Reckoning time in the North Holds

question
calendar
time
lore
#1

There’s an argument to be made that measuring time is a recent phenomena brought about by inventing accurate time pieces. Keeping time was — and if you’ve ever had to calculate or convert time between calendars, still is — an arcane skill undertaken by keen minds using esoteric methods.

As I dive into :crown::skull: and absorb the lore of the North Holds, I keep asking myself, how do people reckon time around here? Did their calendar survive the Bloodwing War? Have distant regions given the calendar a local flavor? Did the calamity so fracture the North Holds that time reckoning is broken? Is there an Order of Time driven to protect it?

I love these questions! The lore behind them can enrich stories and profound mysteries. But they also have practical implications at the table I’m preparing.

For now though, I’m just letting myself be enthralled by this universe Letting my mind wander over the threads in the book. How my table ends up tracking time, I want it to fit the deeper lore of the North Holds.

Just sharing some thoughts to see what bounces back.

Cheers!

#2

I made a calendar based on the time after the Bloodwing War and pieces and remnants of the prior kingdoms and religions. I based it on Lunar Calendars, as that was not destroyed or affected by the War.

Two moons rule the sky; Luneria, the major moon followed by the cities and Crown.

Umbra, the darker smaller moon that hides in the Shadows. Each has a calendar and they both move roughly at the same pace, but at different times. 28 days for a full cycle.

I used donjon and other tools to make it and I keep track of events on it.

How do people keep time? The lunar cycles and just the sun and seasons really. Exact times? Maybe by mage guilds or the Holy Order. Perhaps there is an Order of the Times that brings in chronomancers.

EDIT: Perhaps the Bloodwing was part of the Order of Times and they deemed that “It was Time to start anew.”

Also, here is a copy of the json file for DonJon so you can see the calendar:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12nDx1N3kJDEegM3b1IeZjJpCnT_sUmuE/view?usp=drivesdk

#3

I like this, thank you!

Two moons is a great idea and plays to the duality of the :crown: and the :skull:. So now I’m thinking two calendars. They are older than any reckoning and tied to the values of the Crown and the Skull. Popular celebrations echo this duality and become tied to the transit of seasons.

#4

Here’s a basic lunar calendar for the year 31 after the Bloodwing War, featuring two moons, Lunestra and Umbra:

Lunestra (Larger Moon)

  • Blood Moon (1st month)
  • Harvest Moon (2nd month)
  • Frost Moon (3rd month)
  • Storm Moon (4th month)
  • Flower Moon (5th month)
  • Summer Moon (6th month)
  • Thunder Moon (7th month)
  • Wyrm Moon (8th month)
  • Willow Moon (9th month)
  • Hunter’s Moon (10th month)
  • Mournful Moon (11th month)
  • Cold Moon (12th month)

Umbra (Smaller Moon)

  • Dark Moon (1st month)
  • Shadow Moon (2nd month)
  • Ghost Moon (3rd month)
  • Void Moon (4th month)
  • Trickster Moon (5th month)
  • Eclipse Moon (6th month)
  • Specter Moon (7th month)
  • Demon Moon (8th month)
  • Chaos Moon (9th month)
  • Wraith Moon (10th month)
  • Doom Moon (11th month)
  • Oblivion Moon (12th month)

Each moon completes its cycle in approximately 28 days, and their phases may coincide or differ, leading to various moon-related events throughout the year.

Here are seven days of the week for your fantasy calendar, each named after a deity:

  1. Soltisday (Day of the White Bird): The first day of the week is dedicated to the White Bird, a deity symbolizing peace, purity, and the beginning of new journeys.
  2. Ravenday (Day of the Night Coyote): The second day honors the Night Coyote, a trickster god who embodies cunning, adaptability, and the magic of the night.
  3. Serpentday (Day of Sett, the Serpent): The third day is devoted to Sett, the Serpent, a deity of wisdom, transformation, and the cyclical nature of life and death.
  4. Auroraday (Day of the Dawn Eagle): The fourth day celebrates the Dawn Eagle, a deity representing the sun’s rebirth, hope, and the power of new beginnings.
  5. Wyrmday (Day of the Great Wyrm): The fifth day is dedicated to the Great Wyrm, a powerful dragon deity that embodies strength, endurance, and the guarding of ancient knowledge.
  6. Mournsday (Day of the Mournful Owl): The sixth day honors the Mournful Owl, a deity linked to mourning, remembrance, and the wisdom found in life’s sorrows.
  7. Emberday (Day of the Phoenix, the Emberwing): The seventh day celebrates the Phoenix, the Emberwing, a deity representing rebirth, resilience, and the transformative power of fire. This day honors the indomitable spirit that rises from the ashes, renewed and stronger than before.
#5

And I just realized that by introducing two moons, I’ve accidentally potentially doubled the danger from Werewolves… And based on the current date in my game, Lunestra is at Full Moon…

#6

Uh oh! That’ll be hella fun.

#7

Lycanthorphy could be relatet to one of the moons if you would like to avoid that. It could be played out, that either Umbra or Lunestra is the Noun of all Lycanthropes and having Umbra and Lunestra reline while one is at Full Moon there are special features that emerge with that.

#8

I do like the threat of Werewolves in general. It makes the world more dangerous.

My initial thought was that certain werewolves are aligned with one of the moons (so they don’t transform twice in a month). This will give them different abilities.

Lunestra werewolves are bigger and more ferocious and have insane bloodlust.
Umbra werewolves are mystical, cunning, dangerous, and have a mouth full of shadowed flame.

#9

One could even think of werewolves choosing the path either of Umbra or Lunestra. Then you could add the this bipolar philosophy of the world: Is it the path of the skull or will it be the one of the crown? I like that.