The Carob Islands

• Virtue: War (Great Effort) - The Carob Islands are a varied place, but the theme that runs through it all is victory, and the overcoming of obstacles, from independence to keeping the pirates at bay.
• Fault: Satyr (Indulgence) - The Carob Islands are a tropical paradise, with all the indulgence that implies.
• Fate: The Fool (Freedom vs. Lack of Connection) - The Carob Islands are the only place on the Sphere that needs to balance its links to other Spheres. It stands on the brink of freedom - but will they lose the benefits of their connections through the Gates?
• Usurper: Jolly Roger - (Danger vs. Adventure) The skull and crossbones flag is the traditional flag that symbolizes piracy, which the Carobs have in abundance. Upright it signals the threat that piracy always brings; reversed it is the romance and thrill of pirate adventure.

Floating in the middle of the Carob Gulf, this archipelago extends into the Shimmering Ocean, and contains over 2,000 islands. The largest island is Cube Island; the smallest have no names.

The Carob Islands plagued by the maelstroms of the Shimmering Ocean, which cause a lot of damage. In addition, these maelstroms occasionally pull in sailors from other Spheres, who land either on the shores of The Pure Lands, or on any of the numerous Carob Islands.

On the entire Sphere of Marak, the Carob Islands are the only Realm known to have Gates. They are mostly populated by immigrants from other Spheres, and keep in close communication and contact with other Spheres. They also have native inhabitants, who are unfortunately treated poorly by the otherworlders in most cases. Also scattered throughout the islands are missionaries from the Mixed Lands.

Some of the known and populated islands in the Carobs include:

• Cube Island - So named because of its reputation for gambling (especially its signature games, using dice), its largest city (Column City) is home to casinos, and also the prestigious Fidelity University, named after the founding family of Cube Island (whose current ruler is the native Kestrel Fidelity). It sits directly to the south of the Duchy of Everglade, in the Pure Lands. Cube Island has a large smattering of Gates, more than all the other islands combined.
• Hate Island - With two Gates - one on each side of the island - Hate Island is claimed by two colonial powers, and occasionally breaks out in war. A small, third independence faction is growing, aided and abetted by the Unity Covenant. The largest city in the west is Prince, the largest city in the east is Prime, each on the coast, each nearby one of Hate Island's two Gates.
• Broken Island - Also known as the Island of Enchantment, its capital city is the Port of Riches. The Broken Island is the largest island in the Carobs that does not have a Gate, and is the third most populated. It is claimed by the Mixed Lands.
• Blue Mountain Island - A haven for pirates and privateers (many of whom are based out of Port Royal, the island's largest city), Blue Mountain Island holds the largest independent nation in the Carob Islands. It only recently gained its independence; the new government was helped into place by the Unity Covenant, to which the new island republic keeps close ties. It petitioned for admission to the Covenant after its independence, and is the only petitioner that was vetoed by the Parliament. Blue Mountain Island has a Gate, making it the Carob's only independent island with a connection to another Sphere.
• Hummingbird Island - The smallest island in the Carobs to have a Gate, Hummingbird Island is known for its sugar and tobacco plantations, products of which both ship out of Trinity Town, its capital. A reflection of the freedom of Blue Mountain Island, the colonists of Hummingbird Island enslaved the native peoples and are using them to work their plantations.
• The Spice Islands - A chain of islands (the largest of which is called Conception Island, where the small port town of Red Roof can be found), these islands are the source of numerous different types of spices.
• The Crown Islands - The most remote chain of islands in the Carobs, the Crown Islands are a known haunt for pirates.