Calendar

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With an ever-changing sky and no significant seasons to use as a mark, keeping track of time in Felarya has always been a difficult task. Many civilizations in the distant past have devised their own methods to measure the passing of time, such as the position of the sun or the cycle of the moons, but none proved consistent enough to be reliable. It wasn't until the dawn of the Elven Empire that the first true Felaryan calendar came into being. The elves found that the most reliable (and satisfying) way to measure the passing of days in Felarya was to use the growth cycle of a remarkable plant called Safaras, capable of growing very steadily in almost any environment. Taking advantage of the lack of true seasons, farmers across the empire cultivated their fields into circles called Safarims, which they then divided into twelve smaller plots, not unlike a modern clock. Every month, they would plant one of the twelve plots, and then wait until thirty days and thirty nights had passed before planting the next.

Once a year had passed since the first plot was planted, it would be ready to harvest. After the elves harvested and replanted this first field, they would wait till the dawn of the next month when the second plot would be ready for harvest. Through this carefully calculated method of planting and harvesting Safaras every month, the elves not only created a very reliable way of measuring time, but also a much more consistent income of food across the empire that helped them a lot on planning ahead. With the fall of both the Elven and Sagolian Empire, and the advent of the clock, the use of Safaras as a tool to measure the passing of time has long since fallen out of style. However you can still find some small safarims carefully cultivated and tended by Negavians at some locations in Negav, as a tribute to the past. Moreover, the calendar devised by the elves stood the test of time and remained the basis for most of the commonly used calendars in the modern world. Even the name of the months, derived from elven deities, stayed almost the same, with only a few variations between civilization.

Months

The elven calendar uses twelves months in a year with each month being 30 days or 3 Decals (10 days) long. The months were named from short elven phrases, each about a certain deity of the elven pantheon. Nowadays the names have become entirely common among the population and most people have completely forgotten their origins, which sometimes irritate elves.

• Temolin, derived from the goddess Temolian. The original name is "Temolian Olin", meaning "Duty of Temolian". In the elvish culture it's a time of growth and industriousness where elves are especially hard at work.

• Sermidyne, derived from the god Sermidian. The original name is "Sermidian-dyne", simply meaning "The time of Sermidian". It's a time of challenge and self-improvement. Elves push themselves hard during Sermidyne and major contests and tournaments among them often take place during this month.

• Araxion, derived from the god Araxiad. The original name is "Araxiadon", meaning "Araxiad's chance". A time of prosperity, wealth and optimism.

• Dregadil, derived from the god Rendregad. The original name is "Rendregad-adhil", meaning "The grasp of Rendregad". A time of uncertainty, caution and reflexion. Elves hate waging battles during this month and see it as a bad omen. Almost no elvish victories ever occured during Dregadil.

• Shiwolin, derived from the goddess Shiwo. The original name is "Shiwo Volin", meaning the "Song of Shiwo". It's a time for Rejoyce and hope and to be creative. Many elvish celebrations and parties take place during Shiwolin.

• Atim , derived from the goddess Atimielle. The original name is "Atimialle ogadim", meaning the "Blessing of Atimielle". It's a time for courage, confidence and fortitude.

• Tatal, derived from the goddess Thatalia. The original name is "Tali-Thataliae", meaning "Thatalia's exultation". A time for being bold and daring, pushing forward toward the goal ahead or victory. Many wars were declared during Tatal by elves.

• Felantil, derived from the goddess Fealanthia. The original name is "Fealanthia avil", meaning "Call of Fealanthia". A time for love, passion, courting, exuberance, gathering and coming together as a community. It's also a time of feasting which could mean more predation from elves across Felarya.

• Norowune, derived from the goddess Norowina. The original name is "Norowina Korowune", meaning "Norowina's gentle embrace". A time for reflection, self-consciousness and solemnity. Many elvish traditions are upheld during Norowune.

• Orchomenyne, derived from the god Orchomenos. The original name is "Orchomenos megnamedyn", meaning "The time of Orchomenos, the cursed". It's also called "the month of the cursed" or "the cursed month". It's a time of chaos, death, destruction and sea changes ahead. Elves are very wary and cautious during Orchomenyne and steel themselves for the worse. It's also the month when Cal-Chanim occurs and creatures from Milkadis temple come out from mirrors.

• Margil, derived from the god Margadan. The original name is "Margadan Volangil", meaning "Margadan's litany of the past". A time for honoring the memories of the fallen, melancholy, renewal and looking ahead.

• Zeturin, derived from the god Zetur. The original name is "Zetur Telurin", meaning "Zetur's tranquility". A time of Peace and wisdom and deep thoughts. During Zeturin, many elves try to make additional efforts to reconcile with those who have wronged them.

• Credits goes to the forum for all the brain-storming and development of calendar, and to Shady knight for helping writing the article.