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A CHYBISAN ALMANAC 1

S
everal calendars are in use on Hârn. Most are The team can do as much as one acre a day; most villages
religious calendars used by churches and their have sufficient oxen to complete the plowing within 60
holy orders to mark the passage of time in days.
accordance with their own traditions and The spring thaw signals the time the miners return to the
beliefs. The one calendar in common usage reckons dates Anadel Hills to re-open the mines, repair damage caused
from the founding of the Kingdom of Melderyn and is by the harsh winter or marauding Bujoc, and drain them
referred to as "Tuzyn Reckoning." Under this system the of water that accumulated over the winter. Timbercutters
year is divided into twelve months, the names of which and charcoalers set to work providing the fuel which will
have religious origins. Each month is based on the cycle of be used in the smelting and refining that follows.
Yael, Kethira's moon, which is almost exactly thirty days.
As the strong winter winds subside, Chybisan
Yael is full on the fifteenth of each month and new (dark)
maritime trade resumes. Niviks carry trade to markets as
on the thirtieth day of each month.
far away as Aleath, while talbars and barges trade along
the river.
A TIME FOR ALL THINGS
Unlike many of us, the people of Chybisa are Early spring is the foaling season and their birthing
constantly surrounded by reminders of the rhythm of heralds the Great Horse Fair that follows in the month of
nature. Even the kingdom's capital of Burzyn is hemmed Peonu.
in by farmland, with the peasant's activity in the fields
forming a backdrop to the scenery of the town-dweller's
Peonu
daily life. To Chybisans, the passage of time is not a
Peoni's month begins with the Restoration Festival,
turning of the calendar's page. It is measured in the
a Peonian celebration of spring's renewal of life after the
spring thaw, the turning of the soil, the sowing, and the
dark and cold of winter. Last year's straw idol is taken
harvest, and punctuated with the passage of the great
from the village shrine and ceremoniously burned in the
spring and fall caravans and the hustle and bustle of the
newly sown field while a new one, made of the hay left
market fairs they bring. The vernal equinox falls on the
from last year's harvest, is installed in the shrine.
first day of Nuzyael, marking both the beginning of
spring and the beginning of the New Year. Sowing and harrowing of the spring crops is
usually complete by early Peonu and children defend the
newlysown seed from crows and other marauding birds
SPRING
with slings.
HARNIC TERRAN SUNRISE SUNSET The first plowing of the fallow is usually complete
MONTH DATES 1st / 16th 1st / 16th by the end of the month.
Nuzyael March 21 05:53 18:08 With sowing of the fields complete, attention turns
April 20 05:28 18:32 to gardens. They grow not only such staples of the
peasant diet as cabbages but also cash crops such as flax
Peonu April 21 05:04 18:57
and hemp. Dyeplants like madder (red), woad (blue),
May 21 04:45 19:15
dyer's greenweed (green) and weld (yellow) are also
Kelen May 22 04:26 19:35 grown in gardens, for home use as well as for sale to
June 20 04:18 19:42 clothiers and at the market. Culinary and medicinal
herbs, such as parsley, fennel, celery, camomile, mint,
Nuzyael
summer savoury, catmint, mustard, opium poppy and
Winter crops (wheat and rye), planted last Halane,
coriander, also find places in the garden.
already cover about half of the active field.
Cows come back into full milk as pastures go green,
Sowing and harrowing of the spring crops (barley,
an event which in some areas is believed to be associated
oats, peas, beans and vetches) on the remainder of the
with the eclipse of Yael on the 14th day of Peonu. This is
active field begins with the new year.
a holdover from religious practices common to the region
Meanwhile, plow teams begin the first plowing of before the arrival of Peonian missionaries; today such
the fallow fields while the soil is still soft enough to turn beliefs are carefully discouraged by Peonian clerics.
easily. Each team consists of a heavy plow pulled by four
The eclipse of Yael also marks the beginning of the
to eight oxen, guided by a plowman and an ox-goader.
Great Horse Fair, the time when the Hodiri bring their

A Chybisan Almanac 2.1 ©2015 Sophia Tribad & HârnWorld

N. Robin Crossby, Columbia Games, Inc. and Kelestia Productions, Ltd. Peoni's Tear
 A CHYBISAN ALMANAC 2
two-year old horses to market in Burzyn, trading them for Kelen is the traditional month for the Peonian
the products of civilization. The barbarians arrive when Oedolynaech, or fourth baptism, and in some areas of the
they arrive, but the fair always runs through the end of kingdom the haymaking is part of that rite of passage,
the month when it merges with the market fair that marking one step in the transition to adulthood when a
accompanies the arrival of the annual Genin's Trail youth is permitted to wield the scythe. Those not yet old
caravan. enough to mow follow behind, turning the hay to ensure
The Feast of Saint Fardir falls on 16 Peonu, with a it dries evenly.
tournament at Namadees sponsored by the Order of the In areas where three plowings of the fallow field
Spear of Shattered Sorrow and the Lady of Paladins. are the norm the second is generally begun after the
Tradition holds that Fardir's last battle was fought near haymaking. This plowing is a little deeper than the first to
the present-day abbey, and that the silver spearhead of expose the roots of weeds to the air and Nolomar's rays.
Protector, his enchanted spear, is hidden in the hills of As much manure as is available is spread on the field
Anadel across the river from Ulmstane. before the teams begin their work.
Merchants from Thay who form the Genin's Trail The end of the month brings the shearing of the
Caravan begin arriving in Burzyn as early as 24 Peonu. sheep, marking the end of spring.
There they become part of Burzyn's semi-annual market
fair as the great caravan grows in size and prepares to SUMMER
continue their journey to Tashal. The caravan brings the
raw materials of trade and the renowned Thay pottery, HARNIC TERRAN SUNRISE SUNSET
but Melderyni merchants arriving at Burzyn's dock to MONTH DATES 1st / 16th 1st / 16th
join them also carry luxuries from Lythia - olives, wine Nolus June 21 04:09 19:50
and spirits, spices, incense, sponges, exotic dyes, rare July 21 04:18 19:42
quicksilver, ivory, pearls, fine linens and sometimes silk
and cotton. Chybisan merchants join the caravan as it Larane July 22 04:26 19:33
leaves Burzyn, taking Hodiri horses, Sindarin and August 21 04:46 19:14
Chymak craftwork, and refined Chybisan metals from the Agrazhar August 22 05:06 18:54
mines of Anadel to the markets of Tashal. September 22 05:18 18:42

Kelen Nolus
Haymaking is the main event of Kelen, and in Chybisa it The second plowing of the fallow field is usually
is a communal activity of games and competitions. complete by the end of Nolus. In the active fields, the
loathsome task of weeding is the most important task.
For the peasantry, Nolus is the hungry month.
Grain stores are at their lowest ebb, awaiting
replenishment from the forthcoming harvest, and
peasants in need eke out their diet by foraging and
many no doubt by poaching. The Angyla Festival, held
on the 27th in most parts of Chybisa, gives some relief,

A Chybisan Almanac 2.1 ©2015 Sophia Tribad & HârnWorld

N. Robin Crossby, Columbia Games, Inc. and Kelestia Productions, Ltd. Peoni's Tear
F
A CHYBISAN ALMANAC 3
with a day of revelry highlighted by a grand feast that is AUTUMN
typically sponsored by the wealthier villagers. This is the
traditional occasion for the Peonian Frinaech, or third HARNIC TERRAN SUNRISE SUNSET
baptism, marking the passage from infancy to childhood MONTH DATES 1st / 16th 1st / 16th
for those who will be old enough to participate in next
Azura September 23 05:54 18:06
month's harvest.
October 22 06:05 17:55
Halane October 23 06:41 17:18
Larane November 22 02:02 16:58
The main grain harvest begins in Larane if the
weather allows and usually is completed by the end of Savor November 23 07:22 16:37
the month. The winter crops (wheat and rye) ripen and December 21 07:30 16:30
are harvested first, followed by the spring grains (barley
and oats). A team of five people - four reapers and a Azura
binder - can harvest two acres of crops a day. Peoni's faithful begin the month with fasting, prayer
The harvest iis interrupted for at least and meditation in preparation for the Harvest
two days to celebrate the Laranian Feast of Home Festival. Their fast is broken on the
Saint Ambrathas. Burzyn's Sabalyne Common fourth day with a lavish feast on the bounty of
resembles a camp of war as knights the fresh harvest. The Harvest Home
from all over Chybisa, accompanied by Festival bridges religious affiliations,
their retainers and men-at-arms, and all present in the village
converge for the tournament take part in the festivities.
hosted there on 17 Larane by the By Azura beechnuts and
Temple of Larani. As this is also the acorns are ripening and falling, and
traditional date for the knighting of swineherds drive their charges
squires, the tournament opens into the woods to forage for
with the concluding rites of the them, a process known as pannaging.
Laranian Tirannon ritual. More Whatever wild fruits and nuts are
ambitious knights often choose available are also collected for
instead to make the journey to human consumption. Wheat
Olokand for the Chelebin Tournament of stubble, which was left standing in the
Chivalry (12 - 22 Larane), Kaldor's most fields, is gathered in to mix with hay as
important tourney. winter fodder.
The third and final plowing of the
Agrazhar fallow field is done prior to next month's
Winnowing and threshing are the main works as sowing of the winter crops. Livestock are turned out onto
the grain harvest is carefully prepared for storage. Left the previously active fields to graze whatever stubble
unground, grain can last several years if kept dry and free remains.
from vermin. Flour has a much shorter shelf-life, and
milling the grain is done as and when necessary. Beans
Halane
and peasecods are brought in from the fields and
The celebrations of Azura are followed by the
carefully dried as a source of both food and animal
accounting of Halane. Rents, debts and obligations are
fodder over winter.
summed and paid. Serfs who failed to meet their labor
Flax, hemp and other cash crops are harvested obligations are fined, with the debt usually paid in kind
from the garden and carefully prepared to make them rather than coin. Manorial lords have their own
ready for use in the indoor months of winter. The fruit obligations to pay and it is in Halane that tribute, aid and
harvest begins late in the month; some will be put into scutage usually comes due.
storage, while some goes into ciders in preparation for
In urban areas, landlords begin collecting from their
next month's Harvest Home Festival.
tenants the property taxes that will fall due on the first of
Savor.

A Chybisan Almanac 2.1 ©2015 Sophia Tribad & HârnWorld

N. Robin Crossby, Columbia Games, Inc. and Kelestia Productions, Ltd. Peoni's Tear
 A CHYBISAN ALMANAC 4
On the manor, the previously fallow field becomes mercenaries. With the mines closed, the miners' barge
the next year's active field with the sowing and traffic ceases and there is little other traffic on the river.
harrowing of the winter crops (wheat and rye). The cold and rain of winter largely confine peasants
Old stock and swine are slaughtered in Halane and indoors where they perform whatever tasks they can to
smoked or salted to provide a supply of meat, however while away the hours and perhaps earn a little cash:
meager, for the coming winter. hemp is wound into rope or cord; flax and wool are spun
Reeds and sedges are cut to be dried for thatching, into yarn; women weave and embroider; men carve or
and bracken is gathered to use as winter bedding for engage in other handicrafts.
cattle. Threshing and winnowing continue whenever the When the weather permits, villagers will assart
weather is too wet to do outside work. woods and maintain the fief's fences, bridges and ditches.
The Genin's Trail Caravan returns to Burzyn at the
end of the month, with their arrival marking the Navek
beginning of Burzyn's autumn market fair (23 - 25 The noble class entertains itself during the
Halane). Still called the Salt Fair, it is better known for dormancy of winter with formal courts and less formal
more exotic goods carried from the great fair at Tashal: fetes. More than an exercise in hospitality, these occasions
perfume from Tharda; amber, fur and rich honey from give the host an opportunity to display his wealth, power,
Orbaal; gems, jewelry, arms and armour from Azadmere; and prestige to his peers as well as his vassals. The barons
brassware and fine cloth from Kanday; and vellum and of Chybisa typically host these affairs during the month
fine Vemionshire wool from Kaldor. of Navek.
Savor For the peasant class, the monotony of the short
The month begins in urban areas with the payment days and long winter nights is broken only by the onset
of the annual property tax. Landlords are responsible for of calf birthing.
the tax, even if they have failed to collect it from their
The month ends on the Night of Shadows with, as
tenants.
superstitious folk believe, the night of Navek's new moon
In rural areas, preparations for the hardships of heralding the arrival on Kethira of demons and the
winter are well underway. The last of the meats are servants of evil gods for a thirteen-day reign of mischief
salted and smoked and what little threshing work and terror. In some rural areas of Chybisa, huge bonfires
remains is completed. light the night sky, intended to drive the demons away.
Talbars and barges continue their trade along the
river, but by the end of Savor most sea-going vessels
Morgat
have returned to their ports for the winter.
Morgat is the time for the pruning of orchards and,
where they grow, the vineyards.
WINTER
Late in the month, the end of winter is heralded by
HARNIC TERRAN SUNRISE SUNSET the onset of lamb and kid birthing, prompting peasants
MONTH DATES 1st / 16th 1st / 16th and craftsmen to repair tools in preparation for the
coming spring.
Ilvin 22 December 07:39 16:21
21 January 07:29 16:31 The year ends with the Royal Court, the occasion
when Chybisa's barons and other important and
Navek 22 January 07:20 16:41
influential people enjoy the hospitality of the crown.
21 February 06:58 17:02
Morgat 22 February 06:37 17:23
20 March 06:15 17:45

Ilvin CREDITS
The onset of winter brings the closing of the mines.
Those deemed safe from the ravages of the barbarians are
Writer...Sophia Tribad
left to the elements; the others are left in the care of Editor...Konnel Damiano
Art....... Public Domain

A Chybisan Almanac 2.1 ©2015 Sophia Tribad & HârnWorld

N. Robin Crossby, Columbia Games, Inc. and Kelestia Productions, Ltd. Peoni's Tear