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Dragonriders of Pern Shop Captain
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 Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 8:24 am
General Information Ghenza is neither a Hold nor a Weyr, but it is commonly mistaken for the latter, and thus the most common way of adressing it is as "Ghenza Weyr". They share traditions, laws, beliefs and social taboos from both, along with some distinct only to them.
Ghenza is originally founded by plague survivors who fled from other places and unified into one group. It took close inspection to be granted access to Ghenza, as any sign of illness was considered too risky and the beholder of such symptoms were sent packing without hesitation. The penalty for secretly harboring the sick was death for both the ill person and the one watching over them.
Not surprisingly, their place in history is not one known for friendliness. However, in exchange for housing only the strongest and most healthy of people, they have become the most self-sufficient place on Pern. Long after the plague is a distant memory, they have isolated themselves from the rest of Pern in fear the sickness would return. It is not outlandish to say these people fear the plague much more than they fear thread, although they are not ignorant of that looming threat either.
Half a turn ago, a supposedly "tainted" (a phrase used to describe someone who has or may have the plague) individual sent the lands into chaos. The witch hunts, so to speak, began all over again. Many lives in the already small population were lost.
Until the recent contact with High Reaches, Ghenza has had literally no unity with Pern outside it's own borders. Children are raised to be hardworking and obedient, to fear the plague and the thread alike (both of which are foretold to come back), and have no outside influence to teach them otherwise. Anyone who steps too far out of line is thrown out of Ghenza. Period.
This is a huge deal and not something to be taken lightly or as rebellious. Not only are they then an open target for thread, they are also open season for the plague. Ghenza residents have it pounded into their brains again and again anyone outside of Ghenza is probably a carrier and it wouldn't be an over-the-top reaction, given what they've always been told, for them to scream curses and run away.
Basically, in Ghenza, you are raised to believe if you leave Ghenza you are guaranteed to die. You would thus have to be suicidal or very, very stupid to disobey the order. However, the youth of Ghenza don't know any other way of life, and they take pride in their homeland and themselves. It is far, far more likely for a young man from Ghenza to stick his nose up at a man from Telgar and call him lazy and worthless than for him to envy that man for having it easier.
Aside from any mention of the plague, people in Ghenza are extremely friendly to each other. They have a very 'small town' feel, more so than other Weyrs or Holds. Practically everyone knows everyone by name. When it comes to outsiders, they are best described as elitist. They are the strongest, the fittest, the fastest, the most productive and they know it; they are proud of it.
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Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 9:08 am
The Life of a Dragonrider * Becoming a candidate...
There are no candidates on Ghenza. Every one has a job dependent on their parents (see crafting post for more info) and they focus on that. The extent one can be a candidate in Ghenza is attending the touching and showing up for the hatching.
* Touchings...
Although Ghenza has touchings, they are not the typical touchings most are familiar with. Instead of candidates, all children at age twelve (the earliest age one can Impress) are taken to examine and learn about eggs. Simply put, everyone is taught early on to move their a** or risk getting mauled. It doesn't matter if you do or don't want to be a rider. Think of it like getting shots for school, or something of that nature--you may not want to go, but you're going to go.
This could be considered more like a field trip than a touching. If a gold has a clutch, every child of age (twelve) is taken to see the eggs. The next clutch, children who have turned twelve in that time are taken to the new eggs, and so on.
Everyone in Ghenza has been to a touching once, but only goldriders attend more than one (to control their dragon).
* When you Impress...
Dragonriders in Ghenza are not given the same praise and adoration as riders from other places. In Ghenza, it is your job to be a rider, and you don't deserve any sort of special pat on the back just for doing your job.
Being a rider is no different, socially, from being a farmer or being a tailor. The riders themselves are not bitter about this, because they were raised believing this and know no differently. They take pride in their work and would most likely find riders from other places lazy.
New Weyrlings are cut some slack. After they Impress their dragonet, they are given the next day to spend with said dragonet. After that, it's back to work with them. Any time you are not spent caring for your dragon's demands, eating or sleeping, you spend working on your previous craft.
* When you become a Sr. Weyrling...
When your dragon hits adolescent, things change. You are expected to leave your craft behind and become a full time dragonrider. Responsibilities for this include not just caring for your own dragon, but helping everyone else care for theirs. Dragonriders don't have tons of Weyrworkers to help them and do the boring work for them. They do, however, have each other, and are expected to make good use of their connections and time.
If you do have free time, you are expected to make product use of it somehow. How you manage that is up to you.
* When your dragon becomes an adult...
Things pretty much stay the same. Your job is to care for your own and other dragons. Any free time is expected to be used productively. The main difference is you are put into a wing and begin wing practices instead of Weyrling lessons.
* Where do riders and dragons live in Ghenza?
As Ghenza is not a Weyr, they have no weyrs either. Riders live where they previously lived before becoming a rider. Their dragons, while small enough, generally live with there as well. (Think of how you'd keep a big, over-sized house cat)
When dragons get too large, they are moved to the fields where they eat and sleep.
* What are the dragons like in Ghenza?
Dragons in Ghenza come in the same colors and genders as others, but there are differences. They are bigger, stronger and faster. And, like the people have evolved to adapt different social practices, so have the dragons.
The dragons of Ghenza are less withdrawn than dragons else where. It is, in fact, more uncommon to find a dragon that won't speak to anyone but their rider than the other way around. Of course, they still hold their rider in utmost importance, and their rider still comes first. Still, they will gladly speak to most people if they feel there's something to say; occasionally, they'll even gossip.
Even as young hatchlings they are treated more heavy-handed than dragons in other Weyrs would be. While it seems harsh (and perhaps it is), the end result is the most efficient, strong Wings you will ever lay eyes on. Their dragons are stronger because they work harder.
In a truly peculiar twist, dragons in Ghenza also have memories the equivalent of a human, much greater than their cousins from other Weyrs. Ghenza residents have come to expect this; they know no different, and would be surprised to find dragons from other places didn't share this trait.
The reason for this is being fed a peculiar mix of herbs extinct in all other places on Pern discovered by Yalin's son which is said to increase and manipulate brain activity to be more long-lasting and productive. (Originally, this mixture was used for humans, but was tested on dragons very shortly after Ghenza was founded.)
* What do gold dragons in Ghenza do?
Gold dragons in Ghenza are not raised as pampered queens. One could argue they have it harder than the other colors, in fact. From an early age they are raised to strictly obey their rider, and goldriders are expected to be on board for this.
A gold in Ghenza abusing or misusing her ability to command the other colors is all but unheard of, and the penalties are very severe and to be placed on the shoulders of the rider. If nothing else, gold dragons will not disobey their guidelines for fear of their rider being punished.
Golds take an active part in training wings. Ghenza has a No Tolerance policy for slacking off and disobeying Wingleaders, and a gold attends every wing practice to forcibly order each member to obey their Wingleader. If someone does step out of line, the gold will order them to lots of unpleasant work later.
This is not seen as abusing their power by Ghenza's standards. Rather, it is them doing what they were raised to do. Things that would constitute abuse would be anything that involves personal benefit (such as ordering a dragon to catch her a meal).
* How are flights viewed in Ghenza?
Much like they are viewed in other places. A notable difference is female riders are required to go between to avoid any unexpected pregnancies (see F.A.Q for more info).
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Dragonriders of Pern Shop Captain
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Dragonriders of Pern Shop Captain
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Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 3:45 pm
The Life of a Wherhandler * Whers of Ghenza...
Whers, too, are treated differently than in other places on Pern. They are not feared, disrespected or publicly seen as lesser to dragons (though some individuals may decide otherwise). They are especially not recognized as a last resort for those who failed to Impress.
The difference between Impressing a wher and Impressing a dragon is that ones life does not strictly become focused on the care of their wher. On the contrary, whers tend to be seen as something to make other jobs easier, as opposed to being a job themselves.
This may cause strain from certain parties vs. dragonriders, but in general, there is very minimal conflict between dragonriders and wherhandlers.
The whers, like the dragons, are smarter, stronger and faster than whers from other places. Those that are lucky enough to have the connections or money to buy the herbal mix given to dragons will also feed it to their wher; this increases memory and brain activity same as with dragons (aka it makes them smarter). Unlike dragons, however, not every wher is given this as they grow older, so their intelligence greatly varies.
There is no such thing as an wild wher or a wher who is not bonded in Ghenza. Whers are bonded at birth, no exceptions, with one person. Since they are so useful, it is unheard of to have an egg someone isn't willing to take.
Most wherhandlers belong to the union, but not all of them.
* Your wher's job...
What a wher is used for depends on their handler and what their line of work is. They are almost always one of the following:
- Load Wher: The name for a wher who is mostly used in the transportation or heavy lifting of things. Their handler may be a farmer, for example, who uses them to help pull plows along their fields, or carry their harvest on their back, etc. They are basically assistants in manual labor, and the most common line of work for a wher.
- Transport Wher: Similar to load whers, except their job is to carry human passengers from one place to another. They are basically a living bus, and their handlers charge fees similar to how a bus would. This type of wher is usually owned by people who are, for some reason, unable to continue a previous profession. It could be considered a last resort job, but it is by no means a thankless one.
- Assistance Wher: An assistance wher is pretty much what it sounds like. They are mostly owned by the elderly or the handicapped to aid them.
- Wing Wher: A sometimes misleading title, whers of this variety focus on the care and overseeing of other whers. Their job is, in brief, to go around and make sure all whers are being properly cared for and doing their job. The handlers of wing whers are handpicked by the Whermaster, and take great pride in the whers as a species. You will rarely meet anyone more dedicated to whers than someone in this line of work.
- Water Wher: A wher that goes from the forest to the town harvesting water. It is a vital and appreciated, but very repetitive and mind-numbing job.
- Pet Wher: Very, very rarely will you find a pet wher who is either not elderly themselves, or has not been injured to the point it is dangerous for them to work. A pet wher is what it sounds like: someone's pet. The whers themselves tend to look at this as either being demoted (in the case of the injured) or retiring (in the case of the elderly).
* Becoming a handler...
Whers are common as someone in the country having horses. Not everyone has one, but many people do. All handlers are monitored by those of the 'Wing Wher' profession to make sure things are going smoothly. Getting your hands on an egg can be done many ways (gifting, buying, etc.) and is not too trying a task.
That is, getting your hands on a green, blue or brown egg isn't. Bronze and gold eggs tend to be snatched up by the Wher Workers Union for Better Health and Productivity, and handed out by the Whermaster to their members.
* Wher Workers Union for Better Health and Productivity...
Shortened to "The Wher Workers Union" or sometimes "The Wher Union", these people are governed by the Whermaster and, overall, wher-related crisis and issues are brought to her. Although not every wher and their handler is a member of the union, they are still responsible for making sure each and every wher is being treated fairly and humanely.
They have records on every wher born, regardless of membership or lack thereof to the union, and if you have a wher, you know they are Serious Business.
Gold and bronze eggs tend to end up in the hands of union members, but not always.
* Whermaster...
The Whermaster is the name of the woman who leads and runs the union. She could be compared to a goldrider from other places in that she is in charge and bosses everyone else around. Likewise, her wher as seen in the same light and respected as such.
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Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 3:55 pm
The Life of a Crafter * Crafters of Ghenza...
If you are in Ghenza, and you aren't a dragonrider, a wherhandler, injured beyond the ability to work or too old (and considered retired), you are a crafter. No exceptions. Ghenza doesn't have the space or supplies for slackers, so everyone has to pull their own weight.
Generally, this is a welcomed practice, because Ghenza is full of proud people who love their homeland and their people.
* How your craft is decided...
The craft of a child depends on the craft of their parents. If your father was a farmer, you will be a farmer. This isn't the most fun for kids with dreams of being something else, but they are taught early on you have to do what you have to do. Since they are strictly self-reliant, and smaller than other places, Ghenza has no time for "what if". What if doesn't grow crops and feed us, boy!
The crafters in Ghenza are very rich in knowledge and practice for the reason they have passed down their skills and know-how for generation. After all, if you grow up in a house full of tailors with daily lessons about being a tailor, chances are you're going to be a pretty good tailor yourself.
Those that really, really don't want to follow their parents footsteps have the option of trying to Impress a dragon or becoming a wherhandler.
* Crafts in Ghenza...
You will find the same crafts in Ghenza as other places. Cooks, fishermen, tailors, etc.
* Crafting ranks in Ghenza...
Ghenza does not have ranks in their crafts, nor do they have crafthalls. Children are taught by their parents, who were taught by their parents. You pretty much just do your job and shut up.
* Mixed craft parents...
Let's say your mother is a tailor and your father is a farmer. Where does that leave you? One would think the child would then be able to choose either craft, but this is incorrect. Any child will default to their father's craft unless their father is deceased, in which case they will then be taught their mothers.
By becoming family to your father, your mother has willingly accepted that her new 'family craft' is the craft of her husband. You could compare it to a woman taking the last name of her husband in real life.
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Dragonriders of Pern Shop Captain
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Dragonriders of Pern Shop Captain
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Posted: Mon Feb 08, 2010 12:29 pm
The Firelizard Restriction Act Shortly after Ghenza was founded, firelizards were outlawed due to resource consumption. They eat too much and were too small and weak to do any work like a wher or dragon could.
Many with firelizards argued their creatures could defend against tunnelsnakes. However, the population of tunnelsnakes in Ghenza was reaching near extinction thanks to the tireless effort of whers.
Eventually, there were no more left to hunt, and firelizards became obsolete completely. To converse their resources for better use, they were outlawed. Adults were sent away, eggs were destroyed; whatever it took.
The population of firelizards in Ghenza is zero.
Most people there, especially the youth, have never even seen one.
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Posted: Mon Feb 08, 2010 12:43 pm
GeographyMapNOTE: Map is drawn smaller than it would be (i.e. there are ten times the number of houses/space/etc). Ghenza has grown large enough to house a population of roughly 700. It is estimated 200 of them are dragonriders, 300 own whers (50 of which work directly for the union), 100 are people unable to work due to injury or old age, and the remainder are able crafters of various fields.
The town is built almost entirely of stone, placed in the center of a massive plain where the grass has been mowed--meaning the ground is dirt. The fields around them remain covered in grass, and have long ago been deemed suitable for dragons to live when they become too large to wobble around the town. The whers, too, commonly stay there. A portion of the field has been fenced off, and herdbeasts are kept there.
There is a large forest surrounding these landmarks, which hides them from any ground-based view. The dragons and whers tend to find cover here in the event of rain.
One of the most precious resources in Ghenza is water. There is a large river, water and settled pool within the forest, but the hike there is tiresome.
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Dragonriders of Pern Shop Captain
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Dragonriders of Pern Shop Captain
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Posted: Mon Feb 08, 2010 12:47 pm
Social Structure/Ranking System Because of the lack of separation between "Hold" and "Weyr" type communities in Ghenza, there is no Weyrleaders or Lord Holders. Instead, there is a five-member council, which is re-elected every four Turns by the people of Ghenza. All people, ages 16 and upwards, are allowed to vote for any candidate of their choosing. Candidates tend to be elder members in the community, but that's not always the case. Anyone who the people of Ghenza feel would be a good representative of them can get voted onto the council. Generally speaking, there is at least one person from each "group", the groups being dragonriders, wherhandlers, regular holders, etc. In the event that one of the council members dies before their term is up, another member is elected prematurely to fill the position.
Though the council does have a head (known as the Lord/Lady Councilor), this is not an autonomous position. It is the council as a whole that works through problems and issues and comes to an ultimate conclusion. The Lord/Lady Councilor acts as the public face, so to speak, for the council. His/her duties also include keeping council discussions on topic and mediating arguments between opposing factions. The system is basically equivalent to the President and the Senate in current day United States. The other council members (Council Seconds) act as representatives of different factions of Ghenza. Much like one would issue a complaint to the Minister of Health about a health care problem, one would issue a complaint to the Council Second: South if they had a complaint about a healer. The current council members and the factions they represent are:
Lady Councilor – Nalina of gold Sojayeth
Represents: The whole of Ghenza
Council Second: North – Cainin of bronze wher Cainisk
Represents: Wherhandlers, miners, smiths, woodcrafters
Council Second: West - Unnamed*
Represents: Tanners, weavers, harpers, runners
Council Second: South – B'tan of blue Arteth
Represents: Beastcrafters, fishers, Dragonriders
Council Second: East – Unnamed*
Represents: Vintners, bakers, farmers, healers
* More information on these council members will be added as it becomes available. It is safe to say that they do exist, however.
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Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 1:29 pm
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Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 2:07 pm
A Collection of Questions About Ghenza...
...and their answers Q: How big is the difference between them and dragons from the Weyrs?
A: Generally, a small green to them would be a large green to other people. It's not unheard of, but rare, for them to get big enough to consider crossing into other color sizes. Meaning, it's possible (but unlikely) for them to have a green that's large enough to be considered a blue in other places in terms of size. Mostly, the difference is just enough that it's noticeable.
Q: It's pretty heavily implied in the guide, but are family unites a bit tighter in Ghenza?
A: Family ties are tighter in Ghenza by way of tradition. Inbreeding / not having enough people was a huge threat for the founders, since it took some time for them to get a solid population of people coming in before they closed their doors to outsiders. They still keep close tabs on who is related to who to avoid this. They have a steady population, but it isn't that big, and a lot of people are related. It's common knowledge for everyone who is your cousin, etc.
Q: What about among dragonriders? If rider women have to between any pregnancies, what happens when dragonrider men father children on non-rider women? Is that sort of thing frowned on?
A: playboy dragonrider would more than likely take non-rider women between if they were pregnant for them. Like with the rest of Pern, this isn't considered to be any kind of moral weak point, and it especially isn't in Ghenza. It would be highly unlikely that a fling would result in a baby, since it's very, very likely most residents would never want the shame of effecting their population negatively.
Most babies are born from acknowledged couples. Having one born outside a family is very rare and frowned upon since it further complicates the chore of keeping track of who is related to who and who can have whose children. Ghenza has based it's rules under the assumption the population they have now is all they have and no one else will ever be coming in.
At the same time, they can't have too many children because their resources are plentiful, but not endless. Having a bunch of kids you're not planning to help raise (and thus them not living up to their full potential) would be very bad, yes.
Q: If there is a 'b*****d' child (dragonrider or non) what craft do they enter? Their mother's?
A: Children born with dragonrider fathers will take up the craft that their father had prior to becoming a rider. Said father would be expected to find someone else to teach it to them if they're too busy as a rider to do so themselves.
Q: How is homosexuality treated both among riders and among non-riders?
A: When it comes to flights, it's dismissed by the community entirely. Everyone knows that you have no control who you go to bed with as a rider when your dragon Rises. Overall, homosexuality is accepted. As long as they keep careful watch / control / track of their population / bloodlines (which they do), they don't need more children, so if someone pairs up with a member of the same sex (and thus can't have children), there's no reason to get upset over it. That would be the only reason in their society to be upset over it unless you happened to have a mother who really wanted grandkids.
It's important to remember Ghenza is very proud of it's completely independent status and the majority of it's residents wouldn't want to jeopardize this. They are aware there are other places on Pern, and they're taught those places aren't as good as them because they follow these types of guidelines.
Furthermore, anyone who really, really misbehaved would get booted out, and this is a bigger deal for them than other places because they're terrified of both thread and the plague as opposed to just being scared of threadfall.
Q:Where will transfers, riders and non riders, who have gone to Ghenza be housed?
A: They'll be housed wherever there's space for them, sort of like how you'd house an exchange student. All of the Song Clutch riders would probably be put up with other riders wherever there was room, and the candidates would go to a family whose children were in the same craft as they were (so Smiths to a house where the father is a Smith, etc). Kids who have no craft would live with a farmer family.
Q: Do they have any celebrations? Gathers? Festiviles? Ect.
A: Yes they'd have Gathers, but they would be more like festivals within the community. There would be feasting and maybe some sales on products and such, but no outsider traders would be welcomed. They haven't had any contact with anyone up until Luci at High Reaches.
Q: Do they have a regular tavern/time to relax?
A: They're welcome to relax with their families after a hard day's work, but there would also be a central area/main dining hall type deal where people could gather if they needed to.
Q: If Ghenza doesn't send people outside very often, how are crafters trained in their craft?
A: The original crafters that started Ghenza would be where every craft information essentially began from. Yes, that would probably put them a little behind in terms of any major technological advances, but every craft skill known to the community has been past down from father to child since the beginning of Ghenza.
Q: To what extent and skill would a glass smith have in Ghenza? How often do they get sands and stuff for working with?
A: They've got enough materials to sustain any landlocked craft. Something specific as glass-smithing would probably be rarer than, say, something that was more applicable to more people (i.e. carpentry).
Q: Are there Harpers at Ghenza? Do they tell stories about the horrors of the plague?
A: Yes to both. The extent of the kinds of stories they tell would depend on the person, but it would be safe to say that horror stories do exist at Ghenza, especially about illnesses.
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