Cloud Skims
More artwork: Cloud Skims.canvas
Cloud Skims are the primary flying vehicles of skyfarers — single-pilot craft that use the Floating Mineral in small, stabilized amounts to achieve lift. The mineral is held in a specially designed enclosure that causes the skim to behave like a boat in water: on its own it remains "afloat" at any given height and barely moves unless wind or other propulsion is applied.
Basic propulsion comes from sails crafted by Setting/World/Professions/Windcarvers to harness the wind. This is part of why skims are so weight-limited — when gliding on wind alone, available thrust is modest.
The real capability of a Cloud Skim comes from its Dew Furnace, which burns Lift Dew to generate explosive bursts of speed and maneuverability. This transforms what is otherwise a floating canoe into an acrobatic aircraft — capable of fast, agile movement that makes Cloud Skims completely unique among known flying machines.
Key Features
- Single-pilot — weight limits and the delicate mineral balance make multi-passenger craft impractical with current technology
- Boost system — the Dew Furnace channels Lift Dew energy into directional thrust; pilots learn to regulate the reaction through precise moisture introduction
- Wind sails — various sail configurations (designed per-skim by the Windcarver who built it) handle baseline propulsion and steering
- Flight style — handling resembles WWII fighter planes: pilots must plan routes carefully, conserve boosts, and account for wind at all times
- Weather sensitivity — highly vulnerable to storms and strong currents; long-distance travel is genuinely dangerous
The Dew Furnace
The Dew Furnace is the heart of a Cloud Skim's boost system. It processes Lift Dew — a gelatinous substance that forms overnight at Floating Mineral vein exposures — and combines it with the high moisture content of clouds to release controlled energy. The entire mechanism runs on no electricity: it is a precision arrangement of valves, pressure chambers, and mechanical triggers.
Lift Dew typically evaporates within a day (faster when actively used), which means pilots cannot stockpile it. Fresh dew must be harvested before each sortie. The practical consequence: high-speed flight has a hard ceiling, and pilots in the middle of a long crossing cannot simply boost their way out of trouble.
Repeated Dew Furnace use generates heat. Extended high-performance flight requires managed cooling periods.
Craft Culture
Cloud Skims are deeply personal objects. Pilots frequently modify and personalize their craft, and Windcarvers often develop multi-year working relationships with the same pilots. A skim that has been rebuilt, repaired, and flown for years is considered to carry its pilot's character.
The ability to fly a skim well is rare — it demands physical skill, route planning, knowledge of weather and wind patterns, and good judgment about when not to push the boost. Pilots are respected members of their communities for all of these reasons.
There are rumors of other cultures attempting to adapt Cloud Skim principles to larger, galleon-scale vessels. None have been confirmed to work.