have a few questions for you, Will.
1) Would someone from the Abidan Court leave a remnant, can someone who uses the power of the Way even leave a remnant?
2) If Lindon, Yerin and Eithan advance to the world beyond Cradle would they be babies in the new world or adults?
3) Does any world beyond Cradle use Madras?

Family of Cremlings in a trench coat disguised as a family of raccoons in a trench coat disguised as a human in a trench coat even though nobody normal wears a trench coat

3/20/2017 05:11:07 am

Rock asks very good questions.

3/20/2017 09:06:26 am

I can't believe you typed out that entire name. Now I want to hear you sing it.

1.) Most of the seven Court members are not from Cradle, so no, they would not leave a Remnant. Any normal Abidan from Cradle would leave one, but it might not be capable of tapping into the Way. If it can't, then it's much less powerful than the Abidan was in life, and would be easily exterminated by anything capable of killing an Abidan.

2.) Depends on where they go and when/how they advance. Lots of factors in play.

3.) Not exactly. This is difficult to answer without getting into spoiler-y specifics.

NUMUHUKUMAKIAKI'AIALUNAMOR

3/20/2017 09:45:45 am

On the second answer.
Are the factors their age, power "level" during ascension, the world they are advancing to?
Or is it something completely else? Do they keep their memories, even if they become babies?
This is so weird...

FAMILY OF CREMLINGS IN A TRENCH COAT DISGUISED AS A FAMILY OF RACCOONS IN A TRENCH COAT DISGUISED AS A HUMAN IN A TRENCH COAT EVEN THOUGH NOBODY NORMAL WEARS A TRENCH COAT

3/20/2017 10:08:12 am

Will, I've been wondering this for a while now. Why exactly would someone want to ascend to another world?

3/20/2017 06:47:48 pm

As it turns out, I completely misunderstood your question.

Suriel used the "infants/adults" terms metaphorically, so I didn't realize you were asking the question literally.

They will be adults. They're going to physically transport themselves to another world, not reincarnate there.

3/20/2017 09:23:58 pm

I know, that this is basically spoiler territory and you don't have to answer me. If someone from Cradle goes to Asylum( haven't read EE ) and the world has a different magic system, will they use that new magic system or Madra?

3/20/2017 07:00:26 am

I am curious. How far out do you outline? I am curious, because if the post about Lindon's wife being Jai's sister has any truth, that would imply you either outline a fair amount of the upcoming book, or that you were just able to conveniently make that work because you leave certain aspects vague enough to accommodate it.
I am also curious how much world building you do before you start. You are able to answer questions that are fairly random with a high degree of specificity usually, so my assumption is a lot, but not sure if you just make it up on the fly and add that to your world aspect as you think through the answers.

3/20/2017 09:03:07 am

That's a great question, John.

I do both of those things. I always have a plan, but often I leave details vague just in case I have a better idea or change my mind later. Gives me some elbow room.

I do a TON of world-building before I start, but a lot of it is fluid. When I'm writing the book, if what I planned doesn't serve the story as well as I imagined it would, I'll change the planned backstory as needed. Nothing is set in stone until it shows up in a book.

As for parts that are more narrow than world-building elements--like characters, scenes, twists, etc.--most of those I design as needed when I'm working on the book. I don't determine their fate several books ahead of time.

However, that's for MOST characters and scenes. There are a few incredibly specific elements that I've already determined way ahead of time, including several that are still four or five books away.

TL;DR - Me setting up a specific character twist two books ahead is uncommon, but not terribly rare.

Andrew

3/20/2017 01:04:47 pm

Okay, I'm a bit confused on how Cradle has that many people living on it. I know Will said that the planet is bigger and that vital aura helps to keep people alive, but I'm still not sure how it has such a huge population if there are so many dangerous conditions(monsters, remnants, kill-happy people, poisonous plants, etc.) and how there doesn't seem to be much large-scale agriculture(at least from what we've read). Is there agriculture that we haven't seen? Are they completely immune to disease? Is the planet just ridiculously huge(many times bigger than earth) to the point where that stuff could happen and still support a population of billions?

3/20/2017 06:07:58 pm

I think will already said in an earlier post that it was just ridiculously huge. Could be wrong though

3/20/2017 07:04:01 pm

In addition to the larger planet, you also have to remember that aside from the valley, we've only seen the outer fringes of the empire which are a fairly lawless. I'm sure living conditions are much more stable for the commoner person more within the various states.

3/20/2017 07:13:38 pm

It has many times more surface area than Earth.

Also, as B pointed out, we haven't seen any REALLY civilized places yet. We'll see a city in Blackflame, but even that will be a relatively small, isolated city.

Thanks to vital aura and the power of madra, there are lots of inhabited places in Cradle that would be uninhabitable on Earth. For instance, there are cities on the bottom of the ocean. And on the surface of the ocean. And on the clouds.

3/21/2017 11:11:15 am

The inside of a volcano? The top of a rainbow? The back of a turtle? In a glacier? On a glacier? Under a desert? Suspended on a moon beam? Floating on sunlight? Deep under ground?

3/21/2017 06:37:09 pm

No moonbeams. And I would describe the city floating on sunlight as walking on sunshine, woah-oh-oh.

3/22/2017 09:24:19 am

Could a city be on the plain? Could a city be a moving train? Could a city be in the air? Will makes cities everywhere!

Anon link

3/20/2017 06:42:21 pm

On the topic of the planet Cradle and vital aura. Is the planet called Cradle because it's great for cultivation? OR is there another reason like some awesome being in the center who is not yet hatched / or is being suppressed? Such an incredible entity might be the source of the vital aura that makes Cradle such an great place to cultivate.

Also, will Lindons double cores allow to for things like ascending to gold with black dragon madra and then raising the second cool to iron thus adapting Lindons blood forged body in a way the original human dragon path cultivators could not?

Also, is the Black dragon path madra another way to consume and process the madra other paths?

3/20/2017 07:15:14 pm

1.) It's called Cradle because it's great for cultivation, but there are often double meanings in Abidan designations. The Elder Empire world is called Asylum, which means protection, but it is also has...other implications.

2.) No, that specific chain of events will not happen.

3.) No.

3/20/2017 06:49:21 pm

Also.... thanks for responding to so many of our endless questions and speculations on your blog. Definitely looking forward to reading Blackflame and the next one and the next one and the next one...^n

3/20/2017 07:16:00 pm

Thanks, Anon! Although I'm afraid I wasn't able to respond in too much detail to your questions, for spoileriffic reasons.

3/21/2017 11:16:18 am

How advanced is their scientific understanding on cradle? Cause I mean I know they have lots of knowledge of their magic and their alchemy equivalent but do they understand stuff like, there is a top of the atmosphere, cradle revolves around the sun, space is empty, other planets exist... stuff like that

3/21/2017 06:28:44 pm

It's not great in Sacred Valley, but there are places in Cradle where their scientific understanding is pretty advanced.

But their technology never advanced to the level you'd THINK it could, what with scripts and constructs.

Why? A few reasons, but here's the main one: thanks to the sacred arts, if you have the resources, you can learn to DO pretty much anything yourself. You don't have to develop the technology to fly in a world where you can learn to fly.

It's more complicated than that, but we'll explore it as we get into the more advanced areas of the world.

3/22/2017 11:50:14 am

Cool. Thanks for answering will, I figured they wouldn't have much of a tech base when people can learn to fly but I was curious if their knowledge was more advanced than their purely none magical tech.

In which we ramble on.
And by we, I mean me.