Calendars and Timekeeping

Across the central continents, the measurement of time has long been considered both a practical necessity and a matter of philosophical curiosity. Farmers must know when to plant and harvest, merchants depend upon predictable cycles for trade and taxation, and sailors chart their journeys according to the movements of the heavens. From these needs arose the various calendars and systems of reckoning now used across the world.

Although many regional variations persist, most current societies follow a common civil calendar derived from the system first standardized during the height of the ancient Thalaeryn Empire.

The Thalaeryn Calendar

The earliest broadly adopted calendar was developed from the united effort of the scholars and early astronomers of the Thalaeryn Empire in the western lands. Seeking to coordinate taxation, agriculture, and imperial logistics across a vast territory, Thalaeryn astronomers established a calendar consisting of twelve months totaling three hundred and sixty days.

The months were derived from observations of the grater moon, Valen, whose steady cycle provided a convenient astronomical point of reference for dividing the seasons. The simplicity of the system made it particularly useful for administration and trade, and it spread widely beyond the borders of the empire itself.

Even after the eventual fragmentation of Thalaeryn into several successor states, the calendar endured. Its practicality ensured continued use across much of the continent for centuries.

The Samsharan Correction

A more precise understanding of the calendar's limitations emerged much later in the desert lands of the Samsharan Empire, whose astronomers maintained unusually meticulous records of celestial phenomena. Among the events they observed was a recurring comet locally known as Sharan's Spear, named for the blazing trail it leaves across the night sky as it passes.

Over generations of observation, Samsharan scholars noticed that the comet's appearances no longer aligned with the predictions preserved in older astronomical records. Careful comparison of these observations, conducted at the Great Observatory of Valashar, revealed that the civil calendar fell slightly short of the true solar year.

To correct this discrepancy Samsharan astronomers proposed a simple yet effective change to the already widely spread calendar: the insertion of a single additional day once every eleven years. The calendar was then gradually adjusted so that Sharan's Spear would pass closest in the sky on that very day, allowing the heavens themselves to mark the correction.

This intercalary day became known as Shahrazād.

Shahrazād

Due to the Shahrazād belonging to neither the ending year nor the beginning one, it is traditionally regarded as a day that exists outside of ordinary time. Many cultures treat it as a moment of renewal and celebration.

In the desert capital of Valashar, elaborate festivities accompany the comet's passing. Ceremonial duels are fought within the arena beneath the midday sun, while scholars gather at the great observatory to record the appearance of Sharan's Spear.

Numerous traditions also claim that the comet's presence amplifies the magical properties of many living beings and certain natural phenomena. These reports are particularly popular in the regions where the celebrations are most enthusiastic.

Such claims appear with remarkable regularity during festivals involving large crowds, heightened emotions, and generous quantities of celebratory drink.
— Compiler's Note

Cultural interpretations of the day vary widely. In several southern traditions, often the ones closest to Samshara, a child born during the Shahrazād is believed to carry a rare blessing. By contrast, some northern cultures regard such births with deep unease, believing that those born under the comet's light are fated to an unfortunate destiny.

Valen and Mirae

Alongside the civil calendar, many cultures employ secondary systems of timekeeping based on the movements of the world's two moons: Valen, the greater moon, and Mirae, the smaller.

While Valen's longer cycle influenced the structure of the calendar's months, Mirae's quicker movement across the sky mostly influenced seafaring across the lands. Together the two bodies form a repeating eighteen-day pattern, during which their relative positions create easily recognizable configurations in the night sky.

To the coastal people who discovered that Mirae's movements correspond closely with the shifting of tides, this cycle proved particularly useful. By observing the changing alignment of the two moons, navigators could anticipate sea conditions when deciding which routes to take.

Among maritime cultures the moons are often affectionately referred to as "the Dancing Sisters," a poetic description inspired by the way their paths appear to weave around one another across the sky.

Regarding the Naming of Days

The civil week is divided into seven days, a convention that appears to predate even the Thalaeryn reforms. The reason for the number's early adoption remain uncertain to this day, though its convenient midpoint has made it enduringly popular across many cultures.

Different regions naturally use different names for these days, often derived from local deities, celestial bodies, or historical figures. For the sake of clarity, the Compendium renders these names in translated form when necessary rather than attempting to reproduce each and every regional variation.

Attempts to catalogue every local name for the days of the week have historically ended in frustration. The author's, specifically.
— Compiler's Note