_ISTA WEYR_
information compiled by Kimie Kitty
Ista Weyr, as taken from The Dragonlover’s Guide to Pern, pp 147-8:
_____“Ista, the fifth Weyr, is one of the most curiously constructed. Situated on the bay at the southwest corner of the Big Island, the black half volcano thrusts four fingers and a thumb into the tropical sky. The mountain must have been formed by an eruption that knocked the bay half of its caldera into the sea, letting lava flow in a gradual drop-off, which the pounding of the current has worn away into a plateau. For all its tiny size, Ista has a mind-boggling, mazelike warren of narrow tunnels that double back and run into one another.
_____Just offshore, a small mountain surfaces once in a while when there are earthshakes or upheavals. The beach under Ista Weyr is sand that, when inspected, proves to be black diamond dust.
_____Ista supplements the lack of dragonrider weyrs with “forest weyrs,” Cliffside dwellings on the outer face of the Bowl. It attained its full population shortly before the Second Pass in the year 258. Fresh water flows into the caverns from the northeast through underground streams. The corral where the heardbeasts graze has an artificial pool filled from pipes coming through the Weyr. With the sea so near at hand, there is no need for a bathing pool for dragons, though the dragonets who have no yet learned to fly like to bathe under the cataract of the artificial waterfall created by Ista Weyr’s architects in the north wall of the Bowl.”
On fighting Thread, and weather, Guide, pp 63.
_____“The doughty dragonriders of Ista Weyr are best trained in dealing with the sort of foul weather where Thread can still do damage. Their tactics are more varied than any other Weyr’s, encompassing such odd formations as “Wing low, Wing high” and “Hollow Flight” to deal with the extremes of wind and weather they commonly face.”
Ista Hold, and the island, Guide, pp 145-6.
_____“Ista is well into the tropical zone. Its temperature throughout a Turn never goes below 55 degrees during the day, and is often very hot indeed. Like the people of Southern Boll, Istans sleep on hammocks instead of rope beds, and wear either many layers of thin fabric or very little at all, depending on how each person chooses to deal with the heat.
_____All seagoing traders stop at Ista coming and going along their routes. Ista exports native fish and spider claws, find handiwork, gems, and herbs. Fiber plants of all kinds grow huge here. Ista occasionally supplies Southern Boll with sisal. Healers come from the Healer Hall in Fort Hold to gather needlethorn….
_____A past Lord Holder with a green thumb managed to propagate citrus trees in Ista. The fruit is popular, especially in the coldest Holds, where the juice is used to help stave off colds. The groves of orange, yellow, and green fruit with mottled rinds are a particular treasure of the Istan Lord Holders. Sweetcane, the source of sweetening in the South as sweet-roots are in the north, is grown in Ista and Nerat. For those who like spicy dishes, the farmcrafters also raise endless varieties of peppers, ranging from very mild to dragonfire.
_____Shell jewelry is popular here. Mother-of-pearl, scrimshaw, and cameos, not to mention strung lengths of tiny, pretty shells, are common adornments for both men and women. Ista is also known for the emeralds of a clear, deep blue-green that are still found occasionally in its mines. The official badge of a Lord Holder requires one these marvelous emeralds, as a Craftmaster’s makes use of a sapphire, which also can be found in Ista….
_____Ista is very well populated, though its people are spread out over a wide area. Ista island is very large. In every cove where there is access to the sea, a few hundred people live by taking what they need off the land, and by fishing. As all along Nerat and Southern Boll, the Istan coastline is dense with humanity. It is possible, in fact comfortable, to live in a thatched cottage during an interval. Holds in the tropics have more access to fruit, which they barter to other Holds for goods they need, especially in seasons when the harvests were bad elsewhere.
_____The Island is the site of the great harpers’ enclave at Turnover Gather… The Gather has grown in size since its inception and is now a major event in the Northern Continent.”
The inside of the Weyr, from A Gift of Dragons, “Ever the Twain,” pp 244-250, 265.
Large caverns surround the Bowl—Hatching Grounds are at the far end from the Kitchen, which has corridors leading to the Candidates’ Quarters. Candidates’ barracks near the corralled herdbeasts. Kitchen Cavern on eastern side.
Main Kitchen Cavern:
-Immense, stalactites left in place to hold up stony roof
-Hearths and ovens along the outside wall, with chimneys
-Tables and chairs placed around the main dining area
-Platform for the head table, for Weyrleaders and their guests
-Klah, soup, and porridge is available at all times, plus bread.
A broad corridor leads into another wide cavern.
-Two levels, a passage leading to curtained alcoves
-Steps down to a living area with chairs, tables, storage chests
-Curtained passage leads to the baths and ‘necessaries.’
-Bathing cubicles with hot water (hot springs? No need to heat water for a bath.)
Candidates’ alcoves:
-Divided by curtains
-Contains a bed, a chest, and several pegs on the wall
-White robe in each alcove
At the far end of the living area, the great arch of the Hatching Ground entrance is visible, directly across the Bowl.
Weyrling barracks:
-Broad wooden bed for the hatchling
-Above, a narrow shelf with bedding for the rider
More about Ista:
-The Weyr is on the southwestern coast of Ista island.
-Surrounded by rainforest
-Full fighting compliment is about 250 pairs
-Rain pretty much every day
-Northern Continent’s winter/spring = “dry season”
-“Wet season” is late spring/summer/fall, lots of tropical storms
-Big Bay/Igen Sea Hold: chief trading center for animals & goods, second largest beast hold on Pern
-Ista Sea Hold: about a day’s journey from the Weyr on foot
-Igen and Ista are in the same time-zone as the Weyr
