Algae farmers

are a group of people who commit their lives to living in the sky, tending 'flocks' of algal clouds.  These clouds are able to float in the air and are a substantial food source for the planet.  Also known as skyfarmers or cloudfarmers.  They are a light-hearted group of people that tend towards acrobatics and are natural pilots.  They generally wear goggles & bomber jackets, silk & leather, but also have a fondness for colours and clothing with tassels and tails that flutter in the wind.

The large vessels in which they live are called skyships.  These vessels are generally held aloft by hot air balloons, propellors or large lilypad-like sails and have their bouyancy aided by magical enchantments.  Their power source is run by digestor engines using biofuel refined from the algae they grow.  The skyships are entire communities in themselves: home and livelihood.  For recreation cloudfarmers often take to the skies, playing amongst the clouds in gliders.

Common Archetypes

Astronomer/Diviner Mage - also act as navigators and make up a high proportion of elected elders on councils

Pilot - pretty much everyone can fly some air craft out of necessity, but pilots excel in the air

Mechanic/Engineer - lots of maintenance and building needs to be done for the aircraft and the skyships themselves

Trader/Merchant - a social class that enjoys optimizing routes and negotiating fortune for the community

Weaver/Clothworker - slik is a much desired commodity by the Cloudfarmers for parachutes and lightweight but strong material.  Weavers of silk thread are abundant and talented.

Algae Farmers arriving at a waterfall town to trade their wares

 at dawn by ~artbytheo on deviantART

Ecology of Cloud Algae

Algae Clouds

The balance of moisture, density and speed of movement is critical to obtaining maximal yield. They must often stir the clouds to ensure their optimal growth. Protecting algal clouds from storms, droughts, harsh weather or collision is the constant task of the algal farmers.

Algal clouds will rain down to the ground if they become too wet. This is a method for depositing a quantity as agreed upon by trade. It can also happen when not desired. 

Most of the skydocks are in the desert, not only because the desert people have need of extra food sources, but primarily because of the seasonality of the algae makes this convenient.  In many cases, it makes more sense financially to sell to the desert peoples so that they can distribute it to temperate transitions or moutains rather than lose the growing conditions in the former, or face the peril in the latter.

Related adventure:

Stormbringer adventure

flickr.com jimmediaart