Calendars and Cosmology – Making Calendars Creative

Calendars are a fantastic resource for making your game world distinct and cohesive. They reinforce the cosmology, culture, and unique character of your imagined world while providing you with a powerful campaign-management tool. Indeed, the very practicality and commonplace quality of calendars is what makes them such powerful tools for developing the character of your game world. Because they are used and referred to constantly, even small hints of the culture that informed their composition will become magnified through repetition.

And the cultural input into any calendar is significant. All calendars are artificial constructs, rationalizations of unforgiving and even incomprehensible cosmological phenomena. Calendars represent a culture’s attempt to make sense of the natural patterns of the world and the greater universe. As such, they should inform an astute observer about the nature of the culture that produced them. They could reflect the religion or the ideology of a culture, or could be inherited from even more ancient civilizations and thus carry within them mysteries long forgotten. They may mark holidays and festivals that bring life and variety to otherwise everyday events. They may provide significant cyclical occurrences or hint at prophecies that provide useful hooks for campaigns.

Hence, calendars are a versatile and often overlooked tool in the world-builder’s tool chest. But they can also help you as a referee, making your campaigns more dynamic. They compel both the game master and the players to note that time is progressing and that the world is changing. This awareness of the passing of time and the dynamic nature of the campaign world helps to instill and reinforce one of the most essential and important qualities of a shared setting: the fact that it is malleable. It can be altered through action.

That malleability is so critical because it is the unique provenance of tabletop role-playing games. No other form of game, not even online role-playing games, truly offers the opportunity to interact with a changing and vital world that can be significantly affected by the actions of your characters. The ability to see the world you creatively construct with fellow gamers change as a result of your decisions is one of the most compelling aspects of the game for many players. The calendar highlights this feature of the game as it provides context for past actions and future repercussions.

Among its more utilitarian uses, a calendar can help everyone keep track of the narrative and can be essential to driving an adventure forward, creating a dramatic sense of urgency. One great way to solve the problem of adventurers resting after every encounter is to put them on a timetable. Having an important meeting with the local lord or wanting to attend a significant festival can motivate players not to dally. Another utilitarian facet of the calendar is that it can function as a planning tool for a game master, facilitating future plans and campaign arcs while making sure all the threads and arcs of the game don’t get too far out of hand or too compressed. Calendars are almost essential if your campaign includes significant portions of downtime when characters train, study, do research, or craft objects.

An Example of a Campaign-Specific Calendar

Be warned that the following calendar has been composed with our Vault setting in mind. Although ultimately our goal here is to help you develop a calendar for your own campaigns, any example must be fairly specific to a selected culture—that’s kind of our point, in fact. Culture matters and must inform the calendar. Since we cannot create a calendar for your world (lacking telepathy) and cannot create an example for someone else’s published intellectual property, we’re using our own world.

As a result, we need to tell you a little about that world first. One of the dominant cultures of The Vault is the Moric culture, a far-flung and expansive group—predominantly human but including some elves and dwarves—that worships the representative ideals of good dragonkind as embodied in the seven metallic dragons of Mor. These are not quite the standard metallic dragons of D&D, but are instead based on the actual, real-world seven Hermetic metallic and planetary associations that inform so much of Western culture. Each of the seven Moric Houses, or noble families, is associated with one of these draconic aspects.

And those seven Houses and seven dragons influence the calendar design: The seven months of our calendar reflect and reinforce the symbolic associations each house embodies. For instance, the house that reveres the Copper Dragon aspect is an Elven clan that focuses on nature, rebirth, and water. The calendrical month associated with that house is known as “The Emerging” and is roughly analogous to Spring.

In this way, the calendar is intended to reflect the rich history and culture of the world and to manifest it in subtle but significant everyday patterns of game-world life. Additionally, the Moric culture holds the number 7 as particularly sacred, as do many real-world cultures, and the calendar is thus divided into seven months, each comprising seven weeks, each of those made up of seven days. It can be quite helpful to draw on real cultures as inspiration for the game world and its symbolic structure, as such resonances are immediately obvious to many players and provide a comforting, familiar framework in an otherwise alien setting.

For this reason, it is also important to make sure that your game world calendar doesn’t depart too far from the norms and expectations of real-world calendars. For instance, it is a good idea to keep the general length of the calendar year fairly close to that of the real world’s 365 day span. In the case of the Moric Calendar, with its seven day, seven week, seven month structure, we only have a total of 343 days. To get it a bit closer to the regular span, we can add in 3 inter-calendric holiday weeks, bringing the total up to a nearly spot-on 364 days.

This approach offers several advantages. It provides a few nicely interspersed holidays that can help differentiate the seasons, providing interesting cultural details and even possible adventure hooks. It also makes for an incredibly stable calendar. With a 28 day lunar cycle, again quite close to that of our own moon’s cycle, we have a calendar that can be used for every single year with no change to the order of the days of the weeks in relation to the day of the month, and a fixed schedule of full and new moons. It’s nice to be able to at least make my fantasy world’s calendar a little more rational and stable, and it lets me plot things forward or backward in time without having to do complex math.

Astronomical Influences

Calendars throughout The Vault must contend with the fact that the world is lit not by a sun, moon, and stars, but by the central Solunar Orb that sits at the middle of the hollow visible universe. (Our setting is similar to a Dyson sphere.) This orb glows with a warm yellow radiance that brightens until midday and dims until dusk. At “twilight,” the Solunar orb shifts from yellow to orange, from orange to red, and from red to a dim purple as it transitions to its second phase. This transition takes about a half hour. At the end of the conversion the purple glow of evening slowly brightens to a pure silver-white, moon-like light.

The phases of “sun” and “moon” change in duration over the course of a year. The “solar” phase peaks on Highsummer Day (the 25th of Ripening) and has its shortest phase on Darkday (the 46th of the Stillness). On Highsummer, the “solar” phase is dominant for 14 hours, and on Darkday it is only 10 hours long. This change creates the seasons of the Vault, as temperatures increase during the longer periods of “sunlight” and decrease as the “solar” phase wanes.

A 28-day lunar cycle complicates this picture further. The “moon” mode of the Orb waxes and wanes, just like our own moon does, over a period of 28 days. At the peak of the cycle, the Solunar Orb reaches its greatest brightness and casts a glow over the Vault equivalent to a very bright full moon. The Solunar Orb is also very bright on the immediately preceding and following nights, which also count as nights of the “full moon” for effects dependent on such a condition, such as lycanthrope’s involuntary change. These three days are often referred to as the “Lucent Nights.” At the nadir of the cycle, the Solunar Orb sheds no light at all and is so dim on the preceding and following nights as to provide no functional illumination. These three successive nights are sometimes referred to as the “Tenebrous Nights” and have a somewhat ominous portent associated with them. In the Vault, with no stars, this makes for a very dark night indeed, though there is still some ambient light cast by civilizations and natural phenomena throughout the Vault.

Putting all of this together, let’s take a tour of a Moric Year.

 

The Moric Year

The year begins with the month associated with Mercury, also called The Melting. The beginning of the month sees the continuation of winter with snows continuing in colder climes for the first several weeks. Toward the end of the Melting, the weather generally becomes warmer. Snows begin to melt. Storms and more unpredictable weather are most common at this time of year throughout the Basin Kingdoms. Most villagers and farmers tend to take care of mending tools, buildings, and fences. This can be a lean month in years following a poor harvest. In towns and cities, craftsmen replenish their stocks and merchants review their accounts. Nobles take stock of their estates and oversee minor repairs while often enjoying a bit of relaxed time at home with family. Because the roads and weather are often terrible during the Melting, little commercial activity takes place.

The second month is associated with Copper, more colloquially called The Emerging. The weather continues to warm. The frequency and ferocity of storms abate. As the month progresses, the natural world comes back to life. Trees bud, grasses begin to grow and flowers start to bloom. As the ground continues to thaw, farmers cart manure and marl to the fields. By the end of the month, they have started plowing and fertilizing the fields. In towns and cities, traffic and commerce once again begin to flow as shops open and merchants move goods about in preparation for the spring planting. Nobles often head out to survey their lands and may get in an early hunt, usually for animals that still have their winter coats.

These two months are together thought of as Spring, though the first few weeks of The Melting are really part of winter. They are followed by the first calendrical holiday week: The Planting. Though variances in the weather determine the actual time for sowing seeds and harrowing the soil, this week often sees a burst of agricultural activity. During this week, amidst the work, communities throughout the Basin Kingdoms come together to celebrate the arrival of pleasant weather and the renewal of the cycle of life. In villages, after a hard day of work, large informal and communal celebrations are held to commemorate the survival of the lean months of winter. In towns and cities, the many laborers and apprentices are given time off, though most traders and merchants are busier than ever as peasants from the outlying villages come in to celebrate the holiday and take advantage of special markets and fairs. Nobles often provide a special feast on Goldday for their villeins, to thank them for their work in the lord’s fields. This day, known as Feastday, is commemorated throughout the region.

Following the holiday comes the month associated with Silver, commonly referred to as The Growing. The weather in this month tends to be mild in the Basin Kingdoms, with occasional showers interspersed with days of sunshine. As the weather grows increasingly pleasant, farmers finish planting and other agricultural tasks are tackled. This is the month for digging ditches and plowing fields. Some berries and spring crops may even be available for gathering. In urban centers regular markets and trade flourish and travel becomes increasingly common. For nobles and soldiers, this month can mark the beginning of campaign season if conflicts are brewing. Musters are often held following the holiday of The Planting and armies gather and begin to march to war. If no threats are on the horizon, many lords will commence tours of their domains and partake in the pleasures of the hunt.

Next comes the month associated with Gold, commonly known as The Ripening. The weather becomes increasingly dry and warm. Crops begin to sprout and seed in earnest. This is a busy time with plenty of activities, such as weeding and the plowing of fallow fields. Haymaking begins in earnest during this month and sheep shearing commences. Towns and cities see ever more trade as wool markets are held and the first early crops begin to come in. This is the high season for building and construction projects as the weather is often good and laborers are not yet needed for the harvest. For nobles and soldiers, the campaign season begins in earnest. Many battles are conducted during this period as roads are open and gentle weather makes large-scale troop movement less of a logistical nightmare. In times of peace, those with means may use this time to travel farther afield as the roads are good and the days are long. The 25th of Ripening is Highsummer, the longest day of the year and also a “Lucent Night,” as the Solunar Orb is completely full during the evening hours. This day is traditionally celebrated with long revelry and games played outside during both the day and the night. Little sleep is had and the next day is often a complete loss for work because no one has had any rest.

These two months of Silver and Gold comprise the season of Summer. They are capped by the second calendrical holiday week of Midsummer. Typically all the main tasks are wrapped up around this time and people take a brief holiday in preparation for the upcoming labors of the harvest season. In the middle of the week, starting on Silverday a special holiday is celebrated throughout much of the Basin Kingdoms. It has explicit religious overtones related to the Moric culture of dragon worship, but is popular even in regions where the worship of dragons is less pronounced. On Silverday of The Midsummer week, people traditionally fast for the entire day until sundown. Many attend religious ceremonies and meditate on past mistakes and transgressions. As darkness falls, a small meal of bread and water is taken. The following morning is known as Amityday and is celebrated with a huge feast and a general sense of forgiveness and renewal. It is traditional to share food with those who have recently become estranged and to make an effort to reconcile. This doesn’t always work and the holiday can get quite rowdy at times, but in general a feeling of goodwill and camaraderie characterize the occasion. The following day is called Restday, and lives up to its name. Most people make a conscious effort to avoid any kind of labor or exertion and enjoy the leftovers from the previous day’s feast.

After the holiday, comes the month associated with Tin, known as The Harvest. The name is a bit misleading as the actual harvest may not take place until the end of month or may even continue into the following month of The Gleaning. Still, as the warm days of summer ripen the crops, the harvest looms large in everyone’s minds, and furious preparations for the coming bounty are made throughout the month. Villagers spend this time preparing their tools and monitoring the crops in preparation of the big event. When the conditions are right or when it looks like the weather may begin to turn, the harvest begins in earnest and all hands work from dawn to dusk, first to bring in the crops of the local lord and then to bring in their own. For urban centers, the harvest itself may trigger a lull in trade as everyone is otherwise occupied and can’t find time to go to markets or fairs. Some townsfolk may even earn a bit of extra cash by hiring themselves out as extra labor on nearby farms. Still, the period immediately before and after the harvest are boons to the local economies as farmers buy tools they need beforehand and then begin to trade and sell their surplus in earnest after it is over. For nobles and soldiers, the campaign season begins to wind down early in the month. Levies need to return home or the harvests may be undermanned. The threat of looming bad weather also tends to send armies home for the coming winter. More-involved nobles return home to watch over the all-important harvest, to make certain their interests are looked after, and to see that their peasants and tenants fulfill their duties.

The Iron month comes next, known as The Gleaning. The weather in the Basin Kingdoms gradually becomes wetter, though it still has prolonged dry periods. Early frosts are not unknown towards the end of the month. The grain collected in the harvest, which may well extend into this month, needs to be threshed. Fruit trees are pruned. Fields are plowed once more before the frosts arrive. The month takes its name from both the gleaning of grain and fruit after the harvest and from the collection of acorns from the woods for the feeding of pigs. The towns and cities see a last flourishing of activity culminating in the following week-long festival. Construction and trade begin to wind down for the year. Nobles who have not yet done so return home to collect their share of the harvest and levy taxes.

The months of Tin and Iron encompass the season of autumn, though in truth snows may begin to fall in the last weeks of The Gleaning and frosts are not uncommon. After the harvest and the threshing everyone needs a good rest and a celebration. The third calendrical holiday week is known as The Reaping. This ominous sounding period takes its name from the slaughtering of livestock that happens over the course of this week. Any animals that the farmer doesn’t want to have to feed through the winter are slaughtered and butchered during this time. Much of the meat is consumed in the week-long festival that attends this butchery, and the rest is preserved, most often by smoking or salting the meat, in preparation for the lean winter months. The holiday is also deeply associated with a carnivalesque celebration of life in the presence of death. The whole week is accompanied by a saturnalian spirit of misrule as, by folk belief, the spirits of the dead are most present in the world and the borders between realms are at their thinnest point. Folk beliefs relate that the blood of the dead animals draws the attention of spirits, and that the waning of the year and the increasing hours of darkness lower the barriers between life and death. Masks and costumes are worn as a form of protection, both from spirits and from later opprobrium for actions committed during the celebration. These costumes often take the form of symbolic representations of monsters or of heroes from history and folklore. Draconic masks representing house affiliation are particularly popular, though some also take this opportunity to “cross-mask” and revel with members of other houses. There is a general spirit of license associated with this festival and a certain amount of debauchery and pranksterish behavior are tolerated.

The final full month of the year, associated with Lead, is often referred to as The Stillness. This is the season of true and deep winter. In most temperate areas, snows are common. Temperatures regularly fall below freezing. Very little work gets done over the course of the short days, but people do engage in domestic chores and the making and mending of tools and crafts. In urban centers, more industrious craftsmen get a jump on creating stock for the coming year while wise merchants tally their receipts, making plans for the coming season of trading and fairs. Nobles and military folk are idler than most during this period, often cooped up in a castle or keep for long periods.

The final calendrical holiday of the year is a single day rather than a week, and it is part of the month of Lead. Midwinter, more commonly known as Darkday, is the shortest day of the year and also the last eve of the full Dark Night of the year. It is honored as a day of reflection and contemplation, but during the evening a celebratory spirit takes hold. Those who can afford to do so celebrate with a large family feast that customarily lasts until midnight and the changing of the year. Gifts are commonly exchanged among family members. Additionally, a cup of mead is traditionally shared by all present, after which the cups are broken to represent the passing of the old year.

Moric Calendar Overview & Charts

7 days in a week. 7 weeks in a month (49 day month). 7 months in a year (343 days). 3 bimonthly inter-calendric holiday weeks (364 days). ⃝     = “Lucent Night” ⓿ = “Tenebrous Night”

The Melting –Mercury

Mercuryday	Copperday	Silverday	Goldday	Tinday	Ironday	Leadday
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11  ⃝	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25  ⓿	26	27	28
29	30	31	32	33	34	35
36	37	38	39 ⃝	40	41	42
43	44	45	46	47	48	49

The Emerging – Copper

Mercuryday	Copperday	Silverday	Goldday	Tinday	Ironday	Leadday
1	2	3	4  ⓿	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18  ⃝	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30	31	32  ⓿	33	34	35
36	37	38	39	40	41	42
43	44	45	46  ⃝	47	48	49

Planting

Mercuryday	Copperday	Silverday	Goldday	Tinday	Ironday	Leadday
1	2	3	4 Feastday	5	6	7

The Growing – Silver

Mercuryday	Copperday	Silverday	Goldday	Tinday	Ironday	Leadday
1	2	3	4  ⓿	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18  ⃝	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30	31	32  ⓿	33	34	35
36	37	38	39	40	41	42
43	44	45	46  ⃝	47	48	49

The Ripening – Gold

Mercuryday	Copperday	Silverday	Goldday	Tinday	Ironday	Leadday
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11 ⓿	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25 ⃝    Highsummer	26	27	28
29	30	31	32	33	34	35
36	37	38	39 ⓿	40	41	42
43	44	45	46	47	48	49

Midsummer

Mercuryday	Copperday	Silverday	Goldday	Tinday	Ironday	Leadday
1	2	3	4  ⃝    Amityday	5	6	7

The Harvest – Tin

Mercuryday	Copperday	Silverday	Goldday	Tinday	Ironday	Leadday
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11 ⓿	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25   ⃝	26	27	28
29	30	31	32	33	34	35
36	37	38	39 ⓿	40	41	42
43	44	45	46	47	48	49

The Gleaning – Iron

Mercuryday	Copperday	Silverday	Goldday	Tinday	Ironday	Leadday
1	2	3	4  ⃝	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18 ⓿	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30	31	32  ⃝	33	34	35
36	37	38	39	40	41	42
43	44	45	46 ⓿	47	48	49

Reaping

Mercuryday	Copperday	Silverday	Goldday	Tinday	Ironday	Leadday
1	2	3	4	5	6	7

The Stillness – Lead

Mercuryday	Copperday	Silverday	Goldday	Tinday	Ironday	Leadday
1	2	3	4  ⃝	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18 ⓿	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30	31	32  ⃝	33	34	35
36	37	38	39	40	41	42
43	44	45	46 ⓿Darkday	47	48	49