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Dragondex

CRAFTMASTERS AND MASTERCRAFTSMEN IN ORDER OF FOUNDING THE MAJOR HOLDS AS BOUND TO WEYRS

Fort Weyr

symbol:

color: brown

Weyrleader: Sh’gall; dragon bronze Kadith

Weyrwoman: Moreta; dragon queen Orlith

Wingleader: S’peren; dragon bronze Clioth

Fort Hold (oldest hold), Lord Holder Tolocamp

Ruatha Hold (next oldest), Lord Holder Alessan

Southern Boll Hold, Lord Holder Ratoshigan

Benden Weyr

symbol:

color: red

Weyrleader: K’dren; dragon bronze Kuzuth

Weyrwoman: Levalla; dragon queen Oribeth

Wingleader: M’gent; dragon bronze Ith

High Reaches Weyr

symbol:

color: blue

Weyrleader: S’ligar; dragon bronze Gianarth

Weyrwoman: Falga; dragon queen Tamianth

Wingleader: B’lerion; dragon bronze Nabeth

Tillek Hold, Lord Holder Diatis

Igen Weyr

symbol:

color: yellow

Weyrleader: L’bol; dragon bronze Timenth

Weyrwoman: Dalova; dragon queen Perforth

Ista Weyr

symbol:

color: orange

Weyrleader: F’gal; dragon bronze Sanaith

Weyrwoman: Wimmia; dragon queen Torenth

Wingleader: T’lonneg; dragon bronze Jalerth

Wingleader: D’say; dragon bronze Kritith

Ista Hold, Lord Holder Fitatric

Nerat Hold, Lord Holder Grain

Telgar Weyr

symbol:

symbol:

color: white

Weyrleader: M’tani; dragon bronze Hogarth

Weyrwoman: Miridan; dragon queen Sutanith

Wingleader: T’grel; dragon bronze Raylinth

PERNESE OATHS

By the Egg

By the first Egg

By the Egg of Faranth

Great Faranth

Scorch it

Shards

By the shards of my dragon’s Egg

Shells

By the Shell

Through Fall, Fog, and Fire

SOME TERMS OF INTEREST

agenothree: a common chemical on Pern, HNO
₃
. Agenothree fuels the flamethrowers used by groundcrews to burn Thread, and traditionally carried by riders of the queens’ wings.

Beior: Pern’s larger moon

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

Dawn Sisters: a trio of stars visible from Pern; also called Day Sisters

Day Sisters: a trio of stars visible from Pern; also called Dawn Sisters

deadglow: a numbskull, stupid. Derived from “glow.”

Dragon: the winged, fire-breathing creature that protects Pern from Thread. Dragons were originally developed by the early colonists of Pern, before they lost the ability to manipulate DNA. A dragon is hatched from an egg, and becomes empathically and telepathically bound to its rider for the duration of its life.

Green:
Female (20-24 meters). The smallest and most numerous of the dragons. Light, highly maneuverable and agile, the greens are the sprinters of dragonkind. They breathe short bursts of flame. Greens are rendered sterile through a sex-linked disability triggered by chronic use of firestone.

Blue:
Male (24-30 meters). The workhorse of the dragons. Medium-sized, the blues are as tough as the greens but not as maneuverable. They have more stamina under pressure and are capable of sustaining flame longer.

Brown:
Male (30-40 meters). Larger than greens and blues, some well-grown browns are as big as smaller bronzes and could actually mate with the queens if they so dared. The browns are the real wheel-horses of the dragons, reasonably agile and strong enough to go a whole Fall without faltering. They are more intelligent than blues or greens, with greater powers of concentration. Browns and their riders sometimes act as Weyrlingmasters, training the young dragons and riders.

Bronze:
Male
(35-45
meters). The leaders of the dragons. All bronzes compete to mate with the gold queens; the rider whose dragon succeeds becomes Weyrleader. Bronzes are generally trained for leadership and assume Wingleader and Wingsecond positions along with browns. Bronzes and their riders often act as Weynlingmasters, training the young dragons and riders.

Gold:
Queen, full female
(40-45
meters). The bearer of the young, the queen is traditionally mated by whichever bronze can catch her. Although browns can mate with queens—and- sometimes do, in the case of junior queens—this is unusual and not encouraged. The queen is fertile and bears eggs which she oversees until they hatch. Clutch sizes -range from ten to forty; generally, the larger clutches occur during a Pass. The senior queen, usually the dragon of the oldest queen rider, is the most prestigious dragon and is responsible for all the dragons in the Weyr and for the propagation of her species.

fellis: a flowering tree

fellis juice: a juice made from the fruit of the fellis tree; a soporific

firestone: a rock bearing phosphorous that, when eaten by a dragon, is digested to produce phosphine gas, which ignites on contact with air

glow: a light-source that can be carried in a hand-basket

harper: Harpers are the teachers and entertainers of Pern. They educate the young in hall, hold, Weyr, and cot; they guide the elders in the practice of their traditional duties. The Masterharper of Pern is responsible for the training of harpers, the appointment of trained harpers to Weyr, hold, hail, and cot, and the discipline of harpers. The Masterharper acts as judge, arbitrator, and mediator in disputes between Lords Holder and between Weyr and hold or hall, but any harper can be called in to mediate if necessary.

Headwoman: Selected by the Weyrwoman to run the Lower Caverns, the Headwoman supervises the general domestic machinery of the Weyr and the individual weyrs of the riders. Among her duties are the care of the young; the supervision of food collection, storage, and preparation; weyr maintenance; and nursing, under the aegis of the Weyr healer(s).

High Reaches: mountains on the northern continent of Pern (see map)

hold: A hold is where the “normal” folk of Pern live. Holds were initially caverns in rocky cliffs where Thread could gain no foothold; they began as places of refuge. They grew to become centers of government, and the Lord Holder became the man to whom everyone looked for guidance, both during and after the Pass of the Red Star.

Impression: the joining of minds of a dragon and his or her rider-to-be. At the moment of hatching, the dragon, not the rider, chooses his partner and telepathically communicates this choice to the chosen rider.

Interval: the period of time between Passes; generally two hundred Turns

klah: a hot, stimulating drink made from tree bark and tasting faintly of cinnamon

Long Interval: a period of time, generally twice the length of an Interval, during which no Thread falls and Dragonmen decrease in number. The last Long Interval is thought to herald the end of Threads.

looks to: is Impressed by

month: four sevendays

numbweed: a medicinal cream that, when smeared on a wound, kills all sensation; used as an anesthetic

Oldtimer: a member of one of the five Weyrs that Lessa brought forward four hundred Turns in time. Used as a derogative term to refer to one who has moved to Southern Weyr.

Pass: a period of time during which the Red Star is close enough to drop Thread on Pern. A Pass generally lasts fifty Turns and occurs approximately every two hundred Turns. A Pass commences when the Red Star can be seen at dawn through the eye rock of the Star Stones.