The Norrathian Calendar
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Gnomes, as we know, have an answer for everyone and everything.
When someone stopped panicing long enough after the Shattering of
Norrath's solitary moon Luclin to ask "What's a month without a moon?",
a gnome (or rather, a group of gnomes called the "Observers of
Ak'anon") had the answer. And given what we know of gnomish
clockwork punctuality, it should come as no surprise that the discovery
of our present calendar came long before the Shattering.
It was quite a long time before the gnomish Starpyre calendar came into
common use, folks preferred to use the comfortable if antiquated
Antonican calendar instead. Yet, today, if you were to ask any
conscientious shopkeeper in Qeynos or Freeport the /time, you'd likely
receive a singularly baffling response like "It is 6:14 PM of Soulday,
Grayeven 24, of the year 3731." The time is clear enough, and to
this halfling it simply means I'm grievously late for
dinner. But what about the rest?
The ten days of the week reflect the new Norrath's enculturation of the
sea and its commercial activities, the landless link now the only
access to once-land-linked exotic lands of fortune and fame:
Feastday (a Norrathian's
day for rest, or recovery from Mirthday!)
Darkday (the first day of
the work week, appropriately named!)
Burnday (the refuse of
the weekend's revelry was traditionally burned on this day, the stench
of the burning thought to be better than that of the coming rot!)
Soulday (a day of
rememberance... many lives were lost throughout the Shattering, and
many survivors' descendants feel honor-bound to weekly remembrance)
Windday (fresh winds and
weighed anchors fill the bustling port cities with the raw stuff of
industry, traditionally caravaned inland on this day)
Steelday (a day of
full-blown productivity among craftsmen, the forges are lit early on
this day)
Spryday (teamsters rush
to deliver newly produced wares to merchantmen and the docks today,
generall considered the busiest day of the week)
Moorday (dockworkers load
cargo onto ships destined for far-away lands)
Brewday (with much of the
week's work done, attentions are turned to the local traders and
merchants)
Mirthday (a final day of
work, then a night of fun!)
The three seasons of Norrath are imbued with a more agrarian
understanding of life. While the ships may enrich us, its the
harvest that feeds us.
Decay (cold, damp, and
windy - little of what's exposed to the weather survives)
Growth (a time of
renewal, Ro seems to find his heat as Norrath blossoms)
Harvest (the peak of the
warm season, when foodstuffs are gathered and stored away against the
Decay)
The 12 months of the Norrathian year (and their season) reflect
Norrath's sea-going and agrocultural heritage together:
Deepice (Decay) - The
doldrums of winter, all the world seems encased in cold and shadow.
Grayeven (Decay) - Dawn
breaks on the wintry scene, life stirs and finds its legs.
Stargazing (Growth) - The
clarity of the cold night offers an unhindered glance deep into the
heavens, as the warming days make the out-of-doors habitable again.
Weeping (Growth) - Rain
and wind sweep across the lands, a tempestuous mix for mariners, from
which new life finally springs on land.
Blossoming (Growth) -
Norrath in full flower, the air warm and sweet at last.
Oceansfull (Growth) - The
tides are most favorable for mariners as what's left of Luclin reaches
its perigee.
Scorchedsky (Harvest) -
The heat feels closest as it ripens the fruits and grains of the fields.
Warmstill (Harvest) - The
days are still very long and the climate yet favorable for returning
home from far-away adventures.
Busheldown (Harvest) -
When the lastfruits of the growing season are gathered in and stored
away.
Lastleaf (Harvest) -
Feasts abound as Norrathians celebrate the bounty of the far-distant
gods' favor.
Firstchill (Decay) -
Winter signals its coming as the days grow long.
Deadening (Decay) - Life
settles indoors and deep in-ground yet again.
Another factor, not easily understood by the less-astronomically minded
and just plain non-gnomes in general, is the effect of the Starpyre
Calandar Quatrain. It seems that the entire Ro system is in
motion around a large center to the universe, the effect of which is to
prolong the natural climate changes of the seasons.
Xegony - Named for the
god of air, the wind blows hard, driving the rains hard inland.
Growing things thrive in the attention of Xegony.
Fenin Ro - The god of
fire brings scorching heat to the lands, rendering the dryest parts all
but inhabitable.
Rathe - Earthquakes and
volcanic activity heighten before their earthen master.
Triumvirate - The gods of
water bring alternatingly greater dampness and chilling clarity to the
Norrathian skies.
There you have it, more than you ever wanted to know about how a
Norrathian tells time!
(Lore embellished, taken, and
otherwise manipulated from "The Norrathian Code of Trade Standards,"
The Academy of Arcane Science, North Freeport)