The Sorcerer's Conspectus:
A comprehensive view of Andre Norton's Witch World
by Lotsawatts
GURPS: Years Defined
[GURPS: Witch World; Roleplaying in Andre Norton’s Witch World] (1989) Published by Steve Jackson Games Inc., written by Sasha Miller and Ben W. Miller, Edited by Sharleen Lambard ~ cover by Toni Taylor
Each year in the Witch World bears a name rather than a number and — unlike the Chinese calendar — the names are not repeated. This system originated with the Dalesmen and was brought to the Eastern Continent by the Sulcar traders. It is now followed by nearly all the inhabitants of the Witch World.
The Book of Years, which lists year names for thousands of years, was written by the Bard-Sages of High Hallack. They claim to have learned, not created, the names, and made a record.
The following lists years from the Year of the Serpent King to the Year of the Alfar in chronological order. This is a complete list for this period, including many names that have not yet appeared in Witch World novels or stories.
Year unnamed
Refugees of the Old Race flee Escore, erecting the Great Mountains separating Escore from Estcarp ~ Three Against the Witch World.
Approximately 600 years pass unrecorded.
Year of the Cloven Hoof
The first Dalesmen come to High Hallack, fleeing the disasters of their own world ~ Horn Crown.
Approximately 400 years pass.1
Year of the Serpent King
Kerovan is born in High Hallack ~ The Crystal Gryphon.2
Year of the Ringed Dove
Kerovan's sister Lisana is born in High Hallack ~ The Crystal Gryphon.
Year of the Salamander
Almondia and Truan are shipwrecked off Wark, High Hallack ~ Dragon Scale Silver.
Joisan is born in High Hallack ~ The Crystal Gryphon.
Year of the Fire Arrow
Year of the Bicorn
Elys and Elyn are born in High Hallack ~ Dragon Scale Silver.3
Year of the Hill Giant
Year of the Sea Calf
Year of the Kestrel
Year of the Yellow Dwarf
Dairine is cast ashore at Rannock, High Hallack ~ Spider Silk.4
Year of the Mandrake
Year of the Spitting Toad
Joisan and Kerovan are married by axe in High Hallack ~ The Crystal Gryphon.
Year of the Winged Bull
Year of the Horned Worm
Year of the Gorgon
Year of the Barrow-Wight
Simon Tregarth arrives in Estcarp through a Gate from Earth ~ Witch World.
Sulcarkeep is destroyed ~ Witch World.
Loyse of Verlaine marries Duke Yvian of Karsten by axe ~ Witch World.
Year of the Cameleopard
Simon Tregarth marries Jaelithe in Estcarp ~ Witch World.
Duke Yvian of Karsten is killed ~ Web of the Witch World.
Kyllan Tregarth is born on the last day of the year ~ Three Against the Witch World.
Year of the Crowned Swan
Kemoc and Kaththea Tregarth are born on the first day of the year ~ Three Against the Witch World.
Year of the Fire Troll
Koris of Gorm and Loyse of Verlaine are married in Estcarp ~ Three Against the Witch World.
Dairine receives the gift of Touch-Sight in High Hallack ~ Spider Silk.5
Alizon invades High Hallack ~ The Crystal Gryphon, Dragon Scale Silver.
Year of the Mosswife6
Pagar begins his rise to power in Karsten ~ Three Against the Witch World.
Year of the Weldworm
The Sulcar come to the aid of High Hallack and begin harrying the coasts of Alizon ~ The Crystal Gryphon.
Dairine becomes apprenticed to the Weavers of Usturt ~ Spider Silk.7
Year of the Swordsman
The Sulcar carry their harrying action into Karsten, raiding the city of Kars ~ Three Against the Witch World.
Simon and Loyse are imprisoned in Tormarsh ~ Web of the Witch World.
Simon and Jaelithe destroy the Kolder Gate ~ Web of the Witch World.
Year of the Leopard
Pagar's power base in Karsten grows unsteady ~ Three Against the Witch World.
Gillan arrives in Norstead Abbey, High Hallack ~ Year of the Unicorn.
High Hallack rallies against the Alizon invasion ~ The Crystal Gryphon.
Year of the Raven
Elys and Jervon dispel Ingaret's Curse in High Hallack ~ Dragon Scale Silver.
Imgry becomes leader of the war forces in High Hallack ~ Gryphon in Glory.
Year of the Night Hound
Pagar begins to solidify his power in Karsten ~ Three Against the Witch World.
Year of the Gryphon
High Hallack makes the Pact with the Weres ~ Year of the Unicorn, Three Against the Witch World, The Jargoon Pard and Gryphon in Glory.
Year of the Firedrake
Year of the Hornet
High Hallack defeats the invaders from Alizon ~ Three Against the Witch Worldand The Jargoon Pard.8
Year of the Unicorn
Kyllan, Kemoc and Kaththea Tregarth rescue a Witch in Estcarp. Alerted to Kaththea's powers, the Council summons her for testing. Her parents refuse ~ Three Against the Witch World.
Ysmay marries Hylle in High Hallack and journeys to Quayth ~ Amber Out of Quayth.9
Gillan and the Were Rider Herrel are married in High Hallack ~ Year of the Unicorn.10
Year of the Red Boar11
Ysmay frees Broc and Yaal; Hylle is overthrown in Quayth ~ Amber Out of Quayth.12
Aylinn is born in High Hallack ~ The Jargoon Pard.13
Kethan is born in High Hallack ~ The Jargoon Pard.14
Year of the Fox Maiden
Simon Tregarth disappears from Estcarp ~ Three Against the Witch World.
Year of the Phoenix
Jaelithe Tregarth goes in search of Simon and disappears from Estcarp ~ Three Against the Witch World.
Year of the Hippogriff
Kyllan and Kemoc Tregarth ride with the Borderers of Estcarp against Karsten ~ Three Against the Witch World.
Alon is born in Karsten ~ Ware Hawk.
Year of the Roc
Kaththea Tregarth is taken for training by The Council of Estcarp ~ Three Against the Witch World.
Duke Pagar of Karsten suffers a defeat by the Borderers and subsequent setback ~ Three Against the Witch World.
Year of the Basilisk
Duke Pagar of Karsten rallies once more ~ Three Against the Witch World.
Year of the Black Adder
Kemoc Tregarth is wounded and goes to the Archives at Lormt ~ Three Against the Witch World.
Koris is wounded and retires from leadership in Estcarp ~ Three Against the Witch Worldand Warlock of the Witch World.
Year of the Frost Giant
Simond is born to Koris and Loyse in Estcarp ~ Sand Sister.
Year of the Kobold
The Witches of Estcarp wreak the Turning - devastating the barrier ridge separating Karsten from Alizon - and Karsten is defeated ~ Three Against the Witch World.15
Kyllan and Kemoc Tregarth rescue Kaththea from the Council of Estcarp, and the Three flee over the mountains to Escore ~ Three Against the Witch World.
Kyllan Tregarth and Dahaun of the Green Silences are handfasted in Escore ~ Three Against the Witch World.
Year of the Snow Cat
Kyllan Tregarth returns to Estcarp to recruit settlers for Escore ~ Three Against the Witch World.
Kemoc Tregarth and the Krogan maiden Orsya are handfasted ~ Three Against the Witch World.
Kaththea Tregarth is lured away by the adept Dinzel and is rescued by Kemoc ~ Warlock of the Witch World.16
Kaththea Tregarth is lost in an avalanche en route from Escore to Estcarp. She is rescued by the Vupsall and taken deep into Escore ~ Sorceress of the Witch World.
Year of the Horned Hunter
Kaththea Tregarth becomes apprenticed to the Vupsall Wise Woman Utta ~ Sorceress of the Witch World.
Kaththea Tregarth finds the Dark Tower and discovers the Gate into the Machine World ~ Sorceress of the Witch World.
Kaththea Tregarth discovers Simon and Jaelithe in the Machine World, and they rescue the adept Hilarion from imprisonment ~ Sorceress of the Witch World.
Year of the Lamia
Kelsie arrives in Escore through a Gate from Earth ~ The Gate of the Cat.17
Year of the Chimera
Simon and Jaelithe Tregarth return to Estcarp from Escore ~ Sorceress of the Witch World.
Year of the Harpy
Tirtha of Hawkholme, Nirel the Falconer and the youth Alon adventure in Escore ~ Ware Hawk.18
Year of the Orc
Year of the Werewolf
Year of the Thorn Cat
Kethan and Thaney are betrothed ~ The Jargoon Pard.
Year of the Manticore
Year of the Weld
Year of the Hydra
Year of the Triton
Year of the Centaur
Year of the Opinacus
Year of the Sumurgh
Year of the Remorhaz
Year of the Elder Tree
Year of the Wild Huntsman
Year of the Troll-Dame
Year of the Silversmith
Year of the Bitter Herb
Year of the Alfar
Footnotes:
1. Sometime during these years, One Spell Wizard takes place in High Hallack.
2. The details of Kerovan's birth are revealed in Of the Shaping of Ulm's Heir & Heir Apparent. Sometime around here, Dream Smith may take place.
3. This is incorrect. It is named the "Year of the Sea Serpent" in Dragon Scale Silver.
4. This is incorrect, both in time and location. Rannock is in Estcarp on the shore south of the Tor Marsh. This story takes place around The Turning. In fact, this where the name of the year when The Turning occurred, the Year of the Kobold, was first mentioned.
5. This is incorrect. See the previous Note.
6. The Year of the Moss Wifes is mentioned as before the Fire Troll in The Crystal Gryphon as well as in Silver May Tarnish.
7. This is incorrect, see Footnote #4.
8. Also this year, Hertha is raped by a Dalesman in the aftermath of the war and she seeks her revenge in The Toads of Grimmerdale, Elys & Jervon fight an ancient god in Sword of Unbelief and Brixia undoes Zarsthor's Bane.
9. Early in this year, Hertha gives birth to her daughter Elfanor and seals the circle of the Toads in Changeling. Also this year, Kerovan & Joisan enter Arvon and Joisan discovers she is pregnant and due to deliver around Midwinter of this year in Gryphon's Eyrie.
10. This happened on the first day of the year.
11. Also during this year the events of Ully the Piper and Legacy from Sorn Fen.
12. This actually happened on the last day of the Year of the Unicorn.
13. This is incorrect, she's born in Arvon.
14. This is incorrect, he is born in Arvon.
15. The name from this year came from Spider Silk.
16. The book Trey of Swords takes place just before Kaththea is lured away by Dinzel during Warlock of the Witch World.
17. This was published after Sorceress of the Witch World & Ware Hawk, why it was placed before is very odd.
18. This was published before The Gate of the Cat, why it was placed after is very odd.
Formatted and Edited by Jay Watts ~ May, 2022
Copyright ~ Andre-Norton.com
Duplication of this collection (in whole or in part) for profit of any kind NOT permitted.
