Now long awaited day had arrived, except as it turned out it was a long awaited night.
The dragons began to hum a little after midnight when almost everyone except the wherhandlers and the night kitchen staff were in their beds. X'vish practically betweened out of his comfortable nest of furs and - already dressed in anticipation of the hatching - it took him but a moment to pull on his boots and he was charging down the halls to find his... charges. Language had always interested him but now was not the time to think about homonyms.
"Alright you lot, up up up! Dragons are hatching! Get dressed and follow me."
As soon as the first few candidates were dressed he turned on his heel and strode out of the barracks, along the hall and out of the Weyr in order to make for the hatching cavern. It was a chilling night outside; clouds lay fat and low over the land and a thick blanket of fog seemed to choke all sound. X'vish repressed a shiver and raised his glow higher; its greenish glow case eerie shadows all around the candidates.
"Alright here we are, line up!" he barked as they arrived outside the Sands. Spectators were already starting to trickle in at the sides of the cavern to make their way to the Stands and dragons swooped overhead, their wings stirring up eddies in the fog. "Alright, we'll go over this one last time," X'vish called, sweeping his candidates with a stern gaze. "You go in and you salute, that's salute the clutch mother for those of you who weren't listening at the Touching and you form neat ranks with girls one side and boys the other so's dragons who have a preference don't have to shove through everyone. If a dragon looks aggressive back away from it. If somebody gets injured it's up to the rest of you to get them to the side of the Sands so the healers can treat them.
"Other than that all there is for me to say is good luck. You're not a bad lot on the whole, and I look forward to flying with whoever Impresses." X'vish cracked a grin and gestured to the cavern. "Now get on in there, dragons are waiting!"
The dragons were waiting, or the eggs were at any rate. Some were waiting more patiently than others. The Charging Egg was already rocking, though no cracks were visible yet, and the Shrieking Egg had fallen onto its side and was giving the occasional twitch.
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Egg descriptions:
Springing Egg - Bronze Imbeleth, looks to Jaric - Boo! Ahaha, did the egg startle you? Did it? The large blue and white egg seems to almost squirm with mischievous glee before starting to poke curiously at your brain. It reacts positively to those with a sense of fun, leaning in to learn more, but quickly tires of and withdraws from extremely serious characters.
Golden Egg - Gold Killakeeth, looks to Vosin - This large, golden egg welcomes every touch without exception, regardless of the personality or gender of the candidate, seeming to enjoy the contact. The touch of anyone who has bet on the eggs elicits a spark of interest, before its attention drifts to its clutchmates with a sense of speculation and anticipation.
Crystallized Egg - Green Xibath, looks to Vesin - This egg appears deceptively rippled across it's surface, as if it were being viewed underwater but it smooth and slightly cool to the touch. A gentle swelling of sympathy and hopefulness greets each visitor with a rush of excitement for the bolder candidates. It's attention wavers and is rarely held long before fading away.
Suspicious Egg - Brown Dobrokhoth, looks to Maldryk - Who are you? What are you doing here? You don't belong here, stranger! This medium-large black egg, nestled tightly among its siblings, does not trust you or your intentions one inch! Beyond the initial reproach candidates might sense that this one is feeling very protective of its siblings, if you've been rude to any of the other eggs it might be best to back off now.
Burning Egg - Brown Fafneeth, looks to Zennaren - Named more for the color of it's sooty shell than any spark of passion or flame of valor, this egg holds itself aloof from any who approach. It's like knocking on a thick door where you know someone is standing right on the other side...you can hear them breathing... but they don't answer when called.
Dancing Egg - Crimson Leananth, looks to Laenara - You have interrupted this tiny little egg and are being treated to an imperious stare. It isn't long before the egg's curiosity overcomes its annoyance however and as it reaches out to investigate a candidate's mind it gives away more about itself; there is pride there, and strength, and a great zest for life. Whatever else this little one turns out to be, it will be a handful!
Laughing Egg - Green Sirinth, looks to Kylerr - Touching this egg would bring a smile to most candidate's faces; it is filled with a sense of joy and peace. When the egg notices a candidate's hands upon it it seems to give a gentle laugh; a bit of a silly ceremony, isn't it? Nevertheless it is pleased to meet most who come to it, though it appears to slightly disapprove of those with a very chaotic mind.
Welcoming Egg - Blue Druith, looks to Avalinia - This beautiful green egg welcomes one and all with open arms, or it would if it had arms at any rate. It definitely feels friendly - without a bad word to say to anyone unless they say one to it first - but those who linger a moment or two more might feel something behind this, a longing for something perhaps?
Seeking Egg - Black Wodeth, looks to Rokar - This dark egg shudders occasionally as the occupant within moves restlessly within it's shell. The moment a hand makes contact with the smooth surface the creature within stills and you know you have it's full attention. The seeking egg slowly delves into your mind and examines what it finds there with a methodical precision.
Keep Out Egg - Brown Langoneth, looks to Jikkiri - Everyone who touches this red and black egg immediately feels a hard, near-painful, mental shove, accompanied by bristling anger. The message is simple and clear: go away...or else.
Shrieking Egg - Green Baeveth, looks to Vee - As soon as a candidate's hand comes to rest on this small dark shell it punches into their mind with a blood curdling battle cry. Those who flinch too much for the egg's liking are given merciless mental cuffs until they withdraw. Those who stand firmer however are greeted with a sense of grudging approval but are soon enough dismissed; next!
Guarding Egg - Green Conroith, looks to Fadrin - Sitting at the front of the clutch this medium-small egg gives little about itself away at first, though candidates may feel as though they are being assessed. Soon enough it makes its decision however; cruel and selfish minds are driven away with a growl whilst those with a sense of duty or a desire to protect others are sent a feeling of approval before the egg withdraws its presence once more.
Charging Egg - Green Karath, looks to Jameson - This egg, marked with what looks like a bolt of lightning, is a bold presence indeed. It may be rather small in size but it has a commanding presence and absolute confidence in itself, and seems to approve of these qualities in others. There is a kindness in this egg too however; it sends a feeling of warmth to the more timid candidates, a gentle encouragement to keep going even if the ordeal of the Touching seems insurmountable.
Bloodstained Egg - Blue Balkath, looks to Shalev - From its gory appearance one might expect this egg to be frightening, which it is not.... Per se. There's a sense of chaos and conflict within this egg but it seems to be trying to hide it from the candidates who come to touch it by projecting a no-nonsense attitude at them. While it seems to be largely wrapped up in itself if it notices a candidate with a propensity for underhanded tactics it will give them a firm mental shove, letting them know in no uncertain terms that they are Not Welcome.
Guiding Egg - Blue Atibonth, looks to Jamarin - Situated near the front of the clutch this bright egg greets visitors with a quiet peace. You are welcome to spend some time with it, and it may gently nudge you in one direction or another, or it may just remain a passive but attentive presence till you decide to leave on your own.
Invasive Egg - Green Kynigoth, looks to Kalendol - The inhabitant of this bluish-white egg wastes absolutely no time when touched, and gets straight to work digging into the minds of candidates, searching intently and intrusively, but for what? Touching this egg is not a pleasant experience.
Hidden Egg - Black Tikth, looks to Lucayr - This egg is the colour of old bone with striations that almost look like cracks upon first glance. Touching it meets with an evasive responsive, not hostile or shy, simply a making of space. The faint impression of giggling sometimes bubbles to the surface.
Dud Egg - Blue Leszyth, looks to Ceirrys - - Nothing. Though there are some who claim the faintly-patterned brown egg changes position slightly every once in a great while, no one has actually seen it move, and when touched, it gives no response of any kind.
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In Character Information - It's the middle of the night. It's kinda spooky outside and rather cold, but once inside the heat of the Sands will keep candidates toasty warm. - Malvren candidates have been living at Benden for a bit more than a sevenday, since just a little after the Touching. - Candidates are not expected to wear the traditional robes and thin sandals for the Hatching. They can if they really want to - if they can find or have acquired a set - but equally they can wear something more practical so long as they are reasonably presentable; no bared midriffs, plunging cleavage, short-shorts, ragged things, muddy clothes, etc. - As with the Touching candidates can talk to one another if they want.
Out of Character Information - We expect the Hatching to take about three days though if things are slow it may stretch to four. - We will try to Impress dragons to their new riders when the players of said riders are around - it's more fun that way - but if necessary we will do it in somebody's absence and they can do catch up posts when they return. - As ever if you have questions please feel free to ask in the shop thread or to PM Tawny.
Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2014 1:10 pm
Vee slept mostly dressed by habit, never knew when you might need to get up and go at short notice to avoid hold guards or a more powerful band. Thanks to this habit she was one of the first ready; all she needed to do was throw on a leather jerkin over her britches and shirt and to don her boots, which meant she was one of the first ready. It took her a little while to persuade Weyrleader to sit on her pillow and stay there rather than coming with her but with a bit of jogging to catch up she was still right behind X'vish when he reached the hatching cavern.
She didn't like nights like this and it was more than the cold that sent a shiver down her spine, on nights like this you couldn't see your enemy coming and it was easy to lose your friends and.... Well she was glad when they headed inside, that was all.
Inside it was very different to how it had been during the Touching, very different. For one it was a lot brighter, glows were dotted all up the Stands and hung from the ceiling in nets strung from ropes. Burning torches bracketed to the walls added their orange light to the greenish glow of the fungi and the combination made the shadows of dragons passing overhead to their perches flicker and jump like something from a nightmare. It was louder too, the cavern was filled up with the sound of a huge number of people trying to be very quiet. Murmurs and footsteps bounced off the cavern walls, blurring together so that no intelligible phrases could be made out down on the Sands.
Vee's hands tightened as she squared her shoulders and strode forward to take a place in the front rank of girls, she wasn't intimidated! Nope! She was strong and confident and anyone who said otherwise was aiming for a knuckle sandwich. Vee shivered despite the heat coming up off the Sands and waited, eyes fixed on the pair of eggs that were already in motion.
Jaric was peacefully asleep when the dragons started to hum, so he didn't notice the sound at first. But the Candidatemaster's shout jolted him roughly awake. He jumped, then levered himself up on his elbows, blinking blearily. What was going on? Half-awake, he missed X'vish's words, and only heard his loud voice. He saw all the other Candidates scrambling out of bed and pulling on clothes, but he couldn't hear the humming over the sudden rustle of noise in the barracks. Then he heard someone chattering about the eggs hatching and finally understood what was happening.
Then the young Candidate couldn't get out of his bed fast enough. He tried to jump out of bed, got tangled in the blankets and tumbled to the floor instead. Too much in a rush to be embarrassed, he fought with the cloth until he'd pulled free, then jumped un to get changed for the Hatching. Except...what to wear? He knew Candidate robes were traditional, but the wherhold didn't seem to care about that and hadn't provided any. He hadn't though to try and find some on his own. So he ended up just grabbing the simplest clothes he had, a plain shirt and pants made of undyed linen. He shoved his feet into his regular shoes, then hurried after the other Candidates.
When the got outside, he found it was still the middle of the night, and foggy. Jaric shivered in the cold, clammy air and wished he'd grabbed a jacket. But he decided it was better that he didn't have one, after all as they entered the tunnel for the Hatching Cavern. He could feel the heat radiating out of the room already. He listened to eth Candidatemaster's last speech -oh, so they were supposed to salute at the Touching? Oops. - and then they were free to enter the sands.
This was it. Jaric stepped forward, nervously saluted the looming queen, then headed off to the boy's side. As he took his place in line, he stared out at the eggs to see which would hatch first. A couple were moving already!
Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2014 1:55 pm
Banshidheth had been stretched out and dozing lightly - very lightly - with her rider doing the same nearby when she became aware that it was time and began to hum. Even as she did, softly at first but increasing in volume and soon joined by others, she assumed a more dignified position, curling her hind legs closer to herself but not fully underneath her and crossing her forelegs in front of her. She tucked in her wings and held her head high, and by the time the more eager eggs began to rock and the candidates arrived, she was the picture of poise.
Though she looked nothing but calm and assured, even she was excited, eager to see her children. They would be strong members of the Wherholds, as many as eighteen new dragons to fight for the cause and guard their territories. Assuming that they had all developed properly, anyway...one had been so unresponsive for so long that it was commonly referred to as 'the dud.' And, of course, there was the possibility that not every hatchling would find its match, but even if they lost one or two, it would still be a large, successful clutch.
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Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2014 2:13 pm
Maldryk rolled out of bed at the sound of X'vish's shouting, several seconds before he registered the actual words the man used. After all, it was a safe assumption that being barked at in the middle of the night meant that the eggs were hatching. He hastily pulled on a shirt and a pair of pants and boots, and was out the door after the Candidatemaster in short order, rubbing his eyes as he walked. Personally, he was more than happy that candidate robes had, apparently, been deemed unnecessary. He'd never felt entirely comfortable in them, nor had he understood what point there was to them beyond tradition.
He shrugged off the chill of the foggy night as they passed outside, looking not that least bit bothered by any of it, though after listening respectfully to the instructions, he was quite happy to get inside to the warm sands, eerily-lit or no, and fall into place with the other boys for what would more than likely be the last time, one way or the other.
He'd be aging out soon, but even if he did, it certainly wouldn't be the end of the world. He could devote more of his time to the pursuit of his craft, or even become a wherhandler. Or both. If he left without a dragon, so be it. ...but he would, admittedly, like to leave with one.
Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2014 2:22 pm
The Candidatemaster's call woke Vesin up instantly from where she was snuggled next to her twin. Her eyes were wide and her hair a mess as she shook Vosin who was the heavier sleeper of the two. It was cold, and the instant that Ves came out from under the covers she was shivering. But she knew she didn't have much time so between throwing on some casual clothes, as she was never a fan of the candidate robes, she kept shaking Vosin to wake her up. She wondered if Esre was up yet, surely the activity would wake him up so she didn't worry too much.
Once she pulled on some shoes she shook Vosin one more time. Ves was one of the first up so the activity of others would wake up her twin if she didn't wake up yet. She could just be faking it to annoy her but there was no time for her to wonder. She ran out of the room with a few others. The night was very creepy but she had to admit it was pretty cool looking. It was a little chilly but she knew the sands would be warm so she didn't worry about it too much. With a slight smile, she saluted the beautiful queen and went to the side where a few girls were already lined up. She forced herself to stay still even though thee two eggs moving already made her so excited.
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Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2014 3:11 pm
The humming did not awaken him, nor did the shouting; Lucayr was unable to sleep that night. He was sitting on his bed, poised with quill tip just above the surface of the letter to Harper Hall. The letter was blank, and had been so for over an hour. It might be better to leave it that way, he thought. For a number of reasons.
When the hatching began, Lucayr laid the parchment and quill aside. He shucked off his nightshirt and replaced it with a simple Harper-blue tunic, then tugged on his thickest-soled boots. He reached for his prized mantle, a spotted wrap sewn from the fur of a wild feline, and hesitated. It was cooler than was desirable outside, but it would be sweltering on the sands. Swiftly, Lucayr turned and walked out of his room, leaving the mantle where it lay.
He caught up with the main group of Candidates and joined them just as they stepped out into the night air. It really was cold. The radiant heat of the hatching cavern was welcome, and as he entered he shook off the remaining chill with a toss of his head. Looking up at Banshidheth, he regarded her vast golden form solemnly for several long seconds before saluting.
Some of the eggs were already moving. Lucayr took his place in the line of male Candidates.
Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2014 4:52 pm
Kylerr shifted in his lumpy bunk when the call came down. Since he normally lived with his family, he had transitioned to the barracks only after the Touching with the new arrivals from the other wherholds, so the hasty accommodations were taking some getting used to.
He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and blinked at the flurry around him. Forget the Hatching! One could get trampled right here!, he thought. He took the blue tunic from over the bunk's crossbar and slid it over his shirt. He glanced over at his lute as he straightened the rest of himself out. He could take it with him... but... maybe not best to split his focus tonight. Besides, he'd hate for anything to happen to it.
He slid his shoes on and stepped into the flow of traffic, gathering what he could of his hair behind his head and tying it back. Wouldn't want that getting in the way either. No matter who was here now - there was no time - he would find Fadrin at the Sands if not on the way.
Fadrin was sound asleep when the call rang out - he was very much of the opinion that the eggs would hatch when they wanted to and there was no sense in losing sleep about it. Just like when Runners or Herdbeasts bore their young, he would be summoned when needed.
Thus, when the call rang out and the rumble rolled through the Wherhold,Fadrin was swift to wake but slow to panic. Steadily, he dressed and, yawning, headed out with the others as he rubbed his hands through his hair. Along the way, he spotted the blue of Kylerr and grinned as he blinked the sleep from his eyes and hurried to the other's side, hip-bumping him as he caught the other's boy hand briefly. "Hey."
The drafty halls and cold air did well to wake him as the motion and excitement infused him with energy. Shaking his shoulders as they arrived at the Sands and the warmth of the area washed over him, Fadrin grinned excitedly. "Well, here goes! Stand beside me, eh?"
He tugged on the Harper's sleeve as he started out onto the sands and saluted smartly, having noted the ire of the Candidatemaster's speech, before taking his place among the boys' front ranks. He wanted to see the action and knew that Kylerr would prefer a better vantage point.
Already, eggs were beginning to move!
Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2014 5:12 pm
X'vish's shouting woke Ceirrys up from what had been a fairly good dream, but that bit of annoyance was shaken the moment his groggy mind clicked with what that shouting indicated. Excitedly, he flipped back the sleeping furs and even the night's chill could not abate the eagerness he felt. This could be the night, he thought to himself as he shrugged into the clothing he had set aside since the touching, nothing too formal (there was no point in dressing up to have sand sprayed on you or if a nasty weyrling ran into you) nor something he'd be embarrassed to where with hundreds of eyes, draconic and human alike, looking upon him from the stands. He was glad enough to longer be wearing candidate robes and sandals, he much preferred his thick soled boots to those flimsy sandals that only seemed to result in scorched feet.
He rushed after X'vish with the other candidates, trying to quiet his nerves on the way, but after four turns of waiting on the sands he was eager to impress and his stomach obstinately refused to settle. The journey from the barracks took some of his attention from the somersaults his gut was taking, this did not seem like a night befitting such a joyous occasion, and for a moment his thoughts turned dark, recalling that the cover of night had provided opportunities for attacks on Benden in the past and hoping that there would be no such events tonight.
Once on the Sands his nerves began to settle, the warmth was comfortingly familiar and he looked briefly to the stands to see if Carwyn had arrived with his mother and father yet. The interplay of torch and glow, mixed in with the flurry of wings and distraction of humming drew his eyes from the stands to the poised Queen. He saluted the gold and took his place among the ranks of male candidates, looking to the rocking eggs in anticipation.
---------------------------------------------
Alaiath was roused from her sleep by the mental hum gathering momentum at Malvern, she sent a gentle mental nudge towards Carwyn to wake her and rose from her ledge to shake out her wings and stretch. Carwyn groaned at the mental nudge, why was she being woken up now? This hour was wholly indecent for anything but sleeping. Alaiath sent a sharper mental nudge accompanied with the thought, It is time for the hatchingand started to hum audibly, Fine, Carwyn replied blearily and rubbed her eyes as she mved aside sleeping furs. This of course also woke Capella as she was nustled in beside Carwyn. When she saw that she had the little green flits attention, Carwyn stated, "Cappy, go rouse Mother and Father, show them that Alaiath and I will be arriving shortly and Ceirrys will stand on the sands", Carwyn accompanied the message with mental images to be relayed to her parents, she on Alaiath and Ceirrys standing on the sands. Capella blinked between and Carwyn dressed quickly in her warmer garments and flying gear, well aware of how cold it could get on a Benden night. She strapped on Alaiath's riding gear and the dropped from their weyr ledge, going between and emerging over a small Northern hold.
Kylerr started at the bump but grinned when he turned to see Fadrin. He squeezed briefly at the farmhand's fingers. "Hey," he said. "Ready?"
As the pair arrived at the sands, he kept his manners about him. The blast of warm hit his face with a bit of shock as he stood at the entrance. He nodded and met his partner's eyes. "Let's do this!"
He stepped in behind Fadrin and profoundly gestured to Banshidheth. He stepped over by the rest of the boys and turned around to face the gold, the clutch, and caught the stands out of the corner of his eyes.
It dawned on him then that the whole procedure was rather clean. He'd been near Banshidheth before at the touching, the waking was sudden, giving him no time to wonder or worry about what was about to happen, and here he was now, on the sands, the eggs shifting and rocking.
He stepped beside Fadrin, crouched down a bit, closer to the edge of the ranks. "Here we go..."
Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2014 5:46 pm
It seemed at first that the Charging Egg would be the one to open the Hatching, as its rocking intensified, but the Shrieking Egg was intent on catching up, its occasional twitch escalating until it set itself rolling and knocked into the lightning-marked neighbor it was apparently racing. But which would win the race?
As it turned out, neither. While its siblings struggled, the Guiding Egg rocked deliberately. Once. Twice. On the third, it cracked neatly open to reveal a vibrantly-mottled blue, who found his feet with unhurried grace and swept his gaze over the assembled humans and dragons. He considered the girls for a time, then the boys for an equal amount of time, then the Stands. Only after he had given all three sets ample consideration did he move from the remnants of his egg.
...towards his mother. He offered Banshidheth a polite croon of greeting, then sat beside her to watch the wriggling eggs of his siblings.
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Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2014 6:19 pm
As a rule, Banshidheth did not vocalize very often, but as with every rule, there were always exceptions. In her case, those exceptions were Flight and Hatchings - and battle, of course, but hopefully there would be none of that tonight, aside from hatchling squabbles. Some of the eggs did contain, shall we say, strong personalities. But the first to hatch was quite a pleasant blue, more interested in spectating than in finding His.
She returned his greeting with a deeper croon of her own, her eyes following his to oversee the efforts of the eggs. If he wanted to watch over them with her, she had no objections.
Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2014 7:33 pm
Once he was in his proper place, Maldryk spared a quick glance at the other boys, and at the girls as well, but his attention was ultimately, as it should be, on the eggs. He hadn't developed any close friends among the candidates, so he felt no need to seek anyone in particular out to stand next to, or to banter with during the proceedings. He watched intently as the Charging and Shrieking Eggs rocked and twitched, sure that one of them would crack any second now, but it was the Guiding Egg that went first.
For all that he was the first to hatch, though, the blue didn't seem to be in any great hurry. He just looked, and looked, and looked, then went and sat next to the gold and looked some more. Alright then.
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Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2014 7:41 pm
Night. It would be night. Lesex shook his head, white blonde curls fizzing out in a cloud of unruly fluff as he roused himself. He combed it back, raking it into a semblance of control and tied a headband, decorated with little tunnel snake skulls to keep it under wraps. He yawned.
He slapped his clothing clean, attempting halfheartedly to get out some wrinkles. Ehh... good enough. He stuffed his feet into his boots before shuffling onto the stands, taking his blanket with him for added warmth and flopped on the nearest seat that allowed him to actually see things. Sort of creepy but ehh, so was the jungles, the forests, and plains and wilderness in general.
Eggs and hatchings and all that, very good. Lesex yawned again, widely, struggling to wake up. Mmhm.
