The Duskaran Cycle

Without the diurnal rhythm of sunrise and sunset, Duskarans measure long-term time by their planet's orbital Cycle—one complete revolution around HD Xanthea, lasting approximately 32.5 Earth days. This celestial rhythm, though imperceptible in daily life, manifests through subtle atmospheric shifts, minor gravitational tidal effects on wind patterns, and variations in auroral intensity at the twilight belt's margins.

The Cycle serves as Duskara's fundamental chronological unit, tracked since the Cycle of Landfall (designated Cycle 0, equivalent to 2250 CE in Earth reckoning). Ancient star charts preserved from the Stellar Horizon, combined with ongoing astronomical observations by Archivists, maintain the count. Mechanical orreries in major settlements display Duskara's orbital position, their slow rotation a tangible measure of time's passage in a world without changing skies.

For everyday purposes, Duskarans still reference Wind Phases (lasting days to weeks) and the predictable Auroral Rhythms of the night side. The Cycle provides the bridge between immediate experience and historical timekeeping, with roughly 11 Cycles comprising an Ancestor Cycle, the span of time equivalent to an Earth year. This longer measure honors the generations that have passed since landfall, connecting each living Duskaran to the legacy of those who came before.

Major events are dated in Cycles: the founding of Lake Auran (Cycle 127), the rediscovery of the Deep Roads (Cycle 6,179), the establishment of the Duskaran Accord (Cycle 7,303). This system reinforces Duskaran identity: time is measured not by a distant sun's rise and fall, but by their own world's patient dance through the void.