Islands

Each island in the Skylands is practically a world unto itself, isolated by the vast empty skies. This page lists the more prominent (and campaign-relevant) ones, and details some of their common characteristics.

Basics
Most islands can be grouped into one of two shapes: concave and convex. Convex islands generally have a hard time keeping water on them, as it simply runs off the edges into the void. As a result, their environments are much harsher and unforgiving. Many are even completely devoid of life (of course, this says nothing of unlife).

Concave islands, on the other hand, have a topography such that water can collect somewhere and cycle through the environment normally, allowing life to at the very least get by. Stories abound of lush jungles inside the deep ravines of concave islands, and others tell of islands that are little more than containers for small oceans (making the designation of island somewhat ironic).

All islands float by means that have never truly been explained by scholars of the Skylands, who often just handwave it as part of the world's very fabric. They also move over time, in a process similar to earth's continental drift... but with no apparent pattern or logic to the movements. Those who research the phenomenon in depth typically either get nowhere, or go mad as a result of the wild magic that fluxes through the open skies between islands (many a doomed academic has written a successful grant to fly around an island and take measurements).

Traveling Between Islands
Travel between the islands is possible, but fraught with danger. Fluxes of wild magic in the spaces between islands make regular flight (via conventional spells like Fly) incredibly risky, and passage on the few airships capable of making the journey cost more than a commoner could ever hope to afford. Generally the safest mode of travel is teleportation, but even that isn't always a certain bet. Islands have been known to move over the years, sometimes drifting out of position enough that last year's teleportation coordinates might now deposit you into empty space. And with how impractical normal travel can be, securing coordinates or even a reliable description of your destination can be an adventure in and of itself.

Prominent Islands

 * Emden - Starting point for the campaign
 * Savarra - Home to Grizz, one of the PCs
 * The Chains - An archipelago held together by immense mystically-forged chains.