[Dragonbraved] Hatching 447!

[Dragonbraved]

I will be kind to the weak

I will be brave against the strong

I will fight all who do wrong

I will fight for those who cannot fight

I will help those who call me for help

I will help my fellow riders

I will be true to my friends

I will be faithful in love

[Dragonbraved]

[News + Updates]

15th November 2014 - a new layout for the front page, and shiny new lines!
13th March 2014 - Dragonbraved's very first RP goes up! Gather time!
10th March 2014 - The opening contests are closed! Thank you all and congratulations to the winners!
16th February 2014 - The real thread is set up! Opening contests open!
15th January 2014 - The wiki gets a load more content!
11th January 2014 - the IT goes up O_O BE AFRAID. BE VERY AFRAID.

[So what can I expect from this place? ]

Glad you asked! Amongst other things there will be:

- Flying teleporting fire breathing psychic dragons.
- Gliding occasionally teleporting firebreathing psychic whers.
- Flying teleporting fire breathing psychic luxury pet firelizards.
- No gender, sex, or sexuality bias in Impressions.
- Regular short ‘mission’ RPs where your characters can distinguish themselves and form bonds with others through hardship and or hilarity.
- Thread fighting.
- Generalized heroics (because who doesn't love heroism?)
- PC leadership positions.
- No Flight skeeziness
- A chance to earn credits - just by RPing in the guild - which will buy dragons, whers, flitts and other perks.
- A PC driven metaplot, where YOUR characters determine Pern's future!
- Scary amounts of setting thought and research
- HE'S A FIRE BREATHING DRAGON. SHE ONLY EVER WANTED TO BE A COOK. TOGETHER, THEY FIGHT CRIME.

[Important links]

[x] Dragonbraved Wiki
[x] Dragonbraved Guild

[Dragonbraved]

Hold and Weyr Badges courtesy of Oracle-The, map drawn by Con referencing the Atlas of Pern. Diamond-shaped badges represent Weyrs, shields represent major Holds, and stars represent minor holds.

History

Pern is located in a binary star system in the constellation of Kasterborous at galactic coordinates ten-zero-eleven-zero-zero by zero-two from galactic zero centre - wait, no, wrong beloved sci-fi property.

*cough*

Where Pern is isn't actually all that important. Suffice to say, it's far enough away from any other sort of civilisation that in the more than a thousand turns (see: years) it's been settled, no-one else has stopped by to check up on the settlers of the planet.

The problem with Pern, apart from its lack of resources, is a fungal organism known as Thread. This rains from space on and off for a period of about fifty turns after two hundred turns 'safe', and devours anything organic it touches. The original settlers resorted to creating dragons from the native firelizards to flame the fungal spores from the sky, who psychically bond to riders who care for them and assist them in this task.

Various circumstances circumstanced, which led to the settlers fleeing to the cold and barren north and a dramatic technological and population crash which its people are still recovering from more then a thousand turns later, and largely forgetting their extra-terrestrial origins: though there is some folk memory of it, it is largely dismissed as children's stories. Their technological level is currently equivalent to that of approximately 14th century medieval Europe, with a few advances in some places... and a little more backwards in others.

In this world, a rider's role is not only to fight thread - after all, why should Pern support them and their beasts for two hundred turns out of a two hundred and fifty turn cycle for doing nothing? - but also to fight crime. Acting as Pern's police force, they work with local rulers to track down bandits, provide disaster relief, and deal with all the other interesting little problems life can throw up - humans are not perfect, and there is a great deal of conflict across Pern's face.

In 193, the Great Dragonplague made its dread appearance. The source of the plague is much disputed, but in High Reaches they trace the source of the infection back to a firelizard, the pet of a recently arrived transfer from Igen.

Then the symptoms began to spread. Within 48 hours of the first firelizards death, three dragons and several whers were ill, and Weyrleader L'ren put the Weyr under immediate quarantine... Though not swiftly enough to prevent it spreading to several other Weyrs. Only Ista escaped the disease, immediately shutting its skies both to those trying to leave and desperate refugees trying to get in. Ista is still not popular for this, despite many feeling it necessary - especially Istans.

Though exact numbers will likely never be recorded, harpers estimate that between forty and sixty percent of dragonkin died over the next six months. A pair might be healthy one day, sick the next, and dead the day after. The plague itself was not unlike earth’s bubonic plague, symptoms including gangrene of the extremities, seizures, high fever, the coughing of blood, and muscle aches. The Wher graveyard outside the Weyr, with its pitiful cairns, dates to this period. The contagion was - it is said - only ended when there was no-one left who was susceptible.

In High Reaches itself, casualties were devastating, including the Weyrleader, who waited only long enough to see the Weyr through the calamity before following his brown Hrenth between.

Whilst plague scourged the Weyrs, leaving grief and ever-present keening in its wake, the world outside was not in stasis.

It is entirely possible that, had their numbers not been significantly reduced, the Dragonriders perhaps would have been able to intervene - whether to play diplomat or bang heads together - or at least that it is how many survivors feel. In all honesty, it likely would have happened anyway. As was, all they could do was to look on in horror as the world fell into anarchy - unable to do much more than to set up and protect a few refugee camps.

The seed of the chaos was the civil war in Ruatha. The Lord Holder, Edweird the Dark, died childless, setting up a succession struggle between several claimants to his throne. His immediate successor was Gaedwin, the richest and most powerful of his Holders, whose father Edweird had clashed with in the past. However Willeim, a prominent Fort Holder, claimed that he had been promised the throne by Edweird and that Gaedwin had sworn agreement to this. Herald the Proud of Nabol also claimed the throne, based on an agreement between the prior Lord of Ruatha and his father the Lord of Nabol, wherein if either died without heir the other would inherit both Ruatha and Nabol. Both Willeim and Herald prepared troops for separate invasions.

Gaedwin moved to deal with Herald’s initial raids on the outlying holds of Ruatha and subsequent invasion. He rushed north, gathering troops as he went, and caught the Nabolese by surprise and defeated them at the battle of Stony Brook Bridge. Herald the Proud and his son were both killed, and the Nabolese suffered great losses. However, the Ruathan victory came at a great cost, leaving Gaedwin’s army in an exhausted and weakened state. This was only made worse by the reports of an invasion from the south, which Gaedwin marched his forces at double-speed to meet so that they would not have a chance to take the Great Hold.

The battle of Hesting is an infamous one in recent history: the Ruathans - tired from their long march - managed to position themselves on a hill, with the Fort troops arrayed beneath them. The battle lines collapsed towards the end of the day after Gaedwin was killed, and his troops began to flee except for a loyal group who gathered around his body and fought to the death.

And thus the war was over.

Largely. The war made worse all sorts of other problems - refugees and holdless men, and soldiers who had grown used to taking led by the lesser sons of Lords with no land. Fierce reprisals were made against any Holders who did not immediately bow the leg to Willeim, creating more misery. This was exacerbated by unpaid mercenaries: the Free Company mercenary groups are a constant plague on Pern, rapidly turning to banditry when not paid by Holders and Lords to patrol their borders and fight the tiny constant clashes that reflect Pernese politics.

Meanwhile, the aftermath of the Great Dragonplague has been brutal on the Weyrs: certainly, it traumatised the surviving riders, and feelings between the Weyrs has never been quite the same - especially with many Weyrs forced to accept transfers from the detested Ista in order to survive. Several Weyrs found themselves without golds entirely, and with their future compromised had no choice but to accept the offer of a transfer.

Finally, the long cycle of passes has swung around again, and Threadfall has begun. How will Pern rise to this new - and yet very ancient - challenger? Dragonmen must fly, when thread is in the sky.

[Dragonbraved]

Dragons. Psychic, teleporting, life-bonding dragons; they're what most people come to Pern for, and here they are for you!

To cut a long story short dragons are six limbed warm 'blooded' carnivores that were genetically engineered from Pern's native firelizards. Unlike many dragons of fantasy they have smooth hide rather than scales and they come in five colours. From smallest to largest and also most common to rarest they are: green, blue, brown, bronze, gold. Greens and golds are female, though greens are infertile, and the other colours are male. When a dragon emerges from its egg at a ceremony known as a Hatching it must immediately find a rider to bond its mind to for life. Dragons who cannot find a partner die, and dragons whose rider dies will immediately follow them into death by jumping between.

Gold dragons have inherent command abilities and can to some extent control other dragons, but are barred from field work due to their scarcity and necessity for making more dragons, something which was codified after the Benden Massacre in the third pass. The most senior gold rider in a Weyr is known as the Weyrmistress/master, and is in charge of internal policing and investigations due to their dragon's ability to worm the truth out from even the most recalcitrant 'lesser' dragon.

In Dragonbraved a riders' duties are not limited to fighting the recently returned Thread; they are also responsible for weeding out bandits, providing aid in the aftermath of natural disasters, and more besides. The kind of work a rider does, beside Thread fighting, depends on their wing. High Reaches has nine main service wings arranged into five tiers. Wings One, Two, and the Third tier wings are combat wings and being assigned to any of them is a matter of honour, especially wing Two and doubly so wing One. Being assigned to Fourth or Fifth tier on the other hand is a matter of shame for many and plenty of people believe that it means you weren't 'good enough' for the higher wings.

The Weyr that Dragonbraved focuses on is High Reaches Weyr. The culture of this chilly place is moderate traditional and moderately sexist; the male who wins the Sr. Gold flight will usually become Weyrleader, bronzes are considered more important than greens by a long shot, and female riders are paid less and have to work twice as hard to get half as far as male riders do. Naturally not everyone is contented with this but can the Weyr's attitudes be changed? Only time will tell!

Dragons are large beasts but, as we are at the beginning of the 6th Pass, they are not anywhere near as large as in the 9th Pass. Dragons are measured in feet and fall somewhere along the following scale:

Greens: Average 24' long and ~6' tall at the shoulder. Around 95% of individuals measure between 20' and 26' long.
Blues: Average 28' long and ~7.5' tall at the shoulder. Around 95% of individuals measure between 24' and 30' long
Browns: Average 32' long and ~9' tall at the shoulder. Around 95% of individuals measure between 30' and 38' long.
Bronzes: Average 38' long and ~10.5 tall at the shoulder. Around 95% of individuals measure between 36' and 42' long.
Golds: Average 43' long and ~12 tall at the shoulder 100% of golds alive today measure between 42' and 45' long.

By now you probably want to know how you can get a dragon of your own. Well wait no more! Here are the most common ways to get a dragon:

Impression: This is perhaps the most common method to get a dragon. You put a candidate forward at a Hatching and if they are the best suited to a hatchling's personality they will Impress it, and it will become yours! In general staff will write the dragons for a hatching, this means that you have no control over what the dragon you candidate bonds to will be like. We do however have a system that allows you to avoid personality traits and colours you would be really unhappy with, and there are also chances to custom write your own hatchling from time to time.

Custom: As mentioned sometimes you get the chance to write yourself a custom hatchling! There will also be chances to write yourself an adult pair. You can earn points that can be used to buy an adult custom for yourself by RPing in the guild!

Contest: Sometimes there will be contests to win either a custom chance or a specific dragon which may or may not have certain characteristics pre-set.

Games and giveaways: Keep an eye out for these! They might be a dice game, a scavenger hunt, or just about anything else for that matter.

[Dragonbraved]

Whers: not the prettiest or the nicest of Pern’s inhabitants, but certainly a beloved favourite.

Whether they’re the accidental creations of Kitti Ping’s daughter Wind Blossom, or made entirely on purpose, they’re big, mean, and ugly. Ranging from just under the size of a pony to a destrier, they are strictly nocturnal creatures which do not respond well to bright sunlight. Like dragons, they can between, and like dragons they bond to a human - though not for life, and by no means will they necessarily suicide if their handler dies. Indeed, feral whers are a semi-constant threat to those living on the edges of wild regions. Like dragons, they also come in five colours, being bred from the same firelizard stock.

Although whers are reasonably intelligent and have many vocal abilities, speech is not one of them: they communicate exclusively through feelings and the occasional picture. Their intelligence is essentially that of a smart dog… although a wolf might be a more apt analogy. They have a complex social structure built around mental and physical dominance, and their small hunts are usually led by a breeding age green or gold.

In Dragonbraved, whers are frequently employed in nocturnal cavalry units to protect holds, as watch beasts, and in the Weyr to support riders. Though not always as respected as the dragon riders, it’s a fool who crosses a wher or their handler - unlike dragons, they aren’t bound to not harm humans.

So how can you get your hands on one of these beasties?

Impression: Like a dragon hatching, you will put a candidate or two forward to receive an egg. If they are best suited to one of the hatchlings, then they will walk away from a rather terrifying encounter with the mother wher with an egg of their very own. In general, staff will write these hatchlings, meaning that you have no control over what your candidate bonds with. We do however have a system that allows you to avoid personality traits and colours you would be really unhappy with, and there are also chances to custom write your own hatchling from time to time.

Custom: As mentioned sometimes you get the chance to write yourself a custom hatchling! There will also be chances to write yourself an adult pair. You can earn points that can be used to buy an adult custom for yourself by RPing in the guild!

Contest: Sometimes there will be contests to win either a custom chance or a specific dragon which may or may not have certain characteristics pre-set.

Games and giveaways: Keep an eye out for these! They might be a dice game, a scavenger hunt, or just about anything else for that matter.

[Dragonbraved]

If not for firelizards, and the genetic engineering genius of Kitty Ping, we wouldn't have dragons!

Like all dragonkin that was engineered from them firelizards are six-limbed warm blooded carnivores with the ability to psychically bond to humans and to breathe fire after chewing firestone. Like dragons they can fly and teleport between with ease, more ease than dragons in fact; they learn to do both instinctively. They are less intelligent even than whers however, closer to the level of dogs or cats. Boths green and gold firelizards are fertile. Firelizards bond to the first human or firelizard to feed them at birth but on rare occasions a firelizard whose owner dies may re-bond to somebody they were very close to, more usually however they will go feral or even go between like a dragon.

In Dragonbraved firelizards are rare and expensive, owning one is a status symbol and owning more than one or a metallic (doubly so a gold!) is flaunting some really serious wealth; the smallest firelizard egg costs as much as most people make in an entire turn, and a golden egg costs more than even the most skilled journeyman makes in a turn. Part of the reason for this expense is the fact that they only breed in ideal climates such as Ista, and that even when they do breed they often hide their clutches from their owners! Out of Character the number of firelizards you can own is limited by 'slots'. Each character starts out with one slot to put a firelizard they have acquired in but if you want to give them more than one flitt you will first have to buy them another slot. Slots are acquired through the marks shop (more info to follow) with RP posts made in the guild.

Firelizards are around the size of cats, tiny greens making it to around the size of a teacup Persian while huge gold specimens can be as large as a large Maine Coon cat. Both of these extremes are rather rare however, especially golds as gold flitts are so rare to begin with.

The most common ways to get a firelizard for yourself are:

Customs: You can earn points that can be used to buy a firelizard egg for yourself by RPing in the guild! Contests to make a customs Firelizard eggs (or adults to be paired with new characters) will also crop up on occasion.

IC hatching: Firelizards do not often breed in High Reaches Weyr but on occasion we will open breeding slots for pairs to get lucky. It will be up to the owners of the parent flitts what happens with the eggs.

Games and giveaways: Keep an eye out for these! They might be a dice game, a scavenger hunt, or just about anything else for that matter.

[Dragonbraved]

- Stick to the Daisy Code, for goodness sake.

- Like all of Gaia, Dragonbraved is a PG-13 environment. If you're feeling a little wibbly on whether or not something is appropriate, please talk to a staff member and we'll let you know if it's good to go or not. However, there are some plots that are not appropriate, and we will step heavily on any attempt to play them out. Though there will be plenty of murder and violence all around, we as staff feel that some things are not roleplay fodder, and as a result rape plots are not permitted in Dragonbraved. It would be nice if we didn't have to say this, but it's Not A Plot and not something we want here. If you need more guidance on this, or on what is and what is not consent, please see our flight guide. Extreme domestic abuse is also barred, including in a character's history, and will be judged on a case-by-case basis.

- Treat others as you would like to be treated.

- If you want to say something: does what you want to say have to be said? Does it have to be said by you? Does it have to be said by you now? Think on it before you speak.

- Remember to keep In Character and Out Of Character separate. Your character does not know what you know about game situations and other characters, and should not be affected by your feelings about other players.

- On activity; creatures at Dragonbraved are not and never will be RP required i.e. we will never take away a dragon because you have gone inactive for a long period of time but IC ranks and positions within wings are RP required at least to some degree. We simply can’t afford to have characters with important roles to perform vanish on us as it can have a serious impact on all the people who are supposed to report to them. The precise policy will vary depending on what the rank is and will be made explicitly clear to anyone trying to attain the rank. You will always be given warning if your character is in danger of being demoted. For general, unranked characters if you go 6 months without making an RP post with them they will be removed from their wing rosta and assumed to have transferred elsewhere until you return to them. This is to free up space within RP wings, especially the higher wings where space is fairly limited. If for some reason you’re unable to play for an extended period of time (we know that RL happens!) but want your character to keep their place in their wing come and chat to a staff member and we’ll work things out with you.

- In character actions will always have in character consequences. This means that characters who do smart things will be rewarded, wheres characters who mess up will be punished. A leader who constantly makes unwise choices or is never around for important events would not realistically retain their post; enforcing ICA = ICC is not a judgement on you or even on your character, it’s a judgement on your character’s action or actions in a given circumstance or circumstances. It's a thing we will do our best to enforce because it makes roleplay more fun and our world more realistic. If there is the potential for heavy ICC heading for one of your characters we will discuss this with you OOC before coming down on the hapless character like a tonne of rectangular heavy things. Note that this is only about ICC on a mod level; if C’tis calls L’ris a stupid fat herdbeast staff will most certainly not intervene if Con decides that realistically IC L’ris would do her level best to break his face for this.

- This is a game. If the game isn't fun anymore, it's okay to take a step back and stop. In fact, it's a really good idea. There’s no reason to feel bad about this, and we’ll be glad to have you back when you’re in the mood to play again!

- If you're having problems with someone else, come and chat to a staff member who will do their best to resolve problems.

- We have a giant pink mallet zombie dragon named Death (as seen above). We're not afraid to use it.

- Other 'rules' should follow from these basic principles and from you, the shop-goer, behaving like an adult.

[Dragonbraved]

When a knight won his spurs, in the stories of old,
He was gentle and brave, he was gallant and bold

Concepts and guides - Con and Tawny
Reading stupid amounts of history - Con
Reigning her worst impulses in - Tawny
Templates and lines - Under license from Yorugami
Banners and badge - Lshmah
Dragonriders of Pern - Anne and Todd McCaffery

[Dragonbraved]

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