Our Setting

[Paytience]

As the Red Star approached, signs foretelling of the return of Pern's ancient nemesis, the Weyrs that had survived many bouts of poor weyr-hold relations through the long Interval, were finding it difficult to garner increased support from the Holds in the form of Tithes, both in goods and in people -meaning that with increase clutch sizes, there were not enough people to impress every dragon. The Weyrs then, began to see hatchlings disappear forever Between because they were unable to find a lifemate with which to bond. It was a tragedy that a number of clutches faced, until the decision was made by ____ Weyr to try a new approach to Impressions.

It had been observed in some firelizards that the hatchlings could bond with one another if humans were not present. With that in mind, it was suggested that a certain number of eggs be set aside prior to time for the Candidates to go through their Touching routine, ensuring that only a select few eggs were ever touched by a human. It was believed that if an egg was never touched by humans, then it would have no expectation of impression aside from the Impression to its own clutchmates, thereby increasing the chance of survivability. More dragons could be saved this way, and then trained to partner with human-bonded dragons so that they could be integrated into thread fighting wings later.

Since Golds and Bronzes were necessary for leadership, and to supply the weyr with large successful clutches in the future in preparation for threadfall, every Gold and Bronze was set before candidates in hopes of impression. The number of Greens, Blues and Browns set aside for non-human-impression was determined by the number of candidates that the Weyr could get its hand on; though there had been more forceful attempts to take candidates in recent years, due to desperation. This however, was always a concern to those who thought that forcing the Holds to comply with more frequent searches would put the weyr-hold relations at even greater risk. Needless to say, with the increasing clutch sizes and frequency in which they were being laid, there were always a small few eggs set apart from those that the candidates would touch.

The success rate of dragon-dragon impression was not 100%, but it did prove to save some. The hatchlings were given their own barracks together just as new weyrlings had been, and they were included in the same activities that their human-impressed clutchmates were involved in so that they could learn to work in teams with human-bonded dragons, making them useful to the Weyr in the future. The entire process, for several turns, was new, and there was no way to prove that the dragon-dragon bonded pairs would be able to effectively coopereate in a thread fighting wing in the future beyond their own confidence. Most however, seemed delighted with the idea that they could help. Of course, it did them good to know they'd be able to remain with their clutchmates and there was easy food nearby.

Soon, other weyrs who had encountered the same trouble on a large scale, were assuming the same practice. Not long after however, an unfortunate thing occurred, threatening Weyrs as they'd long been known. Dragons were faced with a plague that either killed swiftly (in one variation of the disease), or came on silently and only appeared well after most others had suffered the worst physical signs of it (second variation of the disease).

Though not all dragons or whers were found to display the full range of symptoms, which could lead to death, some were more resistant to the plague's effects. Resistant dragons did not seem to appear for a while. Their lack of severe symptoms, or perhaps symptoms that simply took longer to surface, caused their illness to go relatively unnoticed until the disease entered later stages. In these later stages, those who had survived what could have been the worst of it were subjected to symptoms of increased aggression and aversiveness toward other dragons or humans. This aggression and overall change in attitude can be sometimes reflected in the Rider's persona and varies in severity depending on the dragon's resistance to the plague.

Weyr dragon and rider populations in the North were not completely decimated, but their numbers waned to frighteningly low percentage of what had once been a much more grande host to be proud of. In light of the previous candidate shortage then, the plague's sweep through their ranks was a horrendous blow to them eliciting a great amount of fear and uncertainty. Those who were suspected to carry either form of the disease were swiftly quarantined to the southern continent. Increasing fear and panic spread as quickly as the plague had. People believed that weyrs would be brought to ruin if these "feral dragons and riders" were allowed to remain, which prompted their separation from the rest. Only, it was suspected that eventually the symptoms of those who had not perished by the plague would be cured of it and soon be able to return to their home in the North. Little did they know that the disease's effects were permanent.

A couple of turns later, a small band of traders is raided by holdless and those who escape end up finding a clutch of wild eggs laid by a green. These kids are then raised by the mothering green with her babies which they impress to. But because these clutches were laid by greens, there was never a metallic color, and the clutches were not that large, or even alive. The Northern weyr didn't seem to care, for Threadfall was just starting and they had bigger problems to deal with. But with the Nothern Weyr sending all of their infected riders and handlers to the South, there was not that many there to care for the North.

But now, it is five turns after the exile of the 'sick' riders and handlers, the North is still being hit by Threadfall, and the South is living comfortably in their little exiled weyr.

Eventually, after having been quarantined, those with non-lethal symptoms who had little resistance to its effects had turned feral enough to strike out on their own. These were riderless dragons who'd not impressed, at first. They were more territorial and aggressive than other still-weyr-bound counterparts, but were still apt to Impress in the same manner. Though, since there was never a gold or bronze known to have become 'feral' and left they weyr as it were, the mating pairs produced no metalics amoungst their eggs. Their clutches were small and many of the eggs died before maturing enough to hatch, so their numbers were few, those that lived in the Wilds of the South.

Five turns has passed now, since that time, and these dragons are still few in number, and with the vastness of the south to hide themselves in, are scarcely seen. The wild dragons are known for their hardiness and greater aggression and territorial behaviour than others who still live in formalized weyrs; which is in part due to protection of food sources.

Rumour has it that a single, rogue wing of dragons with their riders can be seen flying just outside of normal patrol ranges of the weyr in the South. This has produced a lot of rumours recently that the Wilds are being Impressed by unknown groups of people not far from their borders.

WIth the return of thread, the concerns of the Weyrs in the North, and continued fears of plague being carried by those exiled to the Weyr in the south, the North has refused the banished riders permission to return. They have been effectively forgotten and discarded in hopes that the North won't have to add to their own problems any further. Thus, the Southern weyr has declared their independence from the North and taken it on themselves to discover the truth about the dragons gone wild and their rogue dragonriders.

credit to Eloaene she has permission to take this plot back if we are to close down