Questioner
We have never seen further into Ragnarus than the single room behind the door and it doesn't sound like people tend to travel the other direction. What else is there in Ragnarus? Is it an expansive territory with a lot to discover?
Will Wight
Once, there was a king that ruled a vast realm. He dove deeply into the power of his world, which rewarded sacrifice: everything he loved was slowly consumed by his collection of magical artifacts.
The scope of this travesty grew to encompass his whole world, until the population of his enormous kingdom served only to feed his magic.
Finally, the fabric of his reality crumbled to dust. Faced with what he'd done, the king managed to preserve the one thing that still mattered to him.
And so his Vault drifted through the oceans of chaos. Until, at last, it found a resting place.
Questioner
Why is the sky blue?
Will Wight
All the creatures of Helgard have blue blood because they are descended from the original ancient titan, he whose blood covers the sky. Every sunset, he comes back to life and his blood retreats. Every sunrise, he is slain once more.
Questioner
Do u have a name for Amalgams energy Traveler's use or does each territory have a different energy that's used or do they adapt to Amalgam?
Will Wight
The Territories each have their own small, half-formed magic system, and Amalgam is kind of the container in which all of those are mixed.
Questioner
Is Damasca a notable power? You said "medium country or large state," but they also have the only* Elysia and Valinhall travelers...
*that we are aware of
Also, are there any magic artifacts that are not nor have ever been connected to a Territory? Or are they ALL tied to a Territory, whether it is known or not?
Will Wight
All of the known artifacts with supernatural powers are believed to be connected to a Territory. Is that belief correct? Who knows?
Damasca used to be larger and more important than it is now. Though it could have the chance to rise again...
Questioner
How much of the Traveler's gate world have we seen? Are there explorers/colonies lost within a territory Robinson Crusoe style?
Will Wight
We have seen one small area of the Traveler's Gate world. Like a medium country, or a large state.
Why such a small area, if they have Territories to travel long distances? That's a great question, and hopefully one that I will have a chance to answer in the next book.
Most stories of lost colonies come from Asphodel, both because it is easy to get lost and forgotten there (the Mist is known to devour thoughts and memories) and because there are more colonies in Asphodel. It's the best Territory for farmland, so it's actually the Territory with the greatest number of Travelers. They just don't typically fight; they usually focus on raising crops and keeping farmers safe.
Questioner
Thanks for answer my first question! Here goes number two: Are there any "dark" or "evil" magics on Amalgam? (something that requires blood sacrifice or is socially unacceptable to practice)
Will Wight
There are some answers to this question that I don't want to go into too much detail about, pending spoilers and/or me changing my mind, but each Territory has its dark side.
In general, Ragnarus is considered to be the "evil" Territory. But there are birds in Avernus that can twist and warp the personality of humans, addictive parasitic flowers in Asphodel, and terrible weapons left buried in Lirial. Most of the Arbiters of Naraka obtained their power from the acts of brutal injustice perpetuated against them, and it has left them twisted and broken, willing to commit unspeakable deeds in the pursuit of their ideas of justice.
Questioner
In the traveler's gate series, are there any other territories yet to be discovered or lost to the ages?
Will Wight
The best I can do is, "Almost certainly yes."
Questioner
Bets you say...
I'm assuming there were some bets on whether or not Simon would survive the house?
Was the Elder in on that bet and if so did he win or lose?
Also what were his odds? I'm assuming many bet against him and maybe a few prospered greatly?
Will Wight
People don't bet against the Eldest anymore. He's right too often.
It's pretty common for him to ruin bets between other Nye by making cryptic comments that cause them to second-guess themselves. He thinks it's hilarious.
Questioner
When not strangling the inhabitants or acting as the caretakers of Valinhall, what do the Nye do in their free time? Do they have any particular hobbies or favorite pastimes?
Will Wight
Yes, Nye actually do get time off, and they do enjoy it.
They have a number of games that they play to fill the time. Especially Nye children. They will sometimes play hiding games, or their equivalent of tag, or race from one room to another. When they're older or feeling rebellious, they'll go to the edges of the House--where the rooms are unstable and dangerous--and see who can return with a piece from a wild room.
Older Nye spend their time with one another, in typical social gatherings, and they often place bets. The dolls picked up this habit from the Nye.
Questioner
Are there any places on cradle where information on sacred art techniques are widely available and indigenous practitioners are encouraged to develop their own paths?
Will Wight
The Dawnspring Archive.It's both a location and an organization dedicated to helping young sacred artists develop their own, personal Path. They have dream tablets from all over the world and from all sorts of Paths, which can encourage children to expand their imaginations and experiences with the sacred arts.
Questioner
Does Cradle have a community equivalent to video game theorycrafters, who spend all day working out min/maxed combos of ironbody/cycle method/madra paths?
Will Wight
There is such an organization, and I'd love to go into detail about them, but unfortunately I'm afraid it might be a spoiler.But the non-story answer is yes!
Questioner
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?
Will Wight
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.
Questioner
Are there legendary remnants that are especially sought after? Also, are there any effects (good oreasonbad) that come from bonding a remnant that is insanely far beyond your cultivation level?
Will Wight
There are indeed some ancient or legendary Remnants, at least one of which will be shown in Skysworn. As far as bonding a Remnant beyond your advancement, it's a big risk. The Remnant has more of a sense of identity, so it can make your bonding process either much easier or much harder. Yerin could never have bonded the Sword Sage's Remnant, for instance, if he hadn't allowed it.
Questioner
Are scripts some form of universal language or just Cradle oriented? Are there similar things in Amalgam or Asylum?
Will Wight
Scripting is unique to Cradle, but other worlds have similar systems for guiding, shaping, or controlling their native energy.
Questioner
I assume the artists on the Path of the Starseed have some way of protecting their body from the aura? Also, can they only manifest it inside their hands, or within a certain distance?
Will Wight
It's cupped a few inches from their hands, like a ball. As they advance, they can control it more freely and project it farther.
Questioner
Are there bows in the Elder Empire?
Questioner
There are bows as Vessels, and I have notes for at least one Soulbound that uses one. Bows didn’t show up in the series primarily to distinguish it from my other series, which had lots of bows, and secondarily because the books aren’t that long and there’s a lot we don’t explore.
Questioner
What path is the best later on in the stages but sucks early in your advancement?
Will Wight
Path of the Starseed.
Practitioners gather aura of light and heat into a tiny ball of madra that they keep inside their spirits. They can manifest it, like a tiny star in their hands, but any power they use is taken away from the Starseed's growth.
As they advance, they also advance their Starseed, but it's far less useful than any similar Paths (like, say, Heaven's Glory) until they reach Underlord. Once the Starseed is bathed and forged in soulfire, it becomes another level of existence entirely.Now practitioners can use their Starseed to melt through stone, and as it gets larger and more dense, the sacred artists become deadlier. If they continue to advance, their Starseeds can eventually burn cities in seconds after manifesting.
Terrible
What powers would Stephen King have if he went to Asylum and made a Soulbound Vessel out of his most terrifying horror novel?
Will Wight
The ability to horrify those around him, or the ability to trap them in a terrifying illusion. Depends on how he thinks about himself and the book while he's writing.
Questioner
Would killing an Elder allow them to escape from Asylum?
Will Wight
No, it wouldn’t.
Dj Ducky
Uru the Mighty Guy what is personally your favorite art so far
Will Wight
My favorite art is the Sea cover for Of Sea and Shadow.
