The Lion Calendar

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The Lion Calendar or Lion Count is a lunar calendar used since ancient times on Aren. Based on the phases of the moon, it uses a 384-day year with each month having 32 days. Being 19 days longer than a standard Alliance Year, this makes the calendar somewhat problematic as it has no alignment to the seasons. It is believed that the ancient calendar served a strictly religious/ceremonial function, while a more robust solar calendar governed the planting and harvesting of crops.

The moon above Aren goes through 8 phases each of which lasts 4 days.

The first day of the solar and lunar years align once every 384 solar years. B.G.A. 3800, the accepted start of recorded history, represents one such alignment. The last lunar/solar alignment of the Mage Wars occurred in 344 B.G.A. and the first alignment after the formal adoption of the Alliance Calendar occurred in A.Y. 140

Note that the lunar calendar still uses a 7-day week as with the solar calendar, but does not include a Wash Day or other corrective measure. The weeks simply drift throughout the years.

Aspects of the Calendar

Hours of the Lunar Day

In addition to numbering the days and dividing them by the phases of the moon, the Lion Calendar divided up the hours of the day accordingly:

  • Matins — late at night or at midnight
  • Lauds — at 3 a.m. or at dawn
  • Prime — around 6 a.m.
  • Tierce — around 9 a.m.
  • Sext — at midday
  • None — around 3 p.m.
  • Vespers — around 6 p.m. or after dinner
  • Compline — around 9 p.m. or before bed

Texts from the Mage Wars that provide dates according to the lunar calendar frequently also list the hours an event happened.

While the widespread invention of clocks negated the original function of these divisions, the practice survives both in ritual magic and various esoteric practices.

Days of the Lunar Month

DayPhaseEsoteric PhaseSepal
1NewCapitatusAhn
2NewCapitatusBhk
3NewCapitatusEel
4NewCapitatusKoh
5Waxing CrescentAlthea MinorEie
6Waxing CrescentAlthea MinorDek
7Waxing CrescentAlthea MinorGhn
8Waxing CrescentAlthea MinorFuk
9First QuarterAlthea MajorHuh
10First QuarterAlthea MajorKha
11First QuarterAlthea MajorOoo
12First QuarterAlthea MajorIck
13Waxing GibbousFlorereRey
14Waxing GibbousFlorereSsh
15Waxing GibbousFlorereMrk
16Waxing GibbousFlorereTuh
DayPhaseEsoteric PhaseSepal
17FullHelianthusJih
18FullHelianthusLuk
19FullHelianthusNan
20FullHelianthusChl
21Waning GibbonsChelidon MajorPuh
22Waning GibbonsChelidon MajorQkn
23Waning GibbonsChelidon MajorUvh
24Waning GibbonsChelidon MajorVrk
25Last QuarterChelidon MinorEsh
26Last QuarterChelidon MinorMbu
27Last QuarterChelidon MinorThy
28Last QuarterChelidon MinorWhr
29Waning CrescentAritudoWun
30Waning CrescentAritudoXee
31Waning CrescentAritudoYur
32Waning CrescentAritudoZyh

Months of the Lunar Year

The Lunar year is 384 days long divided into 12 months of exactly 32 days each.

#Name
1Orinogus
2Tebruaris
3Martius
4Aperire
5Quintilis
6Sextilis
#Name
7Iuniores
8Maius
9Aquonox
10Maiores
11Nombeerus
12Washictus

The same names for the months were used by the Atayans and several other civilizations on Aren for their solar calendars up until A.Y. 150 when Eieber unified the calendars. At that time many major powers within the Alliance used different names for their months, with very little agreement. A compromise was reached by numbering the months instead of naming them.

Days of the Lunar Year

Orinogus
1
001
2
002
3
003
4
004
5
005
6
006
7
007
8
008
9
009
10
010
11
011
12
012
13
013
14
014
15
015
16
016
17
017
18
018
19
019
20
020
21
021
22
022
23
023
24
024
25
025
26
026
27
017
28
028
29
029
30
030
31
031
32
032
Tebruaris
1
033
2
034
3
035
4
036
5
037
6
038
7
039
8
040
9
041
10
042
11
043
12
044
13
045
14
046
15
047
16
048
17
049
18
050
19
051
20
052
21
053
22
054
23
055
24
056
25
057
26
058
27
059
28
060
29
061
30
062
31
063
32
064
Martius
1
065
2
066
3
067
4
068
5
069
6
070
7
071
8
072
9
073
10
074
11
075
12
076
13
077
14
078
15
079
16
080
17
081
18
082
19
083
20
084
21
085
22
086
23
087
24
088
25
089
26
090
27
091
28
092
29
093
30
094
31
095
32
096
Aperire
1
097
2
098
3
099
4
100
5
101
6
102
7
103
8
104
9
105
10
106
11
107
12
108
13
109
14
110
15
111
16
112
17
113
18
114
19
115
20
116
21
117
22
118
23
119
24
120
25
121
26
122
27
123
28
124
29
125
30
126
31
127
32
128
Quintilis
1
129
2
130
3
131
4
132
5
133
6
134
7
135
8
136
9
137
10
138
11
139
12
140
13
141
14
142
15
143
16
144
17
145
18
146
19
147
20
148
21
149
22
150
23
151
24
152
25
153
26
154
27
155
28
156
29
157
30
158
31
159
32
160
Sextilis
1
161
2
162
3
163
4
164
5
165
6
166
7
167
8
168
9
169
10
170
11
171
12
172
13
173
14
174
15
175
16
176
17
177
18
178
19
179
20
180
21
181
22
182
23
183
24
184
25
185
26
186
27
187
28
188
29
189
30
190
31
191
32
192
Iuniores
1
193
2
194
3
195
4
196
5
197
6
198
7
199
8
200
9
201
10
202
11
203
12
204
13
205
14
206
15
207
16
208
17
209
18
210
19
211
20
212
21
213
22
214
23
215
24
216
25
217
26
218
27
219
28
220
29
221
30
222
31
223
32
224
Maius
1
225
2
226
3
227
4
228
5
229
6
230
7
231
8
232
9
233
10
234
11
235
12
236
13
237
14
238
15
239
16
240
17
241
18
242
19
243
20
244
21
245
22
246
23
247
24
248
25
249
26
250
27
251
28
252
29
253
30
254
31
255
32
256
Aquonox
1
257
2
258
3
259
4
260
5
261
6
262
7
263
8
264
9
265
10
266
11
267
12
268
13
269
14
270
15
271
16
272
17
273
18
274
19
275
20
276
21
277
22
278
23
279
24
280
25
281
26
282
27
283
28
284
29
285
30
286
31
287
32
288
Maiores
1
289
2
190
3
291
4
292
5
293
6
294
7
295
8
296
9
297
10
298
11
299
12
300
13
301
14
302
15
303
16
304
17
305
18
306
19
307
20
308
21
309
22
310
23
311
24
312
25
313
26
314
27
315
28
316
29
317
30
318
31
319
32
320
Nombeerus
1
321
2
322
3
323
4
324
5
325
6
326
7
327
8
328
9
329
10
330
11
331
12
332
13
333
14
334
15
335
16
336
17
337
18
338
19
339
20
340
21
341
22
342
23
343
24
344
25
345
26
346
27
347
28
348
29
349
30
350
31
351
32
352
Washictus
1
353
2
354
3
355
4
356
5
357
6
358
7
359
8
360
9
361
10
362
11
363
12
364
13
365
14
366
15
367
16
368
17
369
18
370
19
371
20
372
21
373
22
374
23
375
24
376
25
377
26
378
27
379
28
380
29
381
30
382
31
383
32
384

Cycles of Lunar Years

An oft-overlooked aspect of the Lion Calendar is the Lion Count. The Lion Count fixes dates according to a 384 year cycle beginning from an arbitrary year zero. For reasons lost to history, this scale is known as "the time it takes for a bird to become a bird again". Dates fixed with the Lion Count list the lunar day, lunar month, lunar year, and the number of complete cycles that have taken place before it.

So a complete Lion Count date might be "Tierce, Puh, Sextus, 118, 3". This corresponds to the hour of 9 AM, on the 21st day of the 6th month, in the 118th year of the current cycle, after 1270 years have elapsed. Some considerable math is required to translate this into an Alliance date (as well as knowing the arbitrary year zero) but it can be done.

Traditionally, Lion Count cycles began whenever the lunar and solar years lined up. The Atayans kept a record of which of their years (which later became Alliance Years) corresponded to known cycles of lunar years:

Year B.G.A.
344
728
1112
1496
1880
2264
2648
3032
3416
3800

This allows for any known date given in the Lion Count to be reasonably calculated.

Usage

The Lion Calendar was heavily used by various civilizations throughout the Mage Wars. Many traditions indicate it dated back to Antiquity, however the Ancients are not known to have had significant enough a presence on Aren to account for such widespread use. In any case it was suplanted by the Atayan Calendar at the start of the Golden Age.

During the Alliance era, the Lion Count remained in usage in various niche roles. Since so many dates in the Mage Wars were fixed according to the lunar calendar, it remained of great interest to historians. Lelroughodaism and various esoteric practices continued to use it, though no official state kept it as the calendar after A.Y. 150. The Lion Calendar remained vital to Magic as various rituals were based around it.

During the Long Night, the Lion Calendar came back into common usage. It had some advantages over the standard Alliance Calendar, most notably in situations where fleeing rebels had lost count of exactly what day it was. Calculating the day of the month by the phases of the moon was easier, especially with the ability to fix dates by the summer and winter solstices.

As the Long Night wore on, a tradition began of fixing dates according to the lunar calendar as a small act of defiance. Samuel Fate introduced his own timekeeping systems and outlawed the Alliance Calendar, but anyone familiar with lunar dates could record time that way, knowing the dates could be reconciled at a later time. However, this led to a very interesting problem, as scribes working through the era often had no clue exactly what the year was. This leads to events for which the exact hour, day, week, and month are known; but not the year.

Calculating Lunar/Solar dates

With thanks to Debsta on the Math Help Forum:

42nd day of the 150th solar year would be (150 - 1) x 365 + 42 days in = 54, 427 days in.

54427 / 384 = 141 full lunar years + 283 days, ie 283 days into the 142nd lunar year.

So, 42nd day of the 150th solar year would be the 283rd day of the 142nd lunar year.