Threshold Day

Threshold Day, also called Betwixt Day, is the acknowldged (but largely unspoken) 24-hour period between the 300th, "final" day of the year and the first day of the next year. It is observed as a holiday of Xivix, the Pale God of Time, by most common folk the world over, though this is largely an attempt at putting brevity to an otherwise strange and largely unexplained phenomonon.

Since the reorganization of Talus' calendar year by Jon the Stargazer, most civilizations readily use the even-numbered 300-day-long year, as it seems to accomodate for the annual path of the sun and the Lumis and Malus Moons. However, there is a final, 301st day that was not included in the reorganized calendar - during this day, the Lumis and Malus Moons don't seem to move their positions in the sky, and regardless of weather, the day is cast in a muted twilight.

Almost all cultures have found that, during this "day", systems of telling time become difficult to read, or outright inaccurate. In addition, sometimes when people walk into or out of buildings, they end up in a different place. Walking through a blacksmith's door results in entering a tavern; going into the stables could mean you arrive in the barracks. These "jumps" between thresholds usually remain within a community's limits, but some who have braved walking into or out of doorways during Threshold Day in the past have ended up miles - sometimes even hundreds of miles -away.

Holiday Observance
Because of the anomolous nature of the day, most cultures and societies have each concluded it best to stay indoors, either in one's own dwelling or with friends, for the entire day. Businesses close, and most folk take Betwixt Day as an opportunity for in-house liesure. Some spend the day in a temple of their choosing, considering the day evil and seeking their deity's protection through prayer and worship, all the while never leaving the temple. Travelers will often seek a shelter of some sort on Year's End Day - the 300th day of the year - to stay in to avoid being trapped outside; those who are caught on long journeys and cannot find a dwelling on Year's End will often remain outdoors, refusing to enter a building until New Year's Day.

Threshold Day is treated with forced brevity by most common folk who are scared of the seemingly magical nature of the day, and will largely be treated as a widely-known but unspoken secret throughout the year. Plans for where folks will be staying during Threshold Day are drawn up and shared quietly, as relatives and friends will determine to either stay together or remain in their own dwellings until New Year's Day. Children are usually given games, toys, or - for those who can afford them - books to occupy their attention and steer them away from leaving the house. Adults will distract themselves with recounting stories and events of the past year, either with friends or privately in journals, in an attempt to maintain a semblance of normal time passing.

Those who do brave the day's strange effects and will attempt leaving/entering buildings are sometimes succesful - and sometimes not. When walking through a threshold, those who know of him will offer a prayer to Xivix, the Pale God of Time, beseeching protection. If transported to a different threshold, travelers will often apologize for their intrusion to anyone living in the new dwelling with a small sum of money, and will often stay within that dwelling until New Year's Day.