A Guide for Candidates and Weyrlings

[Dragonflight Pern]

Introduction

The life of a Candidate or a Weyrling is one full of chores, lessons and skill development meant to guide each one into being a productive member of the Weyr as well as an effective rider should they Impress a dragon.

For Candidates the short and sweet story is that their days consist of blocks of lessons in the care and traditions of the Weyr interspersed with chores. Many of those Searched from Holds believe that once you become a Candidate, it's a life of luxury and prestige. Not so - you're expected to work just as hard as any other weyrfolk regardless of how you came to be in the Weyr; it can be quite the eye-opening experience for some new Candidates.

For Weyrlings the summary is this: with a new dragon to care for, whatever free time they once had as Candidates is now long gone. Each day is partitioned between chores, lessons and caring for the young dragons. Oil is a Weyrling's new best friend - as are the Weyr's herders - to care for skin and stomach alike.  

[Dragonflight Pern]

Candidacy

More Good Information Here

When a clutch of eggs lie on the Sands, established dragon riders go out in Search of individuals who strike them as empathetic and full of promise. The dragon of the Searchrider assists in this assessment and those they approve of are offered the chance to Stand at the aforementioned Hatching. Weyrs do not Search outside their catchment, but can and do visit a good number of the Holds that are beholden to the Weyr. Those who live in the Weyr have the advantage of being able to ask to stand as early as twelve years old and do not need to be Searched.

The age of all Candidates must be between 12 and 21 turns. Twelve turns is the earliest that a Candidate can Impress, whereas those who have not Impressed by 21 turns will not Impress. Once a Cadidate has aged out, they can opt to remain with the Weyr to fill various roles needed to keep the Weyr functioning smoothly (something many former Candidates do) or they can opt to return to the lives they led before being Searched. A Candidate my also choose to withdraw their Candidacy should they not Impress after a few times - regardless of what the Candidate chooses, it is a very personal choice and no one will force it, either way.

Once a Candidate is confirmed and assigned a bunk in the Candidate barracks, their daily schedules are looked after by the Candidatemaster of the Weyr. This person - usually a green, blue, or brown rider - tasks the Candidates with chores ranging from cleaning latrines to cooking to babysitting or any number of other chores that weyrfolk engage in. The Candidates themselves are answerable to all riders and may be asked to assist a rider if they need something.

When not doing chores, the Candidates are busy with the many lessons required to help round their knowledge of life in the Weyr. The topics range from Weyr History, the procedures associated with Hatchings, the roles of various ranks within the rider hierarchy and - of course - about the dragons and what it means to Impress a dragon and be a rider.

As of late lessons regarding how the hierarchy of the Weyr works are being included in the Candadite's cirriculum. These topics cover the roles of the High Ranking and Mid Ranking individuals, their knots, and the importance of voting for the individual someone believes best suits the job when elections occur. Voting and Elections are relatively new concepts for the Weyrs of Pern.  

[Dragonflight Pern]

The Hatching and Impression

Most Weyrs will allow a Touching when the shells of the eggs on the Sands are hard. This ceremony occurs under the watchful eye of the clutching mother - Gold or sometimes Crimson - and allows the Candidates to familiarize themselves with the dragonets growing inside the eggs. At this stage most can sense something about the dragon(s) within and many believe that there's a return affect as well, and that the dragonet can sense something about those touching it's shell. By necessity, this is a relatively short ceremony; Candidates rarely linger overlong and are often ushered away by attendants, the dragon's rider, or by clutch-mother's irritated rumbles.

Hatchings can begin at any time of day or night and only those with the proper knowledge of dragons can estimate the date(s) near where the event can be expected. During this time, the entire Weyr - but most especially the Candidates themselves - are alert and on edge, ready for the moment the eggs begin to crack. The whole Weyr thrums and hums - a signal for the Candidates to gather immediately on the sands; they drop whatever they are doing and hurry to their pre-assigned positions after donning the simple white robes that have been the 'uniform' of all Candidates on the Sands for as long as anyone can remember.

As each egg hatches, the Candidates wait excitedly to see whom the unsteady (and sometimes frightened) dragonet will choose as it's lifemate. Sometimes a dragon will find their match among the stands quickly, but sometimes they will not find a match at all. The former is a joyous occurrance for all and the latter is an unfortunate - but blessedly infrequent - reality that the entire Weyr hopes will not happen as all dragons are hardwired to Impress or die - there's no second best for them and if they do not find Theirs, they go Between forever.

Should a lucky Candidate Impress, it is said that it is like having a part of your heart, mind and soul filled that you never knew was missing. You are flooded with the knowledge that you are loved and will never be alone again; it is a very intense connection, and while it varies from person to person, no rider would trade their dragon for another. The bond is strong and true, even within a few minutes of the actual Impression; Impressing is such a deep connection that one cannot live without the other: a riderless dragon will often go Between to die without Theirs, and a dragonless rider will attempt to end their own life if not forcibly restrained (they will typically starve to death if that is their only recourse. Very few dragon riders have the will to live once their bonded has died).

After Impressing, a Candidate is guided off the Sands with their new dragonet in tow and over to the waiting riders who give the new rider food for his or her dragonet. New riders are then assigned a bunk in the Weyrling's Barracks and more often then not the dragonpair will fall promptly asleep upon reaching said bunk.  

[Dragonflight Pern]

Weyrlinghood

Newly bonded dragon riders are given honorifics as a sign of their station in the Weyr (and also to make it easier for the dragons); these are shortened versions of their birth-names. A Candidate by the name of Golar would become the dragonrider G'lar, Therion would become T'ron and so forth and so on. Male dragonriders always shorten their names after they Impress, however, the female riders are not required to do this (though they may opt to, if they wish). Along with their new name, the bonded are assigned bunk-space in the Weyrling's Barracks as well as given a few days with which to better get to know their dragon. This is a time of discovery and forging connections that will secure the link between rider and dragon for their lifetimes: the dragonet is new to the world and the closeness of the link between it and it's chosen is such that the rider will feel as though they are seeing everything anew.

Itching and hunger are the primary concerns for the dragonet and it's rider during these early months; the dragonets need to be fed upwards of eight times each day as well as being oiled at least once (once is the very least - most riders will oil their bonded two or more times daily). The gold, silver, bronzes and crimson dragonets in particular are in great need of frequent oiling since they grow very fast.

Once the dragonpair have gotten their bearings, it's back to busy days filled with chores and lessons. The Weyrlingmaster takes charge of the new riders and begins teaching them the finer points of dragon care, drilling them in ground formations (progressing to air formations when they are older) as well as firestone selection and preparation. They will go through everything that a rider needs to know in order to be an effective rider and a credit to their weyr. Some of the alternate colored dragons require slightly edited lessons: in the case of Crimson dragons, they take the lessons on firestone selection and preparation, but never actually chew firestone until they have matured, at which point the decision will be made to have them fight or breed.

At approximately six months of age, most of the bonded dragonpairs have progressed in their studies enough and are promoted to Sr. Weyrlings. At this point, their continued training focuses mainly on flying, aerial combat, riding harness crafting and maintenance as well as more advanced techniques built upon the basics they learned as Jr. Weyrlings.

Senior Weyrlings also begin more advanced lessons on the politics of the Weyr. Because power was only associated with Bronzes and Golds for centuries, and the Golds/Bronzes have lost that power, the Weyrs are making attempts to educate new riders in the opportunities that await them. Goldriders are included in general lessons now and all riders, of every colour, are informed about the various positions available to them.

Elections and earning High Ranks such as Wingleader, Wingsecond, Junior Weyrwoman/Weyrleader, and Assistant Masters are covered with the specific intent to encourage those with the applicable skills to pursue positions of power.

Sample Schedule
Example here
**The Triadweyrs.org site uses a timewarp that equates 1 RL month = 2 Pernese months, so 4 months RL time would be 8 months Pernese time. **
As a note, please ignore the size references for anything but relative growth - sizing charts specific to this shop will be provided.