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Insanity
Acolyte
3 Posts |
 Posted - 12 Jan 2011 : 00:30:04
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Posted this at the WotC forums, and was suggested to ask here as well.
Out of curiousity, I wondered if any DMs who run the FRC had taken time to develop any sort of almanac for Faerūn?
Some way of determine the seasons, temperature, sunrise/set, moonrise/set, moon phase, etc.
I for one am keeping track of the time and date on the Calender of Harptos, and the season will change, and the adventurers may find themselves trekking across the land in the middle of winter.
The Campaign Guide and Player's Guide do give some information on the season and general seasons, but was looking for a bit more detail. Started a project of mine own along this and thought I see if anyone else has, or is, doing the same.
Been looking at The Old Farmer's Almanac for sunrise/set moonrise/set times for each day of the year. Same number of days, works out.
Coincidentally, Waterdeep sits on, or slightly above the 45°N latitude*, and given its a western coastal city, figured it would have climate similar to the west coast of Oregon.
Can't locate where it was said, but Toril is approximately Earth sized, same length of year and day, so some same geographical facts remain the same.
1° #8776; 69 miles (equatorial)**
±15° east or west is ± 1 hour difference in time based on the sun.***
Wonder where the equivalent of the GMT/UT line would be?
Perhaps the Imaskari first drew such a line, or the wizards of Thay, or the kingdom of Cormyr?
I did find the FRC tool showing the phases of the moon and calendar, but nothing on sunrise times, or temperature.
*Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd Edition, pg 79.
**Equatorial circumference #8776; 24,900 miles / 360°
***360°/24 hours
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Insanity is the best defense. |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31743 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2011 : 01:12:21
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This should really be a question for Ed. See the Questions for Ed Greenwood (2011) scroll on the Chamber of Sages shelf.
...
Having said that, I will note that Ed has said, in the past, that Toril's axis tilt and rotation is similar to that of Earth's. So aspects like time zone delineations and seasonal patterns in the Realms should be relatively similar. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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crazedventurers
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1073 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2011 : 09:46:35
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Originally posted on the Forgotten Realms Mailing List and included on Candlekeep
http://www.candlekeep.com/fr_faq.htm#_Toc16090521
Cheers
Damian
*********************************************
3.13. Does Toril have time zones?
From: Trent Raley
Toril
Circumference = 23,400 approx
24 time zones
Axial tilt is ~ 19-25 degrees
Prime Meridian is Myth Drannor
Other time zones are based on meridian lines of globe function in Forgotten Realms Interactive Atlas (two per square).
Time zones are 975 miles wide.
Nit-pick -- that is 975 miles wide at the equator of course. This will dwindle down to zero as you approach the poles.
And Bryon Wischstadt added:
You should have been a Luka's Bar during GenCon when we worked this out! (I took notes) :) Something Trent didn't mention (we're co-DMs) is that with gates transporting the user instantly (as ::ahem:: *most* do) we got to thinking about adding another bit of realism to the game. We wanted to know what time of day it was when the party arrived in their new destination halfway across Faerun. From the player's perspective, they step through a gate mid-morning and arrive at a place that is still dark... this is a nice cue to the players that they have moved quite a distance. (They don't know the destinations of the gates) As you can see it's quick and relatively simple--add 2 hrs per grid on the atlas--and you'll end up with something kinda cool from both the DM and players' perspectives. As Trent said "Hope this helps"... Enjoy!
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So saith Ed. I've never said he was sane, have I?
Gods, all this writing and he's running a constant fantasy version of Coronation Street in his head, too. .
shudder,
love to all,
THO
Candlekeep Forum 7 May 2005 |
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Insanity
Acolyte
3 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2011 : 14:12:17
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quote:
Originally posted by crazedventurers
Circumference = 23,400 approx
I assume miles.
quote:
Originally posted by crazedventurers
Axial tilt is ~ 19-25 degrees
That's a wide difference, but within ballpark of Earth. Good for seasonal changes.
quote:
Originally posted by crazedventurers
Prime Meridian is Myth Drannor
Good to know.
quote:
Originally posted by crazedventurers
Something Trent didn't mention (we're co-DMs) is that with gates transporting the user instantly (as ::ahem:: *most* do) we got to thinking about adding another bit of realism to the game. We wanted to know what time of day it was when the party arrived in their new destination halfway across Faerun. From the player's perspective, they step through a gate mid-morning and arrive at a place that is still dark... this is a nice cue to the players that they have moved quite a distance.
Yes, one of my thoughts too.
***
Well, I had started to do so work with the circumference being the same as Earth's, which changes distance between degrees longitude and latitude, time zones and such, no biggie.
I was going to use an graphic program to draw the lines on a existing digital map. |
Insanity is the best defense. |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
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The_Orconian
Acolyte
USA
6 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jan 2011 : 20:14:54
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Toril is bigger then Earth.
It is something like 12% bigger, IIRC.
Its covered in This Thread. Scroll down to Gray Richardson's 2nd post, which is a quote of a '04 Ed reply.
Markustay's composite map - combining aspects of other campaign worlds - used those dimensions. |
Orcs am gewt peeble |
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Wenin
Senior Scribe
585 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jan 2011 : 20:42:09
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Someone ran the numbers and wrote a whole article on it. The link to the original article is busted. I happen to have a copy that I ported to Word. =)
Drop me a PM and I can email you a copy. It shows all his math. All credit goes to a Jerry Davis, who may still post here. |
Session Reports posted at RPG Geek.
Stem the Tide Takes place in Mistledale.
Dark Curtains - Takes place in the Savage North, starting in Nesmé. I wrapped my campaign into the Hoard of the Dragon Queen, but it takes place in 1372 DR. |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jan 2011 : 18:25:17
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Orconian is correct - when I worked everything out (with the 12% added-in), the map was MUCH larger then that presented in the FRIA. I have to now wonder which is 'more canon'.
Not only did the bigger dimensions shift the equator south a bit (which actually helped with some things), it also gave us quite a bit more 'real estate' off the top and bottom edges of the world map, and thus placing the Frozenfar (the latitude of Ten Towns) some what below the arctic circle (which also makes more sense). Although I am sure many here would disagree with me, I tend to favor common-sense over canon in these situations. Toril makes more sense with the extra mass.
Abeir-Toril, if composed of material from the both worlds, must have been very large. I don't feel like doing the math, but it wouldn't be twice as large - most of the mass would be on the interior - but it would be about 1½ the size of Earth (big guesstimate there).
I also feel that (Abeir)Toril had either a greater axial tilt (allowing for more moderate temperatures across the planet) in the distant past, OR suffered from a massive crust-shift after a major meteoric event. I don't think the poles were always ice-capped.
I used to favor the axial-tilt theory, but after studying much of the 1e/2e lore I am now leaning HEAVILY toward the meteoric event(s). I would hazard to guess that the catastrophe directly preceded the Sundering (the REAL sundering, not the Elven Ritual that tapped into it). It appears that the shift was sudden, freezing flora and fauna almost instantly. Just my own gut-feeling, is all.
However, taking into account the 4e lore, it is possible that a great deal of that 'sudden freezing' occurred when the two worlds were split-apart, and much of the geography was shifted around. That, unfortunately, cast Ao in a very bad light (or at the very least, as completely uncaring).
Either way, Toril's planetary history and ecosystem, including geothermal and vulcanism, is extremely hard to accurately plot, because magic (mostly divine) is so heavily involved in everything. The normal, RW sciences dedicated to discovering these things can't apply - finding sea shells in a desert or a civilization frozen at the pole is NOT the same evidence it would be here on Earth, since we know that locations have shifted-around multiple times. We also have things like Gates and weather-control magic, so building an almanac based on 'evidence' is at-best a piece of guess work. Even storms and/or tidal events (tsunamis) can and were god-driven, so you can't even discern normal things like the oceanic currents and air-streams from the lore, in most instances.
The only person who could create an accurate World Almanac for the Forgotten Realms would be Ed greenwood.
And I would buy THAT.  |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Wonderbringer
Acolyte
USA
2 Posts |
Posted - 25 Feb 2011 : 15:23:07
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quote:
Originally posted by Insanity
Some way of determine the seasons, temperature, sunrise/set, moonrise/set, moon phase, etc.
...
Been looking at The Old Farmer's Almanac for sunrise/set moonrise/set times for each day of the year. Same number of days, works out.
...
I did find the FRC tool showing the phases of the moon and calendar, but nothing on sunrise times, or temperature.
I remember having the same problem starting a campaign, I solved it with a different wondrous device than the one which you may have mentioned.
http://www.realmshelps.net/index.shtml
There you shall find all relevant information on "today's" forecast in Shadowdale as of The Year of Wild Magic.
You can also access Dandello's Almanac for direct information on your current location and time.
I have found this to be indispensable, hopefully it can aid you. |
Discuss ideas and spread them so that all may see the divine light that is the Wonderbringer. |
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Andrekan
Seeker
65 Posts |
Posted - 25 Feb 2011 : 16:16:55
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I've been playing in the Realms since mid 1980's and recently picked up a younger group of players who were less informed on some basics of night and days etc. in Faerun. So I sent them a message trying to simply explain day/night length and seasons. Below is the information I gave these guys.
How many hours are in the planetary rotation (a day/a night)? How many revolutions (days) make a year? Does the planet have a "Uniform sequential variation; alternation"?
Example:
In southern Faerun's near the equator, like Halruaa, a day and night are 24 hours long 12 hour day/night (1 hour for dusk/dawn) without variation to the season. In the North days are longer during Summer and shorter in Winter. Silverymoon sees little more than 8 hours of daylight in Midwinter and nearly 16 hours in Midsummer. Ten days comprise a Faerun week also known as a Tenday or "a Ride". Time is divided thus: Dawn, morning, highsun(noon), afternoon, dusk, sunset, evening, midnight, moondark(night's heart) and night's end.
It's moon Selune is exactly full at midnight on the first day of the year every 30 days, 10 hours, and 30 minutes thereafter(Syndonic Month). Thus the moon phase is the same every 4 years on any calander. Leap year is called Shieldmeet the Full Moon restarts it's cycle. Lunar and Solar eclipses are frequent. Eclipse's are never annular(the sun's edge cannot be seen during totality) and almost never partial because the moon, Selune is quiet large. These eclipses are spectacular and commonplace. Sometimes nocturnal beings awake briefly during such events. The full moon is pretty much full at the end and beginning of each month with holiday's and leap year keep it in cycle.
Faerun has 12 months
1 Hammer Deepwinter
Midwinter holiday
2 Alturiak
3 Ches
4 Tarsakh
Greengrass holiday
5 Mirtul
6 Kythorn
7 Flamerule
Midsummer holiday
8 Eleasis
9 Eleint
Highharvestide
10 Marpenoth
11 Uktar
Feast of the Moon
12 Nightal
Faerun is in the Northern Hemisphere of Toril. |
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Wenin
Senior Scribe
585 Posts |
Posted - 26 Feb 2011 : 04:33:37
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| How does one pronounce Taraskh, Eleasis and Eleint? =) |
Session Reports posted at RPG Geek.
Stem the Tide Takes place in Mistledale.
Dark Curtains - Takes place in the Savage North, starting in Nesmé. I wrapped my campaign into the Hoard of the Dragon Queen, but it takes place in 1372 DR. |
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Insanity
Acolyte
3 Posts |
Posted - 05 May 2011 : 01:27:40
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quote:
Originally posted by Wonderbringer
quote:
Originally posted by Insanity
Some way of determine the seasons, temperature, sunrise/set, moonrise/set, moon phase, etc.
...
Been looking at The Old Farmer's Almanac for sunrise/set moonrise/set times for each day of the year. Same number of days, works out.
...
I did find the FRC tool showing the phases of the moon and calendar, but nothing on sunrise times, or temperature.
I remember having the same problem starting a campaign, I solved it with a different wondrous device than the one which you may have mentioned.
http://www.realmshelps.net/index.shtml
There you shall find all relevant information on "today's" forecast in Shadowdale as of The Year of Wild Magic.
You can also access Dandello's Almanac for direct information on your current location and time.
I have found this to be indispensable, hopefully it can aid you.
Awesome, this is mostly exactly what I have been looking at doing myself. Thanks! |
Insanity is the best defense. |
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Tyranthraxus
Senior Scribe
Netherlands
423 Posts |
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Faerūn Almanac?
