On the calendar and timekeeping
The one manner of counting years universally recognized throughout all the Regellan Empire and its former lands is ab urbe Regelli condita, or the year from the founding of the city Regellus, abbreviated AURC. Regellus here means Old Regellus, where the Empire was established and from which it made its first great territorial gains. At the time of Tales of the Tempest New Regellus has been the capital for many centuries and Old Regellus is of little economic or political significance. It remains, however, an important ceremonial center since it still contains the principal shrines of the Regellan gods. AURC dates persist mainly in default of any new convention and because of a lingering if diminished prestige associated with Regellan culture.
At one time the regnal year of the current Emperor was the most often used, but as the Empire crumbled this has gone out of fashion everywhere, including most of its remaining territory, except within New Regellus itself. In most of the kingdoms that have sprung up in its place the regnal years of the local sovereigns are used instead. In general this is only for official documents, as with Prince Peredur's instrument of abdication in "The Rising Storm". As a point of patriotic pride, the "Year of the Republic" (anno reipublica, or AR) is most often used within the Tripolis, but since it's also a major commercial power dealing with many other states its businessmen can't avoid AURC dating.
The time references at the beginning of most stories are given relative to the season, since the dating scheme actually in use wouldn't be very informative. Regellan and former Regellan lands use several calendars simultaneously. The most usual is a solar calendar consisting of a simple count of days from the New Year, which in theory occurs on the Spring Equinox. In practice the day count rolls over at 365 days, with intercalated days inserted only when the New Year drifts off the solstice by more than about a fortnight. This happens about once every 55 or 60 years. The decision to intercalate is made within the hierarchy of the Old Regellan priesthood, which is still accepted by universal convention even without force of Imperial decree, as they have a long tradition of careful astronomical observation.
Depending on the place, the regnal year may increment following the practice of the Empire -- the anniversary on the solar calendar of the sovereign's accession -- or at the New Year regardless of accession date. In Lipak they use the latter method, so the date on Prince Peredur's letter corresponds to September 30 (at the earliest) on our calendar. It also reveals that his father acceded to the throne sometime in 2229 AURC. The Tripolitan AR increments at the traditional New Year even though its epoch commemorates the day the last Imperial troops withdrew from the Three Cities, which happened near the end of summer. 2261 AURC, when "Along the Forest Road" and the next few stories take place, corresponds to 74 AR.
There is also a lunar calendar used for ceremonial purposes, with a year consisting of thirteen months corresponding exactly to lunations. No attempt is made to reconcile it to the solar calendar. Years are incremented at the beginning of the first month, but the only people who keep track of lunar years are the priests. On those occasions when a layman must refer to this calendar -- when, say, one must plan to send appropriate votive offerings to the temples for a particular festival -- it's more common that month and day will be paired with the year AURC. Since there are more days in a lunar year than a solar, there are certain lunar dates that simply do not occur within a given solar year. This annoys no one but, again, the priests.
In all the former Empire a seven-day market week is also observed. It cycles independently of either solar or lunar calendar.
Seasons are reckoned from the cross-quarter days, as the traditional Northern European practice in the real world, not the modern custom of solstices and equinoxes. However, since I want the time references I give to be meaningful to readers, they are not consistent. When it's near a traditional auspicious day (e.g. Midsummer, Midwinter/Yule, New Year) I give that, but otherwise I'm referring to seasons as we now think of them. So "Midsummer" from "Along the Forest Road" theoretically corresponds to June 20/21 in the real world, but "early autumn" from "The Rising Storm" means late September/early October. To my characters this would be in the last three or four weeks of autumn. I give the Midsummer date as "theoretical" because it occurs on day 93 of the year, and like the New Year it drifts depending on when the last intercalation was made.
Days are divided into twelve hours, as are nights, for a total of twenty-four hours from sunrise to sunrise. Mechanical clocks are extremely rare, existing only in the largest and wealthiest cities as major civic monuments. Whole units of time smaller than an hour such as minutes or seconds are therefore unknown. Most people feel comfortable estimating time spans of a quarter hour or so, but no less. More precise timing is accomplished with sand timers and the like, but as each such device must be individually crafted there are no standards. In the absence of mechanical clocks, hours are measured with water clocks, graduated candles, or sundials.
At one time the regnal year of the current Emperor was the most often used, but as the Empire crumbled this has gone out of fashion everywhere, including most of its remaining territory, except within New Regellus itself. In most of the kingdoms that have sprung up in its place the regnal years of the local sovereigns are used instead. In general this is only for official documents, as with Prince Peredur's instrument of abdication in "The Rising Storm". As a point of patriotic pride, the "Year of the Republic" (anno reipublica, or AR) is most often used within the Tripolis, but since it's also a major commercial power dealing with many other states its businessmen can't avoid AURC dating.
The time references at the beginning of most stories are given relative to the season, since the dating scheme actually in use wouldn't be very informative. Regellan and former Regellan lands use several calendars simultaneously. The most usual is a solar calendar consisting of a simple count of days from the New Year, which in theory occurs on the Spring Equinox. In practice the day count rolls over at 365 days, with intercalated days inserted only when the New Year drifts off the solstice by more than about a fortnight. This happens about once every 55 or 60 years. The decision to intercalate is made within the hierarchy of the Old Regellan priesthood, which is still accepted by universal convention even without force of Imperial decree, as they have a long tradition of careful astronomical observation.
Depending on the place, the regnal year may increment following the practice of the Empire -- the anniversary on the solar calendar of the sovereign's accession -- or at the New Year regardless of accession date. In Lipak they use the latter method, so the date on Prince Peredur's letter corresponds to September 30 (at the earliest) on our calendar. It also reveals that his father acceded to the throne sometime in 2229 AURC. The Tripolitan AR increments at the traditional New Year even though its epoch commemorates the day the last Imperial troops withdrew from the Three Cities, which happened near the end of summer. 2261 AURC, when "Along the Forest Road" and the next few stories take place, corresponds to 74 AR.
There is also a lunar calendar used for ceremonial purposes, with a year consisting of thirteen months corresponding exactly to lunations. No attempt is made to reconcile it to the solar calendar. Years are incremented at the beginning of the first month, but the only people who keep track of lunar years are the priests. On those occasions when a layman must refer to this calendar -- when, say, one must plan to send appropriate votive offerings to the temples for a particular festival -- it's more common that month and day will be paired with the year AURC. Since there are more days in a lunar year than a solar, there are certain lunar dates that simply do not occur within a given solar year. This annoys no one but, again, the priests.
In all the former Empire a seven-day market week is also observed. It cycles independently of either solar or lunar calendar.
Seasons are reckoned from the cross-quarter days, as the traditional Northern European practice in the real world, not the modern custom of solstices and equinoxes. However, since I want the time references I give to be meaningful to readers, they are not consistent. When it's near a traditional auspicious day (e.g. Midsummer, Midwinter/Yule, New Year) I give that, but otherwise I'm referring to seasons as we now think of them. So "Midsummer" from "Along the Forest Road" theoretically corresponds to June 20/21 in the real world, but "early autumn" from "The Rising Storm" means late September/early October. To my characters this would be in the last three or four weeks of autumn. I give the Midsummer date as "theoretical" because it occurs on day 93 of the year, and like the New Year it drifts depending on when the last intercalation was made.
Days are divided into twelve hours, as are nights, for a total of twenty-four hours from sunrise to sunrise. Mechanical clocks are extremely rare, existing only in the largest and wealthiest cities as major civic monuments. Whole units of time smaller than an hour such as minutes or seconds are therefore unknown. Most people feel comfortable estimating time spans of a quarter hour or so, but no less. More precise timing is accomplished with sand timers and the like, but as each such device must be individually crafted there are no standards. In the absence of mechanical clocks, hours are measured with water clocks, graduated candles, or sundials.