How Time Functions in the World of El Tor

The World of El Tor holds many intentional similarities to our world, but it’s important to understand that the world is not a one to one comparison on every aspect of the world. One of the key examples of this is how time is structured in the world.

Time’s Flow – What Makes Up the Calendar

In the World of El Tor, there are exactly 300 days in a year. The year is divided into ten months. Each month has exactly 30 days. There are six days in a week, meaning exactly five weeks in each month. A day in Caelon is 30 hours long, with 50 minute hours and 50 second minutes. In comparison to Earth’s 86,400 seconds in a day, the World of El Tor only has 75,000 seconds in a day, or about three Earth hours shorter days. This means that a year in Caelon is 22,500,000 seconds long. When compared with Earth’s 31,536,000 seconds, that’s 9,036,000 less seconds, 150,600 less minutes, 2,510 less hours or roughly 105 less days in a year.

Anterrima (the planet on which Caelon resides) is not only smaller than Earth, but it is closer to their Sun and rotates faster. The tilt is different than Earth’s tilt as well. The end result for the people of Caelon, which is not very far from the world’s equator, is that they have shorter winters and longer summers. Typically this means one to two months of winter, which is mild and doesn’t typically freeze over very often, and the remaining eight to nine months are warm.

Months of the Year and their Meaning

The names of the months of the year are as follows:

Nomenia – The month of Names. Torians believe that a name holds power, and thus the first month of the year is when the year’s name is spoken. Many celebrate the first day of the year by trying to speak the “year’s name” and thus whether it will be a good year or a bad year. This month marks the end of Winter.
Eruditia – The month of knowledge. This month was so named in the First Age as a way of taking stock of the cumulative knowledge of humanity. It is meant to dedicate the month to reviewing the truths that have been uncovered in order to make a plan for learning more about the universe, per the teachings of El Tor.
Scientia – The month of Science and new learning. The earliest known teachings of the Torian church state that humanity’s prime directive is to learn everything that can be known about the universe. By the Fourth Age, this directive has become less prevalent in the Church, which is not surprising as El Tor no longer rules the Church and over the years it has become more bureaucratic, especially since the Church was forced to flee the White Walled City and reform in present day Torium.
Pateria – The month of the Father. This was so named because of the idea that life cannot exist without a Father, the Divine Male. Because of this, fatherhood is celebrated as an essential part of the equation of humanity’s existence. The focus of this month is to give thanks to fathers.
Materia – The month of the Mother. Similar to the month of the Father, Materia celebrates the Divine Female. Without a mother, life cannot exist. Mothers are revered highly in Caelon, and this month it is still a practice to shower mothers with garlands and flowers to show appreciation to them.
Frateria – The month of the Brother. The focus of this month is not directly upon celebrating literal brothers, but rather brotherhood. The purpose is to take time to focus on gathering together to solve problems as a society. The month focuses on physical strength.
Sororia – The month of the Sister. Similar to Frateria, this month is not directly a celebration of literal sisters, but rather sisterhood. This is defined by coming together as communities to heal and elevate those who are suffering, as well as to provide shelter and support to the downtrodden in society. The month focuses on mental strength.
Pueria – The month of the Youth. This month focuses on children, but also encourages everyone to recapture their own youth. It is a time to be joyful and rejuvenate. It is a month of play, the last opportunity in the year to be care-free.
Veteria – The month of the Aged. This month focuses on wisdom and conservation. The beginning of this month is the time of harvest, a time to stop play and focus on surviving the winter. The old, in particular, are revered here in particular because they are more vulnerable in the cold months.
Mortemia – The month of the Dead. Along with being the primary winter month of the year, the people are intended to focus upon those who have died. In the First Age, death was extremely rare as everyone possessed all of the Gifts. Now, in the Fourth Age, death is far more common. The dead are still remembered during this month, and some believe that it is possible to commune with the dead if there are important messages that they have to share with the living.

Days of the Week and Their Meaning

The names of the days of the week are as follows:

Tordía – The Day of El Tor. El Tor is the central human figure of the Torian religion. He was the First Man according to their religion and had the ear of the Namer. He lived for thousands of years, ruling over Caelon as a whole from the White Walled City prior to the Fall of Man. He lived well into the Second Age, where scripture tells us he ascended into Heaven. Historically, it is uncertain what happened to him, but he is still revered today and his teachings are still taught in Torian lands.
Deseardía – The Day of Desire. Sometimes called the day of Love. It is the most popular day for weddings to take place for that reason. Toward the end of the First Age, in some cities outside of the White Walled City took this to mean it was a day on which married people could freely seek carnal enjoyment from others to whom they were not married. This was absolutely not accepted within the White Walls, and seen as a perversion of the teachings.
Pensardía – The Day of Thought. Critical thinking was such an important part of the First Age that they dedicated an entire day to it. It is meant to be a time of the week to dedicate to innovation and ideas. Many people would gather on this day of the week to brainstorm ideas on how to improve their lives, something that has generally fallen out of practice by the Fourth Age, though some scattered communities still continue this tradition. Oddly enough, it’s a bigger part of Warathi culture than Torian culture today.
Saberdía – The Day of Knowing. It is directly related to Pensardía and was so named as it follows a direct relational path. The day after thinking, things are known. Laws were typically set on this day and went into effect on the same day, a tradition that carries over in many cities today. It is said that even though great thought took place the day before, a night’s sleep was always the final test as to the validity of the ideas.
Luchadía – The Day of Fighting. This day was so named not as an instruction for people to fight on this day, but rather a day to commemorate those who fought bravely for the good of the people. It is a day that honors soldiers and others who defend the people from the evils of the outside world. Originally, the day was named Ignoscodía, the day of Forgiveness, but was changed after the Fall of Man, when demons roamed the world.
Pazdía – The Day of Peace. This day is meant to be a day where no conflict could happen. Unlike Luchadía, it is a name that carries over from the First Age, though its meaning has evolved somewhat. When it was first designated, it simply meant that no combative words could be spoken against fellow men. However, after the Fall of Man and the renaming of Ignoscodía to Luchadía, its naming follows a more literal meaning of peace – giving thanks for the peace that was given to the people of the White Walled City when all of the other cities fell to destruction.