On the workings of time

### The World cycles

In add a day and night cycle, the world follows a certain seasonal pattern. It knows no months or weeks. Years are defined by the seasons and vary greatly in length.

#### Days and Tendays
The divine bodies of Luna and Helios float in the universe, encircling each other. They are the cause of the day and night cycle. But every 10 days Helios catches up to Luna, causing a solar eclipse. This marks the beginning of a new tenday.

#### The Seasons

First there is **Bud**, when leaves grow and flower buds are prepared.

Second, there is **Bloom**, when white and red flowers bloom all over the upper parts of the world. These flowers hold precious nectar, invaluable for most species of Insectoids. In the end, those flowers wither and turn into small white berries or small golden berries.

When the white berries grow, the surrounding area grows cold, and the surrounding leaves slowly change color. They turn yellow, red or purple, and eventually, when their transformation is complete, they fall. The season of **Fall** is a catastrophe for most insectoids, so they try to avoid it as much as possible, destroying white flowers and protecting red flowers.

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When golden berries grow, the surrounding area becomes invigorated and pleasantly warm. This is what is known to the insectoids as **Summer**. Golden berries are filled with life and lengthen the lives of those who eat them. They are commonly viewed as the worlds blessing.

White berries on the other hand, are extremely poisonous and chain the soul of the consumer to the dark and cold. If the consumer dies his soul will become an evil spirit, yearning for the warmth of Summer, but incapable of enjoying it.

As a rule of thumb, each season lasts half as long a the previous one, meaning that if Bud lasts eight tendays, Bloom will last 4 and Summer will last 2.

#### Years

What is called a year is the completion of a seasonal cycle. 
When Summer or Fall turns into Bud a new year starts.

### The History of the World
The world is unfathomably old. It’s history is not. Written words were invented only five thousand years ago. This is not that much, seeing as some Luni can live up to 900 years. In fact, more than anything, it is writing that turned the dark ages into the age of exploration.
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#### The dark ages

The dark ages were the time before writing. Scholars and Archeologists were hardly able to find signs of intelligence during the biggest part of the dark ages. The dark ages seemed to be primitive times, filled with wars and death. Signs of worshipping have been found as old as a hundred thousand years old in ancient muscan and beetlefolk settlements.

Primitive artworks, fifty thousand years old, have been found near Leaf lake, where Akitu live to this day. The Akitu to this day still live like they did in the dark ages, with no need for writing and in a very tribalistic nature.

The first clear signs of Formicoid empires are as old as twenty thousand years. Some of the halls and tunnels made in those times are still in use to this day.

The oldest vespoid empires are supposed to be as old as the Formicoid empires, but this is doubted by many scholars, as there is no way of confirming this. Scholars believe they are between ten thousand thousand and 
five thousand years old.

Luni were the first to have a primitive form of writing. This writing is around five to six thousand years old. This was no writing meant for texts, but for the description of nature and magic, which is the same thing in their opinion.

It is whispered that the archives of the eldest of Luni sages have libraries filled with books from the dark ages. These Luni do not like to share their secrets, but teach them to a select few who they deem worthy.

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#### The age of exploration
During the dawn of the modern world, insectoids started gazing beyond their settlements and kingdoms, wanting to discover and conquer the riches beyond. This lead to discoveries being made and questions being asked. The insectoids who lived during the age of exploration were the first individuals to come into contact with artefacts, most commonly found in the universe and the depths of the dark world. They were also the first to map the world.

The Great Rift, a hidden location in the dark world which seemed to continue endlessly throughout the earth, was a renowned exploration target. Many peculiar creatures and amazing artefacts were discovered there, a group of Arach adventurers claimed to have reached the bottom and returned. They claimed demons lived in the bottom of the Great Rift and told stories about how they tricked said demons in order to leave the abyss. Their offspring however was barely recognizable as arachs and are thus called abyssal arachs.

Another great undertaking made during the age of exploration was the old empire of the scions. For a long time, the scions had established an empire outside of the Trunk. They settled in the desert, where they built a massive pyramid. This structure held a gate to the shadowfell, a strange place that warped the scions. The scions used to be ruled by a pharaoh, a powerful sorcerer which kept the gate in check. An unnamed pharaoh from long ago let a creature far too powerful loose in the universe which destroyed the scion empire. The creature and the pharaoh still inhabit the pyramid to this day. The surviving scions banded together and, to this day, live as nomads in the deserts.

The age of exploration ended around a thousand years ago. This was around the time the Hill Cities were founded.

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### The age of empires
The Hill Cities were a massive undertaking by Formica, the bull ant empire, meant to control the insectopians. Formica was the first empire to create a true currency, the Amber Buds, which soon became so widespread that every insect in the Trunk made use of it.

The reason for these undertakings were simple. Through money the Formicoids were able to employ the skills and muscle of other insects for their cause, exchanging them for products Formica made through money. These products include but are not limited to: aphid milk, cakes, rations, food, clothing, armor, weapons…

During the same era, around five thousand years ago, the Royal Hexagon was founded as a way to unite and regulate the Lower Treetops. The 6 Vespoid Queens united to create a metropolis for all insects of the higher treetops, Insectopolis. This metropolis is more open minded and bustling with life. In the center of the city, the Hive is situated. It is from this massive, honey-colored structure that Insectopolis is governed.

Even though the final say comes from the, now three, vespoid queens, many bug representatives of other races can be found in the senate of Insectopolis. These are called kings and queens, but aren’t actual rulers.

Insectopolis has its own money, consisting of royal hexes. Wax hexagonal coins, often carried on a string around the insectoids arm or neck. Insectopolis officials do not accept other kinds of payment, like Amber Buds. But they can be exchanged for royal hexagons on a rate of 3 to one in the cities.

Vespoids and Bull ants weren’t the only ones to create massive empires. The necrites Eternal Spire, The Frozen Branch, The Orchid monasteries, The Fire ant Nation and many more came to power and leave their marks on the world to this day.