Whether you are a human or an elf hatchling, we’ll help you understand even the most obvious concepts. This time we learn about… time, weeks, and flames.
By Beacon of Knowledge Publications — don’t be dim!
Explain it like I’m Human: Time
What is a flame?
The basis of Elven timekeeping is the flame. The word is used to refer to both the period of time and the pillar of fire that erupts at the center of the word, lighting up the cave for a brief moment signaling the beginning of a new flame.
One flame is often divided into dawn, dusk, and night, each being four hours. Making one flame ten hours (or twelve using human numbers).
What is a week?
The Crimson Sea rises and falls on a set schedule. This cycle happens to precisely line up with nine flames, from low to high and back to low tide. This gives us the nine flames of the tidal week, as can be seen here above.
The tidal week is mostly used in the region around the Crimson Sea, as it’s the only body of water that exhibits a tidal rise and fall.
Elven Numbers
Time using elven numbers
1 hour = 100 minutes
1 flame = 10 hours = 1 000 minutes
1 week = 9 flames = 9 000 minutes
Time using human numbers
1 hour = 144 minutes
1 flame = 12 hours = 1728 minutes
1 week = 9 flames = 15 552 minutes
The Tidal Week
1: Turntide
The lowest point of the tide and the calmest time in the city. A time of rest and recovery. But the city never truly sleeps, there is always work to be done. The stranded ships are repaired, the streets swept, and bathhouses scrubbed clean, all in preparation for the coming tide.
2: Floodwake
As the tide surges back, it brings with it a renewal of life and energy. The initial wave sweeps across the shallows, cleansing the coastlines and filling the air with the scent of the sea. Careful not to get caught in its wake if you brave the shallows in search of sunken treasure.
3: Landfall
The rising waters bring in the first small ships rushing to dock. A race to be the first to market, while the larger ships have to wait their turn until dusk for the water to rise further. The docks are a flurry of activity as goods are unloaded. Avoid taking the lifts between the wards, as there will be long queues.
4: Marketrush
The air is thick with languages from distant lands, the scents of exotic spices, and vibrant textiles waving in the wind. Merchants haggling over oil and eager customers inspecting the wares. Here, amidst the hustle and bustle, deals are struck, fortunes made or lost.
5: Slackwater
The tide hits its peak and the waters calm for but a moment. Life can slow down a bit from the frantic rush and the sailors, traders, and citizens enjoy the moment in the middle of the storm of activity. Bathhouses are filled with tales of the sea, glasses overflow, and the weekly feast begins.
6: Lastbath
The flame was previously named “Laststock” for the time to prepare the ship for its next voyage. But as the sailors instead wanted “just one more bath” at the bathhouses, the term Lastbath became so commonly used that it replaced the name. It’s a time to indulge just that bit more, as who knows when you will be back next.
7: Ebbtide
With farewells spoken and promises made, the ships depart once more to embrace the sea. A beginning as much as it is an ending. Set forth on new adventures, guided by the sea’s glow and the unending call of the horizon.
8: Shoal
The absolute last chance to leave port.
A scramble for the late and the foolhardy to chaise the tide out to sea. While the city turns inward, settling back into a slower rhythm of life. Dripping your oil to count profits or inspecting all the new shiny things you bought.
9: Stillharbor
The docks are silent. The ships that stayed stand on the muddy sea bottom as scavengers make their way out on shallows to find sunken treasure or pick clams. It’s a flame of reflection, of stories shared with friends over a peaceful bath, of the bonds that tie the city together. Relax a moment, for the tide turns quickly again.
