The Broken Halo of the Gods

The shattered fragments of what was once the planet’s moon, the Halo is an incredibly dense asteroid field, full of debris from both lunar shrapnel and many ships that have perished somewhere in the field. As such, there are small windows where unarmored ships are free to enter the planet’s atmosphere, though in a very Prakhmiran fashion, vessels designed on world or in the belts tend to have armor that allows them to push through the belt in any place. Though it may seem lifeless, the Polyysharans do indeed make use of the belt for numerous purposes, though much like what remains of the moon, there is serious suspicion on what is left and not easily harvestable.
In orbit, life continues, though it is hard in the barren rocks and magically charged rubble of the Halo. Several stations dot the orbit, hanging above the planet as watchful guardians. These stations are generally lashed to asteroids that they mine for materials, functioning as both orbital cities, support platforms, mining towns, and orbital dockyards at once. Though they do not have to bear the hardships of the planetary surface, orbital Prakhmirans are accustomed to their own trials, tribulations, and what the recesses of space hold for them. Often, it is found out too late that there are things lurking among the rubble.
== Government ==
Though technically under the control of the Prakhmiran government, the Orbital Hussars that inhabit and populate much of the Halo are offered an immense amount of autonomy in their rulings, so long as it does not directly work against or harm the planet itself. It is as such that a more feudal society developed, those that control the Castles being in control of vast swathes of the belt and any other, smaller stations that pop up in orbit in their domain. These Dukes tend to employ numerous people to both operate the Castles and offer defense, granting them their own domains and funding in exchange.
Due to the nature of the area, towns and mining colonies that develop further out and away from the Castles are generally incredibly autonomous other than a need for food, generally only receiving food and sending back materials to the Castle as tithe as their only subservient act to the Dukes. Thus, many in the belts prize their freedom greatly and the Dukes themselves honor this agreement by essentially allowing any non-treasonous behavior so long as the quotas for materials and tithes are met.
== Prejudices ==
Due to the population of the Halo having come from Prakhmir, they share many of the same prejudices, though thoroughly heightened due to the rather precarious nature of their settlements and existence, to the point that a rogue spellcaster could thoroughly destroy a town with little effort. This has led to a rather strange superstition, that it is bad luck to bring a spellcaster aboard a vessel, especially one meant to traverse the Phlogiston.
Another common stigma is against those that cannot pull their own weight, in that they see them as not worthy of living on the Halo due to the constant struggle that is existence outside of most non-Castle environments. Though this is not a violent stigma, it is generally frowned on to not be able to conduct manual labor or know a trade. Thus, academics and artists are generally shunned unless they have other skills that can benefit the town or village. 
== Crime ==
Due to the governing system and nature of the orbital castles and port cities of the Halo, crime is simultaneously more common in less-enforced areas and vastly less common in strongholds, due to the severity of punishments and consequences that can result from criminal acts. Though piracy occasionally springs up in the outer settlements of the belts, it is quickly dealt with by the forces of the Castle, or even mob justice in some cases, due to how damaging for an orbital platform destructive behavior can be.
== Climate/Geography ==
Though it is technically more of an Kessler syndrome shell of asteroids and shrapnel, the Halo has its own strange environments. Constantly buffeted by  micro-meteors and particulate storms, the environment is anything but hospitable for most life. Additionally, the Halo has some strange properties, in that due to how magically charged it is, it generates the equivalent of magical electrical storms. During these disruptive storms, magic becomes much more difficult and unwieldy, and magical communications become essentially useless. These storms are still a threat to non-magical settlements as well, as they occasionally discharge bolts of concentrated energy, capable of frying smaller ships or, as has been recorded, knocking asteroids out of orbit and down to the planet below. These asteroids are also a cause for concern, and must be treated very carefully, as otherwise one could incidentally disrupt one’s orbit and cause it to careen down to the planet below.  
== Major Settlements ==
Category:Locations