Post by Sher on Jul 14, 2011 17:50:23 GMT -5
(After AIVAS deactivated itself...)
2553: Striking
The Pernese were so concerned with the comet that struck Pern, they failed to see the simultaneous glancing blow the Red Star suffered. If they had seen it, they probably would have cheered. Wrongly. Several chunks of the Red Star were broken from the main mass, but didn't go flying away through space; instead, they became its satellites, hugged by the low gravitational pull.
2572-2609: Pass Over
The Ninth Interval began auspiciously, as far as anyone knew. Technological advancement had slowed to a trickle, but what there was could be used for the good of all. Books were becoming increasingly available for everyone, but the wise heads of the age determined that it would be necessary to slow production due to deforestation concerns.
Starsmiths of this time period kept a close watch on the Red Star, confident that it would be moving noticeably away. Instead, evidence seemed to indicate that it was getting nearer. The idea was laughed down by the general populace.
2630 - 2700: Irrefutable Evidence
As the century progressed, few of the technological advancements brought about by AIVAS survived being vandalized by extremists, until only the printercraft was left. The first book written purely for entertainment purposes was a huge hit, with many soon to follow. Meanwhile moderate surgeries had finally become an accepted fact of life on Pern.
The graphs produced by Starsmiths eventually convinced folks that the Red Star was coming back. With the latest oddity in its erratic movements, when would be hard to predict. On the positive side, dragonriders were experiencing a major comeback in popularity.
2830 - 2910: 10th Pass
When the Tenth Pass started later than what the Records indicated would have been a normal space of time, everyone was worried, but the worst realization was that Threadfall itself couldn't be predicted. Rather than the humans figuring out where Thread would be next, it fell without rhyme or reason, and they had to rely heavily on the instincts of the dragons themselves. The Pass finally ended, thirty Turns after it should have, leaving many of the weyrholds in the Southern Continent without occupants. Most of the traditional Weyrs closed out the Pass in better shape though; where the riders of the various weyrholds hadn't been taking part in drills, flaming practice was always conducted in the Weyrs themselves.
3025: Unexpected Sources
A weyrholder in the South from a minercraft background made the discovery of firestone on the land he'd claimed. Since this newest firestone mine was not controlled by the influence of a particular Hold, the bluerider agreed to a contract of sale that would make massive amounts of the stuff available to any Weyr with the marks to pay the discounted rate. He was the first genuinely rich weyrholder. When he died childless, the Weyrs altogether assumed control of the mine. Who else would need firestone after all?
3125 - 3157: Beginnings
When golds everywhere started to produce larger clutches more frequently, it was blamed on the proximity of the Red Star. Nobody assumed there would be anything normal about the start of the upcoming Pass, but they were certain they would at least be warned by the Star Stones. By now, Pern's Northern Continent was fairly thickly populated. Children of Lord Holders that were not expected to inherit regularly turned to writing, art, or music rather than become involved in nastiness. Some continued with underhanded and even vicious attempts to secure inheritance for themselves, though.
A new Weyr was finally proposed in the North to take part of the burden of Threadfighting to come. It was bound to be as unpredictable as the Records stated the last Pass had been. When the idea was approved, dragonriders started to study extinct volcanoes everywhere in hopes of finding one large enough for their needs.
3157 - 3172: Construction of the Weyr
Work on this scale would be all but impossible to complete by the time the new Pass was expected, though nearly everyone agreed that rough living quarters would be better than none. Once a volcano was selected and the blueprints drawn, all that was left was beginning the work. The dragons chewed low quality firestone, previously reserved for training drills, to melt the initial entrances into the rock walls, at which point humans took over with fire-throwers, picks, and all the other tools at their disposal. The bathing areas were drilled and fitted so water collection outside guaranteed running water inside, though no plans were made for the water to ever be heated.
With just two Turns left, the local crafts donated materials and labor to roughly finish the Weyr as quickly as possible. The last scaffold was taken down, the last cots brought in, and a skeleton staff installed, with a few internal projects yet to be completed. Now it was time for volunteer riders to transfer in, starting with a mature, fertile (pregnant, in fact) queen dragon sent to help populate it: Brinleth of Ponoa.
Sufficient candidates were not secured quickly enough, and ten of the thirty hatchlings went between - including an infant gold and all three bronzes- to the particular horror and dismay of those left standing. Brinleth hid in her weyr with Mnarith for two entire days afterward, and many feared that she would follow the poor hatchlings between. The Weyr heaved a collective sigh of relief when she finally emerged to hunt.
3173 - 3186: Fashionably Late
As soon as word went around that Sunset Weyr was open, dozens of other new inhabitants flocked to it, though hardly making a dent in the available space. There were promises from the traditional Weyrs that a few willing weyrlings from each graduating class would be sent as well, and Brinleth laid a clutch per Turn, regular as clockwork... but with no gold egg.
Time wore on.
It was expected that Thread would come in '73, but the erratic star's movements had become less predictable since being struck by the comet so long ago. Each of the old queens clutched twice, and every Turn, the Red Star evaded being fully framed by the Star Stones. Brinleth continued to clutch well- thirty to forty eggs until the begin of her decline. Her advanced age left folks wondering when she would completely cease to be fertile- and if she would produce a golden daughter before then.
3187 - '88: Curiouser and Curiouser
Late summer, a Mating Flight of elderly Brinleth occurred, with her Choosing her long-standing weyrmate Mnarith over the younger males for the third time in a row. The entire Weyr went to sleep that night, unsuspecting anything would change. When they woke up the 'next morning,' it was in fact a full Turn later... a fact none of them realized until a wing went to Lemos Hold to pick up the tithe, because nothing had changed. No weeds had sprung up around the weyrbowl. There were no cobwebs. There was no more dust than usual. Nobody knows why, but with Thread still looming in the uncertain future, Ponoa and Th'ol decreed that everyone should just try to get on with drills and training. To forget about it as best as possible, since finding an answer was unlikely. This was the official position of all the Weyrs of Pern- because all of them had been affected by the strange time skip.
Lemos Hold in particular was vastly relieved at the reappearance of the riders they would soon depend on. Their protective Weyr had been silent and unreachable for a whole Turn, during which time strange lights could be seen in the sky above the Weyr. The Hold-folk could only hope such a disappearance would not happen again.
3188: 11th Pass Begins
By the time Thread began to fall that autumn, Sunset Weyr was up to half strength, and with the assistance of dragonriders from the Southern continent weyrholds, they were able to manage everything. But, winter's traditional respite came with its share of problems.
Th'ol, Weyrleader since the founding of Sunset Weyr, succumbed to old age just a few sevendays into the icy season. His bronze Mnarith went between moments after his death. Shocking everyone, Ponoa and Brinleth went between to follow them, leaving a new-laid clutch hardening on the Hatching Sands. The bitter irony was that two sparkling egg sit there, ready and waiting, while willing greens endeavor to keep the whole clutch warm through the chill of late winter.
Adding to the uncertainty, strange lights are continually reported in the winter night sky that eluded starsmiths' attempts to identify them, and the three green dragons that incubated Brinleth's final clutch have refused to chew firestone. What is going on...?
3189: Start of Roleplay
It's only been half a Turn since Thread finally returned. A temporary weyrwoman, Kadia of Rusith, has transferred from Telgar to help the Weyr prepare for the spring clutch, and the increased temperatures that fail to freeze falling Thread. The lack of a Weyrleader continues to loom over everyone, but by all counts Rusith is far from Rising. Kadia requested another gold to transfer in, having seen for herself that there is too much to be done, and too much space to fill now that casualties can be expected. One gold can only do so much.
Continued here, with IC threads.
2553: Striking
The Pernese were so concerned with the comet that struck Pern, they failed to see the simultaneous glancing blow the Red Star suffered. If they had seen it, they probably would have cheered. Wrongly. Several chunks of the Red Star were broken from the main mass, but didn't go flying away through space; instead, they became its satellites, hugged by the low gravitational pull.
2572-2609: Pass Over
The Ninth Interval began auspiciously, as far as anyone knew. Technological advancement had slowed to a trickle, but what there was could be used for the good of all. Books were becoming increasingly available for everyone, but the wise heads of the age determined that it would be necessary to slow production due to deforestation concerns.
Starsmiths of this time period kept a close watch on the Red Star, confident that it would be moving noticeably away. Instead, evidence seemed to indicate that it was getting nearer. The idea was laughed down by the general populace.
2630 - 2700: Irrefutable Evidence
As the century progressed, few of the technological advancements brought about by AIVAS survived being vandalized by extremists, until only the printercraft was left. The first book written purely for entertainment purposes was a huge hit, with many soon to follow. Meanwhile moderate surgeries had finally become an accepted fact of life on Pern.
The graphs produced by Starsmiths eventually convinced folks that the Red Star was coming back. With the latest oddity in its erratic movements, when would be hard to predict. On the positive side, dragonriders were experiencing a major comeback in popularity.
2830 - 2910: 10th Pass
When the Tenth Pass started later than what the Records indicated would have been a normal space of time, everyone was worried, but the worst realization was that Threadfall itself couldn't be predicted. Rather than the humans figuring out where Thread would be next, it fell without rhyme or reason, and they had to rely heavily on the instincts of the dragons themselves. The Pass finally ended, thirty Turns after it should have, leaving many of the weyrholds in the Southern Continent without occupants. Most of the traditional Weyrs closed out the Pass in better shape though; where the riders of the various weyrholds hadn't been taking part in drills, flaming practice was always conducted in the Weyrs themselves.
3025: Unexpected Sources
A weyrholder in the South from a minercraft background made the discovery of firestone on the land he'd claimed. Since this newest firestone mine was not controlled by the influence of a particular Hold, the bluerider agreed to a contract of sale that would make massive amounts of the stuff available to any Weyr with the marks to pay the discounted rate. He was the first genuinely rich weyrholder. When he died childless, the Weyrs altogether assumed control of the mine. Who else would need firestone after all?
3125 - 3157: Beginnings
When golds everywhere started to produce larger clutches more frequently, it was blamed on the proximity of the Red Star. Nobody assumed there would be anything normal about the start of the upcoming Pass, but they were certain they would at least be warned by the Star Stones. By now, Pern's Northern Continent was fairly thickly populated. Children of Lord Holders that were not expected to inherit regularly turned to writing, art, or music rather than become involved in nastiness. Some continued with underhanded and even vicious attempts to secure inheritance for themselves, though.
A new Weyr was finally proposed in the North to take part of the burden of Threadfighting to come. It was bound to be as unpredictable as the Records stated the last Pass had been. When the idea was approved, dragonriders started to study extinct volcanoes everywhere in hopes of finding one large enough for their needs.
3157 - 3172: Construction of the Weyr
Work on this scale would be all but impossible to complete by the time the new Pass was expected, though nearly everyone agreed that rough living quarters would be better than none. Once a volcano was selected and the blueprints drawn, all that was left was beginning the work. The dragons chewed low quality firestone, previously reserved for training drills, to melt the initial entrances into the rock walls, at which point humans took over with fire-throwers, picks, and all the other tools at their disposal. The bathing areas were drilled and fitted so water collection outside guaranteed running water inside, though no plans were made for the water to ever be heated.
With just two Turns left, the local crafts donated materials and labor to roughly finish the Weyr as quickly as possible. The last scaffold was taken down, the last cots brought in, and a skeleton staff installed, with a few internal projects yet to be completed. Now it was time for volunteer riders to transfer in, starting with a mature, fertile (pregnant, in fact) queen dragon sent to help populate it: Brinleth of Ponoa.
Sufficient candidates were not secured quickly enough, and ten of the thirty hatchlings went between - including an infant gold and all three bronzes- to the particular horror and dismay of those left standing. Brinleth hid in her weyr with Mnarith for two entire days afterward, and many feared that she would follow the poor hatchlings between. The Weyr heaved a collective sigh of relief when she finally emerged to hunt.
3173 - 3186: Fashionably Late
As soon as word went around that Sunset Weyr was open, dozens of other new inhabitants flocked to it, though hardly making a dent in the available space. There were promises from the traditional Weyrs that a few willing weyrlings from each graduating class would be sent as well, and Brinleth laid a clutch per Turn, regular as clockwork... but with no gold egg.
Time wore on.
It was expected that Thread would come in '73, but the erratic star's movements had become less predictable since being struck by the comet so long ago. Each of the old queens clutched twice, and every Turn, the Red Star evaded being fully framed by the Star Stones. Brinleth continued to clutch well- thirty to forty eggs until the begin of her decline. Her advanced age left folks wondering when she would completely cease to be fertile- and if she would produce a golden daughter before then.
3187 - '88: Curiouser and Curiouser
Late summer, a Mating Flight of elderly Brinleth occurred, with her Choosing her long-standing weyrmate Mnarith over the younger males for the third time in a row. The entire Weyr went to sleep that night, unsuspecting anything would change. When they woke up the 'next morning,' it was in fact a full Turn later... a fact none of them realized until a wing went to Lemos Hold to pick up the tithe, because nothing had changed. No weeds had sprung up around the weyrbowl. There were no cobwebs. There was no more dust than usual. Nobody knows why, but with Thread still looming in the uncertain future, Ponoa and Th'ol decreed that everyone should just try to get on with drills and training. To forget about it as best as possible, since finding an answer was unlikely. This was the official position of all the Weyrs of Pern- because all of them had been affected by the strange time skip.
Lemos Hold in particular was vastly relieved at the reappearance of the riders they would soon depend on. Their protective Weyr had been silent and unreachable for a whole Turn, during which time strange lights could be seen in the sky above the Weyr. The Hold-folk could only hope such a disappearance would not happen again.
3188: 11th Pass Begins
By the time Thread began to fall that autumn, Sunset Weyr was up to half strength, and with the assistance of dragonriders from the Southern continent weyrholds, they were able to manage everything. But, winter's traditional respite came with its share of problems.
Th'ol, Weyrleader since the founding of Sunset Weyr, succumbed to old age just a few sevendays into the icy season. His bronze Mnarith went between moments after his death. Shocking everyone, Ponoa and Brinleth went between to follow them, leaving a new-laid clutch hardening on the Hatching Sands. The bitter irony was that two sparkling egg sit there, ready and waiting, while willing greens endeavor to keep the whole clutch warm through the chill of late winter.
Adding to the uncertainty, strange lights are continually reported in the winter night sky that eluded starsmiths' attempts to identify them, and the three green dragons that incubated Brinleth's final clutch have refused to chew firestone. What is going on...?
3189: Start of Roleplay
It's only been half a Turn since Thread finally returned. A temporary weyrwoman, Kadia of Rusith, has transferred from Telgar to help the Weyr prepare for the spring clutch, and the increased temperatures that fail to freeze falling Thread. The lack of a Weyrleader continues to loom over everyone, but by all counts Rusith is far from Rising. Kadia requested another gold to transfer in, having seen for herself that there is too much to be done, and too much space to fill now that casualties can be expected. One gold can only do so much.
Continued here, with IC threads.