Timekeeping
From World of Entorais Wiki
Divisions
- Spans of time are broken down into smaller units for easier tracking of the passage of time.
- Year
- Annual pattern of solar orbit (vernal equinox, summer solstice, autumnal equinox, and winter solstice). There are 360 days and 12 months in the standard calendar.
- Months
- Varies due to existence of two lunar bodies with different orbital periods. Most calendars follow the silver moon. There is a super-cyclic pattern measured from when the moons are in conjunction.
- Ten-Day and Five-Day
- Analogous to weeks. three or six per month respectively.
- Day
- Position of sun in sky (sundials), broken into six watches. Individual days are not named but rather numbered.
- Watch
- Broken into four 1-hour periods.
- Hour
- 60 minutes.
Devices
- Instruments and tools to keep track of the time of day or to measure the passing of hours.
- Astrolabe
- Mechanical device used to determine the angle of the sun compared to the horizon. Some math is required to calculate the time since sunrise, or remaining until sunset.
- These devices can be adjusted to factor seasonal changes in day length. They are also usable at night by individuals well versed in the positions and movements of stars.
- Bells, Chimes, and Gongs
- Many settlements will have temple or church which ring bells, chimes, or gongs, to mark each hour during daytime. the specific count of chimes will give the hour to those within earshot.
- Candles
- Candles of fixed size and reasonably stable burn-times are used by some to track the passing of the hours, but difficult to tell exact time to any fractions smaller than 1/12th (5 minutes).
- Clocks
- Mechanical, water-clocks, weighted pendulums and the like are rare, outside of a few cases.
- Sand Glasses
- Sand glasses of various duration are employed where available, but due to variance in manufacture they are not well standardized.
- Sun Dials
- Also called shadow clocks, these devices can denote the time of day, but are limited to well lit conditions, and do not work after sundown.
- They are not generally used in more northern latitudes where notable variance of day length between the seasons, affects their accuracy.
- Sun Staffs
- Vertical and portal the staff is planted on the ground, and the distance of the sun above the horizon is measured against demarcations upon the shaft to determine time since sunrise, or remaining until sunset.
- Some of these devices have moving parts to adjust for seasonal variances.
Calendars
- Most calendars follow the phases of silver moon, Saynoh, and are composed of twelve months of thirty days. A few calendars follow the red moon, Kodah, but because it is not matched to the solar year, are used for special purposes, such as religious or arcane cycles.
- Regional differences in climate and seasons make for variance in calendar seasons and month names. The names typically reflect the conditions or events expected during that month.
List of Calendars
Sun Signs
- There is also a sun-sign system noted by the daily progression of the sunrise relative to a series of constellations.
