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Oh, here's a legit one. In Sword Unclean, you mentioned pure aura, is that a typo or is that a retcon?
It's not a retcon, so it was probably a typo. Without looking it up, I suspect I meant "pure __ aura," with the blank filled in by whatever type of aura he was talking about.
I'm glad you enjoy them! They're fun for me too, they just take a long time due to sheer volume.
I find it easier to be imaginative within constraints. So when someone asks me "What's the Cradle equivalent of a piano?" I tell myself that I have to give them a satisfying answer. I can't just say "There is none," or "It's a piano," unless there's a story reason to do so. I have to actually invent a Cradle piano.
Which is fun. It makes me consider avenues of the worlds that I hadn't considered.As for your trying to be imaginative, it's not like my systems are the most original magic systems ever designed. I just give myself permission to have fun with it.
I start with what general kind of magic I want the people to use. For Traveler's Gate, I started with the idea of an extradimensional mansion where you went for martial training. I knew I wanted the House to exist, so then I built a world where extradimensional training grounds were commonplace.
For Elder Empire, I started by knowing that I wanted a world where significant objects held automatic power through their significance. Excalibur wielded by King Arthur would have automatic power BECAUSE it was Excalibur and BECAUSE it was King Arthur's sword. Then I worked out from there.You can do that too. And there's nothing wrong with using principles from known magic systems; madra is basically just elemental mana.
My main weakness is that I throw in everything but the kitchen sink. Every idea I can think of goes in. There are more Territories than necessary, for instance. Too many Guilds. Reading, Awakening, Soulbound, etc. are more complicated than they need to be, and could probably be separated into two systems. Vital aura is essentially elemental energy, but by trying to integrate it into the madra system I accidentally made it muddy and unclear.
No approach is perfect, but I like mine because it's fun. My magic systems might be too unintuitive or complicated, but they're colorful and fun. That's my priority over a logical, fully hammered-out, and ultimately simpler system.Of course, the Holy Grail is a simple, intuitive system that nonetheless fires your imagination and can be used to create as many fun and colorful situations as you want. And toward that distant goal, we all strive.
How does the Horseman replicate energy systems from worlds he visits? If that is too spoiler-y, then how do ice madra techniques differ from water madra techniques?
That is too spoiler-y, but I can answer your ice/water question. Ice aura and water aura are different powers. Why? Good question, RAFO.
1. If reaching copper allows you to see the madra around you, what would a copper see in the worlds of House of Blades or Elder Empire?
2. With a mixture of madra and intent, could someone create an invested or awakened object that followed a path?
3. During his travels, did Valin get mocked a lot for his nye cloak?
4. You mentioned that it is very difficult to awaken a gun, but how difficult would it be to create a gun/gunpowder based path?
1.) Nothing. Copper's change allows you to see aura, which (for the most part) only exists in Cradle.
2.) If a Reader and a Soulsmith joined forces, they would be able to create some crazy self-aware objects, yes.
3.) He didn't wear one.
4.) Unnecessary. Why would you need chemical accelerant when you can launch projectiles with your mind?
Metaphysical Great Elders can rip one apart on the molecular level. You said the strongest Cradle character could solo them. Do they have defenses against that?
Yes, they do have a defense against that. At a certain point, your spirit gets strong enough that your madra gives you essentially complete control over your own body. You can resist forces that would affect you directly.
Also, at that level, they have access to powers other than madra that can fight against the Great Elders.
What are some of the best entertainment professions?
I know light and dream mandra would be great but are there any other specialties such as madra that would create fireworks or balance mandra that would make spectacular jugglers?
There are entertainers with many different aspects of madra. Blood artists can sometimes give you physical impulses or emotions directly. There are actors on stone Paths who create their own scenery as they perform. Dream artists can store fantasies in a tablet, to be experienced by anyone. There are wind artists that can give you the experience of flying freely for a limited time.
Reddit: Will has actually said that he didn’t consider the “evolution” of sacred arts when creating the system
Hold on there, Skippy. I don’t remember saying that, but I probably did. I trust your memory more than mine, and also it’s true that I didn’t consider the evolution of sacred arts. However, not considering the evolution of the system means I didn’t decide who first practiced sacred arts, or where that term comes from, how the different stages became measured and codified, etc. I do know where the first Remnant comes from for a Path. Sacred beasts leave Remnants, and sacred beasts advance naturally over time. So you might absorb one of these wild Remnants that’s compatible with your own madra. Also, natural spirits (like Little Blue) are sometimes born from convergences of aura, and they can be bonded. They’re basically Remnants that no one died to leave behind. Third, people sometimes capture Remnants and feed them different types of madra or keep them in certain environments of aura until they adapt. This is intended to create a certain kind of Goldsign until your sect or clan or whatever grows large enough that you have a reasonable supply of Remnants from your specific Path.
Is storm madra an aspect of wind madra?
Storm is just kinda what they call lightning aura. It's just lightning. So there are storm paths, thats aren't necessarily completely lightning aura. They're also wind, and maybe force, or water. So Tiberian Aurelius followed a storm path in the sense that it was mostly lightning, but he also had aura aspects from a lot of other things that you would find in storms. So storm path and storm aura are often used differently, and i know that's confusing and weird, but there are cultures on Cradle that I didn't think it was organic for them to just call it lightning or electricity. I thought it would be more poetic or they would probably say storm.
1) Kai had the Iron Scroll and Denner had the bell which sent all foreign objects back to their home territory, and if I recall correctly none of the others were said to have access to these powers. How did they get them? Why didn't they share the knowledge of the power's location with their fellow Dragon Army members? Did all of them have a power that they kept secret from the others?
2) How did Valin choose the kids that he did as his first Dragon Army? Were they all chosen at once? What criteria did he look for?
3) When and how did Valin go to the City of Light to get the gold for Mithra? How did the- I'm just assuming here- members of the Gold District react to a powerful foreign invader, and why does nobody remember that Valin visited?
4) When a guardian dies- like the snake in the forge- how is another guardian chosen? If being picked as a guardian where you can die instead of one you just have to defeat is a punishment of some sort, what crimes prompted the punishment?
5) What was Kathrin doing? Was she repping out as a strange Tartarus traveler, as many assumed Valinhall to be?
6) Now that Simon and the Eldest are recovering the Dragon Fangs, how will they pick new wielders? Are they going to intentionally set out for and try to find new Valinhall travelers, or will they just wait and hope that another falls into their lap like Erastes did?
7) How did Valin create Valinhall? Is this something that could be done again by someone else to create a Territory in their own image?
1.) They were the only ones to EARN those powers, not the only ones to know about them. Some rooms have to do with personal compatibility, so they're easy for some people and very hard for others.
2.) Good question. I've wanted to do a Dragon Army prequel book at some point, but there are a lot of books I'd like to write.
3.) "why does nobody remember that Valin visited?" Who says no one remembers?
4.) The "government" of the House gets a little strange sometimes, but in general, a crime would be disrupting the order of the Territory or doing something that jeopardized their power or existence. Like trying to monopolize a power you didn't earn, or interfering in the function of another room.
5.) That would be a fun short story, actually.
6.) This one will definitely be answered in the next few novels, if not the short stories.
7.) Yes, it is something that could be done again.
What would a non-illusory based path of pure light look like?
I can think of a few uses for pure light techniques. Bending sight, blinding opponents, cleansing areas of shadow aura, just plain lighting things up...it probably wouldn’t be the greatest punch-em-up Path, but it would be useful.
Is sound madra a thing
Sound manipulation is based on air madra, but there are certainly Paths of musicians that carry their techniques through music. At least one of them is a famous Herald who I would like to feature or at least reference in the books eventually.
Also, what path would be best suited to creating an army of forged madra garden gnome soldiers?
Path of the Clay Walkers.
Life and stone. They craft clay golems from special clay and other materials, kneading their madra into the dolls and bringing them to life under their control. It's not an especially powerful Path, but it's useful for a variety of mundane tasks.
Like creating a parade of garden gnomes.
Lindon mentioned the healing with the ironheart uses more madra. Is this more total madra to heal the same wound or more like Ironbody uses 5 mana points per second for 240 seconds. Ironheart uses 20 mara points per second for 4 seconds to heal same wound.
I'm not going to lie to you: it's been a long day, and my eyes kind of glaze over when I see numbers.
The Bloodforged Iron body was really intended to fight intruders to the body, particularly poison, and it heals as kind of a secondary effect. In simple terms, the Iron Heart makes that secondary effect stronger.
There are no Paths that are not based on garlic madra to some degree. Vampires are not welcome in Cradle.
Can all madra be converted to hunger madra?
No.
Scientific classification of madra
If you ask too many questions about the categorization of madra aspects, you’re just not going to get very many satisfying answers out of me. I didn’t organize it in, like, an elemental chart with categories and everything. There would have been advantages to that, sure, but I wanted to leave it open-ended to some degree.
What purpose do Dross' core and Madra channels serve? Can he actually cycle with them?
That was all part of Dross evolving from a construct to an independent spirit. Without some form of madra channels, he wouldn't be able to process power. He cannot cycle aura, though technically Lindon could cycle aura to him. If he wanted.
Could Nightsong manipulate a Monarch?
No. It would be a classic clash of madra versus madra, and so the Monarchs would just beat her.
Suriel mentions Li Markuth as Gold whereas we know he is greater than that and possibly an archlord so is this a mistake ?
That was me looking for an imperfect solution to a problem.I never intended Li Markuth to merely be Gold, which is why he says as much when he shows up, and of course Suriel knows exactly what his power level is. However, I didn’t want to throw new terms at the reader in book one, so I had her refer to him in the same way everyone else was.Of course, now it’s confusing. In hindsight, I should have said something like “The stronger practitioner’s core.”
Are all the books going to be signed from the Kickstarter?
Yes, all of the books will be signed.
