Harmonies of the Year
The Harmonies of the Year
Mortals do not track time in months — they measure it in Intervals, each one echoing a note in the Great Song of Creation. Together, these Intervals weave a year.
Structure of the Year
- 12 Intervals (each ~30 days), arranged like the Circle of Fifths (one for each Note).
- Each Interval is associated with a state of Harmony or Dissonance, depending on whether its note belongs to the Chords of Creation or the Discordant Triad.
- The Great Turn occurs between the 6th and 7th Interval, when the cosmic hourglass is ritually “flipped.” This is the midpoint of the year and the largest festival across cultures.
The Intervals
| Interval | Note | Aspect | Interval Type | Seasonal Flavor | Common Festivals/Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dawn Interval | C | Inspiration | Harmony | Renewal, planting, new ventures | Festival of First Sparks (new works unveiled) |
| Sky Interval | G | Cosmos | Harmony | Navigation, stargazing, expansion | Voyager’s March (journeys begin) |
| Hour Interval | D | Time | Harmony | Balance, transitions, reckoning | Clockwork Day (ritualized timekeeping) |
| Stone Interval | A | Order & Matter | Harmony | Crafting, laws, foundation | Builders’ Week |
| Dream Interval | E | Dream | Harmony | Dreams, omens, vision quests | Night of Mirrors |
| Bloom Interval | B | Life | Harmony | Peak fertility, abundance | Great Turn Festival (the year’s midpoint) |
| Veil Interval | F♯ | Death | Dissonance | Mourning, endings, decay | Silent Eve (ancestral offerings) |
| War Interval | D♭ | Strife | Dissonance | Conflicts spark, storms brew | Tide of Swords (mock battles, tournaments) |
| Hunger Interval | A♭ | Consumption | Dissonance | Scarcity, hunger, predation | Bonefire Feast (ritual to stave off famine) |
| Rot Interval | E♭ | Decay | Dissonance | Crops fail, rot sets in | Ashfall (burning fields, renewal rites) |
| Madness Interval | B♭ | Discord | Dissonance | Unpredictable weather, chaos | Festival of Masks |
| Void Interval | F | Separation | Dissonance (Accidental) | Quiet, endings, solitude | Night of Severance |
GM Notes
- Harmony vs. Dissonance: These aren’t “good” or “bad” months, but cultures interpret Harmony Intervals as auspicious and Dissonance Intervals as ominous.
- Great Turn: Midpoint festival where sand in the cosmic “hourglass” is ritually flipped. A key time for political, religious, or magical events.