This reckoning was developed by the Loremasters, and is used - with variations based on location - by the Navigators and most cultures on Emer and Jaiman. Many cultures and groups ignore Varin for official record-keeping purposes, using Orhan exclusively to divide the Kulthean year. Dates are recorded as “TE 5090, Orhan 4, day 45″ for example. This means the 45th day (of 70) of the fourth month (otherwise known as Autumn in the northern hemisphere) in the year 5090 of the Third Era. It might be even more briefly recorded as 5090•4•45. The Scribes of Great Library at Nomikos and most scholarly institutions also use this simple, effective calendar system.

SEASONS

Kulthea - like any planet with an axial tilt and regular, elliptical orbit - has four celestial “seasons.” Their formal beginnings and endings are largely ignored however (except by astronomers, and for a few holidays) in favor of the much more obvious pentennial phases of the great moon Orhan. There are four landmark dates in the seasonal year of Kulthea, two Solstices and two Equinoxes. The Solstices are when the sun appears to be farthest from the planetary equator. There are a ’summer’ and ‘winter’ Solstice, the latter signifying the first day of the calendar year to many Kulthean cultures. The Equinoxes are where the sun passes the planet equator. The vernal occurs when the sun appears to pass from the south to the north; autumnal when it appears to move north-south.

MONTHS

Rather than follow the above pattern, most cultures have adopted ’seasons’ which mirror the five months of the Great Moon, each seventy days long. For the northern hemisphere they are listed as follows, beginning with the winter solstice, when Orhan is new. In the southern hemisphere temperatures are reversed because of the planet’s axial tilt. These can also vary from culture to culture of course, depending on climate and social orientations. Get a blank Calendar (pdf).

1. Winter: Cool, becoming the period of deepest cold by midmonth.
2. Spring: Weather grows warmer; planting season.
3. Summer: Warmer weather still, yet (relatively) pleasant.
4. Autumn: Hottest weather, then cooling.
5. Fall: Temperatures drop; harvest; preparations for Winter made.

WEEKS

There is a shorter period marked by many Kulthean cultures, the ten day span which is delineated by the phases of Varin, the Second Moon. Unlike Orhan (which sometimes looms huge in the sky, many times larger than the sun), Varin only shows a small disk. It is rather bright, however, and can be seen on even sunny days.

However, since seventy days is a rather cumbersome length of time to keep track of, most people think in terms of ten-day weeks. Following are the names of the days as declared by Loremasters, and their Erlin (common Elvish) translation. The day when Varin is full is considered the first day of the week, and is market day in most towns.

Erlin Name	Translation	Significance
Orhayen	Moon-day	Varin is Full
Buryen	Fire-day
Usivyen	Water-day
Melyen	Earth-day
Ordyen	Air-day	Often a Holy Day
Maryen	Dark-day	Varin is New; bad luck
Kyayen	Star-day
Kindagyen	Cloud-day	Bad luck
Aryen	Sun-day
Purlyen	Wind-day	Holy Day

DAYS AND HOURS

The Kulthean day is divided into twenty-five hours: five Quintars each in turn subdivided into five Hours. Five being a number with powerful religious connotations: five moons, five months a year of Orhan. The world (as observed by the Elves and many mannish cultures ) is divided into five realms (fire, water, earth, air, essænce), each in turn subdivided into two aspects; usually dualistic in nature (e.g., night/day, male/female, mind/body).Large clocks (such as those in city towers) chime to signal the hours in long and short rings - or two differently-pitched tones - the Quintars rung first. The five Quintars have names which are the usual reference rather than a number. They are: Morning, Midday, Evening, Night, and Predawn. Most Kulthean clocks are set by the Vernal Equinox: The first hour of the first Quintar begins as the first rays of the sun lift over the horizon; for interrim correction they are adjusted to match a sundial! Certain scientists - such as Astrologers - have special precision-made (and often magical) chronometers for very accurate timekeeping, required for star-study.

For ages the only method of keeping time, sundials are reasonably accurate and simple to construct. Aligning them correctly is sometimes a matter of trial and error; ironically using the stars, as magnetic north on Kulthea is an ephemeral concept. There are several designs for sundials. Tabletop models can be flat with an upstanding blade, or the more sophisticated spherical model. There are also larger, more elaborate sundials which often exist in conjunction with observatories: rings of stones carefully aligned to match lunar movements and sunrises at particular days of the years (solstices and equinoxes).

Clocks are rare but are in some large cities. They fall into one of two categories: the first invented (and most ‘common’) are those with one hand moving across circular or pentagonal face divided into the five quintars - or even subdivided into a total of twenty-five parts to mark the hours. Others are broken into five parts, with a slow hand designating quintars of the Kulthean day; a secondary hand passes through the same five parts of the round clock face to designate the hours.