Time Measurement

Time measurement in Qal'ath was approximate, to say the least, except by those methods employed in the Crystal Circle. But given the Mystyrii focused on issues of greater importance than the simple passage of time, measuring remained vague.

The Ur

That said, there were ways of estimating the Ur, of which there were twenty-three to a combined day and night time period. These had varying degrees of (in)accuracy.

---

Devices for Time Measurement

The Realm of Qal'ath, being technologically behind other cultures such as Shevezz and, to some degree, the Elelupii, measuring the passage of a day was mostly down to two different measures: the Dial mesure and the Enna.

Sun/Moon Dials

While scoffed at by civilizations such as the Queendom of Shevezz, the old-style dials still functioned on clear nights/days. These devices were set in high places such as the top of guard towers (for who wants a shift longer than that they have agreed to?), or the dome of Saf-Athan Palace and by The Lens in the Crystal Tower.
Such devices were usually crafted of stone and permanently affixed to the floor to prevent abuse by the citizens of the Realm.
The circular dials were themselves set into a circular pedastal, which was itself engraved with eleven evenly-spaced numeral. When a new month began (see below), the dial was moved to the next available numeral. This meant that the main Ur measurement was kept in as inline as possible with the seasonal changes of day and night.

Not Quite So Useless

The drawback of this method was they only functioned when the sky was relatively clear. Being in the central band of Erdàn Savànii meant often a balance of clear and cloudy days was normal, thus rendering the Dials useless for about half of the time.
This changed in the build-up to the Second Destruction. Until Auskamàr's visit, the days had been completely cloudy with torrential rain, but the night times were perfectly clear. This gave people the near-perfect measure of when to get themselves, and their goods, into safety.

The Enna

Unlike traditional Dials, measuring the Enna could be used with nearly any level of ambient light. As the Erdàn Savànii (or Known Lands in Common Tongue/Parànti) were deemed an "Orb among Many", it was assumed the sun and moon(s) somehow moved around the Orbs. Décanà (per the traditional, not Qalathian measure) of records showed a consistent pattern Ana to Ana of the their positions in the Sky.
Thus a measure was derived called the Enna - how high the sun and moon were in relation to the horizon. There were two devices to measure the Enna (which was both the singular and plural term, though hearing "An En" was not unusual).

• The Angular: imagine, if you would, a triangle of equal sides and angles. Then remove one of the sides. In its crudest form, this was an "Angular" and could be fashioned out of wood or metal - or both. Holding the Angular at eye-level, one "side" would be adjusted to point where the horizon met the sky. The other would be directed at the sun or moon. Or, in the absence of a clear view of those, at the brightest point in the sky, save during thunderstorms. The distance (in pekumbé, a tiny measure of distance) now between the points on each "side" was the "Enna" measure.
  
  
• Eclipse Flair: although officially-sanctioned, Eclipse Flairs were rare in Qal'ath and even more so in Bezélan, finding unofficial mages was not all that difficult. Even less challenging was finding one that would sell you an "E.F.". Regardless, these enchanted devices required no attunement to the elements, or training to use. In its simplest form, an Eclipse Flair simply shot a small ball of (usually) harmless fire into the air. A second person (the one not doing the firing) would then note at which point the fire could barely be seen and how long it took to get to that point. The number of pékitsii to that point was the equivalent of the Enna.

Needless to say, but it will be stated nonetheless, both measures were imprecise and most people had no need to calculate this.

The Lens

The Lens, in relation to time measurement, this part-scientific, part-mystical device was the only truly accurate measurement of the Enna in the whole Realm of Qal'ath. Taking in multiple light sources and capable of hiding the view of obscuring clouds or flying objects or creatures, the true sun/moon position could be gauged. When bending The Lens to one's will, only those with fire-attunement, or protected by one who was, could the sun be directly stared into. Most had to content themselves with the projection of the sun onto the pure white stone on which it stood, which been engraved with the Enna measure was as accurate as the direct view.

---

How long was a day?

A day was deemed from sunrise to sunset. Naturally this led to longer ‘days’ in Summer than Winter, except in the southern region of Sablesand Dunes, where a more even split of day and night was known to occur.

Night is Not Day

Night-time was not counted as part of a day. As there was no Crystal of Darkness (see: The Elemental Crystals), night was endured rather than relished by most citizens of the Realm.
This measure of day and night caused the somewhat exaggerated Battle of the Full Night preceding the First Destruction. This battle occurred North of the Shan Da San, in Summer (which occurred in Month 11 and 1), thus in reality had only lasted about two Urs. Nevertheless, it is still seen as a badge of honour to be descended from those who fought in the Battle of the Full Night.

---

How Were Years Measured?

The Foyiitùn and therefore the Qalathii term for a year was Ana (almost always starting with a capital 'A').
An Ana was approximately 299 days, though if a dreaded 300th⁽¹⁾ day threatened the people, the King (usually advised by the Crystal Circle) would announce the start of a New Year (Nùana) before nightfall. Thus, to be absolutely certain of not slipping unwittingly into a 300th day, a New Year would usually start during mid-Summer.
The current year was measured from the First Destruction, thus the simplified AFD measure was used. Chroniclers of the time were forced to rework ancient documents when 0 AFD was declared, with dates being forcibly rewritten with the BFD notation (Before the First Destruction).

---

What About Months?

There were eleven months⁽²⁾ to an Ana.
The months were named as follows⁽³⁾:

1. Nùhana (also written Nùana)
2. Oqada
3. Setuya
4. Autùnga
5. Jylta
6. Jolta
7. Mùhlka
8. Avigna
9. Merszynta
10. Decànya
11. Fyrva

Days to a Month

Mathematically, there were 27 days per month, except for Fyrva which had 28 days. This allowed time for the smooth transition to a Nùhana mentioned above.

Two Measures of Age

The irrationality of the King has led to the, frankly, ridiculous situation of people having two ages. Historically, there were twelve months to an Ana, but the reduction of this to eleven (which was, to the frustration of many, retroactively applied) caused ages to increase.
Thus, for example, Farynna is both 51 and 46 Ana old)⁽⁴⁾.

OOC: How do these months correspond to our times?

Not that it really matters, but it can be helpful to know when seasons and months correspond when reading about dated events.
Avigna corresponds to our month of October (well, partly September and October), which was the start of Spring in Qal'ath and, in fact, all regions North (Nùorma) due to the seasons being the opposite to ours today. Winters were fairly short (around Jylta/Jolta), Summers were long and the transition seasons of Spring and Autumn happened quicker than in our time.

---

Time Untouchable

While various Elements could be influenced, if not controlled, by various means by the Crystal Circle - and sometimes even Unauthorised Mages (see more about that here) Time (with a capital T) was called an Untouchable. This meant that people (a generic term to mean all races) could not control it and should not try.

---

Qalathii vs Foyii Measure

Throughout records, at least those found within Qal'ath, will often refer to the "Qalathii" or the "Foyii" measure. If you see footnote (1), Carnael II's irrational fear of round and even numbers led to the number of days and months in an Ana being reduced. While he had decided, after the first Scism from Doon, that "his" new system would replace the "old" one, in reality both existed side-by-side. This served to only cause confusion when calculating ages, lengths of reign and so on.
Instead of new records indicating time in Carnael's system, both were written down. The former was called the "Foyii Measure" and the newer the "Qalathii" or "Qalathian Measure".

---

Footnotes

1. KingCarnael II had an adverse superstition against round and even numbers, deeming them to be indicative of indecision and poor fortune. There are records of the past indicating an Ana of twelve months, so it is likely Carnael was the one to reduce it to eleven, creating a distinction between lapses of time (and people's ages) between the old and "new" measures..
2. OOC: I've not yet needed to create a Foyiitùn word for "months", but I will in time. Heh, time.
3. Apart from Avigna, it's possible all these will change as I created these a few years ago when I first started building my world.
4. 51 x 11/12 = 46¾

If the box below is not open on your device, hover your cursor over the box below to expand it. In theory mobile-users should see the full menu.

Type

Metaphysical, Elemental

---

Summary Info

Urs to a Day

23

Days to a Month

27, except Fyrva (28)

Days to an Ana

299

Months to an Ana

11

---

Measuring Time

1. Sun/Moon Dials
2. The Enna
3. The Lens