Realmspace
Realmspace, also called the Solis system, is one of the three star systems that make up the Radiant Triangle: an arrangement of three systems in close proximity in the general direction of Elysium. Realmspace is a system with twelve planets and their many moons orbiting a yellow-white sun, eleven of which bear life on their surfaces. Long ago, its planet Toril was seeded with intelligent life by a collection of ancient and powerful cultures: the gods, dragons, Aeari, Batrachi, Sarrukh, and Fey. Realmspace has been spacefaring for quite a long time, and in fact attained astral travel rather unusually early in its technomagical development. The civilizations of Realmspace, like those of Greyspace and Dragonspace, use spelljammers derived from the magitech of Clusterspace, with whom they have a strong trade relationship.
Realmspace consists of a central yellow dwarf star, called Solis by the locals, and twelve major planetary bodies that orbit it at varying distances. The system also has two major debris fields: the rocky, overgrown Garden Belt between Karpri-Chandos and Almeron, wherein lies the tree-enclosed dwarf planet Garden itself; and the icy Outer Belt beyond Dunbaran. All of the major bodies except Phomus and Anadia have at least one moon, often more. The system's nominal habitable zone extends from 0.7 AU to 1.5 AU, and contains four planets and two moons that support life: Coliar (plus its moons Cyrretal and Voturna) Toril, Karpri, and Chandos. Garden lies outside the nominal habitable zone, but still supports magically- and genetically- enhanced life. Almeron, as an infrared-active substar, possesses its own habitable zone which contains five life-bearing moons: Sidar, Phylora, Wylenir, Merinal, and Airelyx. Glyth also hosts an exotic biosphere of cold-thriving organisms, terraformed by the illithids.
SYSTEM MAJOR BODIES
Phomus is a small, airless rocky planet just 5300 kilometers across and only 7.2% the mass of Toril, yet composed almost entirely of metals like iron and nickel. Because of this, scholars suspect it is likely a failed planetary core. Orbiting just 54 million kilometers from Solis, Phomus is tidally locked to the sun: one hemisphere always faces sunward, and is scorching hot; the other always faces away, and is absolutely frigid. It has no endemic lifeforms, as nothing could survive on its surface, but its mineral wealth has attracted scores of dwarves and kobolds who squabble endlessly over it.
Anadia is a small, arid rocky planet, about 7740 kilometers across and 21% the mass of Toril, with a thin but breathable atmosphere. The planet has a 3:2 spin-orbit resonance, so its days are longer than its year. Being just under 72 million kilometers from the sun, the surface of Anadia is dry and torrid; the only habitable region is the poles, where there is abundant water. In the early days of spelljamming, a number of halfling clans established dozens of domed arcologies in polar craters. Their main economic focus is agriculture.
Coliar is a small nephelic planet, roughly 12 times the mass of Toril and just under 50000 kilometers across, orbiting around 114 million kilometers from the sun. Coliar, while classified as an ice giant, has a very unusual quirk- its gravity, density, and warmth mean that life thrives here on countless islands floating in the air. The planet has three moons: Cyrretal, a jungle world roughly 175000 kilometers out; Voturna, an ocean world roughly 290000 kilometers out; and Aureline, a frozen world roughly 475000 kilometers out. Cyrretal, the largest of the three at 42% the mass of Toril and 9560 kilometers across, is warm and humid. Life abounds on its surface, as do multiple independent civilizations. Voturna, the cool oceanic moon, is significantly smaller at only 5.2% the mass of Toril and just over 4800 kilometers across. It too hosts endemic life, as well as a few maritime cultures. The smallest and farthest of the three is Aureline, an icy world barely 1.7% the mass of Toril and just under 4000 kilometers across. It has no life, and nearly no atmosphere, though a few settlements exist on it.
Toril is a medium-sized rocky planet that acts as the standard for planetary masses (1 Toril mass) and radii (6371 kilometers, or 1 Toril radius). Its orbital radius of just under 150 million kilometers is likewise the standard for the astronomical unit (AU), a unit for measuring vast interplanetary distances. Toril has a comfortably dense and breathable atmosphere, oceans of liquid water, and a vibrant and diverse native ecology. It is the most populous world in Realmspace, and home to some of the most powerful civilizations in the system. Toril has one proportionally large rocky moon, Selune, which is approximately 3500 kilometers across and 1.2% of its parent planet's mass. Selune, while airless, bears a great many settlements and facilities. Floating in the trailing gravitational keyhole in the Toril-Selune subsystem is a cluster of asteroids called the Tears of Selune, which also host numerous outposts of civilization including spelljammer shipyards.
Karpri and Chandos form a binary planet pair, orbiting each other with a separation of just under 260000 kilometers, and orbiting the sun at 1.54 AU. Both bodies are ocean worlds with breathable atmospheres, with their seas reaching depths of hundreds of kilometers. However, Karpri is significantly larger than Chandos: Karpri is 55% the mass of Toril and about 13320 kilometers across, while Chandos is only 1.8% the mass of Toril and just under 4450 kilometers across. Karpri's most notable feature is the vast equatorial band of sargasso; Chandos has thousands of small floating islands instead. Life thrives on both worlds, especially merfolk and fishfolk. The binary pair has two very small, airless icy moons: Synos, orbiting about 445600 kilometers from the center of the binary; and Antos, orbiting about 629400 kilometers from the center of the binary.
The Garden Belt is a carbonaceous asteroid belt spanning from 1.8 to 3.1 AU. It is called the Garden because it is overgrown with magic space trees. At its heart is Garden proper; a cluster of asteroids held together by an enormous space tree with an internal ecology. H'Catha, a discworld built and inhabited by Beholders, also lies within the span of the Garden Belt.
So large that it fuses deuterium at its core, Almeron is a small brown dwarf substar of the T2.5 class, orbiting Solis at a distance of approximately 5.8 AU (and in fact causing the system to exhibit slight barycentric behavior). Almeron is 1.2% the mass of Solis and a bit over 168000 kilometers across. Its effective surface temperature -anomalously high for an object of its spectral type- is about 1470 Universal Centigrade (K), producing a very dim red light and a moderate level of heat -this allows the object to have its own habitable zone. Almeron has seven small moons, almost like a mini solar system in themselves: Tavati is a volcanic world; Sidar is a warm desert world; Phylora is a warm forest world; Wylenir is a temperate Toril-like world; Merinal is a temperate ocean world; Airelyx is a cool ocean world; and Khysethris is an airless icy world. There are also two small ice giants in Almeron's leading and trailing Lagrange points: Palocyne and Oranus, both approximately 5.5 AU from Almeron on average (though varying significantly over time due to drifting around the Lagrange fields).
Sybil is a medium-sized frigid gas giant with stunning rings, 95 times the mass of Toril and nearly 120000 kilometers across, orbiting the Solis-Almeron center of mass at approximately 10.5 AU. While its air is not breathable due to being primarily hydrogen and helium, some prospectors make atmosphere dives to mine the gas regardless. Sybil has four moons: Mingabwe, Nyralwe, and Lumenwe are small airless ice moons; Glyth, however, is a cold Titan-like world of 32% Toril mass and a diameter of just under 10000 kilometers, orbiting around 1.2 million kilometers from Sybil. Glyth has its own ring system, appreciably dense nitrogenous atmosphere, and surface seas of liquid methane. The Sybil sphere, Glyth in particular, has been claimed by illithids and all space traffic avoids the immediate vicinity of Sybil at any cost.
Ziris is a large frigid ice giant, 23.7 times the mass of Toril and a bit less than 54000 kilometers across, orbiting at 21.9 AU from the Solis-Almeron center of mass. Despite the freezing cold, toxic air, and high gravity, it still attracts gas miners… and kindori hunters. Ziris has a small ring system and two moons: Kunain, a small airless rocky moon; and Thrinain, a small airless icy moon. Kunain hosts a handful of refining facilities for the gases mined from Ziris, while Thrinain hosts a few spelljamming ports for space whalers.
Dunbaran is a large icy world with thin air and rings, somewhat less than 25000 kilometers across and 2.71 times the mass of Toril, orbiting 33.2 AU from the Solis-Almeron center of mass. Frigid, silent, desolate- it is a relic of the system’s chaotic formation. A network of tunnels below its surface holds eons-old secrets. Dunbaran has one small moon: Nuldor, a captured comet with something buried at its core. Dunbaran and Nuldor are completely uninhabited, and for good reason.
The Shell is the outer comet cloud of the system, extending from about 36 to 96 AU. The Shell is comprised of drifting iceballs, a handful of spelljamming ports, and flotsam from the astral sea, sparsely scattered across the outer spherical area of the system. The farthest documented and inhabited bodies are a network of space stations called the Watchtowers.
Geography
SYSTEM MAJOR BODIES
Solis (central star, G2V)
- Phomus
- Anadia
- Coliar
- Cyrretal
- Voturna
- Aureline
- Toril
- Selune
- {Tears of Selune} (asteroid cluster at Toril-Selune L4)
- Karpri + Chandos
- Synos
- Antos
- {Garden Belt} (asteroid belt colonized by spacetrees)
- Garden (living worldshell construct)
- H'Catha (discworld construct)
- Turnbelt (comet)
- Lumbe Station (cylinder construct)
- Diomedon (twin torus construct)
- Almeron (secondary substar, T2.5)
- Tavati
- Sidar
- Phylora
- Wylenir
- Merinal
- Airelyx
- Khysethris
- Palocyne (Solis-Almeron L4)
- Oranus (Solis-Almeron L5)
- Sybil
- Mingabwe
- Nyralwe
- Lumenwe
- Glyth
- Ziris
- Kunain
- Thrinain
- Dunbaran
- Nuldor
- {The Shell} (comet shell)
- Watchtower (cylinder construct)
Celestial Bodies
Solis
Solis, the star at the center of Realmspace, is a very typical G2V yellow-white star, functioning as the standard measure for stellar mass (1 solar mass), radius (1 solar radius), and luminosity (1 solar luminosity). Its effective surface temperature is about 5780 Universal Centigrade (K), producing a slightly yellow-tinted light. While measuring nearly 1.4 million kilometers across at its equator, it has no true surface; only a turbulent boundary where the roiling plasma gives way to the void of space, called the photosphere. Nothing can survive within eight million kilometers of this "surface," as this is the extent of the star's extremely hot ionized "atmosphere."Phomus
Phomus is a small, airless rocky planet just 5300 kilometers across and only 7.2% the mass of Toril, yet composed almost entirely of metals like iron and nickel. Because of this, scholars suspect it is likely a failed planetary core. Orbiting just 54 million kilometers from Solis, Phomus is tidally locked to the sun: one hemisphere always faces sunward, and is scorching hot; the other always faces away, and is absolutely frigid. It has no endemic lifeforms, as nothing could survive on its surface, but its mineral wealth has attracted scores of dwarves and kobolds who squabble endlessly over it.
Anadia
Anadia is a small, arid rocky planet, about 7740 kilometers across and 21% the mass of Toril, with a thin but breathable atmosphere. The planet has a 3:2 spin-orbit resonance, so its days are longer than its year. Being just under 72 million kilometers from the sun, the surface of Anadia is dry and torrid; the only habitable region is the poles, where there is abundant water. In the early days of spelljamming, a number of halfling clans established dozens of domed arcologies in polar craters. Their main economic focus is agriculture.
Coliar
Coliar is a small nephelic planet, roughly 12 times the mass of Toril and just under 50000 kilometers across, orbiting around 114 million kilometers from the sun. Coliar, while classified as an ice giant, has a very unusual quirk- its gravity, density, and warmth mean that life thrives here on countless islands floating in the air. The planet has three moons: Cyrretal, a jungle world roughly 175000 kilometers out; Voturna, an ocean world roughly 290000 kilometers out; and Aureline, a frozen world roughly 475000 kilometers out. Cyrretal, the largest of the three at 42% the mass of Toril and 9560 kilometers across, is warm and humid. Life abounds on its surface, as do multiple independent civilizations. Voturna, the cool oceanic moon, is significantly smaller at only 5.2% the mass of Toril and just over 4800 kilometers across. It too hosts endemic life, as well as a few maritime cultures. The smallest and farthest of the three is Aureline, an icy world barely 1.7% the mass of Toril and just under 4000 kilometers across. It has no life, and nearly no atmosphere, though a few settlements exist on it.
Toril
Toril is a medium-sized rocky planet that acts as the standard for planetary masses (1 Toril mass) and radii (6371 kilometers, or 1 Toril radius). Its orbital radius of just under 150 million kilometers is likewise the standard for the astronomical unit (AU), a unit for measuring vast interplanetary distances. Toril has a comfortably dense and breathable atmosphere, oceans of liquid water, and a vibrant and diverse native ecology. It is the most populous world in Realmspace, and home to some of the most powerful civilizations in the system. Toril has one proportionally large rocky moon, Selune, which is approximately 3500 kilometers across and 1.2% of its parent planet's mass. Selune, while airless, bears a great many settlements and facilities. Floating in the trailing gravitational keyhole in the Toril-Selune subsystem is a cluster of asteroids called the Tears of Selune, which also host numerous outposts of civilization including spelljammer shipyards.
Karpri-Chandos
Karpri and Chandos form a binary planet pair, orbiting each other with a separation of just under 260000 kilometers, and orbiting the sun at 1.54 AU. Both bodies are ocean worlds with breathable atmospheres, with their seas reaching depths of hundreds of kilometers. However, Karpri is significantly larger than Chandos: Karpri is 55% the mass of Toril and about 13320 kilometers across, while Chandos is only 1.8% the mass of Toril and just under 4450 kilometers across. Karpri's most notable feature is the vast equatorial band of sargasso; Chandos has thousands of small floating islands instead. Life thrives on both worlds, especially merfolk and fishfolk. The binary pair has two very small, airless icy moons: Synos, orbiting about 445600 kilometers from the center of the binary; and Antos, orbiting about 629400 kilometers from the center of the binary.
Garden Belt
The Garden Belt is a carbonaceous asteroid belt spanning from 1.8 to 3.1 AU. It is called the Garden because it is overgrown with magic space trees. At its heart is Garden proper; a cluster of asteroids held together by an enormous space tree with an internal ecology. H'Catha, a discworld built and inhabited by Beholders, also lies within the span of the Garden Belt.
Almeron
So large that it fuses deuterium at its core, Almeron is a small brown dwarf substar of the T2.5 class, orbiting Solis at a distance of approximately 5.8 AU (and in fact causing the system to exhibit slight barycentric behavior). Almeron is 1.2% the mass of Solis and a bit over 168000 kilometers across. Its effective surface temperature -anomalously high for an object of its spectral type- is about 1470 Universal Centigrade (K), producing a very dim red light and a moderate level of heat -this allows the object to have its own habitable zone. Almeron has seven small moons, almost like a mini solar system in themselves: Tavati is a volcanic world; Sidar is a warm desert world; Phylora is a warm forest world; Wylenir is a temperate Toril-like world; Merinal is a temperate ocean world; Airelyx is a cool ocean world; and Khysethris is an airless icy world. There are also two small ice giants in Almeron's leading and trailing Lagrange points: Palocyne and Oranus, both approximately 5.5 AU from Almeron on average (though varying significantly over time due to drifting around the Lagrange fields).
Sybil
Sybil is a medium-sized frigid gas giant with stunning rings, 95 times the mass of Toril and nearly 120000 kilometers across, orbiting the Solis-Almeron center of mass at approximately 10.5 AU. While its air is not breathable due to being primarily hydrogen and helium, some prospectors make atmosphere dives to mine the gas regardless. Sybil has four moons: Mingabwe, Nyralwe, and Lumenwe are small airless ice moons; Glyth, however, is a cold Titan-like world of 32% Toril mass and a diameter of just under 10000 kilometers, orbiting around 1.2 million kilometers from Sybil. Glyth has its own ring system, appreciably dense nitrogenous atmosphere, and surface seas of liquid methane. The Sybil sphere, Glyth in particular, has been claimed by illithids and all space traffic avoids the immediate vicinity of Sybil at any cost.
Ziris
Ziris is a large frigid ice giant, 23.7 times the mass of Toril and a bit less than 54000 kilometers across, orbiting at 21.9 AU from the Solis-Almeron center of mass. Despite the freezing cold, toxic air, and high gravity, it still attracts gas miners… and kindori hunters. Ziris has a small ring system and two moons: Kunain, a small airless rocky moon; and Thrinain, a small airless icy moon. Kunain hosts a handful of refining facilities for the gases mined from Ziris, while Thrinain hosts a few spelljamming ports for space whalers.
Dunbaran
Dunbaran is a large icy world with thin air and rings, somewhat less than 25000 kilometers across and 2.71 times the mass of Toril, orbiting 33.2 AU from the Solis-Almeron center of mass. Frigid, silent, desolate- it is a relic of the system’s chaotic formation. A network of tunnels below its surface holds eons-old secrets. Dunbaran has one small moon: Nuldor, a captured comet with something buried at its core. Dunbaran and Nuldor are completely uninhabited, and for good reason.
The Shell
The Shell is the outer comet cloud of the system, extending from about 36 to 96 AU. The Shell is comprised of drifting iceballs, a handful of spelljamming ports, and flotsam from the astral sea, sparsely scattered across the outer spherical area of the system. The farthest documented and inhabited bodies are a network of space stations called the Watchtowers.
Ecosystem
Realmspace, like many systems, is home to a wide diversity of life across several planets and moons. This biodiversity includes a large number of sapients, closely related to the sapient species of the rest of the Radiant Triangle.Basic Info
Type
Star System
Included Locations
System Structure
Endemic Bodies
Asteropolitical Information
Creator's Note
One of the things that always struck me as disappointing about original Spelljammer was how boring Realmspace was. Classic Spelljammer described a system much smaller than our solar system: eight planets, and of those only one was explicitly a giant planet (Coliar, said to be a "gas giant" but really more like a small ice giant) and two (Garden and H'Catha) weren't actually planets either, just constructs barely the size of dwarf planets. Besides those, two of the other planets were just ocean worlds, and almost all of the worlds had no moons at all. Simply put: there wasn't a lot to look at. Imagine my disappointment when the free Spelljammer demo adventure Spelljammer Academy was released. WotC didn't take the opportunity to make Realmspace more interesting; they just stuck with the original description. I took it upon myself, then, to fix the problem by setting to work giving Toril a larger, more varied solar system. I threw in some giant worlds, more varied smaller worlds, new interesting orbital configurations, and well over a dozen assorted moons. On top of this, I spent literal days doing research and math to ensure the new and improved Realmspace 2.0 would be gravitationally sound and reasonably realistic. In short- I had fun with it.
I am in love with this setting, big fan of all the development of each world and the flavor I'm getting, and very much looking forward to more. Absolutely incredible work. Be very proud!
Thank you so much!!! I speak for the whole team when I say your comment is really encouraging. It's been a little quiet in the Sea here for a while, but there's definitely much more in store! :D