Arolos Weyr

Dragons

Each colour has it own specialities and traits... of course they aren`t always stereotypical of those traits but hey...

Greens 20 to 25 feet in length

The smallest of the dragons. Female, but non-egglayers - they were genetically engineered to be sterile by Kitti Ping. However, that knowledge has been lost, and the current belief is that chewing firestone makes them sterile. They do however rise to mate, about every six months.

They are ridden by females, and gay or bisexual males. Their riders have a reputation for being flirty, and short-tempered - especially when their dragon is due to rise (when they are "proddy")

Their small size makes them fastest of the dragons, and they are generally used as sweepriders, to pick up the Thread other dragons miss.

Blues 25 to 30 feet in length

The smallest males. Not big enough to catch a gold - they don`t have the stamina in the air - but they will rise to chase a green. Make good Search dragons.

Ridden by females - generally bisexual- or males - generally gay or bisexual, although some straight males ride blues. Riders are generally fairly easy going.

Browns 30 to 35 feet in length

A large brown may rise to chase a gold. Not as fast as blues or greens, but have more stamina in the air, so can fight Thread longer in each Fall.

Riders are generally fairly responsible (I said GENERALLY.. there are exceptions.. lots of exceptions). Only ever ridden by males, sometimes bisexual but mostly straight.

Bronzes 35 to 38 feet in length

The most prized of the male dragons, these are the ones small boys generally grow up dreaming of riding.The largest of the males, it is nearly always bronzes who catch golds, so most Weyrs have a bronze as Weyrleader.

Most bronzeriders end up as Wingleaders at least. As the largest and strongest of male dragons these can hold up in the air longest, and can sometimes last all through a Threadfall without having to rest. Bronzes are only ridden by straight males.

Golds 38 to 42 feet in length

The egglaying females. The goldrider whose dragon rises to mate first in a Weyr without a Weyrwoman will become Weyrwoman for the rest of her life - and the rider whose dragon catches her dragon is Weyrleader.

For their reproduction these are prized - after all without golds there would be no more dragons! There is much celebration if a gold egg is Clutched on the sands.

A dragon will ALWAYS obey a gold - it is the only time it would disobey its rider. Therefore if it suspected that a rider is lying then the truth of the matter can be found by asking his dragon.

Golds do NOT breathe fire. They were engineered by Kitti Ping to be strictly the mothers of the entire species. That knowledge has been lost through the Turns, however, and now it is staunchly believed that if a queen were to chew firestone, the act would make them sterile.

They are largest of all dragons, and are only ridden by straight females.

They rise to mate less often than greens, and are more possessive about the dragons chasing them - if two golds rise at once they will fight and may kill each other.

General Dragon Traits

Individual dragon colour types and traits are dealt with on this page but there are some general rules to help you write within the "approved" versions of Pernese Dragons.

Dragons are LARGE -No kidding, a full grown queen is huge!

Try and remember this!

There is some debate on the exact sizes, but Madame McCaffrey has recently stated that dragons are to be measure in feet, not yards. Our sizes listed reflect that change.

The wings are 3/4's the length of the dragon, which makes the tip-to-tip wingspan one and two-thirds the length of the dragon.

What is called a "dragon-length" is the average length of a green.

Dragons can teleport between - This process is dangerous if not done properly. The Rider must give his/her dragon a visualisation of where they are going to go and then the teleportational abilities of the dragon take them through the void of between in approximately 8 heartbeats. This is a vital ability in fighting Thread. Remember that between is very cold, and there is no air there or in fact any sensation at all.

Dragons can go Between Times :- This is accomplished by a time specific visualisation. Officially only Golds and Bronzes are meant to know about this.

If you "time" it in character be aware that you should incorporate the following effects. A longer jump between Turns- the longer the duration between. This will lead to oxygen deprivation and extreme cold.

Similarly you must role play the effects on the rider and the dragons. A pair that has timed it will be extremely fatigued, dizzy and disorientated, especially if they exist in a time that they already exist in. The dragons feel this less than the riders.

In some ways a far jump is better because the disorientation fades if there are not living "twice".

Dragons can breath fire - But only if they chew firestone that is (a phosphine bearing rock).

They usually do this only to fight Thread and have to regurgitate ash afterwards. It is not logical to have them suddenly flame under other circumstances.

Dragons are NOT inclined to violence or nastiness:- This is important!! Pernese dragons are often described aptly as the riders " better half" .

They have their own quirks and personalities but they will not attack people, or other dragons in anger. The only circumstances something like this would happen was if the dragon was panicking and its rider was not in a position to control them or they were oblivious to the fact they were causing a problem.

This is only likely at Hatching or potentially during a mating flight

Dragons cannot exist without their life mates - if their rider dies, they suicide by going between without a reference point. The other dragons will keen in response to their passing.

Likewise if a dragon dies, the rider often suicides, but occasionally they will live-- forever scarred mentally by this profound loss.

Dragons are generally totally on their Rider's side in everything. - Sometimes this means contradicting them when they think they know what is best but usually they will obey them unless a queen is involved.

They CAN make themselves understood to other people if they wish, but as a general rule they will not speak to them of their own accord.

Similarly, only under certain circumstances can a non-rider of a specific dragon hear them, unless they are a Hear All Dragons type (who are few and far between)

Youth Intro | Holder/Crafter Intro | Dragons

The Dragonriders of Pern® is registered U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, by Anne McCaffrey, used here with permission. Use or reproduction without a license is strictly prohibited.