Where to run a KUP game #2 - The day
The days are divided between day and night in almost equal measure, with no seasonal effects impacting the length of the day. As previously mentioned, some scholars have precisely measured the duration of a full day and found that the light/dark cycles do not last exactly the same amount of time. This difference seems to be random (for the GM: it is possible to apply the same rule for the change of season to the transition between light and dark; just replace days with minutes).
The light does not come from a single luminous source like the sun but is diffused, appearing at dawn and gradually fading at sunset. The effect is very similar to the real world, where the sky changes colors as day transitions to night and reaches its blue peak. Natural light, therefore, does not cast shadows. As a result, culturally, shadows are considered artificial and not natural. In some cultures, shadows are associated with evil principles or entities due to their artificial nature, while in others, shadows are regarded as an artistic product, akin to writing, painting, or music. Renowned artists have elevated the art of creating shadows (such as Chinese shadow puppetry in the real world) to high levels. A good number of street artists specialize in this craft, which is seen as a form of art.
The night sky is characterized by stars, which are moving bodies in the celestial dome. Scholars have observed that, in cycles unrelated to the progression of the year, stars disappear and then reappear. For some of these stars, it has been possible to map their appearance and disappearance over time, but for most, it hasn’t been possible.
Since the stars move and there is no sun, it is not possible to navigate using the conventional methods known in the real world. Many civilizations have therefore adopted a system of orientation based on the winds. The lands are swept by winds that exhibit a certain regularity: there is an alternation of winds depending on the season, but overall, by studying how a wind blows, it is possible to determine quite precisely where one is and what the cardinal directions are. There are groups of guides and explorers who have mastered the use of anemometers to navigate anywhere (as long as there is at least a little wind). These groups, or rather corporations, have mapped a large portion of the known lands, making it easy for even the less experienced to orient themselves. Wind maps are therefore the best tools a traveler can carry, along with a good anemometer. Due to this system of wind-based navigation, many activities that exploit this phenomenon exist, the most prominent being windmills.
The days are measured in two cycles of 4 quarters each. The light cycle consists of the first two quarters as the morning and the second two quarters as the afternoon. The dark cycle consists of the first two quarters as the evening and the second two as the night. Each part of the day (morning, afternoon, evening, night) thus has a first half and a second half. Culturally, time-related references refer to these halves: for example, people might say "in the first half of the afternoon" or "in the third quarter of the day."
In the known lands, the quarters of the day are marked by bell tolls to provide the population with a shared time reference. The responsibility for correctly marking the quarters of the day usually falls to the cleric of the settlement, who uses large hourglasses to measure the intermediate quarters of the day during the transition between light and dark. In large cities, this role is so important that it has been turned into a profession: the Quarter Bell Ringer. Naturally, a specific guild manages this activity in a coordinated manner, having created a code that all Quarter Bell Ringers must adhere to.