Blinkers

Even before the Ark Event, the night sky was awash with vibrant colours and stars that changed position every night. Things twinkled, things shone, things moved both seen and unseen from the Planet-dwelling denizens of the world. Already, it was a sight that had inspired every artist at one point or another. Joining the many sights hanging in the sky was, of course, the Moon, sat observing the show above and the people below. Until the Ark Event, where a vast Solar Vessel tore a hole in space above the Moon. The vessel, specked with unknown creatures, was snapped in half by the hand of an unseen, impossibly large monster, causing the front half to fall and crush the Moon, blasting chunks of it across the skyscape and creating Layman's Belt. The rear half of the vessel was dragged back through by the seven-fingered hand, causing the rip in space to seal itself back up. But this tear appears to have brought a new event to the already dangerous Belt: The Blinkers.
The Blinkers, or just Blinkers, is the name given to a strange phenomenon that occurs constantly across Layman's Belt as well as the name of the object the phenomenon leaves behind. Explained simply, Blinkers are clumps of rock of various sizes that emerge from rips in space above the Belt. These rocks are packed full of all sorts of ores and gems, many of them not being found on the Planet below nor in the detritus of the Moon. It is from these minerals that the Eligni and others make a living, catching and mining them up in order to fund and fuel their growing cities atop the asteroids that make up Layman's Belt. However, these alien treasure caches come with a catch: they cannot be predicted, and they often come bearing down unexpectedly on cities. This leads to Blinker Holes opening pointed straight at a town and, if the Blinker comes with speed and size enough, can destroy buildings or even settlements if not caught. This has led to a number of Elignign innovations around the safety of their settlements, such as rooftop cannons designed to break the Blinkers down into less damaging chunks, as well as less useful concepts, such as the Waft Blinker-Net, a misguided attempt at slowing the great stones with nets.
In areas of the Belt that don't house Eligni or other peoples, the Blinkers frequently upend the terrain and look of entire swathes of rocky landscape. Some asteroids have become great lakes of magma, with shining crystals stretching from within the heat. In others, flowers and other vegetation unknown to this world sprout and carpet the horizon. In others, wholly new ecosystems have sprung up, boasting new insects, mammals and other creatures that defy current naming traditions. Along with the destruction and change they bring to the Belt, there is the rare occasion that a Blinker misses any asteroids entirely, steering down onto the Planet below. Though no Blinker has yet collided with any of the Spires, many think it's simply a matter of time. Whatever the Blinkers carry, they're lost to the Great Forests that cover most of the Planet, with few if any explorers prepared to venture into the darkness.
Though a significant, ongoing danger for those who make a home on Layman's Belt, the Blinkers are both a blessing and a curse. While they do cause damage to almost everything, they also bring riches and opportunity, followed by great innovation from the inspirational and mystical nature of these anomalies.

Manifestation

If one could predict the location a Blinker would come from, a task so far accomplished by only one person, one would see only space much like in any other spot. However, if one continued watching, this spot would rapidly open, like a two-dimensional hole in a piece of parchment, the jagged lines of the rip being a dulled prismatic display. Unfortunately, it would be impossible to see what is beyond such a tear, as the rocky meteor would already be mostly through, the hole opening up only enough to fit the rock through. Afterwards, just as quickly as it formed, the hole will seal itself back up, putting the sky back as it should be.

Localization

The Blinkers occur only above Layman's Belt, pointed towards, away, in parallel and in every other direction. It is believed that the Ark Event is the cause of this phenomenon, the rip in space that the Ark tore being the catalyst to this new, strange behaviour of the space above the Belt.

Type

Metaphysical, Astral