minor realm

A minor realm is a realm-like object in the Sora that is missing one or more aspects of a proper realm. Like realms, minor realms come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Though less well known than most realms, minor realms are far more common in the Sora and make up important parts of many empires.

Physical Properties

Minor realms are in most senses identical to realms, with the differences being what sets them apart as minor. A minor realm always lacks some significant element that keeps it from being a fully fledged realm. The most common of these are:

• Satellite - If a realm orbits or is otherwise bound to a much larger realm, then it is considered a minor realm. These minor realms may be realms in every other way. They are frequently called moons.
• Elemental Absence - If one or more of the fundamental elements is completely absent from a realm, it is considered a minor realm. It is often difficult to detect the complete absence of an element at first glance, but it becomes apparent when that element is brought to the minor realm, as it tends to break up. Water evaporates, fire grows cold, earth crumbles into dust, and so forth.
• Airless - Mistakenly thought by some to be a variety of the above category, airless minor realms are those which lack an air envelope around them. Elemental air may be present inside the minor realm, but the body is otherwise in direct contact with the surrounding Sora.
• Size - Bodies less than 3,000km in diameter are too small to be considered realms.
• Uninhabitable - If a realm cannot be inhabited by any known form of life, it is considered a minor realm. Such conditions are rare, but may include being composed primarily of the antielements, crushing gravity, an extreme overabundance of a single element, or dangerously chaotic magic. Survival on such minor realms may be possible with magic, but is usually quite difficult.

Other, more esoteric features may cause a realm to be categorized as a minor realm, but they are few and far between. Some minor realms lack two or more characteristics that separate it from a full realm.
Aside from the lacking feature, minor realms are otherwise like normal realms. Some may be inhabited by native life and even possess civilizations which can reach out into the Sora. Many minor realms are colonized by sorafaring empires.

Formation

The reason for the formation of some minor realms are obvious. For instance, minor realms within the air envelope of a full realm tend to have been placed there by the gods of the realm when it was forming. They may serve as the afterlife, Hell, or home of the gods for the realm. Some inhabited minor realms have their own gods, who occasionally provide information on why they created a minor realm rather than a full realm (though scholars often doubt the truth of what gods say).
The creation of other minor realms, however, are not so apparent. Many are simply present in the Sora with no other explanation. Scholars who put stock in the Divine Genesis theory of realm creation believe they were created as tests by bored gods, allowing the gods to try out shaping realms before fully shaping their final creation. Those who believe in the Primordial Seed theory contend that minor realms form because the conditions were not right for full realm formation.