The Harmony Era

Lore & Background

The era commenced when Sazed accepted the Shards Preservation and Ruin, merging them to become Harmony. He did not ascend to a political throne; instead, he stepped directly into the role of Shardholder. This act ended the perpetual ashfalls that had blanketed Scadrial for a thousand years, allowing sunlight to reach the surface once more. Nature began to reclaim the land, pushing back the ash forests and restoring greenery to the continent in ways not seen since before the Lord Ruler's rise. Society faced immense challenges without the iron grip of the Final Empire. Allomancy, once a tool for oppression or rebellion, became integrated into daily life, though Hemalurgy remained taboo due to its association with Inquisitors and pain. The Kandra found new roles in this world, moving away from their ancient contracts while struggling with their identity as shape-shifters among humans. By the time of Era Two, roughly three centuries later, Scadrial had industrialized significantly. Trains crisscrossed the land, and firearms were common, yet magic remained a potent undercurrent. Harmony did not rule directly but influenced events subtly, guiding humanity toward a balance where creation could exist without destruction consuming it entirely.

In Their Own Story

The sun felt strange on his skin, warm in a way that the old stories described but he had never truly known. Kelsier’s men spoke of light as if it were a myth, something reserved for the gods above the ash clouds. Now, standing on the edge of the reclaimed forest, he watched the green leaves rustle in a breeze that smelled of pine instead of sulfur. A coin from the Final Empire lay at his feet, tarnished and forgotten, half-buried in soil that was finally dark and rich rather than grey and dead. He picked it up, feeling the weight of history, then dropped it back into the grass to be swallowed by the roots of a new world.

Reader's Guide

The Harmony Era marks the rebirth of Scadrial after centuries of ash and tyranny. When the Lord Ruler fell, the Shards Preservation and Ruin merged into a single entity known as Harmony. This union ended the perpetual mist that choked the sky, allowing sunlight to touch the ground once more for the first time in millennia. Society struggled to rebuild without the iron control of the Final Empire. Allomancy shifted from a weapon of war to a tool for industry and crime alike. By the time of Era Two, technology had advanced significantly, with trains and firearms common among the elite, yet magic remained potent underneath the surface. Harmony works subtly now, guiding events rather than ruling directly as a god-king did before. The Kandra, once slaves to contracts, navigate their place in this new world while Inquisitors remain a mythic horror to most citizens. It is an age of uncertainty and hope, where humanity must learn to govern itself under the watchful eye of the merged Shards who seek balance between creation and destruction.

Did You Know?

• The ash clouds that covered Scadrial ceased falling immediately upon the Lord Ruler's death, not when Sazed became Harmony.
• Sazed became Harmony by merging with both Preservation and Ruin at the end of Era One, accepting the Shards directly rather than ruling as a monarch.
• Hemalurgy was largely abandoned by society due to its association with Inquisitors and pain.
• Kandra populations evolved from servants to independent citizens over the course of this era.