Calendar System

Here you'll find information on the calendar we use for our game, and how we've implented said use.

Elven Calendar
The elven calendar divides the year into eight parts, collectively called "savaeds"; most of them share the name with the holiday that starts them.

The elven New Year is celebrated on Samhain and not January 1 like in the real world.

The Elven calendar is divided up by 8 points: 4 holidays during a new moon, 2 solstices, and 2 equinoxes.

Some savaeds and holidays have both a Common and Elven name (Elven names are in brackets).

Merely for reference, the real world date-approximate is listed immediately after the name of the in-game "savaed". Following the real world date-approximate, is how long the in-game holiday and/or month itself lasts.

HOLIDAY/NEW YEAR • Samhain (Saovine) • 31 October • 1 day

1st Savaed • Samhain (Saovine) • 01 November – 20 December • 50 days

SOLSTICE/HOLIDAY • Yule/Midwinter (Midinvaerne) • 21 December • 1 day

2nd Savaed • Yule • 21 December – 01 February • 43 days

HOLIDAY • Imbolc (Imbaelk) • 02 February • 1 day

3rd Savaed • Imbolc • 02 February – 20 March • 47 days

EQUINOX/HOLIDAY • Birke • 21 March • 1 day

4th Savaed • Birke • 21 March – 30 April • 41 days

HOLIDAY • Beltane (Belleteyn) • 01 May • 1 day

5th Savaed • Blathe • 01 May – 20 June • 51 days

SOLSTICE/HOLIDAY • Midsummer (Midaëte) • 21 June • 1 day

6th Savaed • Feainn • 21 June – 31 July • 41 days

HOLIDAY • Lughnasadh (Lammas) • 01 August • 1 day

7th Savaed • Lughnasadh (Lammas) • 01 August – 23 September • 53 days

EQUINOX/HOLIDAY • Velen • 23 September • 1 day

8th Savaed • Velen • 23 September – 31 October • 39 days

LEAP DAY • 29 February • 1 day (Every 4 years)

This calendar is based on the assumption that a year in the Witcher world is 365/366 days long and that the astrological and mythological phenomena happen at about the same time of the year as in the northern hemisphere of our own world.

One should note that the Witcher universe has slightly smaller years as the beginning of each month is marked by a new moon, making each month roughly 28-30 days long, rather than 30-31 like the Gregorian calendar.

In-Game Use
We have some wiggle room with our date system. On the left side bar, on the main page of our game, we keep track of which in-game "savaed" (i.e. month) we're currently in. Players have some flexibility to still roleplay a month ahead or behind, however. There is a designated "flashback" section, however, for stories that occur many months or years prior. Jumping ahead of the current timeline by over two months or more is not allowed.

New Threads
Every first post of every new thread requires a date at the top, listed in OOC, to inform thread-mates as well as other players when the events of the thread itself have occurred. It should be dated by the day in question, followed by the savaed/month, the year, and time of day. More information about this can be found via our Posting Guide.

Example:

(OCC: 4 Blathe, 1280 - Early Morning)

Tracking Timelines
The dates of threads should be logged by their players, to keep track of their characters, in our Thread Tracker section. Generally, you would list these by date followed by the name of the thread in question.

Flashbacks
Threads that take place before the current year in question should not be posted on the main location boards, but in our designated Days Past section.

Correspondence
Players should always date their character's letters, regardless of whether or not they are sending or replying to them. For replies, keep in mind how long it may have taken for your character to have received said letter if it was sent over a long distance. You can post these in our game's in-character Correspondence section.