Introduction
The Weyrleader's Word
Map of Pern [As seen in Anne McCaffery's The Renegades of Pern]
Map of Ista Weyr [As seen in Anne McCaffery and
Karen Wynn-Fonstad's Atlas of Pern]
Ista Weyr
Located on the planet Pern, Ista Island is home to one of several dragonrider Weyrs. South of the central point of the Northern continent, Ista Weyr is aptly named after the tropical island on which it is settled. The Weyr comprises of hundreds of weyrs (or caves where a dragon and their rider may comfortably sleep), as well as hatching grounds, lower caverns for the many men and women who serve the dragonriders and their Weyrleader, and the queen's weyr nearby the hatching ground where the Weyrwoman also resides.
Charged with protecting Ista's Holds and coasts from Threadfall, the Ista Weyr can hold up to four-hundred dragons within its weyrs, and the tropical climate makes for a comfortable lifestyle. The Holds around Ista all raise crops and often go fishing to provide tithing to Ista Weyr. The Holds, however, are looking to the Weyr for protection against the impending Thread.
Hatching
There has recently been a Hatching at Ista Weyr, however, with a respectable clutch of thirty-three eggs, and Impression occurred for each after a Search went out across the Northern continent. Of the thirty-three eggs, there were two bronze dragons, five brown dragons, nine blue dragons and sixteen green dragons, as well as one gold Queen.
These weyrlings and their dragonets may seem just like the next generation of Thread fighters, but there's a future for them that includes more than Threadfall and firestone.
Your Role
There is a vast range of character roles available. Of course, as this is based on a well-established series, there are certain rules to follow when making certain types of characters.
If you'd like to submit a character as one of the thirty-three new weyrlings...
- Naming the Dragonrider: When a person Impresses a dragon, they become a dragonrider, and they change their name to reflect this. For example, Benden Weyrleader's name is F'lar - he was born to F'lon and Larna, and originally named Fallarnon. When he Impressed his bronze, Mnementh, his name was shortened as per tradition to its first letter [F], an apostrophe ['], and three letters from the rest of his name [lar]. His half-brother, F'nor, was originally named Famanoran, but this was contracted to F'nor when he Impressed his brown, Canth.
- Naming the Dragon: Dragon names only have one rule - they end in 'th'. As you can see from the above example, Mnementh and Canth both end in 'th'. Lessa, F'lar's Weyrwoman, has her gold, Ramoth. F'nor's weyrmate (the Pern equivalent of spouse), Brekke, also had a gold, Wirenth, but she tragically died and went between.
- The Dragon's Colour: A dragon's colour indicates its rank and sex. Gold is at the top of the list, as gold dragons are the largest and are therefore Queens. They are fertile and only women are presented for Impression. Bronze comes next, both in size and rank. Bronzes usually fly (mate with) Queens, and are typically only Impressed by men. Brown follows, and it's not unheard of for a brown to fly a Queen. Although usually Impressed by men, particularly masculine women may also Impress browns. Blues are the smallest males and only mate with greens. Homosexual and bisexual men and women are most likely to Impress a blue dragon, although it is quite possible for heterosexual men to Impress too. Finally, there are green dragons. These are the smallest dragons on Pern, and are female. Unlike the Queens, they are allowed to chew firestone, which renders them infertile. Women are most likely to Impress greens, along with homosexual men.
- Dragon Thought: Dragons and riders share a very vivid link. Unspoken communication goes between dragon and rider from the moment of Impression, and usually begins with the dragon telling the rider his or her name. Dragons speak much like humans, and can talk to one another but generally not to other humans. Riders can speak aloud to their dragons or in their minds, and both parties can share images for the purposes of going between.
- Between: Between is the dimension to which dragons, whers and fire-lizards can go to when travelling. Much like teleportation, this allows for fast travelling between places. When going between, the dragon must have a clear view of where they are going and then they take both themselves and their rider 'between'. Between is a numbingly cold place which can freeze someone who is not protected by warm riding gear. Dragons do not feel the cold of between, but their riders definitely can. Although 'going between' only last for around five seconds, it is possible for untrained or unfocussed riders and dragons to get lost here and never return. Similarly, when a dragon dies, he or she goes between. If a dragon believes their rider dead, they will also go between. Dragons do not survive if their riders dies, but it is possible for the rider to survive - but this often leads to great pain on the rider's part, and they are usually a shell of their former selves.
If you'd like to submit a character as one of the non-dragonriders who live in the Weyr...
- Occupations: Typically, non-dragonriders who live in the Weyr provide a service of some sort, whether it's working in the kitchens, cleaning out the glowbaskets (glow is a type of fungus that is luminescent when exposed to oxygen; they have a limited lifespan and are covered when not needed so as to preserve them), cleaning fireplaces and lighting fires, etc. There are also 'specialist' workers that may be in a Weyr. For example, a Harper (a songwriter and musician who provides entertainment and teaches children the Teaching Songs), or a Healer (someone trained in mixing the various medicinal herbs found on Pern to provide relief and encourage healing). There are other Crafts, but there are usually only Harpers and Healers found in every Weyr, whereas Smiths and Miners are typically posted where they're needed in Holds.
- Drudge Ranks: 'Drudges' are the servicefolk in Weyrs. They have senior drudges who oversee the work of others and low-level drudges who get the 'worst' jobs - such as gutting fish or changing glows. However, Harpers and Healers are above senior drudges in terms of seniority and authority, and they typically only answer to the more senior dragonriders, or the Weyrleader and his Weyrwoman.
If you'd like to submit a character who comes from the Holds...
- Lord Holder: The Lord Holder is responsible for all of the Holds in the area - in this case, the island Ista. The Lord Holder is often involved with the Weyrleader, and his primary responsibility is ensuring that the best of the crops animals reared and fish hauls go to the Weyr as tithing. They are typically part of a bloodline and have sons and daughters to help oversee the Holds in their area.
- Holders: Holders are a step down from the Lord Holder. These Holders looks after their land and typically have drudges and fosterlings to learn the trade as well as work the land.
- Drudges: Drudges or servicefolk will be found in most locations. Depending on who they are working for, they may have happy lives that includes having their own room and bed, an amiable relationship with the person they serve and perks such as fire-lizards or the chance to ride on a dragon. However, some Holders, or even the Lord Holder, can be cruel to those who work beneath them, and their lives may be much shorter and far less happy.
Fire-Lizards
Fire-lizards are small dragons that are typically the size of a large bird. Like their larger cousins, fire-lizards share the colours and characteristics of dragons. Queens lay eggs with bronzes or browns in sandy coves or on warm beaches. Just like dragons, fire-lizards can be Impressed. Fire-lizard eggs, when found in the wild, are handed over to the Weyr which oversees that area for fair distribution (the eggs usually go to Lord Holders, Holders or dragonriders, as well as Craftsfolk or perhaps even senior servicefolk). However, Impressed fire-lizards also lay clutches of eggs, and it is generally up to the person who is friends with the fire-lizard to inform their Weyrleader or Weyrwoman of this. If someone is very unworthy or is generally a bad person, it is possible that the fire-lizard will hatch and simply go between when they try to Impress on the fire-lizard. Fire-lizards, although not to the extent of dragons, can communicate with their friends mentally by sending images and sharing emotions. Dragonridgers, Lord Holders, Holders and drudges may all Impress fire-lizards, but their distribution is typically controlled by the Weyrleader or Weyrwoman of the area to ensure that the right alliances are made and that the fire-lizards are given to people who can appreciate them.
Green fire-lizards will lay clutches, but they are not like their gold counterparts, who are fiercely protective of their clutch. Greens are known to simply lay their clutch, bury it in sand and then leave it to the elements. Tunnel-snakes or wherries may eat the eggs, or the eggs could be washed out to sea by the tide.
Glossary
I'm well aware that many of you may not have read the Pern books, or know them as well as I feel I do. With that in mind, I've typed up the glossary that is often found in the Pern books for your benefit:
- Agenothree: a common chemical on Pern, HNO3.
- Between: an area of nothingness and sensory deprivation between here and there.
- Black rock: analogous to coal.
- Day Sisters: a trio of stars visible from Pern.
- Dawn Sisters: an alternate name for Day Sisters.
- Deadglow: a numbskull, stupid. Derived from glow.
- Fellis: a flowering tree.
- Fellis juice: a juice made from the fruit of the fellis tree; a soporific.
- Fire-stone: phosphine-bearing mineral which dragons chew to produce flame.
- Glow: a light-source which can be carried in a hand-basket.
- High Reaches: mountains on the northern continent of Pern (see map).
- Hold: a place where the common people live; originally they were cut into the mountains and hillsides.
- Impression: the joining of minds of a dragon and his rider-to-be at the moment of the dragon's hatching.
- Interval: the period of time between passes, generally 200 Turns.
- Klah: a hot stimulating drink made of tree bark and tasting faintly of cinnamon.
- Looks to: is Impressed by.
- Long Interval: a period of time, generally twice the length of an interval, in which no Thread falls and Dragonmen decrease in number. The last Long Interval is thought to herald the end of Threads
- Month: four sevendays.
- Numbweed: a medicinal cream which, when smeared on wounds, kills all feeling; used as an anesthetic.
- Oldtimer: a member of one of the five Weyrs which Lessa brought forward four hundred Turns in time. Used as a derogative term to refer to one who has moved to Southern Weyr.
- Pass: a period of time during which the Red Star is close enough to drop Thread on Pern.
- Pern: third of the star Rukbat's five planets. It has two natural satellites.
- Red Star (sic): Pern's stepsister planet. It has an erratic orbit.
- Rukbat: a yellow star in the Sagittarian Sector, Rukbat has five planets and two asteroid belts.
- Sevenday: the equivalent of a week on Pern.
- Thread: (mycorrhizoid) spores from the Red Star, which descend on Pern and burrow into it, devouring all organic material they encounter.
- Turn: a Pernese year.
- Watch-wher: a nocturnal reptile distantly related to dragonkind.
- Weyr: a home of dragons and their riders.
- weyr: a dragon's den.
- Weyrsinger: the Harper for the dragonriders, usually himself a dragonrider.
- Wherries: a type of fowl roughly resembling the domestic turkey of Earth, but about the size of an ostrich.
- Withies: water plants resembling the reeds of Earth.
- 5 posts here • Page 1 of 1
The Story So Far... Write a Post » as written by 4 authors
The sands of the Hatching Grounds were the only source of stability amongst the hubbub of excitement thrumming throughout the cavern. Audiences of Lords, Holders, Craftsmen, dragonriders and Candidate-kin alike took up the benches situated around the sands that heightened with each tier. All present had a clear view of the eggs nestled safely around the humming Queen dragon as she lay in wait for the Candidates.
Thirty-three eggs, ranging from three to four feet tall in size, had hardened admirably in the hot sands. One egg, noticeably larger than the others, was much closer to the Queen than the rest, and had a distinctive golden tinge to the shell.
Even as the Candidates were being led onto the sands, feet protected by thick-soled sandals and dignity preserved by shapeless white tunics for, some eggs had started to rock back and forth, encouraged by the crooning of the dragons accumulated on the outer edges of the Hatching Grounds.
N’sen observed the Candidates from his position on the sidelines with the Master Healer and Weyrleader. The braver ones, in his experience as Weyrlingmaster, tended to step forward and approach the eggs head on. Those who weren’t quite so sure of themselves seemed to form groups, seeking comfort from one another. The Candidates who really shouldn’t have been on the sands at all usually attempted to run away – but they were kept on the sands regardless. After all, these dragons needed to Impress, and they needed all the option they could get.
A smaller egg shuddered violently beside one of the more curious Candidates, and a leathery wing protruded suddenly from a crack in the eggshell. The Candidate, a mousy-haired boy who seemed too tall for his breadth, jumped back and peered intently at the dragonet as it pulled itself from the hardness of its shell.
The dragonet, brown and slightly smaller than average, seemed momentarily taken aback by the sight of his first human – and then he stumbled clumsily forward, shoving the boy out of his way with the clawed digit on his wing. The Candidate yelled out with a mixture of shock and pain. The dragons surrounding crooned their encouragement to the dragonet as he ambled away from the crumpled human child. Somewhere in the crowd gathered, women were voicing their grief at seeing the boy’s tunic slowly stain red.
N’sen grimaced. Injuries, even deaths, at Hatchings were not unusual, but that didn’t make it any easier to stomach.
The brown has found his rider, Sereth commented soothingly from his position at the mouth of the grounds.
“Foseth!” A blond-haired boy was exclaiming, face lighting up with sheer joy as the brown crowded in butt his head against the Candidate’s chest. “His name is Foseth! I will find you food, Foseth, I promise. I promise, I promise.”
Keening his desire for immediate feeding, Foseth shoved his rider with whirling blue eyes. The first rider of the clutch took the brown’s head in his arms and hugged it to his torso, tears snaking down his cheeks in spite of the fierce grin dimpling them.
Keep watching, N’sen. Others are emerging.
N’sen smiled. Perhaps it could be gruesome at times, but there was a reason why most clamoured to be at a Hatching; the emotion shared between so many in such a short time was intoxicating.
Another egg wobbled, tipped, and cracked.
Thirty-three eggs, ranging from three to four feet tall in size, had hardened admirably in the hot sands. One egg, noticeably larger than the others, was much closer to the Queen than the rest, and had a distinctive golden tinge to the shell.
Even as the Candidates were being led onto the sands, feet protected by thick-soled sandals and dignity preserved by shapeless white tunics for, some eggs had started to rock back and forth, encouraged by the crooning of the dragons accumulated on the outer edges of the Hatching Grounds.
N’sen observed the Candidates from his position on the sidelines with the Master Healer and Weyrleader. The braver ones, in his experience as Weyrlingmaster, tended to step forward and approach the eggs head on. Those who weren’t quite so sure of themselves seemed to form groups, seeking comfort from one another. The Candidates who really shouldn’t have been on the sands at all usually attempted to run away – but they were kept on the sands regardless. After all, these dragons needed to Impress, and they needed all the option they could get.
A smaller egg shuddered violently beside one of the more curious Candidates, and a leathery wing protruded suddenly from a crack in the eggshell. The Candidate, a mousy-haired boy who seemed too tall for his breadth, jumped back and peered intently at the dragonet as it pulled itself from the hardness of its shell.
The dragonet, brown and slightly smaller than average, seemed momentarily taken aback by the sight of his first human – and then he stumbled clumsily forward, shoving the boy out of his way with the clawed digit on his wing. The Candidate yelled out with a mixture of shock and pain. The dragons surrounding crooned their encouragement to the dragonet as he ambled away from the crumpled human child. Somewhere in the crowd gathered, women were voicing their grief at seeing the boy’s tunic slowly stain red.
N’sen grimaced. Injuries, even deaths, at Hatchings were not unusual, but that didn’t make it any easier to stomach.
The brown has found his rider, Sereth commented soothingly from his position at the mouth of the grounds.
“Foseth!” A blond-haired boy was exclaiming, face lighting up with sheer joy as the brown crowded in butt his head against the Candidate’s chest. “His name is Foseth! I will find you food, Foseth, I promise. I promise, I promise.”
Keening his desire for immediate feeding, Foseth shoved his rider with whirling blue eyes. The first rider of the clutch took the brown’s head in his arms and hugged it to his torso, tears snaking down his cheeks in spite of the fierce grin dimpling them.
Keep watching, N’sen. Others are emerging.
N’sen smiled. Perhaps it could be gruesome at times, but there was a reason why most clamoured to be at a Hatching; the emotion shared between so many in such a short time was intoxicating.
Another egg wobbled, tipped, and cracked.
Tariel was stood near the edge of the group of candidates, off to the side. He held his arms around himself protectively, long blonde hair hanging slightly in front of his face. He hadn't spoken much to the other candidates while they were waiting, his nerves contributing to his desire to be alone in order to think on the coming ritual. He'd been around dragons a lot, living in the Weyr, but that only made him respect their strength and how dangerous even the young ones could be.
When the brown dragon cast aside the child, Tariel winced. He'd heard about the deaths that happened during the hatchings, but seeing it happen so close was another thing. He wanted to go to the other child's side - he was a a healer in training, after all, that's what his instinct screamed - but the other eggs were already starting to crack. The boy would have to survive by himself.
Averting his eyes, he felt his heart-rate increase with fear. The other candidates were murmuring and reacting slowly, some stepping forwards confidently and others shying away. He clenched his fists, biting his lip and forcing himself to calm down. Panicking would be the death of him. He just needed to stay level-headed and stay safe.
Tariel took a step forwards. The sand trickled between his toes, collecting on the soles of his sandals, and any other time the sensation would have been irritating - now he was far too distracted to notice. With an enthusiastic cry, ahead a large bronze dragon shoved itself free of an egg and barreled forwards towards him. Tariel's eyes widened in fear - he didn't feel any connection with the creature, which meant...
He practically threw himself out of the path of the dragonet as it charged clumsily past where he had been standing towards another child who was grinning broadly at it, landing on his rear in the sand with a jolt. His hands clutched at the dirt in stress as he caught his breath, lifting his head to look upwards and make sure that none of the other dragons were about to tread on him. He pulled himself to his feet, gritting his teeth and taking another step forwards.
His eyes wandered over at least a dozen dragonets as they pulled themselves from their eggs, but none of them paid him any mind. Nervously, Tariel looked up at the audience, trying to pick out his parents. He couldn't see them, though. Across the hatchery, dragons were pairing with candidates and tears of happiness were rolling down faces. The long-haired blonde sighed, gripping his tunic like a lifeline. This was just like all the other times. Eventually all the dragonets would Impress and he'd be left with the other non-chosen.
He was of half a mind just to wander back to the group and wait, when as he turned he caught sight of a particularly small green dragonet pulling itself free of its egg, falling forwards in a head over heels tumble with a snort. It blinked in apparent surprise at the somersault, and Tariel couldn't help but laugh. The green looked up at him indignantly and their eyes met.
Stop it. That wasn't funny. My name's Aileth. I'm hungry. Get me food!
Tariel's jaw dropped. She was speaking to him. She had Impressed. She'd chosen him. The blonde boy's mouth curled upwards in a broad smile and he laughed again, this time not out of amusement but out of joy. He could feel Aileth in his head, in his heart - the bundle of warmth and emotions that was the entirety of her filling his mind.
I told you it wasn't funny. Stop laughing! Oh, you're not laughing at me. That's okay. But I'm still hungry!
Aileth padded forwards towards him, and with none of his former caution, heedless of any other nearby dragons, Tariel ran up and wrapped his arms around the green's neck, pressing against her as she prodded him in the chest with her snout. "Food! Of course, you need food!" he finally managed to stammer. Reluctant to let go, he leaned back to peer into her dark blue eyes, beaming. "I'll get you food. Come on, there's food this way!"
Good! Food! I like you, Tariel. You know where food is. And you have pretty hair! And eyes! And you know where food is! Can we get food now? You're smart, you lead the way!
"Thanks..." Tariel laughed warmly, leaning his head onto Aileth's leathery hide as she padded alongside him. "I'll lead the way." he repeated, almost absent minded, too thrilled to really think of what to say.
He was a dragon-rider. He had a dragon! And she was amazing!
When the brown dragon cast aside the child, Tariel winced. He'd heard about the deaths that happened during the hatchings, but seeing it happen so close was another thing. He wanted to go to the other child's side - he was a a healer in training, after all, that's what his instinct screamed - but the other eggs were already starting to crack. The boy would have to survive by himself.
Averting his eyes, he felt his heart-rate increase with fear. The other candidates were murmuring and reacting slowly, some stepping forwards confidently and others shying away. He clenched his fists, biting his lip and forcing himself to calm down. Panicking would be the death of him. He just needed to stay level-headed and stay safe.
Tariel took a step forwards. The sand trickled between his toes, collecting on the soles of his sandals, and any other time the sensation would have been irritating - now he was far too distracted to notice. With an enthusiastic cry, ahead a large bronze dragon shoved itself free of an egg and barreled forwards towards him. Tariel's eyes widened in fear - he didn't feel any connection with the creature, which meant...
He practically threw himself out of the path of the dragonet as it charged clumsily past where he had been standing towards another child who was grinning broadly at it, landing on his rear in the sand with a jolt. His hands clutched at the dirt in stress as he caught his breath, lifting his head to look upwards and make sure that none of the other dragons were about to tread on him. He pulled himself to his feet, gritting his teeth and taking another step forwards.
His eyes wandered over at least a dozen dragonets as they pulled themselves from their eggs, but none of them paid him any mind. Nervously, Tariel looked up at the audience, trying to pick out his parents. He couldn't see them, though. Across the hatchery, dragons were pairing with candidates and tears of happiness were rolling down faces. The long-haired blonde sighed, gripping his tunic like a lifeline. This was just like all the other times. Eventually all the dragonets would Impress and he'd be left with the other non-chosen.
He was of half a mind just to wander back to the group and wait, when as he turned he caught sight of a particularly small green dragonet pulling itself free of its egg, falling forwards in a head over heels tumble with a snort. It blinked in apparent surprise at the somersault, and Tariel couldn't help but laugh. The green looked up at him indignantly and their eyes met.
Stop it. That wasn't funny. My name's Aileth. I'm hungry. Get me food!
Tariel's jaw dropped. She was speaking to him. She had Impressed. She'd chosen him. The blonde boy's mouth curled upwards in a broad smile and he laughed again, this time not out of amusement but out of joy. He could feel Aileth in his head, in his heart - the bundle of warmth and emotions that was the entirety of her filling his mind.
I told you it wasn't funny. Stop laughing! Oh, you're not laughing at me. That's okay. But I'm still hungry!
Aileth padded forwards towards him, and with none of his former caution, heedless of any other nearby dragons, Tariel ran up and wrapped his arms around the green's neck, pressing against her as she prodded him in the chest with her snout. "Food! Of course, you need food!" he finally managed to stammer. Reluctant to let go, he leaned back to peer into her dark blue eyes, beaming. "I'll get you food. Come on, there's food this way!"
Good! Food! I like you, Tariel. You know where food is. And you have pretty hair! And eyes! And you know where food is! Can we get food now? You're smart, you lead the way!
"Thanks..." Tariel laughed warmly, leaning his head onto Aileth's leathery hide as she padded alongside him. "I'll lead the way." he repeated, almost absent minded, too thrilled to really think of what to say.
He was a dragon-rider. He had a dragon! And she was amazing!
"Looks like Tariel is going to be changing his name soon." Ransier smirked at the sight of his old Creche buddy and his new dragon. "Good on him."
Ransier was seated comfortably amongst the crowd in the audience. The majority of onlookers were either silent as the grave, or muttering quietly to neighbors. He in particular didn't exactly share some of the sentiment that came with Hatching....not after his own experience with the event.
His gaze made its way to the injured boy, the once white tunic took on a deep scarlet that cut at Ransier's trauma.
"Looks like you'll be busy afterwards, eh Master Healer?"
Ariel looked on with a concerned frown. "It's always the case. We do what we can, but there are sometimes those we can't save. Even this young the dragonets are powerful creatures."
She smiled then, though, as her eyes fell on Tariel. "He's been pining for a dragon for years, now. I think it's because of his father - no, I know. I always got the sense that as much as he enjoyed learning my craft, that he felt something was missing."
The healer shook her head, "I just hope that T'len is kind to him. He still has quite ... traditional views from his upbringing in the Holds. I feel as though he may not approve of the green." The wrinkling of her nose evidently showed that Ariel found her weyrmate's attitude annoying.
"I've visited the Hold quite a view times myself, it's different from the Weyr for sure, but the people there mean well." He shrugged as he placed his chin in one of his hands, observing the ceremony intently. "Good folk that simply look at things differently than us."
He tried to sound convincing, but Ransier knew Tariel's father as well, the boy's mother certainly was right to have her doubts.
"In the end, I'm sure he'll still be happy that Tariel's found himself a Dragon, plenty of other can't make that claim."
Himself included.
The healer smiled at Ransier, "It's not too late for you just yet, Ransier. Maybe next hatching you'll be chosen as a candidate again?" she said, "Besides, you don't need a dragon to be proud. Look at me, after all. I like to think I'm as accomplished, if not more so, than many of the riders." Ariel chortled, "Don't let them hear me saying that though." she added jokingly.
Nodding her head, she sighed. "You're probably right. Still, I worry sometimes that I made the wrong decision in breaking with tradition and taking care of Tariel myself. He needs to find pride in himself, rather than always look for it from me or his father."
"I wouldn't go as far as that." Ransier disagreed. "I kind of envy Tariel, being able to grow up with his parents. Maybe that's the Hold in me, but I kind of think that a kid should be able to spend time with his true family, and not just be pushed off onto whoever seems to suit the Weyr's needs best."
He sighed, but what would've happened to him if that was the case?
"Anyway, how's Jusiran doing? I'm still very grateful to you for taking her under your wing."
Ariel beamed, "Oh, she's doing marvelously. A very astute student, she reminds me of Tariel when he was her age." she said, nodding her head. "You did the right thing by her bringing her to me, it's my pleasure. I need someone to occupy my time now that Tariel's going to be off training with the riders, after all."
With a faint frown, she sighed. "You know, in a selfish way, I almost hoped that he wouldn't Impress, and I'd be able to train him to take my place. And he wouldn't have to be off risking his life in the threadfall. It's hard enough with T'len up there, but now I have the both of them to be worrying about..."
"You should know your son by now. He would love nothing more than to help you out and become a great healer, but he'd still feel like he wouldn't be living up to his father's expectations. I think this is the best thing we could hope for Tariel, with this he can learn a bit of what his father goes through and decide just how much he's willing to do to please him."
He would've gone on longer, but he felt a sudden weight land on his left shoulder. When he looked, Ransier found a pair of light blue eyes staring back at him. The eyes belonged to a larger than average brown Fire lizard. This Fire Lizard's name, was Sniff.
Ransier smiled and pulled a strip of dried meat from his pocket, holding it up to the creature which happily snapped it from his fingers.
"Excited about the Hatching are you?" Ransier smirked at his companion.
"Hopefully," Ariel agreed, "Too much hero worship can be a bad thing." she chuckled, "If only because it'll eventually start going to T'len's head. Like he needs anything more to boost his ego. He can be ridiculous sometimes." The smile on her face made it clear that she wasn't too bothered, though. After all, she had quite the way with keeping her weyrmate in line.
The healer glanced to the side at Sniff, waving a hand at the little lizard affectionately before she turned her attention back to the scene below, anxious to keep an eye out for any other injuries.
Once he was finished eating, Sniff began to nuzzle the side of Ransier's neck. The young man placed a hand on the Fire-lizard's snout and grinned. "Yeah Yeah, you're welcome. Now behave, Hatching isn't over."
Ransier returned his attention to the sands, where he noticed a young boy had begun to attempt getting closer to a Blue. Ransier had saw it almost instantly, and apparently only moments before the young one.
The Blue had no interest in him.
The young Dragon had barely finished crawling out of it's shell, and as it ignored the boy, it turned away from him and began to to walk away.
But neither the dragonet or the candidate seem to remember about the creature's tail. Before he could avoid it, the dragon's tail crashed into the side of boy's chest. Ransier and Sniff both winced as they watched the boy get tossed quite a few feet away, crying out in pain.
"That's a few broken ribs...." Ransier sighed, subconsciously his right hand went to the left side of his chest, tracing an invisible line straight across the width of his torso. Under his clothes, his skin bore a scar that would remind him of his failure to impress for the rest of his life.
Ransier was seated comfortably amongst the crowd in the audience. The majority of onlookers were either silent as the grave, or muttering quietly to neighbors. He in particular didn't exactly share some of the sentiment that came with Hatching....not after his own experience with the event.
His gaze made its way to the injured boy, the once white tunic took on a deep scarlet that cut at Ransier's trauma.
"Looks like you'll be busy afterwards, eh Master Healer?"
Ariel looked on with a concerned frown. "It's always the case. We do what we can, but there are sometimes those we can't save. Even this young the dragonets are powerful creatures."
She smiled then, though, as her eyes fell on Tariel. "He's been pining for a dragon for years, now. I think it's because of his father - no, I know. I always got the sense that as much as he enjoyed learning my craft, that he felt something was missing."
The healer shook her head, "I just hope that T'len is kind to him. He still has quite ... traditional views from his upbringing in the Holds. I feel as though he may not approve of the green." The wrinkling of her nose evidently showed that Ariel found her weyrmate's attitude annoying.
"I've visited the Hold quite a view times myself, it's different from the Weyr for sure, but the people there mean well." He shrugged as he placed his chin in one of his hands, observing the ceremony intently. "Good folk that simply look at things differently than us."
He tried to sound convincing, but Ransier knew Tariel's father as well, the boy's mother certainly was right to have her doubts.
"In the end, I'm sure he'll still be happy that Tariel's found himself a Dragon, plenty of other can't make that claim."
Himself included.
The healer smiled at Ransier, "It's not too late for you just yet, Ransier. Maybe next hatching you'll be chosen as a candidate again?" she said, "Besides, you don't need a dragon to be proud. Look at me, after all. I like to think I'm as accomplished, if not more so, than many of the riders." Ariel chortled, "Don't let them hear me saying that though." she added jokingly.
Nodding her head, she sighed. "You're probably right. Still, I worry sometimes that I made the wrong decision in breaking with tradition and taking care of Tariel myself. He needs to find pride in himself, rather than always look for it from me or his father."
"I wouldn't go as far as that." Ransier disagreed. "I kind of envy Tariel, being able to grow up with his parents. Maybe that's the Hold in me, but I kind of think that a kid should be able to spend time with his true family, and not just be pushed off onto whoever seems to suit the Weyr's needs best."
He sighed, but what would've happened to him if that was the case?
"Anyway, how's Jusiran doing? I'm still very grateful to you for taking her under your wing."
Ariel beamed, "Oh, she's doing marvelously. A very astute student, she reminds me of Tariel when he was her age." she said, nodding her head. "You did the right thing by her bringing her to me, it's my pleasure. I need someone to occupy my time now that Tariel's going to be off training with the riders, after all."
With a faint frown, she sighed. "You know, in a selfish way, I almost hoped that he wouldn't Impress, and I'd be able to train him to take my place. And he wouldn't have to be off risking his life in the threadfall. It's hard enough with T'len up there, but now I have the both of them to be worrying about..."
"You should know your son by now. He would love nothing more than to help you out and become a great healer, but he'd still feel like he wouldn't be living up to his father's expectations. I think this is the best thing we could hope for Tariel, with this he can learn a bit of what his father goes through and decide just how much he's willing to do to please him."
He would've gone on longer, but he felt a sudden weight land on his left shoulder. When he looked, Ransier found a pair of light blue eyes staring back at him. The eyes belonged to a larger than average brown Fire lizard. This Fire Lizard's name, was Sniff.
Ransier smiled and pulled a strip of dried meat from his pocket, holding it up to the creature which happily snapped it from his fingers.
"Excited about the Hatching are you?" Ransier smirked at his companion.
"Hopefully," Ariel agreed, "Too much hero worship can be a bad thing." she chuckled, "If only because it'll eventually start going to T'len's head. Like he needs anything more to boost his ego. He can be ridiculous sometimes." The smile on her face made it clear that she wasn't too bothered, though. After all, she had quite the way with keeping her weyrmate in line.
The healer glanced to the side at Sniff, waving a hand at the little lizard affectionately before she turned her attention back to the scene below, anxious to keep an eye out for any other injuries.
Once he was finished eating, Sniff began to nuzzle the side of Ransier's neck. The young man placed a hand on the Fire-lizard's snout and grinned. "Yeah Yeah, you're welcome. Now behave, Hatching isn't over."
Ransier returned his attention to the sands, where he noticed a young boy had begun to attempt getting closer to a Blue. Ransier had saw it almost instantly, and apparently only moments before the young one.
The Blue had no interest in him.
The young Dragon had barely finished crawling out of it's shell, and as it ignored the boy, it turned away from him and began to to walk away.
But neither the dragonet or the candidate seem to remember about the creature's tail. Before he could avoid it, the dragon's tail crashed into the side of boy's chest. Ransier and Sniff both winced as they watched the boy get tossed quite a few feet away, crying out in pain.
"That's a few broken ribs...." Ransier sighed, subconsciously his right hand went to the left side of his chest, tracing an invisible line straight across the width of his torso. Under his clothes, his skin bore a scar that would remind him of his failure to impress for the rest of his life.
Kalinor, was trembling in fear, after watching the other boy flung across the Hatching Grounds by the tail of the dragon. However, the words of his father echoed in his hears, Son, never forget that fear can only control you if you let it. Courage, courage is the ability to overcome fear. Kalinor took a deep breath and placed one foot in front of the other as he walked to the egg he had set his mind upon yesterday. He wasn't able to explain it, but it felt as if his own soul was pulled to this egg. the question on his mind now was Would this dragon feel the same as me? The egg cracked as Kalinor started to tremble in fear again.
Taking several deep breaths he was able to calm himself again just moments before the Bronze Dragon fell from his egg. Bronze?! he thought to himself, This dragon is a bronze? The dragon shook himself sending a small piece of the shell hurling just past Kalinor's face, leaving a small nick on his cheek. Before long the Bronze was staring in to Kalinor's eyes, Courage, said the dragon in Kalinor's mind I see your fear, and your courage. My name is Norith. Kalinor, seemed to be a little confused, "Why do I feel hungry? I could have sworn I ate." he muttered as a loud rumble came from Norith's gut, That would be me that is hungry. Kalinor couldn't help himself as he started laughing feeling the excitement of becoming a Dragonrider, as well as the excitement coming from Norith, "Alright Norith," he said reach out and petting his partner, "lets get you some food." Norith nudged him with his snout to his chest causing Kalinor to stumble a step or two back.
"Alright, alright, hold your horses." he said chuckling as he lead his partner to the food nearby. He was smiling and still laughing to himself as he made sure his partner got some, well deserved, food, before turning his attention to the other candidates noting the boy that as flung by the dragons tail, as well as the others that were already chosen by dragons. He inclined his head in a bow to the other riders sitting in the audience now. This day had be very interesting to him, but now he just wanted to relax and take in the rest of the event.
Taking several deep breaths he was able to calm himself again just moments before the Bronze Dragon fell from his egg. Bronze?! he thought to himself, This dragon is a bronze? The dragon shook himself sending a small piece of the shell hurling just past Kalinor's face, leaving a small nick on his cheek. Before long the Bronze was staring in to Kalinor's eyes, Courage, said the dragon in Kalinor's mind I see your fear, and your courage. My name is Norith. Kalinor, seemed to be a little confused, "Why do I feel hungry? I could have sworn I ate." he muttered as a loud rumble came from Norith's gut, That would be me that is hungry. Kalinor couldn't help himself as he started laughing feeling the excitement of becoming a Dragonrider, as well as the excitement coming from Norith, "Alright Norith," he said reach out and petting his partner, "lets get you some food." Norith nudged him with his snout to his chest causing Kalinor to stumble a step or two back.
"Alright, alright, hold your horses." he said chuckling as he lead his partner to the food nearby. He was smiling and still laughing to himself as he made sure his partner got some, well deserved, food, before turning his attention to the other candidates noting the boy that as flung by the dragons tail, as well as the others that were already chosen by dragons. He inclined his head in a bow to the other riders sitting in the audience now. This day had be very interesting to him, but now he just wanted to relax and take in the rest of the event.
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View All » Add Character » 7 Characters to follow in this universe
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N'sen
The Weyrlingmaster of Ista Weyr, N'sen's duty is to teach the new weyrlings how to care for their dragons, take flight, go between and battle Thread.
Ransier
Son of Ranatos and Jusier, Ransier lives a fairly comfortable life as one of Ista Weyr's few Runners. He's managed to make a small name for himself so far, but the eagrness to excel is still burning furiously in him.
T'rie
Born Tariel, son of Tamlen (T'len) and Ariel, T'rie is one of the newest generation of dragonriders from Ista Weyr.
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T'rie
Born Tariel, son of Tamlen (T'len) and Ariel, T'rie is one of the newest generation of dragonriders from Ista Weyr.
Ransier
Son of Ranatos and Jusier, Ransier lives a fairly comfortable life as one of Ista Weyr's few Runners. He's managed to make a small name for himself so far, but the eagrness to excel is still burning furiously in him.
N'sen
The Weyrlingmaster of Ista Weyr, N'sen's duty is to teach the new weyrlings how to care for their dragons, take flight, go between and battle Thread.
Most Followed
Ransier
Son of Ranatos and Jusier, Ransier lives a fairly comfortable life as one of Ista Weyr's few Runners. He's managed to make a small name for himself so far, but the eagrness to excel is still burning furiously in him.
T'rie
Born Tariel, son of Tamlen (T'len) and Ariel, T'rie is one of the newest generation of dragonriders from Ista Weyr.
N'sen
The Weyrlingmaster of Ista Weyr, N'sen's duty is to teach the new weyrlings how to care for their dragons, take flight, go between and battle Thread.
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5 posts · 6 characters present · last post 2013-04-03 13:56:52 »
Female dragons come to this quiet, secure ground of hot sands to lay their clutch. The hot sands provide stability for the eggs and keep them heated so that the shells will harden appropriately. These grounds have seats around them for audiences.
0 posts · 0 characters present · last post 1970-01-01 00:00:00 »
Ista Weyr ↪ Plateau and Bowl Owner: Cloasse
The sheltered bowl of Ista Weyr and the plateau leading to the bay. Dragons are often present here, and many can be seen bathing or rising to go [i]between[/i] from the plateau edge.
0 posts · 0 characters present · last post 1970-01-01 00:00:00 »
Ista Island ↪ Ista Weyr Owner: Cloasse
Ista Weyr is one of many Weyrs located on Pern. This Weyr, located in Ista Island's sea-caves and extinct caldera, is charged with protecting the island.
0 posts · 1 characters present · last post 1970-01-01 00:00:00 »
Pern ↪ Ista Island Owner: Cloasse
Ista Island is one of the largest islands on Pern. Like the Southern Continent, Ista has a tropical climate complimented by sandy beaches.
0 posts · 0 characters present · last post 1970-01-01 00:00:00 »
Third planet of the Rukbat system in the Sagittarian sector, Pern plays home to dragons and humans alike as they face the threat of Thread together.
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The Weyrleader's Word
by Cloasse on Thu Mar 21, 2013 7:22 am
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on Fri Mar 29, 2013 11:00 am
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The Weyrleader's Word
Most recent OOC posts in The Weyrleader's Word
Re: The Weyrleader's Word
It's time for our first posts!
As I've now posted about fire-lizards and dragons, as well as Impression for both, I think we can start off with our first posts!
For those of you with dragonrider characters, I would like you to post about your character's Impression to their dragon. If they are from the most recent group of Candidates, note that there were a specific number of eggs as mentioned in the introduction, and that there would be as many as twice the number of Candidates at that Hatching.
I'll make a post in the Hatching Grounds detailing the set-up for most recent group of Candidates, and I'll also post the Impression for my older generation character as a bit of a guide if you need it.
For those of you with characters who have fire-lizards, I'd also like to know about their Impression. Fire-lizards Impress to whoever handles and feeds them immediately after they hatch. Generally, fire-lizards will eat scraps of raw meat or may share in an amicable dragon's hunt.
This is an opportunity for you to delve into your characters at a very emotional point in their histories. Impression, even to fire-lizards, can bring about strong reactions to various emotions exhibited at the time, and I can't wait to read your fascinating posts!
If you have any questions, you're more than welcome to run them past me! If you'd rather PM me your post prior to submitting it, I'll be more than happy to fact-check it and highlight any errors I spot for you.
Thanks again!
As I've now posted about fire-lizards and dragons, as well as Impression for both, I think we can start off with our first posts!
For those of you with dragonrider characters, I would like you to post about your character's Impression to their dragon. If they are from the most recent group of Candidates, note that there were a specific number of eggs as mentioned in the introduction, and that there would be as many as twice the number of Candidates at that Hatching.
I'll make a post in the Hatching Grounds detailing the set-up for most recent group of Candidates, and I'll also post the Impression for my older generation character as a bit of a guide if you need it.
For those of you with characters who have fire-lizards, I'd also like to know about their Impression. Fire-lizards Impress to whoever handles and feeds them immediately after they hatch. Generally, fire-lizards will eat scraps of raw meat or may share in an amicable dragon's hunt.
This is an opportunity for you to delve into your characters at a very emotional point in their histories. Impression, even to fire-lizards, can bring about strong reactions to various emotions exhibited at the time, and I can't wait to read your fascinating posts!
If you have any questions, you're more than welcome to run them past me! If you'd rather PM me your post prior to submitting it, I'll be more than happy to fact-check it and highlight any errors I spot for you.
Thanks again!
Re: The Weyrleader's Word
Dragons
Here's another little fact-file for folks who need a bit more information or just a refresher! Today, we'll have a little look at dragons, from Hatching to passing.
History
Not a naturally occurring species on Pern, dragons were genetically engineered by a geneticist known as Kitti Ping Yung to fight the threat of Threadfall. Using fire-lizard genetics to create the dragons, Kitti Ping Yung hoped to provide a much larger, more powerful and more intelligent version of the fire-lizards that the colonists had acquired as pets. Successful in her venture, the dragons were much smaller than they are at the time of this RP, and they were only just large enough to carry their rider and fight Thread accurately. The dragons were named for the resemblance to the Earth legends of old, although they are not capable of spontaneously producing fire. Since their creation, dragons have been growing larger with each Pass of the Red Star, but it is believed that the dragons have now reached the size that Kitti Ping Yung intended for them and they will not grow much larger.
Physical Appearance
Like their smaller ancestors, dragons have six limbs – four legs and two wings. Reminiscent to horses in shape with head knobs similar to that on a giraffe, dragons have no visible ears. Their expressive eyes, especially when compared to the larger dragons, are said to be as big as the human head. Their bodies taper from their rump to a forked tail.
Dragons come in five colours. These colours determine their status and size, as well as who is most likely to Impress them. Female dragons, like fire-lizards, are always gold or green. Male dragons are always bronze, brown or blue.
Let’s start with the smallest (barring the white dragon pictured above):
Green dragons are generally between twenty and twenty-four metres from their head to the tip of their tail, and standing height from head to floor is generally around four to five metres. As the smallest dragons, greens do not have the stamina necessary to fly Thread for the entirety of the Fall. Typically, these dragons will work in shifts lasting a few hours before returning to their Weyr for some rest and recuperation. However, their small size also has its advantages. They are more agile in the air than the larger dragons and are therefore quite valuable when flying Thread. Green dragons are the most common and make up around fifty per cent of all dragons on Pern. Greens are typically only Impressed by women or homosexual men.
Blue dragons typically range from between twenty-four to thirty metres in length, and stand at approximately five to six metres tall. Despite being the smallest males, blues can usually last a full Threadfall flight. Almost as small as the female greens, blues are the most agile of the male dragons. Blues make up roughly thirty per cent of dragons on Pern. Blues are typically Impressed by men of any sexuality or homosexual women.
Brown dragons are the next step up in size and can grow from thirty to forty metres long, and six to seven metres tall. Browns can easily last an entire Threadfall flight, but they lose out on the agility that the smaller dragons are capable of achieving. Of all of Pern's dragons, browns make up fifteen per cent. Brown dragons are usually only Impressed by men, but 'masculine' women could potentially Impress them too.
Bronze dragons are the largest males at a staggering thirty-five to forty-five metres long, and six-and-a-half to seven-and-a-half metres tall. These dragons are typically the strongest during Threadfall, but they tend to rely on the smaller dragons to cover them as they cannot turn as quickly. Only five percent of dragons on Pern are bronze. Only heterosexual men are known to Impress bronzes.
Gold dragons are the largest dragons on Pern and are known as Queens. These female dragons range from forty to fifty metres in length, and can stand as tall as nine metres from head to ground. Due to their size, they are not agile. As Queens only fly Thread with their riders armed with flamethrowers, Queens generally do not need to be able to wheel or twist as quickly as their smaller counterparts, but this lack of quick-turning ability could be a hindrance, or a danger at worst. One per cent of dragons on Pern are gold Queens. Only heterosexual women are known to Impress golds.
As previously mentioned, dragons have very expressive eyes. This is because (like the fire-lizards) their eyes will change colour to reflect their mood. Generally, the following colours will intimate these emotions:
Red: Extreme anger
Orange: Annoyance, but remaining calm
Yellow: Worry, confusion
Lime green: Astonishment, surprise
Dark green: Contentment
Light blue: Nervousness, excitement
Dark blue: Contentment, happiness
Light purple: Jealousy
Dark purple: Extreme love/lust
White: Terror, fear
Gray: Pained, dying
As with most roleplays, a player may be tempted to give his or her character an unusual flair to make them stand out a bit more. When it comes to Pernese roleplays, this is usually achieved by creating a character whose dragon or fire-lizard is an unnatural colour or has strange patterns. The only known deviation from the above colours is also seen on the colour chart. A white dragon, far smaller than the others and seemingly asexual, known as Ruth was hatched at Benden Weyr during the Ninth Pass (around which this roleplay is based). However, this colour mutation is not natural - in fact, if it hadn't been for Ruth's rider's determination, the dragon would not have hatched at all. Whether due to the unusually small dragon's lack of strength or an unusually hard shell, Ruth could not break out on his own. It's because of this that it's believed that this colour mutation is a fatal one. For this reason, I'd prefer that our dragons remain within the bounds of the five main colours. We don't need special colours, fancy mutations (or other unusual quirks such as a human born from a dragon egg - though how that would work, I couldn't tell you - or a human who can hear all dragons regardless of their will) to make this RP fun and entertaining; we have brains for that.
Mating and Hatching
Due to the differences in size and stamina, mating dragons have 'colour compatibility' rules to follow. Greens are both the smallest dragons and female. However, all of the three male dragons can mate with a green. Due to their large size, however, bronzes are more likely to miss out to the blues and browns, as they are quicker in the air when following the green. Greens do not lay eggs - some Pernese people believe that this is because chewing fire-stone renders the green dragons infertile. Nevertheless, readers of the series have come to believe that Kitti Ping Yung deliberately made the small greens (who could not clutch bronzes or golds) infertile regardless of fire-stone consumption. Blues are the only dragons who mate with greens exclusively. Unlike the larger browns and bronzes, blues are too small and tire too quickly to stay in the air with a Queen dragon for the duration of her mating flight.
It is possible for a brown dragon to fly a Queen, but due to the size of the Queens by the time of the Ninth Pass this is very unlikely. For this reason, bronzes will almost always fly a Queen. However, as there are around five bronze dragons to every Queen, and Queens rise to mate infrequently, a lot of bronzes will miss out. To cope with his needs, a bronze will usually attempt to fly a green dragon.
When dragons mate, their riders are also affected by their strong urges. Riders, with varying levels of awareness as to what they are actually doing, will also engage in sex when their dragons mate. Due to the number of male greenriders and the number of weyrmates [this is the Pernese equivalent to marriage in a Weyr] who could not have their dragons mate (for example, a male bronzerider who is weyrmate to a female greenrider), those in Weyrs are very open about their sexuality and their dragons' influence on this. There is no jealousy between weyrmates when they engage in intercourse with others due to dragons mating. This may seem odd or even depraved to those outwith Weyr-life, such as farmers, fishermen and those in Holds, but is generally tolerated by all on Pern.
Gold dragons are the only dragons who will lay a clutch of eggs. During an Interval [the time between each Pass of the Red Star, where Threadfall is not an imminent threat], the number of eggs is naturally reduced. Approaching Threadfall, Queens will start to lay clutches with increasing numbers of eggs. These clutches can amount to in excess of forty eggs, and larger, gold eggs containing Queens will be more likely. These eggs are laid in a Hatching Ground [a large cavern floored with very hot sands that humans cannot walk barefoot on surrounded by tiered seating for an audience] and kept there, often with their Queen in attendance, until they hatch.
Before a Hatching can occur, a Search must first happen. A Search only happens when a clutch has been laid. The dragonriders go beyond the walls of their Weyr in search of strong, healthy and confident young people (the age tends to go from child to late teen as Threadfall approaches) who they take back to the Weyr to present for Impression. When a Hatching is about to begin, the Queen will croon, and soon the other dragons will hum in response as they alert their riders. The audience, usually made up of friends or family of those being presented for Impression, Craftsmen and Lord Holders, is often emotionally affected by the humming and atmosphere on the Hatching Grounds.
Dragonets then proceed to break out of their shells using their sharp claws (Healers are always present at a Hatching, as injuries are incredibly likely) and brute strength before they begin to make their Impression.
Impression
Unlike fire-lizards, dragons cannot survive without Impressing on a human. For this reason, there are always more Candidates [the young people found on Search] than there are eggs (this is also done as accidental injuries or even deaths can occur during a Hatching, and there must be enough humans for a dragon to find their human bond with).
Candidates are led onto the Hatching Grounds in thick-soled sandals and shapeless white tunics. Unless they are found very late in the Search, the Candidates will already have at least seen or touched the eggs prior to the day of Hatching. This is to familiarise the Candidates with what they will face on the day (including the maternal Queen dragon) and to help ensure that a dragonet will Impress, as it is believed that contact with the egg can lead to Impression.
Impression is an incredibly emotional time involved for all. The audience exhibits excitement and awe, happiness and pride simply by witnessing the Hatching. For Candidates, Impression can often start with fear. Many will know that Hatching is dangerous, and most will be intimidated by the crowd, the vast number of dragons and the expectations placed on them by their peers. That fear can intensify when the Hatching actually begins and large, clumsy dragonets with sharp claws and ungainly movements break free from their shells. Dragonets have been known to shake, throw and cut Candidates, resulting in minor to severe injuries, or death in the worst case scenario.
However, even if a Candidate witnesses another's injury or death, that fear will become completely insignificant should they Impress. Impression is the melding of two minds and souls. The dragonet and the young human become one team. Candidates respond with a myriad of emotions: elation at being chosen, relief for having found their perfect match, the craving projected from their dragon's desire for food, overwhelmed at the entire situation... The list goes on, and every dragonrider will react differently to their match.
For a dragon, Impression is necessary. If a dragonet fails to Impress (and some have been known to go so far as to Impress with a human in the crowd) it will simply disappear between [an area of nothingness and sensory deprivation between here and there that dragons use to travel in].
Impression is a life-long bond for a dragon. If their rider dies, the dragon goes between and does not return, much like a dragonet who does not Impress at all. If a dragon dies, riders can survive. However, they are usually cold husks of their former selves. Many riders will commit suicide, and many more would not stop a rider from doing so, as the pain is known to be great and consuming.
Abilities
Dragons have three main abilities:
Telepathy, or the ability to communicate with other dragons and their own rider through their mind. Impression creates this telepathic bond between rider and dragon, and can be used to project images as well as thoughts or emotions. This makes travelling between easier. Dragons can communicate with one another over great distances, and dragons have been known to speak to humans who are not their riders when they feel the need to. Very few humans are known to be able to listen to any dragon without that dragon first choosing to speak to them.
Going between is the dragon's main method of travel beyond the scope of their wings. Going between involves going to another 'dimension' of sorts, a cold and numbing space wherein dragons can travel large distances in a very short time. The dragons do not feel the cold, but their riders do. It is for this reason that they wear thick wher-hide clothing when flying, as well as for protection purposes. Inexperienced dragons and riders can get lost between, never to return, or they can fail to correctly visualise their destination, resulting in a blow to their pride at best. On the worst side of the scale, dragons and riders have been found encased in rock in mountainsides, having suffocated after failing to go between correctly.
It is also possible to go between to different times, but this is not advisable. Whilst the dragons do not feel the strain of existing twice in one time, their dragonriders do. When going between places, dragons and riders stay between for no longer than a few seconds. When going between times, the stay between depends on how far back or forward you are going. This also makes it dangerous, as prolonged stays between could result in weakness or even death of the dragonrider.
Fire-breathing can also be made possible through the use of fire-stone. Dragons are trained to chew and swallow this rocky substance, where it collects in a 'second stomach' and reacts with a special acid to create a volatile gas. This gas, when regurgitated, ignites in the air and is used to sear Thread from the sky. However, any remaining fire-stone must be expelled from the body if not used up, as dragons cannot digest it. If a dragon does not do so, whether due to an injury, forgetfulness or inexperience, they will expel it involuntarily through their mouths. Gold Queens do not chew fire-stone, as it is believed that chewing fire-stone may render them infertile. Instead, their riders are armed with crude flamethrowers.
Memory
Dragons have incredibly poor memories compared to humans and fire-lizards. This may be a simple side-effect of improving their size at the expense of their memory, or it could be an intentional flaw. The following graph is a representation of a dragon's memory compared to both a human's and a fire-lizard's. This is not an exact representation of how many days a dragon's, human's or fire-lizard's memory lasts for:
As dragons have such a poor memory, they require the telepathic link to their rider so that their rider can provide them with images for going between. Without a clear image, the dragon might end up lost along with its rider.
The only dragon known to have a significant memory is Ruth, the white dragon pictured on the size chart. Again, as Ruth has a mutation that is believed to normally be fatal, it is not likely that your dragon would have a brilliant memory such as his. The more intelligent dragons, however, may have slightly improved memories compared to dragons who are noted as dimmer or less focussed.
Death
Finally, a dragon will eventually die. As they are linked permanently to a human, dragons have limited life-spans. A dragon's most natural death would occur alongside a human's natural death due to old age or an age-related illness. When their human passes, the dragon would simply wink into between.
However, dragons can also die due to injury from Threadscore [Threadscore is the burn that results when Thread leaches on to the dragon or a rider], incorrectly going between (such as with the example of being encased in rock), or from a fight with another dragon [fights between dragons are incredibly rare; dragon fighting dragon would signify a huge uprising in Pern]. It is not unusual for a dragonrider to suicide following his dragon's death.
It is possible for a dragon to survive without her dragonrider in only one scenario. If a Queen is carrying eggs or has already laid her clutch, she will see them through to Hatching even without her rider. The Queen will be listless and unlike her former self. It is unlikely that she would rise to feed herself, and so other dragons would have to hunt for her. As soon as the Hatching occurs and her dragonets are accounted for, the Queen will go between.
When a dragon, human or even a watch-wher/fire-lizard/animal of significance passes, surviving dragons will keen to show respect and grief for their loss.
On that happy note, our little foray into dragons comes to a close. I hope you've all enjoyed reading this and that you've learned something you didn't know about Pernese dragons. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask them!
Here's another little fact-file for folks who need a bit more information or just a refresher! Today, we'll have a little look at dragons, from Hatching to passing.
History
Not a naturally occurring species on Pern, dragons were genetically engineered by a geneticist known as Kitti Ping Yung to fight the threat of Threadfall. Using fire-lizard genetics to create the dragons, Kitti Ping Yung hoped to provide a much larger, more powerful and more intelligent version of the fire-lizards that the colonists had acquired as pets. Successful in her venture, the dragons were much smaller than they are at the time of this RP, and they were only just large enough to carry their rider and fight Thread accurately. The dragons were named for the resemblance to the Earth legends of old, although they are not capable of spontaneously producing fire. Since their creation, dragons have been growing larger with each Pass of the Red Star, but it is believed that the dragons have now reached the size that Kitti Ping Yung intended for them and they will not grow much larger.
Physical Appearance
Like their smaller ancestors, dragons have six limbs – four legs and two wings. Reminiscent to horses in shape with head knobs similar to that on a giraffe, dragons have no visible ears. Their expressive eyes, especially when compared to the larger dragons, are said to be as big as the human head. Their bodies taper from their rump to a forked tail.
Dragons come in five colours. These colours determine their status and size, as well as who is most likely to Impress them. Female dragons, like fire-lizards, are always gold or green. Male dragons are always bronze, brown or blue.
Let’s start with the smallest (barring the white dragon pictured above):
Green dragons are generally between twenty and twenty-four metres from their head to the tip of their tail, and standing height from head to floor is generally around four to five metres. As the smallest dragons, greens do not have the stamina necessary to fly Thread for the entirety of the Fall. Typically, these dragons will work in shifts lasting a few hours before returning to their Weyr for some rest and recuperation. However, their small size also has its advantages. They are more agile in the air than the larger dragons and are therefore quite valuable when flying Thread. Green dragons are the most common and make up around fifty per cent of all dragons on Pern. Greens are typically only Impressed by women or homosexual men.
Blue dragons typically range from between twenty-four to thirty metres in length, and stand at approximately five to six metres tall. Despite being the smallest males, blues can usually last a full Threadfall flight. Almost as small as the female greens, blues are the most agile of the male dragons. Blues make up roughly thirty per cent of dragons on Pern. Blues are typically Impressed by men of any sexuality or homosexual women.
Brown dragons are the next step up in size and can grow from thirty to forty metres long, and six to seven metres tall. Browns can easily last an entire Threadfall flight, but they lose out on the agility that the smaller dragons are capable of achieving. Of all of Pern's dragons, browns make up fifteen per cent. Brown dragons are usually only Impressed by men, but 'masculine' women could potentially Impress them too.
Bronze dragons are the largest males at a staggering thirty-five to forty-five metres long, and six-and-a-half to seven-and-a-half metres tall. These dragons are typically the strongest during Threadfall, but they tend to rely on the smaller dragons to cover them as they cannot turn as quickly. Only five percent of dragons on Pern are bronze. Only heterosexual men are known to Impress bronzes.
Gold dragons are the largest dragons on Pern and are known as Queens. These female dragons range from forty to fifty metres in length, and can stand as tall as nine metres from head to ground. Due to their size, they are not agile. As Queens only fly Thread with their riders armed with flamethrowers, Queens generally do not need to be able to wheel or twist as quickly as their smaller counterparts, but this lack of quick-turning ability could be a hindrance, or a danger at worst. One per cent of dragons on Pern are gold Queens. Only heterosexual women are known to Impress golds.
As previously mentioned, dragons have very expressive eyes. This is because (like the fire-lizards) their eyes will change colour to reflect their mood. Generally, the following colours will intimate these emotions:
Red: Extreme anger
Orange: Annoyance, but remaining calm
Yellow: Worry, confusion
Lime green: Astonishment, surprise
Dark green: Contentment
Light blue: Nervousness, excitement
Dark blue: Contentment, happiness
Light purple: Jealousy
Dark purple: Extreme love/lust
White: Terror, fear
Gray: Pained, dying
As with most roleplays, a player may be tempted to give his or her character an unusual flair to make them stand out a bit more. When it comes to Pernese roleplays, this is usually achieved by creating a character whose dragon or fire-lizard is an unnatural colour or has strange patterns. The only known deviation from the above colours is also seen on the colour chart. A white dragon, far smaller than the others and seemingly asexual, known as Ruth was hatched at Benden Weyr during the Ninth Pass (around which this roleplay is based). However, this colour mutation is not natural - in fact, if it hadn't been for Ruth's rider's determination, the dragon would not have hatched at all. Whether due to the unusually small dragon's lack of strength or an unusually hard shell, Ruth could not break out on his own. It's because of this that it's believed that this colour mutation is a fatal one. For this reason, I'd prefer that our dragons remain within the bounds of the five main colours. We don't need special colours, fancy mutations (or other unusual quirks such as a human born from a dragon egg - though how that would work, I couldn't tell you - or a human who can hear all dragons regardless of their will) to make this RP fun and entertaining; we have brains for that.
Mating and Hatching
Due to the differences in size and stamina, mating dragons have 'colour compatibility' rules to follow. Greens are both the smallest dragons and female. However, all of the three male dragons can mate with a green. Due to their large size, however, bronzes are more likely to miss out to the blues and browns, as they are quicker in the air when following the green. Greens do not lay eggs - some Pernese people believe that this is because chewing fire-stone renders the green dragons infertile. Nevertheless, readers of the series have come to believe that Kitti Ping Yung deliberately made the small greens (who could not clutch bronzes or golds) infertile regardless of fire-stone consumption. Blues are the only dragons who mate with greens exclusively. Unlike the larger browns and bronzes, blues are too small and tire too quickly to stay in the air with a Queen dragon for the duration of her mating flight.
It is possible for a brown dragon to fly a Queen, but due to the size of the Queens by the time of the Ninth Pass this is very unlikely. For this reason, bronzes will almost always fly a Queen. However, as there are around five bronze dragons to every Queen, and Queens rise to mate infrequently, a lot of bronzes will miss out. To cope with his needs, a bronze will usually attempt to fly a green dragon.
When dragons mate, their riders are also affected by their strong urges. Riders, with varying levels of awareness as to what they are actually doing, will also engage in sex when their dragons mate. Due to the number of male greenriders and the number of weyrmates [this is the Pernese equivalent to marriage in a Weyr] who could not have their dragons mate (for example, a male bronzerider who is weyrmate to a female greenrider), those in Weyrs are very open about their sexuality and their dragons' influence on this. There is no jealousy between weyrmates when they engage in intercourse with others due to dragons mating. This may seem odd or even depraved to those outwith Weyr-life, such as farmers, fishermen and those in Holds, but is generally tolerated by all on Pern.
Gold dragons are the only dragons who will lay a clutch of eggs. During an Interval [the time between each Pass of the Red Star, where Threadfall is not an imminent threat], the number of eggs is naturally reduced. Approaching Threadfall, Queens will start to lay clutches with increasing numbers of eggs. These clutches can amount to in excess of forty eggs, and larger, gold eggs containing Queens will be more likely. These eggs are laid in a Hatching Ground [a large cavern floored with very hot sands that humans cannot walk barefoot on surrounded by tiered seating for an audience] and kept there, often with their Queen in attendance, until they hatch.
Before a Hatching can occur, a Search must first happen. A Search only happens when a clutch has been laid. The dragonriders go beyond the walls of their Weyr in search of strong, healthy and confident young people (the age tends to go from child to late teen as Threadfall approaches) who they take back to the Weyr to present for Impression. When a Hatching is about to begin, the Queen will croon, and soon the other dragons will hum in response as they alert their riders. The audience, usually made up of friends or family of those being presented for Impression, Craftsmen and Lord Holders, is often emotionally affected by the humming and atmosphere on the Hatching Grounds.
Dragonets then proceed to break out of their shells using their sharp claws (Healers are always present at a Hatching, as injuries are incredibly likely) and brute strength before they begin to make their Impression.
Impression
Unlike fire-lizards, dragons cannot survive without Impressing on a human. For this reason, there are always more Candidates [the young people found on Search] than there are eggs (this is also done as accidental injuries or even deaths can occur during a Hatching, and there must be enough humans for a dragon to find their human bond with).
Candidates are led onto the Hatching Grounds in thick-soled sandals and shapeless white tunics. Unless they are found very late in the Search, the Candidates will already have at least seen or touched the eggs prior to the day of Hatching. This is to familiarise the Candidates with what they will face on the day (including the maternal Queen dragon) and to help ensure that a dragonet will Impress, as it is believed that contact with the egg can lead to Impression.
Impression is an incredibly emotional time involved for all. The audience exhibits excitement and awe, happiness and pride simply by witnessing the Hatching. For Candidates, Impression can often start with fear. Many will know that Hatching is dangerous, and most will be intimidated by the crowd, the vast number of dragons and the expectations placed on them by their peers. That fear can intensify when the Hatching actually begins and large, clumsy dragonets with sharp claws and ungainly movements break free from their shells. Dragonets have been known to shake, throw and cut Candidates, resulting in minor to severe injuries, or death in the worst case scenario.
However, even if a Candidate witnesses another's injury or death, that fear will become completely insignificant should they Impress. Impression is the melding of two minds and souls. The dragonet and the young human become one team. Candidates respond with a myriad of emotions: elation at being chosen, relief for having found their perfect match, the craving projected from their dragon's desire for food, overwhelmed at the entire situation... The list goes on, and every dragonrider will react differently to their match.
For a dragon, Impression is necessary. If a dragonet fails to Impress (and some have been known to go so far as to Impress with a human in the crowd) it will simply disappear between [an area of nothingness and sensory deprivation between here and there that dragons use to travel in].
Impression is a life-long bond for a dragon. If their rider dies, the dragon goes between and does not return, much like a dragonet who does not Impress at all. If a dragon dies, riders can survive. However, they are usually cold husks of their former selves. Many riders will commit suicide, and many more would not stop a rider from doing so, as the pain is known to be great and consuming.
Abilities
Dragons have three main abilities:
Telepathy, or the ability to communicate with other dragons and their own rider through their mind. Impression creates this telepathic bond between rider and dragon, and can be used to project images as well as thoughts or emotions. This makes travelling between easier. Dragons can communicate with one another over great distances, and dragons have been known to speak to humans who are not their riders when they feel the need to. Very few humans are known to be able to listen to any dragon without that dragon first choosing to speak to them.
Going between is the dragon's main method of travel beyond the scope of their wings. Going between involves going to another 'dimension' of sorts, a cold and numbing space wherein dragons can travel large distances in a very short time. The dragons do not feel the cold, but their riders do. It is for this reason that they wear thick wher-hide clothing when flying, as well as for protection purposes. Inexperienced dragons and riders can get lost between, never to return, or they can fail to correctly visualise their destination, resulting in a blow to their pride at best. On the worst side of the scale, dragons and riders have been found encased in rock in mountainsides, having suffocated after failing to go between correctly.
It is also possible to go between to different times, but this is not advisable. Whilst the dragons do not feel the strain of existing twice in one time, their dragonriders do. When going between places, dragons and riders stay between for no longer than a few seconds. When going between times, the stay between depends on how far back or forward you are going. This also makes it dangerous, as prolonged stays between could result in weakness or even death of the dragonrider.
Fire-breathing can also be made possible through the use of fire-stone. Dragons are trained to chew and swallow this rocky substance, where it collects in a 'second stomach' and reacts with a special acid to create a volatile gas. This gas, when regurgitated, ignites in the air and is used to sear Thread from the sky. However, any remaining fire-stone must be expelled from the body if not used up, as dragons cannot digest it. If a dragon does not do so, whether due to an injury, forgetfulness or inexperience, they will expel it involuntarily through their mouths. Gold Queens do not chew fire-stone, as it is believed that chewing fire-stone may render them infertile. Instead, their riders are armed with crude flamethrowers.
Memory
Dragons have incredibly poor memories compared to humans and fire-lizards. This may be a simple side-effect of improving their size at the expense of their memory, or it could be an intentional flaw. The following graph is a representation of a dragon's memory compared to both a human's and a fire-lizard's. This is not an exact representation of how many days a dragon's, human's or fire-lizard's memory lasts for:
As dragons have such a poor memory, they require the telepathic link to their rider so that their rider can provide them with images for going between. Without a clear image, the dragon might end up lost along with its rider.
The only dragon known to have a significant memory is Ruth, the white dragon pictured on the size chart. Again, as Ruth has a mutation that is believed to normally be fatal, it is not likely that your dragon would have a brilliant memory such as his. The more intelligent dragons, however, may have slightly improved memories compared to dragons who are noted as dimmer or less focussed.
Death
Finally, a dragon will eventually die. As they are linked permanently to a human, dragons have limited life-spans. A dragon's most natural death would occur alongside a human's natural death due to old age or an age-related illness. When their human passes, the dragon would simply wink into between.
However, dragons can also die due to injury from Threadscore [Threadscore is the burn that results when Thread leaches on to the dragon or a rider], incorrectly going between (such as with the example of being encased in rock), or from a fight with another dragon [fights between dragons are incredibly rare; dragon fighting dragon would signify a huge uprising in Pern]. It is not unusual for a dragonrider to suicide following his dragon's death.
It is possible for a dragon to survive without her dragonrider in only one scenario. If a Queen is carrying eggs or has already laid her clutch, she will see them through to Hatching even without her rider. The Queen will be listless and unlike her former self. It is unlikely that she would rise to feed herself, and so other dragons would have to hunt for her. As soon as the Hatching occurs and her dragonets are accounted for, the Queen will go between.
When a dragon, human or even a watch-wher/fire-lizard/animal of significance passes, surviving dragons will keen to show respect and grief for their loss.
On that happy note, our little foray into dragons comes to a close. I hope you've all enjoyed reading this and that you've learned something you didn't know about Pernese dragons. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask them!
Re: The Weyrleader's Word
That's absolutely no problem, NadieQuerida. There're a couple of other people who are still posting characters, too!
Take as much time as you need.
Thanks for the update!
Take as much time as you need.
Thanks for the update!
Re: The Weyrleader's Word
Hiya,
Thanks! Just wanted to let you know that I'm definitely interested, and I'm still working on my two characters... I haven't disappeared, I promise. I've got guests over and it's impossible to get on the computer long enough to do much at the moment, but I'll get on it soon!
Thanks! Just wanted to let you know that I'm definitely interested, and I'm still working on my two characters... I haven't disappeared, I promise. I've got guests over and it's impossible to get on the computer long enough to do much at the moment, but I'll get on it soon!
Re: The Weyrleader's Word
Hey, Nadie! No problem. It's ridiculously fun for me to go fact-finding and put it all together for this RP. :) You can submit as many characters as you want! Go ahead and submit your two - if you want more, even after the roleplay starts, I'll be more than happy to accommodate you.
<3
<3
Re: The Weyrleader's Word
Thanks for all your effort, Cloasse! The review has certainly been a much needed refresher for me. I'm excited for this RP--hopefully it'll thrive fantastically =) I think I'll submit 2 characters, if that's alright with you? Possibly a green rider and a candidate.
Re: The Weyrleader's Word
Knowing that the Pern series isn't quite as popular as I think it should be, I'm aware that a few people showing interest (and some of those who've submitted characters) don't really know the world as well as I do. With this in mind, I've decided to add some information about various parts of Pern's world and the beings in it.
Fire-Lizards
The below image belongs to ~Stefana-Tserk
Fire-lizards are, at their most basic, very primitive dragons. Like their much larger cousins, fire-lizards share many characteristics with dragons as they are known on Pern.
Characteristics
Roughly the size of a large bird, fire-lizards come in the same five main colours as dragons do: gold, bronze, brown, blue, and green. Like dragons, the gold 'Queens' will rise to mate and be flown by the strongest male - usually a bronze or a brown fire-lizard. However, as fire-lizards do not chew firestone, the greens do not become infertile. Flown by blues or browns, a green fire-lizard can also produce a clutch of eggs. Unlike the gold fire-lizard, greens do not show any care or attention to the placement of their clutch and will rarely stay with it until it hatches. Where golds will remain with their clutches to protect them, even going so far as to move eggs one by one in order to escape danger, greens are likely to simply abandon their clutch. In the event that a green's clutch survives, it will not have golds or bronzes, and rarely browns. It is therefore better that green clutches do not often survive, otherwise Pern would find itself overrun by green and blue fire-lizards.
Impression
Again like their larger counterparts, fire-lizards can be Impressed by humans. Contrary to dragons, however, fire-lizards of any colour can be Impressed by both men and women, heterosexual or homosexual. Fire-lizards, unlike dragons, do not need to Impress to survive, as they are found in the wild. That being said, a fire-lizard that hatches from the egg to a human attempting to Impress it has been known to simply go between [an area of nothingness and sensory deprivation between here and there] and never return as an act of suicide. One human may Impress many fire-lizards at once. Menolly, one of the canon Harpers from the Harperhall series, Impressed nine fire-lizards at once, and later went on to Impress a tenth.
Considering the value of fire-lizard eggs, it is unlikely that anyone else on Pern would be able to Impress as many fire-lizards. As common men and women can Impress, Weyrleaders and Werywomen take charge of the distribution of fire-lizard eggs when they are found, or when they are clutched by Impressed fire-lizards. It would not be unusual for a Lord Holder to have a fire-lizard, or for those he reveres on his land to get one. Similarly, Craftsmen may also be granted a fire-lizard egg. Fire-lizards are Impressed when a human is present when they hatch and proceed to feed the hungry hatchling until it is sated. Whereas dragons will tell a human their name and their names all fall under the same rule [ending in 'th'], fire-lizards can be named anything by their Impressed friends. Once again using the example of Menolly, she named her gold fire-lizard 'Beauty'.
Although fire-lizards share a strong bond with their friend, they do not necessarily die when their friend does as a dragon will when he believes his rider to be dead. Fire-lizards who are particularly attached to their Impressed human, however, have been known to go between and never return, or simply die when their human does.
When two Impressed fire-lizards who have different human friends mate, they can succumb to a similar emotional experience as mating dragons and their dragonriders do.
Abilities
The below image belongs to
~bronze-dragonrider
As previously mentioned, fire-lizards have the ability to go between. Although not as intelligent as dragons, this means that fire-lizards can deliver messages by way of a collar and tube, within which a scrap of skin with a message is placed. Fire-lizards can share images and emotions with their Impressed friend, but are unfortunately susceptible to hysterical reactions to their friend's strong emotions. Fear, for example, could lead to a fire-lizard attacking the object of his friend's focus.
Fire-lizards do have an ability that dragons do not. Fire-lizards appear to be able to remember things that happened long ago [as far as the humans are aware, fire-lizards are extremely long-lived or potentially immortal, as no one has witnessed one dying of old age or disease, only of loss]. Dragons do not have memories like this, and are not known for being able to remember well.
As well as being related to them, fire-lizards can communicate with dragons. However, dragons scare wild fire-lizards and many Impressed fire-lizards can be intimidated by them. When a dragonrider has a fire-lizard, it's quite likely that the dragon and the fire-lizard will communicate often. Fire-lizards have also been known to aid dragons in bathing, using their small paws to scratch dirt from a dragon's hide.
Finally, fire-lizards are very social. Even in the wild, they will often travel in fairs, or when they are Impressed, they will frequently leave their friend to seek out other fire-lizards. Fire-lizards are also known to sing when music is played or when someone nearby is singing. As they seem to prefer company, the fire-lizards also prefer to sleep on or nearby to their friends.
Fire-Lizards
Fire-lizards are, at their most basic, very primitive dragons. Like their much larger cousins, fire-lizards share many characteristics with dragons as they are known on Pern.
Characteristics
Roughly the size of a large bird, fire-lizards come in the same five main colours as dragons do: gold, bronze, brown, blue, and green. Like dragons, the gold 'Queens' will rise to mate and be flown by the strongest male - usually a bronze or a brown fire-lizard. However, as fire-lizards do not chew firestone, the greens do not become infertile. Flown by blues or browns, a green fire-lizard can also produce a clutch of eggs. Unlike the gold fire-lizard, greens do not show any care or attention to the placement of their clutch and will rarely stay with it until it hatches. Where golds will remain with their clutches to protect them, even going so far as to move eggs one by one in order to escape danger, greens are likely to simply abandon their clutch. In the event that a green's clutch survives, it will not have golds or bronzes, and rarely browns. It is therefore better that green clutches do not often survive, otherwise Pern would find itself overrun by green and blue fire-lizards.
Impression
Again like their larger counterparts, fire-lizards can be Impressed by humans. Contrary to dragons, however, fire-lizards of any colour can be Impressed by both men and women, heterosexual or homosexual. Fire-lizards, unlike dragons, do not need to Impress to survive, as they are found in the wild. That being said, a fire-lizard that hatches from the egg to a human attempting to Impress it has been known to simply go between [an area of nothingness and sensory deprivation between here and there] and never return as an act of suicide. One human may Impress many fire-lizards at once. Menolly, one of the canon Harpers from the Harperhall series, Impressed nine fire-lizards at once, and later went on to Impress a tenth.
Considering the value of fire-lizard eggs, it is unlikely that anyone else on Pern would be able to Impress as many fire-lizards. As common men and women can Impress, Weyrleaders and Werywomen take charge of the distribution of fire-lizard eggs when they are found, or when they are clutched by Impressed fire-lizards. It would not be unusual for a Lord Holder to have a fire-lizard, or for those he reveres on his land to get one. Similarly, Craftsmen may also be granted a fire-lizard egg. Fire-lizards are Impressed when a human is present when they hatch and proceed to feed the hungry hatchling until it is sated. Whereas dragons will tell a human their name and their names all fall under the same rule [ending in 'th'], fire-lizards can be named anything by their Impressed friends. Once again using the example of Menolly, she named her gold fire-lizard 'Beauty'.
Although fire-lizards share a strong bond with their friend, they do not necessarily die when their friend does as a dragon will when he believes his rider to be dead. Fire-lizards who are particularly attached to their Impressed human, however, have been known to go between and never return, or simply die when their human does.
When two Impressed fire-lizards who have different human friends mate, they can succumb to a similar emotional experience as mating dragons and their dragonriders do.
Abilities
~bronze-dragonrider
As previously mentioned, fire-lizards have the ability to go between. Although not as intelligent as dragons, this means that fire-lizards can deliver messages by way of a collar and tube, within which a scrap of skin with a message is placed. Fire-lizards can share images and emotions with their Impressed friend, but are unfortunately susceptible to hysterical reactions to their friend's strong emotions. Fear, for example, could lead to a fire-lizard attacking the object of his friend's focus.
Fire-lizards do have an ability that dragons do not. Fire-lizards appear to be able to remember things that happened long ago [as far as the humans are aware, fire-lizards are extremely long-lived or potentially immortal, as no one has witnessed one dying of old age or disease, only of loss]. Dragons do not have memories like this, and are not known for being able to remember well.
As well as being related to them, fire-lizards can communicate with dragons. However, dragons scare wild fire-lizards and many Impressed fire-lizards can be intimidated by them. When a dragonrider has a fire-lizard, it's quite likely that the dragon and the fire-lizard will communicate often. Fire-lizards have also been known to aid dragons in bathing, using their small paws to scratch dirt from a dragon's hide.
Finally, fire-lizards are very social. Even in the wild, they will often travel in fairs, or when they are Impressed, they will frequently leave their friend to seek out other fire-lizards. Fire-lizards are also known to sing when music is played or when someone nearby is singing. As they seem to prefer company, the fire-lizards also prefer to sleep on or nearby to their friends.
Re: The Weyrleader's Word
Dragon Sizes
The various sizes of the dragons on Pern have been much debated. There are plenty of conflicting size charts, fan-made, but here's my favourite one and the one I'd prefer you to think of when imagining the scenes or describing your character's dragon (if they have one, of course):
The smallest dragon, white Ruth, is a canon dragon and is unique. I would much, much prefer that you did not stray from the main five colours. The largest dragon, gold Ramoth, is also a canon dragon. She is a very large gold dragon, and I would not expect any of the dragons in our RP to grow larger than her - especially not a dragon that isn't a gold Queen.
As always, if anyone has any questions, do ask me either through PM or by way of reply to this post.
Cheers,
Cloasse
The various sizes of the dragons on Pern have been much debated. There are plenty of conflicting size charts, fan-made, but here's my favourite one and the one I'd prefer you to think of when imagining the scenes or describing your character's dragon (if they have one, of course):
The smallest dragon, white Ruth, is a canon dragon and is unique. I would much, much prefer that you did not stray from the main five colours. The largest dragon, gold Ramoth, is also a canon dragon. She is a very large gold dragon, and I would not expect any of the dragons in our RP to grow larger than her - especially not a dragon that isn't a gold Queen.
As always, if anyone has any questions, do ask me either through PM or by way of reply to this post.
Cheers,
Cloasse
The Weyrleader's Word
Map of Pern [As seen in Anne McCaffery's The Renegades of Pern]
Map of Ista Weyr [As seen in Anne McCaffery and
Karen Wynn-Fonstad's Atlas of Pern]
Ista Weyr
Located on the planet Pern, Ista Island is home to one of several dragonrider Weyrs. South of the central point of the Northern continent, Ista Weyr is aptly named after the tropical island on which it is settled. The Weyr comprises of hundreds of weyrs (or caves where a dragon and their rider may comfortably sleep), as well as hatching grounds, lower caverns for the many men and women who serve the dragonriders and their Weyrleader, and the queen's weyr nearby the hatching ground where the Weyrwoman also resides.
Charged with protecting Ista's Holds and coasts from Threadfall, the Ista Weyr can hold up to four-hundred dragons within its weyrs, and the tropical climate makes for a comfortable lifestyle. The Holds around Ista all raise crops and often go fishing to provide tithing to Ista Weyr. The Holds, however, are looking to the Weyr for protection against the impending Thread.
Hatching
There has recently been a Hatching at Ista Weyr, however, with a respectable clutch of thirty-three eggs, and Impression occurred for each after a Search went out across the Northern continent. Of the thirty-three eggs, there were two bronze dragons, five brown dragons, nine blue dragons and sixteen green dragons, as well as one gold Queen.
These weyrlings and their dragonets may seem just like the next generation of Thread fighters, but there's a future for them that includes more than Threadfall and firestone.
Your Role
There is a vast range of character roles available. Of course, as this is based on a well-established series, there are certain rules to follow when making certain types of characters.
If you'd like to submit a character as one of the thirty-three new weyrlings...
- Naming the Dragonrider: When a person Impresses a dragon, they become a dragonrider, and they change their name to reflect this. For example, Benden Weyrleader's name is F'lar - he was born to F'lon and Larna, and originally named Fallarnon. When he Impressed his bronze, Mnementh, his name was shortened as per tradition to its first letter [F], an apostrophe ['], and three letters from the rest of his name [lar]. His half-brother, F'nor, was originally named Famanoran, but this was contracted to F'nor when he Impressed his brown, Canth.
- Naming the Dragon: Dragon names only have one rule - they end in 'th'. As you can see from the above example, Mnementh and Canth both end in 'th'. Lessa, F'lar's Weyrwoman, has her gold, Ramoth. F'nor's weyrmate (the Pern equivalent of spouse), Brekke, also had a gold, Wirenth, but she tragically died and went between.
- The Dragon's Colour: A dragon's colour indicates its rank and sex. Gold is at the top of the list, as gold dragons are the largest and are therefore Queens. They are fertile and only women are presented for Impression. Bronze comes next, both in size and rank. Bronzes usually fly (mate with) Queens, and are typically only Impressed by men. Brown follows, and it's not unheard of for a brown to fly a Queen. Although usually Impressed by men, particularly masculine women may also Impress browns. Blues are the smallest males and only mate with greens. Homosexual and bisexual men and women are most likely to Impress a blue dragon, although it is quite possible for heterosexual men to Impress too. Finally, there are green dragons. These are the smallest dragons on Pern, and are female. Unlike the Queens, they are allowed to chew firestone, which renders them infertile. Women are most likely to Impress greens, along with homosexual men.
- Dragon Thought: Dragons and riders share a very vivid link. Unspoken communication goes between dragon and rider from the moment of Impression, and usually begins with the dragon telling the rider his or her name. Dragons speak much like humans, and can talk to one another but generally not to other humans. Riders can speak aloud to their dragons or in their minds, and both parties can share images for the purposes of going between.
- Between: Between is the dimension to which dragons, whers and fire-lizards can go to when travelling. Much like teleportation, this allows for fast travelling between places. When going between, the dragon must have a clear view of where they are going and then they take both themselves and their rider 'between'. Between is a numbingly cold place which can freeze someone who is not protected by warm riding gear. Dragons do not feel the cold of between, but their riders definitely can. Although 'going between' only last for around five seconds, it is possible for untrained or unfocussed riders and dragons to get lost here and never return. Similarly, when a dragon dies, he or she goes between. If a dragon believes their rider dead, they will also go between. Dragons do not survive if their riders dies, but it is possible for the rider to survive - but this often leads to great pain on the rider's part, and they are usually a shell of their former selves.
If you'd like to submit a character as one of the non-dragonriders who live in the Weyr...
- Occupations: Typically, non-dragonriders who live in the Weyr provide a service of some sort, whether it's working in the kitchens, cleaning out the glowbaskets (glow is a type of fungus that is luminescent when exposed to oxygen; they have a limited lifespan and are covered when not needed so as to preserve them), cleaning fireplaces and lighting fires, etc. There are also 'specialist' workers that may be in a Weyr. For example, a Harper (a songwriter and musician who provides entertainment and teaches children the Teaching Songs), or a Healer (someone trained in mixing the various medicinal herbs found on Pern to provide relief and encourage healing). There are other Crafts, but there are usually only Harpers and Healers found in every Weyr, whereas Smiths and Miners are typically posted where they're needed in Holds.
- Drudge Ranks: 'Drudges' are the servicefolk in Weyrs. They have senior drudges who oversee the work of others and low-level drudges who get the 'worst' jobs - such as gutting fish or changing glows. However, Harpers and Healers are above senior drudges in terms of seniority and authority, and they typically only answer to the more senior dragonriders, or the Weyrleader and his Weyrwoman.
If you'd like to submit a character who comes from the Holds...
- Lord Holder: The Lord Holder is responsible for all of the Holds in the area - in this case, the island Ista. The Lord Holder is often involved with the Weyrleader, and his primary responsibility is ensuring that the best of the crops animals reared and fish hauls go to the Weyr as tithing. They are typically part of a bloodline and have sons and daughters to help oversee the Holds in their area.
- Holders: Holders are a step down from the Lord Holder. These Holders looks after their land and typically have drudges and fosterlings to learn the trade as well as work the land.
- Drudges: Drudges or servicefolk will be found in most locations. Depending on who they are working for, they may have happy lives that includes having their own room and bed, an amiable relationship with the person they serve and perks such as fire-lizards or the chance to ride on a dragon. However, some Holders, or even the Lord Holder, can be cruel to those who work beneath them, and their lives may be much shorter and far less happy.
Fire-Lizards
Fire-lizards are small dragons that are typically the size of a large bird. Like their larger cousins, fire-lizards share the colours and characteristics of dragons. Queens lay eggs with bronzes or browns in sandy coves or on warm beaches. Just like dragons, fire-lizards can be Impressed. Fire-lizards eggs, when found in the wild, are handed over to the Weyr which oversees that area for fair distribution (the eggs usually go to Lord Holders, Holders or dragonriders, as well as Craftsfolk or perhaps even senior servicefolk). However, Impressed fire-lizards also lay clutches of eggs, and it is generally up to the person who is friends with the fire-lizard about the distribution of the eggs. If someone is very unworthy or is generally a bad person, it is possible that the fire-lizard will hatch and simply go between when they try to Impress on the fire-lizard. Fire-lizards, although not to the extent of dragons, can communicate with their friends mentally by sending images and sharing emotions. Dragonridgers, Lord Holders, Holders and drudges may all Impress fire-lizards.
Glossary
I'm well aware that many of you may not have read the Pern books, or know them as well as I feel I do. With that in mind, I've typed up the glossary that is often found in the Pern books for your benefit:
- Agenothree: a common chemical on Pern, HNO3.
- Between: an area of nothingness and sensory deprivation between here and there.
- Black rock: analogous to coal.
- Day Sisters: a trio of stars visible from Pern.
- Dawn Sisters: an alternate name for Day Sisters.
- Deadglow: a numbskull, stupid. Derived from glow.
- Fellis: a flowering tree.
- Fellis juice: a juice made from the fruit of the fellis tree; a soporific.
- Fire-stone: phosphine-bearing mineral which dragons chew to produce flame.
- Glow: a light-source which can be carried in a hand-basket.
- High Reaches: mountains on the northern continent of Pern (see map).
- Hold: a place where the common people live; originally they were cut into the mountains and hillsides.
- Impression: the joining of minds of a dragon and his rider-to-be at the moment of the dragon's hatching.
- Interval: the period of time between passes, generally 200 Turns.
- Klah: a hot stimulating drink made of tree bark and tasting faintly of cinnamon.
- Looks to: is Impressed by.
- Long Interval: a period of time, generally twice the length of an interval, in which no Thread falls and Dragonmen decrease in number. The last Long Interval is thought to herald the end of Threads
- Month: four sevendays.
- Numbweed: a medicinal cream which, when smeared on wounds, kills all feeling; used as an anesthetic.
- Oldtimer: a member of one of the five Weyrs which Lessa brought forward four hundred Turns in time. Used as a derogative term to refer to one who has moved to Southern Weyr.
- Pass: a period of time during which the Red Star is close enough to drop Thread on Pern.
- Pern: third of the star Rukbat's five planets. It has two natural satellites.
- Red Star (sic): Pern's stepsister planet. It has an erratic orbit.
- Rukbat: a yellow star in the Sagittarian Sector, Rukbat has five planets and two asteroid belts.
- Sevenday: the equivalent of a week on Pern.
- Thread: (mycorrhizoid) spores from the Red Star, which descend on Pern and burrow into it, devouring all organic material they encounter.
- Turn: a Pernese year.
- Watch-wher: a nocturnal reptile distantly related to dragonkind.
- Weyr: a home of dragons and their riders.
- weyr: a dragon's den [note that Weyr, with a capital, is different to a weyr, with a lower case C].
- Weyrsinger: the Harper for the dragonriders, usually himself a dragonrider.
- Wherries: a type of fowl roughly resembling the domestic turkey of Earth, but about the size of an ostrich.
- Withies: water plants resembling the reeds of Earth.