Ashfalls

[Reaves]

This talk about red giants in Mistborn is completely ludicrous. The Lord Ruler made the sun red. Well, if we think about it in terms of the magic system, what is more likely: the Lord Ruler created the Ashmounts, and the haze from that made the sun red, or that he physically changed the very nature of a star?

...One could make the argument that the Well of Ascension gave him tons of power, possibly enough to do that, but seriously. You really think that turning the star into a red giant is the easiest explanation?

It is infinitely more likely that its just the ash/haze thing, so let's get off of astronomy, because it has almost no relevance...

lol thats what i've been thinking since the minute i read this topic, but i didn't want to be rude enough to say so xD

[VegasDev]

lol thats what i've been thinking since the minute i read this topic, but i didn't want to be rude enough to say so xD

Guilt by association. Why do you have to be so rude? :evilgrin:

[Qarlin]

I was looking for the reason why the ashmounts were there. Now it could be they were put up just to haze the sky, make it red, and give us a different world to envision. But if the haze is one way of protecting that area of the world and make it livable (i.e. the star changed to a red giant) then it's a theory to explore.

However, I am also perfectly willing to accept that the ashmounts are part of the destruction that was halted by the Lord Ruler, as evidenced by the mention of earthquakes in the third book (jacket synopsis) caused by them. But why create the ashmounts if not for a reason?

[Andrew the Great]

But why create the ashmounts if not for a reason?

For some reason that quote was extremely funny to me. Very deep.

Anyway, I personally agree with you, I think the Lord Ruler intentionally created the Ashmounts (for a reason!).

[SarahG]

It just occurred to me to wonder if all the ash in the air ever causes respiratory problems.  It seems to me that breathing ashy air all your life would tend to clog up your lungs.  Does anyone recall a mention of this?  Do any of the characters cough a lot or anything?

[Reaves]

well all the people seem to have very short life-spans....Vin is getting married at, what, 16? and no one seems to think that is strange...

[SarahG]

Vin is getting married at, what, 16?

I think she's more like 18 or 19.  The first book takes about a year, and then there's a year between books, then the marriage doesn't happen till several months into the second book.  You're right, though, about the short lifespans.

[VegasDev]

well all the people seem to have very short life-spans....Vin is getting married at, what, 16? and no one seems to think that is strange...

It's hard to get a era judging by the books, but getting married at 16 was pretty common until recent history. It is still legal to get married at 15 in Hawaii  and a few other select states with parental consent. In Roman times, 12 years old wasn't an uncommon age. So no, I didn't find Vin getting married at 16+ strange, factoring in the era via technology.

[SarahG]

It's hard to get a era judging by the books, but getting married at 16 was pretty common until recent history. It is still legal to get married at 15 in Hawaii  and a few other select states with parental consent. In Roman times, 12 years old wasn't an uncommon age. So no, I didn't find Vin getting married at 16+ strange, factoring in the era via technology.

I think Reaves meant that cultures that promote marriage at a young age, in general, have short lifespans - in the same way that cultures with high infant mortality rates also tend to have high birth rates.  People who expect half their kids to die try to have a lot of kids, and people who expect to die young themselves tend to marry young.

[Reaves]

exactly, for example in the middle ages it was not uncommon to die around 35-45 so they married young.

[VegasDev]

Yeah, I wasn't disagreeing with Reaves. Merely pointing out that advancement of civilization plays a big part in it too. Recent changes in marriage laws in the US came about mostly because of statistics showing that women getting married earlier had a tendency to forego education and got divorced sooner (leading to other issues). Life expectancy played a minor role in these decisions, whereas welfare concerns played a bigger part.

[SarahG]

OK, I wasn't aware of that - for that matter, I wasn't aware of the recent changes in US marriage laws.  In any case, laws aren't the same thing as cultural norms - in my opinion, the laws are usually based on the norms, and thus changes in laws usually trail shifts in cultural norms by a few years or decades.  And Reaves's point still stands, that no one thought it was weird for Vin to marry young.

But to get back on topic (I know, unusual), does anyone have any other evidence of breathing difficulties?  Or is the ash not a problem in this regard?

[Peter Ahlstrom]

It just occurred to me to wonder if all the ash in the air ever causes respiratory problems.  It seems to me that breathing ashy air all your life would tend to clog up your lungs.  Does anyone recall a mention of this?  Do any of the characters cough a lot or anything?

The Ashmounts are not the only things Rashek changed when he held the power.

[Reaves]

It seems to me that Qarlin does raise an interesting point, though; the deserts. Where the deserts there before the Ascension of the Lord Ruler? Also, are the Ashmounts a local phenomenon or spread worldwide?
also, im just going to ignore the above post because i dont have my copy of the book  i'll just let somebody else puzzle that one through 

[SarahG]

The Ashmounts are not the only things Rashek changed when he held the power.

Let's see, he also changed the landscape such that what had been called Terris became Kredik Shaw and Luthadel.  He created the kandra and the koloss (we think).  He changed the color of the sun and of the plants, although those are probably related to the ash in the air.  Well, I'm not seeing anything in any of those that relates to lung disease (or lack thereof) - I must be missing something.  Anyone else brighter than I am?

By the way, Ookla, I like it when you post because you give us such nice cryptic clues and hints to keep us speculating.