The Sand Turner
To most of the Folk of Cartyrion, the precise passage of time is not something of great concern. People are generally aware of approximate time of day, of course; knowing that it is morning, or afternoon, or nearing bedtime is sufficient. But for some, more precise timekeeping is needed. People who move goods around have schedules. Military tries to keep to strict schedules. Seafarers also rely on precise time measurements to aid their navigation of the deep seas. Devices called sandglasses were developed long ago to track time. They are reliable, but only as reliable as the people making use of them. A profession dedicated to this developed slowly over time - that of the Sand Turner.
The Time Ticker does not rely on sand or glass-blowing skill; instead it uses an incomprehensibly complex arrangement of gears, levers, and springs to mark the passage of precise quantities of time. Many models are equipped with the ability to ring a small bell or toot a small horn or whistle at regular intervals as well, thus announcing the passage of time on their own. The springs do need to be re-wound by somebody each day, but that task hardly requires a dedicated profession.
In smaller towns that obtain a Gnomish Time-Ticker, the Sand Turner job is often reduced to simply ringing the tower bell when the ticker's chime goes off -- a job already known for its tedium is reduced to even less activity! In larger cities, massive Time-Ticker installations in the bell towers themselves eliminates the need for Sand Turners entirely, as the Ticker is capable of triggering the tower bell directly at the appropriate time.
Only at sea is Sand Turning still considered an important function, since to date, the Time-Tickers have proven to be too delicate to survive the rigors of rough seas.
The job is simple: when the sand runs out in the sandglass, turn the glass over again and then ring the bell, or sound the horn, or whatever to tell the folk of the town that the time interval has passed.
To most, the prospect of sitting at a table, watching sand pour through a glass for hours on end seems horribly tedious, and indeed it takes a unique personality and outlook on life to produce a truly reliable Sand Turner. Thus, while very few would consider the job desirable, a feeling of respect for a good Sand Turner is quite common.
Gnomish Engineering and Obsolescence
In the city of Delveshadow, a settlement that seems to have attracted the best and brightest Gnomish engineering minds, a new device was released to the public fifteen years ago. This device, called a "Time-Ticker" by the engineers who developed it, can effectively replace the Sand Turner, or at least alter the profession significantly enough as to render it unrecognizable.The Time Ticker does not rely on sand or glass-blowing skill; instead it uses an incomprehensibly complex arrangement of gears, levers, and springs to mark the passage of precise quantities of time. Many models are equipped with the ability to ring a small bell or toot a small horn or whistle at regular intervals as well, thus announcing the passage of time on their own. The springs do need to be re-wound by somebody each day, but that task hardly requires a dedicated profession.
In smaller towns that obtain a Gnomish Time-Ticker, the Sand Turner job is often reduced to simply ringing the tower bell when the ticker's chime goes off -- a job already known for its tedium is reduced to even less activity! In larger cities, massive Time-Ticker installations in the bell towers themselves eliminates the need for Sand Turners entirely, as the Ticker is capable of triggering the tower bell directly at the appropriate time.
Only at sea is Sand Turning still considered an important function, since to date, the Time-Tickers have proven to be too delicate to survive the rigors of rough seas.
Life of a Sand Turner
In places where there is some sort of centralized, official timekeeping, a Sand Turner is employed to mark the progress of the day. The equipment for the job consists of a Sandglass and access to some sort of signaling device such as a tower bell or perhaps a horn.The job is simple: when the sand runs out in the sandglass, turn the glass over again and then ring the bell, or sound the horn, or whatever to tell the folk of the town that the time interval has passed.
To most, the prospect of sitting at a table, watching sand pour through a glass for hours on end seems horribly tedious, and indeed it takes a unique personality and outlook on life to produce a truly reliable Sand Turner. Thus, while very few would consider the job desirable, a feeling of respect for a good Sand Turner is quite common.
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