The Way. Fundamental force of order and stability underlying all Iterations. The medium through which the Abidan travel and the source of authority for Sages and Monarchs.
Overview
The Way is the fundamental structure of reality, a force of order and stability that binds all worlds together. Every world — called an Iteration — exists within the Way. Cradle is designated Iteration 110, one of countless worlds maintained by the Way’s structure. [US Epilogue]
Iterations
Iterations are individual worlds within the Way, each with its own physical laws, inhabitants, and systems of power. They range from mundane worlds with no supernatural elements to worlds like Cradle where sacred artists can shatter mountains. Iterations are organized into Sectors — clusters of worlds grouped by proximity within the Way’s structure. [BF Ch.13]
Cradle produces an unusually high number of powerful practitioners capable of ascending beyond their world. This productivity makes it one of the most significant Iterations the Abidan protect. [BF Ch.13]
The Void
Beyond the Way lies the Void: the absence of order, stability, and existence. The Void is not empty space but active chaos that dissolves structure and reality on contact. When an Iteration loses its connection to the Way, the Void consumes it, erasing its inhabitants and history entirely. [BF Ch.13]
The Abidan’s primary mission is preventing this dissolution — defending Iterations against the Void’s encroachment and maintaining the Way’s stability across all worlds. [BF Ch.13]
Icons and the Way
Authority — the power to reshape reality through spoken commands — flows from this connection. A Sage’s commands work because they impose will through the Way’s structure, overriding the natural order within the Icon’s domain. [WS Ch.7, Ch.27]
Monarchs and the Way
Monarchs exist in tension with the Way. Their power — combining a Herald’s merged body-and-spirit with a Sage’s authority — makes them too great for a single Iteration to contain. A Monarch’s presence presses against the Way itself, generating hunger aura as a corruption of the natural order. This is not a side effect but a fundamental consequence: Monarchs are meant to ascend into the Way, not remain in their home Iteration. [RP Ch.21]
This corruption feeds the
Ascension
Ascending means leaving one’s home Iteration and entering the Way directly. Practitioners powerful enough to ascend — typically Sages, Heralds, or Monarchs — can step beyond their world and travel the Way between Iterations. Most ascendants join the Abidan, the organization that maintains the Way’s structure and defends Iterations from the Void. [BF Ch.13]
Cradle produces more ascendants per generation than most Iterations, owing to its unusually rich vital aura and competitive advancement culture. This is one reason Monarchs who refuse to ascend are considered selfish: they consume resources and generate corruption instead of contributing to the Way’s defense. [BF Ch.13, RP Ch.21]
The Abidan
The Abidan are an organization of ascended practitioners from countless Iterations, sworn to protect the Way and maintain the stability of all worlds. They are led by seven Judges, each wielding absolute authority within a specific domain:
The Abidan travel through the Way between Iterations, responding to threats and maintaining order. A Judge’s authority operates on a scale beyond anything achievable within a single world:
Related Topics
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Icons and Authority -
Advancement -
Sacred Arts -
The Dreadgods