Age

An **Age** is a measure of time made up of a whole number of years. Recent Ages have lasted seventeen or eleven years. Sometimes Ages may have the same name as another; they are usually differentiated by placing a number in front of the Age title, though this may be dropped when talking about the current Age.

The Skyfaced Clock in Jackalfax shows five parts of an Age with five different colors. The slow but measurable speed of the Skyfaced Clock and the other arts of the accomplished chronologist can be used to estimate the length of an Age. Most, but not all, experts in the Wintersea Republic expected the Eighth Age of the Wintersea Republic to extend into a twelfth year and were surprised when it only lasted eleven years.

While it is assumed that the Free State and Wintersea Republic have Ages that begin and end simultaneously, they name their Ages differently from one another.

## Naming

How an Age is named is not exactly known but we do know:

* A new Age is named at the very beginning of the Age - either early morning on Morningtide or the day before (Eventide).
* Ages with the same title do not seem to directly follow one another E.G. Avian Age, with the exception of the recent sequence of Ages of the Wintersea Republic.
* About half of the known Free State Ages are named after a calling of a group of people E.G. Age of Thieves

## Known Ages

The names and durations of part Ages are only partly known. Information about past Ages comes from sources such as *The Book of Ghostly Hours*, other history books, and Wundrous Act plaques E.G. Museum of Stolen Moments. A lower limit on the duration of an Age can be determined by the oldest event known to have occurred in that Age, E.G. we only know one event from Winter of One from the Age of Thieves but when Henry Mildmay mentioned Swindleroads in the Age of Thieves it seems unlikely he was referring to an Age that was only one year long.

Most people in Nevermoor will say things like "a hundred years before" when talking about things in the far past with the exception of two events that occurred about 13 Ages ago (The Gossamer Line and The Gobleian Library).

### Free State

##### Recent

* Third Age of the Aristocrats (current, 3+ years)
* Age of Southern Influence (previous Age, 11 years)
* Age of Poets (17 years)

##### Past

* Age of the East Winds (9+ years)
* Age of Endings (12+ years)
* Age of Thieves (1+ years)
* Avian Age (6+ years)
* Age of Industry (8+ years)
* Age of Poisoners (6+ years)
* Age of the Nightwalkers (in book title)
* Age of the Aristocrats (two previous)
* Second Avian Age (Nevermoor founded)

### Wintersea Republic

* Ninth Age of the Wintersea Republic (current, 3+ years)
* Eighth Age of the Wintersea Republic (previous Age - 11 years)

## See Also

* Jackalfax Skyfaced Clock
* Morningtide
* Eventide

## Notes and References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 *Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow* Chapter 3 (*The Gathering Place*) "Fourteen [years ago, from the present time - Winter of Two], I believe, Spring of Seventeen in the Age of Poets." - Jupiter North
2. ↑ *Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow* (Chapter 12) *Devilish Court*: Henry Mildmay says "*Most Swindleroads have been blocked off or signposted now, but back in the Age of Thieves, there was a whole plague of them all over the Free State*" hinting at a link between the name of the age and a prominant activity during that age.
3. ↑ *Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow* Chapter 5 (*Welcome to Nevermoor*)
4. ↑ *Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow* Chapter 7 (*Happy Hour at the Hotel Deucalion*) Jupiter shows Morrigan Jack's school photo from the previous year and it lists the age as *Age of Southern Influence*
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 -*Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow* Chapter 17 (*Ezra, the Boy*) Age of the East Winds came after the Age of Endings (either directly or after one, maybe two, other age(s)). Ezra Squall is a boy/teen during Age of Endings and the Courage Square Massacre occurred during Winter of Nine, Age of the East Winds. The exact passage is: *She looked for listings during the Ages she knew he lived in Nevermoor, just over a hundred years ago – the Age of Endings, and the Age of the East Winds. She looked for the names of Wundersmiths who must have been around at the same time as Squall, the likes of Brilliance, Owain and Decima*. See also the following note.
6. ↑ *Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow* Chapter 11 (*The Book Trial*) This age includes the Courage Square Massacre; occurred approximately one hundred years ago
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 *Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow* *Prologue*