The Long Count
The Long Count is a calendrical system first invented by the Tzu, an Iztomal people from Altaia, approximately 6,000 years ago. It relies on overlapping counts of days, one roughly corresponding with a human lifetime of 52 years, and the other with an extended era record. The calendar was picked up by the Zolintlacs and later by the Intecs; it was an integral part of chronological counting in both Ilhuiyoco and Huilcasonco, and continues to be so in modern Chaska.
Names are given below in translated form, so as not to confuse the reader.
Descriptions
Birthing Count
The Birthing Count is 260 days long, and runs through a cycle of twenty "names" and thirteen "numbers". This roughly corresponds to a human gestation cycle, from visibility to birth.
| No. | Name | No. | Name | No. | Name | No. | Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caiman/Crocodile | 6 | Snipe/Emu | 11 | Monkey | 16 | Vulture/Condor |
| 2 | Wind | 7 | Deer/Llama | 12 | Grass | 17 | Earthquake |
| 3 | House | 8 | Rabbit/Wallaby | 13 | Root | 18 | Knife |
| 4 | Lizard | 9 | Water | 14 | Jaguar/Marsupial Lion | 19 | Rain |
| 5 | Snake | 10 | Dog | 15 | Eagle/Duck | 20 | Flower |
Planting Count
The Planting Count is 365 days long—eighteen months of twenty days, and an additional five "death days" considered days of rest for the people of the Strait. One will be hard-pressed to find much in the way of business during these days, although there is considerable celebration and veneration of the dead during this time, particularly in southwestern Altaia. It is also during this time that one begins to see a change in the colour of the rings around Gotha; by the beginning of the new year, the change will be complete.
| No. | Name | No. | Name | No. | Name | No. | Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mat | 6 | Dog | 11 | White Storm | 16 | Song |
| 2 | Black Sun | 7 | White Sun | 12 | Red Storm | 17 | Turtle |
| 3 | Red Sun | 8 | Water | 13 | Feast | 18 | Stone |
| 4 | Bat | 9 | Black Storm | 14 | Yellow Sun | N/A | Death Days |
| 5 | Collar | 10 | Green Storm | 15 | Owl |
Building Count
The Building Count runs on a slightly different system than the other two, running in sequences of twenty days multiplied until longer eras can be calculated. In short:
| Count Unit | Count Period | Days | Solar Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Day | 1 | ||
| 1 Month | 20 days | 20 | |
| 1 Year | 18 months | 360 | 1 |
| 1 Vicennium | 20 years | 7,200 | 20 |
| 1 Period | 20 vicennia | 144,000 | 394 |
| 1 Age | 20 periods | 2,880,000 | 7,885 |
| 1 Aeon | 20 ages | 57,600,000 | 157,704 |
It should be noted that the Building Count does not directly match up with the Birthing or Planting Counts. The reasoning behind this is obscure, but it is believed that it matches up more perfectly with the mathematical expression of time preferred by the Tzu.
There are larger counts also used, but these are not listed here—or in general, unless speaking about the age of the world. A revised calendar putting the age of the world at over four billion years old has been suggested by the Chaskan Assembly, although this has faced multiple protests from traditionalists and modern businesspeople alike.
Chronology
According to the stelae, a starting date for all three calendars can be established on the spring equinox, 19 BRH. The current date is thus 0.0.19.10.17.#.#, with the number signs representing changeable dates. It is also, for the record, the 149th Cycle, a period of 52 years coinciding with both the Birthing and Planting Counts.