The Belt
The Belt defines Potestatem. Within it are the objects that define religion, holiday, date, omens, magic, and life itself.
Geography
The Belt is made up of hundreds of thousands of individuals' bodies. The majority of these are smaller than a medium humanoid but several thousand are larger.
About sixty percent of asteroids are some form of rock or metal, appearing grey, dark grey, white, gold, and brownish. Often these colors are mixed within the asteroids themselves. The second-largest set of asteroids are the glass, or window, asteroids. These appear somewhat very translucent and can be noticed from the surface of Potestatem much more easily than the first group. All colors are represented within this group. They are known for their great magical effects and the great pools of colored light they will shine on Potestatem like tiny not-quite eclipses.
The rest of the asteroids are the colonized, ruined, and hollow asteroids. Most of these are created by spell casters flying up to the Belt and establishing a base of the sort. While difficult hundreds of these exist as they have built up over time. The most notable of which is Letherdons Tower. The month named after the asteroid being a reliable measure of time in relation to The Temple. Many of these asteroids like the tower have structures carved into them or active inhabitants altering their surfaces in other ways.
Most larger asteroids slowly become more rounded and regular like Potestatem, but medium oblong or porous asteroids provide odd terrain for any Belt goer.
Ecosystem
While little life lives within to Belt, it is nearly comparable to a desert on Potestatem. Several mechanical, undead, and other creatures without the need for water, air, or food have made their homes within the vacuum of the BElt. A few exceptions such as the gelatinous asteroid as well as a few asteroids that magically maintain an atmosphere hold life that stays on their surfaces without travel to other Belt objects.
The most notable of these creatures are the Beholders and other aberrations. For unknown reasons to this day, aberration presence is increased in the Belt. It is theorized the alien environment, harsh landscape, and ease with which hovering entities can dominate in this realm, come together to create this system. Beholders have been noted on a dozen occasions to use telekinesis to bring air or other objects into their domains. This as well as slaving magicians to their cause makes them well suited to the void somewhat like their insane home realm.
Ecosystem Cycles
While few cycles truly repeated within the Infinite Islands, a few can be noted. From Letherdons tower to Gelatinous, several larger asteroids make regular orbits of the Planet. This is always in conflict with the sheer number of bodies in the belt that seemingly always shift position whether due to varying size, collisions, or tampering by beings, it is hard to pin down any one cycle is 'constant.'
Localized Phenomena
As mentioned in the ecosystems section Abberations seem to be about 4x as prevalent in the Belt as they are on Potestatem.
In addition to this, elementals, extraplanar creatures, and of course plant-type creatures are much less Common in the belt. Portals to other planes are also much less Common. The theory holds that 'The Material Plane' or Potestatem, is what collects the weave around in such great quantities. This allows portals, and magic, to occur on the surface but weakens further from the surface. This theory is countered by the use of magic and the presence of Window Asteroids that have magical auras as mentioned in Geogrpahy above.
Fauna & Flora
No recorded plantlife has been proven to be native to the Infinte Islands.
Natural Resources
Metals, magical gems, and free real estate are all abundant within the belt. Transporting large materials is difficult alone. Many vast objects have been shot out of the sky when a lone mage tries to bring something to a big home.
History
The Infinite Islands history is a polka dot shirt of small tales. Most stories involve individuals sailing up to the belt to study, build a hermitage, or just for fun. Ranging from spell casters first learning the fly spell, up to the great lich Letherdon, many have made the trip up.
But the greatest note is the Temple Magocracy. This was a group of ten thousand low to high-level spell casters localized to the Arcane Planes in the western hemisphere of the main continent. Tearing a large city out of the ground and rising it into the belt, the mages attempted to establish a large-scale organization in the Infinite Islands. It is thought to have taken place somewhere in the Era of Discovery between 3000 and 2000 BC. For unknown reasons the island broke apart and its remanents are found everywhere in the belt, as well as survivors offshoot structures that are theorized to be responsible for most Belt ruins and dungeons.
Tourism
Anyone with Fly can visit the belt. Many airships, as well as teleportation gates, have been utilized to access the belt. Due to magic being the key to entering the region it is a highly scholarly process in most cases.
Alternative Name(s)
Ring, Horizon, The Ever Circle, Temple's Shadow, Grey Sky, and The Infinite Islands.
Type
Asteroid belt
Location under
Included Locations
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