A Guide to Dragons

[Dragonflight Pern]

Introduction

The dragons of pern are large carnivorous animals who are warm-blooded and lay eggs. They have a smooth, gem-bright hide that comes in a variety of colours: Gold, Bronze, Silver, Brown, Crimson, Blue, Black, Green, and White. The golds are the largest of the dragons, and called Queens, while the Greens are the smallest; they, along with the Crimsons, are the only female dragons in the population.

Hatchling Size Chart
Adult Size Chart

Fifty percent of all dragons are greens with the remaining 50% being divided among the other colours. Golds (and whites) are the rarest colours at about 1% of the population. Atypical dragons are generally less common then those of comparable sizes.

Their physique is barrel-chested and six-limbed. They have four legs and two wings which are often considered too small to support their flight. It was discovered that a mild telekinesis helped them to stay aloft. This psychic ability, however, is limited to themselves and passive - despite the effort to develop it further, no advancements were made. Their tails are long and supple and end in a spade.

Their heads are wedge-shaped with a beak-like snout and they have large, faceted eyes. The eyes are hugely expressive and whirl with colours according to the emotions the dragon is feeling - they cannot hide their state of mind. Growing out from their head are head knobs and they have no visible ears.

Mood Colour Chart
Blue / Green: Content or happy.
Red: Hungry
Yellow: Fear, worry.
Orange: Uncertainty, suspicion.
Red & Orange: Anger, agitation.
Red &Yellow: Battle / fighting.
Purple: Lustful, proddy, ready to Ride to mate.
White: Sense danger / worried
Grey: In pain, emotional or physical.  

[Dragonflight Pern]

Colours

Golds are also called Queens and they are often proud and charismatic and their leadership skills are hardwired into them. They have an innate sense of who and what they area though the application of that power varies widely. They are the largest of the dragons, and all other dragons must listen to them. The Senior Gold is in charge of the Weyr and her rider is the Weyrwoman. Other Golds are Junior Golds and their riders assist the Weyrwoman in the running of the Weyr. Gold Impress to Heterosexual Females only.







Silvers are on par with Bronzes in terms of size but are infertile and do not chase Queens. And why should they? To many of them, they have more important things to do. If Bronzes are the kings of the Weyr, the Silvers are definitely the Princes. Sleek and beautiful, they're more like poetry in motion and they know it. They are an important part of Wings because the Silvers are capable of sustaining a longer flame then the other colours - sometimes, if the Silver proves capable enough, a Silver will be Wingleader instead of a Bronze. Impress to males and females of any sexual orientation.

Bronze dragons rule the roost when the queen's not looking. Knights of honour or pride, bronzes know how to lead as well as any gold. With greater endurance then silvers and bronzes, they are most frequently wing leaders and Weyrleaders. Impress to Heterosexual males only.




Crimson dragons are the same size as Browns but are female. They differ from the Golds and the Greens, however, in that they are fertile - but rarely succeed in reproducing. It has been discovered that Crimson dragons only clutch roughly 20% of the time but they do tend to have a high proportion of Atypical Dragons in their clutches. Browns almost exclusively chase Crimsons, though blues will sometimes chase them as well. Bronzes seem to have no interest in the Crimson dragons. One thing to note about Crimsons, however, is that they are capable of chewing firestone but doing so makes them completely infertile and so the Dragon and Rider pair must make a choice when the Crimson matures - to fight or to breed. Crimsons are generally spitfire and driven individuals, possessed of strong wills and tend to be outspoken. Strong female figures, one might call them the warrior princesses of the Weyr. Crimsons Impress to Males or Females of any sexual orientation.

Browns are males and range in the middle of the draconic size spectrum. They are usually laid back and more sympathetic to the needs of their peers, unlike Bronzes, and as such make excellent wing seconds. On occasion Browns may gain the rank of Wingleader if they prove themselves. Browns chase Golds and Crimsons, and can be considered the gentlemen of the Weyr. Browns Impress to Males of all sexuality and rarely Women, tending towards homosexual women





The second smallest of the male dragons, the blues are sure and skilled the air, valued for their acrobatics and level heads. Blues are sometimes referred to the younger brothers of the Weyr because they're both full of potential and playful attitudes. Usually carefree, they are rarely bound by duty like the larger colours and most revel in that. Blues Impress to Males and Females of either sexual orientation.

Somewhere between the size of a Blue and a Green, Blacks are the inquistive trickers and dear annoyances of the Weyr. They are almost always curious about everything and have an excellent memory of Where. In fact if Whites have an innate sense of When, then Blacks are the masters of Where. Their ability to go Between with accuracy is a much remarked upon thing, even if their tendency to be enthusiastic in whatever endeavour they're assigned can lead to trouble. Blacks show no interest in giving chase to any females that rise and are infertile. Blacks Impress to Males and Females of either sexual orientation.





Greens are the smallest females but their make up for their small size with unparalled aerial acrobatics. They are the core of the Weyr and at nearly half the number of dragons, one can't go through a day at the Weyr without running into a Green or a Greenrider. Their personalities vary the greatest among the dragons. The Rise but not Clutch. Greens Impress to Males and Females of either sexual orientation.

Whites are as rare and tiny for dragons. Their hides are always a shade of white with a slightly opalescent shine. They are smaller then greens when they hatch and take a huge amount of care to keep healthy through to adulthood. They show no desire to chase females or rise themselves because they are neuters. However, they do have 'male' and 'female' frames of mind. Curiously, Whites have a superb sense of When they are and are excellent at going Between times (such activity is expressly forbidden, however). Impress to males and females of any sexual orientation.  

[Dragonflight Pern]

Impression

Anne Mcaffery describes Impression in the Dragonlover's Guide to Pern 2nd Edition as

"It's love at first sight across a crowded room - one of the most magical things that could possibly happen to anybody. ... Impressing a dragon is the amalgam of everything you wanted in your pets as a child and couldn't have, because your pet wasn't up to it. It's suddenly having the whole candy store window yours.

At the instant of Impression, part of the miracle is that you realize now you will never be alone, you will always be supported for the rest of your life - feeling of total surrender to another mind which understand you totally. It is completely in rapport with you, and suddenly a great weight has been lifted from your shoulders, because you know there is that support system there. And with it comes a tremendous responsibility, because you know is something happens to you, that dragon will suicide.

Now, the dragon will take care of you, so it's really up to you to take care of the dragon. You have the feeling of one mind suddenly encasing yours, and every ounce of your blood, every tissue in the your body, is suddenly linked to another living creature. It cannot be but the most ecstatic moment. ...

You feel pain through the link, and you would do anything to stop your dragon's paid. If you were happy or comfortable, the dragon would also share in the pleasure, but not necessarily the sensory feeling. Dragons would peripherally aware of 'mechanical duties' (such as eating, or sex, or sleeping) and they'd know right away if you were sick. They would start to get worried, not knowing why. Unusual occurences or sensations would come to the dragon's awareness."

Impression is not just a deep bond for a dragon - it's their reason for being. Upon Hatching, the new dragons are driven to find Theirs and if they do not, they go Between. It is as a life or death moment for the young dragons and every single dragon must find an appropriate lifemate. The consequences are deadly if they do not.

It is an incredibly deep connection and once forged, cannot be undone. The dragon chooses its rider, it's life mate, and something in each of them is balanced - completing the two individuals as if they were two parts of a single whole. Most riders describe it as having a hole filled that you never knew was there until the dragon completed you. It is intimate and long lasting to the point that a dragon will suicide if a rider perishes. The sole exception are clutching Golds and Crimsons. If they lose a rider, they will remain only long enough to lay their eggs and then they will go Between forever.

That said, a human can live on if their dragon dies but these people are ghosts of their former selves... and many commit suicide shortly after losing their dragon. Those that manage to live beyond the depression vary in their responses but many describe it as being hollow, missing that vital portion and the knowledge that it cannot be filled is heavy indeed.  

[Dragonflight Pern]

Abilities

• They are (obviously) capable of flight.
  
• They can go Between, teleporting anywhere they can visualize.
  
• They can breathe fire if they chew firestone; chewing firestone makes Crimsons infertile and Golds are unable to process it (it makes them nauseous)
  
• They can go between times in a similar manner to going Between; this is often called Timing It - this is expressly forbidden ICly, and OOCly, however
  
• Dragons use telepathy to communicate with each other, firelizards, watchwhers, their riders, and people other then their rider. Most dragons choose not to communicate directly to another human, however.
  
• They have mild telekinesis that assists in flight.

 

[Dragonflight Pern]

Between

The Dragonlover's Guide to Pern 2nd Edition describes Between as

Between is a nonspace, a postulatum. Between is the journey from one place to another without crossing the space in between. A dragon move through time and space at will, depending on what he perceives as his rider's stated destination. Every rider is trained to be careful when wishes to cross time zones. If he was in Fort in the morning and wished to go to Benden at the same time of day, he would actually be going back in time three hours because of the day's progression.

Going Between times takes longer than going Between places. If the dragon cannot find the time or place his rider has pictured, they will not come out of Between.

The Online Pern Encyclopedia describes Between as

Between: an area of nothingness and sensory deprivation between here and there.

Between places: In order to be able to go between places a dragon and/or its rider has to know where to go. The rider has to visualize a reference or recognition point and transfers it to the mind of his or her dragon. There are certain consequences to an ill-considered jump. Badly visualized reference points often result in staying between. One should always plan to arrive in the air above the reference point. The more experienced riders do not have to be in the are while taking the jump but can also do so from a stationary position on the ground. Weyrlings are taught a certain number of reference or recognition points, beginning with the Star Stone-Eye Rock-Finger Rock. end configuration of its Weyr. More reference points are then learned, first by the instructor and after that by going there, getting the initial visualization by the instructor. After that weyrlings are constantly taken to and from the main reference points all across Pern. Weyrlings are taught a certain number of reference or recognition points, beginning with the Star Stone-Eye Rock-Finger Rock configuration of its Weyr. More reference points are then learned, first by the instructor and after that by going there, getting the initial visualization by the instructor. After that weyrlings are constantly taken to and from the main reference points all across Pern

Pern Encyclopedia

 

[Dragonflight Pern]

Young Atypical Dragons

Atypical Dragons are, essentially, mutants. At birth, they are no larger then a small green and very awkward, ungainly, and prone to health issues. They demand a huge amount of care on top of the regular care dragons normally require and are often mentioned as a bitter-sweet boon because of this.

However, the reality of more frequent threadfall has forced several weyrs to bolster their dragon populations with the Atypical Dragons. They are a product of necessity - the reason for their controversial existence. Malvren and Trine are two Weyrs that welcome the non traditional colours despite the increased effort it takes to maintain their health and integrity to adulthood.

Any young Weyrling who Impresses an Atypical Dragon must be highly attentive in the health and well-being of their dragon. It is only with diligence and hard work that the Atypical dragons are shaped into respectable contributors of the Weyr. As young dragons, they are relatively weak in comparison to their peers and cannot be pushed too hard or they will burn out. More then once, an Atypical Rider has trained with their dragon too hard and the result is grievous injury to dragon and rider. They take longer to develop as a result, but they do develop.

Oiling of hides becomes paramount for Crimson and Silver riders especially. The work is comparable to that of a gold rider and her new charge - constant care of the hide is required to prevent tearing and sores that could compromise the dragonet's health.

That said, despite the rough beginnings for each Atypical Dragon, they each possess a certain skill that is sharper then their peers - see above. They are valued for those innate skills or traits.

When an Atypical Dragon finally reaches adulthood, they are usually on par with the colour they are equivalent to. Crimsons have similar endurance to browns, for example, and blacks have agility on par with greens and blues.

They are not looked down upon in Malvren and Trine, but elsewhere they are often referred to as Runts. This derogatory term refers to their weakness as younglings and to their slow maturation.  

[Dragonflight Pern]

Breeding

Breeding among the dragons is a procreation-driven instinct. They do not mate for love. Every female dragons Rises at various times of the year, though Crimsons and Golds are the only ones to actually clutch. Greens and Crimsons Rise frequently - anywhere from 3 to 5 times a Turn - while Golds rise roughly once or twice a Turn.

Golds are chased by Bronzes and Browns only, with the vast majority of 'winners' being Bronzes. Browns can catch Queens but it is very rare. Crimsons are Chased by Browns for the most part, though the occasional Bronze may chase her. Greens are chased by Blues and Browns.

What about the Silvers, Blacks, and Whites then? Well they're infertile and have no desire whatsoever to chase the females. They don't get proddy and tend to be disinterested in the events of a Flight. That doesn't mean some aren't flirty, only that they have no physical or instinctual drive to reproduce.

A few sevendays after a Gold or a Crimson has mated, she will lay her eggs and guard them until they hatch. Some time after the eggs have hardened, they will Hatch and Impress to new riders. This period varies but the average is about 6-8 sevendays. Golds lay 10-16 eggs and produce dragons of every colour while Crimsons lay 6-12 eggs but do not produce Bronzes, Golds, or Whites. Crimson dragons, however, tend to have a higher percentage of Atypical Dragons in their clutches.

Flight Options for Riders

We all know how flights affect dragons. When a female comes into season she rises, is chased by males who are interested in her and chooses either the strongest or simply the one she likes the most to be her mate. Often the riders of the female dragon and the victorious male will take a tumble in the furs together but this is not always the case, and nor is the stance of any Weyr that riders of female dragons ought to just lie down and accept whatever male wins their dragon. If they don't want to do it they don't have to; there are options.

For those who do not wish to accept the outcome of the flight there are two main options. The first of these is simple: to lock themselves alone in a private place and allow things to run their course. The second option is to select a stand-in to lock themselves away with, and let things run their course in company. Both of these choices are completely accepted, and education about them is a part of everyone's Weyrling training. The first option is often employed by young riders, for example, because their dragons mature before they do.

It is no more acceptable to force yourself upon another person during a flight than it is at any other time. Even if they are eventually carried away by the feelings of the Flight they must give consent, otherwise it is still a crime that is dealt with seriously. If any rider is concerned that in the heat of the moment their conduct might be less than perfect - or just counter to their wishes when not under the influence of dragons - they are encouraged to have a friend or friends to look after them.

The phrase “the dragon decides, the rider complies” is not strictly adhered to in Dragonflight. While the dragon’s choice of mate will often strongly influence the rider’s choice of a lover, the rider does retain some semblance of coherence throughout the whole encounter and can choose to isolate themselves. First Flights are often overwhelming new experiences where the phrase holds true but after that point, most if not all riders become accustomed to high-running hormones of the Weyr and are better able to control themselves. Those riders that insist it be the ‘golden rule’ are often viewed as arrogant or backwards because of the lack of choice this implies.  

[Dragonflight Pern]

Size and Build Information

Starting with the Epsilon clutch at Trine, every new hatchling will have ‘size’ and ‘build’ posted below their personality. This post will explain precisely what they mean. If you would like to know the size and build of an older dragon please post in the request thread here. If your dragon was a custom please post there with your desired size and build for us to approve if you want to assume anything other than average/average. Additionally please remember that while we want everyone to have what they want in their custom, not every green can be the smallest lightest and fastest ever and not every bronze can be the biggest and strongest ever: average is average for a reason and most dragons will be either this or above/below average.

Size
Tiny - This dragon is just about the same size as an average dragon of the next colour down in size. Extremely rare
Very small - This dragon is the same size as a large specimen of the next colour down in size. Rare
Small - This dragon is notably smaller than an average dragon of its colour, but not so small that you could mistake it for another colour by size alone. Quite uncommon
Below average - This dragon is a bit smaller than average for its colour but not starkly so. Fairly common
Average - A dragon of average size. Very common
Above average - This dragon is a bit larger than average for its colour but not starkly so. Fairly common
Large - This dragon is notably larger than an average dragon of its colour, but not so large that you could mistake it for another colour by size alone. Quite uncommon
Very large - This dragon is the same size as a small specimen of the next colour up in size. Quite rare
Huge - This dragon is just about the same size as an average dragon of the next colour up in size. Extremely rare


Build
Supermodel - This dragon is just about the same build as an average dragon of the next colour down in size. Extremely rare
Very slim - This dragon is the same build as a fairly muscular specimen of the next colour down in size. Rare
Slim - This dragon is notably slimmer than an average dragon of its colour, but not so small that you could mistake it for another colour by size alone. Quite uncommon
Below average - This dragon is a bit smaller than average for its colour but not starkly so. Fairly common
Average - A dragon of average size. Very common
Above average - This dragon is a bit more muscular than average for its colour but not starkly so. Fairly common
Muscular - This dragon is notably more powerful than an average dragon of its colour, but not so muscular that you could mistake it for another colour by size alone. Quite uncommon
Very muscular - This dragon is the same build as a fairly slim specimen of the next colour up in size. Quite rare
Bodybuilder - This dragon is just about the same build as an average dragon of the next colour up in size. Extremely rare