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Northstrider vs. the Eight-Man Empire
This would be a huge, destructive conflict with lots of collateral damage, but eventually I think Northstrider would probably win. The EME don't really have the firepower to beat him quickly, so they would be relying on a drawn-out contest, but he would be coming at them as hard and as fast as possible.
Will, How many peopel have reached the same stage Northstrider has on Cradle. Currently we only know of 3, or is it 10?
Depends on whether all members of 8-Man Empires have reached the same rank, or if the woman Suriel singled out, who managed to get to Low-Gold when she was only 6 years old, exceeds the rank of her friends.
Hm. I don't think I can answer this with a worldbuilding story.
Therefore, I will sidestep with a story that sort of answers your question:
Reigan Shen is the creator and sole practitioner of the Path of the King's Key. Centuries ago, he consulted an oracle and grew to believe that he was destined to rule the world. He seeks to make that vision a reality.
He fought the Eight-Man Empire to a standstill, though they eventually drove him off. He has stolen Northstrider's prey. He is considered one of the Ninecloud Court's greatest enemies, though everyone below the Queen is instructed to treat him as an honored guest, should he arrive.
Only about six years ago, he finally slew his longtime rival. Though Lindon didn't know it, he felt the aftereffects of that battle in Sacred Valley.
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 miara4. Who would win a war between ninecloud court of today and the blackflame empire of the dragons5. 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?
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.
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.
Can someone explain why Lindon was all worked up at the end of the book and had to rush off to tell his friends that Sha Miara is actually a monarch?
Like he literally mentions her name in skysworn, when he says about northstrider, the 8 man empire and luminous queen sha miara.
And Eithan, Mercy and Yerin are all like yep they’re strong.
Is this a continuity error? Bc it seems like lindon believes this is some big secret that he has to divulge, that he already has years previously. And I checked she’s not under a fake name in the tournament, northstrider announces her name in the revealing of the fight schedule so our other MCs are aware of the name
Yeah, I can actually answer that one! My take on that, which I probably could have retroactively explained in this book when it became relevant, was that anyone with knowledge of the world knows who the Luminous Queen is. But at this point, the Ninecloud Court are keeping it secret that the previous queen has died and her daughter has succeeded her.
Also, she's participating in the tournament, so of course she's an Underlady.
Lindon's urgency at the end comes from the fact that, at previous points in the book, he doesn't want to say anything lest he get in trouble with a Monarch. But after the Abidan have come down, there's enough at stake now for him to risk it.
That's the idea, though obviously I could have communicated it more clearly.
Yup, it is a continuity error. Unfortunately, the book is riddled with them.
Lindon, Yerin, Eithan, and Mercy all know that Sha Miara is a Monarch. As the commenter I was responding to said, she was in the tournament under the name Sha Miara. There was no reason for Lindon to run to tell the others since they already knew, as the commenter said. He told the story to Yerin multiple times. He probably mentioned the Monarch names every time, but he definitely mentioned Sha Miara to them by name at least once. Didn't you read Skysworn?
I read it out loud :) But I don't remember him mentioning her by name.
But even if he did, I guess I'm not sure it would ruin the book for me. The world is huuuuge. The distances are vast. The people almost mythical.
Jumping in here: I was aware of this scene in Skysworn when I wrote Uncrowned, but I didn't see the need to clarify that Yerin and company didn't make the connection to Lindon's story from years earlier. They're thinking he saw a vision of the Luminous Queen, who this girl competing in the tournament obviously isn't.
I thought that came across in the story, but obviously not clearly enough.
I knew when I wrote Skysworn that it wasn't common knowledge that Sha Miara led the Ninecloud Court, but since it wasn't relevant to that book or the next book, I didn't want to bring it up at the time. In Uncrowned, I thought the situation was clear enough to go without further explanation, but apparently I was wrong.
Underlords vs. Underlord+
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, including one big leap (like the difference between Truegold and Underlord, it's only one stage, but it's a big one). The Dreadgods are a threat on THEIR level--and notice that Suriel said the 8-Man Empire, Sha Miara, and Northstrider could save Sacred Valley from them. She didn't say they could destroy the Dreadgods.
The BF Emperor is the one person in the Empire who is a level over Underlord.
The EE Emperor is about his level, although since they're using different magic systems, it's less about stages and more about what they can and can't do to counter one another.
Been waiting for a new post to ask somethings
So finding out abidan archives was an info overload and I felt kinda like what dross must have felt on trying to integrate the Aurelius library. So I have a few questions/confusion.
1. Regarding Monarchs Will said that there are 8 active monarchs in cradle and at the end of underlord 7 live ones are mentioned Akura malice Seshethkunaaz, (dragon one) Sha miara Northstrider 8 man empire , counted as one, Emriss silent born ,The monarch remnant, Reigan shen , who apparently killed a monarch recently (possibly the Aurelius )
Now I am not counting the Aurelius monarch as he's been dead for a few years (~6) and Will said active monarchs.So the question is is there an unknown/hidden monarch?
Am I missing someone's name or is eithan the aurelius monarch and is hiding/repowered?
2. Of Markuth
I believed he was abidan level but he was confirmed to be sage at most, so I can get how he can travel off world maybe using portals or something like a Stargate but looking to fight the 4 dreadgods together or even one at a time when even monarchs cannot handle them alone seems unbelievable.Remember how malice was on the verge of retreating after 3 days and the blood Phoenix was still good to go but it retreated (maybe the influence of makael judge 001 ) wore off.
3. A few random musing
i. Who is judge 007 cause the reaper is 008.
ii. Is a ward key like a battery or an amplifier
iii.Do u have to die and be reborn(leaving ur remanent behind) to ascend/touch the way , this would explain the death of sage of endless sword.
This is a lot of questions, and these blog comments aren't a great medium for an in-depth discussion, but I'll do what I can.
1.) There are eight Monarch factions. Currently seven living/active Monarchs.
2.) He was an Archlord (or similar level) when he ascended from Cradle, but he has advanced beyond that in a different magic system after leaving. When he came back, he believed himself to be more powerful than anyone in the Iteration. Maybe he was, who knows? Maybe he was just prideful and Northstrider would have beaten the crap out of him. But he was definitely not more powerful than Suriel.
3a.) Zakariel is Judge Zero-zero-seven.
3b.) No, it's like a passkey that lets you walk in and out unharmed.
3c.) Maybe! That would be a spoiler.
Eight-Man Empire versus Sha Miara...
She'd have more difficulty dealing with them as opposed to Northstrider, because they're relying on individual power and a formation that manipulates aura when they fight. In the end, it's roughly even, and it depends on a bunch of variables, but here's the bottom line: if Sha Miara can figure out and break their formation quickly, she wins. If she can't, they're sharing and pooling power, and they will overwhelm her.
Were the sacred artists Suriel revealed to Lindon a mere sampling of the beings at that power level, or are these literally the only three groups at their level?
They are not the only ones. In the form of a young boy, an ancient dragon rules the desert to the east of the Blackflame Empire. He is kept from consuming the humans by the deterrent of the Akura clan, whose Matriarch is one of the few beings on the planet he respects. Northstrider gathers power in the hopes that he will one day be able to challenge this particular dragon.
What would happen if Northstrider strode South?
You know the questions about dividing by zero? This is that. If Northstrider strode South... wow, that's a tongue twister. Northstrider would stride South if Northstrider could stride South but Northstrider can't stride South so Northstrider only strides North.
Will, how many people of Northstriders level would it roughly take to defeat weakest member of The Wolves? I know that suitability is a huge factor in a fight, which is why i don'T expect a definite answer.
Assuming the weakest of the Wolves, i.e. someone who has no other powers besides those of the Abidan and little combat experience but they're trying to work in the Wolf Division anyway...AND assuming we mean "beat in a fight" rather than "kill"...Northstrider might be able to do it in a 1v1. There's a wide gap between the least of the Abidan and the Judges, plus people who are weaker than Northstrider could still technically ascend.
Do you ascend simply after reaching a certain level, or is it only possible after gaining an enlightenment of a certain laws of the universe, kinda like Linley did in Coiling Dragon later in the books?(For example, Profound Laws of Earth)If it is the latter, could technically a copper ascend by understanding a certain amount of laws, or is that, already, not possible, because mastering such laws allows you, immediately, to reach a higher cultivation rank even if it is an unconventional way.
I imagine it's a lot like the transition to iron for Lindon though. If someone weak ascends too early it probably limits their future growth. Or maybe the iteration the weakest Wolf came from allows early ascension so he's not all that strong yet.Hey Will another question: What stops immortals from mastering different magic systems from different iterations? (Like in disguise so they don't disturb fate too much)
@George: It's more like mastering Laws than pure cultivation, but no a Copper couldn't do it.@Diego: Yep, you nailed it. The weakest Wolf is from an Iteration other than Cradle (so he might have to leave a lot of his power behind) and has just started learning to tap into the Way.What stops immortals from going to another Iteration and learning the magic system?The Abidan. There's nothing in the rules of the universe to prevent that, and indeed one of the rival organizations of the Abidan is made up of people who do this.
Was there any specific reason why Northstrider denied Harmony’s pleas for salvation from the collapsing Ghostwater, such as having seen a desire for vengeance in Harmony, or something to that effect, or did Northstrider just not care enough to save him?
Nope, he just didn't care. I initially had him not acknowledging Harmony at all, just walking in and walking out, but then readers were confused about whether Harmony survived or not.Also, I thought the "No." was funny.
Who would Northstrider go on a date with?
Northstrider is not a fun guy. He no longer relaxes.
Are there any sacred beasts (besides dragons) that could go toe-to-toe with a Monarch or a Dreadgod?
There's Juwei, the Ghostwalker Fox, who has tricked Monarchs and escaped. There's a single Monarch-level dragon--known by some as the god of the desert--who has a centuries-old feud with Northstrider. There's Nightsong, the musician on the Path of the Moonlit Flute, who is either a sacred beast herself or has strong inhuman blood.
I forget exactly how Monarchs are restricted from advancing further without leaving Cradle(Abidan just threaten to kill them? Or there's some kind of force preventing it?) but is Ghostwater basically Northstrider trying to get around the restrictions by making his power use more effective than other Monarchs rather than just advancing?
The restrictions on Monarchs haven’t been explored yet.
So are the Monarch not actively trying to become more powerful then without ascending because that has some backward thinking considering the dreadgods can kill them if they aren't careful
Monarchs have basically tapped out the limits of sacred arts. Which is why Northstrider was looking into alternate means of becoming stronger in GW.
Did the scene with Northstrider cycling by the dragons hint at soulfire at all?
No, but it did hint at a different magic system.
Northstrider vs. Sha Miara
Sha Miara wins due to a mismatch of powers. If she knows what his powers are like and how they work, she can shut them down directly.In a contest of pure force, she would get annihilated.
How would Northstrider fight something so massive though? Like, kick the tip of the Phoenix's talons?Can he just make his techniques bigger?
I mean, he fights a 50 kilometer dragon and eats it.
Lol, yeah, but how exactly? Can he just punch with ridiculous force from a Monarch grade body? Make his striker technique enormous?It's clear he can do it, I just don't understand how he does it.
Fortunately, THAT at least will be very clearly shown through the series. As you would imagine, large-scale Monarch fights will definitely be a thing.
Was Ghostwater just a completely empty water Territory/fragment before Northstrider corralled it?
It was a chunk of ocean floor that outlived its world.
If I turned my Blackbelt into a Soulbound Vessel, what powers would I gain?
If Lindon and company each got to make a Soulbound Vessel, what would each of them go for?
Black belt: in order to make it a Vessel, you'd have to give it some inherent power source, such as from an Elder or a Kameira. That being the case, it would depend on what material you wove into the belt.
Lindon: a pair of glasses that enhances focus, concentration, and power while Reading.
Yerin: a sword.
Eithan: a colorful suit that overwhelms all who see him with awe.
Mercy: a watering can that grows healthy plant
