Work Text:
700-709 PCE
700 PCE:
April:
- Fitchner au Barca is born.[01]
701 PCE:
January-July:
- With the support of Nero and others, Octavia au Lune kills her father and takes the Morning Throne.[05];[06]
- After the death of Ovidius, the moons of Saturn attempt to declare their independence from the Core.[05];[06]
Friday, August 27:
702 PCE:
703 PCE:
- Scorpia au Terracus is born.[02]
- Doran of Cryssos is born.[09]
- Vagnar Hefga returns to the stars after siring more children on the Ice for House Grimmus.[10]
- Ragnar Volarus is born.[10]
- Prospera au Rhodes is born.[11]
705 PCE:
707 PCE:
- Ephriam ti Horn is born on Luna at Courneuve Hospital in the Evenstar district of Hyperion.[15]
710-719 PCE
710 PCE:
- Leto is born.[16]
711 PCE:
- Karnus au Bellona is born.[17]
- Daxo au Telemanus is born.[17]
- Lorn au Arcos begins training Aja au Grimmus in the Willow Way.[18]
712 PCE:
713 PCE:
- Victra au Julii is born.[20]
- Felix au Daan in born.[21]
- Kobachi's Tech Emporium opens for business on Luna in the city of Hyperion.[22]
- Helios au Lux is appointed to the office of Truth Knight and the position of commanding officer of the Rim moonBreaker Dustmaker.[23]
715 PCE:
- Atlas au Raa is sent to Luna as a hostage in Octavia's court to keep the Rim in line.[24]
716 PCE:
November:
- Fitchner au Barca takes The Institute's entrance exam.[01]
717 PCE:
- Quicksilver completes his revenge on the Gold who murdered his children and first husband.[25]
- Dale and Deanna marry.[26]
- Kieran O'Lykos is born.[26]
Friday, February 27:
- Fitchner au Barca arrives at The Institute of Mars and is drafted into House Mars.[01]
Saturday, February 28:
- The Passage occurs for the 521st Class of The Institute of Mars.[01]
Sunday, March 01:
- Orientation is held for the 521st Class of The Institute of Mars.[01]
Monday, March 02:
- The 521st Class of The Institute of Mars officially begins.[01]
Friday, September 18:
- Trigg ti Nakamura is born.[27]
718 PCE:
- Ragnar Volarus is sent to become a Stained, leading his sister Sefi to take a vow of silence.[28]
- Narol marries.[29]
- Loran of Lykos is born.[29]
February:
- Fitchner au Barca graduates from the Institute of Mars.[01]
- Arturius au Vardan invites Fitchner to a celebratory banquet at his family's estate.
- Arturius's mother Irenia orders him to cut ties with Fitchner.
- Fitchner sells his contract to Sun Industries the day after the party.
April:
- Fitchner departs Mars to oversee terraforming operations on Triton.[01]
September:
- Fitchner au Barca arrives on Triton.[30]
719 PCE:
- Lucilla is born.[31]
- Cicero au Votum is born.[32]
- Theron au Aktler attents an opera on Earth.[33]
- Kalindora au San is born.[34]
February-April:
- Fitchner loses an arm saving Red workers when an earthquake on Triton spills the northern Lovelock Engine into the sea.[35]
- Fitchner meets Bryn while recovering in the artic hospital after the accident.
- Bryn and Fitchner continue to spend time together as Bryn is fitted for a prosthetic and Carvers grow Fitchner a new hand.
Tuesday, June 21:
- Fitchner attends a memorial ceremony when the Reds of Cryssos bury and honor their fallen at the Mid-Summer Equinox.[36]
Wednesday, June 22-Thursday June 30:
- Fitchner and Bryn enter a romantic relationship and start sleeping together.[37]
December:
- Fitchner's contract ends and Quicksilver summons him back to Mars.[38]
- Bryn and Fitchner marry in a private ceremony before leaving Triton with Ryanna, Bryn's sister.
720-729 PCE
720 PCE:
- Eo of Lykos is born.[39]
- Pebble is born.[40]
- Virginia and Adrius au Augustus are born.[41]
- Horatius "Screwface" au Savag is born.[42]
April:
- An ocean liner capsizes in Mars' South Sea, resulting in almost a dozen Golds and Silvers drowned.[43]
- Fitchner, Bryn, and Ryanna arrive on Mars from Triton.[01]
- Quicksilver gives Fitchner a new job assassinating corporate rivals.
- Fitchner begins looking for a black market Carver after Bryn tells him she wants to have a child with him.
June:
- Fitchner hires Zurabal the Carver to help him and Bryn conceive a child.[44]
September:
- Darrow O’Lykos is born.[39]
October:
- Sevro au Barca is born.[44]
December:
- Zurabal is arrested by the Board of Quality Control and rats Bryn and Fitchner out for a reduced sentence.[01]
- Bryn and Sevro are captured by the Board under Arturius's orders.
- Fitchner and his team infiltrate Whitehold to rescue Bryn and Sevro.
- Bryn escapes, but is cornered in the upper levels of the hangar and throws baby Sevro down to Fitchner.
- Arturius wounds Fitchner, but allows him and his team to leave with Sevro.
- Bryn is executed with Achlys-9 gas.
- Fitchner and Ryanna set off for Triton to hold a funeral for Bryn in Cryssos.[44]
721 PCE:
February:
- Fitchner and Ryanna arrive on Triton and hold a memorial for Byrn.[45]
April:
- Fitchner and his family return to Mars from Bryn's funeral on Triton[45]
- Quicksilver dismisses Fitchner from his services to protect his own interests.[45]
April-June:
- Fitchner adopts the moniker of Ares and founds the Sons of Ares to avenge his wife.[45]
- Fitchner hires Agala si Ken to develop the Psyche project as a potential plan for his revenge against Arturius and The Society.[48]
- Fitchner hires Lottie as a nanny for Sevro while he's away on missions as Ares.[49]
June-July:
October:
- Fitchner buys information on the security of House Vardan's estate from the Syndicate.[48]
- The Sons of Ares infiltrate Arturius's mansion during a dinner party for his son Drusus.
- Ryanna triggers the alarm to stop Fitchner from killing Drusus.
- Fenix is captured while the rest of the Sons flee in a helicopter provided by Quicksilver.
- Fitchner convinces Quicksilver to re-hire his services in order to protect Sevro.
- Fenix is executed by Arturius at dawn the following day.
- Fitchner and Cylax investigate Quicksilver's activities in an effort to gain some leverage over him.
- Ryanna takes Sevro and leaves for Triton in response to Fitchner's behavior at the party.
- Quicksilver sends Fitchner to sail for Ganymede and assassinate Hecuba au Rhodes.[50]
722 PCE:
- Romulus au Raa and Dido au Saud fall in love and burn a city during an Iron Rain in order to get married.[49]
- Agala completes her work the first Psyche, and destroys the project after realizing its potential for destruction.[48]
- Quicksilver tries to force Agala to complete her work under duress.
- Agala releases six of her prototype Psyches across the solar system before committing suicide.
January:
- Ganymede:
- Fitchner arrives at the Ganymede dockyards and meets Hecuba at a gladiator match.[51]
- Hecuba offers information on Quicksilver's interest in her company if Fitchner kills her daughter Prospera.
- Fitchner fakes Prospera's death with Haemanthus oil while visiting Io's sulfur sea.
- Fitchner leaves Hecuba and Prospera to kill each other after getting the information he wants.
- Fitchner leaves Ganymede and heads toward Ag-Regate Industries' secret shipyard in the asteroid belt.
- Mars:
- The Syndicate roughs up Lottie to try and extort more money from Fitchner.[52]
- Arturius sets off from Mars after learning of Fitchner's presence on Ganymede.[53]
- Cylax learns of Arturius's impending departure and calls Ryanna to warn her.
- House Vardan forces discover Clyax's spying, and he throws himself off a building to avoid capture.
- Ryanna charters a shuttle to the asteroid belt to help Fitchner after she loses Cylax's call.
February:
- Fitchner reaches Locus Folium 9 and learns that Quicksilver is designing generation ships to leave the solar system.[53]
- Arturius arrives and has his bodyguards destroy the unfinished ships.
- Ryanna arrives and helps Fitchner kill Arturius.
March:
- Fitchner returns to Mars with Ryanna and Sevro.[54]
- Fitchner and Quicksilver hash out an agreement to co-lead the Sons of Ares.
- Fitchner retaliates against the Syndicate and warns them to never come after him again.
723 PCE:
725 PCE:
Monday, June 27:
- Fitchner and Ryanna begin planning the operation to capture the Logos of House Augustus.[60]
Monday, August 08:
- House Augustus imposes higher Helium-3 quotas at House Bellona's mines at the behest of the Sovereign.[61]
- The Sons of Ares ambush the House Augustus representatives as they're leaving Eagle Rest and capture the Logos.
- Nero detonates a bomb in the Logo's head to destroy the Sons' base, killing nine out of the sixteen rebels.
Saturday, August 20:
- Ryanna begins observing Roran and Corthus in Nagasos mine to evaluate their viability as candidates for recruitment.[62]
Saturday, September 03:
- Ryanna infiltrates Nagasos mine and reveals the true status of Mars's terraforming to Roran and Corthus.[61]
- Roran and Corthus pledge themselves to the Sons of Ares and are tasked with gathering one hundred more recruits.
Monday, September 05:
- Quicksilver interrupts Fitchner's etiquette lessons with Matteo to go over the intel they obtained from the Logos.[61]
Thursday, September 29:
- The Sons' new recruits work to dig secret tunnels in Nagasos.[61]
- Ryanna and Roran share a drink and make small talk after their work is done for the day.
- Fitchner visits the Forum in Agea and petitions Nero to hire him as a Lancer for House Augustus.
Monday, October 10:
- Fitchner meets with Ryanna in Nagasos to get an update on the progress of their plan.[61]
- Fitchner tells Ryanna that their goal is to loot the armory of the Omicron Bastion that links the 21 mines in that sector.
Thursday, October 13-Thursday, October 19:
- Fitchner meets Kavax at a Dueling Club in Agea and is told to report to Phobos for training.[63]
- Ryanna and Roran start sleeping together.
- Fitchner travels to Phobos for tests and training for the open Lancer position.[62]
Wednesday, October 26:
- Fitchner participates in war games on Phobos as training for deep-space combat.[61]
Friday, November 03:
- Roran and Corthus are arrested by the Nagaos mineMagistrate on suspicion of sabotage.[61]
- Ryanna attempts to call Fitchner, but he's unable to answer while he's busy on the flight back from Phobos.
Saturday, November 04:
- Fitchner arrives in Agea and learns from Nero that Corvus was willing to tell them everything he knows.[61]
- Nero places Fitchner in command of the 22nd Legion and orders him to stamp out the Sons of Ares.
- Ryanna and the Sons launch their assault on the Omicron Bastion, but find it empty when the 22nd Legion arrives.
- Fitchner kills Roran to maintain his cover and stages a cave-in to make Nero's forces believe the Sons are dead.
- Ryanna orders a retreat, but Roran attacks Fitchner, and is killed in order for Fitchner to maintain his cover.
- The remaining Sons escape to Tinos through a series of hidden tunnels leading to an escape ship.
Sunday, November 05:
- Fitchner reports to Nero while the ArchGovernor is watching a news report on the raid over breakfast with his family.[61]
- The broadcast is interrupted by a message from Ares showing footage of the Sons singing the Forbidden song.
- Kavax convinces Nero to hire Fitchner as a Proctor for House Mars at The Institute instead of firing him.
Monday, November 06-Thursday, November 30:
- Fitchner meets up with Ryanna and the other Sons of Ares in Tinos.[64]
- Ryanna decides that she can't handle losing anyone else and leaves the Sons of Ares to return to the Rim.
Sunday, December 31:
- Eo and a group of Lambda girls in Lykos pick Haemanthus blossoms before the Laureltide.[65]
726 PCE:
- Darrow's father and a group of miners are executed for performing the Forbidden Dance as an act of non-violent rebellion.[03]
- Aeneas au Raa is born.[66]
- Virgnia's mother dies by falling off a cliff at Caragmore following the loss of her 4th pregnancy.[41]
- Nero sends Virginia to the Telemanus estate for the first time.[41]
- Ephriam ti Horn graduates from boot camp and begins his service to the Society's Legions.[27]
November:
- Daxo au Telemanus and Karnus au Bellona take The Institute's entrance exam.[17]
727 PCE:
Friday, March 01:
- Karnus and Daxo arrive at The Institute of Mars for the 531st Class.[17]
Saturday, March 02:
- The Passage occurs for the 531st Class of The Institute of Mars.[17]
Sunday, March 03:
- Orrientation is held at The Institute of Mars for the 531st Class.[17]
Monday, March 04:
- The war games begin for Karnus and Daxo at The Institute of Mars.[17]
~September-December:
- Karnus and Daxo graduate from The Institute.[17]
738 PCE
Friday, February 28th:
- Claudius arrives at The Institute of Mars for the 532nd Class.[17]
Saturday, February 29th:
- The Passage occurs for the 532nd Class of The Institute of Mars.[17]
Sunday, March 01:
- Orrientation is held at The Institute of Mars for the 532nd Class.[17]
Monday, March 02:
- The war games formally begin for Claudius's year at The Institute of Mars.[17]
~September-December:
- Karnus and Daxo graduate from The Institute.[17]
729 PCE:
Tuesday, March 31:
- Dago of Lykos is chosen as the Lykos Gamma clan's new Helldiver.[71]
730-736 PCE
730 PCE:
- Volga Fjorgan is born.[72]
- Adrius pays Karnus to assault Cladius' girlfriend and kill him in a duel.[73]
731 PCE:
- Ajax au Grimmus is born.[74]
732 PCE:
Thursday, January 11:
- Matteo wins a hundred million credits from Atalantia au Grimmus in a game of Karachi.[75]
733 PCE:
- Rhonna O'Lykos is born.[76]
- Alexandar au Arcos is born.[77]
- Thesalia au Raa is born.[78]
- Quicksilver and Matteo marry.[79]
January-February:
- Lysander au Lune is born.[46]
September:
- Darrow begins working in the mines of Lykos.[80]
735 PCE:
- Rollo O'Sicyon accepts a contract with Julii Industries to work as a welder on the space towers in the Hive on Phobos.[81]
- Seraphina au Raa is born.[82]
March-August:
- Lyria O'Lagalos is born.[83]
736 PCE
- Ephriam ti Horn retires from the legion.[27]
- Trigg ti Nakamura and his sister Holiday graduate from boot camp and are assigned to Legio XIII Dracones.[27]
March:
- Darrow becomes the Lambda clan Helldiver in Lykos.[84]
September:
- Darrow and Eo get married.[39]
Sources:
[01] Golden Son chapter 46 states that Brynn was 22 years old when she was killed by the Board of Quality Control, and that this occurred when Sevro was two. That version of events is later contradicted by the Sons of Ares comics, which establish that Bryn was executed when Sevro was only a few months old. However, the plot details of Sons of Ares: Volume 2, half of which occur between six and ten months after Bryn's death, and the other half are established by the Volume 2 Graphic Audio adaptation as taking place over several months, provide a way to reconcile the details that we've been given by recontextualizing the timeline we're given in GS as a cover story to explain away any vague memories Sevro might have of his Red aunt Ryanna in order to keep her whereabouts from being concealed if Sevro or Fitchner were ever compromised.
This means that Bryn was twenty when Sevro was born, which is consistent with other details in the Sons of Ares graphic novel, such as the fact that the Graphic Audio version of Volume 1 establishes that her sister Ryanna is both two years younger than Bryn, and is also 17 at the time of Bryn and Fitchner's wedding, which the Graphic Audio places between Fitchner's 19th and 20th birthdays. The Volume 1 Graphic Audio places Fitchner's eighteenth birthday a little over a year after he started at The Institute, while his return to Mars and subsequent murder of Theron au Aktler occurred when he was "barely twenty." In Volume 2, ten months after Bryn's death, he mentions that the last time he went to Zurabal's carve shop to bring newborn Sevro home as "a year ago," and shortly afterwards Quicksilver refers to the death of Theron as "last year."
The only way that these details all work together is if Sevro was born late in the year after his parents arrived on Mars, and the family landed earlier in the year. Which fits with Fitchner in the Graphic Audio narration of Volume 1, issue 1 states that him being put through The Exposure as a baby was "twenty-odd years ago." It also fits with how Morning Star chapter 59 and 65 establish that Cassius's departure from Luna a few weeks after Octavia's death in November as being within a few days of the anniversary of his and Darrow's first meeting, which was at the Institute's entrance exam, placing their first meeting in late November or early December. Red Rising chapter 16 establishes that Darrow was evaluated by the Board of Quality Control two months after taking the test, didn't receive his test scores until two months plus four weeks after the evaluation, still two months after the entrance exam. The only way this works if the exam was in November, the evaluation was on January 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, and the exam scores were received on the 29th, 30th, or 31st.
Since RR chapter 20 establishes that 10 months is the standard length of the Institute school year, depending on how much time passes between students receiving their exam scores and the actual start of The Institute would put the beginning of the school year in February or March. The latter is more likely because there has to have been some time in order to allow for families to put things in order and make preparations for their children, cancelling commitments, and so on, that had to be done as a result of them now going to The Institute. Especially given that most schools in real life that require applications or entrance exams will notify students of acceptance well in advance of the start of classes. Either way, we can narrow down that Fitchner was most likely a March or April birthday, since their school year at The Institute likely concluded prior to the beginning of the next class starting, and it likely took at least a couple weeks for Fitchner to both find any companies that would hire him and actually interview to get the job for Quicksilver.
MS chapter 22 establishes that Sevro is 23 years old in 743 PCE, and this is supported by Sons of Ares: Volume 3 and its Graphic Audio adaptation portrayed him as being at least 5 years old in 725 PCE, as well as Pierce sharing promotional images of the opening pages of SOA Volume 1 on his Facebook page back in 2017 captioned "Agea, 720 PCE." Since Fitchner says in GS chapter 46 that it took him months to find a carver to help with Sevro's conception, this would put Bryn's death in December 720 PCE in order to tie in with the timeframe details of Volume 2. Which puts Fitchner and Bryn's birth years in 700 PCE and Ryanna's in 702.
The fact that Quicksilver waited four months after Bryn's death to fire him over his raid on Whitehold rather than doing it immediately or while he was off planet implies that there was something in place that prevented him from terminating Fitchner before his return to Mars. Which would suggest that after the end of Fitchner's contract on Triton, his contract was renewed for the next year following his return to Mars and Quicksilver simply chose not to renew when the next year rolled around. This would put Fitchner's initial arrival on Mars with Bryn and Ryanna in April 720, putting his departure for Triton after The Institute in early April 718. Which means he would have graduated in late February 718, and he and Bryn would've gotten married in late 719.
The fact that Red Rising depicts the Passage happening on the day after the Draft, then a day for orientation, and then the war games begin three days after the Draft implies that the proper beginning of the Institute School year occurs on the first Monday of March, and the Draft held on the previous Friday, as it would explain why they wait 2 days to start the war games instead of having the Draft and orientation on the same day. Iron Gold chapter 23 establishes that October 16, 753 PCE is a Monday. This is likely a reference to the book's original planned release year in 2017, where October 16 was also a Monday. So if we take it as a given that the 753 PCE calendar lines up with the days of the week for the 2017 one, this would put the 717 PCE calendar lining up with the 1981 one, where the first Monday of March is March 2nd, putting Fitchner's arrival at The Institute on Friday, February 27th, 717. Back
[02] The kid who Fitchner killed in the Passage is named in the Sons of Ares: Volume 1 graphic audio, and judging by the timing of the Institute, he would’ve been 16 or 17 at the time of the Passage. I’m going to re-listen for confirmation, but for now I’ll put Rafe turning 17 in 717 PCE prior to the start of The Institute for the time being. The audio drama also mentions that Rafe is survived by a sister, Scorpia, who is three years younger than him, putting her birth in 703 PCE. Back
[03] Darrow mentions in Red Rising chapter 04 that his father “died before he was even twenty-five,” but in Chapter 16 says that his father was 25 when he looked at Darrow wondering if he prepared his son for the world, indicating that while Dale was killed before his 25th birthday, he would've turned twenty-five that year. Morning Star chapter 50 establishes that Darrow was six years old when his father was executed. Meanwhile, MS chapter 23, Iron Gold chapter 65, and Pierce Brown's promotional facebook posts for Red Rising establish that Darrow is 16 years old in 736 PCE. This means Dale would've died in 726 PCE, putting his birth in 701. Back
[04] The Sons of Ares: Volume 1 graphic audio refers to Cylax as younger than Fitchner, but also describes him as “barely out of puberty” at the time of Bryn’s arrest in 720 PCE. Since Fitchner’s arrival on Triton would’ve occurred in 718 PCE, and multiple novels treat sixteen as the minimum age for people in the Post-Conquering Era to start training for their chosen career fields (lowReds having boys as young as thirteen working in the mines seem to be the outlier), and the books have consistently mentioned at least a year of formal training. This would indicate that Cylax is 17 when Fitchner arrives on Triton, meaning that he would be 19 at the time of Bryn’s arrest. Back
[05] Golden Son consistently refers to the First Moon Lord Rebellion as being forty years ago, but Morning Star repeatedly refers to it as sixty years ago, specifically that the second rebellion began sixty years and 211 days after the first. While MS is where the series started giving enough information for me to start putting together a consistent timeline, now that I’ve started trying to figure out the timeline of Lorn’s life with the release of The Book of Lorn, I’ve realized that forty years before GS is the option that actually makes the most sense with all the other timeline details in relation to the characters who are related to it:
GS chapter 28 refers to Lorn as both “over one hundred years of age” and “a man of a century” at the time of GS, this would put Lorn in his forties when the war began, and his teens when Nero’s family was killed twenty-five years before the Moon Lord Rebellion. However, in GS chapter 04, Nero mentions Lorn’s “a fool digs the leaves” quote as something that Arcos said to Nero’s father, indicating that Lorn was already an adult and had established his reputation as a warrior by the time Nero’s family were killed.
Additionally, Light Bringer chapter 07 refers to Helios as an advocate for the first rebellion, implying that he had accumulated that kind of political power by the time the rebellion began and chapter 03 establishes him as being “more than twice” Darrow’s age and experience. This lines up with Helios having been the Truth Knight and commander of the Dustmaker for forty years according to LB chapters 07 and 44 since Darrow has only had a little over seventeen years of experience in combat as of 755 PCE in Light Bringer. Having the Rebellion be 60 years before GS would put Helios in his late teens or early-to-mid twenties at most before the war began, which wouldn’t fit with him having the kind of sway to advocate for rebelling.
Furthermore, Dark Age chapter 09 talks about Atlas being born after the Moon Lords Rebellion as if he’s the only one of his siblings with that we know so far who has that distinction. It would also explain why Romulus was never considered as a hostage if he was also born before the rebellion.
And on top of that, Atlas says in LB chapter 50 that the Rim “brushed off the Burning of Rhea in less than a generation.” Talking about generations as a span of time has usually be between 20-30 years, and occasionally I’ve seen generations being measured as long as forty years.
So, we can logically assume then that in actuality the Second Moon Lord Rebellion began forty years and 211 days after the first one rather than sixty years. Morning Star takes place in 743 PCE and begins 12 months after the end of Golden Son per MS chapter 02. MS chapter 37 places the beginning of Morning Star in March 743 PCE, putting the end of Golden Son in March 742. Daxo mentions in GS chapter 27 that as of a month after the Gala massacre, it’ll take at least a few more months before his mother and sisters will reach them. And in MS chapter 04, Holiday mentions that she fought Niobe at the Battle of Deimos, indicating that at least three months pass between the gala and the Triumph, putting the beginning of Golden Son in 741 PCE.
This puts the death of Ovidius and the First Moon Lord Rebellion in 701 PCE. Back
[06] Morning Star chapter 37 established that Darrow’s triumph was in March 742 PCE, as Darrow’s escape from the Jackal is stated to have occurred in March 743, twelve months after his capture at the end of Golden Son. MS chapter 10 establishes that Roque's fleet reached Ilium 63 days after the Second Moon Lord Rebellion began and was there for "nearly 10 months" as of March 743, putting his arrival in May 742.
The day of Darrow’s rescue in March 743 PCE is identified as a Friday in MS chapters 08 and 12, and Dark Age chapter 37 reveals that the 9 months Darrow spent in the Jackal’s table amounted to exactly 270 days. This averages to about 30 days per month, implying that the 3 months of interrogation after the Triumph translated to 90 days. Counting backwards 360 days from a Friday rescue would put Darrow’s Triumph on a Tuesday. However, considering the likelihood of his last day of interrogation overlapping with his first day of solitary confinement and the fact that his release in MS chapter 01 was technically on the 270th day, there is room for the Triumph to take place on a Wednesday. Iron Gold chapter 50 establishes that October 17th, 753 PCE is a Tuesday, as a meta reference to the fact that the novel was originally going to be published in late 2017, when October 17th was also a Tuesday. So if we assume that the 753 calendar corresponds to the 2017 one, 742 and 743 would line up with the calendars of 2006 and 2007, respectively.
The MS epilogue states that Pax Augustus was born "nine months after the Lion's Rain," and Iron Gold chapters 35 and 39 establish that he's still 10 years old in November 753. This means he had to have been born in December 742, putting the Lion's Rain in March. Since GS chapter 51 places the Rain "just a few weeks" before the Triumph, this means that Darrow's Triumph had to have taken place on March 14 or 15, 742 PCE, because any later would push Roque’s arrival into June 742. I personally prefer the latter both because it adds more time between the Lion's Rain and the Triumph, but also because all of the allusions to ancient Rome in the book make it really funny and ironic if Darrow's betrayal and capture takes place on the anniversary of the betrayal and assassination of Julius Ceasar. This would put the beginning of the Second Moon Lord Rebellion on March 26th, putting the burning of Rhea on August 27, 681 PCE, which would be a Friday. Back
[07] Red Rising chapter 06 establishes that Narol is thirty-five when Darrow leaves Lykos. RR chapter 01 places the beginning of the novel six months after Darrow's 16th birthday, and RR chapter 40 establishes that he's at or close to his 18th birthday by the time he finishes The Institute, meaning that the novel takes place over the course of about 18 months. RR chapters 12 and 12 establish that 5 months pass between the completion of Darrow's carving and him taking The Institute entrance test, putting his final surgery in July 737. The first 4 chapters of the novel take place on Laureltide, which RR chapter 01 specifies happens quarterly. Most quarters are structured in 3 month chunks of January-March and April-June. However, RR chapter 12 establishes that he was in a coma for 2 weeks after his first surgery, and his other surgeries would've required at least a few days to recover from, on top of the weeks of conditioning his body, meaning that the beginning of the novel cannot occur any earlier than the end of March 737. This would mean Narol is 35 in 737, putting his birth in 732. Back
[08] The graphic audio for Sons of Ares: Volume 1 describes Doran as being in his mid-teens at the mid-Summer equinox after Bryn and Fitchner are released from the hospital on Triton after the quake. Since this is a few weeks after Fitchner's 19th birthday, this puts the festival in 719 PCE.The teen years are ages 13-19, so mid-teens would be around 16, putting Doran's birth year in 703 PCE. Back
[09] Iron Gold chapter 01 establishes that Darrow is 33 years old in 753 PCE, and in chapter 02 he says that his mother is eighteen years older than he is. Back
[10] Morning Star chapter 37 establishes that Ragnar died in July 743 PCE, and in chapter 11, four months ago, he was “nearly forty." This lines up with how Volsung Fa claims in Dark Age chapter 76 to have taken fifty years to return to the ice as of early 754 PCE, and MS chapter 28 and Light Bringer chapter 50 state that Ragnar never met his father, with MS chapter 28 stating that Vagnar went to the ice before Ragnar was born. Back
[11] Sons of Ares: Volume 2 refers to Prospera as several years younger than Fitchner when he vists Ganymede. Since he left for Ganymede ten months after Bryn's death and the graphic audio version establishes that it took him at least two months for him to reach Ganymede, putting Fitchner's arrival in late 721 or early 722. While he's visiting Ganymede, Prospera mentions that her mother's animosity toward her stems from her failing at The Institute. Based on the timing of Fitchner's own graduation and his age in 720 PCE, this indicates that Prospera had to have attended The Institute at least a year before 721, meaning that in 721 she'd be 18 years old. Back
[12] Dark Age chapter 59 establishes that Atlas is 49 years old in 754 PCE. Back
[13] In Dark Age chapter 25, Quicksilver’s robot attendant refers to Bartus as forty-nine years old in 754 PCE. Back
[14] Morning Star chapter 20 establishes that Rollo is 38 years old by the time of the Battle of Phobos, which Morning Star chapter 24 places in June 743 PCE. Back
[15] The Duke of Hands lists Ephraim’s birth year and the hospital he was born at during their introduction in Iron Gold Chapter 18. Back
[16] Darrow refers to Leto as “ten years my senior” in Golden Son chapter 04. Back
[17] Sons of Ares: Volume 3 explicitly states that Karnus is fourteen as of August 8th, 725 PCE, and that he is "two years from my scar." This indicates that he would've attended The Institute in 727 PCE. Since all students of The Institute have consistently been portrayed as being at least 16 by the time they arrive at the school for the Draft, this would put Karnus as a January or February birthday, putting his graduation in late 727 PCE.
Golden Son chapter 27 establishes that Karnus and Daxo were in the same class at the Institute, indicating that they are close in age. Given that everyone at the Institute is consistently shown to be either 16 or 17 at the start of the year, Daxo was likely born either the same year as Karnus or the year before. Dark Age chapter 20 establishes that Daxo is Kavax's firstborn, and Iron Gold chapter 17 refers to his sister Xana as being in her early forties as of 753 PCE. Since Daxo being first born means that Xana is younger then him, the only way for Xana to be in her early forties in 753 is for her to be born in 712 making her 41 years old during Iron Gold, putting Daxo's birth in 711 or 710. Back
[18] Golden Son chapter 12 establishes that as far as Cassius knew during the Summit gala in 741, Lorn hadn’t accepted a student for thirty years. Chapter 14 establishes that his last student before Darrow was Aja. Back
[19] The graphic audio version of Sons of Ares: Volume 3 establishes that Claudius is 13 years old in 725 PCE. Based on how Nero operates, I find it unlikely that he would've have attended The Institute, which would put his attendance at the school the year after Karnus. Back
[20] Golden Son chapter 06 establishes that Victra is seven years older than Darrow, and Morning Star chapter 22 establishes that Darrow and Sevro are both twenty-three in 743 PCE. Back
[21] Dark Age chapters 18 and 23 establish that the Battle of the Ladon begins on the first Friday of January 754 PCE, which would be January 5th since Iron Gold chapter 50 puts October 17th, 753 on a Tuesday. DA chapter 01 mentions that Felix is “just past forty” when Darrow visits the blinded soldiers in the field hospital a short time before the battle, putting his birth year in 713 PCE. Back
[22] Iron Gold chapter 24 mentions that as of 753 PCE, Kobachi’s business “has remained on that corner for 40 years.” Back
[23] Light Bringer chapter 07 establishes that Helios au Lux was the Truth Knight for forty years before being appointed as Dido’s co-consul after Romulus’ death in 753 PCE at the end of Iron Gold, and chapter 44 establishes that by late 754/early 755 he has been in command of the Dustmaker for about the same time. Back
[24] Dark Age chapter 09 establishes that Atlas was 10 when he was sent to Octavia's court. Back
[25] Quicksilver tells Darrow in Light Bringer chapter 39 that the completion of his revenge on the Gold whose eye he wears was thirty-eight years ago. In chapter 39, Aurae establishes that the Battle of Ilium in 743 PCE was twelve years ago, putting Darrow's arrival at the Tabula Rasa in 755. This means that Quicksilver's revenge was concluded in 717 PCE. Back
[26] Darrow mentions in Red Rising chapter 01 that Kieran is three years older than him, and we've established that Darrow is sixteen in 736 PCE. This puts Kieran's birth in 717. This fits with how their father would be 16 that same year, as RR chapter 01 also establishes that lowRed boys are elligible for marriage when they turn sixteen. Back
[27] Iron Gold chapter 07 establishes that the Liberation Day parade seen in chapter 01 occurred the day before Trigg’s birthday. Lyria’s family watch a news report about the parade from Mars in IG chapter 05, indicating that her chapters for Part I take place more or less simultaneously with Darrow’s and Ephraim’s. The Red Hand attack on her refugee camp happened during the night and stretched into the following morning, after which Lyria and Liam left Mars with Kavax. Lyria mentions in IG chapter 23 that it was a 3-week voyage to Luna, and indicates that a week has passed since they arrived (she refers to their arrival as “last week” and mentions that she’s only able to see Liam at the school for the children of the other Citadel employees “three times a week.”) Her narration notes that the chapter takes place on October 16th, 753, so assuming that exactly 28 days (7 days per week x 4) pass between Lyria leaving Mars with Kavax and the beginning of Chapter 23 would put Trig’s birthday on September 18th.
IG chapter 06 establishes that Ephraim is 46 years old in 753 PCE, and he mentions that he blames the Society’s Legions for “stealing a quarter” of his life. 46 divided by 4 is 11.5. He joined the Rising in 743 after Trigg’s death per Morning Star and mentions in IG chapter 06 that he walked away from it after 3 years. IG chapter 07 establishes that Ephraim joined the Legions when he was sixteen, which seems to be standard minimum age for military enlistment in both the Republic and Society militaries as IG chapter 16 establishes that Rhonna enlisted in the Free Legions when she was sixteen. IG chapter 30 indicates that boot camp lasted for 3 years, as Rhonna states that she trained to be a Drachenjager pilot for three years, and Darrow indicated in chapter 27 that he brought her on as a Lancer right after she finished training before she could see combat in her first unit assignment.
Combined with the seven years he spent as a freelancer after deserting the Sons of Ares, there’s a 17-year window for Ephraim’s service to the Legion. 10 years seems like a reasonable length of time for a minimum period of service in the Legions since it's a nice, whole, even number, and it makes more sense for that type of contract to be in groups of 10 rather than 11. And IG chapter 14 establishes that Ephraim had been out of the Legion for two years when he first met Trigg, while Trigg had been in for two. So applying the math I just laid out would mean that Trigg was twenty-one years old when he and Ephraim first met, while Ephraim was thirty-one. Back
[28] Morning Star chapter 37 establishes that Ragnar’s death occurred in July 743 PCE. MS chapter 32 establishes that Sefi took a vow of silence when Ragnar left to become a Stained, and chapter 34 establishes that her words after killing her mother are the first time she’s spoken in 25 years. Back
[29] Red Rising chapter 03 establishes that Lorna once asked Eo to marry him. Per RR chapter 01, lowRed boys are elligible to marry at 16 and girls at 14. RR chapter 01 also establishes that Eo is the same age as Darrow is. Since Morning Star and Iron Gold consistently place Darrow at 16 years old in 736 PCE, this means Loran had to be born in 718 PCE or earlier. This tracks with the fact that Narol being born in 702 means that Loran's parents cannot have gotten married any earlier than 718. Back
[30] The longest reported travel time between Mars and Neptune in the series is six months, when Nero states in Golden Son chapter 25 that "Neptune is in farOrbit" as of January 742. Which, as I understand it, means that Neptune is currently on the opposite side of the solar system from Mars. According to GS chapter 17, the Howlers spent weeks before the Summit on standby after arriving on Luna, indicating that they arrived sometime in November 741. In GS chapter 23, Sevro states it took 3 months to reach Triton from Luna then, indicating that it took 3 months on a torchShip to reach Luna from Triton, and travel times from Luna to Mars have typically been shown to be around a month or so. This means they would've left around August 741, and the shortest Triton-Mars journey would be 2 months, meaning that the travel time is increasing from August 741 to January 742.
Mars takes 687 days to travel completely around the sun once, and Neptune takes 60,195 days. This makes one Martian orbit is 0.0114% of Neptune's, meaning that it takes 1.0114 orbits or 694.84 days for Mars and Neptune to be at their closest, meaning that Neptune being in farObit occurs once every 23.6 months. Counting backwards from January 742 indicates that Neptune will also be in farOrbit in mid-June 718 Meaning that Mars and Neptune would be at their closest in early June 717. This means that the travel time between Mars and Neptune will be increasing at the time of Fitchner's departure from Mars in March 718. Based on the rate of change between the travel times in August 741 and January 742, the travel time from Mars to Triton would've been a little under 5 months in April 718, putting Fitchner's arrival on Triton in late August or early september of that year. Back
[31] Lysander states that Lucila has “an ambition far beyond her thirty-six years,” in Light Bringer chapter 88, indicating that she is 36 years old during the Sack of Demeter. LB chapters 39 and 43 establish that the Battle of Ilium in 743 PCE was 12 years ago now, placing the Sack of Demeter in 755 PCE. Back
[32] Light Bringer chapter 88 establishes that Cicero au Votum is 36 years old in 755 PCE. Back
[33] Both the comic and audio drama versions of Sons of Ares: Volume 1 place Fitchner's duel with Theron within days of his arrival on Mars, and Theron mentions in the Volume 1 graphic audio when arriving at the opera that he attended the same show on Earth the year before. Since Fitchner arrives on Mars in March 720, this puts Theron's visit to Earth in 719 PCE. Back
[34] In Dark Age chapter 04, Lysander refers to Kalindora as being the same age as Virginia. However in DA chapter 90, she mentions her oath to Octavia being what drove her to follow the order to kill Brutus and Anastasia, referencing how she became the Love Knight after her father retired. The Book of Lorn episode 01 reveals that Brutus and Anastasia were already dead as of a couple months after Darrow and Virginia's graduation from The Institute. Since there's no mention of the Love Knight position opening up when Darrow is at The Institute, this means that she had to have graduated from The Institute and become the Love Knight no more than a year or two before Darrow's attendance. Since Morning Star and Dark Age place Darrow's graduation in 738 PCE, this means that Kalindora has to have been born in 718 or 719. Back
[35] Fitchner mentions in the Sons of Ares: Volume 1 graphic audio that he spends weeks recovering in the hospital before he goes to visit Bryn and by that point he can't tell if his 19th birthday has already passed or if it's still coming up. Since Fitchner mentions in Golden Son chapter 46 that he spent months recovering in the hospital total, this indicates that less than 2 months pass between the accident and his 19th birthday, indicating that the quake happened sometime January or February 719. Back
[36] Fitchner specifies in Sons of Ares: Volume 1, Issue 3, that the memorial ceremony he attended was held on the Mid Summer Equinox. Equinoxes occur several years apart on Neptune as opposed to the bi-annual event they are on Earth, (at least 4 since Jupiter’s equinoxes occur 3 years apart while the planets closer to the sun than Earth occur faster than those on Earth), which indicates that the name is a cultural holdover than a literal depiction of the seasons on Neptune. Particularly because having the event years apart when Jupiter’s equinoxes are 3 years apart and the intervals between equinoxes get bigger the longer a planet takes to orbit the sun, which doesn’t fit with how Fitchner talks about it in Volume 1. Since Equinoxes only occur in the fall and the spring, the event is likely a reference to the Summer Solstace, which occurs on June 20 or 21. Back
[37] It's not stated how long after the memorial Bryn and Fitchner got together, but the scene transitions in both the comic and Graphic Audio versions of Sons of Ares: Volume 1 imply that it was soon after. I'm just not clear if it was literally the same night or a couple days later. Back
[38] Based on the timing of the periods where Neptune is in farOrbit from Mars, Neptune will be at its farthest from Mars in May 720 and closest in May 719. Based on Neptune to Mars travel time being 2 months at nearOrbit and 6 months at farOrbit, this would indicate that travel time is increasing when Fitchner leaves Triton to return to Mars. Based on the fact that he arrived in April 720, this would he would've had to have left in December 719 PCE, as that would give him a 4-month travel time. Back
[39] Red Rising chapter 01 establishes that Eo and Darrow were both 16 in 736 PCE. We don't know when exactly Eo's birthday is, but the same chapter specifies that they got married six months before the start of the novel. This puts Darrow's birthday in September, which unfortunately means that Pierce's one Q&A answer giving Darrow's birthday as January 28th is no longer supported by the text. Back
[40] Iron Gold chapter 17 establishes that Pebble is thirty-three years old in 753 PCE. Back
[41] Virginia claims in Dark Age chapter 88 that she was nineteen years old at the time of Darrow’s Iron Rain on Mars in February 742, however this is an error that isn’t consistent with other information about her age. In DA chapter 20 she says that it took her 27 years to figure out that Daxo had modeled himself after the version of Lucifer in Paradise Lost, indicating that she’s known him for 27 years. In Golden Son chapter 33 she indicates that her first proper meeting with the Telemanus family happened after her mother died, which happened when she was six according to Morning Star chapter 28. So, she’s at least 33 as of early January 754. Since Darrow in the DA prologue also erroneously refers to himself as a “warlord by twenty” in reference to the beginning of the Augustus rebellion in January 742, my takeaway is that while Pierce goofed on the specific numbers, Virginia’s birthday is a few months after Darrow’s, such that her birthday hadn’t happened yet by the end of Golden Son. The fact that Adrius says that he and Darrow were “nearly eighteen” by the time they graduated from the Institute in GS chapter 07 suggests that Virginia and Adrius’ birthday is later in the year, as Morning Star chapter 34 indicates that the fall of Olympus and the end of the Institute were five years ago as of July 743 PCE, indicating that Virginia’s birthday would be sometime after July. Either way, despite Pierce’s goofs, Virginia was definitely born in 720 PCE. Back
[42] Screwface establishes in Dark Age chapter 15 that he is "nigh on thirty-five" in 754 PCE, meaning that he's nearly thirty-five years old. Based on his comment about him being sixteen at The Institute, he would've been born in 720 PCE, since despite being an error, Darrow does refer to himself as "a killer at sixteen" in the DA Prologue, which would mean that, error aside, Darrow and Screwface were the same age when they started The Institute. Back
[43] Fitchner mentions a newspaper headline about this event happeningwhen arriving on Mars in the Sons of Ares: Volume 1 graphic audio. Back
[44] Sons of Ares: Volume 1 Issue 4 establishes that it took Fitchner months to find Zurabal, then the Graphic Audio version establishes that Sevro was gestated in Zurabal's carve shop for a few months more for his birth. Since this means Sevro wasn't a standard 9-month pregnancy, it would've taken less than that for him to gestate. This matches Roque's comment in Red Rising chapter 20 that "lowColors have their children by use of catalysts. Fasts births, sometimes only five months of gestation before labor is induced." This indicates that Sevro's gestation period was closer to that five months. Based on Fitchner's arrival being in April 720 and Bryn's death being in December, at least one month after Sevro was born, this indicates that it took about 2 months for Fitchner to find Zurabal before Sevro's conception, Sevro gestated for 4 months, and then Bryn was killed when he was two months old. This puts his conception in June 720, and his birth in October. Back
[45] Sons of Ares: Volume 2 establishes that Quicksilver fired Fitchner over what happened at the Board of Quality Control 4 months after Bryn's death. The ending of the Volume 1 Graphic Audio establishes that Fitchner left Mars to fly to Triton for Bryn's funeral shortly after getting back from Whitehold. Based on the travel times and speeds of Mars and Neptune's orbital paths, the two planets would be at their closets in May 721, with a 2 month Neptune to Mars travel time, and would be at their farthest with a 6 month Neptune to Mars travel time in May 722. This means that travel time from Mars to Neptune would've had a short trip to Neptune since the distance was shrinking. So they would've gotten to Triton sometime in February and returned sometime in April.
This would make the most sense with the timeline of Quicksilver firing Fitchner, because otherwise how would Fitchner have been able to afford passage on a ship heading to Neptune with no job, and because Fitchner doesn't start calling himself Ares until after he returns to Mars following the funeral, and SOA Volume 2 shows Fitchner throwing himself into his revenge against Arturius after being fired. Back
[46] Lysander says in Light Bringer chapter 83 that by the time of the Sack of Demeter he is the same age Cassius was when they left Luna in December 743 at the end of Morning Star. Iron Gold chapter 08 establishes that Lysander is 20 years old at the beginning of the novel in 753 PCE, and LB chapter 47 establishes that the final chapters of the novel during which the Sack of Demeter takes place occur in 755 PCE. The conversation in chapter 83 takes place at least a year after Volsung Fa's attack on Mars in Dark Age, which DA chapters 23 and 88 indicate take place at least fourteen weeks after Quicksilver's party in Iron Gold, which IG chapters 31, 35, and 50 place two weeks after October 17th, which puts Fa's attack in mid February 754. Darrow refers to Lysander as "no more than eight years of age" in Golden Son chapter 14, which takes place in late December 741 based on the fact that GS chapters 25, 27, and 51 place the Triumph at least two and a half months after the gala, Morning Star chapter 37 puts Darrow's escape 12 months after the Triumph in March 743, and various details in GS and MS place the Gala at least 3 months prior. So Lysander's birthday has to be in January or February, meaning that Lysander is 22 years old as of February 755 PCE. Since 16 years is the minimum age of enrollment in education at various institutions in the solar system, and Darrow says that Cassius departed Luna "almost six years to the day" after they met at the beginning of the Institute in December 737, this means that Cassius would have to be 22 years old as of December 743. This means he would've turned 16 earlier in 737 PCE. And since Julian is repeatedly established as his twin, this means both Bellona twins would've been born in 721 PCE. Back
[47] Golden Son chapter 05 establishes that Roque's mother has been a senator for 20 years by the time House Augustus arrives on Luna for the Summit. Since the Summit occurs in December 741PCE, the beginning of Mama Fabii's senatorial career would be in 721. Back
[48] Matteo explains the origins of the parasite in Lyria's head in Light Bringer chapter 13, and describes that the device was created after Fitchner had taken up the mantle of Ares but before he and Quicksilver formally agreed to build a rebellion together in Sons of Ares Volume 2. Fitchner went to Triton right after Bryn's death, and six months after being fired he's laser focused on Arturius, which puts the beginning of his collaboration with Agala sometime between April and October 721. Fitchner also credits Anthousa cu Barda for providing him intel on the Vardan estate, as seen at the end of SOA Volume 1. Since Fitchner got into the Vardan estate for the purposes of killing Drusus, who Volume 2, chapter 1 establishes is "not even four months old" during the infiltration, this indicates that Fitchner started getting interested in the Vardan estate after Drusus's birth, putting his interaction with Anthousa in June or July 721. This would place Fitchner's collaboration with Agala sometime between April and June. Quicksilver attempting to force her to complete it under durress likely took place sometime when Fitchner was off-world and couldn't force Quick to back off, so her death likely occurred in late 721 or early 722 PCE given that the graphic audio version of SOA Volume 2 indicates that Fitchner was offworld for months after the Vardan estate raid. Back
[49] Since Sons of Ares: Volume 2 cuts from Fitchner's firing to interviewing nanny candidates, the implication is that he started interviewing candidates soon after being fired. Back
[50] Sons of Ares: Volume 2 indicates that Fitchner left for Ganymede very soon after being re-hired by Quicksilver following the escape from the Vardan estate. The graphic audio version establishes that it takes Fitchner at least 2 months to reach Ganymede in his single-man shuttle. We get a scene of him narrating him crossing the void with his ship's computer declaring that he has "36 days, 4 hours, and 18 minutes" until he reaches Ganymede. Which is then followed by a scene of Cylax making contact with Ryanna where he says it took him "over a month" to track her down. And upon arrival, Fitchner says it took him so many months to reach Ganymede that he lost count. These details add up to indicate that Fitchner took roughly 3 months to reach Ganymede, putting his brief visit and the deaths of the Rhodes women in January 722. Back
[51] Romulus and Dido had to have gotten married at some point after the First Moon Lord's Rebellion, but sometime before the birth of their first child, who was 17 years old in 743 PCE according to Morning Star chapter 43. The only other military conflict in recent memory that could fit the description of how they "burned a city for their love" is when Darrow says in Golden Son chapter 36 mentions that his own Iron Rain in 742 PCE is “the first in twenty years.” In the absence of any counter-evidence, the timing involved and the details of Romulus and Dido's marriage means that thBat Iron Rain 20 years before Darrow's was most likely the famous incident of city burning. Back
[52] Sons of Ares Volume 2 places Fachman's visit to Fitchner's apparetment concurrent with his visit to Ganymede. Back
[53] In the graphic audio production for Sons of Ares: Volume 2, Fitchner simultaneously describes his journey from Ganymede to the hidden shipyard as "more than a month," "a month," and "weeks." However when Arturius and Ryanna leave Mars (retconning how the original comic showing her go back to Triton, a change which i approve of because it plugs the plot hole of Cylax not being able to contact Fitchner in the belt because of solar flares yet somehow being able to get a clear signal all the way to Neptune, and because it adds more weight to her decision to return to Triton at the end of Volume 3), it takes them 23 days to get to the asteroid. Since Fitchner mentions before leaving for Ganymede that a message can take hours, days, weeks, or even months to arrive, this most likely means that Fitchner had a 5 week journey, but it took about a week and a half (12 days or so) for the Securitas magister's message to Arturius to reach Mars. This puts the confrontation at the shipyards somewhere in February 722. Back
[54] Based on the travel times established by the Graphic Audio version of Sons of Ares: Volume 2, Fitchner and Ryanna would've made it back to Mars sometime in late March. Travel times between Mars and Jupiter in the novels for a whole fleet flying in formation ranged between three-ish weeks in mid-January 742 and a month and a half in July 743. Jupiter's orbit is 4333 days, and based on Mars' orbit, the two planets will be at their closest once every 796 days, which translates to about 26.25 months.
Golden Son chapter 27 establishes that a month after fleeing Luna, it took Darrow another two weeks fro his fleet to get from "far beyond the orbit of Mars" all the way to Jupiter, indicating that it took between 2 and 4 weeks to go from Mars to Jupiter in early 742. MS chapter 37 establishes that the Red Armada left for Ilium in early July 743, since Cassius refers to March as "about four months ago." In MS chapter 38, Darrow states that they will destroy the Sword Armada "in forty days," and chapter 47 establishes that the Battle of Ilium took place the day after Darrow's meeting with Romulus au Raa. This indicates that in July 743, the travel time from Mars to Jupiter was about 39 days. And with an 18-month gap between January 742 and July 743, we can conclude that travel time from Mars to Jupiter in late 743 was shrinking, indicating that the short travel time in Golden Son was the result of the two planets approaching their closest point in late 741/early 742 PCE.
So if Jupiter and Mars are at their closest in mid-January 742 PCE, then counting backwards would put the two planets at their nearest in early May 722, and at their farthest in April 721. This means that when Fitchner and Arturius had their showdown at Locus Folium 9 in the belt, the distance from Mars was decreasing. So it would've taken Fitchner and Ryanna less time to return to Mars than it did to reach the asteroid. Back
[55] Darrow indicates in Morning Star chapter 08 that Dio should be about 20 years old in March 743. Back
[56] In Light Bringer chapter 27, Virginia says that “Valdir was already a teenage butcher by the time he watched Darrow give Ragnar the razor in the mud of Agea”, indicating that Valdir was born less than 20 years before 742 PCE. Based on the fact that Ragnar is almost forty in 743 PCE and was harvested from the ice twenty-five years before that, Obsidians appear to be taken from the ice at around fifteen years old. According to Red Rising chapter 37, Obsidians train at a place called the agoge. Rhone indicates in LB chapter 47 that Gray Legionnaires go through training there as well, saying that “before the agoge, my home was Lost City” until House Lune’s recruiters found him. This indicates that the agoge is where all Society military forces receive their standard combat training. Since Iron Gold chapter 30 establishes that Rhonna spent three years in training, this indicates that Valdir would’ve been eighteen by the time he left the agoge. Virginia specifying that Valdir was “already” a butcher by the time Darrow gave him a razor at Agea in Golden Son implies that Valdir has already been in combat situations outside of training, indicating that Valdir’s training finished between a few months and a year before the Iron Rain. Morning Star chapters 02, 37, and 40 establish that Darrow’s Triumph occurred in mid-March 742 PCE, and GS chapter 51 establishes that the Triumph is “a few weeks” after the Iron Rain, putting the moment Valdir received a razor sometime in early March 742. This means that his graduation from the agoge had to have occurred sometime in 741 PCE, which means he would’ve turned 19 sometime in 742. Back
[57] In Light Bringer chapter 11, Athena says that the Daughters have been operating for 31 years. LB chapter 07 establishes that Darrow and Sevro’s escape from Venus occurred 8 months after the Long Night. Dark Age chapters 35 and 58 establish that the Long Night occurred about 5 weeks after the Battle of the Ladon, the beginning of which DA chapter 18 put on the first Friday of January 754 PCE, meaning that Sevro and Darrow’s escape from Venus occurred in October 754, putting the founding of the Daughters of Athena in 723 PCE. Back
[58] Lysander states that Fenixa is thirty years old during the Sack of Demeter in Light Bringer chapter 88, which LB chapter 38 places in 755 PCE. Back
[59] Darrow mentions in Light Bringer chapter 53 that the Daughters are linked to the Rim having ships go missing "for the last thirty years." LB chapters 39 and 47 establish that by this point, the narrative is now in 755 PCE as the Battle of Ilium is now "twelve years ago." This puts the beginning of the Daughters' ship thefts in 725 PCE. Back
[60] Ryanna says in the Sons of Ares: Volume 3 graphic audio that they’ve been planning the operation to kidnap the Logos for six weeks. The comic establishes that the mission took place on August 8th, 725 PCE. Back
[61] Sons of Ares: Volume 3 gives exact dates for almost every major scene that takes place on a different calendar day. Back
[62] Sons of Ares: Volume 3 established that Ryanna approched Roran and Corthus on September 3rd, 725 PCE. In the graphic audio version, she states that she watched them for a fortnight before she made contact. A fortnight is two weeks, putting the beginning of her observation on August 20th. Back
[63] The exact timing of where Fitchner's meeting with Kavax and the beginning of Roran and Ryanna's affair fit is unclear, but Kavax's dialogue indicates that it's more than one week before November 3rd, and the mention of how "days pass like water crossing a brook" indicates that it's at least a few days after October 10th. The graphic audio version has Fitchner state that by November 3rd he'd spent "over two weeks" on Phobos. Since he says "over two" rather than three, this means that his meeting with Kavax and arrival on Phobos had to have occurred between 15 and 20 days before November 3rd, meaning it would've been somewhere between October 14th and 19th. Back
[64] The final days of Sons of Ares Volume 3 where Ryanna tells Fitchner she's done are the only events in the comics not dated. However the fact that the scene is dated "today" implies that it takes place soon after Fitchner's meeting with Nero on November 5th. Back
[65] The epilogue of Sons of Ares:Volume 3 is explicitly stated to take place on Laureltide, which Red Rising chapter 01 established are given out quarterly. This puts the end of the novel in late December 725. Based on Iron Gold chapter 50 putting October 17, 753 on a Tuesday, and the assumption that the 753 calendar mirrors the 2017 one as a meta reference to IG's original planned release year, this would put December 31, 725 PCE on a Sunday. This allows time for the story of Ares to spread to other mines after the Nagasos uprising to result in the graffiti that Eo finds in Lykos. Back
[66] Morning Star chapter 43 establishes that Aeneas au Raa has just graduated from the Institute of Ganymede and is “no older than seventeen" at the time of the Battle of Ilium in August 743. Back
[67] Iron Gold chapter 20 refers to Diomedes as being in his mid twenties in 753 PCE, putting him in the range of 24-26 years old. Chapter 61 establishes that Diomedes participated in the Battle of Ilium alongside his older brother Aenaes, who was seveneteen at the time. Given that sixteen is consistently shown as the minimum age for most Colors with martial training to begin their education, this would put Diomedes at 16 years old during the battle of Ilium in August 743. Back
[68] Lysander states in Light Bringer chapters 05 that Valeria au Carthii is "barely twenty-seven", and chapter 07 establishes that their interaction in chapter 05 occurs eight months after the Long Night. Dark Age chapter 35 establishes that Darrow has Glirastes begin work on his modified EMP around 2 weeks after the Battle of the Ladon, and Glirastes’ comments in DA chapter 58 indicate that the Long Night takes place approximately three weeks later, which is consistent with Atlas telling Lysander in DA chapter 59 that his men have failed to get inside Heliopolis for two weeks, and that he has five days until Atalantia’s chemical attack in which to liberate the city. Dark Age chapter 23 establishes that most of the action of the novel – the Battle of the Ladon, the Day of Red Doves, the Alltribe seizing Cimmeria, and the fall of the Pandora – take place between six and twelve weeks after Ephraim kidnapped Pax and Electra in Iron Gold, which IG chapter 35 puts in November, while chapters 31 and 50 put Lyria and Ephraim’s first meeting two weeks earlier on October 17th. In DA chapter 18, Virginia refers to the beginning of the Battle of the Ladon as "Friday evening last" and "the third day of the Mensis Martius." Mensis Martius is the first month of the ancient Roman calendar, indicating that the Battle of the Ladon occurs on the first Friday of January 754 PCE. This puts the Long Night in early February 754 PCE, and eight months later would be October 754. So Valeria being “barely 27” in October 754 would put her birth in 727 PCE. Back
[69] Iron Gold chapter 25 establishes that Marius au Raa was thirteen the last time Lysander saw him prior to his escape after Darrow’s Triumph in March 742. Back
[70] Golden Son chapter 46 establishes that Harmony splintered away from the Sons of Ares when she murdered a group of vacationing Gold senators a year after Darrow left in March 738, and that Dancer’s first time meeting Fitchner face to face was when the Gold came to put down the Lurcher squad sent to eliminate the Sons of Ares in retaliation for Harmony’s actions. In Dark Age chapter 29, Dancer says that he worked for Ares for ten years without ever seeing the man’s face. Back
[71] Darrow states in Dark Age chapter 01 that the last time he had seen Dago, the Gamma Helldiver had won thirty-two laurels. Red Rising chapter 01 establishes that laurels are given out quarterly, meaning that Dago's thirty two laurels translate to eight years of working as a Helldiver at the beginning of RR. Since Darrow would've left Lykos in March 737, this would put the end of March 729 as the start of Dago's Helldiver career. Back
[72] Iron Gold chapter 06 establishes that Ephraim is 46 years old in 753 PCE, and he mentions that Volga is half his age. Back
[73] Golden Son chapter 51 establishes that Adrius was ten years old when he had Claudius killed. Back
[74] Dark Age chapter 37 establishes that Atlas au Raa was sent to the Kuiper belt around 15 years before 754 PCE, and that he returned 7 years before 754 PCE. Atlas tells Lysander in chapter 59 that Atalantia took Ajax as a paramour before his sixteenth birthday, and that the time he spent away in the Kuiper belt amounted to about half of his son's life up to that point.Apolllonius mentions in DA chapter 92 that Ajax replaced him as Atalantia's lover following his capture in 747 PCE, meaning that Ajax had to turn 16 in 747 PCE, putting his birth in 731. Back
[75] In Dark Age chapter 28, Ephraim mentions a time when Matteo won against Atalantia in a game of Karachi, and Xenophon provides the exact date and location. Back
[76] Iron Gold chapter 16 establishes that Rhona is twenty years old in the fall of 753 PCE. Back
[77] In Iron Gold chapter 34, Apollonius estimates that Alexandar would’ve been nine years old when Tactus and Aja came to capture Darrow at Lorn’s castle on Europa during Golden Son in February 742. IG chapters 7 and 16 frame sixteen years as the minimum age for military enlistment in both the Society and the Republic, and the prologue for Dark Age establishes that Alexandar has been Darrow’s lancer for four years as of 753 PCE, indicating that Alexandar would’ve turned sixteen in 749 PCE, meaning that if he wasn’t nine already during GS, he would’ve turned nine at some point during 742. Back
[78] Morning Star chapter 10 establishes that Thesalia was nine years old when she was killed at Darrow’s Triumph in March 742 PCE. Back
[79] Morning Star chapter 21 establishes that Quicksilver and Matteo have been married for 10 years by 743 PCE. Back
[80] Red Rising chapter 01 establishes that Red boys in Lykos start working in the mines once they turn thirteen. Back
[81] Morning Star chapter 14 establishes that by 743 PCE, Rolo hasn’t seen his wife in 8 years because of his contract work on Phobos. Back
[82] Darrow notes in Morning Star chapter 41 that Seraphina au Raa looks like she might be eight years old. However, a few sentences later he refers to her as a six-year-old. Iron Gold chapter 33 indicates that she has graduated from the Institute by the fall of 753 PCE, since Dark Age establishes that her death occurs in January 754, while her father’s death was in November 753. Which means that she has to be at least 17 at the time of Iron Gold. Given the timing of the fact that DA establishes that she was an officer in her own legion before her depature from the Rim, her graduation couldn't have been recent before her trip to the Core in Iron Gold, meaning that she has to be around 18 as late 753 PCE. Back
[83] Iron Gold chapter 04 establishes that Lyria is 18 as of September 753 PCE, and Dark Age chapter 65 establishes that by February 754, she’s “shy nineteen”, indicating that her 19th birthday is coming up soon. Back
[84] Red Rising chapter 01 establishes that Darrow has been a Helldiver for a year in March 737 PCE. Back