Codex Alera Timeline

[Valiar Marcus]

Though oddly, looking at the book (to get information to comment further on), Tavi insists that First Calderon happened far before he was born--it's in the section with the Princeps' Monument.

Exactly.  If Isana wanted to hide that Tavi was born in that 9 month window following First Calderon, she could give him a fictitious birthdate a year or so after that window, to keep people from possibly connecting the dots. 

[Belmonte]

Er.  Or a year or two before, which was my point.  The problem is if his birthdate is -after- then he really, /really/ is small for his age.  Remember, he's supposed to be small for his age.  If his fake birthdate is a while -after- First Calderon, then he's actually -very- small for his age.

[novium]

Er.  Or a year or two before, which was my point.  The problem is if his birthdate is -after- then he really, /really/ is small for his age.  Remember, he's supposed to be small for his age.  If his fake birthdate is a while -after- First Calderon, then he's actually -very- small for his age.

I think the books have made many references to first calderon being relatively shortly before he was born.

[kokolores]

Er.  Or a year or two before, which was my point.  The problem is if his birthdate is -after- then he really, /really/ is small for his age.  Remember, he's supposed to be small for his age.  If his fake birthdate is a while -after- First Calderon, then he's actually -very- small for his age.

There is no need for Isana to lie about his age. It was revealed in the second book that all unmarried women had to serve in the camps of the legions, so I can't believe that Tavi is the only one who was fathered during that time.
Moreover not many of those who might know about Septimus' and Isana's relationship survived the FC and in case someone remembered Isana made up the story of Tavi being the son of her sister.

[Valiar Marcus]

Er.  Or a year or two before, which was my point.  The problem is if his birthdate is -after- then he really, /really/ is small for his age.  Remember, he's supposed to be small for his age.  If his fake birthdate is a while -after- First Calderon, then he's actually -very- small for his age.

There is no need for Isana to lie about his age. It was revealed in the second book that all unmarried women had to serve in the camps of the legions, so I can't believe that Tavi is the only one who was fathered during that time.
Moreover not many of those who might know about Septimus' and Isana's relationship survived the FC and in case someone remembered Isana made up the story of Tavi being the son of her sister.

No need, but if you were hiding something that big, wouldn't you like a little extra 'insurance'?  I mean, no one is going to say, "Wow, this furyless kid was born x months after FC, and Septimus was unmarried, he must be the missing heir!"  But changing his birthdate might be enough to distract someone who was potentially putting the pieces together.  Kind of a Jedi mind trick sort of strategy.

[novium]

I don't think there has really been any indication that he has been lied to about his age. The first book tells us he is 15, and the second, two years later, 17.  at that age,  it's smack dab right where it should be for the readers and a few other characters to figure certain things out. 

He couldn't be too much younger (a few months, maybe) than the book has told us. So why fudge it there? "muhahah, i have told everyone he is 15 and three months old, but really, he's 15 and five months old! No one will see through my cunning plan to disguise his parentage by moving his birthday"...to a day that still doesn't hide his parentage.

 And he can't be too much older, either, or he  would have had to be REALLY small for his age, and not just a late bloomer. Therefore, there is no reason for us to doubt his age. I can't believe this has gone on as long as it has.

Er.  Or a year or two before, which was my point.  The problem is if his birthdate is -after- then he really, /really/ is small for his age.  Remember, he's supposed to be small for his age.  If his fake birthdate is a while -after- First Calderon, then he's actually -very- small for his age.

There is no need for Isana to lie about his age. It was revealed in the second book that all unmarried women had to serve in the camps of the legions, so I can't believe that Tavi is the only one who was fathered during that time.
Moreover not many of those who might know about Septimus' and Isana's relationship survived the FC and in case someone remembered Isana made up the story of Tavi being the son of her sister.

No need, but if you were hiding something that big, wouldn't you like a little extra 'insurance'?  I mean, no one is going to say, "Wow, this furyless kid was born x months after FC, and Septimus was unmarried, he must be the missing heir!"  But changing his birthdate might be enough to distract someone who was potentially putting the pieces together.  Kind of a Jedi mind trick sort of strategy.

[Mickey Finn]

No need, but if you were hiding something that big, wouldn't you like a little extra 'insurance'?  I mean, no one is going to say, "Wow, this furyless kid was born x months after FC, and Septimus was unmarried, he must be the missing heir!"  But changing his birthdate might be enough to distract someone who was potentially putting the pieces together.  Kind of a Jedi mind trick sort of strategy.

Of course, no one would probably associate a fury-less boy as being related to the most powerful furycrafter in the realm, either.

[Ealdwulf]

And I think Kitai's age is mentioned somewhere.  This promises to be fun!

During the Challenge of Wit, Kitai and Tavi were arguing about age.  During the arguement Kitai revealed her age as 15

[Valiar DoubleA]

In the prologue of CF, Sextus reveals that a watercrafter can prevent conception.  Take that a little further, and a powerful watercrafter could artificially inseminate herself.  Could Isana have saved some sperm and then after learning of Septimus' death, fathered a child?  Thus, there would be no need to change his birthdate.  He was conceived months or years after his father's death.

[Valiar Marcus]

... Could Isana have saved some sperm and then after learning of Septimus' death, fathered a child?

While I'm certainly not an expert on Alera (i.e., only Jim could definitively answer this question), I would think that keeping a 'sample' might be very easy, but keeping the actual sperm cells alive would be much harder.  You'd have to have your fury flash-freeze them, then make sure they stayed frozen.  This would tie up your fury, and I doubt a furycrafter powerful enoguh to pull it off would be willing to do without that fury for any real length of time.  Not saying it isn't possible - it's certainly a worthy idea.

[ToddM326]

No offense, but I'm not sure if I want to read a book that includes Artificial Insemination through Furycrafying.

Way too complex of a theory for this series, in my opinion.

[Dom]

Another thought...what if Isana made Tavi seem younger with her watercrafting to hide his age?

So he could actually be older then he seems, which would make him "clever" for "his age" because he's just flat out a bit older, but physically be younger due to some sort of watercraftings he had done.

It's out there, but it's a thought.  It's mentioned several times that watercrafters look far younger then they are.

Alternately alternately...maybe Tavi was born with a water fury...and it was tied up by Isana to make him look younger... ::puts on tinfoil hat::

[ToddM326]

Tavi being a watercrafter would definately make the cover to the book make more sense....

[Daniel P]

My personal bet is that Tavi is younger then it is claimed.

In the chapter one of Cursor's Fury (just recently posted), it again covers the same ground of Tavi coming into things later then normal. In this case he had his growth spurt later then expected, now he is Max's height.

The other reason I believe he is younger then he is claimed to be is the lack of furies.... Now it is possible he will never have furies.... Only Jim knows for sure. But if he does get them, one possible reason is he is a late bloomer, wihs I had book 2 with me, but there was a comment in there about which age a late bloomer attained their furries and I suspect Tavi is right around that age.

But I am rehashing old ground.

[Valiar DoubleA]

Going off on a related tangent, Can anyone explain how the House of Gaius took over ~1000 years ago, Gaius Sextus is sixth of that house, and is considered an old man at 80 years old?

Either that or I got something wrong.   He would have to be the twelfth for that to make any sense.  Which did I get wrong?