An Introduction to Scales, An Excerpt From: The Wayfarers Compendium to the Continent (and a little beyond)

It is impossible to hold a discourse on the continent without alluding to the titan that was once the Old Empire. Whilst she may be long gone, her history and institutions have cast a long shadow over modern continental life. And by life, I mean every aspect of it. Consider the year 1256 A.I, the very year I have published the first edition of this edifying text. A.I, “Attero Imperium”, a bastardization that is something in the spirit of “after Imperial ruin”. The Blackstone Isles, whilst never a part of the Old Empire, too have slowly adopted the continental method of notation.

There have been many epochs in our history. The Reich and the self-proclaimed Heres have at numerous points in our history attempted to reset the calendar. None of the attempts lasted longer than the ambitions of their implementors. The common man and the cosmopolitan gentleman have little interest for the whims of jumped up tyrants. The Northmen are the only people beyond the distant Orientals who have a distinct calendar. Pre-continental adoption, the Isles counted their years post exodus. An age that began when their ancestors were driven from their northern home. The Æsc begin theirs from a period after “emergence”. Northern mythology maintains that their ancestors hid under the earth to escape an ancient apocalypse. The ancestors were protected by their gods and sheltered for a time until their “emergence” to the surface.

The hour, minute, and second remains a universal standard. Modern scholars remain divided on as on why this is a shared phenomenon. Some believe that the worlds separate cultures all independently came to the same conclusion. The other theory holds that the time standard was from a shared ancient history. Both schools of thought present compelling arguments. This author, however, is more inclined to the latter theory. In future chapters I will discuss my reasoning for my preference over the other. However, it is sufficient to say for now that it is a universal all wayfarer may be thankful for. As a caveat, whilst the Northmen maintain the same unit of time as we do, they function off a 24-hour system. What to us is eight o’clock in the morning is zero eight hundred to them. The certain root of this turn of phrase is currently unknown. However there exists several disquieting and intriguing potentialities.

One modern convention that is not shared is that of distance and weight. Oh, how the civilized traveler is subjected to the barbarity of the mile and pound. The Northmen maintain an incomprehensible system that is based the number 6. I am told that the original measurements were from objects in nature: the foot was the average length of a foot. I will not even discuss the atrocity that is the eastern pood and stick. One theorizes that with further cultural interaction, the north will soon adopt our metric system. Basing a value on the conceptual 10 eases transactions between cultures. It also represents the triumph of conceptual logic over primitive analogies.

I make an exception for the institution of the pint, however. The pint is the natural volume of ale, beer, or cider that a man may healthfully enjoy. At a pint and a half, a man feels as if all is well in the world. Two and he is ready to make merry. Any beyond is subject to the individual’s ability to retain sobriety. That said after a drink beyond two pints, one begins to feel turgid and will soon require the facilities of a latrine.

Porcius, The Wayfarers Compendium to the Continent (and a little beyond), Preface ii: Modern Conventions, Collegium Augusta, iv ed., 1324

Note to all Collegium scholars. The Wayfarers Compendium to the Continent (and a little beyond), whilst an amusing publication is not an acceptable source of citation. Whilst the college press continues to print Porcius’ work, it does not endorse it as academically sound. The board of professors warns all Collegium students citing Porcius as fact may receive negative marking.