The land of Tirneach follows a four hundred-day calendar, with four seasons divided equally into one hundred days. While there are other calendars in other lands which use different divisions, some based on the phases of the moon, others on mysterious omens and signs, most of them also add up to a four hundred day cycle. This can be attributed to astronomers in ancient times noting the position of the sun in the sky at different times of the year, and of course farmers needing to know when to plant their crops.
The notation used in Tirneach for a date is, for example, “the 44th day of Spring, 800”, with the years marked from when the Réig first arrived in Tirneach. While it is noted that the moon goes through its own cycle, and these cycles are referred to as months, they have not been used to reckon the calendar in Tirneach for several centuries. Colloquially they are often used, as a handy term for a period of around 30 days, and cinnirí note the passing of the phases of the moon, however officially the 100 day seasonal calendar is used instead. Cycles of 10 days are referred to as “weeks”. Each season is punctuated with a major festival taking place across the 50th and 51st day. Before this festival is referred to as the early season, and afterwards the late. There are other smaller celebrations that take place in different Realms, but the major festivals are celebrated by all.
In Tirneach as in most places in the world, different times of year are marked by the change in activity of the Gwyllt. Certain times are safer than others.
While there is an expectation that certain times of the year will have reliable weather, Tirneach’s temperate climate means that there are regularly unseasonable spells. One day may pass without comment, but if the unseasonable weather continues for longer than a week it is called a Luaineach or Fifth Season.
Spring/Earrach
Spring in Tirneach is a time of renewal and rebirth. Rumours often abound that more Weeping go through Atosú in springtime, however this has never been proven and plenty of Weeping will point out that unless more people are killed in spring then it’s unlikely to have any truth to it. It is true that spring is when many Leasiar decide to walk on the Path of Many Candles, taking the advent of spring as a sign that they should start anew.
All across the Five Realms in spring, farmers are sowing their crops, and carefully preparing for the summer season when most growth will be done. During this season, sheep and cattle give birth to their young and the air is full of the sounds of young animals.
The major festival of spring is the Teallach or Hearth Festival. It is a celebration of the pleasures of hearth and home, and families and neighbours will congregate for a large meal of the remaining stores left in from winter-time. Households will often hold a ceremonial exchange of calves, piglets, lambs or other young creatures in a mock form of fostering or hostage-taking, to symbolise the bond between neighbours and relatives, and often the offspring of these hostages are returned to their original family in subsequent years. Teallach often has a poignant edge to it, and the happiness of the young is especially celebrated during this time, as their elders know that summer is coming, and with it the zenith of Gwyllt activity during the year. During spring, gallóglaigh are most often involved in quarrels and bloodshed among the high families and Tiarnaí of the Five Realms, who take this opportunity to settle scores that have built up during the long year.
Summer/Samhradh
Summer in the Five Realms is a time of growth and the flourishing of nature, but also a time of turmoil when the attacks of the Gwyllt grow most frequent, coming to a crescendo during the Longest Days, when most mortals must pray to the Shaper for survival. Those Krieger who glory in battle and conflict look forward to summer in Tirneach all year, and in fact many make the long voyage from Schlachtfeld to Bruid just to take part in what they call the Worfeln, the intense rolling skirmishes against the Gwyllt as they boil up from the Great Forest. The Thing of Zahnhafen holds a seat for the most renowned warrior who comes out the other end of the summer season, also called Die Helleklinge. Those Firetouched whose families hark back to Orohogar celebrate the Festival of Flame or Fiesta de la Llama during late summer, although many of them wish for the blazing heat of their homeland rather than the unreliable weather of Tirneach. During this festival they pay respect to the Shaper (among other spirits that they venerate) and hold great markets which bring wares from all over the Five Realms and beyond.
While those who are tied to the land must stay to defend it, and hope that their crops and livestock will survive the predations of the Gwyllt in large enough measure to help them make it through the rest of the year, those who travel or have no fixed home will often congregate in the larger towns and villages, leading to a large swell in their population. This can present an even more tempting target for the Gwyllt, unfortunately, and the leaders of many towns struggle to keep them at bay. More than one ruined and abandoned settlement can be traced back to a bad pair of Longest Days. It is a busy time for the bands of gallóglaigh as well, who always have gainful but hard-going employment during the days of summer.
The Longest Days or Droch-cuingir are more an observance than a festival, with many dreading their approach all year. A common device in poems and ballads is that the Longest Days are like a pair of horses, drawing closer during the year with thundering hooves, until they trample all over you and then are blessedly fading in the distance. Nevertheless it is a time when families and neighbours come together, out of necessity and protection more than companionship granted, but for congregations with children there is still some effort to make the occasion as light-hearted as it can be. Long-lasting meals are prepared, and the expression “the last broth of summer” is used to refer to an onerous task or commitment that is now completed and won’t have to be fulfilled again for a long time.
Autumn/Fómhar
Autumn is a time when the Five Realms take stock and see what remains after the many dangers of the summer season. The Creidhe find themselves in high demand for repair work, and as many of them congregate in towns and settlements all over they take the opportunity during autumn to hold showcases for journeyman crafters to display their masterworks and be judged for master status in their skill. The Trade Guilds of Baol attempt to muscle into these proceedings wherever they can, always anxious to place their own members in a pre-eminent position on crafting councils, however the independent crafters of other Realms do their best to diminish the Trade Guilds’ involvement…while acknowledging that they possess some expertise. Human journeyman crafters often strive to outdo each other with the most outlandish masterworks, and while their track record at gaining acknowledged master status is spotty, many a gifted Human has garnered renown for a failed experiment which still represented a breakthrough in the crafting arts.
For Wildlings of both stripes, autumn is a time of veneration of nature. Field Wildlings take pride in the harvest that they have protected throughout the year, and acknowledge the blessing of the Shaper in sustaining Their flock. Forest Wildlings see autumn as a portentous time of decay, when the wild world prepares to sleep for the season of winter. They see it as a reminder that death is a natural part of life, and that they must live and strive as the Shaper exhorts them.
The major festival of autumn is the Cessation or Scor. Following the losses of summer, many across the Five Realms might find themselves succumbing to grief, which is a dangerous emotion that can cause the dead to return to plague the living. Cinnirí of the Order of Necromancers mobilise in great numbers during Scor, travelling everywhere across Tirneach. As they visit households and speak in town squares, they call on the Shaper’s flock to celebrate the lives of those they have lost and not to lose themselves in mourning. Most of all the Necromancers encourage everyone listening to them to keep on living themselves, and to face the next challenge that life throws at them. The Cessation can at times be solemn or raucous, depending on how much a community has lost during summer-time, and on what the legacy of those who were lost was. It is also a time when those who have least can rely on their friends and neighbours to provide assistance, whether with repairs or supplies. For the gallóglaigh, this is a time when the undead are widespread, and their scouts will be on the lookout for any massacre sites from summer…and for potential patrons who can pay to have the aftermath put down.
Winter/Geimhreadh
Winter in Tirneach often comes as something of a relief to the beleaguered people of the Five Realms. While the weather might turn worse than at other times of the year, it is rarely as bad as in farflung realms (where according to the tales the snow piles as deep as the trees). The Drakeblooded take particular joy in the storms that hit the coasts, often making pilgrimages to pay homage to their forebears: the great dragons. They say the spirits of the dragons still reside in those storms, even though their bodies have departed. For the Vartach and Fathach of Draíod, winter is a time of determination and creation. The Arcane Colleges of Draíod hold their final examinations at this time, allowing the Saoí to identify potential candidates to join their ranks or serve the Realm in some other capacity. Winter is also a time when the most new Fathach are brought to life, as scholars have observed over the centuries that the leylines are best attuned to creation at this time. The same scholars have theorised that the leylines of the caverns are somehow oppositely charged to life above, as above ground winter is a time when nature stands still, but these theories remain unproven.
The Longest Night or Tost is the name given to the two days in the middle of winter when the hours of darkness are longest, and it is a time of great celebration everywhere. During the Longest Night, the power of the Shaper is at its pinnacle, and the Gwyllt are kept completely at bay. In all the long history of the Five Realms, there has never been an attack by the Gwyllt during the Longest Night. Even in Bruid, the Great Forest is devoid of fear…although of course one must still be wary of wild beasts and other perils! The Longest Night is marked by parties and other festivities throughout the Five Realms, and it is important to acknowledge that all lives are precious in the eye of the Shaper. High families often go out of their way to rub shoulders with the commons; the Réigs of history have famously gone in disguise to visit their people and given boons to those they find worthy; all rank and title is forgotten. At least, that’s what the grand tradition of the Longest Night is, whether it is upheld depends very much on the attitudes of those in power at the time.
For gallóglaigh, the Longest Night is a welcome rest, and many bands disperse to visit their homelands and families. There are some especially vigilant bands that strictly keep to their duty during the festival, often those bands whose thanes hail from Bruid or listen to the counsel of the Torchbearers. They are not alone in wondering if one Longest Night the Gwyllt will break through the protection of the Shaper and wipe the Five Realms from the map entirely.
Other festivals
The faithful of the Shaper mark the first full moon of Winter as a time for veneration, looking forward to the arrival of the Longest Night and giving thanks for the protection bestowed by the great god. Cinnirí of the Order of the Teachers often organise shows of skills, and encourage the wealthy to make donations to the poor, as a way of showing that all are grateful for the gifts they have received.
A minor festival celebrated in Siabhal alone is Finian’s Day, or Lá Fhéile Fhinian, which takes place on the last day of Spring. As Spring moves into Summer and the Gwyllt become more fearsome even in the relatively quiet lands of Siabhal, children are taught a different story of the Hundred Heroes each day of Spring, culminating with Finian the Brave and his defence of Siabhal against the Gwyllt.
Bridging Day or Muircuing is the celebration of the Réig’s arrival into Tirneach centuries ago. It is most widely celebrated in Uasa in the second-last week of Winter, but other Realms take this time to pay homage as well.
In the highlands of Baol, the first week of Summer is marked as the Ómós Ómra or the Days of Amber, when the Courtly Clanns tell tales of the Amber Hall and the great protection and honour once granted to them by the King and Queen. The lowlanders of Baol celebrate this time too, but mostly because the highlanders are too engaged in their revels to mount any raids upon their neighbours.