Rings of Glyth, The

Overview

The Rings of Glyth orbits the planet Glyth along its equator and can be clearly seen from the planet’s surface both during the day and at night. During the day, the ring resembles a high altitude cloud formation with sharp edges and often casts a weak shadow onto the planet's surface. During the night, the ring appears as a spiralling arc of soft oranges, reds, and blues.

The Rings of Glyth is made up of four distinct planetary rings, each of which is composed of small earth and ice bodies, similar in composition to that of a comet. The complete ring system begins about 7,000 miles (11,265 kilometres) above the surface of the planet, and ends just over 20,000 miles (32,187 kilometres) later. About 100 miles (161 kilometres) thick at its widest point, the ring averages out to about 50 miles (80 kilometres) wide.

The inner ring, which appears to be perfectly flat and translucent when viewed from a distance, is actually composed of rounded chunks of dirty ice and boulders which are evenly distributed throughout the rings' length.

The second ring is 700 miles (1,126 kilometres) wide and separated from the first by the gravitational effect of the moon Haven, which orbits between them. This ring is composed of asteroids that have somehow been arranged into distinct bands of colour which spiral along the length of the ring, weaving amongst themselves to give the ring a distinctive braided look.

The third ring is separated from the second by a clear band 400 miles (644 kilometres) wide, creating the impression that it is actually the fourth ring. The ring is 6,000 miles (9,656 kilometres) wide, and is littered with dark and relatively large asteroids, none of which are less than 300 feet (91 meters) in diameter. There is speculation that the mercenary group Code Helm maintains a base somewhere within this ring.

The fourth and last ring is, at its furthest extent, 27,000 miles (43,452 kilometres) from the surface of the planet. The most unusual of the rings, the fourth ring is composed of tiny asteroids wedged together, forming distinct lines that resemble the spokes of a wagon wheel. Each 'spoke' is separated from the next by thousands of miles.

Inhabitants

The illithids maintain several colonies of oortlings within the Rings, known as Skull Farms, where they breed the docile humanoids for consumption. The oortlings, who were originally kidnapped from their homes on various comets within Realmspace, survive by eating the chunks of ice and the ice asteroids that make up much of the Rings. The illithids keep the males and females segregated so they can ensure only the best specimens are likely to breed. The size and position of an oortling's brain is important to the illithids, so measurements are taken at least twice a month. The docility and obedience of the oortlings are also an important consideration. Those oortlings who are considered suitable are brought together and encouraged to breed.

Trade

Once the oortlings have matured and their brains have developed sufficiently, the illithid ranch owners sell the humanoids to individual mind flayers and to the equivalent of illithid restaurants for consumption. Surrell of the 12 Skulls Ranch is perhaps the best known of Glyth's breeders and is renowned for developing the selective breeding techniques used to adapt the oortling race to better meet mind flayer dietary needs and culinary preferences. Surrel's oortlings are highly sought after, even by the illithids of Greyspace.

Appendix

External Links

• Glyth article at the Forgotten Realms Wiki, a wiki for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.

References

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