The Weyrleader's Word

[Cloasse]

The Weyrleader's Word
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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...

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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...

1. 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.
2. 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...

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.

[Cloasse]

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):

Please click above to see the full-size image, which belongs to=KaiserFlames of deviantart

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

[Cloasse]

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.

[NadieQuerida]

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.

[Cloasse]

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

[NadieQuerida]

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!

[Cloasse]

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!

[Cloasse]

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.

Please click above to see the full-size image, which belongs to =KaiserFlames of deviantart

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.

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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!

[Cloasse]

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!