"We have four verb tenses, but six words for 'now.' The moment matters more than eternity — eternity is not going anywhere."
— From the instructions of the Keeper Guild
Related sections: → see [Volume IV, Ch.05, "Verbs and Tenses"], → see [Volume I, Ch.34, "Systems of Measurement"], → see [Volume V, "The Calendar"]
The observatory courtyard
6.1 Units of Time
Sha’Ruun
Translation
Value
mor
time, cycle
core root (L-000008)
morin
instant
A brief moment
morsha
fraction (paired unit)
36 morin
morak
hour
36 morsha
morkhal
day
27.3 Earth hours
morserrin
lunar month
Lunar cycle; distinct from a calendar month
mormor
year, full cycle
178 or 179 local days; six months and Renewal Days
morrass
sextennium
6 mormor
mormorak
century
216 mormor (6³)
morven
epoch
an indefinitely long period
morel
eternity, timelessness
mor + el
6.2 Temporal Deixis
Sha’Ruun
Translation
Etymology
moren
now, in the present
mor + -en (present tense)
morak-en
today
morak + en
mortor
the past, earlier
mor + tor (from)
morkhar
the future, ahead
mor + khar (toward)
mortorin
yesterday
mortor + -in
morkharin
tomorrow
morkhar + -in
morven-tor
long ago, in antiquity
morven + tor
morven-khar
one day (in the future)
morven + khar
morsha-en
meanwhile, simultaneously
morsha + en
morel-en
always, forever
morel + en
mortorel
never (in the past)
mortor + el
mor-ven?
when?
interrogative form
6.3 Space and Direction
Sha’Ruun
Translation
Etymology
the
earth, place
core root (L-000005)
thein
point, location
the + -in
theak
territory, region
the + -ak
tor
up, height
core root (L-000012)
thal
down, depth
from thalas (ocean)
khar
toward, in the direction of
khar (light — the source of bearing)
vex
outward, out
vex (to give)
el
inward, toward the center
el (unity)
rass
around, about
rass (unity, encompassment)
shatorel
opposite, facing
sha + tor + el
the-khar?
where?
interrogative form
the-khar-mor?
where to?
the-khar + mor
6.4 Cardinal Directions
Sha’Ruun
Translation
Etymology
kharthe
north
khar (light) + the — from the polar aurora
thalthe
south
thal (depth) + the — toward Ocean Gharra
vexthe
east (lit. "the giving side")
vex + the — the rising of Khar'Vex
torthe
west
tor (away) + the — the setting
kharthe-tor
northwest
composition
kharthe-vex
northeast
composition
thalthe-tor
southwest
composition
thalthe-vex
southeast
composition
rassthe
zenith, the point overhead
rass + the
thalrass
nadir
thal + rass
6.5 Measures of Distance
Sha’Ruun
Translation
Value
pa
pace, small measure
~0.8 m
paak
span
36 pa
mo
principal measure of length
8,200 m
moak
long measure
36 mo
mo-thar
planetary measure
1,296 mo
kharmo
astronomical unit
Théxar–Khar’Vex distance; 0.632 Earth AU
kharmoak
light-year
khar + mo + -ak
paak-the
area (square measure)
paak²
mo-the
square mo
mo²
6.6 Form and Size
Sha’Ruun
Translation
Etymology
torel
large, great
tor + el
torin
small, little
tor + -in
rassel
round, spherical
rass + el
torrass
tall
tor + rass
thalrassen
deep
thal + rass + -en
elthe
flat, level
el + the
shatorin
narrow
sha + tor + -in
rassven
wide, spacious
rass + ven
morel-the
infinite, boundless
morel + the
elin
whole, unified
el + -in
Chapter Summary
Section
Entries
Units of time
11
Temporal deixis
12
Space and direction
12
Cardinal directions
10
Measures of distance
9
Form and size
10
Total
64
The spatiotemporal system of Xha'Ruun is built on a senary base (→ see [Volume IV, Ch.09, "The Senary System"]): 36 morin to a morsha, 36 morsha to a morak, 216 mormor to a century. The cardinal directions are named not for abstract axes but for observable phenomena: east is "the giving side" (the rising of the star), north the side of the polar aurora. This is the language of a people who navigated by the sky long before the compass.
