On the Irreconcilability of Time — The Chronaether and Auroral Cycles
Transcribed by Archivist Vessan, Skyward Cartographer's Guild, under commission by the Order of the Celestial Academy's Department of Temporal Studies and Lunar Synchronics
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Introduction
Among the many confounding legacies of Astheria's fractured state lies one of its most paradoxical mysteries: the division of time itself. In the age before the Great Shattering, the people of Astheria followed a singular, slow-turning rhythm of existence—the Chronaether Cycle—an ancient celestial calendar aligned to the deep pulse of the skies and the movements of the eternal Crown of Stars. After the Great Shattering and the rise of fractured isles and shifting gravitational tides, this order could no longer serve the everyday needs of Skyfarers, engineers, scholars, or even farmers.
Thus came the use second reckoning: the Auroral Cycle. Each system is revered, but neither fully reconciles with the other, and herein lies the challenge of translating deep cosmic time to daily life.
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The Chronaether Cycle — The Cosmic Pulse
The Chronaether Cycle precedes written history. It was the natural rhythm of pre-shattered Ancient Astheria, defined not by moons or unstable gravities, but by the Crown of Stars—a fixed constellation of seven brilliant stars said to be the circlet of the First Architect (as you already know), forever frozen in the great upper stratos. The flow of time was marked not by predictable days but by the rhythm of the Sky Currents, vast rivers of celestial light that pulse in harmony with the stars.
A Chronaether Cycle is made up of 1,000 passages, making it a marker of eras rather than simple years. It is used to measure generational, cosmic, or magical phenomena—like aether pulses, stellar alignments, or deep aetheric decay.
Temples, ruins, and Chronomancer circles still use these measures to perform long-form rituals, navigational plotting of ancient skycharts, and understanding Rift surges that repeat every few hundred passages.
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The Auroral Cycle — Living with the Moons
In contrast, the Auroral Cycle is a pragmatic creation used after the Great Shattering. When islands began floating independently, and time distorted due to regional gravitational instabilities and proximity to celestial flows; hence, scholars and guilds turned to the one consistent phenomenon remaining: the moons.
Astheria is circled by multiple moons, and their tidephases—observable shifts in light, shadow, and skyflow pull—became the natural markers of daily timekeeping.
Although less precise for cosmic reckoning, the Auroral Cycle is ideal for:
𖤍 Scheduling navigation across isles
𖤍 Guild coordination and trade
𖤍 Storm prediction, sky farming, and glint harvesting
𖤍Civic record-keeping and day-to-day planning
Why the Auroral Cycle Prevails in Daily Life
Though it may seem imperfect, the Auroral Cycle remains dominant for local timekeeping due to several compelling reasons:
𖤍 Localized Time Distortion: Each isle or sky region experiences the passage of time differently. Due to gravitational variance, celestial proximity, and atmospheric aether density, a tidephase in one region may be significantly longer or shorter than in another. However, the positions and phases of the moons remain observable and consistent across all isles, creating a shared celestial reference.
𖤍 Guild Variations, Universal Reference: While various cultures and Guilds (Skyfarers, Stormcallers, Navigators, and Shardbinders) may each keep their own regional time standards—often recorded in driftledgers or tideclocks—they all ultimately align their systems to the Auroral Cycle because its lunar-aligned flows apply across Astheria.
𖤍 Navigational Anchoring: The moons' consistent pull and light orientation allow skyships and chartmakers to align their compasses, sails, and currents, making it indispensable in travel and trade.
𖤍 Adaptability for Common Life: While Chronaether flows might serve cosmic purposes, they are too slow and complex for market days, meetings, or mealtimes. The Auroral Cycle provides a flexible yet standardized framework adaptable to every Skyfarers of Astheria.
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The Irreconcilability of the Two Systems
There exists no clean conversion between the Chronaether and Auroral Cycles. While some scholars attempt to create approximation tables, celestial irregularities render them unreliable.
For example:
𖤍 A single crest in the Chronaether Cycle might not align with 3 to 5 Tidephases in the Auroral Cycle depending on skycurrent disruptions.
𖤍 Rift events or temporal anomalies near certain isles can compress or elongate what feels like a single day into two or half.
For this reason, official records can contain both temporal notations, depending on one's proficiency and guild's discernment.
Sample Log Entry:
"Date of Entry: 3rd Selentide, Auroral Cycle 6762 — Crest 212, Passage 644, Chronaether Measure."
When these dates diverge drastically, archivists assume celestial interference or regional warping.
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Conclusion
The coexistence of the Chronaether and Auroral Cycles is a reflection of Astheria itself—fractured yet harmonious, ancient yet evolving. To ignore either is to risk misalignment not just in time, but in purpose.
New scribes are advised to trust the Auroral Cycle for daily records, but still consult the Chronaether Cycle when charting the stars, binding enchantments, or unearthing the rhythms of destiny itself.
—Archivist Vessan, Skyward Cartographer's Guild