Nova’s remarkably similar astronomic characteristics to Earth mean that time-keeping on Nova is very similar. However, there are some significant differences.
Seconds, Minutes, Hours, and Days.
Novans divide their days into 24 hours, their hours into 60 minutes, and their minutes into 60 seconds, which are close enough to SI seconds as to be essentially indistinguishable – though Novan timepieces are crude enough that few Novans bother trying to measure periods of less than a minute with any precision.
A Novan week consists of ten days. Unlike many Earth cultures, Novans use the concept of a week primarily as a fast way to count long periods – for instance, a Novan might refer to a date 23 days in the past as “two weeks ago” to simplify his mental math. Novans do not separate weeks into the “work week” and the “weekend;” the Ecclesiarchy considers the idea of a Sabbath to be sinful.
For this reason Novans do not generally pay much attention to the day of the week. There is little point in counting down to the end of the week when it does not signify an end to work, after all. Novans are more likely to count the days until the next feast day, tournament, market day, harvest, or other significant event. When they do need to refer to which day of the week it is, Novans simply name the days of the week Primus, Secundus, Tertius, Quartus, Quintus, Sextus, Septimus, Octavius, Nonus, and Decimus.
Months, and Years.
A Novan year consists of 86,400 SI seconds (or it would, if anybody were using SI units to measure), 365.25 days. However, the Novan year is divided into nine months (see the summary calendar, below), each of which consists of either 40 or 41 days. Each month therefore consists of roughly four weeks, though the uneven number of days in a month means that the first day of each month will be a different day of the week.
Because Novans live in the tropics, they count seasons differently than the temperate seasons that dominate the Julian calendar. Novans recognize three seasons, each of three months, each starting on the first day of the month.
Spring is the first season of the year, beginning New Year’s Day (the Feast of Saint Thor). Spring is a wet season, with long periods of desultory rainfall that can last for days without a break in the weather.
Summer is the second season of the year, beginning on the first of Heat. Summer days are the hottest of the year, and rainfall is less constant than in spring. However, most summer days experience intense rainfall in the late afternoon and early evening, so summer’s total rainfall can sometimes exceed that of spring.
Winter is the last season of the year, beginning on the first of Harvest. Winter is the driest and coolest season of the year, and so the most suited to outdoor activities. Many Novans consider winter their favorite season of the year.
|Rise||41||Spring||Warm, frequent moderate rains begin|
|Storm||40||Spring||Usually the most hours of rainfall per month in the year|
|Rain||41||Spring||Rainy days become less frequent|
|Heat||40||Summer||Almost daily short, intense showers begin|
|Gale||41||Summer||Showers reach the peak of their frequency; hurricane season|
|Bloom||40||Summer||Showers begin to lessen; summer heat begins to break|
|Harvest||41||Winter||Dry season begins; many annual crops are ripe for harvest|
|Bounty||40||Winter||Traditionally the most relaxed month of the year|
|Chill||41||Winter||Temperatures reach their annual lows (rarely below 70 degrees except at altitude, even at night)|
History and Legends
Novans have only a hazy recollection of their ancient history, passed down in stories and legends. Even “histories” of past ages often read more like romances – though whether that is because the truth has been lost in the stories or because past ages were more heroic than the present, none can say. The question bothers but few Novans, who have no use for ancient history except for its stories anyway.
Novans divide their history into six ages. There is no widespread agreement about when these ages occurred or how long they lasted. Most agree the current age began with the overthrow of King Kaddar, but even that date cannot be fixed with confidence beyond saying that it was roughly 300 years ago.
Age of Gold
The Age of Gold is the first age in Novan history, but it cannot have been the dawn of man. Stories of this age invariably feature mankind already widespread throughout Nova Primus, slaves to orkish masters. Seven heroes arise – sometimes from the oppressed people and sometimes from across the sea – and overthrow the orks after years of bloody war. Eventually the orks are pushed out of the land, the modern House system is founded, and mankind enjoys a golden age of prosperity.
Age of Brass
The Age of Brass is the age of daemons. This age is marked by daemons who walk the earth and spread horrors of every kind, both physical and spiritual. The stories do not agree on what caused the daemons to appear, though most agree that widespread sin was involved. Many of the Ecclesiarchy‘s greatest saints date to this age, as men and women of faith rise up to lead Nova back to its true faith and the Emperor’s protection. Great wars of faith are waged alongside the very Emperor and His angels to drive the daemons back to the Empyrean. Many saints ascend to Terra at the end of this age, to fight beside the Emperor against the daemon for all eternity.
Age of Silver
The Age of Silver is the age of chivalry, remembered as a prosperous time when knights did their duty, serfs worked in pastoral bliss, and society functioned as the Emperor ordained. Wars during this period were few, and banditry seems to exist in the legends only to give righteous knights villains to overcome.
Age of Copper
The Age of Copper is the age of witches, when a plague of witchcraft and sorcery fell upon the land. Even ork invasions had a higher than usual instance of foul alien witches in this age. The heretics and their sorceries disappear as mysteriously as they arose, leaving a scarred and fearful populace behind.
Age of Iron
The Age of Iron is the age of the Church, when confessors and witch hunters carried the power of The Spire even into the king’s court. The relationship between the Church and the king grew closer than ever before in this age, and their demands on the people of Nova ever more intense. The Age of Iron ended when the six great Houses allied against King Kaddar III of House Vaar over the issue of crown-ordered tithes to the Church, eventually abolishing the monarchy and breaking the political power of the Church.
Age of Steel
The current age is the age of the House, which has replaced both Church and crown as the most important political power in most Novans’ lives. House rivalries and petty wars are an inevitable side effect, giving this age its name.
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