Mofo1995 Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 Type (e.g. Planet, Faction, System): A calendar system Founding/Settlement Date (if applicable): 17 March 1497 BCE (Human Time) Pellek, 1 Gli'morr 0, Wak'Tash (Jargon Calendar) Region of Space: Jargon Federation Controlled by (if not a faction): Jargon Federation Other Snapshot information: A calendar of eight months and 280 days. Each month is comprised into seven five day weeks (35 days), and the first four months are one season while the second four months are the second season. For the sake of convenience at the expense of verisimilitude, let's assume the planet's size and planetary rotation, all though undefined, happen to work out to 24 hour days. Additionally, there are extra bits of proposed lore and random stories strewn through here to justify the naming of various months and days, so this is more than just a calendar, it's also all the lore implicit in the calendar. The current date on the calendar in the setting of our game today is Pellek 21 Gli'morr 5159, in the season of Wak'Tash, 1,444,541 days after the calendar's founding (Could be off for a few days, since it was calculated with human leap years being a thing, I'll work on a solution, but we could just chalk it up to the way days drift to calendar inaccuracies.). Long Description: The Jargon Calendar is a different way of reckoning time than the human calendar counterpart. There are two seasons, Wak'Tash (Warm Water) and Pol'Tash (Cool Water). Like the human calendar, each month is highly referential in nature, but over the years certain months have changed names depending on great people in history, however it is largely determined by constellations owing to the rich history of Qeblak, and was assembled and agreed upon by Qeblak swamp shamans (their equivalent to monastics, given the lack of an organized church in Qeblak). The Jargon Calendar was not the first calendar, however it has been accurate enough through the millenia to not warrant replacement. NOTE: there is detail about the discrepancy between north of the equator and south of the equator in the section on Oegopsina, if you look at a map of Qerrbalak on the wiki, most of the Skrell are either on or north of the equator, and so the legends and customs of the months are Northern-biased. SEASONS Wak'Tash The warmer half of the year, named "Warm Water," this season contains the first half of the year from Gli'morr to Oegopsina. Pol'Tash The colder half of the year, named "Cold Water," this season contains the second half of the year from Vralak to Tup. MONTHS Gli'morr The first month of the year, bearing the same name as the city of Gli'morr The name comes from a constellation which is primarily visible from the city of Gli'morr itself. The constellation is named "Gli'morr's Ascension" and it is a reference to Skrellian mythology of an ancient Qeblak ascetic faithful whose introspection, knowledge, and understanding of the stars was so great that he ascended to the heavens in the city of Gli'morr, forming the constellation and serving as a model to all other Skrell to seek the "truths of the universe" and enlightenment. This is also the beginning of Wak'Tash, and is considered the Qeblak holy month with many holidays packed within. Arelesh The second month of the year, the name refers to a constellation which first becomes visible at the start of this month. The constellation resembles a clutch of eggs, and the month is known as a month of fertility. Many algae farmers celibrate this month above all others due to the warmer waters helping to bring in a better algae crop, and many insects begin to appear in prominence for consumption. Bal'mur The third month of the year, unlike the other months the name has no reference to constellations, but rather to a popular activity. Following the month of Arelesh, many algae crops are ripe for harvest and the insect population begins to reach its peak. During this month that the planet begins to progress towards Pol'Tash, and so the crops are harvested en masse. It's one of the busiest months of the year for the rural Skrell, and the cultural tradition carries over into other sectors as Skrell have come to believe that one should "harvest their talents" for the duration of this month. Oegopsina The fourth month of the year, named after the city of Oegopsina, this month is the final month of Wak'Tash. Its governing constellation, of the same name, is a distant but visible pulsar which lightly fades and re-lights. The mythos goes that when the universe was created and the first Skrell convened to decide the order of their own place within, they had decided to go set a watchman in the stars to watch for danger. His name was Oegopsina, and he sends pulsating light back to the Skrell as a warning signal that Pol'Tash is coming. Ironically, given that the city is south of the equator, it heralds for southerners the approach of Wak'Tash instead, however generalized seasonal naming has been deferred to the north, and so all though this is a happier month for the south, the general legends of months revolve around northern living due to its higher population and richer history. This month is heavily characterized by the desire of most Skrell to be inactive and defensive, as it is a month of bad omens. Almost no wars or offensive actions have been taken in this month, and during times of conflict, many Skrell characteristically bunker down into a defensive posture. The festivals of Bal'mur draw to a close, and many change from feasting to storing as much food as they can. All though equatorial regions are in little to no danger of changing seasons, they still prepare for some invisible catastrophe. This practice has been very beneficial to Skrell in the past as it has lead to large surpluses of food for times of bad harvests. As the food starts to rot, it also attracts a large crowd of edible insects, and so some Skrell purposely have rotting sheds for their lower end algae in order to get an abundant supply of this other food source. Vralak The fifth month of the year, this month returns to the practice of naming months after constellations. Vralak is the first month of Pol'Tash, and its governing constellation is Vralak's coral spear. Vralak was a tribal chief in early days of the Skrell, with artifacts from his time dating back to 17,000 BCE. He was uncommon among Skrell in that he was very warlike. In reference to the beginning of Pol'Tash, and the colder waters being harder to survive in, Vralak is not seen as a villainous person in Skrellian history despite his uncharacteristically non-skrellian nature. Many fables are told of the Draconic measures he had to take in order to prepare his people for Pol'Tash which emphasize the importance of logic for survival rather than compassion, and how his conquest of other tribes was for the good of his people, rather than the malice of others. People emphasis this month as the struggle against Pol'Tash, all though this is more true near the poles rather than in the gushy and safe equatorial areas. He founded the Qroisht Nation in the north of Qerrbalak, and many prehistoric advancements happened under his autocratic rule, however it all disbanded upon his death as tribes returned to their peaceful ways. Legend has it, that one day when the Skrell are in a dire time of need, proverbially facing permanent Pol'Tash, Vralak with his coral spear will descend from his honored place in the stars to lead the Skrell once again. A temporary worship began of him during the times of Glorsh, and many resistance members envoked his name, however it remains an extremely niche practice to give such praise to him, despite the extremely enhanced Jargon Military. Qerr'Wesi The sixth month of the year, this month is named after the underwater city of the same name. It's governing constellation is Kip'lak, the word for seaweed and a constellation of the same appearance. This month is named after a Skrellian coping mechanism for cooling weather- migration into warm waters. As land became cold, many Skrell would take to the seas on migratory journeys to various underwater cities which were in warmer currents. Other alternatives included cities which were build around underwater volcanic heat vents which provided intense warmth. This is how the city of Qerr'Wesi was founded, as many Skrell who migrated during Pol'Tash settled around a collection of these underwater heat vents, forming a permenant settlement and later a full city under the waves. Many Skrell refer to going on vacation during the cold months as "Migrating to Qerr'Weshi," as it has been a colloquial phrase for some time that is rarely taken literally. Despite the colloquialism, the practice of vacationing in Qerr'Weshi is still practiced as it has become a center of entertainment and tourism, including by humans who wish to see the underwater labyrinth. Jargon The seventh month of the year, this month is named after the Skrellian sun. Its governing constellation is the sun itself. During this month, Qeblak faithfuls take a break from giving praise to the stars in the sky in order to turn their attention to Jargon in order to shower it with the full intensity of their worship. The mythology goes that Jargon was one of the first Skrell, like Oegopsina, and was the most powerful and enlightened of them. Will Oegopsina was sent to keep watch, Jargon was disatisfied with the planet having nothing but star light, and used his powerful wisdom and infinite knowledge to ascend to the sky and become the closest star, showering enlightenment upon his fellow Skrell. Jargon is considered to be spiritually bound to the Skrell, and that the only way to bring back Wak'Tash is to send as much spiritual energy to Jargon in the form of worship as possible in order to strengthen it against Pol'Tash and bring back the warm waters. Of course, given that the south is warmer than the north during Pol'Tash, Skrell did not take long to realize that there was some other matter dealing with this issue. After a brief amount of competition between north and south to out worship the sun of each other for heat, they soon realized it seemingly had no bearing. Nonetheless, the ancient tradition still persisted, even after the discovery of the planets tilt changing the seasons, and continues to survive as a form of giving thanks to Jargon for its sustaining warmth and light as the closest star to the Skrell. Tup This eighth month of the year, this month is named after Captain Weiru Tup, the Skrellian captain who discovered the Dionaea. Skrell who worship the Oernabi (according to the Dionaea wiki, the ancient wise tree god of life) revere Tup's ascension, and his is largely venerated on this month. The month also pays veneration to the Tup commandos, as their inauguration and graduation ceremonies occur during this month before they become active duty. As Pol'Tash draws to an end and Wak'Tash approaches, Skrell celebrate the coming warmth and the greening of the trees. Before Tup, the month had a different name but the same celebration of warming and nature, however it was named after Tup following his death. During this month, it was historically reviled to do harm to trees, and lumber work was often illegal, however these practices have largely faded in the context of modern Skrellian society. Superstition had it, that bringing harm to a tree during this month would cause it to communicate to all other trees to stop greening and cause Qerrbalak's weather to remain cold for the duration of the next year. DAYS Pellek The first day of the week, this day refers to the "first Skrell." It is said that she was a child of the stars who came to Qerrbalak to make a home for her eggs, each of which was made out of made out of star dust. Tupsday A named day which came far later, the Dionaea insisted on a name venerating Tup, and so the Skrell gave this day to him as a token of their appreciation for acquainting and bringing together these two races. Humanisday In much the same fashion as Tupsday was named for the discovery of the Dionaea, Humanisday is named for the discovery of humanity, which coincidentally happened on the middle day of the week. Humanity is given some light honor on this day. Glek The second to last day of the week, this day is named after the second to last constellation to appear in the year, a set of regal head cloths called "Glek's Crown," a crown of stars worn by a mythical tribal leader who could "bring fire into the seas." Pesh The final day of the week, it is named after the final constellation to appear in the year, a flower which has not blossomed. The flower represents that a new week is soon to blossom. Further Notes: Tell me what you think! If this gets accepted, I plan on working to add a full calendar of Qeblak holidays and festivals, and their days on this calendar, but I decided not to count the chickens before they hatch. Link to comment
Owen Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 Yes, I REALLY like this. The whole, making the Skrell an actual culture is cool. Please approve Link to comment
LordRaven001 Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 Yes please this will make skrell actually feel like they have independence other then always following human time Link to comment
Loow Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 I'm very impressed with this. I can not guarantee that all of these details will be canonized yet, but this is damn fine work. Damn fine. A Skrellian Calendar will be canonized "Soon"trademark thanks to your outstanding application and you can look forward to seeing at the very least a close resemblance to what you've written here. Good show! You've done a Crisp Sexual Tension job, Mofo! Link to comment
Loow Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 It's in the works. Closing and archiving thread. Link to comment
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