A Brief Account
Hourly Time
Northern Magnesians predict time in one of two ways: the sundial and the water clock. Being that humankind has lost considerable knowledge since the War’s inception, their understanding of complex technology has regressed in proportion. Thus, the know-how to create reckoning gadgets such as digital clocks and mechanical clocks has been lost. Magnesans still recognize the day as being divided into twenty-six hours♦, but that is not to say time is measured a full twenty-six hours. Rather, time is reckoned only during the daylight.
Of the two instruments Northerners use for such purpose, the sundial is the more common of the two. Those shields who do not utilize the water clock do so primarily because they deem it unnecessary (read, redundant), whereas those shields who use both do so out of the Comissar’s want to check for accuracy—or about as accurate as can be attained between these instruments.
Among some Northerners, Sin is thought to have power over the dimension of time. Because he continues to persist year over year being the embodiment of humanity’s eternal bane, while humanity remains ever mortal. Thus, it is this alleged tyranny over time that accounts for his immortality. Still, there are others who do not accept their eternal bane is deathless, but rather long-lived. Some of these Northerners argue that if humanity doesn’t get to him first, time will, which, together with his evil, will land the killing blow. This is more wishful thinking than legit belief, however.
Lunar Time
Although the Evinola Calendar♦² is no longer in use in the North (even the word calendar for that matter), Northerners still make use of one in order to keep track of yearly changeover. This particular tool, put together on a wax tablet, is called a moonchart and, as its name suggests, observes the moon’s activity: specifically, the span of time between two full moons. A moonchart is therefore a lunar calendar. But Northerners yet recall the length of a solar year on Magnella, and so they adjust for the difference by adding another month to their mooncharts. The arrival of Spring heralds the arrival of the New Year.
The primary function of a moonchart is to account for the growing and harvesting seasons rather than any festivities. Magnella has about thirteen full moons in a year, so there are thirteen months to a moonchart with an intercalated “monthkin” to account for the difference in seasonal changeover. But none of these months have titles. Instead, they are referred to verbally with generic placeholders—i.e., Moon 1, Moon 2, etc. The days do have distinct titles however. Still, these titles vary among each shield since each one follows their own system with regard to how many weeks there are between each moon. Where one scutum may have five weeks per full moon, another may just have two.
When represented legibly, the moonchart is divided up much like a calendar. The weeks are represented as rows, the days as columns. A single tally mark within a given column represents the current date. Near the top of the chart is scored the month and date in cardinal numbers. So, the score 3/12 would be the third full moon, day twelve. In addition to the numbers for the current month and date, every moonchart is also scratched with two letters: GC. Beside that is written the current year. Mooncharts are typically written over (in lieu of being saved) and are traditionally kept in the Hall of Reunions.
♦It takes Magnella (the planet) about twenty-six hours to complete a full revolution in space.
♦²A solar calendar used extensively before the War.