Weyr Information

[Roq]

History

800 Turns after the end of Thread, a meteorite crashed into Pern. The dragonriders had adopted the task of watching the skies and diverting any of the flaming balls of death after the Fireball had hit those 800 Turns ago. However, after one other meteorite 200 Turns after the first, they had abandoned their post as Star Watchers. It had not happened in so long--how could it possibly happen again?

Therefore, when a huge meteorite, third of its kind to near the planet and second to fall hit, all were unaware of the impending disaster.

The machinery used to track the position of foreign bodies in relation to Pern had long since been destroyed by neglect. Their first warning was the sight of it falling on their heads, and then, it was too late.

The rock made a huge impact on the planet--its crash jarred every single being on Pern. Its most direct effect was a huge crater.

Soon, rainfall became much more frequent on the crater's site. The sheer magnitude of the meteorite and the resulting aftershocks were enough to cause a shift in the planet's orbit. It was miniscule, but through some stroke of luck, enough to alter the climate. As a result of the rain, a huge forest sprouted next to the site of the crash. The crater itself remained barren, devoid of any life.

Seeing the forest as a wonderful opportunity for a lumber industry, people being to settle in the area surrounding the forest--christened the Dark Forest, for its canopy was so thick that little light hit its floor. However, those original settlers were driven out by a new mutated feline thing, that lurked in the forests and killed.

The presence of these demons and the crater that had caused it created superstition in the people of Pern--the entire area was a bad omen. Thus, they became frightened of it, and avoided it.

It was fifty Turns ago that gold dragons began to rise rapidly once more. The resulting clutches of eggs were huge in number. The Records, however, had been lost to time, and therefore no rider understood the signifigance of the event: Pern was repopulating its dragons.

The Weyrs had since been abandoned, for the dragonriders chose to travel to the Southern Continent and create weyrholds, where they could support themselves and their families. However, with the new dragons and a lack of space, in what would be termed the Third Crossing, young riders and the newly-Impressed weyrlings moved back into the homes of so many riders before them. The elder riders went back to oversee the young, and those who remained in their weyrholds soon died.

No one noticed that one dawn not long after the Crossing, the baleful glare of the Red Star was reflected through the Eye Rock, and cast the Star Stones in a bloody red.

The dragon population soared, and now, even the Weyrs lacked sufficient space for new riders. New Weyrs were created, and any rider who was willing to start life in another Weyr was welcome to transfer.

As luck would have it, the crater from so long ago seemed like a perfect place for another Weyr, and so, its site was among those riders had the option of transferring to.

Not only was the site perfect, but three Holds had sprouted along the edge of the forest--equipped with high walls, weapons, and an assortment of things to keep the forest demons at bay. Although there was no more Thread, something instinctual in the riders demanded a Weyr nearby.

Still, no rider would dare offer to be among those to actually live in the site of death. None, but one young and ambitious goldrider. Relina, seeing the lack of others as a sign that she would be uncontested Weyrwoman, decided to move to the empty Weyr. She convinced her cousin and dearest friend, S'rin, rider of bronze Gilrith, to join her.

Even if no other rider would come, Delrith had risen not long ago, and so a clutch was due soon. Relina had faith in her dragon to lay enough eggs to jumpstart the Weyr. At the opportunity to Impress a dragon, what child would not come, despite the location?

Relina's weyrmate refused to come, however, so Relina, bitter for this, focused the entirety of her being into making the Weyr a functional unit.

And then, the demons attacked. S'rin almost single-handedly fought them off, earning a planet-wide reputation as a demonslayer and hero, and was given the honor of naming the things. He chose to call them raqs--a threatening-sounding name, yet short enough to yell in case of an attack.

At this point, Relina chose to name her Weyr--for it truly was hers--after the forest. Deep Forest Weyr was born. In respect, the largest and closest Hold changed its name to Deep Forest Hold, to reflect their status as chief Hold to the Weyr. The other two, Canargen and Lisoa, remained as they had.

And then, for the first time in countless Turns, Thread fell.

It fell over water, and thus was drowned, but Pern and its people threw a collective fit.

The meteorite had shifted Pern just enough to throw it back into the Red Star's path. The deadly spores could once again make the journey through space to Pern.

Deep Forest Weyr suffered. People took their location to connect an innocent goldrider and bronzerider to the return of Pern's ancient foe.

Relations with the Holds instantly fell. Relina, who had always been power-hungry and arrogant, began to turn that arrogance into an intense pride for dragonkind, and scorn for all non-riders as the Lord Holders grew more and more insistent. That dislike for those she believed lower than she soon spread to include chromatics and lower metallics, and Relina had soon become as elitist as they come. The common folk of Pern did not understand the affairs of riders, and so she felt her scorn justified. They returned that scorn, and soon, hate.

Delrith, however, had laid her clutch--her first ever, and it contained a gold egg! The Weyr had a chance to flourish yet.

With the world against them, Deep Forest must therefore fight for standing. Erratic Falls of that deadly Thread that devour all organic matter, constant attacks from the mutant feline-wher raqs in the forest, to the hate of all people on Pern--this is where the Weyr stands. A bit more populated, for that first clutch and many more have Hatched, and more daring riders transfer, but relations do not change so quickly.

This is where you come in, some 1400 Turns after the end of the 9th Pass. Join the Weyr in its struggle for simply staying alive, rider. Prepare to take your position among the other few brave and courageous on the Hatching Sands, candidate. Grow and learn and fight and live. The Weyr is young yet, and any can make that vital effort to change DF forever.

[Roq]

The Dark Forest

The Dark Forest is large, ominous, and not happy. It was formed after the meteorite-caused shifts in weather made rain fall heavily around the crater created by the out-of-control rock. The name given is fitting: those inside the forest rarely can tell if it's day or night, for there is just perpetual darkness. It's thick throughout; the only area the forest thins is around Canargen Hold, where the poor soil doesn't allow for thick tree growth, hence Sr. Weyrwoman Relina's appropriate dubbing of the Weyr as Deep Forest.

Logging seemed to be an appropriate use for this large, unclaimed forest. Many small cotholds sprang up as men rushed to claim rights of a hold for themselves and their families. But the forest didn't like this idea of being chopped down, and soon reports of people, families, even whole settlements disappearing poured in, only blood and destroyed homes remaining. Rumors spread like wildfire about large feline/wher-like creatures the size of a small dragon that were the cause of this destruction. Dubbed 'demons', these creatures quickly reduced the want to colonize the forest down to a slim few brave people--3 men who went by the names Patsediese, Tarinal, and Larance, and their followers.

Patsediese, later the lord of Kirlear Hold, renamed Deep Forest Hold, was the only successful woodcrafter. Patsediese didn't cut down the forest in front of what he claimed as his hold. Instead, he built the main hold, then formed an offshoot a ways down along the forest, away from the people. If the demons attacked, then they would only take out lumber workers, sparing the main hold. He would wait for the creatures to get bored from lack of prey and move off, then send down more men for the work to resume. To filter in income while the woodcraft was on hiatus, Patsediese utilized the rich mineral behind his hold in the mountainous terrain by building a minercraft hold there. These methods allowed Patsediese to quickly build his hold into a large powerhouse of the region.

Larance, later to be the lord of Lisoa Hold, rather quickly lost interest in woodcraft. His genius was to look towards the Lisoa River, which he took his hold's name from, that ran along the forest. Originally a stream that widened due to the excessive rainfall caused by the meteorite, the river made an ideal place to establish a shipping hold. When he went to explore the region, well removed from the forest, he discovered vast plains across the river that were ideal for crops. Sensing potential, Larance quickly claimed the land, not getting much competition from those who were interested in logging, not farming. What is now known as Lisoa River Hold was the original part of Lisoa Hold, and the main hold was moved away from the river later, when Larance realized he didn't like living near the river. Soon, Lisoa was large and expanding with minor holds everywhere. The demons didn't leave the forest, so people were at ease to settle large fields and orchards of Lisoa.

Tarinal, considered a fool and a moron by some, chose to settle an area near a large cliff-face. He claimed he wanted the area for its herding potential. Reality was that he was one of the last to come to the area, and was shoved off good land to this desolate area dubbed "The Scrub." Tarinal, bitter over this disdain, was determined to show up everyone. His hopes fell when he realized that the forest near his hold was nothing more than useless. Trees weren't of any quality to be felled for his own use, let alone shipping. Quickly, he switched his cause to mining, which also proved useless save for the granite rich cliffs and the large amount of stone everywhere on the poor soil. However, stone had long since been no longer in use--there was no Thread to protect people from. Tarinal, to prevent bankruptcy of the supposedly 'mineral rich' lands he'd just finished claiming (dubbed Canargen Hold,) sold his useless stone to Lord Larance at an insultingly low price. He managed to keep his hold up by switching to herding of beasts, the only thing that really could be done with the land. When the demons threatened that endeavor, Tarinal realized he needed to find SOMETHING to keep his precious worthless land. So, he established the first Runner Station in the Dark Forest region.

Things seemed to be settling for the 3 heavily fortified Holds. They had steady incomes (however meager some were,) and were thriving in the environment. Then, one day, a pair of dragons arrived at the crater that the meteor had caused so many turns ago. The holds were happy: they were honored with the presence of a Weyr. At the time, Weyrs provided for themselves, but the lords welcomed the new dragons. Larance welcomed them with a large gift of produce and grains, Patsediese gave them metal supplies for riding gear as well as wooden furniture, and Tarinal gave them quality leather and several beasts to start a herd, as well as offering to sell stone for their various uses for a reasonable price.

Suddenly, the demons attacked the Weyr, and bronzerider S'rin bravely fought them off with his dragon Gilrith. Surviving the endeavor, he was proclaimed a hero and given naming rights, calling them raqs. S'rin himself became a self-taught expert on raqs, trying to learn all he could so he could better destroy the menace.

But, just when all seemed well again...Thread fell. It was over water, and not anywhere near the Dark Forest, but...it wasn't a happy moment. Larance wasted no time in pledging tithe to the Weyr, for his lands needed protection. Tarinal's hopes soared, for with Thread falling, people needed stone for houses. Income was once again in his favor. However, Patsediese, busily finishing organizing his newest craft--the woman's craft--pointed the finger at Relina and S'rin, proclaiming the dragons the cause of the Thread. People took up the rumor and soon had twisted it enough so that the goldrider was in control of Thread and weather, able to somehow twist nature around to her will, while the bronzerider could communicate with raqs, and that his bronze was nothing more than a giant raq itself. Dislike grew.

One thing that is still agreed on by them all, however, is the danger of the woods. Raqs roam freely, as do wild canines. Neither would hesitate to tear anyone to pieces. Only a well weathered Runner from Canargen would even think of voyaging anywhere NEAR the Dark Forest, for there are always raqs waiting to attack anything that moves in their territory. Dragons fly over it, but do not see anything but trees--it's too thick for them to venture into it save around Canargen, where they'd be shot by the holders. The only way to the Weyr is by armed guard through the few paths that were carved through the forest by runners--and carnivores hunt on game trails. The forest is really nothing more than death. To go into it would be suicide.

[Roq]

Maps

Map of Pern, Tenth Pass:


Map of Deep Forest Region:


This post has been edited by Khaleeco on Mar 18 2008, 12:13 AM