An asteroid is the smallest category of celestial body that can occur within a crystal sphere. Asteroids are typically small irregularly shaped rocky bodies that orbit a system's primary sun.[1] They can occur singly; as a group known as a cluster; as a ring orbiting a planet; as a belt orbiting a system primary; and as a shell enveloping the inner planets and the primary of a crystal sphere.
Types of asteroids[]
Rocky asteroid[]
Most asteroids are comprised of basic rock. They may contain minerals, or some pockets of ice or frozen gases, but for the most part, they're just plain old rock. They are useful for building on, and if large enough, make good foundations for floating colonies.[2]
Animate asteroid[]
During the Unhuman War, necromancers employed what became a standard defensive tactic of folding up skeletal undead into bony balls and scattering them throughout wildspace. Packs of these creatures were intended to drift into the gravity planes of enemy ships and attack their crews.[3] In many cases, these undead were either forgotten or misplaced by their creators and left to fend for themselves. This has led to the scattering of undead, alone or in small groups, throughout wildspace.
These undead often float through space, clinging to one another in an attempt to find solid ground and continue their tasks. After weeks or months, the group coalesces into a tight bundle of undead creatures. Dust and small rocks coat the group of undead, and they eventually become dormant. Such animate asteroids can be extremely dangerous if approached too closely. The undead may become active at any time and will attack anyone who is near them when they do.[4]
Floating island[]
A "floating island" is a clump of entangled plant life formed around a solid rocky core, and can range in size from a horse-sized clump to as large as a mid-sized asteroid. Similar to a liveworld, an island is made up of spaceborne plants that have grown and intertwined over generations, with larger island's sprouting trees and even featuring small ponds. Larger islands are known to be home to giant insects, and there are even reports of floating islands being overrun by ghouls, zombies or even monstrous medusae. Sometimes even the plants themselves have proven to be carnivorous.
Often these floating islands serve as a much needed haven for those unfortunates condemned to the void of wildspace, or fugitives abandoned or marooned by their fellows. These few castaways may be condemned to spend the rest of their lives relying on the plants for the air they breathe, the food they eat, and the sap they drink. Outlaws on the run, or outcasts in the need of refuge do well ro remember these oft-overlooked little oases.[5]
Gasteroid[]
Occasionally, gases will coalesce around a solid core of a rock or ice asteroid. These gasteroids are dangerous to investigate, because quite often the gases they are composed of are hazardous to intelligent life. Those that are comprised of beneficial gases, however, are highly prized and sought after.[4]
Ice asteroid[]
Ice asteroids are primarily composed of frozen water. They are highly prized because they represent one of the few natural supplies of water within wildspace. Ice asteroids may litter the fringes of a crystal sphere, but will be much rarer nearer to the sun.[6]
Living asteroid[]
Living asteroids are strange, apparently mobile, asteroids which occur very infrequently. These mysterious bodies are apparently congregations of powerful psionicists who have retreated into a shell of rock and ice and have melded to become a single entity. They are normally content to float through wildspace, exploring the depths of their own minds and ignoring the presence of all others. However, if they are approached correctly, it is possible to convince them to awaken and dispense advice and words of wisdom.[6]
Appendix[]
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ Jeff Grubb, AD&D Adventures in Space, Concordance of Arcane Space, 1989, (TSR Inc.), Celestial Bodies section, chapter 1 Arcane Space, page 6
- ↑ Sam Witt, The Astromundi Cluster, The Celestial Almanac, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Asteroids of the Cluster section, Clusterspace chapter, page 8
- ↑ Jeff Grubb, AD&D Adventures in Space, Lorebook of the Void, 1989, (TSR Inc.), Undead section, chapter 3 Spacefarers, pages 62-63
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Sam Witt, The Astromundi Cluster, The Celestial Almanac, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Asteroids of the Cluster section, Clusterspace chapter, page 6
- ↑ Ed Greenwood, SJR1 Lost Ships, 1990, (TSR Inc.), Flotsam of Space chapter, page 35
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Sam Witt, The Astromundi Cluster, The Celestial Almanac, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Asteroids of the Cluster section, Clusterspace chapter, page 7