Dispatch # 2: A Place In Time and Space
An Overview of the Planet Vadu and the Known World
We'll find our place in time
A place in time beyond the sun
We'll find our place in time
A place in time to call our own
- Amanda Abizaid
Today’s Topic: Planet Vadu and The Known World
The purpose of this and several upcoming posts is to introduce the Esteemed Reader to the world setting in which my forthcoming book, The Other Side Of The Sun, will be placed.
I will try hard not to overwhelm you with too much information, but there is much to be covered in this dispatch. I’m going to occasionally throw in some names, terms and phrases that might be unfamiliar to you. Some of these names, terms and phrases will get covered in better detail in future posts, or in the book itself once it’s published later in 2023.
As the popular saying goes in the Known World, more will be revealed.
Near future dispatches to be posted in early 2023 will include other topics such as: Known World Alphabet and the Common Tongue, the lingua franca of the Known World; the Kingdom of Bryn, the political region where the 1st book takes place; the Meldûn Borderlands, the northwestern part of Bryn where our protagonists will live and persevere; and thereafter a variety of other topics mystical and mundane.
But for today… We begin by describing the planet the story resides on, its sun, its two moons, its two continental landmasses, and who its inhabitants are.
Before We Begin, A Note To The Reader
Please note that, like virtually everything pertaining to this story and book project, facts and statements listed here are subject to change or revision over time - to reflect new realities, perhaps to conform to cold hard fact-based realities, or for story improvement purposes.
Because I am as human as you are, rest assured that I will be unsurprised to discover that errors might exist in my dispatches. Boo-boos happen, right?
Should you, the Informed Reader, identify something that you believe or know is in some way reality-impaired, you may write to me directly at me@beturpin.com to share it.
Those who write to me in a spirit of critique or peer review will be much appreciated, and I may exchange emails with you to hash out whatever discrepancies of reality there might be.
Those who write to me in a spirit of jerkitude, trolling, hate, unduly egregious snark or other unnecessary roughness will be cheerfully ignored and disregarded. Life is too short to contend with negativity.
You can also of course use the comments area to write… well… comments in a more general sense.
The Planet Vadu
The setting where The Other Side Of the Sun takes place is rather Earthlike, but it is not Earth.
The name of the planet is Vadu, which comes from a word used by an indigenous species of sapient humaniform beings known as the Manikins. They use the word to refer to the entire planet as it exists in the present moment in time. Humans adopted the term shortly after they arrived in the early 21st century AD.
Vadu has a circumference of 25088.40 miles / 40375.90 km. This compares to Earth, which measures 24,901.461 miles / 40,075.017 km in circumference. Its geographic mile (1 minute of arc along the equator) is 69.69 miles / 112.155 km.
Roughly 90% of the planet's surface is covered by water. There are only two places on the entire planet that are inhabited by terrestrial beings: 1) the Avalon Islands, and 2) a pair of continental landmasses collectively referred to as La Mondo Konata, or The Known World.
Yes, there are a few scattered islands to be found elsewhere around the world, but none are very significant in size, and few have sufficient resources to support more than the barest existence of primitive human life. Most of these places, referred to collectively as the Outer Islands or Outlands, are host to a variety of industrial or scientific outposts controlled from the Avalon Islands.
Vadu’s terrain is generally similar to that found on Earth, though there is less desert due to more plentiful rainfall. One very unusual feature of life on Vadu as compared to Earth is that there is much more bioluminescence in its plant and animal life. At night, one can often see bioluminescent plants blooming around the landscape, and bioluminescent lifeforms swimming about in the sea or flying through the air. It’s a thing, the place has a slight glow to it. It took the First Settlers awhile to get used to it.
Humaniform Species Found on Vadu
Humans are the largest single group of sapient humaniform species inhabiting the planet Vadu, but they are not the only species found there. Humans are an introduced species that arrived on Vadu approximately 500 years ago.
We will outline where some of these other human-like species reside around the Known World shortly, and perhaps cover some of them in greater detail in some future dispatch.
The Sun and Moons of Vadu
The Sun
First off, there is only one sun.
Sorry, I thought about putting two suns in the story but the astrophysics of doing that proved to be too problematical.
But that’s OK, it’s a very nice, warm, pleasant sort of sun. It’s not much different from our own sun. Vadu isn’t the only planet circling their sun, but they’re the only one they know of that can support the kind of life found on Vadu.
Although Vadu and Earth do share a more or less similar orbit around their suns, Vadu is slightly larger than Earth, and it rotates slightly slower but moves through space at the same speed... thus giving Vadu roughly the same level of gravity while completing its revolution around the sun in only 364.10 days per year instead of 365.25 days.
We’ll discuss how calendars work on the Planet Vadu in a near future dispatch.
The Two Moons
There are 2 moons orbiting Vadu, both of which are tidal locked (always facing the same direction towards Vadu).
Serena is a larger, pale white sphere that follows a somewhat precise 28 day lunar cycle, turning full 13 times a year. Named for the Duryan demi-goddess of calm and serenity, Serena is about 3/4ths the size of Earth's moon and rises in the east and sets in the west. But because Serana orbits closer to Vadu than the moon does to Earth, it appears larger in the night sky, and it is brighter than the Earth’s moon (Luna). Thus, when Serena appears in its fuller phases, it tends to light up the nightscape more than Luna does.
Kaprica is a smaller, pale blue-green sphere that follows a 91 day cycle and marks the arrival of each of Vadu's 4 seasons, turning full during each of the four annual festival weeks. Named for the Duryan demi-goddess of caprice and change, Kaprica is about 1/3rd the size of Earth's moon. It rises in the east and sets in the west as well, but on a more distant orbit above the world than Serena. It appears to be much smaller than Serena, but its distinctive coloration makes it easy to see nonetheless.
The effect of the 2 moons on tides is complex. But in layman's terms the tides on Vadu are not as substantial as they are on Earth, however its high tides and low tides occur about twice as often (just over 6 hours apart instead of 12.5 hours as on Earth). Serena probably has a bigger effect on tides than Kaprica, due to Kaprica's smaller size and more distant orbit. But who knows? I’m not an astrophysicist.
One thing is likely however. Someday, probably 100,000+ plus years in the future, Kaprica is expected to drop out of its orbit and either slam into Serena, the planet Vadu itself, or take off and acquire asteroid-like characteristics... and most astronomers agree that event won't be very pretty.
About the Avalon Islands
The Avalon Islands, also known as Avalonia or simply as Avalon, are an archipelago of several dozen islands located just north of the equator on the planet Vadu.
The islands, taken together, cover an area about the size of Maritime Southeast Asia - that is to say the Malay Archipelago, the agglomeration of islands found between mainland Indochina and Australia that is home to nations such as Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, etc.
The Avalon Islands are where humans originally settled back before the Great Cataclysm struck the Earth, ending its existence as a livable planet. The Avalon archipelago had no indigenous humaniform species living on it at the time it was settled. To this day, very few other humaniform species reside there.
While Avalonia is predominantly human in population, it is nonetheless home to a vast and diverse array of humanity. Its capital, Avalon City, has evolved into a megalopolis of gleaming skyscrapers. There is an absence of poverty, its society is entirely moneyless, and the Islands are overseen by a benevolent yet somewhat dystopian and occasionally soft-authoritarian government that seems to be obsessed with social engineering. The majority of its residents live a mostly carefree existence, although the social engineering part of things are an annoyance to some of them. Many Avalonians seem mostly concerned with trivial problems and issues.
The civilization and level of technology found in the Avalon Islands is highly advanced, to the point where many Avalonians don’t even know how to use a keyboard because their computer systems work off of voice commands and requests. They also have refrigerators without doors, clown around a lot in virtual realities, and call forth pilotless, fully self-driving hydrogen cars on demand in the way one might summon a taxicab or an Uber. (Ground-based cars are called turfcars; those that can fly are known as aerocars.) Monorails and Maglev trains generally dominate most public transportation around Avalonia, although aerobuses do exist as well.
However, it should be noted with a degree of sadness that practical, safe to use jetpacks are still not a thing as of yet.
Avalonia’s somewhat advanced existence stands in sharp contrast with the Known World, which has reached a level of sophistication that ranges from the late Middle Ages or the Renaissance, perhaps touching the early Age of Enlightenment in some quarters. While Avalonian researchers have long since mastered fusion energy and are busily working on teleportation devices, Known Worlders are just beginning to discover the benefits of indoor plumbing.
It should go without saying that Avalonia probably exploits the Known World for its own benefit and amusement.
As fascinating as the Avalon Islands might sound, be aware that they will only be referred to in The Other Side Of The Story. They will surely be featured more prominently in a future book.
About the Known World
The Known World is a pair of 2 continents - Ydo (pronounced ee-doh) and Glosa (glow-sah) - both of which are located close to the other, with a smattering of a few hundred islands of various sizes clustered around them. On the surface of the planet Vadu, the Known World lies generally between 55 degrees north latitude and 15 degrees south latitude.
In addition to the continents of Ydo and Glosa, the Known World includes a few hundred islands, nearly all of which are inhabited. The Known World’s overall land area is roughly 3/4ths the size of the Eurasian landmass.
While humans were originally placed in the Known World during the Great Resettlement based more or less on their ancestral cultural origin or nationality back on Earth, individuals were not and are not obliged to remain in their geographic place of origin. They have always been free to live wherever they wish, and thus some folk have since migrated or drifted into other parts of the Known World. A few Known Worlders have even migrated to Avalonia. However, returning to the Known World has its consequences, so only a few folk have made the jump in either direction.
The Known World lacks modern technology, but it is also highly infused with evident magic-like properties… which we can discuss more in a future dispatch. For now, let’s look at its geography a bit.
The Landmasses of the Known World
There are two landmasses in the Known World that are large enough to be considered continents, plus lots of islands of various sizes.
Glosa
Glosa is the western continent that includes dozens of realms including the great city of Nargoxa (nahr-goh-thah), the Kingdom of Bryn (breen), and Great Kingdom of Durya (doo-ree-ah). Northern Glosa tends to share culture similar to those found in Russia, Central Asia, northern and western Siberia, and Scandinavia. Central Glosa is dominated by cultures similar to those found in Europe, while southern Glosa’s peoples tend to have cultures more or less similar to those found in South America and Sub-Saharan Africa. The great kingdom of Banxa (bahn-thah) is especially dominant in the southern portions of Glosa.
There are concentrations of several indigenous humaniform species to be found on Glosa, including Barakins, Manikins, Dandiprats, Xeradi (who are Vadu’s other introduced humaniform species - more about them later), and especially an assortment of folk known as Dwurin, including the Montodwurin, Lagodwurin, and Marodwurin.
A less sapient yet very pernicious humaniform species are the Nokuru, who mostly reside in mountain ranges but love to descend into surrounding populated areas, raid and pillage settlements, and carry off tasty looking humans and other humaniforms to serve as future food sources and - some say - as potential breeding stock. (They don’t seem to take away Dandiprats or the Dwurinfolk though…) Nokurus have even overrun some areas formerly occupied by others and utterly despoiling them. A nasty, brutish sort they are.
All these species will be covered in better detail in another future dispatch, perhaps touching on how humans were not very nice to some of them during the early part of the Great Resettlement period.
My upcoming book, The Other Side Of The Sun, will begin in and around the so-called Central Valleys of Glosa, and so we will definitely discuss the Valleys and the Kingdom of Bryn in further detail very soon.
Ydo
Ydo is the eastern continent. It is sliced roughly in half by the Equator. Ydo is dominated by the imperial realms of Bêwangu (bay-wahn-goo), which appears to have a mix of Chinese, Mongolian, and Indochinese culture; Dakŝinraĵa (dahk-shin-rah-jah), whose culture shares similarities to those found in India, Pakistan, Iran, and other South Asian countries); and Niŝidoĵa (nee-shee-doh-jah), whose culture resembles those found in Japan, Korea, and eastern portions of Siberia.
In addition to these 3 great realms, there are over a dozen other realms encompassing diverse groups of folk similar to other cultural groups found across Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific.
Ydo also has its share of indigenous humaniform species, including Aluxos (ah-looth-os), Qilins (quill-ins), and Werins (wehr-ins) who serve as slave-like indentured servants in many places). Plus another assortment of the Dwurinfolk, especially the Marodwurin. And of course, Ydo also has its own problems with those nasty Nokuru.
I hope to get an opportunity to explore stories set in and around Ydo, but for now this will have to wait.
Other Landmasses of Note
Finally, there are a few island chains around the Known World worth mentioning very briefly.
The islands located immediately east of Glosa, the Ĵazyro Islands and Kadogan Islands, are populated mainly by cultures similar to those found in Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean regions of Earth.
The islands located south of Glosa and west of Ydo, the Hunbaro and Aĝio Islands, are populated by peoples similar to those found in Oceania, Papua New Guinea and parts of Indonesia.
The Alako Islands are populated by interesting cultures similar to Sri Lanka and Madagascar, as well as from southern India and southern Africa.
The Pulao Islands were populated by peoples who are somewhat culturally similar to eastern Africa (Pulaosuda and Pulaonorda) and the Philippines (Pulaolibra and Pulaoŵesta). The two groups are keen traders, but the four realms in this region tend to engage in conflict amongst themselves.
The Floros Islands and Ariga Islands are dominated by a mixture of cultures that resemble former tropical Spanish and Portuguese colonial lands.
Again, these diverse island groups can be explored in some future dispatch.
Time and Calendar
Following is some basic information about how time is measured within the Known World.
Solar Year
In the Known World, there are 364 calendar days in a year, which divide quite nicely into 4 seasons of 91 days each.
Of course, astronomy doesn't always work as nicely as one would like. Since the solar year is roughly 364.10 days long, astronomers have thrown in a leap day every 10 years to adjust for the differences between calendars and the solar year. This leap day is referred to as Reconciliation Day, also known as Celebration Day. It is a special holiday that is not part of any week or month.
Reconciliation Day will get its due coverage later on; for now, just know that it comes up every 10 years in time and Known Worlders think it’s a big deal. (Avalonians, on the other hand, treat the day as any other day, just like you treat February 29th when it comes every four years.)
Calendars In Use
There are 2 calendars that are widely used by the many peoples of the Known World, both based on the moon Serena. They are:
The Glosa Calendar, which was derived from the old Duryan Imperial Calendar. It is used by most countries in the Known World, including those on the continent of Glosa and many nearby island states. It is also used extensively by business interests throughout the Known World.
The Glosa Calendar contains 12 months of 28 days each, plus 4 festivals occurring every 3 months marking the change in each season. Each of the 12 months are divided into four weeks of 7 days each, and each festival is 7 days long.
The Glosa Calendar will be used in The Other Side Of The Sun and later books to be written. But there is also the Ydo Calendar, which was derived from the Ĵazyro Calendar developed by astronomers in that island chain. It contains 13 months of 28 days each, and like the Glosa Calendar each month is divided into four weeks of 7 days each. The Ydo Calendar is widely observed by most countries on the continent of Ydo, although Ydoan merchant adventurers are also well acquainted with the Glosa Calendar at least for trading purposes.
Days of the Week
The planet Vadu rotates through a 24 hour day, 7 day per week cycle that matches the phases of the moon Serena.
These are the days of the week, which are used on both calendars noted above.
Freeday (Liberatago). A universally observed day of rest and market throughout the Known World. Party time, y’all!
Godsday (Diostago). A day of rest and worship for most but not all religions.
Starsday (Stelostago). A day of work. Starsday is also a day deemed by most Known Worlders to be the best day for making important decisions after careful thought and meditation, especially whenever the moon Serena is about to turn full the following day. The commonly used phrase “change your stars” is in part rooted in this particular tradition.
Starsday is also notable as the day of worship for followers of the Lady of Our Fate, the greater goddess of Fate, Destiny and Luck, who is worshipped (and often feared) by nearly everyone in the Known World.
Moonsday (Lunastago). A day of work. Every Moonsday, the larger moon Serena peaks in each of its 4 phases (new, 1st quarter, full, 3rd quarter). The smaller moon Kaprica reaches its full phase on Moonsday only when the day falls during each of the 4 annual festival weeks of the Glosa Calendar.
Moonsday is also notable because followers of Feona, the goddess of agriculture, family and healing and by far one of the most popular goddesses among the Known Worlders, usually stop work a early on Moonsday to attend prayer services conducted around sunset on this day of the week.
Waterday (Akvatago). A day of work. Also a day of worship for followers of Mera, goddess of the sea.
Earthday (Teratago). A day of work. Also a day of worship for followers of Pliaĝafedo, also known as The Old Faith, an ancient, somewhat druidical religion.
Sunday (Sunatago). A day of work. Also a day of worship for followers of the greater god Nevidata, most often called The Unseen or Unseen One.
For most folk (except perhaps followers of The Unseen…), Sunday evenings serve as an occasion for feasting, dancing, drinking, general merriment and sometimes a bit of mild debauchery ahead of Freeday, the day of rest.
Months and Festivals of the Year (Glosa Calendar)
As mentioned already, are 12 months of 28 days each, and 4 festivals of 7 days each per year, totaling 364 days on the Glosa Calendar.
I will provide further detail later on what sort of activities will occur during each of these months and festivals, as well as denote several key dates around the calendar marking holidays and observances. But for now, here is a list of the months and festivals, with their very approximate Gregorian Calendar date equivalents:
Springtide (Vernatajdo) - the Spring Festival - March 18-24
Semuluno - March 25 to April 21
Amuluno - April 22 to May 19
Floroluno - May 20 to June 16
Summertide (Someratajdo) - the Summer Festival - June 17 to 23
Fojnoluno - June 24 to July 21
Ruĝaluno - July 22 to August 18
Rikoltoluno - August 19 to September 15
Autumntide (Ǎtumnatajdo) - the Autumn Festival - September 16 to 22
Ĉasuluno - September 23 to October 20
Frostoluno - October 21 to November 17
Ombraluno - November 18 to December 15
Wintertide (Vintratajdo) - the Winter Festival - December 16 to 22
Lupoluno - December 23 to January 19
Neĝoluno - January 20 to February 16
Degeloluno - February 17 to March 16
Time in the Known World
Within the Known World, time is not usually measured in exact minutes, or even hours. Most Known Worlders don't need time to be measured in such precise terms.
Instead, most communities around the Known World measure out their days in six, 4 hour long increments of time, called Viĝios or Watches.
Known Worlders residing in cities and towns also signify a 2nd set of times of the day, known as Vokos or Calls. Calls signal to residents when to wake up, work, rest, and sleep. It also signals when local markets, local businesses and local government entities are either open or closed.
The passage of each of these timely events are marked in cities and towns by professional guildsmen known as Timekeepers (Tempogardistos) who are assigned to ring standing bells to mark each of the 6 Watches and 10 Calls of the Day. In villages, one or more designated manorial officials will commonly sound out only the 6 Watches of the day.
Note that the times used below are standard, but may be adjusted slightly or discarded in accordance with the preferences of local rulers.
Watches of the Day
Here is a list of the six Watches of the Day and the times at which they typically occur. Watches are used foremost by guards, military, police watches, and government personnel working within the settlement, to signal when a certain watch patrol is to begin. They are also used in rural settlements to signify when to begin certain work activities.
Postnokto - Afternight Watch - 0000 h to 0359 h
Sunleviĝo - Sunrise Watch - 0400 h to 0759 h
Avantagmezo - Forenoon Watch - 0800 h to 1200 h
Postagmezo - Afternoon Watch - 1200 h to 1559 h
Sunsubiro - Sunset Watch - 1600 h to 1999 h
Antǎnokto - Forenight Watch - 2000 h to 2359 h
Calls of the Day
In larger settlements, in addition to the 6 Watches, there are 10 Calls of the Day. Calls are commonly used by local businesses and religious groups to signify when it is time to wake up, begin or pause work, etc.
Vekiĝo - Call to Wakeup - 0600 h
Matenlaboro - Call to Begin Work - 0700 h
Avantagpǎzo - Call to Midmorning Break and Open Markets - 0900 h
Restarto - Call to Resume Work - 0915 h
Tagmezo - Call to Midday Break and Pause Markets - 1100 h
Restarto - Call to Resume Work and Reopen Markets - 1300 h
Postagpǎzo - Call to Midafternoon Break and Close Markets - 1500 h
Restarto - Call to Resume Work - 1515 h
Festeno - Call to Supper - 1800 h
Ripozo - Call to Sleep/”Lights Out” - 2100 h
Conclusion
That concludes today’s dispatch!
If you liked it, please feel free to mention it in comments or send me an email at me@beturpin.com if you want to share something more detailed with me.
If you think a friend, coworker, relative or other person of some acquaintance to you might like reading The Other Side Of The Sun or this blog and newsletter, feel free to forward the newsletter to them or send them a link to the Substack, at https://beturpin.substack.com.
Thanks for reading!
— B.E. Turpin