Time and History (Paladask Supplement)

Time on Paladask is about as rigid and 'by the books' as it comes. Everything that holds any importance is documented or preserved for future generations to experience and enjoy. The keeping of time is very valued on Paladask.

Below is information regarding the system of time keeping, the units (with their relative Earthly-counterparts) of time, and special dates.

The Calendar

A year on Paladask lasts significantly shorter than one on Earth, with a full year (and thus rotations of the plane around the sun) being only 264 days. The year is divided into 11 months, each named after the Gods and containing roughly 24 days. There are no exceptions to the 'cosmic rules' of time on Paladask; no leap years or extra minutes even year to year.

There are many different ways of reckoning time across the various cultures of Paladask, but most cultures have adopted the Bontian calendar, spread by priests of Bontar (the God of Time after-all), that divides the years into three seasons based on those season’s typical climate: Kintlaw, Shluf, and Brighm. There have been movements to change the 'universal calendar' by other cultures and minority groups, but the majority of civilians on Paladask use the Bontian calendar. This does however not diminish certain cultures' holidays' significance, and many times holidays that exist in one culture are missing from another.

The Bontian calendar divides the months into three weeks of eight days. The months generally get longer towards the middle of the year and shrink as the plane passes the bend. Each day has 24 hours in it, normally 12 light and 12 dark. Each hour is broken down exactly like on Earth.

Years

Time has been recorded for nearly a millennia on Paladask, and there exists only one document from what would be the year 0 - 'How to Self-Govern' - a self-help book. This means that people have existed before year 0, yet all Paladaskians go off of is this book as the beginning of recorded history.

Time on Paladask is divided into eras -each era lasts 200 years. So to write "2e125" would mean year 125 of the second era, or simply, year 525. The only reasoning behind dividing time into segments like this is based on a wish of a dying God of old.

Years on Paladask hold special meaning too, with certain cultures adopting a system of animals to represent certain years.

Specifically in more Western cultures, the years of Paladask are associated with animals, and these animals are spiritually bound to everyone born in that year. People born in specific years are said to have specific traits based off of the year's animal. Some even go as far as to say that the year you die too holds importance on Paladask; as the animal who you die associating with is forever tied to the weight of your death. The animal celebrates your birth and mourns your death, and there is nothing more traumatizing than that animal being one and the same.

Animals

These 15 animals are rotation-ary, meaning that after the last animal is bound to a specific year, the first animal will be bound to the next year. Nobody knows who exactly started this concept, but the population of Paladask holds it close to their heart.

Animal	Years	Traits
Horse	1, 16, 31, 46 etc	Resilient, Hard-working
Rabbit	2, 17, 32, 47 etc	Quick-witted, Agile
Toad	3, 18, 33, 48 etc	Strong, Proud
Whale	4, 19, 34, 49 etc	Respectful, Well-tempered
Dog	5, 20, 35, 50 etc	Trustworthy, Kind
Chimera	6, 21, 36, 51 etc	A leader, Charismatic
Snake	7, 22, 37, 52 etc	Resourceful, Easy-going
Cow	8, 23, 38, 53 etc	Important, Ambitious
Bugbear	9, 24, 39, 54 etc	Intimidating, Wise
Owl	10, 25, 40, 55 etc	Intelligent, Mystical
Lizard	11, 26, 41, 56 etc	Funny, Entertaining
Bat	12, 27, 42, 57 etc	Nimble, Guiding
Turtle	13, 28, 43, 58 etc	Thoughtful, Careful
Ferret	14, 29, 44, 59 etc	Hopeful, Uplifting
Cat	15, 30, 45, 60 etc	Elegant, Attractive

The 'traits' associated with each of these animals varies, but basic concepts like the ones above are pretty cross-culturally agreed upon.

To calculate your character's animal, first find out what year the campaign is set in, then determine your character's age. If the campaign is set in 3e30 and your character is 24 years old, that means they were born in 3e6, and 6 correlates to the chimera, therefore your character would be a chimera according to this method.

Months

There are 11 months in a year, each named after a God and each having around 24 days. The first few months have three weeks of eight days in it and they tend to get longer as the year reaches its mid-point. After the number of days in the month changes, the weeks don't align perfectly with the months. The months along with their number of days goes as follows:

Bontar 24

Querrum 24

Gracian 24

Brantlet 23

Gortum 24

Rom 27

Freyta 24

Zandum 24

Herphern 23

Melfreth 25

Valkyras 21

Days

There are eight days in a week and to correspond with Earth days, think of it as the week starting on Monday, having two Wednesdays, and then ending on Sunday. The days are as follows:

Rom

Lun

Grassi

Friyat

Giove

Viove

Apri

Xian

The general day of rest on Paladask is Friyat, where most religious jobs and governmental occupations are held off. This has been a tradition of Paladask for as long as can be remembered. Apri and Xian too are generally less 'busydays' when compared to the other 5 days not mentioned.

To write the date, one must write in this order: (optional day) Month/ Day/ Year. For example, (Lun) Querrum 12 4e62

Seasons

There are three main seasons on Paladask that occur around the year, marking different normal climates for the time.

Kintlaw is a colder season that sees shorter days and occasional snowfall. This season lasts from Melfreth through the new year and ends at the end of Querrum.

Shluf is a warmer, wetter season that takes place between the two other seasons. Because of its nature, Gracian alone has this season while it also takes place from Freyta through Herphern.

Brighm is a hot season will long days and colorful vegetation abound. Brighm lasts from Brantlet to Rom.

Holidays

Holidays on Paladask symbolize special events, individuals, or the change of the seasons on the plane. While most holidays are universal, there definitely exists cultural-specific holidays or even community-specific holidays. Most holidays are uniform (20th of Freyta) as opposed to changing (the second Xian of Brighm). Below is a list of the most significant holidays on Paladask, in chronological order.

in progress

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