The Elven Long Count Calendar

 

Elvish Long Count Calendar

The Elves call the world, Vana, wheras humans merely call it the world.  It betrays the idea that humans are aware of only one world.  Within the Account of All Things, there are six cycles of elven time.  All that is, exists in the third Cycle. 

The Six Cycles of Elvin Time

The Many Eternities of the Outer Planes

The Birth of the Inner Planes and Time

The dawn of worlds

The birth of Vana

The death of Vana

The end of all worlds

The death of the Inner planes and Time and a return to…

The Ages of Everness and of the Elves

The Age of Darkness

·         The Time of the Dwarves

·         The Time dawn of Magic

The Age of the Awakening of the Elves

The Age of the coming of the Western Men

The Age of Oovardiis

The Age of the Ascendants and the Coming of the Light

·         The Sundering of Shiboa

·         The Revolt of Sellig and the Exodus of the Southern Houses

·         The Rise of Inbaranen the Heirophant

·         The Civil War and the Exile of Inbaranen

The Age of Empire and the Great Houses

·         The wars of King John under Astanar of Alwin and Ithilax of Aster

·         The Ushering under Oriana of Orleans

·         The Uprising under Praxis Longonorian and Scilla of Venigent

·         The Incursion War and the Rise of Wesfolden Under Andanar of Iliandrin

·         The rise of the Invoker Army and the Heroiphants coup upon the great Houses Under Arilin of Orleans.

The Age of Inbaranen the Heirophant   

·         This is the 34^th Year of the 7^th Age. 

 

The Sol of the Elves

The Sol (year and Sun) is Extinguished on the Last day of Ziria and reborn into Viridin in what the Elves name the end and the beginning of the Sol Cycle.  This occurs as an Ecplipse the last day of the year on Ziria’pallor’disun. 

 

Moods of Sol

Each 300 day Cycle of Sol is divided into four Moods.  The moods are very similar to our own seasons.    

 Virdin (Spring) has 111 days.  It is characterized by intense weather during the day and clear nights.  The weather is rain and wind.  It does not snow during Virdin except high in the break.

Amber (Summer) is 144 days.  It is characterized by mild weather, warm days and nights.  Light breezes, afternoon rains.  The elevations clear of snow.

Umbra (Fall) is 21 days.  It is characterized by foggy cloudy days, with cold breezes, occasional cold rains, and clear cold nights.

Ziria (Winter) is 23 Days.   It is characterized by cold windy days, still cold nights, and little rain and occasional snow.  Blizzards only high in the mountains.

 

The Elven Lune.

Lune is the elven name for sun, and also a division by thirds.  There are three Full Lunes for every Sol Cycle.  They complete every 100 days, unlike our own moon that completes its cycle every 28 days.  Lune is not lighted by Sol, it exists independently of Sol.  It cannot be seen during the day and can appear almost anywhere in the night sky.  The first hundred days of the year are called Mallor, the second set of 100 days are called Ellor and the last 100 days of the year are called Pallor.

 

Mallor - First Lune.

Ellor - Second Lune.

Pallor - Third Lune.

 Lunes Effect many things and a PC with at least 5 nwps in the Elven Long Count Calendar an many resource materials, may begin to predict things efficiently.  Each Moon goes through five phases; 

‘din, her first phase is five days long, during which she is invisible.

‘nir, her second phase is 11 days long.  It begins when she is first seen.  She is mishapen, obscure, barely lit and will disappear and reappear. 

‘bar, her third phase is 21 days long.  It sees her lit and she begins to coalesce into her sphere and will daily begin to grow brighter and become large and more round. 

‘lis, her fourth phase is 58 days long, she is full, constant, bright and powerful.

‘dis is her last phase.  It is 4-5 days long.  She is Chaotic and Strange.  She changes color, locations and size, casting a yellow, green, blue or red glow on the world, until she disappears in a blink.

 

The days are named only a few years in advance, and sometimes are changed as great event alter the course of history and time, and no one thing is ever really decided.  each name conveys great meaning to the careful reader.  the names of the days are like keys to unlock doors that hide great knowledge.  Those in the right circles already have next years calendar names.

A Long Count Calendar is usually an entire room in a tower.  The calendar requires Telescopes, Alchemy Equipment, calculators, Charts, Drawing Boards and Chalk, Rudimentary Thaumaturgy, alchemy and chronomancy, and a great deal of books.

The more accurate and powerful a calendar, the less likey it is that someone will be interested in carting it around.  Calendars always start as a few folded maps, a scroll or two a book and something to look at the night sky with better detail that the naked eye can provide.  Even a novice with a beginning calendar can predict weather and significant events more often than guessing would be helpful.

It is said that the Pursuit of the understanding of the Elvish Long Count Calendar is the gateway drug to Lichdom.  that the pursuit always starts with a desire to better understand time, and ends with a Lich, transcending time. 

Any mage who has a Calendar of their own, will recognize instantly effects of another calendar.  A calendars power is measured by points.  A resource book can be worth a half a point or up to 3 points towards the Calendars effectiveness.  Each NWP is worth 2 points towards a calendars effectiveness.  A great Telescope can add 5 points.  Each point is somewhat equative of a percent chance, but not in general.  Weather predictions with a calendar get a 60% bonus.  So it is easy to predict weather with an 80% accuracy with some training and some resources.

They are also tools for prophecy, but now we are talking the divine influence upon a non magical calendar.  Of course Lich calendars like the Observatory of Olinus are know the world over, and many powerful mages teleport their for assistance in unpacking the meaning of events or even their own destinies.  the Gray Heart Observatory of Facta Divia, also called the Sages Guild, is probably the most complete and accurate calendar in existence.  It is built in the ruins of an ancient dwarven city, it is also the repository of much info from the Elves who fled Inbaranin, and it is staffed by the Facta Wizzards of Divination.  It is how they know where artifact are and evil powers, and it is why they are the progenitors of the Wardens Service.  This is not to say the the Observatory of Inbaranin, or the one in Tarsus are anything to sneeze at.