Timekeeping

Everitus Oswald, a pioneering astronomer who lived during the latter half of the Age of Stillness, devised a standardized calendar and system of timekeeping which is still used by Andarans to this day. This calendar, referred to as the Oswaldite calendar, built upon many existing temporal markers used by most cultures. For example, the month of Seedsow falls upon the time when most cultures throughout Andara begin planting crops for the year. Additionally, the Oswaldite calendar organised the days of the week to coincide with the majority of people's work schedules. The standardization of timekeeping allowed for more accurate recordings of historical events, as well as major benefits to trading and commerce.

## Eras and Epochs

Recorded history in Andara is currently divided into three eras, or ages. Each age is marked by an epoch; an event of great significance to the known world which had a profound enough effect on the inhabitants of Andara to make the years before and after it categorically different.

### The Age of Dawn

The Age of Dawn, abbreviated to 'AD' and sometimes referred to as simply 'the first age', marks the beginning of recorded history on the continent. Colloquially, the Age of Dawn is said to have begun at the conception of the first civilisations, when nomadic peoples began to settle and draw up the first borders. The specific epoch for the first age is therefore reasoned to be the founding of the first city. Of course, many civilisations have tried to lay claim to this honour, though in truth the evidence almost unequivocally points towards Summersong being the first city in Andara. The first age is officially recorded as having lasted for 2,398 years, though the entire age predates the Oswaldite calendar, with many civilisations adopting different methods of timekeeping, sometimes with multiple within the same civilisation. As such, the exact length of the era is unknown, with 2,398 years simply being the best estimate.

### The Age of Stillness

The Age of Stillness, abbreviated to 'AS', though scarcely known as 'the second age', began of course at the end of the Age of Dawn. The epoch for this era was the vanishing of magic from the material plane. As the decay of magic took around 5 years, many scholars argue over whether the beginning or end of this decay should mark the epoch of the Age of Stillness. As it currently stands, the most widely accepted opinion is that it began on the first day that magic began to decay, meaning that the era lasted for 519 years.

### The Age of Arcana

The Age of Arcana, abbreviated to 'AA' and sometimes referred to as 'the third age' or simply the present, is the current era in Andara. The epoch for the present era was the Adventus Arcanum; a world-shaking explosion of magically energy with irreversibly shaped the world and gave rise to numerous new creatures and civilisations. Such an event provides historians with an incredibly clear picture of when the third age began, making it currently 242 years long.

## The Andaran Year

The Andaran year comprises 364, 24-hour-long days which are spread across 12 months. Each season is 3 months long, with the first month of every season being 31 days long, and the rest of the months being 30 days long. The Andaran year begins on the first day of spring, and ends on the last day of winter. The current year is 242 AA (Age of Arcana). The months of the year are listed in the table below.

## Days of the Week

The Oswaldite calendar dictates that a week is 7 days long. Traditionally, most people will work for the first five days of a week, and rest on the last two. The moon, known as Suuna's Mirror, change on a fortnightly cycle, with new moons and full moons always falling on the first day of the week. The table below lists all of the days of the week, in ascending order.

Days of the Week
 Teeden
 Midden
 Thurden
 Firden
 Bedden
 Homden

## Important Calendar Dates

Below is a list of important annual events and their dates, as well as the equinoxes and solstices.

Equinoxes and Solstices
 Summer Solstice
 Autumn Equinox
 Winter Solstice

Other Annual Events
 Feast of Gratitude
 Queen's Day
 Kürvensten