Shards of Thaya

At the onset of the War Against the Far Realm, Erathia's lone moon was blown apart by a strike meant to shatter the world itself. In the chaos, the moon goddess Thaya perished in the maw of her ancient foe the Bakunawa. Her celestial realm fragmented into countless pieces. Over time, those remains gradually coalesced into what is now known as the Shattered Moon, a dry and lifeless satellite.

However, above its surface 7,641 shards float, held aloft in a zone of air through some unknown magical power. Life thrives on many of these shards, adapting uniquely to each rocky or aquatic fragment. Some hold lush forests, others are dry deserts, a few are entirely composed of water, forming floating seas teeming with life.

The Breath and the Dust

The floating shards exist within a breathable region formally known as the driiathi-sphere, but commonly referred to as the "Breath of Thaya" or the "Breath" for short. It sits above the lower mairun-sphere, or the "Dust", where the atmosphere is too thin to sustain life. Winged creatures, skyships, and balloons travel between the islands, navigating this precarious layer of life sustaining air.

While the sky islands are generally anchored in place, they drift slightly in response to Erathia's tides and the appearance of new moons in the sky. While some islands are anchored in place by roots extending down to the lunar surface, the majority drift in place like buoys, stabilized by unknown magical forces.

Notable Shards of Thaya

Each of the major shards possesses unique features and ecosystems, making them battlegrounds and valuable resources in the ongoing conflict on the Shattered Moon. The largest and most bountiful of them are well populated.

Ambrosia the Shard Drifter, former housebunny and current adventurer, has set her sights on becoming the first to visit every one of the 7,641 shards. Her popular magazine, "Journeys of a Momma Bunny", serves as an invaluable gazetteer of the shards. In it she catalogues the geography, populations, and cuisine of the Shattered Shards.

The Barrow Shard

The Barrow Shard is the largest sky island and the location of the Tomb of Thaya. Her final resting place sits at the base of Lokorn, the great balete tree that is the sibling of Menelost Telperion and Zernon's Eclipse.

The Thayan Armada has built their primary lunar fortress, Sarch na Thaya at the top of Lokorn to guard her sacred monument. A thriving city has grown in the boughs of the great tree to support the troops and the new visitors who have recently begun to arrive.

Lokorn, the Bakunawa Balete Tree by Chris L

The Swarming Shard

A sprawling jungle teeming with colossal insect life, carefully farmed by the elves for food, resources, and mounts.

The Unshard

The second largest shard and home to the final armies of aberrant forces from the Far Realm. It is a focal point of the conflict with the Armada. The Unshard is antithetical to rational thought and mortal flesh.

The Lapin Shard

Home of the Rabbitfolk, the Lapin Shard is one of the largest and most densely populated sky islands. It is covered with farms and rolling hills that produce a large portion of the crops that feed the moon's population.

Cryzad's Sea

The largest water shard is the floating Cryzad's Sea. It is named for the leviathan known as the Cryzadaken, a mysterious beast that lurks beneath the waves. Rarely visited, it lies a week's flight by Moon Balloon from the nearest settlement, and travelers fear the leviathan.

Other Shards

Hex Crystals on the Moon

One of the greatest challenges of living on the Shattered Moon is the inconsistent functionality of Hex Crystal technology. Hex crystals power much of Erathia's magical infrastructure.

Unlike on the world below, hex crystals do not recharge continuously. They only regain power when within planetary range of the Kirinal Pit. Once they've been transported to the moon, they hold power for only a week before becoming inert.

The elves at Sarch na Thaya manage this issue by importing freshly charged crystals during the monthly supply rotation between the great trees Lokorn and Menelost Telperion. However, this leaves much of the moon without hex crystal power for the majority of the month.

Current Affairs on the Shattered Moon

The moon remains a war-torn battlefield where Thaya's Vindicators, a coalition of elves and druids, fight a relentless war against the aberrant remnants of the Far Realm. The conflict rages from shard to shard, each side seeking control over the moon's limited resources and each attempting to exterminate the other.

As the exclusive builders of Telperion Skyships, the elves had a monopoly on transport between the moon and the world. For more than 150 years, only members of the Vindicators and their closest allies were allowed on the Moon.

The tight-lipped elves did not share news of their war. Whether they were winning or losing was a mystery to the rest of the world. However, with the rise of the Forged Moon and the Silversong Moon, they no longer have sole control over lunar travel.

The Armada has had to shift focus to not only travel to the other moons, but visitors from the stars beyond the Crystal Sphere of Kirinal. They have begrudgingly accepted the help of their allies in the Kirinal Defenders as the Infernal Forces have become an additional threat to the peace of the world.