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Calendar and Astronomy of Korovia
Korovia has four seasons, but the most beautiful is arguably spring when the trees begin to blossom. Because the growing season is so short the plants have evolved to blossom quickly as soon as the winter snows start to melt. Thus only the fastest growing plants thrive and reproduce. Calendar Days of the Week Sinday, Moonday, Triday, Metreday, Boarsday, Fireday, Swordsday. Months of the Year
Days in a Year: 360. Solstices and Equinoxes: 1st of Bogdan, 1st of Anzhela, 1st of Indrasen, 1st of Levamber. Bi-Lunar Calendar Metrequia - A full moon occurs every 24 days. Metrequia is the closer and larger of the two moons. There are exactly 15 Metrequia full moons every year. Xarsius - A full moon occurs every 27.75 days. There are approx. 13 Xarsius full moons per year. Double full moons on the same day occur every 666 days. Eclipses Bi-lunar partial eclipses are relatively common, but full bi-lunar eclipses only happen about once a decade. When a full eclipse happens Xarsius disappears completely behind Metrequia and only one moon can be seen. Full eclipses are considered sacred by worshipers of the moon goddess. Partial solar eclipses are also quite common since there are two moons, but the real rarity is when the sun and both moons line up in a full bi-solar eclipse. Such an event only happens once every 555 years. Astronomy Since the moons, the 4 elements and the sun play such an important role in Korovia's cosmology, it is therefore no surprise that Astronomy plays an important role as well. When telescopes were first invented by gnomes in Al-Kazar, the gnomes and people of Al-Kazar began giving names to the things they saw in the sky - planetoids and cosmic entities beyond Aoerth. Much of the mathematical work on the planets was conducted by the astronomer Flaviark bin Montoozen, a gnome from Al-Kazar known for making "astronomical clocks" and his thick books of observations and mathematical calculations of the heavenly planetoids and measuring gravity in "Flaviarks". Different astronomical events happen on different dates throughout the calendar, the passing of comets every so many years and days, the alignments of various planets, etc. These events often have an effect on magic and magical creatures. eg. In -3751 a comet passed near Metrequia and Xarsius and exploded, showering tiny shards of comet, as well as tiny fragments from the two moons on the surface of Aoerth. The fragments have various properties and much magical study has been done to determine all of their properties. Planets Three planets are listed in order of closeness to the sun, with their Al-Kazarian name in parentheses. Volid the Black Dwarf (Eswato) - A tiny black planet very close to the sun, appears as a small black dot when seen against the background of the sun. The closest and presumably hottest planetoid, Volid has a circular orbit and can only be seen when a light source like the sun or bright stars is behind the planet. The gnome astronomer Flaviark bin Montoozen calculated the gravity on Volid to be one third (0.34 Flaviarks) the gravity on Aoerth. Alignment of Volid with the sun and Aoerth causes necromancy magic to become more powerful, but also unstable and unpredictable. Al-Stauron the Purple Worm (Pussani) - Named for its unusual elongated shape, Al-Stauron is a mid-sized planetoid with a 'L' shape, which has caused many astronomers to speculate it is actually a gigantic purple worm floating in space. The gnome astronomer Flaviark bin Montoozen calculated the gravity on Al-Stauron to be slightly more (1.07 Flaviarks) than the gravity on Aoerth. Some astronomers argue Al-Stauron is simply a very large asteroid, and thus should not be considered to be a planet. Alignment of Al-Stauron with the sun and Aoerth causes illusion magic to become more powerful and longer lasting. Gargareus the Green Giant (Darobi) - A large green planetoid close to Aoerth on an elliptical orbit, which changes colour depending on its position in orbit around the sun, changing from dark green when it is closer to the sun and a lighter green with snow on the poles when it is further from the sun. These colour changes have caused gnomish astronomers to speculate there is plant life on Gargareus. The gnome astronomer Flaviark bin Montoozen calculated the gravity on Gargareus to be approximately double (2.09 Flaviarks) the gravity on Aoerth. Alignment of Gargareus with the sun and Aoerth causes druidic magic to become more powerful, even more so if Gargareus is near the zenith of its elliptical orbit. Gargareus Zenith alignment lasts 24 days when it does happen, and is a sacred period in druidic calendars. Aoerth - To distant viewers Aoerth would appear as a blue-green ball with dots of brown around the middle and snow caps on either end. Circled by two moons, Metrequia the Silver and Xarsius the Red, it would seem quite normal compared to the other planetoids. Metrequia's gravity is calculated to be 0.18 Flaviarks and Xarsius is 0.07 Flaviarks. The Asteroids is a series of asteroids that circle the sun in close proximity to each other. Various astronomers speculate Tibarakusk and Lortruxian might have life on them, some even believe Dawpa might support life as well but that is considered less likely. None of this mattered to Flaviark bin Montoozen however, who was too busy calculating their size and guessing their gravity. There are numerous other asteroids, but these are the three largest which have caused the most speculation because their orbits are so close together they are sometimes mistaken for a single planet, this has caused additional speculation the three asteroids were once part of a larger single planet, which was ripped apart and its remnants created the Asteroids.
Dreappa the Dreary (Onimadra) - A large grey planetoid orbited by a myriad small moons forming a ring around the planet, is so far away it can be seen only with the largest of gnomish telescopes. Flaviark bin Montoozen calculates that the gravity on the planet is roughly 4 (4.22 Flaviarks) times that of Aoerth. Dreappa's largest moon, a red moon called Xarfius is considered to be a distant relative of Xarsius, resulting in a small and meagre cult (mostly gnomes and halflings) who believe Xarfius will someday journey to Aoerth and bring about a 'Great Reckoning' - although what this reckoning may entail varies on the individual gnome trying to pass themselves off as a Prophet of Xarfius. The cult is only of note in Al-Kazar and Habbelund. Dreappa is so far away from Aoerth that its alignment doesn't effect the planet at all. There may be other planetoids beyond Dreappa, but none that have been seen in a telescope and confirmed to exist by other astronomers. Woe to the tale of the gnome astronomer who thought he had discovered a planet and later discovered an insect had laid an egg on the glass end of his telescope.
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