Era 1 Timeline

[QafianSage]

So, in short my question is - it having been a while since I read the books and not being able to access my copies for another week or so - about how long the Mistborn books took place over. I know there's about a year between the end of The Final Empire and the start of The Well of Ascension, and I think a couple months between TWoA and The Hero of Ages, but I'm not sure of the timespan within each book, or exactly what's between TWoA and THoA. Can anyone help me here?

[+Child of Hodor]

2 hours ago, QafianSage said:

So, in short my question is - it having been a while since I read the books and not being able to access my copies for another week or so - about how long the Mistborn books took place over. I know there's about a year between the end of The Final Empire and the start of The Well of Ascension, and I think a couple months between TWoA and The Hero of Ages, but I'm not sure of the timespan within each book, or exactly what's between TWoA and THoA. Can anyone help me here?

I think we can piece it together by using dates of death of major characters. Looks like the events of each book takes place over less than a year with a year or so in between. 

Lord Ruler dies at the end of book 1 in 1022 https://coppermind.net/wiki/Rashek

"Siege of Luthadel" which is basically the first 4/5th of book 2 takes place in 1023 and that ends with the "Battle of Luthadel" also in 1023.

https://coppermind.net/wiki/Siege_of_Luthadel; https://coppermind.net/wiki/Battle_of_Luthadel

Vin dies in 1025 https://coppermind.net/wiki/Vin

[cometaryorbit]

Hmm I thought it was longer than that due to character ages... I thought Vin turns 16 early in book 1 and says she's 21 at some point in HoA. Maybe I'm wrong though.

Or maybe book 1 covers more than a year?

The summaries of the previous book's events at the end of the latter books do say "One year has passed", so the gaps between books must be close to a year.

EDIT: I actually can't see how Vin can die in 1025. I think the Well has to refill in 1024 (or more likely 1025 if there's no year 0) since the time scale is specifically 1024 years.

So one year after that would put the beginning of HoA some time in 1025 or 1026.

Edited July 28, 2022 by cometaryorbit

[Treamayne]

10 hours ago, QafianSage said:

So, in short my question is - it having been a while since I read the books and not being able to access my copies for another week or so - about how long the Mistborn books took place over. I know there's about a year between the end of The Final Empire and the start of The Well of Ascension, and I think a couple months between TWoA and The Hero of Ages, but I'm not sure of the timespan within each book, or exactly what's between TWoA and THoA. Can anyone help me here?

7 hours ago, Child of Hodor said:

I think we can piece it together by using dates of death of major characters. Looks like the events of each book takes place over less than a year with a year or so in between. 

Lord Ruler dies at the end of book 1 in 1022 https://coppermind.net/wiki/Rashek

"Siege of Luthadel" which is basically the first 4/5th of book 2 takes place in 1023 and that ends with the "Battle of Luthadel" also in 1023.

Vin dies in 1025 https://coppermind.net/wiki/Vin

7 hours ago, cometaryorbit said:

EDIT: I actually can't see how Vin can die in 1025. I think the Well has to refill in 1024 (or more likely 1025 if there's no year 0) since the time scale is specifically 1024 years.

So one year after that would put the beginning of HoA some time in 1025 or 1026.

If there is a year 0, then 1024 years would be year 1023. . .

However, analyzing by time elapsed rather than years makes it seem (if I've done it correctly) that the trilogy starts in Spring and four "winters" pass.

TFE

Spoiler

TFE Prologue - implies early-spring planting

Quote

But could Tresting perhaps speed that up, if he worked a little harder? His skaa population had been growing lately. Perhaps if he pushed them a bit more, he could bring in an extra harvest this summer and fulfill his contract with Lord Venture in extra measure.

TFE Ch 6 - Summer, plans for over a year to prepare

Quote

“How much time do I have?” Breeze asked.

“A year,” Kelsier said. “We’ll plan this to go off next fall. Assuming the Lord Ruler does gather his forces to attack Yeden once we take the city, we might as well make him do it in the winter.”

TFE Ch 9

Quote

She burned pewter with a flash and hit the ground running, dashing along Fellise’s quiet streets. The late-autumn air was cool, but winters were generally mild in the Central Dominance. Some years passed without even a flake of snow.

TFE Ch 16

Quote

Kelsier had warned against using it too much, lest she grow dependent upon its power, but she saw little alternative until she was healed.

“That is wonderful,” Renoux said. “Perhaps, once you are feeling better, we should take lunch together on the garden balcony. It has been warm lately, despite the coming winter.”

“That would be very pleasant,” Vin said.

TFE Ch 17

Quote

 It was a very mild winter, and most of the trees still held their leaves. The air felt cool, and the rustling of branches in the wind was soothing.

Almost soothing enough, in fact, to make Vin forget how annoyed she was.

TFE Ch 20 - Recovery from KS infil

Quote

She was beginning to grow frustrated with her continued weakness. It had been over three months since her encounter with the Inquisitor; the worst of winter had passed without even a flake of snow. How long was it going to take her to recover?

TFE Ch 22 - Reading the Logbook

Quote

She sighed, settling back into her wicker chair. A cool early-spring breeze blew through the lower gardens, passing over the petite fountain brook to her left. The air was comfortably moist, and the trees overhead shaded her from the afternoon sun.

TFE Ch 26 - Two weeks since the Pewter drag

Quote

She didn’t know how Kelsier had kept going, leading the remnants of their army to a safe location.

That had been over two weeks ago. Fifteen full days, and her head still hurt.

TFE Ch 32 - Implies weeks have passed since Vin killed Shan at the final ball (Houses went from finalizing alliances to outright warfare)

Quote

As the crew’s best Tineye, he usually got the most important watches. Recently, those were the ones during the early evening. That was the time when conflict among the Great Houses was most likely to turn to outright fighting.

There are few good time references after Ch 22 - but we can estimate 2-3 months since the "early-srping" reading of the logbook to the time when Marsh is "killed" - everything after than is probably 8-10 days (time for Kell to Drag to and from Hathsin, plus time there, plus recovery, then the battle in the square)

WoA

Spoiler

WoA Ch 1- even though they say 1 year has passed, it's autumn when we know TFE ended in early summer at the latest, so more likely 14-15 months

Quote

The great city of Luthadel was still. Even now, a year after the Lord Ruler’s death and the rise of Elend’s new free government, the common people stayed in their homes at night. They feared the mists, a tradition that went far deeper than the Lord Ruler’s laws.

WoA Ch 4

Quote

Nobody helped him dig the grave. It was slow, muggy work in the southern heat, which was strong despite the advent of autumn. The clay earth was difficult to move—but, fortunately, Sazed had a bit of extra stored-up strength inside a pewtermind, and he tapped it for help.

WoA Ch 11

Quote

Elend shivered in the chill autumn weather, glancing back out over the second army. It was making camp a good distance from Straff’s army, close to the Luth-Davn Canal, which ran out the west side of the River Channerel.

WoA Ch 13

Quote

“Not to mention our food problems,” Dockson said. “What you propose would take time, Your Majesty. Time during which we’d be under siege, our supplies dwindling. It’s autumn right now. Winter will soon be upon us.”

WoA Ch 25

Quote

Elend had stores, fortunately. But how long would they last before the siege? Not through the approaching winter, certainly—not with so much of the dominance’s grain still unharvested in the outer plantations.

WoA Ch 36

Quote

 So, she put her knives away, then rested with her arms folded on the rooftop’s edge. The fire crackled in the cool winter evening, sending billows of smoke to mix with the mists, and Demoux continued to speak in his quiet, reassuring voice, teaching the people about Kelsier.

WoA Ch 42

Quote

 

“Too bad,” Ham said with a sigh. “Nobody should have to wear a uniform.”

Elend raised an eyebrow. In the face of undeniable winter, Ham had finally taken to wearing a shirt beneath his vest. He wore no cloak or coat, however.

 

WoA Ch 57

Quote

It was foolish, he knew. How long had Tindwyl been back in his life? Only a few months.

Quote

She glanced at the closed window, with the mists curling at the edges. Then, she walked over and threw the shutters open, letting in the cold winter air. Vin stood, closing her eyes and letting the mists wash over her. She wore only a simple shirt and trousers.

 

HoA

Spoiler

HoA Ch 4

Quote

One year ago, the woman Sazed loved had died. Now, he wanted to know ... no, he had to know ... if the religions of the world had answers for him. He would find the truth, or he would eliminate each and every faith.

HoA Ch 5 - So, the battle with Koloss was late winter (with snow) and another whole winter has passed - more likely 15 months than the 1 yr estimate Sazed mentioned

Quote

“Which is another problem,” Vin said. “The ash falls almost perpetually now. People are having trouble keeping it out of their streets. It blots out the light, making everything darker. Even if the mists don’t kill off next year’s crops, the ash will. Two winters ago—when we fought the koloss at Luthadel—was the first I’d seen snow in the Central Dominance, and this last winter was even worse. These aren’t things we can fight, Elend, no matter how big our army!”

HoA Ch 14

Quote

 

His skin had become so sensitive that each pebble in the ground—each crack, each flake of stone—felt like a knife jabbing him through the soles of his shoes. The chill spring air seemed freezing, and he wore a thick cloak.

However, he had concluded that these nuisances were small prices to pay for the opportunity to become ... whatever it was he had become.

 

HoA Ch 27

Quote

A short distance away, a small group of guards sat in the darkness, whispering quietly, watching Elend’s army camp—which was now little more than a haze of campfire light in the mists. The guards spoke of the spring chill, commenting that it seemed colder this year than it had in previous ones.

HoA Ch 47

Quote

“I thought a siege was a good idea,” Cett said. “But, I don’t think it will work anymore, son. The ash is falling too hard now, and we don’t have supplies. This whole thing is becoming a damn mess. We need to strike and take what we can from Fadrex, then retreat to Luthadel and try to hold it through the summer while our people grow crops.”

So it was early spring at the beginning of HoA and is still spring when gets trapped in Fadrex. She's there about two weeks. Unknown how long the trip to Luthadel takes but I would guess the rest of the series is over about 10 days after leaving Fadrex.

TFE takes place over about 16-18 months, more than 1 year passes (TFE ending in late summer/early autumn - WoA starting in mid-to-late autumn), WoA covers about four-to-six months (ending in late winter), another 15 months or so pass, then HoA starts in early-spring and takes only two or three months and ends late-spring/early summer.

[cometaryorbit]

It gets even messier though since per WOB the Lord Ruler kept the old calendar, though seasons would change due to the now shorter orbit - so I don't think we can necessarily assume one seasonal cycle per (calendar) year in Era 1.

TFE taking over a year does make everything fit well though.

As for the year zero issue... I'd think that if there was no year zero, and TLR defined taking the Well's power as the beginning of Year 1, the Well would refill at the beginning of Year 1025 (1+1024). So if there was a year zero it would be beginning of Year 1024 (0+1024). Or am I wrong?

[+Ookla the Leafy]

So that implies that they started off at 0?

[Just a Silvereye]

On 30/07/2022 at 5:05 AM, cometaryorbit said:

It gets even messier though since per WOB the Lord Ruler kept the old calendar, though seasons would change due to the now shorter orbit - so I don't think we can necessarily assume one seasonal cycle per (calendar) year in Era 1.

When I do the math off the Arcanum Unbounded chart, I find that the FE year is about half as long as a pre-Ascension year (46% of it). That would mean two full season cycles per calendar year, but I can't reconcile everything with that. Most notably, I don't see how the time gap between WoA and HoA could be even close to one year (WoA ends in late winter, then there is another full season cycle and HoA starts in the following spring - but that brings us to a bit more than half a calendar year)

I'm wondering whether Brandon accounted for that when writing. A bit like when he writes SA and does not accounts for the Rosharan calendar - except when writing Era 1 Karen was not there to keep track of all that. Or it's just my math that is wrong.

 

 

Edited September 7, 2022 by Just a Silvereye

[cometaryorbit]

9 hours ago, Just a Silvereye said:

I'm wondering whether Brandon accounted for that when writing. A bit like when he writes SA and does not accounts for the Rosharan calendar - except when writing Era 1 Karen was not there to keep track of all that. Or it's just my math that is wrong.

 

 

Quite possibly it wasn't accounted for. The WoB about the calendar change vs seasons is much more recent, I think.

Or maybe Era 1 Scadrial seasons are weirder than we think and not directly related to orbit around its sun (maybe the ashmounts have a seasonal cycle because TLR attempted to mimic the old seasons)?