Calendar of the Bless'd Lands

I love calendars. They are my favorite parts of a setting and super important to me when it comes to making me feel immersed and informing decisions. So, here's a calendar for the Bless'd Lands.

Sun Stone, the inspiration for this calendar.

CYCLE OF THE HALF-SUN

&

THE MEASUREMENT OF ARMAGEDDON'S HUNT

The calendar was created once it was made clear that the City of the Dragon Wife was the only city left remaining, and after the rise of Tiamat and the death of the God-King. Dates before this are unmeasured and forgotten. As it is widely believed that the Bless'd Lands are the afterlife, then its current incarnation is considered its own world, and therefore philosophically no days before the beginning of this calendar exist.

The calendar is named as it follows the cycle of days created by the half-sun, as well as a prophecy dictating how long it will take to slay Tiamat and end rebirth the world.

A day holds 6 moments. A single moment is equal to 4 hours of time, meaning that a standard day is around 24 hours. Each moment contains 240 minutes, measured one by one. The correct notation of this would be [Number of passed minutes] [Moment's name]. Example: 146 Murdered God. The moments are divided as follows.

1. Moment of the Widowed Moon. From our midnight to 4 A.M. Named as such because it is believed that this is when the moon's lover died, unleashing dragons upon the world.
2. Moment of the Murdered God. From 4 A.M to 8 A.M. Named as such because this is when the Radiant Saint murdered the God-King.
3. Moment of Butchery & Lovemaking. From 8 A.M to noon. Named as such because this is when butchers and other laborers begin their days. Also an auspicious time for having children.
4. Moment of Heliography & Law. From noon to 4 P.M. Named as such because this is when the half-sun is bright and Sintotec openly meditates, allowing painters and authorities to use their mirrors for heliography.
5. Moment of Sweat & Skill. From 4 P.M to 8 P.M. Named as such because it is the second half of the 8-hour work day, where laborers work on their more difficult projects.
6. Moment of Closed-Eyed Hashish. From 8 P.M to midnight. Named as such because it is where most workers wind down or party, smoking hashish and going to sleep.

The year consists of 365 of days, broken up into eighteen 20-day months. There are 5 additional names, which are sacred days observed throughout the year. The months are broken up into Sacred Seasons, where one god in particular is venerated and where that god is the strongest. In this way, these gods rule the city in the God-King's absence, allowing for order. Allalotl and Sintotec share one season, and Ereshteteo does not have her own season due to her exile. The days have no names, and are simply given numbers 1-20. Years are named by Handless Priests during the New Year and are prophetic. The correct way of saying the date is [Day Number] [Month Name], [Name of Year]. Example: 14 Shed Blood, Nine Lost Stars. 

People of the Bless'd Lands do not recognize a zodiac or constellations as a whole. The Handless Priests do, and so that information is best left to them, who can understand and manipulate it as needed.

Below are described the 3 Sacred Seasons and their corresponding months. Being born during a certain month ascribes you a personality trait. 

Sacred Season of the Twin Monarchs

Gods Held Sacred: Veiled Weeper Allalotl & Half-Sun Sintotec

Months

1. Days to Share Tears. Allalotl starts the year our with a month of mourning for the many losses sustained in the Bless'd Lands. Being born this month implies a character of deep sadness.
2. Days to Revere Honors. Sintotec's month is dedicated to remembering the honor of those that fought to save the God-King. Being born this month implies a character who is self-sacrificing.
3. Days to Shed Blood. Sintoteic's next month is dedicated to blood sacrifice and killing drakes. Being born this month implies one will live a violent life.
4. Days to Have Children. Allalotl's next month is dedicated to having children, and for honoring the Dragon Wives' inability to have children. Being born this month implies one will become a Dragon Wife.
5. Days to Polish Opal. Allalotl's last month is dedicated to remembering the Old Opal Kings and the worlds before now. Being born this month implies one's legacy will be bright.
6. Days to Melt Gold. Sintotec's last month is dedicated to forging weapons and making armor. Being born this month implies one will be ever-ready for problems they face in life.

Sacred Season of the Gatekeeper

God Held Sacred: Gatekeeper Metamm

Months

1. Days of Foreign Dead. Metamm starts his season with a month dedicated to foreigners appearing in the city. Being born this month implies a character that will travel far.
2. Days of Deep Blue. The next month is dedicated stories and festivals taking place between Moments of Sweat & Skills and Closed-Eye Hashish. Being born this month implies a character who loves to do wild stunts to enjoy themselves.
3. Days of Written Pslams. The next month is dedicated to laws, cuneiform tablets, and the speaking of poetry. Being born this month implies a character with artistic talent.
4. Days of Stone Angels. The next month is dedicated to improving the defenses of the city, as well as producing lots of food and goods to last for the next season. Being born this month implies a fastidious character.
5. Days of Mortal Reminders. The next month is dedicated to those with long, red shadows making preparations to go out into the dunes. Being born this month implies one will become a gatherer.
6. Days of Drunk Blood. Metamm's final month is dedicated to auto-sacrifice by the city's population, which the gods then drink and give to Xoash. Being born this month implies one will live a devout life.

Sacred Season of the Hidden Seer.

God Held Sacred: Blood Dream Xoash.

Months

1. Days when Harvests End. Xoash starts his season with the final harvest from the city's gardens. Being born this month implies a character that will become someone relied upon.
2. Days when Work Births. The next month is dedicated to working on and planning projects that will go on over the course of the next year. Being born this month implies someone who is optimistic.
3. Days when Sin Confesses. The next month is dedicated to parades of criminals and showing the virtues of a righteous person. Being born this month implies a strong sense of justice.
4. Days when Divine Rests. The next month is dedicated to writing down all the visions Xoash gives to the people in their dreams and nightmares. Being born this month implies someone has a great destiny.
5. Days when Sacrifices Bless. The next month is dedicated to the sacrifice of prisoners, volunteer warriors, and losers in games. Being born this month implies someone with a pious character.
6. Days when Handless Write. The next month is dedicated to the oracle-rants of the Handless Priests being discussed publicly. Being born this month implies someone who is of charismatic character.

The 5 Holidays

1. New Year's Death. The last day of the year, where operas recreate the death of the God-King. Everyone wears black and thin blindfolds so as not to see the sun, just as their king no longer can. People eat half a portion of food and leave the other portion for the elements to devour, in hopes that it'll restore life to the Bless'd Lands. Old Opal Kings walk the wall and rooftops.
2. The Day of New Fire. The first day of the new year, where people dance naked in the streets, light fires, and share the fires with each other. Sintotec kills one of his volunteer warriors and the flame is distributed to the houses of people who have lost loved ones the previous year. Day ends with people watching the sunset of the half-sun and then festivities all night until the Moment of the Widowed Moon begins.
3. When Perfect Masks Are Worn. This holiday happens at the beginning of the Sacred Season of the Gatekeeper. Everyone wears masks and elaborate costumes throughout the day. Foreigners stand out more because of this, who are treated as honored guests and who are given guides. Some people celebrated this holiday for the entire of the Days of Foreign Dead. Funerals are held at the end of the day for all guests.
4. When Shooting Stars Are Captured. This holiday happens between the Days of Stone Angels and the Days of Mortal Reminders. Shooting stars are drawn in paint and, the next day, heliographed into buildings and bridges across the city. These shooting stars are believed to be omens that the Handless Priests can read and decipher, empowering their oracular abilities. Also a good excuse to make some dope art.
5. When Kings Walk Among Us. This holiday happens between the Days of Holy Rest and the Days of Fresh Sacrifice. Old Opal Kings and other Burned Ghosts wander the streets. They travel in a parade from dusk to dawn to the Dragon Wive's Pyramid, appearing from thin air to begin their march. People cook large meals and leave them out, and the meals are in turn turned to ash. At the end of the day, the ghosts fade, and it rains pure water over the city. There is no work done on this day.

Years

Below is a number of year names. In the final book there'll be a d100 table of these, or something similar. There are great debates surrounding the names Handless Priest give years. They always have three words making them up.

• Silks Burn Blood
• Mountains Make Queens
• Hurry Faster Hurry
• Wolves Eat Gods
• Gods Eat Wolves
• Something Rises No
• Blink And Shatter
• Moths Eat Hearts
• Moon Sets Gold
• Impossible Death Yesterday
• Sun Bleeds Sons
• Moon Makes Might
• Teeth Gnash Throat
• Nine Lost Stars
• Heaven Valleys Sunk
• Water Floods Night
• Angels Cry Plagues
• Stone Crumbles Flowers
• Feathers Blossom Birds
• Valley Deepens Brightly
• Sky Weeps Omens
• Crane Standing Still
• Wife Loses Heart
• Husband Finds Demon
• Sin In Heaven

A lot of these work as campaign titles. Pick one and say to yourself "I will decipher this and make a campaign out of it."