Need to Know Information

Common Mistakes
Cheat's Guide to Pern
Character Creating Guidelines

 

*Painfully* Common Mistakes

- The Weyr and Hold are not one and the same, but two separate establishments. The Hold, miles away from the Weyr, is under its protection and currently has a tenuous relationship therewith.

- Dragons do not have scales and spikes; they have smooth hide, back ridges, and headknobs.

- Dragon eye color is changeable according to mood, not one solid color.

- Dragons do not battle, nor do their riders (with exception to the occasional duel). They flame Thread.

- Firelizards and Whers do not speak; they send images or emotions.  Whers can send one or two words to a handler, such as hungry or stranger.  It isn't that they are stupid, it is that human and dragonic brains are different and can't communicate well with each other.  Dragons were super engineered to be empathic enough to be able to communicate with people.

- It is not often that dragons speak to humans, outside of their rider. They will, however, chat amongst themselves.

- There is no religion or war on Pern. Currently.

- Also, no magic! Telepathic dragons are fantastical enough, don't you think?

- Leather is made from cattle or for riding leathers, Wher.

- Pern has medieval technology. That means no computers, magazines, etc. However, with the invention of the printing press by one Suron Yvades, books have taken the place of scrolls on Pern and are slowly becoming more common.

Now, watch out, or you might see your mistake on the list!

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Cheat's Guide to Pern

Ok, our world Pern is based off the Dragonrider books by Anne McCaffrey. For those of you who do not know and love the books, it’s probably pretty confusing at first.

Why can’t I have a red dragon? What on Pern is Impression? Why can’t I call my dragon Son of the Wind? There’s reasons for all of this, and you should probably read the Information sections, but for now, here’s the Cheat’s Guide.

Step one: Basic Dragons

- Dragon names always end in –th
- Dragons come in 5 basic colours: green (female); blue (male); brown (male); bronze (male); and gold (female, fertile).
- Dragons don’t have sharp claws, scales or spikes. They have smooth hide, and ridges on their necks and eyes.
- Dragon eyes change colour with their mood. They are also faceted, like an insect’s eyes.
- Dragons do not fight people, whers, or other dragons.
- Dragons communicate with telepathy, and their rider’s answer back through telepathy.


Step two: Impression

- Impression is how a person and a dragon become attached.
- It happens as soon as the dragon hatches. They choose their favourite from the assembled Candidates, and become bonded for life. Dragonriders do not have to be good people. They must simply share personalities with a dragon.
- This only happens on the Hatching Grounds, within the Weyr, before an audience and a queen.
- Dragons are born knowing their name.


Step three: Riders

- Male riders shorten their names, so they begin with one letter, then a consonant, and the rest of their names. For example, if a candidate has the name David, after he Impressed, he would call himself D’vid.
- Female riders keep their names, most of the time.
- Riders are usually outcasts or weyrbrats (rider children bought up in the Weyr by the servants), as most people don’t look too highly on dragonriders anymore.
- All riders live in the Weyr.


Step four: History

- Pern has been struck by plague and earthquakes in the past few years, and as the general population was looking for a reason to dislike the dragonriders, they blamed them.
- One of the places struck by the earthquakes was the old Weyr, Southern. The Weyr was destroyed, and Last Hope was founded.
- There used to be many Weyrs all over Pern, but due to plague, they are no more, and Last Hope is all that remains.
- At Last Hope Weyr, the Gold Queen Corath died, without another Gold Queen to replace her. Her last daughter, Truth, became the Green Queen.


Step five: Thread

- So why do we have dragons? To fight Thread!
- Thread is a parasite that comes from the Red Star.
- It’s long and thin and mindless – kind of like acid rain.
- Dragons fight it by breathing fire at it and burning it to death. Riders don’t fight it themselves, but they ride their dragons during Fall and function as one unit.
- Thread is also killed by water and lack of food (all organic material).
- If a person or dragon gets hit by Thread, they are either killed or injured for a period of months.
- Thread has yet to fall.  The end of the Interval is about 5 Turns.


For further information, you should read the detailed pages in the Information section. If you have any questions, feel free to ask anyone OOCly. We’re all very friendly, and will help you as best we can.

((Everything written above was done by Swamp Hag, thank you Marti!))

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Character Creating Guidelines

General

1) Check out some of the bios. See what's been done and what hasn't.


2) Do not create a carbon copy of yourself. This is roleplaying. We want to know you in OOC, not IC.


3) Pick a reasonable name please. Nothing elaborate like Zuealliyania (I actually saw that one) and preferably not dull like Bill.


4) Try to avoid making your character overly gorgeous or handsome. Be creative, be interesting, but above all, be realistic. You won't find supermodels wandering the roads of Pern everyday. Unusual hair/eye color to be avoided (silver, green, pink, etc.).


5) Make your character's personality unique or interesting. Stay away from overdone stereotypes, like the shy girl with a defiant streak, or the fiery, superassertive redhead. Tell us their weird quirks, peeves, hopes, fears, secrets, virtues, etc.


6) Give your character a history. People are shaped by their experiences, and generally speaking, it's a lot easier to play off of a character with a history than a blank slate.


7) Please give your character some weaknesses. It means they're human- and far more interesting than the average Joe.


8) Big tip: when making a character, try and plan some sort -any sort- of a storyline for your character. Players get bored with their character because they don't have a direction for them. Don't fall into this trap. You don't necessarily have to have everything planned. Spontaneity is fun, but get some idea of a future for the character.


Hold/Craftsmen

1) If your character comes from a Hold or Crafthall, keep in mind Last Hope's history. If they're anything like the majority of Pernese people, they probably don't look too highly on the dragonriders anymore. In fact, if your character's old enough, they might have been around during the Plague and earthshakes.


2) Speaking of which, available Crafthalls in the south are limited.  Most crafters come from the North, and all crafthalls have been absorbed into Holds for their own safety as well as to increase their numbers.


3) Don't know what age to make your character? Suggested age for Journeymen Crafters is anywhere from 15+, while Apprentice Crafters are 12+.


Candidates

1) Candidate ages: 12-20. Gold Candidates are usually on
the older end of the scale. If you have a prepubescent Candidate (e.g. a twelve year old), plan to have them mature during weyrlinghood. This is not optional.


2) If you have a male Candidate character, consider how his name will contract beforehand (e.g. Marin to M'rin). The formula is usually: letter, apostrophe ('), consonant, three-five letters.


3) If you expect your Candidate to Impress, make sure they're able-bodied. A handicapped rider is, unfortunately, a liability.


4) If you have a Hold Character, after the first hatching, Roleplaying a Search is mandatory!


5) Suggest color/name preference for your character's dragonet. We make no guarantees that they'll be accepted, but give it a try.


6) Keep in mind that we decide your Candidate's lifemate based on their personality and your rping skills. Show us your stuff.


7) All dragon colors are fun, unique, and eligible for promotion @ LHW. If you're not given the color you expected, it's for good reason. Don't let it hinder your writing. Disappointment can be a well of inspiration.


8) Important! Inactive Candidates do not Impress! Post or expect to be disappointed.


Riders

1) Male riders shorten names to an honorific (e.g. Darax to D'rax). The formula is usually: letter, apostrophe ('), consonant, three-five letters.


2) Dragon names end in -th. Don't be cute. No pronouns and/or English nouns (e.g. Meredith, Bath, Worth, etc.)


3) Impression (dragon-human bonding) only happens within the Weyr, on the Hatching Sands, before the queen, with an audience present. Do not say you found a dragon clutch and/or egg alone around a beach and/or cave.


4) A word of advice: avoid pairing brother-sister characters with lifemates of the opposite sex. It could lead to some uncomfortable situations.


5) If you're starting with a rider, know their color well.


6) If you want to be a Searchrider, try for blue. They're famous for their Searching abilities.


7) Dragons don't have huge claws, fangs, or spikes. They're used for eating, nothing else.


8) Dragon abilities can include any number of things, including but not limited to strength, courage, cunning, stamina, speed, agility, intelligence, Searching, maneuvering, etc.
 

Whers

1) There is a group of young men and women called the Whers: cuthroats, thieves, outcasts, and blackguards, each with their own wher companion. They oppose the Lady of Pioneer Hold.  Don't fit in at Weyr or Hold? Join their ranks!


2) What's a wher? They're essentially smaller, uglier cousins to the dragons.


3) Note: Daya Knight will approve you to become a member of the Whers and give your color and rank accordingly. You may not be both a rider and a bandit.


Rules:

1. Joining characters do not have pets. Firelizards are clutched/bought, felines/canines must be given or bought, and runners/wherries are bought.


2. We are currently no longer allowing HADs (Hear All Dragons). Tune in. We may allow more in the future.


3. If you wish to make a character that is already a rider, you may choose from bronze, brown, blue and green. Golds, may be Impressed or otherwise earned.


4. You must read the site rules. Failure to comply is not the fault of LHW or its administration. Also, it is not required, but we highly recommend reading the FAQ.


Are you having trouble? Ask the BoD. We love to hear from members.

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