Talk:Dwarven Calendar
Here is an alternate calendaring suggestion for your consideration.
If you think about Dwarfs as people most of their lives underground, a lot of calendaring and time keeping concepts go out of the window:
- Seasons don't really matter, because underground ecosystems are stable and independent from outside weather conditions
- The concept of a month with variable number of days seems pointless because it's based on lunar cycles - something which subterranean people would not really have much interest in
- The concept of day and night are also kinda pointless since underground settlements would not have 24 hour circadian circle.
In absence of irregular natural phenomena such as solar cycles, lunar cycles and seasonal weather patterns, I would think that Dwarfs would develop a very regular, clockwork like calendar system. Think metric system, but for calendars: when everything is simplified, and reduced to a common base concept.
So here is my idea: time keeping system based on work shifts.
Basic unit of time measurement is a Lantern - the approximate amount of time a small oil hand lantern will burn without re-filling (approximately an hour).
10 Lanterns is a Shift. This is how much time you are expected to put in at your job. Everyone gets a Work Shift, and then an Rest Shift, which make up a Rotation. Shifts are staggered so that there's always Dwarfs working as other's rest, and their mines and workshops never close.
10 Rotations is a Stint which is close to a week of time, and a basic concept used by merchants and workers. For example you might get hired for a fixed number of Stints, or you may agree to deliver merchandise in a number of Stints specified in contract.
10 Stints is a Span (about 3 months) which is also about the amount of time it takes a smith to produce a good quality, fitted plate armor set.
10 Spans is a Term (about 3 years) which is a standard way of measuring length of apprenticeship. An apprentice is expected to work anywhere between one or few dozen Terms under a master craftsman, before they can enter guilds, or work independently. The lengths vary based on the profession. Manual laborers, for example only need to put in one Term, whereas Smiths or Engineers must spend many.
100 Terms (about 300 years) is an Age. This also an approximate lifespan for an average Dwarf.
So there you go: nice and clean, and somewhat unique. We could set their Age 0 to be some important event in Dwarf history (ask Ark) and count in Ages and Terms from that.
--Luke (talk) 12:36, 16 June 2016 (PDT)
Reference table for good measure:
| Unit | Length | Time Reference | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lantern | about an hour | time it takes to burn a small lantern | |
| Shift | 10 Lanterns | about 10 hours | Typical works shift |
| Rotation | 2 Shifts | about 20 hours | work shift, followed by a rest shift |
| Stint | 10 Rotations | little over a week | short term contract, or work agreement |
| Span | 10 Stints | about 3 months | time it takes to craft a plate armor set |
| Term | 10 Spans | about 3 years | typical length of an apprenticeship |
| Age | 100 Terms | about 300 years | average Dwarf lifespan |
