Scenes from Southern

The continents of Pern are large big chunks. They are massive and only two, north and south. The South is tropical and the coasts are lines with beach.

A, the beach! Its so good to swim!

O O o o o O 0 o o o 0 0 0 o O O O 0 o o o o 0 0 0 o o o o 0 o O 0 o o o o

Ah Southern...

I now reach the docs of Southern Hold. It is huge. Lord Toric sure knows haw to expand! This is the most complete civilization in Pern. Lord Toric made sure he had as much crafts in his hold. There's a good amount of Harpers, Healers, Miners, etc...
Since it is near Landing, schoolig and technology is available. I'm staying a couple days here to explore then heading to Landing with a caravan. Even though Southern is strict when it comes to migrating people, there are still renegades sneaking and creeping around. There are also felines!
OOO! Tragic things would happen if you were attacked by felines. Take a look at Bronze Golanth, Bronze Rider F'lessan and Green Zaranth. Awful!
I have to report to Harpers Minihall here. They can give me lodgings and some assignments to do while here. That could earn me a purse.

Alonzo, stick close! Make sure you don't get into trouble. There are so many wild Fire-lizards and I don't want you fighting them.

The Lessons of the Past

Its been three days since I dream of flooding. What does it mean? New Year Ghosts? Is one coming soon? Have the AIVAS Project have a side effect after all?

This is scary. We must remember our Earth. Tamper with Mother Nature and she will retaliate. Mother Nature is not limited to the planet. She is the whole universe.

The Dolphins keep reminding me. They tell me I should remember the Ancients. Dolphins are the keeper of the Ancient knowledge. Even before Pern, the remember the lores of Earth and the histories they carry. They even introduced me to a new term: Herstory.

Southern Soon

Tomorrow, the captain said we would arrive at Southern Hold tomorrow. Great! Because my Alonzo-kins is still sick. I fed him wherry soup. They say its good for colds.

Sea sick journey...

My journey to the Southern is a long one. For one thing it is not instant. It is by boat. I haven't met a dragon rider who can take me there plus I can't 'coz the little egg might get addled by the time I get it to Landing.

Alonzo is sick. He's having colds. I mixed a cold medicine in milk and gave it to him. He's fine this morning but still feeling sick.

The shipfishes are swiming beside the boat all day and all night. Throw them something and they toss it back to you... considering it is not edible!

Trip to the South

Alonzo is getting seasick but at least he gets all the food he can eat. Fish is his favorite food and he can catch them at a whim.
The dolphins are staying close to the boat. They just eant to make sure we don't go astray in our course or catch a nasty squall. They are really dedicated. This beats water traffic. The dolphins do it for the boat. I wonder when Master Fandarel can make more radios for sea traffic?
Oh well. Aki will be waiting for me!

An Egg

I spotted Lonzo fighting with a proddy Gold this morning. What the argument was about? Food, property, space. The usual. Stupid Erl was just looking and when the fight escalated, he ran away! Coward! I spotted him hiding under the water tanks. Lonzo gave me a rather ominous little egg. Must be the fire-lizard egg he promised. I wonder what color. Can't be gold or bronze, too small. Maybe a small bronze? It could probably be a brown!


So, I'm taking the next ship to the Southern Continent!

Golds are Clutching!

I hope Lonzo will give me an egg. Aki said she really wants a fire-lizard egg. When Lonzo gets me one, I'll go bring her the egg.

Hey, what if there was a sort of tamagochi which are fire-lizard? That would be the rage! They come in 5 different colors and would communicate to other tamagochi consuls and hopefully clutch during certain season. It would chirp when there's another person with a fire-lizard tamagochi. I wish it could send messages like a text phone!

Fire-lizard Food

Here's how to make your own fire-lizard food.
Ingredients:
Salt- a pinch Egg- 2pcs.
Flour- two cups Milk- a cup
Baking powder- a pinch
Dried fish bits- depends on fire-lizard's taste, can be substituted to wherry meat

Fire up your big oven and prepare several flat pans. Combine flour, salt and baking powder together in a large bowl. Make a well in between the mixture and add eggs. Mix then gradually add milk. When there is no more lumps, add wherry meat or fish meat.
Spread flat about half an inch and cut into shapes. I prefer little dragonette and egg shapes. You can make fish of wherry shapes. make sure to make them bite sizes! Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes.

There, these can keep as long as a week. You can keep in your belt bag and feed your little fire-lizard anytime, anywhere!

I know I do! Lonzo is always hungry. Besides, every time I walk along the sandy dunes, Erl and other of Lonzo's friends want a snack! Erl is so nice to touch. He takes care of his hide well for a wild fire-lizard.

Back home with the Lizards and the Dolphins

Lonzo is out hunting or whatever he's doing. I met his little bronze friend, Erl Grey. We call him that because he has lots of splotched of grey on his bronze hide. Erl had sired a clutch the previous season and gave the household brown Turl as a common lizard for messages. He hates to be touched but he'll do anything if you feed him. Turl is a silent one.

Diki showed us her new fire-lizard. Its one of Erl Grey's recent clutches. Her new fire-lizard she calls Blindy. Blindy has an interesting history. Her mother took off into the between to save herself from threadfall. In the process, some of her clutch became addled and some came out deformed. Five eggs hatched. Blindy was born with one eye. The other eye simply was not there but she's a beautiful gold. Another from the clutch was deformed. This little blue was born small and completely blind. He didn't last long.

Blindy is very affectionate but very greedy for food. She's ever so fat for a small queen. Diki's having a hard time oiling her everyday because of her growing size. I do hope she's like her other. I know that big gold. She's so big and heats like a green!

Mother and Father hates fire-lizard. They are one of those who thinks fire-lizards are a pest. The only thing they think they're useful is scaring tunnel snakes.

The Dolphins are happy to see me. They love to play and are happy to see that I'm once again able to play with them. I do love the water. Lonzo hates water. I must swim at least once a month or I shall dry up. I always thought I had a bit of a dolphin's blood in me. I'm playful and love the water too much.

Lonzo, Lonzo

I know golds are in heat. Lonzo is getting missing more and more often. I know he's getting back to Tillek because of that. And me... I'm the fool going to Tillek because of that too. I'm being commanded by my smart-ass lizard. I did have a one on one to with him, a sincere talk. I told him to give me at least one egg to give to Aki. Aki want a lizard, you see. People in the South have a lizard each or two. Its so hard to get a fire-lizard. Masters and holders get them first. I was lucky enough to get Alonzo.
Now, I hope Alonzo gets me a nice fine Bronze like himself. Another message carrier in the family is very useful.

In the Weyr

Thread falls and I'm kind enough to be given shelter in Fort Weyr!
The first Weyr to be established by the ancients! Imagine that! You can see the smooth stone cut tunnels and chambers and I get to stay the night!
Its fun being a harper. Master Robinton and the Benden Leaders have put the Harper back to their status. I'm appreciating the hospitality and being appreciated at the same time. Now, let me sing these riders a good song as a good harper should.

While I'm here, I should tell you about Weyr and weyr structure.

The Residents

There are roughly 300 to 500 weyrs for the dragons. Benden can hold up to 500 dragons. Dragons do want personal spaces even if their riders don't mind a shared space.

Dragonriders - each rider has a weyr (the cave structure where they dwell.) In each weyr there are the basic amenitites including bed and bathing facility and a dragon's couch.

Weyrlings - the come at the age of at least 12 and live dormitory style in the lower cavern. These youths who have impressed a dragon do not need a big space because their dragons are still small.

Lower Caverns staff - These are the staff that cook, clean and -some- relieve the sexual tensions of the riders. These people can be candidates who failed to impress, children of the dragonriders or children of the staff themselves. These are some people who do come to the Weyr for protection or simply wishing to live the way life in a Weyr.

Weyr brats - Children born in the Weyr. They are fostered out to the lower caverns if from dragonriders.

Candidates - 12 to 18 year old who are brought from the search to be impressed. They may or may not be impressed.

Craftsmen - There are craftsmen in the weyr to function autonomously. Such craftsmen include: harpers, healers, leather tanners, smiths, etc... There are some who are dragonriders who are also craftsmen like C'gan (Died on the first fall of the present pass) who was a weyrsinger, K'tan (3rd Pass) who was Weyrhealer.

The Fall of...

On my way back home, I'm caught in threadfall! So, I rush to the nearest cavern to take shelter while the fall rains down.

Let me tell you what Thread is.

Thread is the term given by the Ancients to the falling micorhizoid spores that rain on the planet every two hundred years for fifty years. It is silvery and rains down devouring everything organic. Water drowns it and fire chars it.

What brings about thread? When the Red Star nears the planet, it tows the deadly spores in its wake. This Red Star is actually an irregular planet. When the Red Star is in aphelion, it touches the Oort cloud and when it is in perihelion, the spores and thrown to Pern.

Some terms you need to know:

Pass - The Pass is the fifty years when thread falls to Pern.
Interval - The two hundred years in wait for the Pass is called the Interval.
Long Interval - There are times when Thread does not fall. It is called a long interval. It skips its pass so the interval totals to 450 turns. There were only two recorded Long Intervals.

Agenothree - This is actually HNO3. One of the ancients said it so fast it sounded like agenothree. This chemical can burn thread while acting as fertilizer for the plants.
Burrow - A single thread that escapes the charring of dragon's fire. It digs itself under ground and devours miles of organic material.
Ovoid - The frozen state of thread. It has an ice shell and it vacuum sealed inside. This stage of thread is not deadly. When it hits the atmosphere, the ice membrane is burned off releasing the deadly micorhizoid.

The people involved in Threadfall:

The Dragonriders- there is usually at least three Flights involved. A flight has seven wings and a wing is composed of at least 12 dragonriders.
Sweepriders- after a fall, the wingleader assign sweepriders to look for burrowing thread or anyone in need of help.
Queen's wing- The queen cannot chew firestone therefor the Weyrwoman brings a long nuzzled flamethrower. The has her owns wing and they fly closer to the ground since only golds have long wings that can allow them to safely gluide lowest.
Ground crew- The ground crew is composed of the hall or hold where thread falls. They carry flamethrowers and agenothree tans to char any thread that escapes the wings or queen's wing.