Welcome to Gaia! ::

Alright, thank you. I figured that was likely to be the case. Roni will just have to tough out Weyr life like a big girl.

On NI, what does a kid being raised by guards DO? What about when they're adults, even if they're Candidates? Chores wise or something.

Okay, let's see. XD;



You can assume they're to the point they've learned everything they can learn at their age, depending on if the dragon is lagging behind in lessons or not. Stuff they need to be adults for (like learning to carry riders)... well, they have to be adults first.

Flying, going between (briefly and short distances), so on they've probably all done.



They haven't sent waves of them, but new ones have been sent, yep. A lot of times to replace former guards who were injured, retired, died, so on.

Also, as the prison expanded they assigned more guards as needed.

At this point and time Ghenza is a little estranged from the Islands (out of sight, out of mind!), so there wouldn't be a lot of super super recent ones.



Kind of follows the above. Ghenza has to be very careful about who they're sending over right now. Remember, all it would take would be one gossipy dragonrider transfer to blab back home about the new colors (which is what's going to happen eventually lulz).

The last thing Ghenza wants is for an island built to be a prison to become a tourist attraction, and even though Ghenzans are (overall) a respectful sort of people... they're still people. What dragonrider wouldn't want to find out where it is and rush there to see a black dragon that supposedly drives people nuts? XD

It's really a case-by-case basis with this until the NI is more "public" IC (which will be fairly soon). If you need to work something out, you can feel free to PM me or IM me and we'll hammer it out. ^^

I can say some examples of people that could have reasonably transferred (with their families) would be:

- People who are really good at their craft that Ghenza has enough of to spare. They are still (to their chagrin) obligated to supply things to the NI when they need it, so if they were bwaaaing they really needed a dragonhealer, and Ghenza has five, they'd send one. The individual would have to be willing to go and be aware they "wouldn't come back for a long time".

- Bronzeriders. The Guardmaster and the 'Master Whiterider' J'aro (who grudgingly regrets helping white Impression evolve) are secretly trying to make very subtle attempts to breed out new colors. If the current black dragon dies without mothering another, they figure their will be no more black dragons at all. Which is a step forward.

They tell Ghenza they want more 'perfect' wingleaders (although Ghenza tries to maintain equality among all colors, they do original come from other Weyrs and it's hard to deny in most cases a bronze makes a better wingleader than, say, a green) and they're lacking enough bronzes of their own. This is also the reason bronzeriders are given (and are still told today) for their being there.

- Replacement wherhandlers, as addressed above.



Absolutely! In fact, although it's technically the whiterider's job to address their needs, it's more likely they'd be roping in a lot of people to help. Only a whiterider truly understands just how wild their own dragon is, and they need to be monitored closely; for that reason, they want them out of arms reach of other dragons as much as possible unless one is trying to escape.

So, if they needed to go take a dragon to get a drink of water, they would probably ask someone not keeping a white under control so they don't risk their dragon lashing out at the other one.



Guards don't exist in Ghenza. It's pretty much expected if someone, say, suddenly jumps an old lady and starts beating her senseless the general public is going to lynch mob him in retaliation. It's safe to say 90% if not more of the prisoners from Ghenza were turned in by just 'normal' citizens, in fact.



They're kind of everywhere, unlike Ghenza. One day they might be working in crop fields, the next day they might be tending to dragons. If someone really likes a particular job (let's say farm work), then they can ask to stick with it only.

As long as everything is being done by someone, they don't care much who is doing what.

Some of the jobs they'd be doing include:

Firelizard egg hunting - This isn't fun as it sounds. Since they're on an Island and not in the mountains like High Reaches, for example, there's a lot more places for flits to hide their eggs. To keep from being overrun they have to destroy some of them less their supplies be devoured. Obviously, they wouldn't assign some softhearted little girl to a job like this, even though they teach them all they're doing is helping sustain life (including their own) on the island.

Farming - It's... farming, yep. Watering, harvesting, so on.

Dragon keeping - Taking care of the prisoner's dragons.

Herdkeeping - Taking care of the stuff dragons eat. Like wherries, so on.

Typical day labor jobs - Building things, fixing things, so on.

Basically, the 'prison' island is where the jail is and only the jail. The second island where everyone actually lives (minus the prisoners) is sort of a mini hold/Weyr combo, not unlike Ghenza.



I think Noz's "what do the kids do" question kind of covers this. I'll elaborate a bit more. =]

NI can ask Ghenza for things and more often than not Ghenza will give it to them. At this point, Ghenza can be viewed as a very selfish mother who is paying the bill for alternative / disciplinary / military school for an unruly child they feel responsible for, but would rather not deal with.

NI has kind of become its own little tight knit community so they do prefer to be self-sufficient not unlike their 'mother'. They try to be as best as they can.

Nope. Other than those, they're mostly similar to their parent colors (blue to purple, so on).

How alike are NI dragons compared to Ghenza dragons?

In terms of size and power, they are actually more like the dragons of other places. As with all locations, sizes vary. But the average NI bronze compared to the average Ghenza bronze will be smaller. All the NI dragons are decendants of Deideth; she was not especially healthy or all that young when she arrived.

However, they do share in common a more openmindedness to talk to people other than their rider, although again, this does vary. Some people believe this is linked to their openness with sexuality, some believe it is because of what they are fed and others believe both or have other theories.

How alike are new colors to their counterparts? Purples to blue, so on?

Reds are very much like browns, only a bit faster. Purples are near identical to blue aside from being purple. Blacks are like golds, but are not really their equivalent. Whites are not a "new" version of greens but rather an entirely new kind of dragon.

Do dragons have to obey blacks like golds?
Yes. However, black dragons have a history of not issuing orders near as much as your typical gold.

What are black dragons really like?
Only their riders know!

Do whiteriders feel loss if their dragon dies?
Yes, although because part of their "bond" is missing, they may or may not understand why they feel upset unless they witness the death of the white or are somehow aware she is dead. It depends on both the particular white and the rider. There is no "normal" one way or the other.

Do whites listen to the gold and blacks?
In a way. Generally speaking, whites learn commands like dogs. They may learn to recognize words and associate them with a command as a dog would recognize the word "sit".

If a black or a gold issues an order that a white does not understand, such as telling them to ask their rider a question, the dragon will simply stop whatever they're doing. Depending on the white, they may react through means of movement (shaking their head, hitting their head into things, so on) or stand there and look puzzled.

Are whites really as feral as they seem, or is there more to it?
Whites are very case-by-case basis dragon. How intelligent they really are, as well as how empathetic they are, depends on the dragon. R'xen's white, Noladenth, has demonstrated minimal intelligence and reacts to things on instinct along.

J'aro's white, Rajath, was perceived as more intelligent if only because she was noticably more "aware" of what was going on then some of the other whites.

Again comparing them to dogs, it really does depend on the dragon. Just as some breeds of dogs are more easily trained and more friendly, so too are white dragons. The basics to remember with whites is they are all extremely aggressive, cannot learn a language (but most can learn words) and need to be handled very carefully at all times.

What hardships do whiteriders face? What perks do they have?
All whiteriders share some common hardships: they have a dragon that must be tamed, they were undoubtedly injured somehow during their Impression and not everyone in the public is on their side.

White dragons either need to be with their rider or what is commonly referred to as being "tied down" or "tied out". How much a dragon is constrained depends on how vicious the dragon has proven to be. They are expected to be at the very least muzzled and tied to something very sturdy. Many Whiteriders will chain or rope down the dragon's wings somehow as an extra precaution.

Some whites are extremely sensitive to their riders emotions where as others don't seem to notice them at all. One white may become enraged when her rider does while another has an angry rider and acts as normal. For this reason, Whiteriders with exceptionally sensitive dragons must learn to control their tempers; many of them forbid themselves from things like drinking as well.

How do you obtain a white OOC?
There will be contests in the near future! Keep an eye out!

What conditions must be met for a clutch to have "new" color dragons?
For reds, whites and purples, the parent must be either a black or a red. Black dragons only come from black x red pairings.

Are the characters aware of this IC?
There may be some who are paranoid (or just speculating) otherwise, but overall it is believed to be truth IC as well.

Is there any prevelant gender discrimination among positions like Wingleaders or elsewhere?
It varies from person to person. There are certainly no laws against women Wingleaders or even female Guardmasters, Whitemasters, so on.

Are there "Weyrwomen" and "Weyrleader" dragons?
No. Bronzes and golds are treated similar to how they are in Ghenza.

If there's no Weyrwoman, how is it decided which dragon is "senior" queen?
Unlike other Weyrs, it depends on age. If Gold 1 is older than Gold 2, then she is the senior.

Can a black be "senior" queen, meaning the gold has to listen to her?
Yes.

Do a lot of people approve of reds and purples but dislike black and white dragons?
There are many people that are indifferent or in support of purples and reds that do not like whites and blacks. There are people who dislike either just whites or just blacks as well. It depends on the person. As a majority, the island is split down the middle, with the younger generation usually in support of them unless influenced by their parent's hate.

How surprised should characters be if someone openly homosexual Impresses a bronze / gold?
Not very. By now, it is normal. Anyone born on the island is more likely to be surprised by the "normal" dragons, not the other way around. Some may even forget other dragons are not as liberal.

If the character is older or was born elsewhere, obviously that's another matter.

Are the dragons themselves aware they are "special" in regards to not taking sexuality into account?
They are not. They would be surprised to learn that their "cousins" in other Weyrs have this bias and they wouldn't understand it.

Who "runs" the island? Who is in charge?
There are three important figures in the island. They are:

The Whermaster: This man or woman is in charge of all the whers, the prison and the prison island as a whole. They tend to live on "their" island, but it is not required. The first Whermaster was elected by the Ghenza council, but since then, Wherseconds have become the next in line should the Whermaster quit or die.

The Whitemaster: This man or woman is in charge of the White Guard, and therefore dictates what happens with prisoner dragons. They also "own" the living island and make decisions about weyr assignments, wing assignments and other dragon-related issues.

The Guardmaster: This man or woman is the overlord of both islands, politically able to toss out any decisions made by the Whitemaster or Whermaster. Abusing this power is unwise and since Guardmasters tend to be smart (or at least diplomatic), this is rarely a problem. The Guardmaster also serves as the unspoken leader of "the common man". A crafter may choose to see him or her about an issue before the Whitemaster.

Can you explain the layout of the "prison island" better?
Yes! The prison island, surprise surprise, has the prison. This is a massive stone structure surrounded by woodlands. It looks like what you would expect from a prison, with lookout points and guards everywhere.

There are houses on the prison island, mostly for wherhandlers who choose to live there. There are also "stables" similar to a horse stable where they may choose to "board" their whers for sleeping.

What about the "living island"?
The living island is much like a combined Weyr and Hold would be. It has stores, farmlands, everything it needs to thrive and, of course, the weyrs. These weyrs are carved into the mountain side.

Where do Weyrlings stay once they Impress? Is there a barracks?
Yes. Unlike with Ghenza, there is a barracks for the Weyrlings. The golds and blacks do have their own private section. When they are old enough, they get their own weyr.

What reasons would someone have for being on the "prison island"?
Usually, they are a prisoner, a guard or visiting for political purposes. There are also those born to prisoners who visit their parents, but this is discouraged.

Do the wher guards live on the "prison island"?
Some do, but they may choose to stay on the other island and will not be thought poorly of for it.

How estranged from Ghenza are the islands?
Quite a bit. Ghenza kind of ignores them as of late, and overall, they are happy for it. The only time they look to Ghenza is when they need something, and outside of dropping off prisoners, Ghenza rarely contacts them.

Who knows about the islands as of now?
The islanders, obviously, as well as high ranking individuals (councilpeople, Weyrwomen, etc.) elsewhere. When the general public is informed, we will let you kknow!

Are NI whers stronger / smarter versus whers other places?
The Whers of NI are much like the whers of Ghenza, except they are far more respected (which means they are respected quite a bit as Ghenza tends to be fairly nice to their whers) and given more resources. They are offered the same herbs as the dragons.

What supplies would be more plentiful or harder to get on the islands compared to other places?
Anything you could find at Ghenza, you could find in the islands. They have a vast supply of alcohols, more so than elsewhere. Probably because it's such a downer to live there.

How are touchings done on the islands for dragons? Are they like Ghenza or more like normal Weyrs?
The touchings are more like normal Weyrs.

Is everyone expected to be a dragonrider?
Nope!

How does someone chose their line of work? Is it like Ghenza where they inheirit it?
Nope! Crafts are chosen similar to the ways of a Hold.

Where do the majority of Nowhere Islands residents come originally?
All over the place. Weyrs, Holds, so on. They are mostly from High Reaches, Telgar or Holds around there.

Is there any discrimination against homosexuality?
It varies from person to person. They are not as close-minded as Telgar by any means, but some people are the children of Holdborn or Telgar parents (or if they're old enough from there themselves) and may scoff at homosexuals because of that.

What is "holding"?
Holding is basically a time out for adults or unruly young adults. People who get in too many fights or assault a master would be put in holding. There is a "holding room" in the prison which they are taken to and put in a cell. It is much like the normal prison except much, much more temporary. The length they stay varies on the crime.

Who has the authority to make an arrest?
Any master, any member of the White Guard, any member of the Wher Guard. If they abuse this power they are subject to consequences.

I have another question!
Ask away!