Calendars

A solar year on Altris is 375.1 days. Most calendars are based on a solar year; however, some are based on a lunar year or some other method (like lizardmen and dwarves). Many of the calendars are in dispute with the other calendars, mostly because they were created by other races or kingdoms and mark events the other races or kingdoms do not feel to be significant. As to which is the most accurate, on the gods would know, however some scholars claim they are even confused.

Elves (Current Date: 90th day of the 6th Spring in the Year 331 )

Based on the lunar revolution of Elluen, a small distant blue moon that only those with exceptional vision or a lens can see. Elluen takes 10 years to make a single revolution around Altris.

The elves gather at what is believed to be the ruins of the first elven city, where only a ceremonial platform remains intact. The platform holds three statues of elven women. The first cups her hands to her side and is looking into her hands. Her hands make a small hole which holds a small lens. When the moon clears the eastern horizon, it lights up the lens and bathes a pedestal in blue light. The center one holds a small ring over a stone bowl of water, when the moon is at its apex it shines light into the bowl causing the water to glow, this signifies the new year. And the last holds a scepter, when the moon reaches the proper location in the western sky it strikes a crystal in the scepter causing it to glow brightly. These three statues showing the starting dates of the elves three prized celebrations. Each of these celebrations last for one year.

Elven months are seasonal based. Each month consists of a full season; therefore, a calendar date may be read as the 35th day of the 7th winter of the year 340. Considering each elven year is equal to 10 solar years the date would equate to the 35th day of the year 3407 as compared to other calendars. The elven calendar supposably starts at the end of the great war, however, many scribes and scholars still argue about in what year the war ended. Any calendar created by the elves prior to the great war has yet ot be found.

Unuche (Current Date: Month8 the 10th, 4200 )

This calendar begins at the birth of the empire (about -89 on the elven calendar). The calendar has 14 months with 25 days per month but, unlike the Marbot calendar it does not have the extra day every 10 years. However, they do correct the calendar when the season begin to stray too far from their estimated start dates (about every 100 years). Unlike the other calendars the Unuche calendar does not have any minus years. The calendar just simply stops, anyone who wishes to reference any event prior to this calendar tends to revert to the elven or Marbot calendars for reference dates.

Marbot (Current Date: Olovan the 10th, 4230 )

The Marbot calendar begins the year the elves claim to have met the first humans. Which would be about -92 on the elven calendar (920 years before the end of the great war). The Marbot calendar has 14 months with 25 days in each month. Every 10 years there is an extra day in the month of Yaavan which is used to celebrate the elven holiday Lanta Yaavan though those in Marbot call their holiday Taurn Yaavan and it is only a one-month celebration and not a full year like the elven holiday.

Qua (Current Date: Month 4 the 22nd, 4360 )

Starts on the birth of the God King Yit’vir Yandershe the first emperor of the Qua, which is estimated to be around -105 on the elven calendar. The calendar has 8 months with 47 days in each month. The calendar is self-corrected once a year with what is called a “dead day”. When declared by the emperor, no one is permitted to leave their homes from dawn to dusk, therefore the night before is massive celebration held with a lot of food, dancing, and alcohol. Everyone returns to their homes before dawn and remain until the next evening. The “Dead Day” is usually declared fifteen days before to allow everyone to prepare.

Dwarves (Current Date: ?? )

The dwarves have no real concept of years or days as there is nothing to show the passing of time other than the amount of work that can be accomplished. The dwarven calendars are simply a series of events marked by who was on the throne at the time of the event. Only events that are considered significant to a dwarf make it way into the dwarven history and it can be difficult to determine which ruler came before which, as each portion of history is written as its own book. Basically “events during the reign of King Icy Mug”. If you do not know the order of the dwarven kings, then you could not know the order in which the events took place.

Lizardmen (Current Date: 0 )

The lizardmen base their time on the birthing cycle. Each birthing cycle is considered a year for them. Each cycle is about 200 days +/- 50 days apart. Their calendar begins somewhere about 300 years before the elven calendar. Though there are claims that due to certain weather conditions, the lizardmen can go two or three solar years without a birthing cycle, this could push their calendar back to more than 1000 years before the elves. The lizardmen also refuse to document historical events such as war or diplomatic relations because these things happen far too often to keep up with.