Welcome to Gaia! ::

-World History
-Factions
-Terms
-Things to Keep in Mind
-Old Guild versus New Guild

--> Only One Weyr Open: Trine (Benden and the rest are off Screen)
--> Rogue Queens and followers are off screen

Clutch Timeline

The Origin of Atypic Dragons

After the birth of the first White Dragon, the question of whether dud eggs were actually duds become a particularly important one among the Weyrfolk. However, the controversy of breaking open supposedly dead eggs during a Hatching was too great for the Weyrleaders and Weyrwomen to willingly condone. As a result, research groups were formed behind the scenes and the clutching habits of the dragons' cousins, the firelizards, were carefully monitored.

As with their larger counterparts, the firelizard clutches would occasionally have dud eggs and it was these that the researchers focused on. It was a surprise, then, that once the shells were peeled away, they would often find stillborn flits not of the traditional colours. This was a set-back, of course, as it meant the Atypical firelizards did not survive the hatching, or even the period of their embryonic development.

The quest, then, became one not only of getting the flit duds to survive their hatching but to also grow and prosper after that. If successful, the ranking officials of Malvren Weyr, the only Weyr to consider subjecting a clutch to the controversy, would allow the experiment to be conducted on a single clutch where duds were present.

Needless to say, after several experiments, those involved in the Atypic Research were finally able to hatch and raise the first Atypic Firelizards in Pernese History. Among the first Atypics were blacks and crimsons. White Atypics seemed unable to survive past hatchling age among the flits - likely due to their tiny size and vulnerability to predators and patheogens native to Pern.

Malvren Weyr then gave the (clandestine) okay for the Researchers to extend their experiment to a dragon clutch, provided one of their golds clutches contained a dud. It became a waiting game at that point and nearly two years passed before duds were laid by one of the smaller golds of the Weyr.

The Hatching occured as normal and the spectators were ushered out at the end, admist much gossip and speculation, so that the Researchers could see if the dragons possessed the same hidden variation as their younger cousins. The Candidates who had not Impressed were held back as well, and the experiment began.

There were three duds in the clutch and the first forced-open egg was a disappointment - it was a true dud, with nothing but ichor and egg-stuff inside. The second egg, however, proved to be a marvelous surprise. Once the tougher then normal shell was broken away, the sleek, ebony hide of a black shone in the light. The hatchling was no bigger then a small green would be but the dragon was alive and it took some time before it gained it's bearings. Those present thought the disoriented dragon would simply blink Between and be gone forever. That proved to an incorrect assumption, however, as the little black toddled over to one of the Candidates and demanded food, Impressing to the incredibly astonished Candidate.

The final egg proved to be a Crimson and she Impressed to the Researcher who opened her egg - a turn of events that surprised all parties involved. She too was as tiny as a green but she would grow large enough to rival a brown. It was a confirmation that the Atypical Colours needed assistance in birth and early life to survive due to their physical differences.

From that point on, whenever duds were present in the clutch, the Weyrleader and Weyrwoman would open the final eggs to release any hidden dragons.

The Atypical Dragons proved to be echoes of the first white dragon - the Silvers and Blacks are infertile males, the Whites are neuters with male or female frame of minds, and the Crimsons proved to be fertile but infrequent in the success of their Flights. Crimson dragons were proven to be made totally infertile if they chewed firestone and that choice became a central defining point for Crimson Riders and their Dragons. Silvers, Blacks, and Whites all chew firestone.

Weyrs
The Weyrs are the home of the dragonriders of Pern. They are expansive structures, often situated in a cave-riddled extinct volcano, or along a mountain face, where there is enough space for the dragons, their riders, and the people of the "lower caverns", i.e. the staff which maintain the Weyr. Due to the unsuitable terrain of Weyr locations (volcanoes, cliff faces), Weyrfolk are generally unable to grow food. They depend on tithes of goods from the holds in order to survive, and in exchange, the Dragonriders have pledged to protect those holds from Threadfall.


Holds
The Holds of Pern are where the majority of people on Pern live. Holds are literally castles, just not quite like the castles from the Middle Ages. There are three sizes of Hold: Major, Minor, and Cothold. Major Holds are ruled by a Lord and Lady Holder, and their family. The remainder of the residents are staff and workers who run the hold, and professional crafters; all told, they usually number around one thousand. The Headwoman is in charge of the inner hold, and looks after all of the workings inside, while the Steward runs the outdoor parts of the hold. Major Holds tithe a portion of their produce to the nearest Weyr in return for protection from Thread.

Minor Holds are always beholden to a Major Hold, and tithe to them in return for protection from Thread and other dangers. They are run by a person who bears the title of Holder, and are home to smaller numbers of people than Major Holds.

Cotholds are small, family-run holds, and usually all those who live there are family or close friends. 'Family' on Pern generally means an extended family of several generations and branches, as opposed to the nuclear family common in Western societies on our own world.

Each hold is responsible for the discipline of its wrongdoers. Most times the Lord Holder will make the wrongdoer pay restitution and service to the wronged party. The next level of punishment is incarceration. Death penalty can also be used in response to heinous crimes. One of the greatest punishments is to be named holdless. This is where a person is stripped of all rank and status and thrown out of the hold. The most severe punishment of all is exile, usually to the island archipelago known as the Eastern Ring Islands. The reason this is the most severe punishment is because the holdless have nowhere to go during Threadfall and have no other human contact. This punishment is usually followed by a Shunning, which, in effect, causes the Shunned to be ignored completely by all humans. It is established in Dragon's Fire that the holdless are marked on their foreheads with an indelible dye for identification.

Halls
The Crafthalls are the home to craftsmen; those Pernese skilled in a particular industry. The Crafts of Pern are: Harper, Smith, Healer, Miner, Weaver, Farmer, Fisher, Tanner, Baker, Vintner, Herder, Dolphin Craft, and Ancientcraft. For example, the Harper Hall is responsible for the arts (specifically music) and teaching young children the Teaching Ballads, which provide them with basic knowledge. When a child is ten or twelve, they can be sent to be an apprentice at a Crafthall if they show a flair for that particular craft. The Crafthalls train the crafters and send them out all over Pern to provide their skills to even the remotest hold. Note that it is not necessary for someone to be (for example) a trained farmcrafter in order to grow food; holders have a wide variety of skills, but it is the crafters who are the experts.

The crafts all use the same hierarchy. Everyone in each craft begins as an apprentice, usually from age twelve to eighteen, then becomes a journeyman (eighteen to thirty) with a great deal of hard work and dedication, attainment to the status of Master (thirty+) is possible. Not everyone makes it to Master, and some leave before even the rank of Journeyman is reached. Such a step from apprentice to journeyman is called 'walking the tables', based on the custom that apprentices and journeymen eat at different tables at a crafthall. The craft rank and hold they are beholden to are indicated by complicated knots which are worn on the shoulder.

The crafthalls are located near or in the Major Holds. For example, the Harper Hall and Healer Hall of the Northern Continent are both located in Fort Hold. At least some crafts have local crafthalls at other Major Holds; for example, there is a small Weavercraft Hall at High Reaches Hold, as well as a branch of the Healer Hall in South Telgar Hold.

The leaders of the Halls are called Mastercrafters, for example, the Masterharper is the head of the entire Harper Hall, and is not to be confused with a Master Harper, of which there may be several.

Other
The Holdless
People who do not live in an established hold — either by choice, or due to punishment — make up the Holdless. They have no guaranteed protection from Thread, and the life of a Holdless is often dangerous.

Several nomadic groups were part of the initial colonization of Pern. Similar to European Gypsies and Irish Tinkers, they disdain hold life, choosing instead to live on the road, traveling from place to place. They tend to live in tightly-knit family groups and are fiercely loyal to their group and way of life. They are extremely distrustful of outsiders and do not often take in strangers, especially ex-holders, without some proof of trust. Many are Traders (see below) and help organize trading caravans which travel from hold to weyr.

Traders
These are the people who take goods to trade to less well-off holds, and to those people who often cannot reach a Gather. It is these isolated holders who need the traders and their trains of goods to keep them equipped with flamethrowers and farming equipment from the Crafthalls. Traders usually visit those holds that have few to no Marks, and so take produce instead of currency. It is very rare that a trader will carry perishable goods that can be found somewhere else such as grain or culled animals. The only way this will happen is if the good in question is local and/or exotic and will be highly valued by those with more marks in the larger holds.

Another way the traders serve the rest of Pern is by allowing Craft Journeymen or Masters to travel with them so that these talented men and women do not have to take the long and sometimes dangerous journey by themselves.

Revolutionary
Founded with the belief that Wherhandlers should garner the same respect as Dragonriders, the Revolutionaries were lead by the visionary but corrupt Masterhandler Keller. Their ideals were originally that all members of a Weyr should be treated equally whether they be a dragonpair or a wherpair. However, Keller’s corruption turned this ideal into a might-makes-right approach that often saw Wherhandlers lord it over Dragonriders.

Over the course of their brief existence, the Revolutionaries staged attacks at Benden, Malvren, and Trine Weyrs. They succeed at Benden and Malvren due to the close quarters of the tunnels where dragons could not defend their riders from violent whers. The group was crushed and disbanded at the end of the Wherwars when Masterhandler Keller was captured and the two Weyrs that had been taken were freed.

Most of the group, consisting of malcontent riders, handlers, and holdless, were either killed or imprisoned. Some escaped and it these individuals, the remains of Keller’s group, that are what is known as the Revolutionaries now. They are seen as even worse than the Holdless, frequently holding bounties on their heads.

Rogue Queen / Ghost Riders
After the Fall of the Queens and a fundamental shift in the workings of Weyr politics, those gold riders who viewed themselves as above the changes or betrayed by their Weyrs left the Weyrs. With no place to go, these Rogue Queens, have been forced into the wilds during Threadfall, stealing and bribing to survive.

Their specific hide out are unknown but there are rumours that of the Seven that turned their backs, three have perished. The rest remain at large, with significant bounties upon their heads, and rumors are circulating that they gather Holdless, Revolutionaries, and Traders to their banners. Perhaps the freedom of leading by virtue of their Gold’s Command has changed these women, making them little more than pirates.

The Rogue Queens and their Ghost Riders are currently unavailable to players.