Time
The setting opens in the autumn of 1788, in a Europe on the brink of revolution.
The Calendar
The Gregorian calendar is in use across most of the setting. Mornavian villagers still keep the old saints' feasts; the Sublime East follows its own reckoning entirely.
Recent History
- 1665 β The Great Plague. Mass graves dug across the continent; many were sealed with consecrated stone. They were sealed for a reason.
- 1700 β A "long winter" lasts nearly two years. The harvest fails. The Church declares a holy year.
- 1742 β The Order of Saint Severin is officially disbanded. Its members do not stop.
- 1755 β The Lisbon-equivalent earthquake levels Iberia's holiest cathedral. The Enlightenment takes the opportunity it needs.
- 1788 β Now. The price of bread rises. The nights grow longer. Old houses receive guests they had forgotten they were expecting.
The Long Nights
In Mornavia and the eastern provinces, the locals speak of Π΄Π»ΠΈΠ½Π½Π°Ρ Π½ΠΎΡΡ β the long night β winters when dawn arrives later each day, and on certain feast nights, does not arrive at all. The Church denies it. The villagers bar their doors.