History

This is an Alternate Ninth Pass Pern PBeM game. Aivas will never be discovered, thread will never stop falling.

At the end of the eighth pass, unusually strong volcano eruptions necessitated the evacuation of Benden Weyr, which was destroyed in a blast so powerful it obliterated half the mountain range. Those living in Benden Hold were also forced to evacuate. For a while, the other five great Weyrs supported the Benden dragons, and the other holds the Benden Holders, but one hundred turns into the eight interval, it became clear that the crowding would have to be alleviated.

Delegates from Fort, High Reaches, and Telgar Weyrs set out to explore the Southern Continent, where they found a beautiful, lush landscape that seemed barely ravaged by the devestating thread spores. To their delight, they found a large volcanic island with an ancient crater large enough to house a mid-size Weyr. News was relayed back to the North: We have found a site for the new Weyr.

For nearly twenty-five turns, rooms were excavated, pastures were built, the Weyr-lake was dug, and the old volcano was turned into an inhabitable Weyr. The excess riders began to be transferred in; dragon and rider slept outside, and for a while attacks by feline posed problems for the many weyrless riders. Seventy-five turns from the present pass, the new Weyr was officially opened, under the supervision of the new Weyrwoman, Atora, rider of golden Borahilth. For ten turns, the new Weyr grew and prospered. Then tragedy struck. A young and inexperienced Weyrling pair, resting on a cliff ledge on the mainland, was attacked by a pride of wild felines. Atora and her queen answered the terrified summons, and gave their lives driving off the marauding beasts in an act of unusual heroism. Her sacrifice was not forgotten - instead of being called "The New Weyr," the Weyr began to be known as Atora's Weyr, and now, Atora Weyr.

Shocked at the death of its leader, the Weyr turned to the young Jr. Weyrwoman, Nasha. Unfortunately, she was not prepared to handle the burden, and for thirty years she mis-managed Atora Weyr along with a succession of weak Weyrleaders. When she and her queen retired, an energetic new Weyrwoman stepped to the helm, Weyrwoman Santara. She righted the mess, and with a scanty twenty-five turns till the next pass, she managed to get the Weyr in order. Yet, she was middle-aged when she took control, and she /betweened/ a scarce six months before the present turn. To make matters worse, the only other queenrider at Atora was an irresponsible, pampered Weyrling, Xianine. The other Weyrs, realizing how soon thread would be upon them and how weak Atora's political position was, began to pull wings out of Atora to bolster their ranks. The young goldrider could do nothing to stop them, as Ista and Igen had been working in unison, and so when Alandra arrived, Atora Weyr was gutted. Only a little over one hundred riders still remain, a tiny population to protect two growing holds and one minor holding. Will they be able to right Atora before thread begins another deadly invasion of Pern?

All references to worlds and characters based on Anne McCaffrey's fiction are copyright© Anne McCaffrey 1967, 2001, all rights reserved, and used by permission of the author.