Player Quick Guide

You do not need to understand Aerethian astronomy to play on Aereth. For everyday play, remember:

• A day is 24 hours.

• A year is approximately 365¼ days.

• There are 12 Moons, corresponding to January through December for ease of play.

• Aereth's ordinary seasons work much like Earth's and are governed primarily by its axial tilt.

• Aine is Aereth's small natural satellite and the historical reason months are called Moons.

• Aereth orbits Gwydion, the enormous ringed gas giant that dominates its sky.

• Gwydion and Aereth orbit Bel, their sun, within the system's habitable zone.

• The Shroud occurs approximately once each Moon and is associated with a recurring celestial alignment involving Aereth, Aine, Gwydion, Bel, and the Ley.

• The Ley follows a 4,000-year cycle: Waxing → Argent → Waning → Obscura. These long cycles influence Aereth's climate and magic but do not change how players count ordinary days, months, or years.

• The current year is 1250 AC — After Conquest.

That's all a player needs for ordinary roleplay. The remainder of this guide is for those who want to know more about the worlds and skies of Aereth.

Turns

Ordinary calendars measure days and years. Aereth's greater history is also measured against the immense cycle of the Ley, the luminous bands of magical energy surrounding Gwydion and visible from Aereth as the Rings of Gwydion.

These cycles are called Turns.

A complete Turn lasts approximately 4,000 years and passes through four periods, each lasting roughly one thousand years.

Argent

• At their brightest, the Ley are called Argent.
• All three great bands shine brilliantly and may be visible even during daylight. At night they appear as immense ribbons of blue, gold, and silver-white light across the sky.
• The climate during Argent is generally temperate throughout much of the known world, with four recognizable seasons.

Waning

• After Argent, the Ley begin gradually to dim.
• Dark bands become more noticeable between the luminous rings, sometimes appearing to flicker like distant lightning. Over the centuries, winters grow longer and summers shorter.

Obscura

• At their dimmest, the Ley enter Obscura.
• Only faint traces of the rings remain visible, and Aereth enters the coldest portion of its great climatic cycle. The most severe periods of Obscura have produced the Ages of Ice remembered throughout Aereth's history.
• These are dangerous ages not only because of the cold. The influence of Shadow is traditionally believed to strengthen as the Ley fade.

Waxing

• Following Obscura, the Ley begin to brighten again.
• Winters gradually shorten, daylight strengthens, and the world slowly emerges from the long cold.
• Aereth is presently within a Waxing period.

The Shroud (Gwydion's Monthly Eclipse)

Dominating the sky is the massive omnipresence of Gwydion. The gas planet is large enough that two outstretched fingers don't cover it. Gwydion’s movement is determined by both the daily rotation of Aereth and Aereth's monthly orbit around the gas giant. Gwydion is so large that every month it completely covers Bel in eclipse. The cycle isn't precisely 30 days, but shifted by about 10 hours each day. Midwinter, when the eclipse is directly overhead at noon, is when the marking of a new year begins.

The orbit of Gwydion is 365 days (one Aereth year). Each eclipse denotes the end of a month (30 days, 10 hours).

These eclipses are known as The Shroud and there is a worldwide belief that it is a day of evil portent. The majority of Aereth’s inhabitants believe that the Veil between the worlds is thinnest during the Shroud. This allows the Shadowborn and Shadow-Touched easier access to the world of the Lightborn. Many people schedule their work and lives so that they can remain indoors during The Shroud.

• Midwinter Moon (New Year): Beginning/end of year, peak eclipse around Noon. (visible)

• End of 1st Moon (January): Peak occurs around 10pm. (not visible)

• End of 2nd Month (February): Peak occurs around 8am. (visible)

• End of 3rd Moon (March): Peak occurs around 6pm. (beginning visible)

• End of 4th Moon (April): Peak occurs around 4am. (end visible)

• End of 5th Moon (May): Peak occurs around 2pm. (visible)

• End of 6th Moon (June): Peak occurs around midnight. (not visible)

• End of 7th Moon (July): Peak occurs around 10am. (visible)

• End of 8th Moon (August): Peak occurs around 8pm. (beginning visible)

• End of 9th Moon (September): Peak occurs around 6am. (end visible)

• End of 10th Moon (October): Peak occurs around 4pm. (visible)

• End of 11th Moon (November): Peak occurs around 2am. (not visible)