Sky-Islands

“We live on the bones of a broken world, pretending the marrow is still warm.”
—Outland Clan saying

Quick Reference

Sky-Islands in the Aether

Overview

Sky-Islands are fragments of Terrum Solidus—pieces of the world that was, now suspended in the Aether. They range from tiny shards barely large enough to stand on to massive landmasses that support entire cities. Each is a miniature world unto itself, with its own terrain, climate, and dangers.

To understand Sky-Islands is to understand survival in the post-Shattering Aetherium: humanity clings to these fragments of solid ground because they are all that remains of certainty in an infinite void.

Size Classifications

Shards (10-100 meters)

Description: The smallest fragments, often just chunks of rock with minimal soil.

Characteristics: - Usually uninhabited (too small to support permanent structures) - Sometimes used as waypoints for airship navigation - Occasionally home to hermits or exiles - Minimal gravity well (barely noticeable) - No native wildlife (too small for ecosystem)

Notable Examples: - The Marker Stones: A cluster of 50+ shards in the Bright Reaches used as navigation reference points - Hermit’s Rest: A 20-meter shard occupied by a recluse known only as “The Watcher” - The Executioner’s Drop: Where Ironhold drops criminals—a shard with a built gallows

Dangers: - Easy to fall off - No water or food sources - Exposure to Aether (vulnerable to storms) - Often ignored by passing airships (isolation risk)

Minor Islands (100m - 1km)

Description: Small islands capable of supporting villages or small outposts.

Characteristics: - Population: 50-500 people typically - Can sustain basic agriculture - Usually have one primary settlement - Noticeable gravity well (comfortable to walk on) - Limited biodiversity

Notable Examples: - Glimmering Spire: 800m across, observatory ruins - Thornvale: 600m farming community, supplies Skyport Eos with grain - Saltwind Isle: 400m fishing outpost (harvests Aether-Fish) - The Pilgrim’s Pause: 200m waystation with inn and chapel

Advantages: - Defensible (small perimeter) - Close-knit communities - Lower resource demands - Easier to quarantine if Rot appears

Disadvantages: - Limited resources - Vulnerable to single-point failures (one bad harvest = starvation) - Difficult to defend from organized attacks - Socially isolated

Major Islands (1-10km)

Description: Large islands supporting towns, small cities, and diverse ecosystems.

Characteristics: - Population: 500-10,000 people - Multiple settlements or districts - Sustainable agriculture and industry - Strong gravity well (feels like pre-Shattering ground) - Full ecosystems (forests, rivers, wildlife)

Notable Examples: - Skyport Eos: 3km across, ~8,000 population - The Hollow: 5km across, fully Rot-corrupted - Greenfall: 4km agricultural paradise, supplies most of Bright Reaches - Stormwatch: 2km military outpost in Howling Expanse

Advantages: - Economic viability - Cultural diversity - Military capability - Trade hub potential - Resistance to localized disasters

Disadvantages: - Complex politics - Larger target for pirates/raiders - Rot outbreaks harder to contain - Resource distribution inequality

Landmasses (10km+)

Description: Massive fragments, the largest known pieces of Terrum Solidus.

Characteristics: - Population: 10,000-20,000 people (on habitable ones) - Multiple ecosystems - Self-sufficient - Gravity well strong enough to have “hills” and “valleys” of gravitational variation - Pre-Shattering cities often intact on their surfaces

Notable Examples: - Ironhold Plateau: 25km across, ~15,000 population, largest known stable island - The Titan’s Spine: 18km mountain range, mostly uninhabitable (too steep) - Forgotten Verde: 12km jungle island, rumored to exist in The Murk, never confirmed

Advantages: - Near pre-Shattering quality of life - Entire nations can exist on one landmass - Difficult to fully corrupt (Rot spreads slowly across such distances) - Strategic military value

Disadvantages: - Internal politics become complex - Easy to forget you’re on a floating island (false sense of security) - If Rot takes hold, the loss is catastrophic - May drift into dangerous regions over decades

Geology and Composition

Retained Properties

Islands retain the geology they had pre-Shattering:

Soil Types: - Farmland fragments still have rich topsoil - Mountain shards have rocky, mineral-rich composition - Desert pieces remain sandy and dry - Forest fragments retain loam and organic matter

Stone and Minerals: - Granite, limestone, sandstone—all types preserved - Ore veins (iron, copper, gold) still mineable - Pre-Shattering quarries and mines remain usable - Some islands are entire mountains, rich in resources

Water Sources: - Springs and aquifers function normally - Rivers flow to island edges and evaporate into Aether mist - Rain is rare but occurs (mechanism unknown) - Lakes and ponds remain stable - No island has ocean-scale water (all oceans were lost in the Shattering)

The Underside

The underside of islands is exposed—raw earth, stone, and roots visible.

Common Features: - Inverted root systems (trees rooted into the “top,” roots visible below) - Mineral deposits visible in cross-section - Pre-Shattering basements and dungeons sometimes exposed - Nesting sites for some Aether-creatures (Cloud-Hoppers, Sky-Rats)

Dangers: - Rot often begins on undersides (creeps upward) - Structural instability (erosion, cracks spreading) - No access without airship or climbing gear - Disorienting (gravity still pulls “down” toward island top)

Uses: - Mining exposed ore veins - Scavenging pre-Shattering ruins - Hiding smuggled goods - Secret passages into fortified islands

Gravity Wells

Each island generates a localized gravitational field.

Mechanics

Field Size: - Extends 50-100 meters from island surface - Larger islands have larger fields - Fields are roughly spherical (not flat)

Strength: - At surface: Feels like normal pre-Shattering gravity - At 25m: Slightly lighter, easy to jump higher - At 50m: Noticeably lighter, can “leap” with effort - At 75m+: Very weak, easy to push off into zero-g - Beyond 100m: Zero gravity (Aether proper)

Edge Effects: - Gravity doesn’t “shut off” sharply—it fades - At the exact edge, you feel a strange “pull” both toward the island and away from it - Sky-Striders learn to feel this transition point - Children are taught: “When your stomach floats, turn back”

Practical Applications

Island Hopping: - Experienced travelers can jump from one island’s gravity to another’s - Requires islands to be within ~200 meters of each other - Dangerous (misjudge and you drift forever) - Used by smugglers, scouts, and thrill-seekers

Construction: - Buildings near edges can be taller (less structural stress from gravity) - Dock platforms extend beyond gravity wells (airships tie off in zero-g) - Storage facilities built at edges (goods weigh less, easier to move)

Combat: - Fighting at island edges creates tactical advantages - Pushing enemies off is lethal - Ranged weapons behave differently in low gravity

Drifting vs. Anchored Islands

Drifting Islands

Majority of islands: Slowly drift along Aether-Currents.

Drift Speed: - Varies widely: 0.5 km/day to 50 km/day - Depends on size, shape, and which current catches them - Unpredictable—currents shift over time

Implications: - Settlements can become isolated or reunited over years - Trade routes must constantly adapt - “Permanent” addresses don’t exist - Collisions are rare but catastrophic

Cultural Impact: - “Everything drifts” is a common philosophy - Nomadic cultures see drifting as natural - Permanence is an illusion

Anchored Islands

Mysterious Stationary Islands: Some islands don’t drift. They remain in fixed positions relative to each other.

Known Anchored Islands: - Ironhold: Anchored for 287 years, unknown cause - Constellation’s Reach Observatory: Anchored in Veiled Heights - The Old Anchor (ruins): Was anchored, suddenly broke free in 243 S., drifted into The Murk - ~12 other confirmed anchored islands

Theories on Anchoring: - Pre-Shattering magical wards that survived - Gravity anomalies (islands “stuck” to some fixed point in Aether) - Constellation blessings (Clergy theory) - Connection to The Nexus Spire (Archivist theory) - Unknown Aether phenomenon

Value: - Anchored islands make reliable trade hubs - Permanent addresses, stable governance - Can build long-term infrastructure - Viewed as “safer” (psychologically)

Danger: - If anchoring fails, consequences are severe (see: The Old Anchor disaster) - May attract Rot (unclear why) - Complacency—people forget they’re on floating rocks

Island Microclimates

Each island retains or develops its own climate.

Temperature

• Islands maintain their pre-Shattering temperature ranges
• Desert fragments are hot
• Mountain peaks are cold and snowy
• Tropical shards are humid and warm
• The Aether’s ambient temperature (mild) provides a “baseline” but islands can deviate

Weather

• Local weather systems form on large islands
• Rain is rare but occurs (clouds form from evaporated water at edges)
• Snow accumulates on cold islands
• Wind patterns strange (no global atmospheric circulation)

Ecosystem Isolation

• Islands are ecological islands (pun intended)
• No migration between islands (except flying creatures)
• Species evolve in isolation
• Invasive species spread via airships (Sky-Rats, Aether-Vine)

Stability and Decay

Natural Erosion

Islands slowly erode: - Wind and water wear away edges - Gravity causes slow settling/compaction - Exposed undersides crumble over centuries

Lifespan Estimates: - Small shards: 100-300 years before crumbling completely - Minor islands: 500-1000 years - Major islands: 2000-5000 years - Landmasses: 10,000+ years

Rot Corruption

Rot destabilizes islands faster: - Corrupted stone softens, crumbles - Gravity wells weaken or fluctuate - Islands in late Rot stages sometimes “dissolve” into Aether - The Hollow is visibly decaying despite being only 5km across

Structural Failure

Occasionally, islands crack and split: - Usually along pre-existing fault lines - Can be triggered by impacts (airship crashes), earthquakes (rare), or Rot - Splitting is catastrophic—settlements are torn in half - Recorded 23 times in 287 years

Life on Islands

Agriculture

• Possible on islands with soil
• Crop yields depend on island fertility
• Water is the limiting factor (must conserve)
• Greenhouses common (protect from edge-winds)

Architecture

• Buildings built away from edges (safety)
• Edge-walls ubiquitous (prevent falls)
• Basements rare (limited dig depth)
• Multi-story construction common (preserve ground space)

Psychology

• Island size affects psychology
• Tiny shards: Claustrophobia common
• Huge landmasses: People forget they’re floating (dangerous complacency)
• Sweet spot: Major islands (2-5km)—large enough to feel safe, small enough to remember the Aether

Mysteries

Where Did the Missing Islands Go?

Terrum Solidus should have shattered into more fragments than currently exist. Where are the rest? - Consumed by Rot? - Drifted into The Periphery and beyond? - Fell into The Deeps? - Dissolved in the Shattering itself?

Why Do Some Islands Glow?

Rare islands emit faint light (not reflected Aether-glow, but their own luminescence): - Starfall Shard: Glows silver, location unknown - The Beacon: Glows gold, used as navigation landmark - Theory: Residual astral magic from pre-Shattering wards

Can Islands Be Steered?

The Returners believe islands can be controlled and repositioned. Most scholars think this is impossible. No confirmed successes, but some islands’ drift patterns seem… deliberate.

Related Topics

• The Shattering - How islands came to be
• The Aether - The medium islands float in
• Geography - Specific islands and regions
• The Sky-Rot - The corruption consuming islands

In-World Document

“On Island Stability” by Architect Maris Feln (Written 134 S.)

I have measured Ironhold’s perimeter every month for thirty years. It shrinks by an average of 3 centimeters per year. At this rate, in ten thousand years, there will be nothing left.

This should comfort us—ten millennia is enough time to find solutions, to adapt, to perhaps even reverse the Shattering.

But it does not comfort me.

Because I have also measured islands in The Murk. They shrink by 3 meters per year. Rot accelerates decay by a factor of a thousand.

Ironhold has been clean for 287 years. The Hollow fell in seventy-three years.

We do not have ten thousand years. We have as long as we can keep the Rot at bay.

And the Rot is winning.

“Stand on solid ground while you can. Tomorrow it might drift away.”
—Outland Clan proverb