The Days
The Elanthian Solar Year consists of exactly 400 days. Each day
officially begins at Midnight and is divided for convenience into the following sections:
For reference, an Elanthian day is 6 real hours long, so a
real day is four Elanthian days. The length of the various periods in real time is as
follows.
Midnight: 15 minutes
Very Early Morning: 60 minutes (total)
Almost Dawn: 30 minutes
Dawn: 15 minutes
Early Morning: 15 minutes
Mid Morning: 30 minutes
Late Morning: 15 minutes
Noon: 15 minutes
Early Afternoon: 30 minutes
Mid Afternoon: 30 minutes
Late Afternoon: 15 minutes
Dusk: 15 minutes
Early Evening: 15 minutes
Mid Evening: 30 minutes
Late Evening: 30 minutes
The Weeks
The days are divided into ten "weeks" of four days each,
each named after a god of Elanthia: Kertandu after Kertigen, Hodandu after Hodierna, and
so on through Evandu, Truffandu, Havrandu, Elandu, Chandu, Glythandu, Faeandu, Tamsandu.
Each of these "weeks" is actually 24 hours of real time.
The Months
The days are also organized into a larger unit, i.e., the 40 day-
(0-39) month of which there are 10 in the year, each named in the following way:
1st month of Akroeg the Ram (Days 0-39)
2nd month of Ka'len the Sea Drake (Days 40-79)
3rd month of Lirisa the Archer (Days 80-119)
4th month of Shorka the Cobra (Days 120-159)
5th month of Uthmor the Giant (Days 160-199)
6th month of Arhat the Fire Lion (Days 200-239)
7th month of Moliko the Balance (Days 240-279)
8th month of Skullcleaver the Dwarven Axe (Days 280-319)
9th month of Dolefaren the Brigantine (Days 320-359)
10th month of Nissa the Maiden (Days 360-399)
The Seasons
Spring extends from Ka'len to Shorka.
Summer extends from Shorka to Moliko.
Autumn extends from Moliko to Dolefaren.
Winter extends from Dolefaren to Ka'len.
The Years
Years are counted from the Victory of Lanival the Redeemer and are
named in a recurring pattern of seven names as follows.
Bronze Wyvern
Years: 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, 36, 43, 50, 57, 64, 71, 78, 85, 92, 99, 106, 113, 120, 127, 134,
141, 148, 155, 162, 169, 176, 183, 190, 197, 204, 212, 219, 226, 232, 239, 246, 253, 260,
267, 274, 281, 288, 295, 302, 309, 316, 323, 330, 337, 344, 351, (358, . . .)
Golden Panther
Years: 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, 37, 44, 51, 58, 65, 72, 79, 86, 93, 100, 107, 114, 121, 128, 135,
142, 149, 156, 163, 170, 177, 184, 191, 198, 205, 213, 220, 227, 233, 240, 247, 254, 261,
268, 275, 282, 289, 296, 303, 310, 317, 324, 331, 338, 345, 352, (359, . . .)
Amber Phoenix
Years: 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, 38, 45, 52, 59, 66, 73, 80, 87, 94, 101, 108, 115, 122, 129,
136, 143, 149, 157, 164, 171, 178, 185, 192, 199, 206, 214, 221, 227, 234, 241, 248, 255,
262, 269, 276, 283, 290, 297, 304, 311, 318, 325, 332, 339, 346, (353, . . .)
Iron Toad
Years: 4, 11, 18, 25, 32, 39, 46, 53, 60, 67, 74, 81, 88, 95, 102, 109, 116, 123, 130,
137, 144, 150, 158, 165, 172, 179, 186, 193, 200, 207, 215, 222, 228, 235, 242, 249, 256,
263, 270, 277, 284, 291, 298, 305, 312, 333, 340, 347, (354, . . .)
Emerald Dolphin
Years: 5, 12, 19, 26, 33, 40, 47, 54, 61, 68, 75, 82, 89, 96, 103, 110, 117, 124, 131,
138, 145, 151, 159, 166, 173, 180, 187, 194, 201, 208, 216, 223, 229, 236, 243, 250, 257,
264, 271, 278, 285, 292, 299, 306, 313, 320, 327, 334, 341, 348, (355, . . .)
Crystal Snow Hare
Years: 6, 13, 20, 27, 34, 41, 48, 55, 62, 69, 76, 83, 90, 97, 104, 111, 118, 125, 132,
139, 146, 152, 160, 167, 174, 181, 188, 195, 202, 209, 217, 224, 230, 237, 244, 251, 258,
265, 272, 279, 286, 293, 300, 307, 314, 321, 328, 335, 342, 349, (356, ...)
Silver Unicorn
Years: 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56, 63, 70, 77, 84, 91, 98, 105, 112, 119, 126, 133,
140, 147, 153, 161, 168, 175, 182, 189, 196, 203, 210, 218, 225, 231, 238, 245, 252, 259,
266, 273, 280, 287, 294, 301, 308, 315, 322, 329, 336, 343, 350, (357, . . .)
Elanthian Ages
Elanthians of all races celebrate their births on the anniversary of
the day they were born, but reckon their age by counting the number of anniversaries of
the Victory that they have seen. Thus one might have been born on the 82nd day (Lirisa the
Archer) in year 329 and on the 39th day of year 350 they would say they were 21 years old,
though their official birthday were still some 43 days away.
The Date
The date is officially given in the following notation <week
name> <day in month> <month> <year>. Thus: Kertandu 0 Arhat 350.
The Moons and the
Stars
There are three moons that circle Elanthia: Katamba, Xibar and
Yavash. They are black, blue and red respectively. For the most part the citizens of
Elanthia ignore the heavenly bodies unless the latter do odd things like flash repeatedly.
The only contingent of the populace which pays attention to the moons consists of the Moon
Mages who rely upon the moons for their magical power and who gain knowledge of the future
from observation of the celestial sights.
Anyone, however, can observe the moons and the stars and watch their
wanderings through the heavens. There are 39 constellations, each named after the totemic
creature of a god or demiurge. They are the Adder, Albatross, Boar, Cat, Centaur, Cobra,
Cow, Coyote, Dolphin, Donkey, Dove, Goshawk, Heron, Jackal, Lion, Magpie, Mongoose,
Nightingale, Owl, Ox, Panther, Phoenix, Raccoon, Ram, Raven, Scorpion, Shark, Shrew,
Shrike, Snake, Spider, Unicorn, Viper, Vulture, Weasel, Welkin, Wolf, Wolverine and Wren.
Some are in the sky every night of the years, others follow a seasonal pattern. A chart of
constellations is available on the predictions
page.
The Weather
Weather can affect various aspects of the lives of Elanthia's
inhabitants; rain and snow can destroy delicate musical instruments but make a warrior
mage's lightning bolt easier to cast. It's helpful to know, therefore, that the weather
works a particular way. Every 10 minutes the weather has a chance to change. If no change
occurs, no messaging is given. If a change does take place, you'll be informed briefly
that, for example, the clouds have cleared away or that a light snow has begun to fall.
Moon Mages are able to predict what the next shift will be, whether the tendency will be
towards clear weather or precipitation or whatnot. This cycle is really not tied into the
times of day. One thing in particular that Moon Mages should be aware of is that the three
moons of Elanthia also have the opportunity to shift at these same 10 minute intervals.
