The World Part One - What is Ring World?

What is Ring World?
I envision that the planet and part of the rings were both inhabitable. The rings circumscribe the planet touching the atmosphere, like an ellipse, where one (or both) of the co-vertices of the minor axis intersect with and overlap into the upper atmosphere of the planet. It is here that I think magic, or the resources needed to cast it, could be harvested. It is a natural resource only found in the rings and is only present where they cross over into the atmosphere. Here, there are vibrant stones or hulks of rocks that radiate light and the magical source that can be collected in objects such as a talisman or arcane focus. Once this power is harnessed, magic users can manipulate it to their will within the bounds of the “rules”. This portion of the rings are the inhabitable part and can only be inhabited by those with the ability to channel the radiant magical energy (no non-magical folk here, and largely what occurs here is unknown or hidden from the non-magical folk on the planet's surface below.)
The rings on the outside of the atmosphere extending into outer space are the realm of gods and perhaps are colored differently to correspond with the gods they represent. PCs would have no means to travel here unless it were the will of a god. The limited availability of the magical resources in the atmospheric portion of the rings make the resource and region a potential arcane war zone to be fought over for control. Or the trade routes to these resources subject to attacks and piracy or organized crime. If the ecosystem of the main planet is out of balance, the atmosphere is affected and as a result has an effect on the magical resource production and/or type of magical powers it can be used to harness. If the ecosystem becomes too compromised, the magic resource dies completely. Perhaps this is what led to a prehistoric collapse of civilized life on the planet before present day.
The main surface of the planet I envision as an Earth-like ecosystem with additional unique zones (like Earth’s equatorial zone and arctic circles) created by the shadows cast by the rings. Creatures and life forms that live in the dark or dim light would thrive in these zones.
Submitted by maliciouscode