Mundane Calendar

The Mundane Calendar is the foremost method of measuring days and years in Mundus. It was named for the aforementioned central land in this world, and was created by the Great King Astyr, when he revitalized the territory of Heartwynn and united the human tribes. The Calendar has ten months in a year, and several major holidays take place across the year.

This calendar was formed based on the numeric calendar that the dwarves once used. However, even the dwarves have come to utilize the Mundane Calendar due to its enhanced precision and attention paid to seasons, though the Paragates of the children of Stone resist such a break from tradition.

The months were all named by Astyr, who based the names based on either the dwarven calendar, or based on the season in which they take place. Some of the months had their names changed by particularly influential rulers.

Each year has 400 days.

1 - Anaroth

 * This month has 47 days.
 * The first month of the year, the name Anaroth can be broken up into two pieces, both from ancient human tongues that are now defunct. Ana, meaning Cold or painful, and Roth, meaning silence.
 * Anaroth is most typically the coldest month of the year, and in the dead of winter, it is also when food is the scarcest. Different scholars take the name to mean different things.
 * Children born in this month are typically scarce, as the cold makes it hard to survive for one so small, but those who do are considered to be destined to be tacticians, politicians, or wily merchants.

2 - Berelt

 * This month has 42 days.
 * This month's original name was lost because of how quickly it was renamed after the Calendar was made. It was renamed by Jorn Hulfrin in honor of his right hand, Varen Berelt, who had distinguished himself during the Vengeance Crusade, only to give his life in the defense of Heartwynn during the final hours of the attacks before the Divine Lake saved the city.
 * Varen was born during the days that would be organized into this month when the calendar was made, so it was renamed as recognition of his service.

3 - Myrinel

 * This month has 17 days.
 * The true meaning of this month's name is murky to historians, but like Anaroth, it can be split into two parts. Myr is an old elven rune that indicates change, but the second part of the word is lost to time. Most scholars agree that this month was likely named to indicate the coming of spring, a time of change and renewal.
 * This month is the shortest of the year because it is dedicated to the beginning of spring, not so much the entirety of the season itself.

4 - Torinant

 * This month has 49 days.
 * This words name is rather simple. Tori, meaning beginning, and nant, which is a negative way to conjugate a word. Put simply, this month's name quite literally means Cannot Start. Many believe this was due to the tendency that this month has to be completely consumed by rainfall and flooding from the melting frost in the mountains. Such conditions have led to a tradition in the Kingdoms of man, in which most do very little during this month.

5 - Durazyr

 * This month has 53 days.
 * This month takes its name from one of the original four dwarven months in their Numeric Calendar. It roughly translates to White Stone, which is reflective of how stone looks once it has been bleached by salt water and intense summer sunlight.
 * The first day of this month marks the official first day of summer. Typically, the rains of Torinant taper off and allow farmers to begin planting their fields.

6 - Soltyr

 * This month has 32 days.
 * This month's name translates to Tyranny of the Sun, and it was named such because of Astyr's aversion to this month's long, hot, and dry days.
 * True to its name, this month has the longest and hottest days of the year, and it rains less than it does at other times of the year. Roaming druids are typically commissioned for aid in ensuring the survival of the fields, as some years pass in which it does not rain at all during this time.

7 - Elzavir

 * This month has 41 days.
 * This month's original name was Clavir, but it was changed by a King of Heartwynn when his heart was taken with a younger lady of a different house. He attempted to bargain for her many times, but only after several years of attempts did he finally manage to win her heart, and thusly, her hand. To celebrate, he renamed this month after her, since they were wed in the middle of it.

8 - Iritost

 * This month has 30 days.
 * This month's name translates roughly from the old human tongue, meaning Eye of Orange, or perhaps eye of fire. It bears this name because it was at this time of year that the Great Corruptor plunged from the sky, and this month is taken as remembrance of the event.
 * This month also marks the ending of summer and the beginning of autumn.

9 - Gazanim

 * This month has 43 days.
 * This month's name is also shared with one of the dwarves original months. Gaz, meaning lifestone or wood, and nim, meaning fade. In a nonliteral translation, this would mean something like 'The Waning of the Wood'.
 * It is the harvest month where most farmers bring their seasonal crops to market.

10 - Astyris

 * This month has 46 days.
 * This month was originally named Morvant, meaning Death's Chill, but it was changed by Jorn Hulfrin after Astyr's death in the Black Forest.
 * Apparently, this month has little relation to Astyr, who was born during Iritost, but Jorn wished for such a cold and desolate month to be utilized to mourn for the lost King.

Notable Holidays
The following are important holidays that are usually observed by all human kingdoms.


 * Summer's Crest - Durazyr 1st: To celebrate the end of Torinant, brewers break out fresh kegs of alcohol that they fermented over the course of the long winter. This holiday is also known by some as Summer's Folly, as some look upon the drunken debauchery with disgust. Still, this holiday is important to many, so none try to surpress it. As it stands, many Dwarves and Halflings also observe this holiday, even if its origins are foreign to them.
 * The Ritual of Azure - Any time during Soltyr: Many villages and cities undergo this festival-like ritual by singing and dancing to honor the druids who help them with their fields during the dry month. They also hold this festival to pray for rain so that the hard work of the druids and farmers will not be wasted. This tradition is frowned upon by the Sacred Conclave of Heartwynn because it encourages belief in gods different from the ones they worship, but they typically overlook its occurrence because they understand its use in the survival of their people. Some villages may still hold this festival even if no druid drifts through their village to help them, with the hopes that they will attract one or cause rain by doing so.
 * The Black Vigils - Iritost 1st, 15th, and 30th: To honor those who have given their lives in the defense of humanity, all fighting-age individuals take up arms and stand vigil over their villages on each of the nights mentioned. The only ones exempt from this are the military and local militias, as they continue business as usual unless they choose to do otherwise. During this vigil, none may speak unless they spot danger, in which case they must warn others. Those who skip these vigils or fall asleep during, unless otherwise exempt for some reason, are branded with the symbol of a blind skull upon their foreheads, and then exiled from their village or town. They may never return, and most other villages will not permit them entry.
 * The Vigil's Rest - Gazanim 1st: This day is taken to celebrate those who have given their lives and passed on early. There are prayers for the dead, but also festivities. Those sort of things to remind people that they are still alive, and to live for those who died.
 * Harvester's Pride - Gazanim 40th: Traditionally, the final day for harvest is the 39th of this month, and on the 40th, there is a harvest festival to thank the gods for the bounty of the fields and to pray for a bountiful harvest next year. Notably, it is also during this festival where young couples who have been blessed by their families may be joined in matrimony under the sovereignty of a god of their choosing. Weddings may be held all the way up to the final day of Gazanim. In order to be wed, the couple must have a home prepared and have shown themselves to be good enough with mundane tasks to allow themselves to survive on their own.