Chronology of Eltaris

“Kingdoms are born and fall, yet an Era always lasts two hundred years.”

— Old saying of Eltaris’s chroniclers

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Introduction

On the continent of Eltaris, time is not counted from a single event, the founding of a realm, or the beginning of any particular dynasty’s rule. All civilized lands have adopted a common system of reckoning based on successive Eras.

This system was created to unify chronicles, official documents, treaties, maps, and all historical records. Thanks to it, inhabitants across the entire continent use the same way of marking time, regardless of origin, language, or national allegiance.

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Division of History

All known history of the continent is divided into successive Eras.

Length of an Era

Each Era lasts exactly:

200 years

Not one year less. Not one year more.

After the two hundredth year ends, a unique day follows known as the Turning.

The Turning

The Turning is the official end of one Era and the beginning of the next.

On this day, the chronicles of the closing cycle are sealed, and a new chapter of time reckoning begins. The Turning is the symbolic boundary between two Eras and is recognized by all civilized states of the continent.

For chroniclers, scholars, and officials, it is the most important moment in the entire calendar, marking the start of a new two-century cycle.

Beginning a New Era

After the Turning concludes, the count of years is reset.

The following year officially becomes:

Year 1 of the new Era

As a result, the history of Eltaris is not counted in thousands of years, but in successive Eras, each spanning exactly two centuries.

Writing Dates

A uniform way of recording dates applies across the entire continent.

Format:

Year X, Y Era

where:

• X denotes the year number,
• Y denotes the Era number.

Examples:

• Year 45, II Era
• Year 127, III Era
• Year 200, III Era
• Year 1, IV Era
• Year 14, IV Era

This notation is used in all official documents, chronicles, maps, treaties, and state registries.

Meaning of Eras

For the people of Eltaris, the Era is the fundamental unit of history.

Every event, document, treaty, chronicle, or administrative record is marked by the year and Era in which it was created. Thus, regardless of shifting borders, dynasties, and realms, time reckoning remains uniform across the continent.

Though kingdoms rise and fall, and peoples record their own histories, the division into Eras remains the unchanging foundation of Eltaris’s chronological order.

Present Era