Daruna is set on a planet much like Earth, somewhere in the northern hemisphere. The solar year is 369 days long, The planet's single large, blueish moon has a 29 day cycle. Astronomers have identified at least four planets in the night skies, one closer to the sun, three further out.
The night sky is filled with stars, and has two major features:
These two features are on opposite sides of the star dome, so one or the other dominates the night sky depending on the season.
The Darunite calendar is the primary reckoning of time used throughout the land. This calendar tracks both solar years and lunar cycles, though the mismatched length of these two periods does not permit correlation between them. The annual calendar is divided into four seasons of 92 days, each divided into a waxing and waning half. The day of the winter solstice falls outside this reckoning and is treated as a holy day.
The lunar calendar is counted as months within the solar year (the 10th month of the year 457 for example). A lunar month runs from new moon to new moon. The first month of a year begins with the first new moon, even though this may not correspond to the beginning of the year. It is quite possible for a lunar date from one year to refer to a day in the following year.
Lunar months are often given additional designations or names, based on important events that occur within their span, the moon of storms or the month of Kulan's ascension for example.
Years when a new moon falls on the winter solstice are considered unlucky, while the full moon at the same time is just the opposite.
Each day is equivalent to an Earthly day in length. Most towns and cities use a system of gongs or bells to track the day's passage. The Darunite time system divides the day into 24 hours.
The overall climate of the Daruna region ranges from snow-capped mountain peaks in the north to tropical jungle in the south. There are four main bands of climate evident in the region.
The Kogani Mountains and the alpine forests, meadows and passes leading through them are relatively cold and unfriendly lands. The peaks are treeless and snow-covered, the lower slopes covered with evergreens and tough alpine scrub.
The area between the Kogani Mountains and the Ravari Mountains is a warm temperate area with a distinct seasonal cycle, though the winters are generally mild and the summers hot. Snow is a rarity and winter precipitation generally falls as chill rain. Warm coastal winds meet colder air flowing down over the northern peaks and produce sometimes spectacular storms along the Ravari range.
The plains south of the Ravari Mountains are temperate to semi-tropical, benefiting from the warm waters of the Bay of Svata and the Rangal Sea. The long growing season and mild winters allow significant agriculture in the rich lowlands along the many rivers that cross the plain. The chief climate threat in the plains region is flooding, with late winter and early spring being the most likely period for this hazard.
The southern extremes of the known world are hot and humid, conditions that promote the dense growth of the Sangha Jungle and make travel through its tangled mass a risky proposition. Heavy rains are common in the southern region as northerly winds carry water-laden clouds from the Rangal Sea overland where they deposit their moisture on the jungle beneath.
