RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes

Verrier · **04-06-2014, 05:23 PM**

Hi there! I'm trying to get my brain wrapped around the (very rich) lore in the game, and I've found myself tripping over what is probably a very silly question/detail to be hung up on, but thought I'd ask anyhow!

From what I've read, the Calamity with Bahamut happened in 1572 - after that, I see A Realm Reborn being referenced to as the new Era, 1577. Other discussions I read on the forum indicate that it'd be five years past the Calamity and thus into the 5th year of the 7th Umbral Era, or the 1st year of the 7th Astral Era with the advent of the game and returning of the Warriors of Light.

I'm not 100% which way the community tends to lean - 1577, 5th year of the 7th Umbral Era, or 1st year of the 7th Astral Era?

And on top of that, considering that there's been time since ARR was released, would it still be the same static date (5th year of the 7th Umbral/1st year of the 7th Astral Astral/1577) or has time advanced past that point in the world in a manner that's regarded by the RP community?

IE: ARR was released August, 2013, so as summer approaches are we reaching year 2 of the 7th Astral/year 6 of the 7th Umbral/1578, or is the advancement of time predicated by specific game releases?

Or am I completely out to lunch? *boggles* This might be kind of silly to obsess over, but I'm kind of anal retentive with little world-building details sometimes. Tongue

John Spiegel · **04-06-2014, 05:29 PM**

The 7th Astral wasn't declared until the end of the 2.0 content.

It really depends on the group you're with. Some follow the happenings of the world as they're released with each 2.x patch. My people are going to wait until the first expansion is declared to have the events of 2.x happen over a few months with us learning of things or even joining in Operation Acheron on one of the Castrums or something.

I use 1573-77 and on just as a continuation for pure math standpoint and not in RP as the correct format would be First Year of the 7th Umbral Era or whatevs.

Aysun · **04-06-2014, 08:02 PM**

Time marches on for me and many other RPers. There is an event in game called Heavensturn around New Years that signals a new year in Eorzea too. Game timelines never match up perfectly with storyline, but from what I've been seeing most people do this:

2.0/ARR launched in August. That was Year 5 of the 7th Umbral Era. Five years since the Calamity. Some RPers referenced it as 1577 due to the 5 year passage of time, though technically since it was a new Era we should have started counting again. Spoiler alert, as John said, the end of the 2.0 storyline ushered in the 7th Astral Era, so we should start counting over again. But damn that's confusing.

There's the problem of not everyone in the community acknowledging the events of the storyline as occurring until x time. Or not at all! So some people may be still playing as it is still the 7th Umbral Era, and some might not.

And of course, time marches on. Another year has come now (hello 2014!), so now it has been 6 years since the Calamity, and it is "1578" in 6th Umbral years.

What I'm saying is.. don't get too hung up on your Eras and years. It's not going to agree with SE's timeline, and it's going to vary from RPer to RPer, and it is maddening. I try to avoid it myself and just go along with the "now its been 6 years since the Calamity" thing.

Verrier · **04-06-2014, 08:19 PM**

HMM, that sounds like a very good policy, based on the wide variations in RP-land! Six-years-since seems the best way to go. I just wasn't certain if there was something that was generally agreed upon, and didn't want to step on any toes if references to timelines did come up. Tongue

Thank you both a bunch!

Erik Mynhier · **04-07-2014, 03:49 AM**

(04-06-2014, 08:19 PM)Verrier Wrote: HMM, that sounds like a very good policy, based on the wide variations in RP-land! Six-years-since seems the best way to go. I just wasn't certain if there was something that was generally agreed upon, and didn't want to step on any toes if references to timelines did come up.

Thank you both a bunch!

I tend to base time on the current content patches, a method developed in EQ way back in the day. Basically it goes like this.

We start with 2.0, the stuff we see as players of the game did not come to be until the real world release of 2.1. So basiclly what happens to the metaworld as a whole ingame doesn't happen to the RP world until the next major patch or expansion. But that"s how I see it, the other opinions work too.

Koninbeor · **04-07-2014, 08:33 AM**

I agree with Erik on the passage of time from an in-game perspective. The full spectrum of events shouldn't be determined as having transpired until the next patch. Otherwise, you have people all over the place.

As for what year it is, remember that years only use counting numbers. If we're in the 7th Umbral Era then there is no year zero. 5 years from the Calamity is year 6. 6 years from the Calamity is year 7. When you refer to the time in history, you wouldn't refer to the 0th year of the 7th Umbral Era.

Timeline/Era Question!

RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes