Post by Kitsuneko on May 29, 2012 21:30:55 GMT -5
Quindell Weyr is located not far from Southern Weyr, on a peninsula to the west, near Ierne Island. It was founded less than a century after Southern and the discovery of Aivas, populated mainly by dragons and riders from an overpopulated Benden Weyr, as well as a group of riders from Ista unsatisfied with the Weyr's leadership. Many centuries have passed since then, and the Weyrs and Weyrholds have become fully self-sufficient since the end of Threadfall for good. With smaller populations and more time for the riders to practice other crafts, the dragonriders no longer rely on tithes.
Within the last few centuries, some dragonriders have left the Weyrs and Weyrholds entirely to make their own way, hiring themselves and their dragons out as fast travel, labor, and unique skills to aide crafters and holders. Women everywhere have gained more rights over the turns as well, and have been able to obtain Mastery in all Crafthalls except the Smith Hall, thanks to the misogynist Master Smith.
All is not well on Pern, however, and the trouble began twenty-five turns ago. Dragons and their riders began to go missing when flying on sweeps, suddenly and without warning. They would always return hours, days, or even weeks later, but most often they would claim to have no memory of what had happened to them during that time. Some of the riders mentioned having uneasy dreams about inhuman beings afterwards, but otherwise, the disappearances were a mystery.
The mystery became even stranger when a pregnant queen was "abducted," to return a week later with her rider--neither of them had any idea what had happened. During her first clutch, it was a surprise when she hatched not only the normal bronzes, browns, blues and greens in the clutch, but red and black dragons as well, even a medium-sized purple. Both female colors turned out to be fertile as well, though with a higher number of dud eggs than golds; this led to another problem; people began to fear that if the new dragons continued to breed, they would face an increase in dragon population they had not had to deal with since the time of Thread and tithing. If the dragons became overpopulated, food for the rapidly growing dragons would become hard to find, as well as candidates to Impress them. The worries grew as other queens caught by the gold's descendants began laying the new colors as well.
Fifteen turns ago, Quindell Weyr's queen was caught by such a bronze, and laid a golden egg as well as reds and blacks. The queen hatched and Impressed to Slavena, who became the Junior Weyrwoman until the Senior's death to an accident five turns ago, at which point, she and Hiltrauth rose to the position of Weyrwoman. Purples, reds and blacks have become a regular occurrence at Quindell ever since.
A turn ago, disaster struck yet again. A strange, foreboding object was detected in the sky by dragonriders from the Starsmith Craft, and with the dragons sensing an almost inexplicable danger from it, they attempted to push it away from Pern telekinetically. The object was not an asteroid like those they had encountered before, however, but an alien spacecraft that was loaded with members of an alien race. The ship crash-landed on Pern's surface, near the island of Ista, and the strange beings inside soon attacked the nearest settlements, slaying many of the humans and dragons with their weaponry and forcing the rest into hiding, before spreading to the rest of the island. Ista Weyr and the islands' holds are no more; now it's the territory of the alien Yaroii, but for now they seem to be confined to the island. No one expects that to last, however, and all of Pern is bracing itself for another assault. It is now Turn 873 of Pern's Final Interval.
Within the last few centuries, some dragonriders have left the Weyrs and Weyrholds entirely to make their own way, hiring themselves and their dragons out as fast travel, labor, and unique skills to aide crafters and holders. Women everywhere have gained more rights over the turns as well, and have been able to obtain Mastery in all Crafthalls except the Smith Hall, thanks to the misogynist Master Smith.
All is not well on Pern, however, and the trouble began twenty-five turns ago. Dragons and their riders began to go missing when flying on sweeps, suddenly and without warning. They would always return hours, days, or even weeks later, but most often they would claim to have no memory of what had happened to them during that time. Some of the riders mentioned having uneasy dreams about inhuman beings afterwards, but otherwise, the disappearances were a mystery.
The mystery became even stranger when a pregnant queen was "abducted," to return a week later with her rider--neither of them had any idea what had happened. During her first clutch, it was a surprise when she hatched not only the normal bronzes, browns, blues and greens in the clutch, but red and black dragons as well, even a medium-sized purple. Both female colors turned out to be fertile as well, though with a higher number of dud eggs than golds; this led to another problem; people began to fear that if the new dragons continued to breed, they would face an increase in dragon population they had not had to deal with since the time of Thread and tithing. If the dragons became overpopulated, food for the rapidly growing dragons would become hard to find, as well as candidates to Impress them. The worries grew as other queens caught by the gold's descendants began laying the new colors as well.
Fifteen turns ago, Quindell Weyr's queen was caught by such a bronze, and laid a golden egg as well as reds and blacks. The queen hatched and Impressed to Slavena, who became the Junior Weyrwoman until the Senior's death to an accident five turns ago, at which point, she and Hiltrauth rose to the position of Weyrwoman. Purples, reds and blacks have become a regular occurrence at Quindell ever since.
A turn ago, disaster struck yet again. A strange, foreboding object was detected in the sky by dragonriders from the Starsmith Craft, and with the dragons sensing an almost inexplicable danger from it, they attempted to push it away from Pern telekinetically. The object was not an asteroid like those they had encountered before, however, but an alien spacecraft that was loaded with members of an alien race. The ship crash-landed on Pern's surface, near the island of Ista, and the strange beings inside soon attacked the nearest settlements, slaying many of the humans and dragons with their weaponry and forcing the rest into hiding, before spreading to the rest of the island. Ista Weyr and the islands' holds are no more; now it's the territory of the alien Yaroii, but for now they seem to be confined to the island. No one expects that to last, however, and all of Pern is bracing itself for another assault. It is now Turn 873 of Pern's Final Interval.