Hourglass Blower

"Time passes, I can feel it. Overhead, the moons pass and cast their shadows. They come and go, but the sun remains."
Hourglasses are extensively used to track the passage of time in nearly every culture of Uinsil. While the world is tidally locked, there is little reference for the passage of time. Seasons pass, but stars are rarely seen. The largest moon Adalbar circulates around the world one every month. While many have relied on Adalbar for a measure of time, astrologians are the only ones who generally use the moon as a reference for the passage of time. Even then, there are few astrologians in the world that are not pre-eminently concerned with the arcane, rather than the innovation for a measurement of time. After all, "The sun is unchanging, why count it?"
First conceived within Mashangist, the hourglass became a standard for quantifying the time of an certain events. Hourglass blowers are specially commissioned to create hourglasses with specific tasks in mind. Thus, rooms are filled with hourglasses. Certain hourglasses are made within special devices, turning the hourglass in stages. Beautiful hourglasses are found in the homes of Mashangist and are often talking points. Thus, hourglass blowers have infiltrated almost every home in Uinsil.

Perception

History

Hourglasses were first created by mistake. An artisan in Mashangist was attempting to create a glass vase with a narrow neck in the middle. Upon completion of the blowing process, the artisan found that vase would wobble due to the awkward shape. Holding the vase upright, the artisan asked her husband to bring sand. The narrow neck of the vase allowed the sand to slowly pass into the base of the base. Annoyed at the slow process, the husband asked the artisan to call him when more sand needed to be added. As the sand passed through, the husband practiced a song of his violin. As he finished, his wife called to him. She told him, "I watched the sand fall slowly as you played. Seeing how much would pass before you finished. Play it again and I'll see if I'm right." After this, he returned to his violin and played the song once more. The artisan made marks on the glass. Excitedly she exclaimed, "I was right! It takes this much time for you to finish your song!"
This story would set the stage for the creation of very specific hourglasses. One for the time it takes to boil an egg. One for the time it takes get a restful nights sleep. One for the time it takes to sing a song. The young artisan was praised for the creation, though many argued that it was a pointless invention saying, "I already know from experience. Why do I need this device to tell me?" But the evidence was clear. For those who sought order in the midst of many duties, as much of Mashangist was prone to have, hourglasses kept track of the tasks. One lord would be heard saying, "I have an hourglass for everything. I even have an hourglass to tell me when to focus on my work and when to go home!"
The creation of these hourglasses spread quickly. Belltowers keep hourglasses to ensure that the time is properly kept. However, one notable feature is that the hourglasses vary between devices! While skilled glassblowers are keen at their ability to replicate work, perceptions varied between artisans. While a standard measurement was not generally desired, many customers simply brought in an hourglass and said, "I want this, but double the sand." or "This is too long, I need it to be shorter." These requests would be individual specific, timing specific tasks. Hourglass blowers would weigh the sand and add the appropriate amount using their our measure. Belltowers, using an hourglass to tell the public that one turn had passed, varied between towns. Those in Mashangist were notably longer than those in Luam Cathwa.
Over the years, the profession continues to change. One change is that hourglasses can be opened or closed to allow for more sand to be added or subtracted as needed to meet a specific need. Small holders would even keep the sand in predetermined allotments so that the person wouldn't need a scale. Hourglass blowers have continued to keep the world organized, each to their own time.

Type

Artisan