Silk Farmer

Silk farmers are responsible for maintaining the symbiotic relationship between the Altaneans and the sky spiders, harvesting the precious threads that sustain their culture, economy, and way of life. Their work is both delicate and dangerous, requiring profound respect for the spiders and their ecosystems.

Role

Silk farmers act as caretakers of vast spider colonies, tending to the environments where the spiders thrive and ensuring the health and well-being of their arachnid partners. Their duties include:

Tending to the Spiders: Farmers provide nectar-rich plants and magical sustenance that keep the spiders healthy and productive.

Harvesting Silk: Using specialized tools and enchantments, they carefully extract excess silk from spider webs without damaging their structure or disturbing the spiders.

Cultivating Enchanted Webs: Some silk farmers specialize in nurturing spiders to spin webs imbued with magical properties, used for crafting artefacts, clothing, and instruments.

Weaving Partnerships: Farmers must communicate with the spiders through tones, gestures, or even the Silk Tongue, earning their trust and cooperation.

Tools

farming requires an array of tools, many of which are enchanted to handle the fragile and magical properties of the silk:

Silkcombs: Delicate comb-like tools that separate usable threads from the web without breaking the intricate patterns.

Glowworm Lanterns: Bioluminescent lights used to calm spiders and illuminate their webs during night time harvests.

Threadspindles: Magical devices that collect and store silk while maintaining its tensile strength and enchantments.

Wind-Wards: Protective charms that shield farmers from rogue gusts and unexpected winds during harvesting.

Harvesting Process

Harvesting silk is a sacred act, bound by strict cultural traditions to ensure respect for the spiders:

The Ritual of Gratitude: Before any silk is taken, the farmer performs a ritual offering, often involving nectar, music, or silken tokens. This gesture thanks the spiders for their gift and reinforces the bond between species.

Selective Gathering: Only excess silk is harvested, usually from outer threads that the spiders can easily replace. Sacred webs, such as those used for communication or rituals, are never touched without explicit permission from the spiders.

Magical Weaving: The harvested silk is treated with alchemical solutions to preserve its strength and magical properties, then woven into thread bundles or raw sheets for trade or crafting.

Types of Silk

Silk farmers specialize in producing different types of silk, each with its own unique properties and uses:

Common Silk: Durable yet lightweight, used for everyday textiles and tools.

Harmonic Silk: Threads that produce musical tones when moved by the wind, used in rituals and instruments.

Veilthread: Rare and semi-transparent, this silk is imbued with latent magic, making it highly sought after for crafting enchanted artifacts.

Kerauno Silk: Infused with Kerauno (the rare, fragile material), this silk is legendary for its unparalleled beauty and power but is notoriously difficult to harvest.