Timekeeping in Anaxas

Timekeeping, also called chronometry, is an area of scientific study concerned with the measurement of time. It is considered by most to be a magical pursuit.

History of Timekeeping

The The Everine within the University of Brunnhold (then called Bruanhald) were responsible for the first clock (called simply The Chronometer), which was built 98 years before the War of the Book. It was a major achievement at the time; it was a large clock face over the outer gate of Brunnhold, and soon after, several more appeared on prominent buildings within the university.

They completed the task with the help of a special branch of sorcery called quantitative magic, which deals in numerology. After initial discouraging failures, the Everine decided on a ten-hour day (to reflect the Circle Gods), and readjusted their quantitative incantations to the new clock. Since then, non-magical clocks have been invented and are now commonplace.

Timekeeping is thought of to be the first truly scientific achievement in Anaxas, and is revered religiously - indeed, the goddess Alioe did not come to prominence until Time became something that could be measured.

There is much debate surrounding the nature of Time, and many magical experiments have been attempted to harness its power, but so far these have been unsuccessful.

Clocks in religion

In Anaxi mythology, the Time Goddess Alioe guards over a sacred Deep Spring, which is slowly filled by tiny rivulets; each stream represents the passage of time for an individual. The older a person gets, the quicker the water flows into the Deep Spring. When a person dies, their stream has run dry; it is then refilled with the life-water of another individual. (This can be interpreted as reincarnation.)

To slow the passage of time for elders, the Anaxi people have a yearly celebration to honor the goddess Alioe, called Clock's Eve. In this celebration, elderly individuals rise and are bathed in moonwater, water that has been blessed by the Everine, and their life-streams are said to be rejuvenated. Newborns are also bathed in moonwater, as it is said to lengthen their life.

For everyone else, Clock's Eve is a night of festivities - drinking, dancing, and the rare co-mingling between the galdori, wicks, and passives. There are often shows of magic such as duels and light displays.

Humans celebrate Clock's Eve in a similar way, though they often play down the religious overtones.

Clocks in slang Because of the importance of timekeeping to Anaxi culture, the word "clock" is often used to express exasperation.

Usage example: "Clocking hell!" is commonly used, as is "for clock's sake," and "clock out" (a dismissive phrase).

One should note that the term "clockers" applies to the Everine, and is not at all perjorative. Indeed, it can be used affectionately, applied to hard workers who lose track of the time because of their dedication.