Equinoxes

Days of Spring and Autumn

Only two days a year are the daylight and nighttime in harmony. For the rest of the year, they each try to outweigh the other, the sunshine overtaking the summer while the night darkens the winter. These two days of equality are said to make the beginning and end of Dern's construction of his perfect kingdom, the lands that would eventually become Stronghold and the Human Empire. Legend says Dern wished to show his quick progress, the daylight lengthening as his sunlight grew with his progress. The Solstice marked the pinnacle, each day after shortening as the project came to a close. Some teachings argue this notion, saying that it was the Divine Races that changed the sunlight, altering it for their studies, but no truer answer exists than simply the speed with which the sun moves through the sky. The days in spring and autumn where the days and nights are the same length mark the transitions to the seasons with longer days and longer nights. For some, the Spring Equinox marks the beginning of the growing season, the point when the sunlight warms the earth enough for small seeds to grow. For others, the Autumn Equinox marks the point where winter preparations should be in full swing, otherwise, their winter will be more difficult than necessary. These days are the transition to the easier and harder parts of the year, but their equality in day and night is still something celebrated. The Equinoxes do not harbor the same celebrations that the Solstices do as their points in the year are not necessarily as important as the deep summer or deep winter. For those whose livelihood involves agriculture, the equinoxes are important markers of the growing season. Those who worship Dern may mark the passing of the Equinoxes as points of history in the god's creation of their homeland, but most pass the day as any other.

Manifestation

The term equinox is used to refer to the days of the year when the day and night are in equality. These days define the points of the year when the change to summer and winter becomes apparent, days slowly lengthening or shortening to reach the Solstices. Each day contains twelve hours of daylight and twelve hours of darkness. The Equinoxes and the Solstices gained their defining features by two different acts of Dern, the God of the Sun. The Solstices came first, his travels around the world allowed him to scout for a location where he would eventually build his golden empire. The Long Trek of Dern brought vibrance to the world, alighting everything in his shimmering glow. The Quick Chill of Dern was but a short journey, but by this point, he had already decided where his empire would rise. The following year and Dern's movements would dictate the Equinoxes. As the day and night were equal in the spring, he would begin his construction, raising the great city that would eventually become Stronghold from within the golden waves of Traveler's Grass. As the days became longer, his building would reach its pinnacle, great walls and citadels erected. As the days shortened towards the Autumn Equinox, the finishing touches were added, the golden empire of the Sun God completed as the days once again reached equality with the night.

Growing Seasons

Wheat Field by Rafael Macedo on Unsplash

The growing seasons are tied closely to the Equinoxes as it is believed that the Spring Equinox marks a point where it is warm enough for seeds to germinate effectively and the Autumn Equinox marks the point where it begins getting too cold for most plants to survive.