Time

[aemilia]

Edessans measure time in horai (sing. hora). There are sixteen horai – eight during the day and eight during the night. The actual span of time encompassed in an hora changes during the year depending on how much day light there is. During the summer, daylight horai are longer and during the winter they are shorter. A hora is about an hour and a half long. Half an hora is about 45 minutes – no matter what time of year. During the sixth hora, most business shuts down for lunch and a long nap.

1st hora – starts at dawn
5th hora – starts at midday
9th hora – starts at dusk
13th hora – starts at midnight

Understandably, Edessans are not a very punctual people. If a meeting starts within half-an-hora of when it was supposed to, you're doing pretty good.