The Arraxian Empire once spanned across most of the civilized nations of Cordia. Its rule was tyrannical and absolute but did have the side effect of introducing many shared customs and norms to previously disparate cultures. For better or worse, the Arraxian common tongue, system of currency, and calendar are all still in use throughout the four nations of the Mirren Accord, despite Arraxian rule having ended nearly 400 years ago. The unified calendar system has allowed communications, trade, and scholarly pursuits to flourish between nations and helped usher Cordia into its current modern age.
Creating a Calendar
Creating a custom calendar for my D&D world felt a bit eccentric at first. I assumed that none of my players would bother to learn it or use it in-game. To an extent, I was correct on that front. However, I’ve found that having a calendar system and actually using it to keep track of in-game events has made me a better GM. Not only is it easy to look up an answer when my players ask when or how long ago an in-game event happened, but it helps me keep track of upcoming plot points or the activities of NPCs, factions, or the BBEG.
Once I came up with a calendar, actually using it during my sessions was trivially easy. I created a simple Google Sheet to keep track of in-game events for my current campaign. I keep that document very high level, only tracking the date, a brief summary of the party’s activities, any other relevant events in the world, and the session(s) that took place on that date. It usually takes me less than a minute at the end of each session to update the document and I have gotten some amazing returns on that time investment. I’ve provided a snippet of that document below.
I have seen other fantasy worlds with calendars quite different from the one we use in our world - longer/shorter weeks, different numbers of months, no such thing as months, wildly longer/shorter years, etc. While it can be a fun worldbuilding exercise, I chose to go with a calendar that is quite similar to our own because, frankly, I’m a lazy GM and my players are even lazier. I didn’t want to create a completely alien calendar that would then be clunky for me to actually use in session or explain to my players. If you are the kind of person that can easily convert weeks and months into parsecs and flimflams on the fly, then I envy you.
Simple doesn’t mean boring though - or at least I don’t think it has to. While creating my calendar I found that asking simple questions led to some very interesting worldbuilding and helped to flesh out parts of my world that I hadn’t really thought about before. How did this month get its name? Why is this calendar used across separate cultures? Are there cultures that don’t use this calendar? Thinking through the answers to the questions that come up while creating your own calendar can force you to think differently about the cultures of your world and how they interact with each other.
I’m not going to try and lay out a set process on how to create a calendar. Mostly because I don’t know how to do it myself. If I had to break down the process I used it would be as follows:
- Think about how “alien” you want your calendar to be.
- Start with a framework (number of days/weeks/months in a year).
- Start building your lore on top of that.
- Tweak things until the calendar feels like something that could naturally be found in your world.
For the calendar of Cordia, I knew I wanted something similar to our own calendar with some “fantasy bullshit” thrown in. I tweaked things as I went until I ended up with something that both made sense in the lore of my world while also functioning as a useful tool to add to my GM toolbelt. I’ve provided the latest version of Cordia’s calendar below. As always, I hope it sparks some ideas for my fellow worldbuilders and GMs out there!
Cordia’s Calendar
There are 340 days in a year. These are divided into 12 months of 28 days each (with 4 days left over, more on that below). Each month consists of 4 weeks with 7 days in each week. The twelve months of the year are listed below along with the origin of their names. Most months are named after loved ones or close friends of Emperor Arraxian. The God-Emperor, ever humble, did not name a month after himself.
- Solyr - Named after Solis, the dragon of the sun.
- Tahyr - Named for Tahriel’s Comet, which appears during this month each year.
- Raika - Named after Emperor Arraxian’s late mother, Raika.
- Tectyr - Named after Tectus, the dragon of the earth.
- Ord - The draconic word for “brother” in honor of Emperor Arraxian’s late brother.
- Malyr - Named after Emperor Arraxian’s late father, Malachai.
- Ashkyr - Named after Ashka, the dragon of the sky.
- Zephyr - Named after one of the Empire’s most accomplished generals, Zepha Stormchaser.
- Rahim - Named after the great volcano in what is now the southern wastes of the Arraxian Empire.
- Sekyr - Named after Sekona, the dragon of the sea.
- Galyr - Named after the dragon, Gallia, that Emperor Arraxian rode into battle on.
- Rhegyr - Named after Rhega, the dragon of the moon.
The last 4 days of the year are known as the Lost Days. The Lost Days are not a part of any month and are considered to be outside the calendar. They sit between the last month of the previous year and the first month of the new year. Many cultures have festivals and traditions during these days and certain magics are said to be heightened, making it a popular time for mages to perform rituals.
Historical Ages
On a larger scale, scholars have divided historical eras into logical units known as ages. A specific year is generally represented in “<year> <age>” format. For example, the 12th year of the Crimson age would be written as “12 Crimson.” A full date is usually written as “<day> <month>, <year> <age>.” So the 20th day of the month of Galyr in the 12th year of the Crimson age would be written as “20 Galyr, 12 Crimson.” Though there is some debate amongst historians as to exactly how long certain ages may have lasted, the most commonly accepted timeline is listed below.
The Divine Age (Unknown Eons)
Almost nothing concrete is known about the eons in which Cordia was formed. The Divine age spans from the elemental forces raging for eons to the arrival of the Twin Gods, Ira and Ilune, and the creation myth of Cordia.
The Pristine Age (Unknown Millenia)
Very little is known about the Pristine age and most of what is known cannot be traced to a specific year with any degree of accuracy. The Pristine age begins with the formation of Cordia by the Twin Gods. The exact length of the age is unknown but is estimated to be thousands of years. In this time, the Primal Wyrms created most of the beasts and plants that still occupy Cordia to this day. Ira and Ilune walked through the untouched forests and fields, enjoying Cordia in perfect balance.
Ira and Ilune also created their first and only true child, Hela, during the Pristine age. It was during this age that Hela traveled all across Cordia as its sole inhabitant. Exhausted, the Twin Gods took time to rest and recover as Hela explored their new home. The Pristine age ended when Hela created the first mortals.
The Age of Hela (~1,000 Years)
The age of Hela was a time of explosive growth and change across Cordia. Hela spent roughly 1,000 years creating the various mortal races that still inhabit the land to this day. They nurtured their creations and taught mortals not only how to survive the harsh elements of Cordia, but how to thrive and change the world around them. When the Twin Gods turned their attention back to Cordia and saw what Hela had done they were enraged. They used the power of the Primal Wyrms to create dragons and giants as weapons to wipe out the mortals. Their first assault marked the start of the First War and the end of the age of Hela.
The Crimson Age (~110 Years)
The dragons and giants, led by the Twin Gods, assaulted Hela’s armies of mortals without mercy. Ira and Ilune sought nothing short of the extermination of all mortal races from Cordia and its return to pristine harmony. Countless mortals, giants, and dragons died over the next century in what would become known simply as the First War. It was only Hela’s sacrifice at Mount Jaikon and the forging of the divine covenant that brought the First War and the Crimson age to an end.
The Spring Age (802 Years)
Following the First War and the divine covenant, a vow made by the gods to allow mortals to live in peace, Ira and Ilune left Cordia in sorrow to watch over Hela’s creations from afar. They created a new plane for themselves, Axis, as well as two more planes: Halcyon and the Abyss. The Twin Gods also created the reincarnation cycle by which mortal souls would continuously rejoin the cycle of life until they were deemed worthy of eternal peace in Halcyon or eternal damnation in the Abyss.
Though most cultures were brought close to the brink of collapse by the First War, mortal life began to recover and flourish once again on Cordia. The different races of Hela’s creation spread far and wide, planting their roots and growing strong, diverse societies. It would take centuries for civilization to advance back to anything close to resembling its previous glory. Fire and blood defined the previous age but the Spring age became known as a time of growth and healing.
The Age of Towers (1,024 Years)
As time passed, villages and tribes grew into cities and nations. The age of Towers saw many kingdoms rise and fall. The borders of the known world expanded as nations grew and pushed back the untamed wilds. It was a time of political turmoil, exploration, technological advancement, and grand adventure. The events of this age echo in legends still told to this day.
The Moon Age (493 Years)
The balance of power in the world was shattered when Arraxian I, king of a powerful nation to the south, declared himself God-Emperor of Cordia and began his conquest over the rest of the civilized world. Arraxian’s own incredible power combined with his nation’s nearly unrivaled technology led him to conquer most of the continent over the course of a centuries long campaign. It took the intervention of the Primal Wyrm of the moon, Rhega, to finally stop the Arraxian armies. However, Emperor Arraxian slew the great dragon in a climactic battle, causing the moon itself to shatter.
Rhega had dealt a mortal blow to the Emperor but he still lived. Rhega’s death caused the other four Primal Wyrms to retaliate with devastating fury. Together they chased down the wounded Emperor Arraxian and, although they could not kill him, he was forced to retreat into hiding to recover. Rhega’s death and Emperor Arraxian’s retreat marked the end of the Moon age and a significant turning point for all of Cordia’s inhabitants.
The Dawn Age (379 Years, Present Day)
Emperor Arraxian’s retreat allowed for much of his conquered lands to be liberated. The Arraxian Empire was shrunk down to a fraction of its former power but it still holds some territories and patiently waits for its leader to return. The rest of Cordia has begun the process of healing from the damage dealt by centuries of war. Progress towards a brighter future has been made but with one of the Primal Wyrms dead and the world far out of balance, Cordia’s fate is still uncertain as this new age dawns.