Timekeeping

While there are a number of idiosyncracies between polities in terms of what time units they recognize and which are most emphasized, the Akylin Calendar is nearly universal, an ancient and common reference by which the seasons and hours are reckoned. Its origins are not preserved in any record, but its creation is widely ascribed to the Quanaar, given their typical fascination with all things celestial.

Calendar

The Akylin Calendar is organized around the solstices and equinoxes, each marking a transition from one season to the next. All seasons are 91 days long, and days within a season are numbered consecutively from 1 to 91. Solstices and equinoxes always occur on day 91 preceding the season they herald. Winter solstice, the longest night, is the last day of Fall and also considered the ending of the year. Thus the first of Winter, while ushering in the coldest and harshest season, is also a day of renewal and new beginnings.

Note: All threads must be clearly timestamped with day, season, and year in the first post. Timestamp format is at the poster's discretion, so long as it's comprehensible. Threads that span multiple days must have a stamp at each timeskip.

The current season is Spring 1218. Any new thread dated for a prior season is considered a Flashback.

Lunar Cycle

There are three to four full moons in each season. Many cultures ascribe no particular significance to the phases of the moon, but some have named months or tie events to the lunar cycle. See individual polity pages for those details. The lunar cycle may also be important to certain applications of witchcraft; again, see specific discipline writeups for further information.

For the year 1218:

  • Full moons occur on Winter 2, 31, 61, and 90; Spring 29, 58, and 88; Summer 26, 56, and 85; Fall 24, 53, and 83.
  • New moons occur on Winter 16, 46, and 76; Spring 14, 44, and 73; Summer 12, 41, and 71; Fall 9, 39, and 68.

Days and Hours

Sunrise is considered the beginning of a new day. Each day is divided into 12 day hours and 12 night hours, synced to the movements of the sun. The first hour of the day always begins at sunrise and the first hour of the night at sunset, while the seventh hours are always noon and midnight, respectively. Thus, the length of "an hour" varies from 45 to 75 minutes depending on the season and whether it is day or night.

Hours may be counted as either 1-12 day and 1-12 night, or as 1-24.

For reference, the following table relates IC hours on the solstices and equinoxes to RL times:

12-hour 24-hour Event Winter Solstice Equinox Summer Solstice
1 1 sunrise 7:30 am 6:00 am 4:30 am
2 2 8:15 am 7:00 am 5:45 am
3 3 9:00 am 8:00 am 7:00 am
4 4 9:45 am 9:00 am 8:15 am
5 5 10:30 am 10:00 am 9:30 am
6 6 11:15 am 11:00 am 10:45 am
7 7 noon 12:00 pm 12:00 pm 12:00 pm
8 8 12:45 pm 1:00 pm 1:15 pm
9 9 1:30 pm 2:00 pm 2:30 pm
10 10 2:15 pm 3:00 pm 3:45 pm
11 11 3:00 pm 4:00 pm 5:00 pm
12 12 3:45 pm 5:00 pm 6:15 pm
1 13 sunset 4:30 pm 6:00 pm 7:30 pm
2 14 5:45 pm 7:00 pm 8:15 pm
3 15 moonrise 7:00 pm 8:00 pm 9:00 pm
4 16 8:15 pm 9:00 pm 9:45 pm
5 17 9:30 pm 10:00 pm 10:30 pm
6 18 10:45 pm 11:00 pm 11:15 pm
7 19 midnight 12:00 am 12:00 am 12:00 am
8 20 1:15 am 1:00 am 12:45 am
9 21 2:30 am 2:00 am 1:30 am
10 22 3:45 am 3:00 am 2:15 am
11 23 moonset 5:00 am 4:00 am 3:00 am
12 24 6:15 am 5:00 am 3:45 am
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