| The Human Calendar | The Human calendar begins 495 years ago. There is nothing significant or special about the human calendar. It simply uses the point 495 years ago as a point of reference for all events. Prior to that year, events were -x where x was the number of years below 0. The Gnome/Dwarven year 0 would have been -4,500 HR where HR=Human Reckoning. The human calendar begins at 11,300 EL on the elvin calendar, 4,500 DW on the Dwarven calendar, and 113Q00 on the Wizard Calendar (assuming that the wizard was reckoning from the same starting point as the Elven calendar). |
| Gnome/Dwarven Calendar | Gnome/Dwarven calendar supercedes all but the Elven calendar. It begins
4,995 years ago. The Dwarven calendar uses the suffix "Dw". 45 quads after the Gnomish/Dwarven Calendar was established, humans came into this world occupied by all variety of mystical creatures. |
| Elven Calendar | The elven calendar is the oldest calendar. It begins 11,795 years ago. The
elven calendar uses the suffix "El". 113 quads after the Elven calendar was established, humans came into this world. 68 quads after, the Dwarven/Gnomish calendar was established. |
| Wizard Calendar | The Wizard calendar is a base 25 system where every 25 years is equal to
one wizard year. Every 4 wizard years is a Quad. Most wizards converse about time in
quads, and base their quad references off of theirs or others birth year. Two wizards conversing about events (1 350 years old, or 3 quads and 2 years, and the other 750 years or 7 quads & 2 years)...might refer to an event 50 years ago as either "7 quads of my birth" or "3 quads of your birth". Odd years are accounted for by multiplying them by 4 and adding them as a decimal after the year designation. So someone 5 years old would be 0.20 years. Someone 45 years old would be 1.60 years old. Someone 137 years old would be 1 quad and 1.48 years old. A shorthand representation of this is (quads)Q(years).(remainder*4). 0Q0.20 = 5 years, 0Q1.60 = 45 years old, 1Q1.48 = 137 years old... etc. To continue with this idea, the human calendar year is 4Q3.80, Gnome Dwarven calendar is 49Q3.80 and the elven calendar year is 117Q3.80. |
Calendar use varies and can include a mix of any of those systems presently accepted as valid calendar systems. It is possible for the un-educated individual to be trapped by these systems if not careful when dealing with dated materials. For example, no one should ever consider services to a wizard that list as duration 1 or more quads, unless they are prepared to spend that much time in servitude.
Which is greater 1Q or 67 years? 1Q equals 25 years * 4 or 100 years. However, 67 years in wizard terms is 67 * 4 or 268 real years. Context is determined by the other dates in the document. Where all are equally ambiguous, the dates are then determined by the class or race of the writer (in that order). Wizard's are always assumed to use the Wizard calendar system, all others are assumed to use the calendar that is closest to their race.
Years are broken up into 12 months of 30 days each, giving a year 360 days long. All calendars curiously, follow this standard.
January * February * March * April * May * June * July * August * September * October * November * December
Curiously familiar isn't it?