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BWAW - A Miscellany
Floor-plan of Porthynys Castle
Ground Floor
First Floor
Second Floor
Third Floor
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The currency of Caerlean is based on the ancient terms for grain, as this was indeed how payment was conducted to begin with. The value and division of the most basic forms of currency is shown below:
· 4 mulls = 1 vorn
· 12 vorns = 1 ese
· 20 ese = 1 heth
· 21 ese = 1 gwaneth
Mulls, vorns and eses can also be broken down into smaller units, meaning different fractions can be used as needed.
· 4 fēowe-mulls = 1 mull;
○ Therefore, 1 fēowe-mull = one-sixteenth of a vorn
· 3 thrift-mulls = 1 mull;
○ Therefore, 1 thrift-mull = one-twelfth of a vorn
· 2 half-mulls = 1 mull;
○ Therefore, 1 half-mull = one-eighth of a vorn
· 2 halfvorns = 1 vorn
· 1 thriftvorn = 3 vorns
· 1 stoor = 4 vorns
· 1 swéḱsvorn = 6 vorns
· 2 ese = 1 kwiese
· 2 ese + 1 swéḱsvorn = 1 swéḱsese
· 5 ese = 1 fīfese
The original meanings of the coin names are shown below, giving some clue as to their relative value (e.g. hay and clover having the least value, wheat the most):
· Mull = derived from mullion, meaning ‘clover’
· Vorn = 'hay'
· Ese = 'corn'
· Heth = 'barley'
· Gwaneth = 'wheat'
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Calendar of Caerlean
In Caerlean culture, years do not have the same amount of days every time. This is due to the fact that the lunar year does not exactly match the solar one. In order to reconcile the two cycles, an extra month is included every two-and-a-half years, thus achieving synchronicity over a series of five years.
There are twelve months in a Caerlean year (notwithstanding the extra month added every two-and-a-half years), divided between the four seasons. In many rural parts of the country, people still refer to the seasons by their ancient terms: the bud, the bloom, the brown and the bare (spring, summer, autumn and winter). A year always begins with spring and the budding of new life.
Earrach – ‘the bud’ – spring
Samhradh – ‘the bloom’ – summer
Fóghmhar – ‘the brown’ – autumn
Geamhradh – ‘the bare’ – winter
The additional month is called Scáth, meaning ‘shadow-time’. This always falls at the start of the year and again between Amaegyva and Megla. The number of days in each month is shown below, within the five-year cycle.
The days of the week are named thus:
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