Earthmote

An earthmote was a piece of land that, due to the influence of magic, floated above the earth. Despite their appearance, the earthmotes were as durable and stable as any piece of land in the ground.

Although earthmotes could be raised artificially with the use of magic, most of the existing earthmotes in the 15th century DR were a direct consequence of the Spellplague.

Description
Each earthmote was unique in size, shape and altitude. Some were no bigger than chunks of earth, while others were almost as big as a mountain or an island. Some hovered no more than a few meters above ground, while others floated in the sky, alongside the clouds. A few earthmotes moved across the lands, either in programmed routes or erratically, but most of them were stationary, hovering near an earthbound feature. Disruptions, whether natural or magical, didn't have any effects on an earthmote's ability to float.

Almost all earthmotes could support life, and their natural flora mirrored that of the landscape below them, allowing some earthmotes to be settled by those who had the resources to do such a thing. Likewise, some earthmotes had natural portals to the Elemental Plane of Water, allowing them to create never-ending water sources.

Some spellcasters were able to master rituals that allowed them to create earthmotes by magically raising chunks of earth from the ground, or to control the movements of existing ones.

History
Its believed the Netherese were the first spellcasters that developed the magical rituals to create artificial earthmotes, when they were building their flying cities.

After the Spellplague of 1385 DR, and due to the wild magic effects released during that cataclysm, many earthmotes appeared across Toril. Usually, the earthmotes were more common in places where Toril and Abeir had exchanged lands, specially in Akanûl, the Vilhon Wilds, and around the Underchasm. In the following century, earthmotes became widely common in Faerûn, and some kingdoms even went to war with one another for the dominion of such new territories.

When the Second Sundering came to an end, around 1487 DR, most earthmotes lost their magical properties and fell from the sky. However, not all of them disappeared, and a few lonely earthmotes or isolated groups of them were still common across Toril even after the Sundering came to an end.

Notable earthmotes

 * The Adder Hills, a chain of earthmotes in southern Akanûl.
 * The earthmotes floating in the city of Airspur, and city of New Breen, in Akanûl.
 * Citadel of Sapphiraktar, in Calimshan.
 * The earthmotes floating near Conyberry.
 * The Heart of Ubtao, in Chult.
 * The Great Wheel, the astral dominion of Tymora, in the Gates of the Moon.
 * Rathgaunt Mote, in the Great Rift.
 * Yaulazna, in Halruaa.
 * Fang Island, in Luskan.
 * Dracowyr, in Murghôm.
 * The Fisher's Float, the Moonstone Mask, and the Pirates' Skyhold, in Neverwinter.
 * Island of the Free in eastern Tethyr.