Difference between revisions of "Catacendre"

{{event

The '''Catacendre''', or '''Final Ascension''', also known as the '''Ice Death''' to the [[Southern Scadrian| Southern Scadrians]]{{book ref|mb6|22}} is a major event on [[Scadrial]] and in the [[Cosmerecosmere]] as a whole. It marked the merging of [[Ruin]] and [[Preservation]] into a single [[Shard]], [[Harmony]]., It isand the secondreturn timeof a new [[Vessel]] has ascendedScadrial to take a Shardstate (aftersimilar [[Vin]]to held Preservation) andbefore the firstLord timeRuler's a new Vessel has ascended long-termAscension.{{cite}}

With [[Ruin]] released upon the world and [[Preservation]]'s [[Vessel]] [[Leras]] weakening day-by-day, an endless fall of ash, intensifying earthquakes, and erupting [[ashmount]]s threatened the very existence of [[Scadrial]] and its people.{{bookepigraph ref|mb3|48}}

After his final conversation with [[Elend]], Leras finally died, leaving [[Preservation]] without a Vessel.{{book ref|mb3|55}}{{epigraph ref|mb3|56}} It would have quickly been absorbed by [[Vin]], who was specially attuned to Preservation's power, except for the fact that she was still wearing her [[Vin's earring|earring]], which was [[Hemalurgy|Hemalurgically charged]], acting as a repulsive factor.{{epigraph ref|mb3|79}}{{epigraph ref|mb3|epilogue}} The [[Cognitive Shadow]] of [[Kelsier]] was able to partially absorb the power of Preservation, helping to delay Ruin's destruction of the world, butand preventing Ruin from splintering the former shard after he finished killing [[Leras]]. However Kelsier could not effectively wield its fullpower due to the fact that his Connection to the power was artificial, made by the [[Ire's orb]].{{msh ref|6|4}}

During Vin's final battle with all of Ruin's [[Feruchemy|Feruchemically enhanced]] [[Steel Inquisitors]] above [[Kredik Shaw]] in the abandoned [[Luthadel]], [[Marsh]] tore out Vin's earring, with Kelsier using all of his strength to distract Ruin and help push Marsh's last vestige of willpowerHumanity to rebel. As he was both a [[Cognitive Shadow]] and well-[[Connection|Connected]] to Ruin, Kelsier could not use the entirety of Preservation's power,. andTherefore thereforehe gaverelinquished the itshard to Vin after the spike was removed.{{msh ref|6|4}}{{msh ref|6|7}} Her body broken under the assault, Vin finally drew in the full power of Preservation, allowing her to. nearlyShe destroyobliterated all of the Inquisitors (save Marsh), and flattenflattened Kredik Shaw with a single, beforeimmensely powerful push. Then fully Ascendingascended.{{book ref|mb3|73}}

Ruin initially allowed Vin ,(asnow Preservation) to flail about with her newfound power, knowing she would make mistakes. By clearing the air of ash, she allowed the too-near sun to bake the world in its deadly heat. Rotating the planet into night, to protect people from the sun's rays, she caused a massive tsunami, wiping out the coastline. As she reached to stop the tsunami, realizing she must be more subtle, Ruin stepped in to block her, taunting her failures. However, Preservation soon realized the two were at an impasse, as their powerabilities waswere too evenly matched.{{book ref|mb3|76}} This was because a part of Ruin's "body", his connection to the physical world in the form of [[atium]], had been hidden away by the [[Lord Ruler]] and the [[kandra]]. It was hidden in the secret [[Kandra homeland]] located adjacent to the [[Pits of Hathsin]], kept secret in the [[Trustwarren]], hidden from Ruin's senses. But the two were still able to easily influence those who wielded their [[investitureInvestiture]]: [[Allomancy]] and Hemalurgy, without being easily countered by the other. This allowed Ruin to discover the secret cache by taking control of [[KanPaar]] following his coup of the [[First Generation]] and breaking of the [[First Contract]] and the [[Resolution]]. However, most of the kandra remained loyal when Ruin began to take hold and carried out the Resolution, removing their [[Blessing]]s and sacrificing their sentience.{{book ref|mb3|75}}{{book ref|mb3|79}}{{epigraph ref|mb3|80}}

Ruin sent his massive [[koloss]] army to attack the Pits, but VinPreservation was able to reach Elend, direct him to the Pits, and help him realize the truth behind the [[Mistfallen]] battalion: they were [[Seer]]s, [[misting]]s able to burn atium. Thus began the [[Battle of Hathsin]], and. Vin/Perservation watched as Elend and most of his men diedwere slaughtered, holding off the koloss army, as they burned away the remaining atium in their sacrifice. This caused Ruin a terrible wound and caused him to lose his temper, his biggest plan frustrated and biggest advantage destroyed. With Elend dead, Vin/Preservation had nothing left to live for and assaulted Ruin with all of her power, knowing itRuin's counterstroke would kill both of themtheir vessels. She and [[Ati]] fell dead bynear Elend, outside the Pits, as [[Sazed]] watched, leaving both Ruin and Preservation unheld and the remaining, uncontrolled koloss to rampage madly among themselves.{{book ref|mb3|81}}

After Ati and Vin had perished, both Ruin and Preservation were unheldleft without their Vessels. Sazed, grieving over the bodybodies of Vin, who he assumed would be their savior, and Elend, noticed the black and white mists emanating from the bodies of the previous Vessels. With a sudden realization, he understood that he was the one who fit the prophecies of the [[Hero of Ages]] and absorbed the power of the two Shards. The two merged together under a single Vessel and became known as [[Harmony]], and with their power Sazed set about fixing the world.{{book ref|mb3|82}}{{book ref|aolmb5|7}}

The primary repercussion of the Final Ascension was the reforming of Scadrial. The two Shards, working in harmony together, were able to reform Scadrial back to a nearly identical world as it was like before the [[Ascension of the Lord Ruler]]. Sazed had the ability to do this better than most, because of his duties as a [[Keeper]] and thus the knowledge stored in his [[metalmind]]s, which he tapped as he drew in the power of Harmony. The religions he'd studied and rejected due to inconsistencies each held some truths about the past world, including cartography, geology, astronomy, anatomy, zoology, and artwork depicting the world's beauty.{{book ref|mb3|82}} With the power of Harmony he was also able to access the imprints of these features that were left in the Spiritual Realm where his metalminds were not enough {{wob ref|15277}} The main exception was the region of [[Elendel Basin]], which replaced the area where Hathsin once was and was designed to be a fertile cradle for civilization's renewal.{{book ref|mb4mb5|7}}