ChyAlmanac2 1
ChyAlmanac2 1
ChyAlmanac2 1
A CHYBISAN ALMANAC 1
S
everal calendars are in use on Hârn. Most are have sufficient oxen to complete the plowing within 60
religious calendars used by churches and their days.
holy orders to mark the passage of time in The spring thaw signals the time the miners return to the
accordance with their own traditions and beliefs. Anadel Hills to re-open the mines, repair damage caused
The one calendar in common usage reckons dates from the by the harsh winter or marauding Bujoc, and drain them
founding of the Kingdom of Melderyn and is referred to as of water that accumulated over the winter. Timbercutters
"Tuzyn Reckoning." Under this system the year is divided and charcoalers set to work providing the fuel which will
into twelve months, the names of which have religious be used in the smelting and refining that follows.
origins. Each month is based on the cycle of Yael, Kethira's
As the strong winter winds subside, Chybisan
moon, which is almost exactly thirty days. Yael is full on
maritime trade resumes. Niviks carry trade to markets as
the fifteenth of each month and new (dark) on the thirtieth
far away as Aleath, while talbars and barges trade along
day of each month.
the river.
A TIME FOR ALL THINGS Early spring is the foaling season and their birthing
Unlike many of us, the people of Chybisa are heralds the Great Horse Fair that follows in the month of
constantly surrounded by reminders of the rhythm of Peonu.
nature. Even the kingdom's capital of Burzyn is hemmed
in by farmland, with the peasant's activity in the fields
Peonu
forming a backdrop to the scenery of the town-dweller's
Peoni's month begins with the Restoration Festival,
daily life. To Chybisans, the passage of time is not a
a Peonian celebration of spring's renewal of life after the
turning of the calendar's page. It is measured in the
dark and cold of winter. Last year's straw idol is taken
spring thaw, the turning of the soil, the sowing, and the
from the village shrine and ceremoniously burned in the
harvest, and punctuated with the passage of the great
newly sown field while a new one, made of the hay left
spring and fall caravans and the hustle and bustle of the
from last year's harvest, is installed in the shrine.
market fairs they bring. The vernal equinox falls on the
first day of Nuzyael, marking both the beginning of Sowing and harrowing of the spring crops is
spring and the beginning of the New Year. usually complete by early Peonu and children defend the
newlysown seed from crows and other marauding birds
SPRING with slings.
The first plowing of the fallow is usually complete
HARNIC TERRAN SUNRISE SUNSET by the end of the month.
MONTH DATES 1st / 16th 1st / 16th
With sowing of the fields complete, attention turns
Nuzyael March 21 05:53 18:08 to gardens. They grow not only such staples of the
April 20 05:28 18:32 peasant diet as cabbages but also cash crops such as flax
Peonu April 21 05:04 18:57 and hemp. Dyeplants like madder (red), woad (blue),
May 21 04:45 19:15 dyer's greenweed (green) and weld (yellow) are also
grown in gardens, for home use as well as for sale to
Kelen May 22 04:26 19:35 clothiers and at the market. Culinary and medicinal
June 20 04:18 19:42 herbs, such as parsley, fennel, celery, camomile, mint,
summer savoury, catmint, mustard, opium poppy and
Nuzyael
Winter crops (wheat and rye), planted last Halane, coriander, also find places in the garden.
already cover about half of the active field. Cows come back into full milk as pastures go green,
Sowing and harrowing of the spring crops (barley, an event which in some areas is believed to be associated
oats, peas, beans and vetches) on the remainder of the with the eclipse of Yael on the 14th day of Peonu. This is
active field begins with the new year. a holdover from religious practices common to the region
before the arrival of Peonian missionaries; today such
Meanwhile, plow teams begin the first plowing of beliefs are carefully discouraged by Peonian clerics.
the fallow fields while the soil is still soft enough to turn
easily. Each team consists of a heavy plow pulled by four The eclipse of Yael also marks the beginning of the
to eight oxen, guided by a plowman and an ox-goader. Great Horse Fair, the time when the Hodiri bring their
The team can do as much as one acre a day; most villages two-year old horses to market in Burzyn, trading them
Kelen Nolus
Haymaking is the main event of Kelen, and in Chybisa it The second plowing of the fallow field is usually
is a communal activity of games and competitions. complete by the end of Nolus. In the active fields, the
Kelen is the traditional month for the Peonian loathsome task of weeding is the most important task.
For the peasantry, Nolus is the hungry month.
Grain stores are at their lowest ebb, awaiting
replenishment from the forthcoming harvest, and
peasants in need eke out their diet by foraging and
many no doubt by poaching. The Angyla Festival, held
on the 27th in most parts of Chybisa, gives some relief,
with a day of revelry highlighted by a grand feast that is
Ilvin CREDITS
The onset of winter brings the closing of the mines.
Those deemed safe from the ravages of the barbarians are
Writer... Sophia Tribad
left to the elements; the others are left in the care of
Editor... Konnel Damiano
Art........ Public Domain