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Aurelia's Almanac:  World Information, Calendar, and Knowledge of the Lands of Midian

 

       'Midian' typically referrs to the 'known world.' Three continents comprise the lands of Midian--the northern continent (Noriterre), where Formour, Heldann, & the Elven Homelands are; the southern continent (Sudterre), consisting of Byzant and the older nations; and the eastern continent (Osterre), from which Humans originated. The major nations of the northern continent, together with Byzant, are often referred to collectively as the 'middle-lands.' This is due primarily to the fact that most of the western edge of the northern continent (including the Farreaches) is largely unmapped.

 

Formour, Kingdom of            Byzant, Empire of            Lunar Cycle            Holidays            Climate

 

 

 

Days of the Week

1. Lunaday: The first full moon (Luna) is on this day.

2. Kingsday: Day for proclamations.

3. Swordday: Day of feasts & honouring warriors. and the fallen. Mercenaries typically take this day off.

4. Junoday: Juno is full on this day on the fourth of each month.

5. Midweek: Marks the middle of each 10-day week.

6. Sacrament: The day when people attend church.

7. Queensday: In Formour, this is a day of rest for women.

8. Sellday: The biggest sales day of the week for merchants.

9. Freeday: A day of rest.

10. Sunday: Eclipses--of either moon--occur on this day about once every four years.

 

 

     Lunar cycle

 

            The world where the lands of Midian lie are orbited by two moons.  Luna is the primary.  Juno, the secondary, is smaller & and is further out away from the planet.  It is almost always at least partially in Luna's shadow; a truly full moon for Juno occurs only a few times a decade.  Juno is 30º behind Luna, following like a lost puppy. 

 

            The months are consistently 30 days, 12 of which make up 1 year.  The rigid precision of the heavens has lead to a rogue theory that a 'higher power' created the world. 

 

 

 

Holidays

Elves typically do not follow holidays, unless influenced by other cultures. Being immortal, Elves do not keep track of days and years, and note only the change of seasons.

Hysteria: Day of jokes—practical and otherwise.

Detestation Day:  to remember those that you dislike. In most countries (the Elves being a notable exception), this is also a day to remember the departed. By focusing on the negative about those that have passed, it is easier to overcome grief and get on with living.

Halloween: A day for dressing up, partying, and remembrance of the dead. This is also a festival for the final harvest and preparing for the upcoming winter.

Fête: A holiday for dressing up and partying. This is a celebration for the new spring. There are often death-themes to the costumes and decoration—but this celebrates birth and renewal. It is typical to give up bad habits following this holiday.

Commercialmas: A mid-winter holiday for gift-giving and spending time with family.

Foundation Day  (Kingdom of Formour only):  Day commemorating the establishment & the unification of the Kingdom.

Emperor’s Birthday  (Byzant Empire only):  Celebrates the current Emperor’s birthday.

New Year’s Day: The first day of the year. This day is typically spent hung-over from the previous night.

New Year’s Eve: The last day of the year. The evening is typically spent in a drunken stupor.

Day of Joy (Dwarves) / Day of Wrath (Hobgoblins): Two very different holidays commemorating the same event from different cultural perspectives. This day marks the defeat of the Olde Empire. To the Dwarves, this is a day celebrating freedom; to the Hobgoblins, this is a day of grim remembrance.

Day of the Dead (Ghouls, Goths, & Hobgoblins only): According to myth, the dead are able to walk about on this day. This is originally a Ghoulish holiday about the legendary first Ghoul-vampire who was able to withstand sunlight on this day. The cultures that practice this holiday spend it with family visiting the gravesites of dead loved ones (just in case).

Sea Day: The day when ships are typically put to sea.

 

Climate

        The predominate climate of Formour is a mildly temperate one.  The eastern, southern, and central areas are wooded.  The forested areas become lighter in the west-central area, leading to plains in the western regions and near the mountains to the north and west.  The temperature becomes cooler in the higher altitudes, and in the north near the Heldannic Freeholds and the Farreaches areas.  The south-eastern portion receives a great deal of rainfall, and is nearly perpetually cloudy.  Both summers and winters are fairly mild in Formour.  

        The Elven Homeland is surrounded by impassible mountains on all sides save the south (bordered by the sea).  The climate is lush and subtropical, with gentle rains in the morning and evening with generally clear skies for the remainder of the day and night.  Snow falls only in the upper altitudes of the surrounding mountains.  It is widely held that the Elves keep their climate by mystic means.  Harsh environmental conditions are almost unknown in this sheltered area.  

        The Heldannic Confederation--also known as the Heldannic Freeholds, is a cooler northern nation.  There are few areas of this nation that are not mountainous, and the lower valleys are reserved for agriculture.  The climactic conditions are harsh, with winter storms claiming the lives of quite a few inhabitants each year.  The eastern shores of Heldann receive the cooler northern winds from the oceanic cycle that powers the summer storms common to the Killian empire.  Summers in the Heldannic Confederation are cool and the winters cold and very harsh.  

        The Killian Empire is an island nation with cool winters and hot summers.  The summer months bring two series of fierce storms from the same oceanic cycle that brings the winter storms to the Heldannic Freeholds.   Mornings--and longer into the day during winter--is characterized by a thick fog.  The overall climate of the Killian Empire does not lend itself well to the growth of large hardwood trees.  Lumber is scarce in this land; small fruit trees are the most that can grow.  

The Byzant Empire has a wide range of environments.  These range from mountainous and cold, hot desert, marshy, cold desert, tropical, lush forests, heavily urbanized, etc.  The wide range of the Empire makes generalizations about it (other than the variety) difficult, if not impossible.  

The Farreaches are the unclaimed, and generally uncharted territory north of the Elven Homeland, West of the Heldannic Freeholds, and northwest of the Kingdom of Formour; this land is generally cold and inhospitable moors and steppes.  The summers are often hot and brief with the winters quite cold and of extended duration.  Little vegetation grows in this area.