The A to Z of the Weyrling Library!

Over the years those dedicated players of Weyrling Masters and AWLM and Candidate Masters have constructed and kept easily editable posts in storage that are taken out, dusted off and tweaked to suit the person delivering it. These posts range from lectures, to lesson posts containing the relevant information to start a weyrling teaching thread and are assembled in accordance with the Weyrling Schedule.

With the restrictions of RP material lifted we have decided to allow this resource to be 'on-line' and available to everyone.
If you display the contents, please make a link back to Arolos and an acknowledgement of the source.
If you use or adapt the contents for your game, please put a small acknowledgement on the mail of the source.
We cannot and will not be enforcing this request and this will be done on the honour system only, but please bear in mind that an enormous amount of time when into preparing this and a link or acknowledgement is very little to ask in return for a fully detailed Weyrling and Candidate system.

Hope you enjoyit!
Arolos BoD

Adjusting to Life As A Candidate

Date: 2005-11-11

Summary: A number of pointers to consider when your character becomes a candidate.

Article: 1. Most importantly. You have just signed up for a career. If you're accepted, you will never be able to back out and you will be risking dying a horrible painful Thread-eaten death for the rest of your life. How does this make you feel? What makes you want to do it? Do you occasionally have second thoughts? You will occasionally see dragonless men around the Weyr, or people who've been crippled by scoring.

2. If you come to the Weyr from a Hold, think of it as the equivelent of moving from a village to the City. There are likely to be more people there then you've ever seen before in the whole of your life.

3. Dragons are the obvious thing - think about them from the view of someone who's never seen them up close before. They're beautiful creatures who join with humans minds and love them forever. They're also very very big carnivores who will leap on a living breathing herdbeast and tear them to pieces in front of your eyes.

4. If you come from a small family cothold, it may take time to adjust to so many people of your own age. Not only are there group hierachies and pecking orders but you're not sleeping in a room alone or with one or two people but in a Barracks. There are regular inspections to see how tidy you are. And then you have to try to sleep - and not kill the person in the next bed for snoring or breathing too loudly.

5. If you're among the older Candidates, you've gone from being regarded as an adult right back to being regarded as a student. The 22 turn olds aren't treated all that much different from the 12 turn olds. If you were working in a Craft, you may have given it all up - even given a Journeyman-ship up - to come here. Is this something you're sure about?

6. Sex and morals. Another obvious one, espiecially at Arolos which is regarded as overly liberal even by other Weyrs. Flightsex, homosexuals, bisexuals, hetrosexuals, relationships involving three or more people - all a little shocking if all your Candidate has ever known is a life where people grow up and get married, stay together for the rest of their lives and sex is something you don't really talk about. Relationships among riders are rarely for life and never exclusive. Not when you have a dragon who may chase or be chased by total strangers. Not everyone's response to this is going to be "Woohoo - let me join the orgy!" Lifetime beliefs are hard to shake off.

7. Children and family life. This is another thing your Candidate is giving up. While some riders look after their children more than others, two riders are not suitable people to bring up a child. Rider-born children tend to either go to foster-parents or spend a lot of time in the Creche. There are good reasons for this. Riders could die every time they go up into the air. They already *have* a dependant being demanding almost all of their time and energy - it's called a dragon. They have to spend a *lot* of time training and drilling - dragonriders can't go part-time in order to spend time with their children. Again, to a Hold child this may be a break in their hopes and dreams. Of course you could abort to avoid the whole mess - which may seem just as shocking.

8. Rules, rules, rules. Crafters may be used to such things, but Hold kiddies will be less so. Candidates have rules, Weyrlings have rules, and riders themselves while encouraged to think for themselves are on occasion expected to be completely obediant. Broken rules can result in not just punishment but expulsion from Candidacy, and later your own death or injury, death of your dragon or death of a Wingmate. That's a lot of responsibility for a Candidate to think about.

9.Young canidates will be leaving their families for the first time and will almost definitely become homesick. Even though they may appear big and strong, they will still remember home and miss it.

10. Whether candidates were never taught respect before they'll be expected to treat all ACM's etc with respect, in fact all those in authority should be treated with respect. A lacking in this area will quickly result in nasty punishments including clearing out the weyrling barracks or latrines, through to sorting out the fire stone in advance of a fall. All jobs that the drudges don't necessarily have time to do! If a candidate is really bad they can even be removed from candacy or sent home in disgrace!

An Arolos Candidates typical Daily Schedule

Date: 2006-11-06

Summary: Typical Candidate Schedule:
6:00 am Wake Up (1/2 candlemark for all Candidates to wake up/use privies/wash up/dress)
6:30 am Roll Call
7:00 am Breakfast
7:30 am First Chore
9:30 am First Lesson
11:30am Lunch
1:00 pm Second Chore
3:00 pm Second Lesson
6:00 pm Dinner
7:00 pm Free Time (study time/cot cleaning/snack time)
10:00pm Roll Call / Bed Time

Twice a sevenday there is a free afternoon and this day varies. During those free afternoons games of Hookball/Swimming/Hiking and various other organized activities can take place.

Chore Board will look something like this, and you will all be told what group you are in:

First Chore Second Chore
Week One
Kitchens Group 1 Group 2
Dining Hall Group 2 Group 3
Weyr Group 3 Group 4
Infirmary Group 4 Group 1

Week Two
Dining Hall Group 1 Group 2
Weyr Group 2 Group 3
Infirmary Group 3 Group 4
Kitchens Group 4 Group 1

Week Three
Weyr Group 1 Group 2
Infirmary Group 2 Group 3
Kitchens Group 3 Group 4
Dining Hall Group 4 Group 1

Week Four
Infirmary Group 1 Group 2
Kitchens Group 2 Group 3
Dining Hall Group 3 Group 4
Weyr Group 4 Group 1

Kitchen Chores include following any instructions the Headwoman or her Assistants may have for you. Some of those instructions may include helping with the cooking/baking/food preparation. It may also include pot scouring, floor scrubbing, and dishwashing among other things.

Dining Hall Chores include following any instructions the Headwoman or her Assistants may have for you. Some of these instructions may include polishing furniture, scrubbing floors, polishing silverware, filling wall sconces, switching out glows, serving food, etc.

Weyr Chores include following any instructions from the Grounds Keeper and his Assistants. Chores may include sand raking, litter control, grounds keeping (shrubs/trees/grasses- yes, we are in the South the Weyr has them especially around the lake). Also Weyr Chores may include helping to clean various barracks/flightroom. Breaking firestone, washing dragons, etc.

Infirmary Chores include following any instructions given by the Weyrhealer, Healers and their Assistants. Chores may include any of the following patient care as qualified for (bathing, reading, massages, etc), cleaning, laundry (includes all laundry).

First Lessons - Include Harper Lessons which will continue your general education. This is also the time those that do not know how to read and write will learn. During this time also you will have various Candidate lectures.

Second Lessons - Include any craft affiliation you desire to be associated with such as Harper/Healer/Weaver/Metal/Beast/Wood/Creche/Baking - etc. The Second lesson is your opportunity to grow in your prior apprenticeship/journeymanship. It is also a time for you to pursue any occupation you feel you might enjoy if you don't Impress, or choose to stop standing as a Candidate.

ANYTIME - Pre-Gather Weyrling talk

Date: 2004-12-21

Summary: *AWLM Name* leaned against the wall waiting for the Weyrlings to settle down. It wouldn't be easy to sit still because of all the anticipation times like these brought up. And while this lecture hadn't been that long in coming, the AWLM had done plenty of thinking about the reactions to the news that he was about to pass on to the newer Weyrlings. He pushed off from the wall, straightening before the group. "Settle down, I know it isn't easy to sit quietly but your attention is required," he began then frowned towards those that didn't obey immediately. Once they were all quiet, he continued.

"As you all know there is a Gather coming up in a few days. The event is the talk of the Weyr currently, making it hard for me to believe that you haven't yet heard about the events or traders that will be there. Even the older Weyrlings have openly expressed their eagerness to attend."

The introduction finished with a long pause as he let them all wonder a moment about what he was leading up to before informing them, "During that time I'm sure you all had a chance to put together a list of what you want to get from the Gather. Unfortunately, none of you will be attending. Such a list won't be able to be used quite like you've planned."

He was promptly disappointed when he was answered by an outburst of protesting. He held up his hand to signal for silence. "*We are aware* that you were looking forward to spending time enjoying the festivities but there is nothing which can be done about this. There are still limits to your bond with your dragon, the farther away you are the less they are able to sense from you. The more distance that is put between you two the harder it will be on them for now. They are far too young to be away from you for any length of time. To go at this point could likely make them panic, possibly even cause them to *between* and I trust that you all know that your dragon would not be coming back after that." He felt rather guilty at having to spell out the implication of what could happen but it was necessary that they understood the importance of the declaration.

"There are still a couple of months before you can leave them for more than a few minutes to merely to get a bottle of oil which you forgot halfway across the Barracks. And many more than that before you will be able to *between* without too much risk," he explained. "Just be patient, the day will come if you wait for it. Until then, you will need to ask other people who are going to the Gather to get whatever you have on your list, whether that is an older Weyrling, adult friends or even one of the AWLM's. Does everyone understand?" He asked then fell silent waiting for replies or questions.

ANYTIME - The Blue Dragon

Date: 2004-12-21

Summary: "The blue dragon," *AWLM Name* began. "What are the traits of a blue dragon? Well mix a green and brown together and you get a blue. They are not as strong as their bigger brothers, less driven by the reproductive urge than a bronze and somewhat more emotional, flighty, than the phlegmatic browns. However, they tend be able to use their brains to the max and thus are often smarter in speech to their riders, and in figuring how to do things.

"Emotionally, they appear unshakeable and hold a lot in, to the point of seeming to be emotionless. This is actually because out of all the dragons, they are the most adept at sensing potential candidates, hence their reputation as the main Search Dragons of the Weyrs. Even so, not all Search Dragons are blue and not all blues can Search, but they do seem to have a talent in that line and are proud of it. Often a Search is just a selection by the dragon but the blues will frequently attempt to talk to those they Search to confirm their selection. It is an unusual enough thing that it is worth noting. A different colored Search Dragon is more likely to just inform his rider of the selection.

"Once a blue decides you are a friend, they think of you as just below their rider, and while it will take longer than with any other color, a blue is the color most likely to NAME someone other than their rider rather than give an image.

"Blues like to think of themselves as witty, and can be sly in their dealings with other dragons. They think with great love to their riders, but wonder if perhaps *THEY* should be doing the thinking since their riders are so backwards. Since usually shy people impress to blues, this can lead to some amusing consequences. In Fall it can lead to an over enthusiasm to fight and an unwillingness to rest as the dragon assures his rider he can continue ... just a little longer ... just a little longer," the AWLM smiled. "You should never underestimate our lifemates enthusiasm to fight Thread, it can be a little startling. Blues are aggressive in Fall and have a more sustained flame than that of the greens, but less than that of the larger dragons. They have a better stamina and are a vital part of the wing as they can nearly match the agility of a green and nearly match the stamina of a brown at a push making them very flexible in a Wing composition."

ANYTIME - The Bronze Dragon

Date: 2004-12-21

Summary: *AWLM Name* smiled as he addressed this topic. "Now onto the traits of the Bronze dragon.

"Bronzes are the largest and strongest of the male dragons and they are very much aware of this fact. Bronzes are noble creatures and they are showmen, inherently having a strong sense of self-worth and confidence. This is due to the fact that in nature, it is best if a gold mates with a bronze. The primary male color has translated to a creature that has an ego to drive it to compete and win, not just reproductively, but in all things that might raise their profile in the eyes of a potential mate. You will never convince a bronze dragon that he is second best and they are very reluctant to let their writers consider this either.

"They are fiery, ambitious personalities, usually ridden by a fiery ambitious rider with a strong sense of drive and determination. A bronze is pure passion -- hate, love, rage, play -- they do everything at 110% and can overwhelm a marginal personality, which is why they tend to impress to flamboyantly strong male figures.

"In many cases, the bronze is like the handsome, dashing hero of a Harpers Ballad, ready to do battle at any time and lead others to victory against incredible odds. In times of no Thread, there would be few bronzes hatched; the dragons respond to the needs of the present and there would be little need for them as their very strength is in how they lead wings and the Weyr.

"Althought bronzes are highly emotional creatures, they have good memories as well. They seem to have the best in brains, but their drives and personality do not allow them to use their memories as effectively as you might think. Foremost in every bronze's mind is leadership and how to get it, to be ahead of the other bronzes. It might lurk behind a gentle seeming personality, but in their heart of hearts, every bronze KNOWS he could be Weyrleader's dragon, and they'll often steer a less than eager lifemate in that direction if they can."

*AWLM* paused and then continued, "The truth is they are this way because that is frequently what is required in a combat situation. And make no mistake about it, Fall is a combat situation. You need a strong charismatic figure drawing your forces together even if much of the actual logistics are delegated to the browns. When it comes to it, unless someone at the critical moment says "follow me!" you could still be discussing how you should take off as Thread falls on your head. That is the strength of a bronze and their contribution to the weyr and a wing as a whole."

ANYTIME - The Brown Dragon

Date: 2004-12-21

Summary: *AWLM Name* looked around and began his information passing once more. "You may want to make notes ... though it is obvious that all dragons are individual, the color type appears to show dominant traits of which it is important to be aware.

"Browns are the third largest of the dragons. There is some overlap and for an important backbone of the fighting wing, their capacity for stamina and flame projection is substantial. In personality they tend to be father figures. They are calming, powerful creatures who seem inherently secure and provide the emotional "glue" as it were that binds a wing together. In terms of hierarchy, they are content to be in second position. They may chase the gold, but feel the pain less when they do not catch her and the few who do are thrilled, but do not wish to take over leadership with the winning of the flight. That doesn't help their rider much though. You win the goldflight you take the Weyrleadership!

"Possibly because of their stability and lesser ambition in getting a gold, browns have much better luck in using their memories, and as such can remember the things every Wingleader needs their Wingsecond to remember. Hence brownriders frequently end up as Wingseconds or Wingleaders as they provide the continuity required in a fighting wing, the ability to disseminate information rapidly and enough leadership potential to act on their initiative AND follow orders. A rare combination and one to be respected."

*AWLM* cleared his throat and sipped a little juice as he continued.

"They are kinder in deed than a bronze, making sure the greens and blues rest in Fall, often grounding someone who is trying hard to overfly in their enthusiasm to keep up. This is where they are most assertive and they can impose a certain force of will if they believe a wingmate is threatened.

"Brown dragons are emotionally calm dragons and can seem dour or a little too stolid at times. They're not, however, and will often go out of their way to ease tensions in the wing and between other dragons. They can lead, but are not as highly attuned to it and they usually lead by consensus rather than the "follow me" attitude of the bronzes.

"Browns like mating flights as well, but unlike a bronze, the NEED to reproduce is less urgent." He smiled and said, "But the need to practice seems just as prevalent, as the greens will attest to!"

ANYTIME - The Gold Dragon

Date: 2004-12-21

Summary: *AWLM Name* looked up from his notes and then settled back to address the group. "Now then ... Golds. Those beautiful graceful focus of every generation of young females daydreams and fantasies ...

"The reality, as usual, has a side rarely considered. Gold dragons are regal, uppity females who basically think most of the weyr is their personal plaything. The fact is, they are pretty much correct which means a goldrider has to exert a firm control on their dragon and not let the power involved with being the rider of a queen warp their perspective. This innate dominance may be hidden in a heart of gold, but they have the strongest wills, and possibly the strongest memories -- but emotional memories, rather than detailed events.

"They will never impose their will on another dragon unless it is asked for by their rider or if it is necessary, such as during an injury panic. When they do it, they can almost take over and overwhelm another dragon of any sort. The older and higher in rank the gold, the better at it they become. Even another gold can be controlled by the Senior queen, backed up by bronzes although there is danger involved in two golds giving a dragon conflicting orders. The Records show this can drive a dragon insane with confusion ... and possibly between. The only instances that dragons have been known to fight have involved parallel Gold risings. It is now policy, here at least, that when a Gold bloods her kill, other golds leave the weyr incase they should come into heat suddenly in competition for the prime bronzes. If you imagine the size and strength of a gold in flight you can imagine the horrific damage and loss that could occur.

"The Golds can compel truth from any other dragon and command immediate deference. This appears to be linked to their position as the fertile representative of the dragon species, a position that accounts for the structure of the Weyr. Protecting the queen is an instinct we could not inhibit in a dragon, as is rising to mate, not without disaster following. Hence, everything we do taps into that protective instinct. Even the instinct to fight thread is born out of the dragons need to protect the queens to reproduce their species rather than their riders as such. Wild Firelizards have this instinct for example.

"Often a Gold will seem cold and aloof; this is more due to the fact that at a certain point in weyrling training, their differences are emphasized and they and their riders separated from their classmates.

"In truth, they know they have to control themselves as a willful gold might just possibly harm another dragon mind to mind if not having kept her emotions in check. Weyrwomen have to have an iron will and immense sense of self to cope with such a powerful creature. As our own history shows, the Golds have the potential to control the might of the Weyr. We are reliant upon the goldriders to respect the Duty of the Weyr, and we in turn protect their capability to reproduce the dragons Pern needs to fight Thread."

ANYTIME - The Green Dragon

Date: 2004-12-21

Summary: *AWLM Name* looked around and smiled. "Green dragons ... the smallest, the fastest, the most agile of all the dragons. Emotion in hide -- greens are all about emotion and little about brains. It's not that they don't have brains, but they don't have the concentration to use them because they live in a world where emotions rule and things change moment to moment. They are passionate, volatile dragons and empathic to a fault. Greens need an emotional rider who can channel this maelstrom of emotion, deal with it and hopefully draw it into calm and responsiveness.

"A green is an active dragon like the hyperactive child of the family. She will be the one most likely to do acrobatics while skylarking, and the one most likely to try things she and her rider KNOW they should perhaps not do. Want, need and action are closely connected in a greens mind. Rarely is there a time for contemplation in there somewhere.

"Even proddy greens are wise in that they know their limitations and strengths better than one of the metallic colors are wont to do; they have no worries of what they do or do not do in Fall -- they can sear clumps the larger colored dragons miss and they will learn the moves to dazzle the eye. They are fearless and have very little in the term of surface memory, though they do appear to remember on a deeper more instinctive level. The best way to teach a green dragon is to repeat and repeat until the action becomes instinct, their rider making it clear it would please them greatly and impress other male dragons to learn this and then there is no other dragon that can touch them for reaction time.

"Greens are bitchy, smart asses who love pranks and tricks, but can feel contrite and sorrowful if someone does not like what they do, or is harmed by these tricks and will offer unconditional love and affection to those they decide are friends. Often they will be maternal, and occasionally a little smothering in their need for their rider, or their interest in what they are doing. This intensity is the reason for the greenrider proddiness - the links between a green and her rider are very strong. They are notoriously flirtatious, and somewhat fickle in their attentions, but you will get ALL their emotion whilst you interact with them ... particularly in a flight. It is a heady and intense experience.

"Greens can take a while to learn things, due to their attention span, and need a rider who can spark the desire they have to please rather than try to teach things just by rote."

ANYTIME LESSON - Moral problem solving

Date: 2004-12-21

Summary: It was too hot today to do anything all that productive, so B'lin had decided to call the class outside and hand out the sheets he had been saving for an occasion like this. He smiled as they settled in the sun, watching the dragonets preen themselves in the heat.

"This is an excercise in thinking," he instructed as he passed the sheets around. "Work in groups, I don't care how big the groups are. For most of the questions there IS no right or wrong answer ... it's just an excercise to get you all thinking. When you've discussed your way through them we'll throw a few of them open for debate."

_______________________________________________________________
1. Trader Jarin is traveling to a Hold to sell his wares. When he arrives there, he discovers that the Hold has been taken over by renegades who have lined up a group of ten people of all ages who are going to be killed as an example to the rest. In honour of Jarin's arrival the leader of the renegades says that nine of the people may live, but Jarin must kill the tenth himself. Otherwise they will all die. The Holders understand what is going on and clearly want him to do it. However, Jarin's morals are against killing under any circumstances. What should he do?

2. While exploring the furthest reaches of the South, your dragon appears to become suddenly ill and you have to land quickly in the middle of a desert. Your dragon is dazed, and is not understanding what you are saying properly, and it is obvious flying any further or asking him/her to call for help, is not an option. As far as you know the nearest habitation is a Hold 70 dragonlengths away in a NorthNorthEast direction. The immediate area is quite flat and appears to be rather barren except for occasional cacti. In this area the temperature reaches 110 degrees F (43 degrees C) which means that the temperature within a foot of the surface will hit 130 degrees F (54 degrees C).
You are dressed in light weight clothing, a shortsleeved shirt, shorts, socks and wherhide shoes. You have a handkerchief. Thankfully, Thread is not due for nearly a month.

A) Do you walk looking for help or should you stay put hoping someone will find you?

B) You have 15 items with you. Rank in order of importance.
a: A glow
b: Knife
c: Airmap of area
d: Large raincoat
e: Magnetic compass
f: Bandadge kit with gauze
g: Loaded crossbow
h: Large flag (white and red) you were meant to be delivering a a Hold later
i: Bottle of salt tablets
j: 1 quart of water
k: A scroll on "Edible Animals Of The Desert
l: Dark goggles which will protect your eyes
m: 2 quarts of very strong wine
n: Overcoat
o: Cosmetic mirror

3. You know that a Candidate is bullying other Candidates in the Weyr. Attempts from you to stop or reprove him in this generally results in the pair of you fighting, with you getting the worst of it as he is by far the bigger person. He has told you that if you tell the ACM then things will go the worst for you as you have absolutely no proof he is doing these things. What should you do?

4. While accompanying your Weyrleader to discuss something with the Weyrwoman, you are asked to wait outside the room while they discuss private matters. Upon hearing a shout, you and several of the other Weyrs riders burst into the room. By all appearances your Weyrleader is drunk, and his knife is lying in the far corner of the room as if he has tried to use it and had it knocked away. The Weyrwoman's dress is torn at the front and she accuses him of making advances on her. Your Weyrleader is too incoherant to defend himself and the weyrs riders appear ready to lynch him. What should you do?

5. A young woman - who knows perfectly well the consequences of being drunk - becomes drunk out of her mind, and begins stripping off in the middle of a crowded Dining Hall, while you are in there. What should you do?

6. You have been sent to collect something from a nearby Hold. Whilst you are there you notice that there is a domestic dispute. Do you interfere? Give reasons for your actions.

7. You begin having a relationship with a Candidate before she/he Impresses. Once Impressed, she/he shows that they wish to continue the relationship. How should you deal with this?

8 There's a flight going on and everyone involved is converging on the Dining Hall rather than the Flight Room. The Dining Hall is full of 'brats and the overexcited riders ignor all attempts to move them. What do you do?

ANYTIME LESSON - Right and Wrong

Date: 2004-12-21

Summary: One of those lessons again, the thinking ones, and B'lin handed the sheets out among the Weyrlings and Candidates. "Right ... some of you have done this before, some of you haven't. Basically, there are a number of questions on these sheets. I want you to discuss them in groups and then try to put your conclusions to the whole Barracks, okay?" He sat back, watching the normal melee as groups were settled, and people started umming and ahhing over questions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What is the difference between you perceiving something as wrong and it actually being wrong?

Are there certain things that are always wrong?

Should you push your view of right and wrong on other people or keep it to yourself?

How do you know whether something IS right or not?

If someone in authority says it, does that make it right?

If a lot of people believe it, does that make it right?

Is one person acting against a crowd automatically wrong?

If you see someone being stopped from doing what they believe is right, because someone else believes it is wrong, what should you do?

If you should see someone hurt because of what they believe is right, what should you do?

Try and think of cases where any of the above might apply, and try to give exceptions to the answers you have given.

Arolos Candidates In Character Rules

Date: 2020-06-17

Summary: 1. All Candidates will attend their Chore groups and complete assigned tasks in a timely manner unless excused for medical reasons.

2. Candidates will attend all Harper lessons and complete assignments on time

3. Candidates will not go onto the Hatching Grounds without permission.

4. Candidates will not leave the Weyr without permission - the Candidate Master must know where you are at all times in preparation for Hatching.

5. Candidates are not allowed on to the Weyrling Training grounds or Barracks without supervision.

6. Candidates may drink and have relationships but are encouraged to do so in moderation. Serious relationships are strongly discouraged and female candidates are reminded that becoming pregnant will jeopardize their position to Stand for a Clutch. Relationships with riders or other older members of the Weyr are likewise cause for concern. Though not expressly forbidden the Candidate staff will intervene if it is felt that the relationship is no longer consensual or is abusive in any way.

7. All Candidates will refrain from indulging in intercourse for a sevenday before a Hatching is anticipated and the female candidates will undergo a medical examination to ensure they are not pregnant.

8. Candidates are expected to act with the dignity required of Dragonriders to be and conduct themselves accordingly.

9. No fighting. Fighting will result in severe punishment or expulsion from the weyr.

10. Candidates will address other members of the Weyr according to rank unless given permission to use a more familiar form of address.

11. Candidates will be in the Barracks before lights out or face punishment detail unless they have informed the Candidate Master and have obtained permission to be elsewhere.

12. Candidates are responsible for the tidiness and cleanliness of their bed area. Excessive mess will result in punishment detail.

13. Candidates will not enter the Candidate Master's office, or that of any Assistant Candidate Master, if it is unoccupied without express permission.

14. Candidates are required to alert the healers any time they feel sick, lest they jeopardize their Impression status.

15. Personal valuables may only be retrieved from the Barracks Locked Cupboard by fetching the Candidate Master or an Assistant Candidate Master. Other valuables are the responsibility of the owner.

16. In order to determine and maintain the mental and emotional readiness of all candidates for Impression an initial evaluation with the mind healers is required upon joining the program. This will be followed up at the discretion of the staff if a candidate seems to be suffering from stress, erratic behavior or serious disciplinary problems. Periodic check ups, typically after every other hatching, will be performed.

17. All Candidates are to live in the Barracks until such time as they Impress, leave candidacy or complete their first Turn of instruction. During their first Turn, they are only permitted to choose cots on the ground floor, though they are allowed to visit the second floor.

18. After the first Turn, they are allowed to leave the Barracks and move into Craft quarters, although they are encouraged to remain in the Barracks. In either case, they are only required to attend occasional refresher classes as scheduled, and to return to the Barracks for the sevenday before a Hatching. Candidates who choose to remain in the Barracks may be allowed, with the Candidate Master's permission and depending on a number of factors such as age and behavior, to move up to the second floor, where they are granted a certain extra freedom - which mostly just means the ACMs don't patrol up there as often. However, troublemakers can very easily be sent back downstairs!

19. Under no circumstances is a candidate permitted to live alone, move in with a mate or any similar arrangements. Such would be considered too distracting and detrimental to candidacy.

20. All Candidates must choose a Craft to learn as a Candidate (however, they are free to test several out on a trial basis! This can be indicated under "Other"). Arolos is the only Weyr that allows this, but even we have our limits! Most Crafts have a presence in the Weyr, but those that do not can NOT be picked. These include, but are not limited to, Minercraft, Vintnercraft, Seacraft, Whercraft, and Dolphineering. Occasionally we can be petitioned to consider a "special exception" but these are not taken lightly as they involve a great deal of planning around the IC difficulties that a Candidate working in these crafts would entail.

*Please note, these are In Character Rules and if your characters chose to disobey them then this will not get you into trouble with the BoD unless you refuse to play the consequences if you get caught! Any other questions please ask the Candidate Master or the Candidate Masters. *

Calming Other Dragons Lesson

Date: 2007-04-02

Summary: Article for gold Weyrlings and their dragons to learn to use the gold's ability to command and calm other dragons and a reminder that they can't abuse this power.

Article: Kassia smiled at (gold Weyrling name) as they settled in for another lesson. This time they were just outside the barracks with Foreth nearby and (gold weyrling dragon�s name) with them.

�Now, I know that you�ve already been through the class where you assisted with the rest of your class on helping with injuries during threadfall. Now we�re going to talk about another valuable service that only goldriders are able to do. They are able to actually help soothe injured or panicking dragons. Even at this young age your dragon will be able to use some of this innate ability, an ability which will grow as she grows older and will be called upon many times.

�Right now it may be difficult for her to feel this ability, or for you to guide her to do it when needed and to its full effect rather than just hit and miss by instinct. We�re going to start slow, but know that more and more that you both will be expected to help assist in instances where a dragon is injured or panicking. You will also be expected to know when your gold is not up to helping a particular dragon and to ask for help from a more senior gold or the Senior Gold herself.

�So now, what I need you to do is for both of you to close your eyes. By now you should both be a little more familiar with how to work within your own mind and how to feel your lifemate�s mind. (Weyrling) direct (dragon) to feel around in her mind until she finds that center within herself that pulses a bit. It should feel a bit different than the rest of her mind. It�s hard to describe, but it is there. If you don�t mind (rider�s dragon) showing (young dragon) what it feels like she will. If your dragon will mind then we�ll just have to keep trying until you can feel it. Don�t get worried if it doesn�t happen right away, it can take some practice. It�s not meant to come easily, no matter what you might here.

�We�ll be doing this exercise a couple of time each day for the next two sevendays or so, just for a few minutes each. Once you get the hang of it you�ll need to practice on your own. Just remember now to allow your dragon to practice this on your classmates, especially after she learns to use it with minorly injured dragons at the Infirmary. Eventually we�ll teach you how to command other dragons in panic situations to calm them down, but never should this be used to boss around other dragons. That will get you grounded.

�Remember, that you both need to learn this with discretion. She needs to learn that she can only use it in a few circumstances, where it is truly needed. Not just because another dragon doesn�t do what she wants to. If she does she will potentially put another dragon and their rider in danger. We can�t and won�t let a gold get away with using this power inappropriately. It�s something that can get a gold weyrling or rider sequestered and grounded so please keep her from trying to use it outside of our lessons or while helping injured dragons.

�Do you have any questions? If not go ahead and try it and we�ll continue on from there.�

CANDIDATE - ACM - New Candidate Arrival

Date: 2006-07-25

Summary: Initial Interview Procedure:

All Assistant Candidate Masters:

Upon the arrival of a new Candidate in the barracks you are to take them to your office, make them feel welcomed and give them an interview as follows:

Ask:

-Have you got a Search Token? (log the Searchrider pair) If not, find a Search pair to see if they can be Searched.

-Name, Age, where from? (Craft, Hold, Weyr)

-Any skills? Able to Read and write, figure? (i.e Crafter or anything unusual)

-Ask if they have a Craft Affiliation if they haven't already told you and explain that they'll be expected to pick a craft for a three candlemark period every work day. They are free to sample all the crafts to help them decide if they are not sure where they would like
to be.

-Any next of Kin that you might want to come and see them stand.

-Valuables to be put in the Locked cupboards (see map of barracks) Put them in the cupboards when you go get uniforms.

-Give them a copy of the Rules. Candidate Handbook to be returned to you in three days time.(http://www.arolosweyr.co.uk/arolos.php?
p=candipack.html)

-Ask if they have any pets.

-If a Candidate brings a pet Canine they are told they must board him/her inthe kennels- explain they can visit after all their lessons and chores and on days off.

-Flits- tell them they can't be a nuisance or there will be
consequences on up to expulsion from Candidacy. Flits are to get food from a storeroom off the backs of the kitchens where a scrap bowl is kept- those that don't fend for themselves.

Felines- again tell them they can't be a nuisance or there will be consequences on up to expulsion from Candidacy.

Whers- if impressed to the Candidate they can not be a Candidate. If bonded, they must stay with the Candidate's family not at the Weyr.

-Give them a quick run down on the following- to initiate them to their new life a bit:

1. You have just signed up for a career as a possible dragonrider. If you impress, you will never be able to back out and you will be risking dying a horrible painful Thread-eaten death. You will occasionally see dragonless riders around the Weyr and those who have been crippled by scoring, it's not a pretty sight, but the reality of being a dragonrider.

2. If you come to the Weyr from a small Hold, crafthall, there are likely to be more people here then you've ever seen before in the whole of your life.

3. Dragons are the obvious thing - you will be living among these huge beasts. They're beautiful creatures who join with humans minds and love them forever. They're also very very big carnivores who will leap on a living breathing herdbeast and tear them to pieces in front of your eyes.

4. If you come from a small family cothold, it may take time to adjust to so many people of your own age. Not only are there group hierachies and pecking orders but you're not sleeping in a room alone or with one or two people but in a Barracks. There are regular inspections to see how tidy you are. And then you have to try to sleep - and not argue with the person in the next bed for snoring or breathing too loudly.

5. If you're among the older Candidates, you've gone from being regarded as an adult right back to being regarded as a student. The 22 turn olds aren't treated all that much different from the 12 turn olds. If you were working in a Craft, you may have given it all up - even given a Journeyman-ship up - to come here except for three candlemarks a work day for a full turn. After the full turn you can go into your craft full time again and still stand for hatchings.

6. Sex and morals something you'll be dealing with all the time especially at Arolos which is regarded as overly liberal even by other Weyrs. Flightsex, homosexuals, bisexuals, hetrosexuals, relationships involving three or more people - all a little shocking if you've only ever known a life where people grow up and get married, stay together for the rest of their lives and sex is something you don't really talk about. Relationships among riders are
rarely for life and never absolutely exclusive. Not when you have a dragon who may chase or be chased by total strangers. Lifetime beliefs are hard to shake off.

7. Children and family life. This is another thing you're giving up. While some riders look after their children more than others, two riders are not suitable people to bring up a child. Rider-born children tend spend most of their time in the Creche. There are good reasons for this. Riders could die every time they go up into the air. They already *have* a dependant being demanding almost all of their time and energy - it's called a dragon. They have to spend a *lot* of time training and drilling - dragonriders can't go part-time in order to spend time with their children. Again, to a Hold raised young man or women this may be a break in their hopes and dreams. Of course they could abort to avoid the whole mess - which may seem just as shocking.

8. Rules, rules, rules. If you're from a craft you may be used to such things, but if you're holdbred it won't be as structured. As a Candidate you will have rules, Weyrlings have rules, and riders themselves while encouraged to think for themselves are on occasion expected to be completely obediant. Broken rules can result in not just punishment but expulsion from Candidacy, and later your own death or injury, death of your dragon or death of a Wingmate. That's a lot of responsibility for a Candidate to think about.

9.Young Candidates will often be leaving their families for the first time and will almost definitely become homesick. Even though they may appear big and strong, they will still remember home and miss it. If you are among those who feel lonely and homesick, don't hesitate to talk with an ACM or the CM if you need to.

10. Whether you were never taught respect before you'll be expected to treat all ACM's etc with respect, in fact all those in authority should be treated with respect. A lacking in this area will quickly result in nasty punishments including clearing out the weyrling barracks or latrines, dragon's dung yard off the Weyrling Barracks. All jobs that the drudges don't necessarily have time to do. If a candidate shows a blatant disregard for respecting the authority figures around them, and each other they will receive a mark against them and a warning that if they receive another mark they are automatically expelled from Candidacy. It might seem severe, but we only want Weyrlings and Dragonriders that are upstanding and have a high regard for themselves and each other.

~~~

Drugs- A few turns back a drug called Flight was introduced to the Weyr and the surrounding protectorate. If you take the drug you will be expelled. If you've been given the drug without your knowing, you are to go to the Infirmary immediately. Be diligent. If you notice anyone taking or selling the drug you must report it to the CM or ACM immediately.

(Stryka's Drug Spiel- alter to fit your ACM)

Flight is another name of a drug that has been created. Healers use willowbark and various herbs to concoct drugs to help us feel less pain and such. Others have used various elements to create this Flight drug that has caused no end of trouble. The drug itself can have varying affects on people. Some in makes them feel wonderful, elated, passionate, and others it enrages, causes them to do things, horrible, horrible things..."

"A few have even jumped off the Rim to their deaths thinking they could fly without a dragon. It doesn't matter if flight affects you in a good or bad way, it's addictive. Once you've had it a few times you'll start to crave it until it consumes you and all you can think about it getting more of it. People sell this drugs and make a lot of money off it, and other than the monetary gain just having people to control is an incentive for them. We're doing all we can to get the drug out of Arolos Weyr. If anyone is caught taking it or selling it they are turned over to the guards immediately. Having said all that, plesae, if anyone encourages you to try this drug make sure you let me or one of the ACM's know right away.")

There is more, but time will teach you a lot, as well as the
Candidate Rulebook. Don't hesitate to talk with the ACMs or CM if you have any concerns or questions.

~~~

-Then take them into the uniform storeroom (locked) to get two sets of uniforms, knots and then take them to the Barracks. (The Storeroom is a large room with many shelves (think library shelves) with stacks of uniforms, sizes marked on the shelves. ACM is to judge approximate
size and point the Candidate in the right direction. They ~do~ have very small uniforms to accomodate 12turn olds or those older who are just small. They also have very large uniforms to accomodate grown men, 22 turns olds or just younger and larger. So please, don't let it be played that the size isn't there. There is a small changing room for them to try on the uniforms before taking them.

-There is a tag inside each piece of clothing for the Candidates to put their names, so when laundry is sorted the uniform is brought back to the right Candidate.

-Tell them to see Cotmaster To'Old who will assign them a cot and oocly let the writer know where the link is and who is in what cot.

- Then they can take the rest of the day to orient themselves in the weyr (Hopefully you can find another Candidate to show them the ropes) and they would be assigned a chore group the following day (it's always the mythical chore group 4)

-If you are being extra helpful you can show them the boards at the entrance, and then send them to Stores to draw their best set of clothes for Gathers and some general stuff too :-)

CANDIDATE - ACM In Depth Interview

Date: 2005-07-05

Summary: In Depth Interview

Candidate Extensive Interview to be given a few sevendays after arrival.

Please use this interview to expound on what it is like to be a dragonrider-
emphasizing the hardships.

If any Candidates exhibit emotional/mental problems please inform the
Candidate Master ASAP. (Thanks)

Fill in the following questionnaire to the best of your ability. All your answers will be discussed after you are finished. Remember there are no right or wrong answers, just be true to yourself as you reply.

**

Where did you grow up? Hold, Hall, Weyr? (Yes, you�ve been asked this before but it�s pertinent to this interview.)

How have you adjusted to Arolos Weyr life as opposed to the life you led before arriving here?

Why do you want to be a dragonrider?

Did you want to be Searched?

What's your experience with dragons thus far? (Please note if you�ve gone through the Seven-day with a Rider Program. If you have give a brief summary of your time there.)

What do you think being a rider involves?

What will you do if you don't Impress at the next hatching? (Expound on what your reaction might be even if you don�t know for sure or have never been to a hatching before.)

What will you do if you don�t Impress at all?

Is your family happy about your being a candidate? If not, why not?

What was your family life like?

What are you afraid of? (Everyone has fears, the answer- �nothing� is not acceptable)

Are you a virgin? (Yes, we really need to discuss this, and there is no shame whether you answer �yes� or �no�.)

Do you understand what happens during flights, and are you prepared for
that? (If not, explain)

What if you wake up next to a sexual partner not to your liking? (Same sex if you�re not inclined that way, different sex if you�re not inclined that way?)

Have you been to the Healers in the last Turn? If so, why?

Do you hope to have children? Family?

Do you realize that you will have to obey the WLM and the Weyrling Rules without age biased? (If you�re 21 turns you have to listen just like the 12 turn olds.)

Do you realize you're going to have to get your hair cut at least shoulder length and keep it that way throughout Weyrlinghood? Does this bother you?

Do you understand what a hatchling/dragon does if its rider is involved in a fight?

Do you know what happens to a hatchling/dragon when you get drunk?

Do you realize that there is no guarantee what color dragon you�ll Impress?

If you have your heart set on a certain color dragon how do you think you�ll react when you Impress a different color?

Do you realize that when you Impress you commit the rest of your life to your dragon and to fighting thread for Pern?

Explain what happens in Threadfall?

Explain the dangers of Thread?

Do you realize that the chances you will be scored and suffer scarring and/or disfigurement is very great?

Please write down any questions you may have here and then turn in the questionnaire.

Candidate Essay - 'My Life Before Candidacy'

Date: 2005-07-11

Summary: Essay

Article: The morning lesson was due to get underway and Stryka was already standing near the door handing out blank paper as each Candidate stepped through the door. "Take your seats, today you have an essay to write. You'll have one and a half candlemarks to write the essay and tomorrow we'll start reading them aloud and taking questions from each other."

As the Candidates settled down, Stryka wrote on the board the title of their essay.

'My Life Before Candidacy'

"There you go, you will be writing an essay on your life before Candidacy, it has to be at least 250 words long. If any of you have trouble with your letters see me before you start, not after. You can write about a day in your life before you became a Candidate, you can write about general things that happened in your life before you became a Candidate. Talk about your family, crafts, hold life. If you were Weyrbred tell what it was like to be raised in the Creche and around dragons all your life. This essay is to help us get to know one another better and the many diverse paths our lives can take.

Okay, everyone begin and remember, no talking with each other for the duration of the class. When you're done bring your essays up to my desk at the front and you can go off to lunch."

ooc: :) Have fun! Put your Candidate's Name in the subject line after taking out 'Candidates Living in the Barracks'.

CANDIDATE LECTURE - First day as a possible Weyrling

Date: 2005-01-14

Summary: Stryka was ready to give another lesson, she stood in front of a group of Candidates and waited just a few moments for them to settle down.

"Today I'd like to discuss your first day as a Weyrling. You are ~all~ here because you want to be dragonriders. If there is any other reason you are here other than that, then you need to see me after class and we can discuss other options for you. Some of you might have been Searched and jumped at the opportunity to get away from an unexciting life, a bad life, or for other reasons. Being a Candidate for those reasons, while not wrong, will not help you when you are suddenly standing on the Hatching Sands with a little hatchling begging you for food, and all you want to do is turn tail and run." Looking at each individual Candidate near the front of the class, Stryka let what she was saying sink in.

"With that said, just let me add that the Weyr will not send you back home if you choose to give up Candidacy and wish to stay. We will request that you become a viable part of our life here. You may hook up with a Weyr Crafter as an apprentice, or you may become part of our support staff, we have many opportunities for you here, so don't be ashamed to admit that becoming a dragonrider isn't for you."

"Now we are going to discuss your first day as a Weyrling. There you are-- you suddenly have another mind inside your head, this can be quite disconcerting. Some of you have had a dragon talk to you before, but this isn't the same. This mind isn't just speaking to you, it is a part of your mind that will never leave. It is another entity knowing every single thought you have. Not only does the hatchling know you, you know what your hatchling is thinking and feeling. Paramount upon hatching is their hunger. You might go to the Hatching grounds with a full stomach but as soon as your hatchling is out of his shell and has found you, you will feel a intense hunger probably unlike anything you've ever felt before.

You'll think the hunger is really yours and on top of the hunger in your own belly, you'll have a creeling mind inside yours wanting to be fed. This is normally your first exposure to your lifemate. They all vary, but one thing is never different and that is the fact your dragon will be hungry. That is the reason there is a table set up with buckets of cut up meat for the hatchlings."

"Usually after your new hatchling is fed they become very sleepy. You need to get the new hatchling back to the Weyrling Barracks, using the tunnels behind the falls for the shortest route. Once there you'll see bathing troughs set up, you are to wash your little one very good and then you will be shown how to oil him or her. After that they are ready to go to their wallows and sleep, hatching is a very tiring experience and they'll sleep deeply for quite a while."

Stryka looked about and made sure she still had their collective attention. "It's important that you learn what I'm telling you now because later on you'll be able to recall that everything happening is normal. You won't be on the sands clueless as what to do next. Now do you have any questions?"

CANDIDATE LECTURE - On Hatching Day

Date: 2005-07-09

Summary: "Hatching...something that has probably been in your thoughts a great deal." Tiella addressed the Candidates. "This particular session is about what actually happens on Hatching day, as you will need to move quickly and I will not have time to explain this then. So make sure you pay attention." She smiled "Right then, Hatching cannot be precisely predicted, it's dependent on a fair few things so our real first indication is when the dragons begin to hum. It is an unmistakable noise. It starts soft and by the time Hatching occurs the air itself seems to be alive with the noise, throbbing and beating.

We have a period of time between the start of this signal and Hatching, long enough for our duty riders to fetch various dignitaries and your assigned next of kin. You however will be doing other things. The moment that you here the hum, you will report back to the Candidate Barracks and get changed into your robes. This is why your movements are restricted in the last week or so before Hatching. You need to be close, close enough to get back and change. Now, the Candidate Masters Assistants will muster all of you into a group and you will be lead in an orderly dignified fashion over to the Sands. Some of the most important people on Pern will be watching and envying you as you go over so try and comport yourselves with dignity.

You will arrange yourselves around the Eggs, which may be shaking and rocking as the Hatchling strive to break free. Do not stand TOO close. Some of the Hatchlings have been known to be very enthusiastic in their entrance to the world and it is best to give them a bit of space. So...a Hatchling or two will emerge...maybe more at the same time, and they will be VERY hungry and VERY eager to find their lifemate. If you see that a Hatchling is not stopping for you then GET out of the way... They are so intent on finding who they want, they can cause injuries particularly because they are very clumsy and uncoordinated having just been born. This is why we familiarize you with the Eggs, we do not want you so overwhelmed that you don't move or use your commonsense to stay out of danger. If the dragonet is coming for you they will be trying to get your attention - and if you are not paying attention they may butt you to get you to notice them. And they have surprising strength and bulk even newborn.

Now the thing to remember is to make eye contact. At that moment, you will experience Impression if you are lucky enough to be the dragonets chosen lifemate, and it is truly unmistakable. At this point your dragon will fill you with requests to feed him now, and there will be supplies of food waiting for you and the Weyrling Masters Assistants and the Weyrling Master to take over from that point. Those of you who do not Impress will come back to the Candidate Barracks. I will tell you know what I will tell you then. Yes, it is disappointing being left Standing, but it is not your last chance and it does not mean you will not Impress at another Hatching. But I will with out a doubt have to remind you of this again and it's all right to get upset about it...but hopefully not too upset that you cannot join the Hatching Feast that occurs later. That in essence is what occurs on Hatching day, but I am sure there will be questions... is there anything you wish to ask now?�

CANDIDATE LECTURE - Respect

Date: 2005-09-22

Summary: Teaching respect- what it's really all about.

Article: "Respect what is it? Well respect is when one holds another in high regard. This is the definition of what respect is. So, how does one pay respect? Well the easiest way could be to use one's proper title when you are addressing them, or you can bow to them when you first meet them. Another way might be that you show someone respect is by saying thank you and please when you talk to them, or you can talk with a polite tone of voice. Respect is not something that is automaticlly gained. It usually needs to be earned."

"For instance say you are on the hatching sands and you impress a bronze dragon and you are a boy. Just because you impress a bronze doesn't mean that you gain instant respect. All you have gained is the rank that being a bronze rider brings. And like wise if you are a girl and impress a gold hatchling. You are not instantly respected because of who you are you have gained a bit of respect because a gold dragon has chosen you. You then have to earn the respect that is due a queen rider through your daily acts."

"Another way you can gain the respect is by being there for others that are in need of it. These are only a few of the several ways in which one can gain respect. Respect is a good thing and one should strive to gain the respect of others."

CANDIDATE LECTURE - Rock Climbing

Date: 2005-09-22

Summary: Exercise is important- Rock Climbing is great exercise.

Article: ROCK CLIMBING LECTURE:

"First off lets talk about the basic equipment that is required for rock climbing. This here is your basic harness." __________ holds up a typical harness. There is one strap that goes around the hip, and there are two diaganol straps that are to go around each one of your legs. "The waist belt should fit snuggly and be tight, but not tight enough to cause pain in any way. The leg straps should have a bit of play in them." ______________ put the harness on and adjusted it to show exactly what he/she meant.

"Next you should have a rope that is long enough that it can be hung from the top of what ever cliff you are trying to climb and then some. It needs to be able to drag on the ground and tied to your harness like such" __________ tied the rope in a slip knot to the harness.

"There are also these hooks where you can attach them to the rock face with this tiny hammer. You take the hook and set it up against the rock face preferrably in a small crevice and using the hammer you hit the hook into the rock. Once the hook is into the rock you loop the rope through it. These hooks act as a stopper in case you slip and fall off the rock. They are a very good measure to have. Now when you are climbing the face of a rock you look up at the rock above you and look for small foot holds. Now this may sound odd at first, but once you see me doing it you will understand what I mean." _________________ looked at the rock face and found two spots that could be used for hand holds and foot holds. "Now you place your hands in the foot holds and look up for the next foot holds. When you find the next foot hold what you do is using your buttocks and your thighs you force your self up and put your feet where your hands were just at. It is kind of let your feet follow your hands kind of thing." _____________ Reached up and put his/her hands into the first footholds then looked upwards to find the next set of foot holds. The with practiced training ____________ reached up with one hand while moving that same foot up into the spot was just evacuated by his/her hand.

"Once you are up to the next foot holds you lean back on your rope which will be behind your back and being held by one of your hands. This is also the resting position. If you begin to feel your self getting tired I would recogmend that you rest for a few ticks before you continue climbing. It is safer for you to rest for a bit instead of continuing to climb and risk injury or even death from your arms and legs becoming too tired."

"Rock climbing is a very good sport, however it can be very dangerous. I would suggest that if you go rock climbing do it with a partner perferrably one that has more experience with rock climbing. As I said earlier one can get injured rock climbing. You can get simple cuts to deep cuts, fracture a bone, or even brake a bone. In some rare occassions you can end up suffering a concussion or even death from a rock climbing injury. If you end up falling off a rock face and swing into the rock face you can even suffer internal injuries which can also be life threatening."

________________ looked out over the assembled candidates and with a broad smile asked. "Now who is brave enough to try this small rock face or even a few steps up the face. I would like all of you to at least try it. You can go up two steps and then come back down or if you feel brave you can go up higher. You will not be pressured into doing anything, but I think that this could be something that most of you will find exciting. I know that when I was taught how to do it I was scared and skeptical at first, but then I got to my third foot hold and I found that it was exhilarating. Rock climbing again can be extremely satisfying for those who actually make it to the top of the cliff. One feels a sense of accomplishment and completion. So is there a volunteer to go first?" ______________ asked looking at the assembled group of candidates.

CANDIDATE LECTURE - Sevenday before prohibition

Date: 2006-09-21

Summary: "The Weyrwoman has informed me that she believes that the Eggs will be hatching within a sevenday." Tiella said to the assembled candidates "This means as of tonight, the you will be forbidden to indulge in any intimacies as you need to be getting ready for Hatching as it could be any time.

Specifically, those of you who have been in relationships will be asked to submit to a medical examination in the Infirmary to ensure you are not pregnant. In the past we have had the occasional candidate who was pregnant Impress and the delivery has proved very traumatic for the pair and we have nearly lost them. Since that time we have instituted this rule and for some of you, if you Impress, it may be sometime before you get to exchange intimacies again. Like I said you have until midnight." She looked around at them with a faint smile before continuing.

"Those of you who are eligible will all report to the Infirmary for your health check up, to see if you are able to Stand. No trying to avoid it, because if you don't have a clean bill of health you do not get onto the Sands. Simple as that. A hatchling is a great deal of work if you are in the best of health, but if you are injured or sick then you will find it nigh on impossible to cope. I'm not saying it cannot be done, but that it is an unnecessary risk.

From this point in, you will refrain from drinking also. We have to know if any lousy feelings are due to illness or wine. You would not want to be excluded from Standing because you had a hangover would you?" It was a rhetorical question and deserved the snorts of suppressed laughter around her.

"Last thing, I want you to know these rules have not been done to annoy you, to be something that you can get around. They have all been put in place for sound reasons, and are serious and absolute. Break the rules and you will not Stand, and this will be for your protection and that of your potential life mate. Imagine being a couple of days old and the delerium of your lifemate's mind hits you as they come down with a fever... the Hatchling would panic. Imagine a young weyrling trying to deal with their partner giving birth! Do not take these Rules as a challenge to break, but as guidelines to ensure your safety as will. If you Impress and then lose a dragon...the odds are we will lose you too. Remember that. Now, are there any questions?"

CANDIDATE LECTURE - Sex Education

Date: 2005-01-14

Summary: "Today we have a guest speaker, Becca, rider of blue Famarth and also one of the Weyr's Birthing Women." Styrka smiled at Becca who stood at her side. "Becca is here today to discuss a subject that is very pertinent to Candidates. Sex. Even those of you that are younger among us need to learn the whys and wherefores. So, please, give Becca your full attention."

"Hello," she greeted the class with a smile and began straightway. "Here is a picture of a woman, and here one of a man." Stating the obviously she held up a large drawing of a naked man and woman. There were various parts circled and taking a long pointer stick she detailed them.

"This is the male reproductive system�" She went on to describe the male body parts and how they all worked together to make sperm. She explained sexual excitement to them and what happened to the male's body during that time.

After detailing the male she went onto the female and explained how the woman's reproductive organs worked. She talked of monthlies, of sexual excitement and a woman's varying reactions. She spoke in great detail on virginity-- so not one virgin in the bunch could say they didn't know-- she explained all about hymens and how they varied in thickness. She told them that penetration would hurt as the hymen was torn and how in very rare cases- the hymen needed to be cut by a healer in order for a woman to have sex. She also explained after the initial penetration and the hymen was torn, once it healed they would never have to worry about having that pain again.

Explaining how pregnancy occurred when a male ejaculated into the woman's vagina and the egg inside her was fertilized, she went into more detail describing various signs of pregnancy and the like.

Not to leave it out, she spoke about males with males and how great care needed to be taken when involved in this so as not to hurt each other. That it was necessary to keep very hygienic or risk infection. She described the pleasures of oral sex and explained how it was something that was enjoyed by all sexual partnerships- same sex, or not. She touched on female-female sex and explained how the used of foreign objects had to be done with great care. More than one person had been brought into the infirmary torn accidentally, or with a broken piece of orange root in them and the like. All sex needed to be done knowledgeably and safely.

There were many details that she touched on, but she was sure she hadn't answered every question out there.

"Before we are through this is your chance to ask any questions you might have about sex, if you don't feel comfortable asking in a crowd, please feel free to come to me privately." Becca fell silent for the first time after close to a full candlemark of talking, waiting to see if anyone had a question.

CANDIDATE LECTURE - Weyr Ethics

Date: 2005-01-14

Summary: "You may have noticed that people behave somewhat differently in a weyr than they do in a Hold or Craft," Tiella said. "The standards of behavior are not lower but in actual fact different and so the standards you are used to are very different. In a Hold people are expected to be monogamous, to not sleep with too many people prior to handfasting or risk being labeled as a slut or a whore. Consider the reason why this is considered the correct way to behave in a Hold.

Holds are enclosed communities and land where Hold Rights are passed down through Blood. If a woman bears children to many different men in a Hold, what are their rights? Similarly, if jealousy abounds in such a close community it can lead to a great deal of trouble. If a woman sleeps with a man and becomes pregnant there is no easy jump between for her to be rid of an unwanted child; she has to bear the baby and that in turn creates an obligation between the man and woman. The Child will be of his blood and hers and will have those rights and invariably end up having to be married, or ruining a previously arranged marriage. What man or woman will marry into a situation where another man might have a prior claim to his lands? This maybe why there is less opposition to Dragonrider scions in Holds, as there is no chance of a Dragonrider claiming land rights. In holds, those who love their own sex or find them attractive are also targeted as it is seen to be unnatural. Unnatural meaning it does not fit the hold context of growing up getting married having children, passing your Hold down to your heirs. Loving the same sex has a minor flaw as regards that particular ambition.

Of course people in the Holds and Crafts, and that will include many of you, as we do tend to Search outside of the weyr more than many of the northern weyrs for practical reasons. - do not necessarily think of it as logically and coldly as that. They are instilled with the knowledge that this is not the way-- if you are a good person-- how things are done. It's unnatural, its wrong...and then you come to the weyr and see all the things that you have been taught since childhood are wrong going on. And in public too!"

The Candidate Master Assistant looked around seriously.
"The rules that apply in the Holds and Crafts cannot apply here because of the Dragons. The effect that dragons rising can have is undeniable - it produces a compulsion that cannot be denied and they are not worried about who their rider ends up with. Regardless of your sexual preference, you WILL at some point end up in a combination that will not necessarily be you conscious choice. Essentially, if you like your own sex, then at some point you end up with the opposite sex...and vice versa.

It is not wrong, it is actually necessary that you become comfortable with this fact for the sake of your dragon. You will not be thought of badly for any sexual practice in the Weyr, save forcing an unwilling partner. No combination is unnatural, and you will find that behavior shifts along with it. Same sex weyrmates are common. Even weyrmate relationships tend not to be totally exclusive in terms of sex - how can they be? It cannot be guarantee that when your dragon flies- they will be caught by the same dragon each time. There is no actual consideration of Land ties in the weyr population so there is no practical reason to restrain ones self and the looser more liberal attitude to relationships and sex spreads to the majority of the Weyr population.

It is important that you start questioning your attitudes towards sex and begin experimenting. I will say this over and over again...until it gets through. Look at your relationships not as male, or female but as people. If you don't want to be with someone, let it be because you don't like them as a PERSON.... not because you are inhibited about sex, or sexuality. Straight or gay, it matters not...look at the other people as people. Like it or not, you will all experience what is unusual to you and it is best you are comfortable with it. This is the part of the lecture where I tell you to make the most of your candidate spare time with each other. You should explore various possibilities and become accustomed to weyr life and behavior, and lose the sense that what you are seeing is wrong. Before you came to the weyr, perhaps it was...but in the weyr, it is right. It is simply a matter of perspective. Now, I KNOW there are going to be questions on this one...a lot of questions so I will cease lecturing and throw this open for debate... who is first?"

CANDIDATE LECTURE - What if you don't Impress?

Date: 2005-01-14

Summary: "One of the most frequent questions I hear is� what if I don't Impress?" Tiella addressed the group. The Candidate Master's assistant sat on the edge of the desk, "First of all...once Searched, though it is possible, the odds are not likely that you WON'T impress eventually. Consider how many queens are in a weyr, laying queens... usually up to 5. That's approximately two clutches a year each with an average of 20 eggs per clutch. That's a conservative estimate of 200 chances every Turn that you will Impress. And the real figure during Pass is likely to be higher...and there is the possibility of being presented at Clutches in other Weyrs.

But the possibility might exist�I will admit that is why you have your sessions with Crafters and work experience in different parts of the weyr. The Weyr does not throw out anyone if they do not Impress. The only time someone is not welcome in the Weyr is if they have broken one of the most fundamental of rules for which the penalty is clear. The Weyr needs skilled individuals here as much as any Hold or Hall and we endeavor to provide that sort of training for you. You will train or work primarily in the areas that most interest you, or that you find aptitude for. You will begin this through your Candidacy, and the longer you are a Candidate, the more of your time will become devoted to your secondary craft or occupation. After all there is a limit to how often you can listen to one of the Candidate Masters Assistant lecture you on the same things over and over. Of course you will still have to come in for Refresher courses and maintain your physical fitness but we want to give you the opportunity for a satisfying set of skills for either when you Impress, or for if you don't. With this in mind, please take your placements with the crafters and workers of the weyr seriously and try and consider what it is you would enjoy doing. You are in a rare position. Most people do not get this type of choice so please make the most of it. And don't assume you won't need to know, because many of our dragonriders still work their craft to a certain extent once they are out of weyrling hood. It would be a criminal waste to discard all that learning and skill. If you choose to do so, you may use this skill elsewhere and leave the Weyr, but we will encourage you to stay as not everyone is suited to Weyrlife and vice versa. As you may have noticed, we can always use people around here but in the end it is your choice. So... I want you to consider very carefully what most interests you on you placement lessons as you may have the opportunity to make it a craft or an occupation. Any Questions?"

CANDIDATE LECTURE Young to Old People of the Weyr

Date: 2005-08-11

Summary: From Weyrbrats to the older folks in the Weyr, this lecture is about the people of the Weyr.

Article: K'tor coughed once to get attention, looking around the classroom and
locking eyes with those still talking. It didn't take him long to
quiet down the room enough for him to be audible to everyone in it.
"Hello everyone." He said with the same gentle smile on his face as
always. "Today I will be the one to lecture you about a subject most
of you will probably think fits me, well so do I!" He chuckled and
looked around the classroom again to see if he still had attention.
"The subject will be�. 'Young to old, Weyrfolk!' He heard some soft
chuckles and starting conversations, as he had expected some of them
saw it as a fitting subject for the old man. "Now then, I am sure you
all know about the other people in the Weyr next to riders and
candidates and crafters, but I'm here to tell you a little more about
them and how you should treat them."

He took a deep breath and began his lecture. "I think it is quite
logical to begin with the young, the Weyrbrats. I know most of you
have already seen them around and that some of you have actually been
Weyrbrats. Weyrbrats are the children of the Weyr, and therefore the
future of the Weyr as well. You might think they're not important, all
they do is play and learn their Harper lessons and that's it. You, as
a candidate, mean something more because you might become a
dragonrider, or at least that's what some of you think. Well these
children could easily become candidates when older, these children can
also become crafters, support staffers or any one of the other people
we need to keep this Weyr running. Without them the Weyr would die out
as soon as we've all lived our lives." Every moment he was talking he
was also looking around the room, fixing his gaze on those who weren't
paying attention until their neighbours told them that he was looking
their way. He smiled at the candidates and took note of unusual
reactions.

"Then there are Lower cavern dwellers, or Support Staffers, those
neither young nor old without craft or dragon. You might think all
those people do is live on the Weyr's food and occasionally help out,
you might think those people are 'mere drudges' but neither is true.
Yes, some people call them drudges but they are most certainly not.
These are the people that make sure laundry is done, weyrs are
cleaned, meals get served, supplies get sorted and so on. Without
them, the Weyr would be a total chaos. Just imagine that next to all
your tasks, as either a candidate or a dragonrider, you would have to
clean, cook and do all those other tasks. It just wouldn't fit into
your schedule, right? That's why you should respect those people just
as much as you respect any one of us. Without them, you wouldn't even
be able to sit here and listen to me. They make it possible for the
Weyr to exist." K'tor was pleased with this subject being discussed,
because he was a firm believer of respect to all these people. Every
word he said he truly believed and that sparked off of him during the
lecture.

"Now to move on to the 'old people', the Uncles and Aunties of the
Weyr." He said with a smile on his face, knowing that this was the
real reason the candidates had thought this subject fitting for him.
"The people who have led their valuable lives for the Weyr, most of
them having been both brat and Support Staffer, not to old to do their
usual jobs. Again there are a lot of wrong thoughts about these
people. They don't just sit around and do nothing. Most of them help
around watching the brats, mending clothes and doing all sorts of
small, but important, tasks. You have to keep in mind these people
have been serving the Weyr all their lives and still do. Their lives
might have not been as glamorous as some of you are hoping your lives
are going to be, impressing, fighting thread, being a hero, but every
single breath of their lives they have made these dreams a possibility
for you. Just because they worked hard and now are to old to continue
doing hard work, doesn't make them worth any less respect then others.
More respect should probably be in order, because without them, in any
stage of their life, we wouldn't have what he have got here today."
Ending his speech with that dramatic note he smiled again at the
candidates. They had behaved all right, to his opinion, and he was
sure most of them had picked up what he had said. But there was just
that little extra they needed to impress his words on him�

"For this lecture I have invited three people to tell you a little
more about their lives." He said with a smile. "As you might have
guessed one of them is a Weyrbrat, one a Support Staffer and one of
them and Uncle/Auntie (ooc: depends on who I get for this). They are
here to tell you a little about a normal day in their lives and then
you can ask either them some questions. But firstly, is there anything
you'd like to ask me about what I just told you?"

CANDIDATE LECTURE- Pre-Goldflight

Date: 2006-09-21

Summary: Information on what happens during a gold flight pertinent to a Candidate. (Please read and change accordingly to make it pertain to current gold to fly before giving this lecture) Thank you.

Article: With the golds proddy, Stryka thought it was high time to have a talk with all the Candidates that hadn't been through it all before, and even those still in the Barracks that heard it before would get a refresher course.

Gathering all the Barracks Candidates together in two of the classrooms, the partition down to make it nice and roomy, Stryka jumped right into the lesson.

"You've all heard by now, or rather you all should have heard by now that we have not one, but two proddy gold dragons in the Weyr. What does this mean? Well, it mean that the golds are going to rise to mate soon. When a gold rises to mate you'll *all* feel the gold's lust. This can be a frightening experience for those of you who have never experienced lust on your own, or a previous gold's lust. You'll start to feel overly warm and certain parts of your body will start to react and the need to couple with another will take precedence over all else. Some of you might be virgins and if so I suggest you start thinking right now about what you are going to do when you start to feel those strange feelings overcoming you. You'll have a certain period of time to get to a safe location and hide out if that's what you want. You can go to the cold end of the lake, you can do any number of things, you don't *have* to have sex just because you start feeling that lust. You will not *die* if you don't have sex and take care of the feeling. It will pass as soon as the gold's lust is played out, anywhere from a half candlemark to three, four candlemarks depending on the gold and how long she can evade her chasers." Stryka paused for a moment and gathered her thoughts before continuing.

"As I was saying, you have a period of time from when you first feel the strange yearnings start. The gold will blood a few herdbeast as a rule and that gives you plenty of time to avoid a situation you don't want to be in. So plan, plan, plan. Do not wait until the last moment and get caught out. Have a contingency plan for wherever you are, lessons, crafts, dining hall, bathing chamber, sleeping, chores, for the next few sevendays each time you go somewhere realize that it's possible for the gold to go up and you should know what you're going to do when that happens. Another fact to note is after the sun goes down, you no longer have to worry, dragons only rise during the sunlight candlemarks though some cut it close to sunrise and others close to sunset. Usually gold will rise in the heat of the day using it to spur them on. So, after the sun goes down, relax. If you think that the gold's rising is going to be a problem for you, contact me right after class and we'll set up a time to discuss it tomorrow." Stryka paused again and looked out at the group of Candidates. Some were wide-eyed, others smirking and still others were just listening and looked a bit bored. She didn't care, they all needed to hear it.

"Alrght that takes care of those trying to avoid having sexual relations, lets talk about those of you actively seeking to have them and actually looking forward to the gold flight. Please use caution. After a gold flies they're going to have a clutch and if you end up pregnant, girls, you won't be allowed to stand for that clutch. Also, you need to know that any flight, gold or not can be rough. If you're looking for tender loving kindness and a slow, easy encounter the gold flight is not going to give that to you. More often than not you won't remember what happened beyond the fact you wake up and you're sore. You might have scratches, bites, bruises, you could be torn, abraded, there are any number of injuries people have sustained during a flight lust encounter. Be prepared for this. The chances are you'll come away unscathed but there is the chance you might not and the Infirmary will be your friend." Stryka sighed at that, because it was true. The infirmaries were extremely busy places after a gold flight, very busy.

"Some people *think* you can be raped during a goldflight, this isn't true as a rule. You might have an all compelling urge to have sex, but no still means no and the majority of people will listen to the word. The gold compels the lust but you are not her rider, the other people are not her rider. Those whose dragons are chasing her are usually in the flightroom. The majority of people won't be so caught up they can't back out. Just because someone comes onto you, even grabs you doesn't mean you have to submit to them. You can tell them no, you can run, you can even knee them in the groin - works well for men and women, and then run. Also and this is a big also, there are a lot of dragon deaf people about the Weyr and any one of them can come to your aid if need be. Just be loud in your protests. Chances are there will be a dragon deaf person about. A lot of support staffers and a lot of crafters are dragon deaf and they feel no lust and they don't hear the dragons or any dragon kind either. If you are *raped* report it immediately and the person committing the rape, dragonrider or not will be under the scrutiny of the Weyrleaders and subject to being punished. Gold lust is not an excuse to rape." Stryka had been through a lot of gold flights and it was true. Flightlust was powerful but it wasn't an excuse for abusive, raping sex, ever.

"Also, we need to touch on the fact of sexual partners. You might find out that it doesn't matter if you're a heterosexual, you may find yourself strangely attracted to the same sex and vice versa. There's nothing wrong with it, not in a weyr. You may be sitting there thinking no way, that's disgusting, that's sick, but it's not. Get used to these things if you're planning on staying here. Again, use caution in your dealings as much as you are able. If you think you might have a homosexual encounter try to carry a small jar of oil about with you, we do have them small enough to fit in pockets without being noticeable. Again, you'll have a small margin of time there to prepare for what's happening, use that time and it could make things a lot nicer and more pleasurable for you."

Stryka knew the meeting was dragging on but she wanted to cover this as well as she could.

"Remember, you may feel compelled to help another feeling it more than you do. You might feel sorry for someone who is over taken by the lust and there is no shame in helping them out. There is no shame in sex at all, it's part of a dragonrider's life, a big part. Now are there any questions at all? Remember, if you wish to talk with me about this later meet me after you're dismissed and I'll arrange a time for you to come see me where we can talk in private. For those with questions, raise your hands and I'll take you one at a time. Thank you," Stryka finished and looked about for the first hand to go up.

ooc: remember put your charrie's name in the subject when responding please.
Also, if your candie is out of the barracks they would have had this lecture over and over again before they left the barracks, please play accordingly.
Thanks!

CANDIDATE LECTURE- Pre-Threadfall

Date: 2006-08-25

Summary: Candidate discussion- threadfall preparation.

Article: The In Barrack Candidates were assembled, it was time for the next Threadfall. A lot of what she had to tell them was something most heard but not all of them, a few new Candidates were among the group and they needed to hear everything she had to say.

"Threadfall is tomorrow morning. You'll all be expected to help out in one of two places, the Infirmary yard or with firestone sacks. Those of you who know the drill I expect you to help those who don't. I'll give you a quick refresher course now.

If you're slated to help out in the Infirmary you'll be under the direction of all the healers there and I don't care if you think you know more than some of them, you are to listen to their directions. Some of you older Candidates are senior apprentices and even so, right now as long as you are in the Candidate Program and in the barracks for your full turn you will listen to even apprentices younger than yourself while you're helping out in the Infirmary. It's important that you realize this so you don't get confused when you're out there. Having said all that, you will be working under the direction of the healers. You will do all they tell you to from helping out with soiled bandages, to running for numbweed, to cleaning up vomit, urine, and feces. Before you start groaning just remember, someday the rider you are helping could be you and another candidate in your place." Stryka looked at the somber faces, at least most of them had the decency not to look too bored.

"You'll see a lot of things out there when you help out the injured riders and dragons. If all the healers are busy and a rider comes in with injuries and you're right there and available, the best thing you can do is grab up one of the many numbweed buckets and go help them. Throwing the thinned numbweed on any threadscorings is a must, rider, dragon, both of them will be grateful. Stopping the pain, killing any live thread first and foremost is what's most important."

Stryka looked at a few of the newer Candidates and she was pleased to see she had their full attention.

"Those of you helping out with firestone sacks will be under the direction of a rider over near the firestone pit. You will listen to the rider. He'll instruct you where to run the bags so the riders that are transporting them can get them easily. Be careful, pay attention to what you're told to do. A wrong bag in the wrong hands can prove disastrous to a rider. Your assignments are on the choreboard, two groups for the Infirmary yard, two for the firestone sacks. It'll be a long day, you'll work hard and when you're done you'll have the next day off. I expect all of you in your cots at curfew tomorrow unless you've arranged with me or CM Second P'olo to be elsewhere."

She looked at the group of them again, and let silence fall about them for a few moments.

"Remember, get a good night's rest tonight you'll be up earlier than usual tomorrow morning so you can get something to eat before fall begins. If any of you need to be excused from this for any reason, see me right now, otherwise you're dismissed."

**********

The next day arrived and all the Candidates that were slated to go out to do their assigned duties were sent on their way with Stryka telling them all to be careful and stay safe as possible.

**********

ooc: If your candie saw Stryka to get out of the assigned tasks, then you've probably been sent to the Creche to help out for the day on light duty. Otherwise pick one task or the other and have fun playing it out. You can have fellow Candidates with you, talk etc. See which riders need your help etc. Have fun.

CANDIDATE LECTURE: Virgins Are People Too

Date: 2005-07-09

Summary: It's okay to be a Candidate virgin.

Article: The Candidate Master had gone through enough In-depth interviews to realize that another lecture was in order, only this time she was going to try something a little different.

Gathering the Candidates together for their lesson she took her place in the front of the crowd of them and waited for them to settle down.

�Today�s lesson I�ve titled, �Virgins Are People Too�,� she smiled at the group and made eye contact with a few of them. Some looked surprised, others shocked, and a few were decidedly bored before the lecture had even started.

�We have lectures on sex and why you should lose your virginity, today�s discussion is going to be on Virginity and the varying views of Holds, Crafts and Weyrs. The emphasis will not be on trying to convince those of you who are virgins to lose your virginity rather how to deal with being a virgin in a place that almost frowns upon virginity.� Stryka continued to smile softly, not singling out any of those she knew to be virgins. She wasn�t there to put any one Candidate on the spot.

�Holds and Crafts closely share the same moral standards on virginity as well as most traders. Virginity is something girls are usually taught to treasure and hold onto until they are married. Keeping your virginity until the marriage bed so the man you married is assured that you�re not currently pregnant and that any children you bear will be his thus preserving his family line. It has been known for men to annul a marriage based on the belief the woman he married was in fact not a virgin. Girls are told to be good and not do the bad things that loose women do. They are often told that sex is something they have to endure, rather than enjoy.� The Candidate Master could see that some of those she was looking at understood exactly what she was saying.

�In a Weyr, the cr�che workers usually have healers in to give a lesson on maturity and virginity, sex, and all the varying aspects of how the Weyr perceives everything, including the knowledge of how holds and crafts believe.� She saw a few nodding, those who were Weyrbred and had gone through such a lesson.

�Virginity is nothing to be ashamed of and I know it can seem like that here at the Weyr. You all have been, or will be told why the Weyr stresses losing your virginity before you Impress. Those of you who choose to keep your virginity you shouldn�t have to feel pressured or ashamed of the fact you are not ready to lose your virginity. Some of you are too young, others of you would rather make sure you Impress before losing it so that if you don�t you�re still intact if you wish to go on back to your Hold and marry. Still some of you are just plain scared. Others just don�t feel ready for private reasons. What I want to stress today is tolerance towards virgins and tolerance in general of each other and what you choose to do or not to do.

This goes for boys too. Though boys have more lax standards Pernwide. Just because you�re a boy doesn�t mean you have to hurry and lose your virginity. To some boys and girls, they want love before they commit such an intimate act. Some find that as Candidates, some don�t, but it�s not wrong to want that either.�

Stryka almost finished her speech and as was customary, she added a little bit more.

�If any of you would like to talk today about what I�ve just told you, please feel free to do so. Don�t be ashamed of who you are or any questions you might have. Most importantly, if you find someone teasing you unmercifully for any reason concerning sex and your sexual preferences in any manner, please don�t hesitate to talk with either me, or one of the ACM�s. Now, are there any questions? Please don�t hesitate to speak now, we all might benefit from what you have to say.�

CANDIDATE LESSON - Cleaning the Barracks

Date: 2005-01-14

Summary: The Candidates were all assembled outside in front of the barracks. Stryka was in smiling as she greeted them and then held up her arms for silence to get the meeting in order.

"Good morning, Candidates," she kept the smile on her lips. "Today you have the honor of taking part in a twice a Turn chore-Barracks cleaning. Now lest you misunderstand me let me explain what this is.

You will strip the barracks completely. All furniture gets brought outside and scrubbed. All mattresses get fresh rushes. All furs and sheets are washed and dried. The privacy curtains are taken down and similarly cleaned. Walls are washed, floors are washed, and the bathing chambers, privies are given a thorough cleaning as well.

You will be split up into groups, one taking the laundry, another the walls, still another furniture, and so on."

Stryka saw the dismay on some faces, resignation on others and a few were actually smiling. "Okay, there will be a break for noon meal and then again this afternoon. Other than that, I want to see some hard work."

After they were put into groups, Stryka set about supervising, there would be no office work for her today.

CANDIDATE LESSON - Dining Hall Duty

Date: 2005-01-14

Summary: The Candidates had been told to assemble in their grungy work clothes and meet outside in front of the barracks.

"All of you today have the chance to experience what it is like to turn the Dining Hall upside down and inside out." The groans that accompanied that declaration made by ACM Stryka were not surprising. There were a few among the group that had already had this experience and knew what hard work it called for.

"I want you to form groups of fifteen and you'll be assigned to various chores." Stryka waited for the groups to form. "Quickly now, we are wasting time now."

After several minutes and a little juggling of her own, Stryka had the Candidates in their groups.

(insert groups here if you like based on current Candie cot list)

"First group is assigned to tables, you will cart all the tables outside into the Weyrbowl. After that you will begin to scrub them down, top, bottom, sides, legs the entire table. The sun will dry them quickly, and then you'll begin to polish them with a special sealant made by the woodcrafters."

"Second group, you will tackled the walls- remove tapestries, get them outside and beat the dust from them. Any stains will be removed with a solution our head laundress has put together. Those not working on the tapestries will be scrubbing the walls themselves. The message board will get a through cleaning, any and all messages on it are to be removed. Those that have messages they'd like to put up again will do so."

"The third group will be handling the chairs and benches, again�get them outside and follow the same instructions given to the table cleaners."

"The fourth group will tackle the floors. They are to be swept thoroughly, washed and polished."

Stryka gave out various other chores and then walked with the Candidates to the Dining Hall.

CANDIDATE LESSON - Experiencing the Crafts

Date: 2005-01-14

Summary: "Whether it is your future to become a dragonrider or not..." Tiella announced to the chore group. "You will need additional skills. Some of you may not Impress for some time and there is much you can learn in that time. So you have in your timetables, sessions scheduled as craft. This is what it says - You get to sample the basics of some of the crafts of the weyr in the first sessions, and then you apply to study a skill in more detail whilst providing assistance to the Crafters in the Weyr. The Crafter who has volunteered to take you on for an introductory session will be noted on the chore board and I urge you to give serious thought to whether you would like to pursue it a little further. " She did not add that for some it may end up as their occupation in the weyr if they did not Impress. "So today our brave volunteer is...(insert volunteer here)"

CANDIDATE LESSON - Firestone Breaking

Date: 2005-01-14

Summary: Tiella looked over the groups of Candidates. "This is a very necessary task, albeit slight hard work, and will test your muscles. When you are on Firestone cracking duty as you are for this session, you will be expected to attend one of the firestone pits. In there you will find the very large rocks which need cracking. The hammers and picks are next to the Pit in the stores. You break up as much stone as you can in that hour, at least one sack full of un-sized lumps and put the sack in the sort for the Weyrlings to grade and sort. No bagged fragment should be bigger than an adults fist - and make sure that you are wearing gloves when you handle the stuff. If the firestone is a bit damp, or if your hands get a bit wet then it can burn with a mild acid feeling. It's heavy going...which is why it is an hours session only for each chore group, but you have to consider the amount of firestone that is constantly needed to supply the Wings. If nothing else it will teach you not to squander firestone when you are riders!" She smiled at them all, "Now...take a hammer that suits your weight, and make sure you are wearing gloves and _be careful_. Don't swing wildly or get carried away...and remember to wash before you come in!"
She stepped back and gestured for them to begin.

CANDIDATE LESSON - Foraging

Date: 2005-01-14

Summary: "Today we are going on a foraging expedition," Stryka told the assembled Candidates. "We will be taking dragon rides to the Valley and reaping the bounty it has to offer. Each of you will be assigned to a group and instructed on what you are to forage. Some of you will pick redfruit, others berries, still others will dig for sugar beets, tubers, orange roots. There is plenty of gathering to do. You will be given baskets and satchels for your produce. As it is a trip between you'll be making, wear your jackets. All the food is to be packed on wagons that are already there and waiting for us to load. There will be others helping us, so don't be afraid to ask questions if you have any."

Stryka smiled and continued. "There is a wonderful river there that you'll be allowed to swim in after the chores are completed. We will also be organizing a cook out and a bonfire for tonight after all the work is done. So, let's work hard and then play hard."

CANDIDATE LESSON - Hookball game

Date: 2005-01-14

Summary: Tiella this time was supervising the physical training session. And to the Candidates general delight she was bearing a ball and a variety of colored sashes. "Candidates have to be fit and strong�and learn how to work together. A team game of Hookball covers both angles I have found. Teams of five please... with your team colors..." She handed the sashes out almost randomly.

"Now, I'm sure you've played Hookball before, but to remind you of the Rules... Nominate your Wingleader who will be your primary shooter. If this person hooks the ball into the center of the three goal hoops then this counts as a five. If any of the rest of the team does do, it counts as a 1. However, if your Wingseconds, 2 of them, drop the ball in the two side hoops, that counts as a three. If your Wingrider, who is your principal defender of your goals scores a goal from behind the center line in ANY goal that counts as a seven, but if they are across the center it will count only as one. Got that? " Tiella smiled at them. "The game is continuous, remember blocking is allowed but tripping, elbowing and physical interference is NOT allow and will result in possession being passed to the other Wing of players. The game teaches you how to react swiftly, how to automatically select who is best for what takes, and importantly how to allow others to step in for the team's mutual benefit. In a game of Hookball glory-hogs cannot win however talented they are as individuals. Be careful about who you position where. You have a couple of minutes to decided strategy and position whilst I roll out the Hookball posts...make the most of it!"

CANDIDATE LESSON - Robe sewing

Date: 2005-01-14

Summary: "One of the things that is most recognizable about a Candidate or that people think of, is their white robe." Tiella lifted an armful of them up to demonstrate. "Now, obviously they are not really going to fit you so one of your tasks is to adjust and sew your robe to your fit. If you ask me why you are doing something like sewing, and yes this includes those of the male persuasion, I will break a horrible secret to you... You'd be AMAZED at how much sewing you have to do as a dragonrider. So doing the simple line of a candidate robe is an easy start. And if necessary you will do it several times until it is right so don't try a bodge job on it. You want it to look good, after all it may be the first thing that your lifemate sees you in." Tiella picked up a pile of paper with the patterns on them "Right. Here are the instructions for the most basic type of robe which to be honest is a little more than a sack with holes in it. There are more advanced patterns you can attempt, but everyone will have to have completed a basic robe at least." She smiled. "Be careful with the needles, there are only a few metal ones, the rest are mainly bone, but even so they are not easy to replace. Make sure they and the scissors are returned to the Candidate stores and signed in and out. You can work on this at any time, but I will ask to see your work and assist you in one session per sevenday to note your progress...okay? Right...good. Take your material, patterns and lets see how you get on."

CANDIDATE LESSON - Tunnelsnake trapping

Date: 2005-01-14

Summary: At least one of your sessions per week will be tunnel snake trapping and hunting. " Tiella announced holding up a pronged stick. "In the stores, there are many traps set for the pernicious vermin and you will be expected to clear them, reset them and dispose of the bodies into one of the cesspits. In the snap traps the tunnelsnake will mostly be dead. Remember to re-bait the trap as you pull it up to reset it. Now these" and she held up the long pronged stick, "Are for helping with the slip snares. They are the loop snares that tighten around the tunnelsnake's neck and holds the snake there. The tunnelsnakes in these snares are frequently alive- ALWAYS poke them to see if they are before loosening the snare. If they ARE alive, pin them with the prongs and then dispatch them with your knife where the head joins the rest of the body. Wait until they stop wriggling before you clear the trap and wear thick gloves. Once again reset and bait. If you get bitten even a scratch go immediately to the infirmary. They have medicines to minimize the effects of the venom that some have... the common ones are non poisonous, however they can still give a nasty bite so watch it. You are to go in pairs when hunting tunnelsnakes so choose a partner and got to your assigned sections. Okay? Got you gear? Then off you go!"

CANDIDATE LESSON - Visit to the Creche

Date: 2005-01-14

Summary: The Candidates were assembled for their lesson and Stryka had decided to go over another very important aspect of Weyr life. "Today we are going to discuss the Weyr Creche. Some of you have heard of it, others new to the Weyr may not have. Those of you born in a Hold will know nothing of Weyr Creches so I'm going to explain it all to you today and then we are going to go visit the Creche children."

"A Creche is a home for children. Some of those children live there day in and day out, while for others it is more of a day care situation and their parents take them home for the evenings. The Creche is a huge place, close to double, maybe triple the size of the Candidate Barracks. There are activity rooms for three separate age groups- as well as sleeping areas that are separated from the activity rooms. There is a kitchen area, an Infirmary section, a bathing chamber and several privies." Stryka walked back and forth slowly as she lectured.

"The Creche has a daily routine much like you do, but of course based on the child's age levels and abilities. The harpers teach them starting right when they are toddling around. They are given chores and taught to help out around the Weyr in little ways that they can. The Creche has its own garden the children tend to and they are taught varying skills geared to help them become viable working members of the Weyr. Much the same as a Hold child is brought up to learn their families craft and such, we try to raise our children."

"As the child exhibits various talents we send them to various Weyrcrafters as soon as we feel they are old enough to be apprenticed. For some we give the option of going North to the Craft Halls, everything depends on the individual child. At twelve turns all Creche children that are healthy and well adjusted are given the opportunity to become Candidates."

"What I'd like to do today is take you to visit the Creche, to interact with the Creche children. Some of you might want to consider becoming a Creche Helper for your second lesson and maybe if you don't Impress, or choose to leave Candidacy you'll take it up permanently."

"Are there any questions before we leave?" Stryka stopped walking and looked about the gathered Candidates.

CANDIDATE LESSON-Seeing the Eggs

Date: 2005-07-28

Summary: The candidates need to be completely familiar with the Eggs so they don't panic on Hatching Day and lose their commen sense, as this could result in serious injury from a desperate dragonet.

Article: "All right, all right, gather close, candidates," (insert AWLM name here) called. The candidates, tearing their eyes away from the precious Eggs, gave (AWLM name) their attention. He/she grinned as some of the candidates shifted from foot to foot as the hot sands of the Hatching Grounds penetrated their sandals. He/she *had* warned them to wear wherhide boots. "Now," (AWLM name) continued, "These are, obviously, the Eggs from which your lifemates will emerge on Hatching Day--for some of you. Remember, there are far more candidates than Eggs, so you may be left Standing come the big day. And that doesn't mean you aren't dragonrider material--it just means *the* dragon for you hasn't been shelled yet. Notice the strech marks on the shells--they will be longer next time, and harder, too. Now, move around among the Eggs, touch them, feel them, stroke them. We don't know if it does any good, but it certainly can't do any harm!"
There were soft chuckles at this statement as the candidates spread out, familiarizing themselves with the wonderful dragon Eggs basking in the heat of the Southern sun and the warm sands beneath.

Links: CANDIDATE LESSON-Seeing the Eggs

CANDIDATE LESSON: Swimming

Date: 2005-10-16

Summary: Swimming lessons for those Candidates who don't know how, and swimming fun, exercise for those who do.

Article: Jhesta was leaning back against Eribeth's shoulder, waiting for all of
the candidates to reach the edge of the lake. Running her gaze over
the group, she straightened up and called for attention. "Alright,
everyone listen up!" She gave the group a quick grin.

"We'll be doing swimming lessons today. I want you to divide yourself
into groups. If you're confident in your ability, please gather over
on my right, if you're unsure or have never attempted to swim, please
gather on my left. If you're in doubt, please go to the inexperienced
group. From there we'll be dividing you into groups of five. Several
riders have offered to help out with this," a brief motion with her
arm encompassed the scattering of other dragons and riders near the
group, "And they'll each be supervising one group."

She waited as the candidates divided themselves, and then she turned
to address the group on her right, meeting of the eyes of a few
candidates there. "Alright, you lot will be going through a brief
swimming test � divide yourself into your groups of five now, and a
rider will supervise your group's test. After that, we'll be doing
relay races to that point," she pointed to a large rock across the
lake," and back." She grinned briefly at the group. "Any questions?"

Once any questions were answered, she turned back to the other group,
seeing quite a few nervous faces eyeing the water with clear
apprehension. "Alright, everyone. Here's what we'll be doing with you
all. We won't be going any deeper than that blue there," she pointed
to a large, cyan blue sitting in the water, "And we'll be starting
slowly, with just floating on your back and treading water. Start
dividing yourself into groups of five, and don't worry," she paused to
give the group a reassuring grin. "We won't let any of you drown. Now,
before we get down to it, any questions?"

CANDIDATES IMPORTANT : What You Learn During Your Turn In the Barracks

Date: 2005-11-11

Summary: What You Learn During Your Turn In the Barracks. Things your Candidate will have learned, gone through during their turn in the Barracks as a Candidate. ((Remember even if it's not rpged these things have happened and are being taught- If you'd like to have certain lessons/lecture/events occur please use the Contact the BoD link and let us know.))

Article: What You Learn During Your Turn As A Candidate:

As stated in the Candidate Rule book http://www.arolosweyr.co.uk/arolos.php?p=candipack.html all Candidates have a First Lesson period where they continue their general education, those who do not know how to read and write are taught, also there are various Candidate Lectures, Lessons, and other activities.

~~

At any given time various lectures are in progress. Candidates can arrive at different times throughout the turn and be included.

For the first turn a Candidate lives in the barracks, during that time they are given many opportunites to learn all about life in the Weyr. That includes the life of a Dragonrider, Weyrling, Support Staff, Crafter, Holder and Trader. Emphasis is placed upon the life of a Dragonrider and Weyrling because that is what each Candidate is hoping for.

((IMPORTANT- Even if it is not rpged out for your Candidate, the following are some of the lessons and things you will have learned during your turn as a Candidate. Talk to the writer of the CM or ACM's if you want more details.}}

~~

You will have these various lectures-lessons-experiences:

~~

Riders of each color of dragon will come in and talk with you extensively about their experiences, answering any questions you may have.

This includes: Green, Blue, Brown, Bronze and Gold.

~~

You will have several opportunities to bathe and oil dragons.

~~

You will help out the Infirmary during threadfalls and be taught emergency care for thread scoring and various other injuries of both human and dragon.

~~

You will be taught through the Simulated Hatching experience what it is like to be a Weyrling the first few days, and what is expected of you after those first few days. This is a hands on experience in which you are given a life-size replica of a blue or green leather hatchling. You can bathed and oil it, and it's even made so you can simulate feeding your hatchling.

~~

You will be given several opportunities throughout the Turn to participate in the Seven-day With A Rider program in which you live with a dragonrider for seven days, watching, learning and participating in the day to day life of a dragonrider. (This is a one-time experience for each Candidate)

~~

You will learn about breaking firestone, hunting tunnelsnakes, foraging, cleaning the barracks and various other parts of the Weyr.

~~

You will learn about respecting all those around you, no matter what capacity they serve in.

~~

You will learn how to swim, if you do not know. You will learn how to play Hookball, and you will learn how to use the Obstacle Course.

~~

You will learn about sex, and about Weyr Ethics.

~~

You will sew your own hatching robes, learn about what happens if you don't Impress and you reach your 23rd Birthing Day. You will also learn about your very first day as a ~possible~ Weyrling.

~~

You will have lessons on fishing, seacrafting, the dolphincraft. You'll be taught basic dragon first aid, Southern survival, emergency preparedness for hurricanes, tornados, fires, floods and earthquakes. There will be lessons on Weyrfolk, respect, earning marks, tattling, rock climbing and wrestling.

~~

You will have the opportunity to go into a craft of your choosing for a three candlemark period each working day.

~~

You will attend various Gathers, Mid-summer, Turn's End and little surprise In-Weyr Gathers that might turn up. You will also be taken on various trips dragonback to forage deeper in the South and you will have overnight camping trips.

~~

There are many things your Candidate learns during their FULL TURN as a Candidate, these are just some of those things. When you complete your full turn you will have learned a lot about dragonriders, dragons and Weyrlings.

****

OOC: Remember ALL Candidates learn this stuff if they've been a Candidate for a full turn before going on to their Craft fulltime. After the full turn they return to the barracks only for various special occasions and of course before a Hatching.

If your Candidate Impresses having not been in the program for a full turn only then can you plead ignorance of various things taught and that would depend upon the length of time you're a Candidate before Impressing.

Gold Flights

Date: 2007-04-15

Summary: Companion article to the greenflight article

Article: (Goldrider) sat in one of the smaller study rooms with (gold Weyrling) nearby. She smiled at her and after making sure that they were both comfortable started talking. �Well now, we�re here for another one of those private lessons. Today we�re here to have the gold flight lecture. I know you might have already sat in on the green lesson but your gold rising will be slightly different than that of a green rising. Now I know that this won�t be until a long way off, but we want to make sure that you are aware of what can happen anyway.�

(Goldrider) shifted around, crossing one leg over the other, and paused to take a sip of her drink before continuing. �Now, you�ll know by now that (Weyrling gold dragon) will not rise at least until she�s 2, probably closer to 3 turns old. However, as a precaution once you graduate you will have to leave the Weyr any time that another gold dragon rises just in case your lifemate decides to rise early. Since young gold dragons are sometimes not very good at giving obvious signs that they�re about to rise, and young riders aren�t always good at picking up on those signs, the last thing we�d want is for a fight where one or both golds are injured. You�ll have to work out ahead of time where you�ll go and if you can take someone with you for safety reasons, all the better.

�Now, you should also know by now that golds rise less often but that doesn�t mean you get out of having a proddy dragon. In fact you may just get the same proddiness packed into fewer times. As a matter of fact, you may feel it for as long as a month ahead of time, growing from just something that�s irritating to something very uncomfortable by the time your lifemate finally rises. Golds seem to have more exaggerated responses although they all show differently. Ormanth, for instance, has dreams that makes Wygelle very um�proddy, Foreth�s proddiness causes extreme paranoia. The key is to try to figure out as soon as possible what your dragon�s signals are so that you can prepare for them and also so that you aren�t caught completely by surprise when your dragon does rise.

�Now, when your lifemate finally does rise, she will hopefully give you plenty of warning by taking on an unusual glow and by the ring of males that will want to be near her. She�ll likely fall into an unusually hard and deep sleep and when she wakes up she�ll take off immediately for the feeding pens. Now, this is the important part, in order for a successful flight she can _not_ eat, she can only blood. You�ll have to keep a tight control over her at that point because she may not want to listen. This is a time where if you don�t have good control (dragon�s name) could be seriously injured or lost. It�s your job to make sure she only bloods and that she doesn�t accidentally go between forever.�

(Goldrider) took a sip of water, shifted positions, then continued, �Once she�s taken off you�ll already be as connected to her as you�ll ever be, you�ll feel what she feels, sees what she sees but try to maintain as much control as possible. You need to know now that goldflights are a lot more strenuous than green flights are, they�re longer and often rougher and more taxing. Your lifemate will want to fly as high and long and hard as possible for the best possible clutch. By the time you come back to yourself you might experience some pretty nasty cuts and bruises, worse than you normally might in a goldflight. Don�t be alarmed if this happens, just be sure that you see a healer first thing and make sure the man with the winning dragon is seen as well. Your lifemates might need to be seen by a dragonhealer also, just to make sure there are no major injuries.

�From then on you�ll have to take extra care of your lifemate, but that�s for another lesson. Suffice it to say the moodiness doesn�t end at the flight. Now, any questions?�

MONTH 0 - Post-Hatching Post

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: After the last hatchling emerged and was taken over to the feeding tables, the WLM began to usher the first hatchlings the short distance through the tunnel behind the waterfalls and towards the Weyrling Barracks. Once there, the new Weyrling pair was shown where to bathe their new hatchling in the water wallows set up outside the Barracks for this purpose only. After the bathing was complete the pair were given a small oil bucket and brush, and were quickly shown how to use them. When the oiling was completed it was finally time to show the new dragon pair to their cot/wallow inside the barracks where the new hatchling, exhausted from breaking out of its shell and stuffed full with its first meal, was ready to go right to sleep.

Over the next few candlemarks all the hatchlings and their partners were taken through the same steps. Only when all the hatchlings were tucked into their wallows was it time for the Weyrlings to change and make their way to the Hatching feast - those that could bring themselves to leave the sides of their new lifemates, that is.

~~

Later that night ...

While the hatchlings and Weyrlings slept, the AWLM on duty locked the barrack doors and walked around the barracks checking on the new pairs. Tonight some of them might wake disorientated while others (though few and far between) were prone to sleepwalking. It was a big adjustment and they would all be watched and comforted as needed. The next morning would find another AWLM waking the Weyrlings bright and early to feed their hatchlings, those that hadn't already woken up of their own accord. Those that were awake would be lined up and steered towards the Butchering yard where they would receive their first lesson on cutting up meat for their new lifemates. Their new Weyrling life, begun in such an orderly fashion would continue that way, for being Weyrlings meant learning discipline and it started right away.

MONTH 1 Lecture - Duties of a rider

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: Weyrleader _____ stepped into the classroom, smiling at those gathered within. This was one of the benefits of being Weyrleader ... getting the chance to teach the newest Weyrlings about life as a dragonrider. As he settled upon a stool, he began.

"My duty to you all and your lifemates. I'm here today to discuss the duties of a rider. The most basic duties that every rider must perform are the feeding, bathing and oiling of their lifemates. Adult dragons eat once or twice a sevenday, depending on their size and the size of their meals. Bathing and oiling must occur every day to ensure a healthy dragon hide," he stated, looking over each dragonet for signs of patchy hides and was pleased to see none.

"Dragonriders must fly sweeps, or patrol. This provides a Weyr presence inside the Weyr's protected area, and allows the Weyr to make sure the Holds and Halls are doing their part to guard against Thread. Arolos Weyr provides 24/7 sweep coverage of our area, which means that at any given time in the day, one wing is flying sweeps.

"Every wing practices its wing formations. These practices, called drills, allow wingriders to perfect their flying and thread fighting technique, while increasing team unity. The Wingleader determines the pace of each drill, based on past perfomance in both drills and threadfall. The drill schedule rotates, established by the Weyrleader and Wingleaders, so each wing has a chance to practice at each hour of the day or night. Occasionally an off day will be followed by a joint wing drill, where three or more wings drill together as a Flight.

"Dragonriders must fight thread and follow orders from their wingleaders and 'seconds. All wingriders understand the various wing formations and the methods by which a pair can fight thread. Self-sufficiently to a certain point is a must, in that riders tend to their own riding leathers, only taking them to a tanner when absolutely necessary. All riders are ultimately responsible for their own fighting straps, however it is not only their lives that are in jeopardy during a fall, but the lives of their wingmates. Most riders chose to make their own straps. Those who do not, are scrupulous about checking their fighting straps every day. And woe unto the rider who has not checked their straps thoroughly, and whose wingleader finds a flaw. It's not surprising that riders don't always find time to raise their own children or have 'hobbies' outside of dragon-centered activities."

He looked around at all the entranced faces and chuckled. "Now, does anyone have any questions?"

MONTH 1 Lecture - The Empathic Bond

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: "The bond between Dragon and Rider is highly individual" K'ren said as he addressed the group of Weyrlings. "It shares certain common features but in the same way that individuals are unique so it the bond and the experience. First of all, it is fair to say that all of us will say it was NOT what we expected. Even those of us who Impressed firelizards prior to Impression! Now, lets just consider the advantages and disadvantages of this bond from a variety of perspectives." K'ren perched himself on the edge of the table looking across the class.

"Strangely enough, most of them come from a different reaction to the same thing. Fact number one - you are never alone. Never. This is not like living with a lot of people, or having a human partner, this is that center inside where you KNOW that there is another being that loves you unconditionally, that you know with a surety that other relationships cannot supply. This can have a dramatic effect. Having that degree of unconditional support can dramatically bolster, support, transform people, gives you all a poise that you might not even realize you have gained. It is that quality that makes dragonriders stand apart. Sure, we are human, we have frailties but we do have something that gives us an inner strength; inconvertible, constant knowledge that we are loved and needed by someone and the capacity to return that emotion. You'd be amazed at what potent an effect that can have and it derives directly from your intense connection with your dragon. However, the sheer fact of this intensity can sometimes lead to a temporary uncertainty and acute anxiety. This is a natural response to and intense emotional transformation...and tends to happen in very young Impressed pairs or the older Impressed pairs, though there is no hard and fast rule. Literally, the experience can be overwhelming and they attempt to retreat from the intimacy of the bond-- a fruitless activity-- and feel very anxious and depressed. Should you feel any of these symptoms you are not the first and you won't be the last...speak to the Healers and your weyrling masters and we will help you."

He paused and smiled slightly. "This does bring up a point. At this stage, your life mates will be intensely curious and they will begin rifling through your memories. You cannot stop them in this stage of the process so it is best that you actively control the ability by offering what you feel ready to deal with. Trust me on this, if you refuse to answer something they don't understand they will eventually ask another dragon what they think. If you want your private thoughts to remain private, satisfy that curiosity. At the moment, the bond of Impression is still fresh and it is now that the in-depth connections are established that will make it easier to communicate as a pair.

"Everything you feel your dragon will experience but without the context you have. Imagine that...what a way to learn, every moment packed full of information...but not always knowing what you are learning means!

"Imagine if you were happily sleeping and then suddenly a violent rush of anger and fear burst in your head out of nowhere. What would you do? You would panic...as would your lifemate if you get involved in a fight or argument. Imagine suddenly experiencing your mind going fuzzy and then portions of it blanking out and then a sudden gaping hole as if all the ability you had to be YOU started draining out into the void of between despite everything you can do; THAT is what a dragon feels if you get drunk, or go unconscious suddenly. Trust me...their horror is worse than a weyrbrat seeing their mother disintegrated before their eyes. THAT is what it is like for them. Trust me...I've felt it."

K'ren paused a moment and then looked up. "Now, I tell you this to explain the reason behind the rules that seem to be the main complaint of all weyrlings and why we can be harsh in our response. It may seem harmless to have just a little but that can be very distressing to a young dragonet.

"As time progressed the bond develops and there is more voluntary control over it. You can train your mind at this stage to block or filter out your own thoughts. We do not encourage this now for obvious reasons, but you will need to learn how to minimize the resonance effect for maximum efficiency and safety in Fall. You have to feel and see what your dragon does but limit its actual impact on yourself. It is no good being overwhelmed with fear, or pain if your dragon gets a score...dragons forget, humans do not. Right now though, you will do exercises that will encourage close mental contact and clarity of visualization through the link. Why? Because you have to be able to visualize clearly and be able to convey that clearly to your dragon. These exercises, which may seem a little silly at first are in fact making the basic skills of visualizing for *between* second nature and establishing a tight knit rapport on levels you are not even aware of. The deeper they are, the less your lifemate needs the constant reassurance of conscious thought as they are always present like...the process of breathing. If something is an effort you are conscious that you have to breath in and out...if it is easy, then it becomes an automatic function. That is what we are trying to do. In time all these processes will be second nature and you will use them in Fall without a second thought. And that is precisely what we want, because there is no time for any type of delay, or for any fuzziness of visualization when you are fighting Thread. There will be instances...mating flights where you cannot block the force of your dragons link from your mind and you should not. Resisting such a flood of raw emotion is damaging to you both. Trying to block flightlust will inhibit your dragon, and end up in a violent uncontrollable rush of response when the pressure is too much - and that is not good for anyone...you, your dragon or anyone you might meet when it happens. It is better to join and gently encourage the emotions to a very satisfactory course... VERY satisfactory... but plenty of time be fore that happens!

"So...co-operate with the empathic bond as much as you can, volunteer information, take your lifemate through your mind, because if you do this now, it may protect you both later! Are there any questions?"

MONTH 1 LESSON - Basic Oiling

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: Once the dragonets were fed for the morning, B'lin raised a hand until the weyrlings calmed down. "Let's all settle down now, we've got a lot to cover today. You've just finished feeding your dragon and the little one is getting sleepy."

This statement was followed by one small green giving a delicate dragon snore having curled up at her lifemate's feet. A chuckle met those words as B'lin rather pointedly continued. "_Before_ you can let him or her go to sleep you have to do two more very important things. One, bathe him/her and then oil. Now then, when your dragon is this young it is best to keep him/her on the water's edge. We will go down to the lake and you'll stand right on the shore. There will be buckets down there and soapsand, rags and brushes...after today you will collect them as you need them from the Barracks stores and put them to be recycled when you are done. Once you get down there, get your dragon wet and then lather up some soapsand in your hands and apply it to the wet hide. Take up a brush and start scrubbing. Don't be worried about hurting your dragon's hide, it can take quite a lot of pressure. Make sure you get under the wings and in the crevices of the entire hide, near the legs, neck ridges, every single inch of your dragon needs to be scrubbed. You are removing dead hide and keeping your dragon from itching, getting irritations or infections as the hide stretches-- as they grow with such speed in their first few months.

"Now, after you bathe every inch of the dragon you must dry and then oil him/her. There will be oil buckets and paddles, you put the oil on with a paddle and then start spreading it and rub it in good. Again, the wings, the underside of the wings, the leg joints, all crevices must be oiled completely - the joints are critical areas as your lifemates will experience rapid growth in bone and muscles around these area's. What happens if you don't oil your dragon? His/her hide will start flaking and cracking. When this happens your dragons hide sustains damage that will later affect your dragon's ability to go between without injury. Your dragon will itch horribly if he/she starts getting a flaky patch and they will complain...loudly. And as you know by now this is not something you can switch off or walk away from. Make sure you oil it right away, do not let it go, once the flaking turns to cracking, trouble starts, infection can get in, lesions, and this can be difficult to say the least. Be thorough in your attention, it will save more trouble later."

He looked around to see if they were all ready and that no-one had fallen asleep, or if they had that they were awake now. "Alright, we are going down to the lake. I want you to bathe, dry and oil your dragon. When you think you are done, bring the dragon to me for inspection. Any questions, again do not hesitate to ask. Okay, go on, to the Lake." And with a shoo-ing gesture he ushered them over to the lakeshore.

MONTH 1 LESSON - Feeding Hatchlings

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: The place was filled with young Hatchlings creeling and new riders looking a little wild around the eyes themselves as they tried to deal with the unexpected pressure of a VERY hungry presence in their mind. They'd had it easy to start with, the Lower Caverns staff having done the butchering of carcasses for the first couple of days after Impression, now they were onto fending for themselves. He took a deep breath and called out above the noise.

"Alright now, listen up! As you should know by now, my name is B'lin and I'm WeyrlingMaster here at Arolos Weyr. Right now you are _all_ feeling very hungry, in fact probably hungrier than most of you have ever felt before. What you are feeling is your dragon's hunger on top of your own. We are going now to feed your dragons, and this is how it's going to work. I am going to show you to the butchering yard outside the cold stores. Once there you put on an apron, there is a stack of them on a table off to the side. Once you have your apron on proceed to a table, doesn't matter where, there is room enough for everyone. Just make sure you are standing in front of a carcass. Again it doesn't matter what kind of carcass, all the meat is good. On the table near each carcass is a very sharp knife or a cleaver, be careful when you use it, especially those not familiar with using a knife. You are to cut up ONLY what your dragon will eat." He paused to see if they were paying attention.

"Now, it's important that you listen to me closely, you don't want your dragons choking when you feed them. It's very important that you cut up the meat into small pieces about finger size right now or your dragon will have problem managing them, and encourage them to chew. I'm sure this is something you have been doing up until now but it bears repeating. Next, pay close attention to your own stomach, when _you_ start to feel full, stop feeding your dragon no matter what he or she tells you, and believe me your dragon will try to tell you to keep feeding him or her. You have to control how much they eat, they cannot judge that for themselves this young. Imagine they are like the brats suddenly faced with a table full of fresh bubblies - without adults around they would gorge until they were sick. These little beauties will do the same! I cannot stress how important it is for you to stop feeding your dragon when you feel full.

"There is a condition called Thicktail that is brought on by overfeeding. We had one case of it with the last clutch and let me say the poor dragonet suffered horribly, along with his lifemate... and practically the entire Weyr. A dragonet in pain has a VERY penetrating voice as you will probably discover at some point, and the necessary cure is rather unpleasant in terms of ... preciptatory release of the blockage. Now, are there any questions? If not, go out into the butchering yard and get started, no time to be squeamish. If you need any help don't hesitate to ask, that's what I'm here for."

And he stood to one side anticipating the stampede to the food source.

MONTH 1 LESSON - Introductions

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: It was just a couple of days since the Hatching, and the newest Weyrlings were starting to settle into the routines of getting up EARLY, taking care of Lifemate (feed, bathe, oil, clean up dung), lessons, exercising, lessons, taking care of Lifemate -- a cyclic process that lasted until the late hours, when they could get some greatly desired sleep -- and then it would start all over again the next day.

Today, though, _____ thought it'd be good for folks to start knowing who they had for their teachers, and for their classmates. Having everyone gather outside the Weyrling Barracks in the exercise yard, he stood after everyone settled with their lifemates.

"Good afternoon! As you are probably already aware, my name is _____, and I'm an Assistant WeyrlingMaster. I figured that it would be a good idea if we started to get to know each other. After all, you'll all be together for the next Turn and more, so you might as well have some sort of idea of who everyone is."

_____ indicated the other WLMs and TAWLMs who had come to be introduced. "And these folks will also introduce themselves, so that you will know just who your teachers are! The ones who aren't here, you'll meet probably soon, in some class or other, so you'll soon meet everyone who belongs to the Weryling 'unit'."

"Anyway, my name is ____ and I ride *brown* _____. {{following will be personal data about the WLM/AWLM/TAWLM}}

"I greatly enjoy being with Weyrlings; and my prime objective is to see all of you graduate, healthy and whole-bodied, to be Dragonriders. With that in mind, you might complain about the difficulty of the tasks, of the
lessons, of the exercises that you'll be doing. Just remember - all of this which you will be taught, by your teachers, is designed to keep you and your Lifemate alive. The physical tasks which you will receive are designed to get you as physically fit as possible, with as much endurance as possible. Thread does not play favorites. For the folks who will be WingLeaders, at some future date -- there will be a focus on those aspects of leadership which you will need to know. Everyone, no matter what position in a Wing that they will fill, will have certain things specifically for 'them'. No one rides a better or worse dragon than anyone else -- each color has their own specific abilities AND things to watch out for. You will learn about that, too."

That was enough of him talking. At random, he pointed to a Weyrling, and indicated for that person to stand, and tell 'their' story.

MONTH 1 LESSON - Weyrling Uniform Fitting

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: On the announcement board the day before, the Weyrlings were given a schedule that allowed time for each of them to come and be fitted for their uniforms. They would receive one simple formal, light gray uniform over the course of the next few Sevendays and a uniform to wear to Gathers, to meals if they wanted, and to any formal meetings it would be required to wear such a uniform.

Along with the one formal uniform, the Weyrlings would be allowed to keep, theirs forever as a memory of their Weyrlinghood, two sets of work clothes made of a thick, sturdy denim. Later on towards the fourth month, they would receive their first flight jacket and learn how to make their own flying leathers.

~~
*Tailor's name* walked into the Weyrling barracks and headed straight towards the classroom she always went to when working on Weyrling uniforms. A small entourage followed her into the room carrying her various supplies. She had a lot of uniforms already made, uniforms that some of the Weyrlings had out grown before they could be used much, uniforms that were newly made and would only need a bit of altering to fit a young man or woman. She had her pin cushions, her tape measures, her scissors and various marking chalks. She was ready for the newest Weyrlings to enter one at a time.

"My duty to you and Yours. Please stand straight so I can get your measurements," she said, indicating the open space near a small table to take notes on.

MONTH 2 Lecture - Geography by Harper

Date: 2009-05-23

Summary: For his first lesson on the geophysical aspects of the Weyr, *Harper Name* decided to have his class outside �- specifically, up on the Weyr Rim. After everyone had climbed up, seated themselves and regained their breath, he started talking. Pointing out the various aspects of the natural build of the Weyr, he said, "As soon to be dragonriders, you have to be aware of what makes up the Arolos Protectorate that will one day be protected by your dragons fire.

"First of all the Weyr ... Arolos Weyr is contained within an old volcano! Look around you, see the edge? This large circular rim? This is the top of a volcano, one that has degraded from its original height. Not only that, it is only PART of the original larger crater. You can see, by dragon back, that there was a much larger volcano and trace the size of it by looking at Arolos Bay. See the river that flows over the edge? That river is why we have so many caves and places of erosion within the Weyr. The water created all of our living areas, rubbing away at the stone, leaving pockets that we now use -- our dining hall was formed by that river. Have you stood in a river, and felt the force of it? Imagine being rubbed away day after day, turn after turn. The river is very powerful. Water is extremely powerful. What it looks like is that the north wall of the crater eventually collapsed from the pressure of the water - giving access to the sea. Leaving us a wonderful place to live, people and Dragons."

"Look that way," he pointed east towards Dolphin Hall. "Over there, even though we can't see it, is the local Dolphin Hall. It is in a small natural lagoon that is semi-protected from storms and such. It DOES, however, have an easy access to the great Southern Currents, which is invaluable in both trade and in helping rescue folks who have somehow managed to get in trouble on the water." He smiled. "That doesn't include getting seasick however."

Pointing in a slightly different direction, he continued "And over there is Thonet Hold. It's a fishing Hold and not very big in and of itself. However, as a Harper, I can tell you that it is invaluable because it is often used as a drumming point to pass messages along. It is a trade stop for coastal traders and a good place to buy Turn End gifts." He smiled at them all. "If you're lucky, you'll see the Ormoler shells that come from a sheltered cove nearby. Be aware, though, that they are highly prized AND jealously guarded."

Turning, after consulting his map, he pointed yet again in the general direction of Motheno Hold. "There lies Motheno Hold. It is on the edges of very deep forest, where you can make your path with a machete and watch it grow back in while you rest. From there, you have access to the huge plains below the foothills of the mountains yonder. It has a reputation of being a bit wild - for those of pioneering spirit - which is almost a redundancy, because Arolos itself is a pioneering Weyr. Motheno Hold is often used by traders as a way point and a base camp for collecting hides, furs and things of rarity and value that are found in the more remote and/or wild sections of the South. It's actually more of a trading post than a real hold, but don't tell them I said that, okay?

"The area near the mountains is rich in many, many ores, minerals and gems - much like Arolos Island - but without the hassle of the awkward sea approach. However, there are wild beasts and it's rough living if you decide to try it out. Out beyond Motheno, far to the southeast and hard by Mt. Prudence, lies the new Vintnercraft Outpost. The wines they produce are quite good, but travel to and from that isolated place is very difficult without the aid of a dragon.""

Letting them absorb that information, he asked, "How many have already been to Wabonel Hold, Forest Edge Hold or Weaver Hall?" he asked next. "This collection of Holds and Hall is co-dependent on the Smithcraft operation opposite them, for what is produced and for the labor provided. The wash from the mountains provides gems and ore, and the river itself is used to process it and assist the Smithcraft mining operation.

"Wabonel has a rich deposit of coal which is vital for our needs and the Minecrafters at the Smith Hall contract to mine it. Forest Edge concentrates on suppling the needs of the hard working Minecrafters who do not have time to farm and the Weavercraft Hall gets many of the pigments necessary for its fine colors from the ore processing. We have some of the finest colored weaves on Pern."

Consulting his map, yet again, he asked, "Who knows where Estuary Hold is?"

A weyrling pointed off in the correct direction. "That's right. And they allegedly have a watersnake stew for which they are famous, but I haven't had it yet. They keep the main Bridge and Lock for the Coastal Trade Route and harvest numbweed and medicinal plants for trade. Any healers here would find them fascinating to visit, I would imagine."

"River Mouth Hold, which describes itself perfectly as to location, is vital for us here in Southern. The products of the Smithcraft and inland Holds are shipped down to this port. Often, those products are shipped by skiff to Arolos Hold itself, which is the main port. River Mouth Hold is a small but very busy holding ... and also holds title to Arolos Island out there beyond Arolos Bay.

"For those of you who admire runners - Alonel Hold is right by the river with extremely lush grassland behind it, all the way to the mountain and foothills. It's more temperate than not, because the clouds drop their moisture on the mountains rather than the Hold itself. They can bring in mustang runners," smiling at a couple of youngsters who he knew either had runners or longed for one, "and they are highly successful at growing ornamental and medicinal plants. Alonel maintains close links with Callamere Hold.

"Everyone knows Callamere Hold, if only for their whers. It is a beautiful place, next to a large inlake lake, forest and grassland. This allows them to breed a great variety of beasts there, including the whers. They have the Callamere White runners, meat-type herdbeasts, wherries and just about anything that can be bred there.
�Upriver from Alonel and Callamere lies Plains Wind Hold, so named for the constant breeze off the mountains. It is located on a wide bend of the river, and is known for its draft runners.

"There are many smaller Cotholds of Arolos - including Arolos Point Hold, which is directly beneath the cliff that extends from the Weyr Rim to Arolos Point. On Arolos Point is a Beacon Fire that warns ships of their proximity to shore whilst navigating the tricky current coming into the Bay. This in invaluable to the Shipmasters, especially while dealing with the sometimes treacherous currents of the Southern Ocean.

"Now we come to Arolos Hold, itself. Which is, as most of you know, the main Trade center of this area of the south. It's the main seaport to the North, so logically, it's where trade is shipped in and out of here. Holders in this region are beholden to the Lord Holder, or they have to find their own ways to get supplies." He looked in the direction of Arolos Hold for a moment. "One wouldn't say it has a 'monopoly' on the goods, but it does manage to have a goodly bit of trade from neighboring folks.

"Arolos Hold lies on Arolos Bay - remember the volcano crater? - it is a protected safe harbor due to its circular shape. From it you can see the Bay and Arolos Island which is, as yet, undeveloped.

"Now, Healer Hall. This place, hopefully not many of you have had to visit it, is obviously as close as possible to main sources of transport and supplies. It has a lot to do with supplying the North and provides the Healers for many of the Holds here abouts. The South has yet to reach the 'a healer or a harper' in every Hold level."

Looking down at his notes, the Harper blushed a bit. "Our next Hold, Reddan Hold, is known as a brewer of fine wines. They are the principle grower of fruits as there is plenty of irrigation and sunlight available. They are currently experimenting with their own version of a Benden sparkling white, which, I might add, is VERY nice ... though slightly rose tinged.

"You may, or may not be aware of it, but Southern has its own 'Harper Hall', so titled because this is where the Harpers gather. It is not *the* Harper Hall, which is up by Fort and we don't pretend to be. We use that name for a convenience and not as a challenge. We're located here because this is the highest population center. Soon, Journeymen and Journeywomen will be going off to Holds from here, their home base."

"We have a Seacrafters Hall where there is a natural harbour and a large sea cave, large enough to shelter some of the small fishing fleets during Thread. After Fall, they are able to go out immediately for a bonanza catch.

"For those who prefer some isolation, there is Island View Hold, which bridges the pennisula and has a harbor on the ocean side for excursions further down the coast.

"River Point Hold, because of its location by the river canyon and the chasm which splits the land, controls the bridge and the trade route along the coast to the West. Many of the Holds to the West have to ship goods through there to either Arolos Hold or down the river.

"Startol Hold, which often sends people to the Inland Great Lake to supplement their goods and supplies, is on a small river tributary which sometimes dries up. Verd Hold is a forest Hold. They cut down timbers that they then ship downriver, making their living that way, exporting the fine hardwoods to the North.

"For the crafters here, you might some day want to visit Woodcraft Hall. They season and manufacture wooden products of rare hardwoods, then send them for purchase elsewhere.

"Dollanol Hold is a main shipping point for the West side, having the same duties and results as River Mouth Hold.

"Folks at Atoll Hold harvest corals and pearls. They make a good living, so I've been told. The reef is treacherous to all but small ships and plentiful in fish and giant shellfish. There are rather adventurous divers who make a rather perilous living diving for exotic pearls in the area.

"West Bay Hold is a new hold which was set up as an extended traders stop. To be honest there is very little else it is bar a way station between Holds.

"The Dragonriders of this group (and Candidates) will be especially interested in Minecraft Hall, for it is here that dragonriders go for a direct pick up of firestone. Currently, it is mining an extensive firestone deposit and doing very well. This is a frequent weyrling assignment, so be warned.

"When the Dragonriders don't directly pick up the firestone, it is shipped, along with other products, to Pyran Hold and distributed from there, usually to the fire pits of the Arolosian Holds."

He looked down at his sheets and took a sip of wine from his cup. "One last point. There is a thick band of forest that makes further exploration difficult but there are numbweed plains in the lee of the mountains and there is the occasional isolated Hold trying to start up from this point in. So, if someone wants to, there is still opportunity for one's own Hold here, lots of places that are unexplored.

"Are there any questions? Please feel free to ask me or an AWLM."

MONTH 2 Lecture - General information

Date: 2006-08-01

Summary: *AWLM Name* stepped up to begin his introductory lecture of the month with the same rapid fire of information they were now used to.

"Bronze dragons on average will be around 11 ft, browns 10 ft, blues 8 ft and greens 7 ft. Now, there will be variations but this is the average we are looking at. If you have concerns about your lifemate, let me know and we'll take a look. You will have to watch them carefully as overeating is more likely as dragons will only be eating thrice a week now, but THINK they need to eat more often as they will be used to it. If your dragon is not going to the bathroom, and is overeating, please let the Weyrlingmaster or one of the AWLM's know!

"Dragons will also be building their wing muscles a lot this coming sevenday, so watch carefully for strains on all the muscle groups and report ANYTHING to the weyrlingmaster or his seconds IMMEDIATELY! Oiling should still be done daily, same as bathing, but the bathing is more to ease the itching of the growing hide. Your dragons may leave a lot of shed skin in their wallows so be sure to change this sand every day now and keep your dragons well oiled. Their hide will grow the most by the wing joints, all appendages and on the back and belly hide. Blue and greenriders, you will notice your dragons growing a bit more than bronze and browns; this is normal. From month 2 until month 4, some greens and blues may be of a similar size to some browns and some bronzes. Reassure your dragon as well as yourself that this will equalize and by the end of the fifth or sixth month, the bronzes and browns will hit THEIR growth spurt and things will go back to "normal."

"Dragons, especially green ones, may start becoming a bit willful. Greens are the most emotional of dragons, and can get overly excited, or sad, or angry, and will be the ones most likely to feed off your own emotions. Do not be surprised if from now until the eighth month, greens will insist on not doing things, or doing them their way-- it is up to you, the greenrider, to make them do what they should.

"Bronzeriders should also note their dragons may attempt to overwhelm blues, greens and even browns. This is to be IMMEDIATELY discouraged. If you do not, your Weyrlingmaster or his assistants WILL, and penalties can include separate classes and sleeping arrangements. No one-color dragon is better than another in the weyr; there are things a green or a blue can do that a bronze or brown cannot ever hope to attain, and vice versa. Every dragon is important, every single one needed.

"You are now nearly 100 percent more toned and fit than you were before you impressed. Even an active lifestyle has nothing on living as a Weyrling. You�ll find the morning run easier than before, same with calisthenics. You will find yourself a bit less gawky than before and carrying yourself differently, perhaps unconsciously acting as your dragon does, following his or her choices of draconic friends in their clutch group for the riders in your class you are drawn to as friends -- this is normal, and nothing to worry about. And as before, your dragon will still be eliminating waste either in the barracks or in the practice yard; they do not eliminate waste *between* until they can GO *between* so those of you with large dragons will get a lot of time to build up your arm muscles... "

He grinned at that, "In the mean time the lectures will commence in earnest now that your life mates can be left for short periods and you have a lot of information to absorb rather quickly. Never hesitate to ask a question when it arises."

MONTH 2 Lecture - No Sex-Kassia

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: Kassia sighed. One part of her duties was that she had to deliver a lecture on the dangers of having sex before young dragons were old enough, to every subsequent class. Kassia had a feeling that was stuck in purely to embarrass her.

Whatever the case, she stood in one of the teaching rooms in front of one of the Weyrling classes. As soon as everyone was settled she took a deep breath and looked out over the audience.

�Alright. I'm sure you guys all know that I'm Kassia, Goldrider of Foreth. I've been assigned to talk to you about a very serious issue.� This was all recited from a sheet that they'd told her to memorize. Apparently they'd been afraid that she might not get across to the Weyrlings how serious this was.

�Now you all know that you are given a set of rules that you have to obey after you Impress, and unless you happen to be a last minute Candidate, you are supposed to be informed of these rules _before_ you Impress as well.

�These rules are designed for your safety. Breaking them can have very dangerous, sometimes even fatal, consequences for you and/or your dragon. One of these rules is that you are not allowed to touch anybody else until you are given permission. There are very few exceptions to this.

�That means that you can't hug them or hold their hand or kiss them. Not even platonically. And most of all you can _not_ have sex until such time that your dragon is mature enough to handle it. Permission is usually not granted until your class starts to learn how to go ~between~, or just a little bit before that. For people already in a romantic relationship before Impression, this can occur earlier, but not earlier than four months. And four months is _extremely_ early even then.�

Kassia paused to take a quick drink from the glass of water that someone offered to her. She smiled and thanked the boy, glad for a chance to catch her breath.

�Now before I go on. Are there any questions?�

An unhappy looking girl raised her hand. �Why exactly can't we touch each other. I mean, hugging a friend isn't going to hurt anyone.� She leaned over and hugged the girl next to her in demonstration. �See...nothing happened.�

Kassia nodded. �I know it seems odd now. But there's a reason that touching isn't allowed. The no touching at _all_ comes into play usually in the first month of Impression. At that point the dragonet is _very_ possessive. To your lifemate, your only job in life is to love her and to pay attention to her. If you are doing anything else she may begin to think that you are going to leave her and she may vanish ~between~ in distress.

�Now I know that this doesn't sound very logical, but you have to remember that some hatchlings are more sensitive than others. While a hug may not disturb one, a hug may send another ~between~ forever. I don't think that any of you want to take that chance.�

Kassia paused again. She looked at all the Weyrlings in turn to see if her words were sinking in sufficiently.

�Okay,� she said after a moment. �That's only _part_ of the reason why I've been asked to talk to you. The main reason is that you need to understand thoroughly why having a relationship, sexual or not, before your dragon is ready, is so dangerous.�

A few of the people in the audience rolled their eyes and pretended to snore.

Kassia grinned and pointed to one of them. �You ... yes you, come up here...�

The brown haired boy glared and then wandered up.

Kassia's grin grew broader. �That's it. Now, why do you think I called you up here?�

The boy shrugged. �Because I was being rude.�

�Well. Yeah ... and why else?�

�Um ... no idea,� he admitted finally and shrugged.

�You're going to be a part of the demonstration.�

The boy didn't look happy. �Okay....?�

�If you don't mind me asking, who do you want to sleep with?�

The boy looked at Kassia like she had three and a half heads. �What?!� he asked other the din of his snickering classmates. �Why are you asking me? That's none of your business!�

�Not _who_ specifically. But whether you like guys or girls ... or both.�

The boy turned bright red, even to the tips of his ears, and the class laughed even harder. �I...I...well...both.�

Kassia snickered. �Great, that'll make things more interesting.� She looked around the class and pointed out a touch looking guy and then a girl from the class.

Now there were three Weyrlings up in front of the classroom. She quickly shifted them around so that they were standing on opposite sides of the room.

�Okay now,� she said as she quickly appraised the participants. �Now we have two males and a female. We'll call you..� she pointed to the original one, 'K'ev'. And you ... the other boy ... yes, you. You're going to be 'L'tul'. And you girl ... are going to be Layra.

�K'ev, Come here..� Kassia gestured for the first boy. �That's it. Now L'tul and Layra? You stand there and there.�

She had them placed in a triangle. K'ev was closest to the window, and he made the point. The other two stood approximately three feet from each other and were facing K'ev.

�Okay now.. Now a couple things could happen here. One. K'ev and Layra are together before they Impress. After Impression K'ev spends a lot of time in the weyrling barracks with L'tul, instead of Layra. She gets upset right? Well. She sees K'ev and L'tul getting closer.� Kassia paused to lead the boy she'd named L'tul over to stand next to K'ev.
�Now... Layra's mad as I said. Then she gets jealous and then one day she just gets real upset and breaks down. She either starts to cry or gets really angry. Either way... her dragon panics and before Layra can calm down, her dragon goes ~between~.

�Now does that sound innocent to you?� The goldrider paused again. A lot of people looked worried, but there were still some who were joking around.

She gestured for the three Weyrlings she was using for demonstration to spread out again. �Now then. The next thing that can happen is probably even more likely to come a bad end. And _this_ is the real reason I'm talking to you today.

�Now. I'm going to give you a more dramatic scenario than what will normally happen, but it proves the point quite well.

�Suppose that K'ev, L'tul, and Layra all have a relationship. Now whether this occurred before or after they Impressed, it doesn't really matter. The point is that they're sick of having to wait to have sex. Maybe they see that their dragons are four months by now, or that others of their class are allowed to have sex, or whatever. But they've decided that _now_ is the right time.

�They know that they aren't going to have any privacy in the barracks. So, after their dragons, and everyone else in the barracks, are all asleep, they sneak out," she said, motioning for them to go hustle off to a corner. They groaned and moved to stand near each other with reluctance.

�They had probably only planned on kissing or hugging most likely,� she continued. �But slowly they lose their inhibitions and it progresses on until their clothes are off and they're going full out.�

Kassia frowned as 'L'tul' jokingly reached up to pull at Layra's clothes and then went on.

�Nothing happens. So they think they're okay. Now if they're lucky they'll get off without any panicking dragons.

�So we'll say they're 'lucky'. None of the dragons gets upset. A few weeks later Layra realizes that she's pregnant. Now she's probably got to carry this baby to term since she couldn't go between on another dragon, hers would become upset. And there's little healers can do in this type of situation that wouldn't affect her dragon. She won't be able to fly all that much, missing out on future lessons because it's too much of a risk and she'll be to big to fit properly. And she _definitely_ won't be able to go between until after she's given birth.

�Nine months go by and she gives birth. Now... if she has _really_ bad luck, she dies in child birth and we lose her, her baby, and her dragon. If she survives, but the baby dies, she freaks out ... her dragon freaks out and now not only has she lost this baby, but she's lost her dragon as well.

�Now...supposing that she and the baby both survive. If her dragon is young enough, and sensitive enough, there's a chance that she might _still_ go ~between~. And even if the dragon _doesn't_, Layra's still got to catch up on her classes and figure out what to do with this baby.

�Overall, she's screwed no matter _what_ happens.� She paused as the class snickered at her pun, taking the opportunity to take another drink of water. Then she motioned for her demonstration people to stand up. During her long speech they'd slid to the floor.

�Now then. Suppose they _didn't_ get 'lucky'. Suppose that while they're banging each other, excuse the term, one of the dragons wakes up. Say K'ev's. Now even without them having sex this would be a problem. The first thing a young dragon notices when it wakes up? Its lifemate isn't here! So it starts squealing at the top of its lungs. It panics and runs around the Weyr and then vanishes ~between~.

�Now add to this that they're having sex. K'ev isn't paying attention to his dragon. Not only that, but his mind is fuzzy because he's in the middle of a very emotional experience. His dragon can't hear him. She panics and goes between even quicker, but not before waking the two other dragons.

�_They_ panic, because their riders aren't anywhere around. Their riders are too busy indulging in their selfish pleasures and they probably have very little idea what's going on with their lifemate. The dragons vanish ~between~ before they fully realize that there's a problem. Now we have _three_ dragonless Weyrlings that are hidden Faranth knows where. They're going to suicide before anyone can find them.� She gestured for her three demo Weyrlings to go sit down.

Kassia was really wound up now. As she fell to silence she was staring at each and everyone of them, chest heaving. �Now I don't think you want that,� she concluded. �And if you think it won't happen, then you obviously don't know why _I'm_ being asked to teach this class. I had sex before Foreth was ready. She panicked and I almost lost her forever.

�Trust me folks, that's _not_ something you want to _ever_ experience. Not even a near miss. And if you ever need a good way to make sure you won't do it, then come to me. I'll find ways to keep you from doing it.�

She relaxed then and chuckled. �I'll just take you to the Creche. Now _there's_ a deterent if I ever saw one.� The class gave a rumble of low laughter.

�If there are any questions, please don't hesitate to ask your AWLM. Class dismissed.�

MONTH 2 LESSON - Essay Questions

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: "Can I have your attention please?" B'lin called, and waited for the Barracks to quiet. It was always noisy just after they'd returned from lessons - and there was still the hustle of tidying away equipment.

"Good. Right, I have four essay titles here - as riders it is important that you use your minds as well as your bodies. You have to learn to THINK independently, and reason things out. So, I want an essay on one of these subjects from all of you, within four to six sevendays. I know there are a few of you who will have a problem with that," he glanced at a couple, "and there are maybe a few who will have a problem that I DON'T know about who have a problem. So ... if you have a problem, see me later and we'll sort something out. If not, then I'll look forward to reading your essay. Feel free to discuss the subjects among yourselves." He wrote them up on the board, and then read them out for added clarity.

1. As dragonriders it is important that you obey rules set for you by your ranking superiors. However, it is also important that you understand those rules. Pick one rule that your status in the Weyr means you have to obey, and explain why it has been set, giving examples of scenarios that could occur should you disobey that rule. Are there examples in the Weyr where it has been disobeyed in the past? What happened? Are there any situations in which you feel that rule *should* be disobeyed?

2. What are the roles of different color dragons in a wing? Explain the roles each color serves, explaining why it is important to have a good balance, and why a Wing consisting solely of one color would not work.

3. It is extremely important that a Wing work as a team. Why is this so? How can good co-operation between Wing-members be developed? How should you act if members of your wing are not contributing to the team environment? What might happen if a Wing did not work as a team?

4. Every member of a Weyr is equally important, from the Weyrwoman herself, to the lowliest drudge. Discuss.

MONTH 2 LESSON - Firestone Grading

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: "Come on now..hup..hup.." B'lin chivvied them to the firestone pit. "Here you go, come on, gather round. You aren't going to be able to see anything from back there. Form a loose circle around me.

"Okay, you over there, get your hand away from your face. The smell isn't going to kill you," he said, seeing people wrinkle noses at the pungent acrid scent. B'lin, finally satisfied he had their attention, held up a firestone sack.

"This is a firestone bag, you should all be familiar with them from your days cracking stone as a candidate. For those of you joining us late as a candidate and impressing quickly, this is a firestone bag ... I believe I've just made that point rather obvious.

"Today you will learn what size piece of firestone each dragon needs according to the color of the dragon. It is important to get the right stone in the right bag, for the right dragon. A screw up during a flight could cause serious repercussions. A dragon getting too large a piece can't flame, or not getting enough could find themselves running out of flame at a critical moment. Not good either way."

B'lin looked around at the solemn faces, needing to impress upon the weyrlings how important a job they were undertaking.

"A too large stone in a greens bag for example will interrupt the flow of flame while the rider finds a suitable size and interrupting the flow and wasting time is always detrimental to a flight against thread." Satisfied they understood, he held up the bag again.

"Look for the color code markings on the bag, bronze for bronze, brown for brown...and so on. Once you have the right bag you need the right stone and right amount. Okay, bronze, as you might have assumed, need the largest chunks of firestone. Put your two fists together -- go on all of you. Look at them. Now, depending on your size, your two fists might even equal one of mine," he teased holding up his fist. "So, you have to imagine you have adult man hands. Look at my fists held together see the length, the thickness. This is the size piece a bronze will need...they can take more before a flight, but in flight their rider needs to be able to handle the rocks effectively so they cannot take any bigger," he explained.

"Okay, lower your hands, but keep the reference in mind. If you need to add an extra imaginary hand to make up the size remember that also. A brown will need about the same size just not as long, shave about a half fist off what you will bag for a brown. A blue go for one good size adult male fist. A green will take about half a fist at a time but more of them.

"Now, accordingly, the bags are to be filled and you will realize a bronze eats less stone but bigger pieces, whereas a green needs lots of smaller pieces to sustain a good flame. Does everyone understand? Good. Come here and let me show you actual pieces in relation to the fist theory."

B'lin had a bronze size piece on the ground in front of him. He crouched down and put his fists together next to the firestone.

"Do you see what I mean now?" Next he compared his fists to a brown size piece and on down to a greens.

"Any questions? Okay, I want each of you to go get a piece for each color dragon and when you are done bring them back here so I can make sure we are all seeing eye to eye on this, or size to size as the case may be," he laughed and sent them on their way.

After checking each weyrlings firestone rocks, he smiled. Having only to send a few back to fix mistakes.

"Now, I want you to go fill a bag for your dragon color, all the way to the top and then the real fun begins. We will practice catching and throwing bags. This is very important you will be doing this a dragonback later on, catching bags thrown to you while in the air. So, don't groan too much about aching shoulders. Fill your bags and find a partner and start tossing. Try not to get hit TOO many times..."

MONTH 2 LESSON - First Ground Drill

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: Out on the Weyrling training grounds, B'lin strode around the latest class requiring them to line up before he spoke, or rather shouted in a crisp authoritative tone.

"Settle down everyone and listen up! Today we are going to begin the arduous task of bringing order to the lot of you - no mean feat. From this day forward when you see ground drills on the lesson plans you will assemble in groups of three which we will vary over the sessions and will increase over the months to come in complexity and number, something to look forward to at least."

He paused and then tapped the slate board a little to their right where he had drawn a series of small triangle shapes arranged in three lines, drawing their attention to it.

"We will begin what are known as Ground Drills today. You will be practicing on the ground next to your dragon what you eventually will be doing astride him or her on the ground and later on, in the air -- the idea is to make the co-ordination instinctive and seamless. It is important that you pay close attention to these drills for they will determine your inevitable position in a wing through the aptitude and strength you and your lifemate display. Before I start hearing about enviable positions, point as opposed to rear, remember every single position in a wing is vital to a successful run against Thread. Those in front depend on those behind, those above on those below ... and vice versa. If you are looking for glory in a Threadfall then you are in for a rude awakening. It is hard sharding work!

"For the time being, you will be part of a weyrling wing and your job now is to learn various formations expected of a wing. Today you will learn one of those formations ... the most basic starting formation.

"The most basic elemental form of a Wing is an arrow-head. A full wing is usually composed of arrowhead clusters moving three dimensionally. Don't get glazed looks, you have to remember you are flying and you have VOLUME as well as AREA to cover. So ... the basic form is a cluster of three rider pairs. Point, left and right. This is the minimum safe conformation for you as riders. With this, at any time, you can change vectors and adjust focus and cover around the geometric shape. Depending on the altitude levels the clusters will be by colours, or by mixed skills. A fast green, a medium blue and a stamina brown or bronze for example.

"The distribution of arrowhead clusters is controlled by the Wingleader and Wingsecond. As a wing can be up to thirty dragons the commands are cascaded and the cluster groups orient appropriately. Now, is all this clear? If not, now is the time to say something," he said, looking around for anyone who has a question.

Once questions were answered, he moved on. "I want you to arrange yourself in V-formations, a Point, a left and a right and we will practice moving in simple directions together, keeping face and holding formation. The V Formation is the most common formation used, hence why you are now in that position.

"For today's exercise I want you to practice moving from right to left on my order while keeping the same distance from each other with your lifemate's wings outstretched. Coordinate your moves as a group until you can do this smoothly. And then I want you to have your dragons do the same. It won't be easy but try not to run each other over! Groups of three pairs then people ... "

B'lin watched as there was a murmur of excitement. "Dragons extend wings, maintain a steady dragonlength of distance and ... forward ... step ... step ... and left ... step ... step ... step ... mind the turn! ... step ... step ... level ... one ... two ... three ... and RIGHT ... careful ... two ... three ..."

MONTH 2 LESSON - Helping the Healers

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: As the first dragons took to the air to meet Fall, the volunteer weyrlings were given a resume of what was about to happen.

"Fall is beginning and within a candlemark we may start to see some of the first injuries," Healer Kura said. "You are here to assist so you have some idea of what is involved in a Fall. Dragon pairs often come in at speed in the landing areas in front of the Infirmary. Their most pressing need will be numbweed. These ..." she lifted a bucket, "contain what we call the numbweed 'slather' ... a very liquid diluted form of what we cook up at harvest. A dragon or rider comes in and you take the stick sponge mop and swipe it over the injury. The liquid gets in fast to a score and numbs it, though they will need the longer lasting thick salve to do it properly.

"First priority - numb the wounds and if you see thread in it, dump the bucket over it and yell for a healer. In any case, do not let a pair with a score go until they have seen a Healer even if it means clinging onto the dragon's leg. You could be saving their lives. The healer may ask you to get redwort or help with stretchers. The redwort is on the bench over there, the bandages are sterilizing over there..." She gestured towards the appropriate items.

"Use the tongs if you are asked for a sterile bandage NOT your hands. Liberal bouts of hot water are on constant boil over there ... and there ... and most importantly ... the communal klah is in the big kettle there. We tend to need it by the end of Fall. If we have a bad casualty in, make sure a healer is there as soon as possible and then get the shards out of the way! Bear in mind, time can literally mean the difference between life and death so if you get barked at, don't take it personally. Depending on who is on shift of our dragonrider healers, you may suddenly hear one of them yell out an instruction that appears to have no relation to anything ... just do what they say, it usually means there is a situation they have been apprised of on it's way in. If you are feeling faint and sick ... take a break, okay? Trust me, don't worry about it, people will tell you what they want you to do."

She smiled a little. "Until the injured arrive ... lets stock up on that klah and hope we have an easy time of it!"

MONTH 3 - General Information

Date: 2009-05-07

Summary: "Here we are again," *AWLM Name* said, "Get used to it, this is a regular spot. Now bronze dragons on average are about 14-15 ft. Browns are similar at about 13 ft, blues at 11 ft and greens at around 9 ft. You know the drill, any abnormal growth or lack of it, let us know immediately. Dragons will begin to eat only twice a sevenday by now and will soon be taught to feed off freshly killed beasts and wherries -- you'll soon stop the whole morning butchering but have to take up walking to the Weyrling hunting grounds and asking permission for this, so in some ways, nothing will change.

"Wing strain will become a minor worry, at least until NEXT month. Weyrling dragons are starting to learn their limits and will be pushed to slowly exceed them by the Weyrlingmaster, his assistants, and their dragons. More of the weyrling dragons will begin the coasting takeoffs after racing with wings open on their own ... you do not get on them at this point, however tempting. They simply do not have the muscles for it yet, but it is instinctive for them to TRY to fly a little. We will encourage the dragons to do this a little now, not allowing them to leave the flat practice yard, but within those boundaries, they'll be often told to 'go run into the wind'.

"Many, if not all the weyrling dragons, have been taught during these sessions by the AWLM dragons to lose air by tilting a wing and furling them slowly and then gently land. The flapping exercises will continue, and now, many times, a dragon will gain a bit of air. We will encourage this, but make sure that the weyrling dragon knows to STOP flapping after gaining the air so they come back to the ground. No weyrling dragon is permitted to take off yet. Any Weyrling seen mounting their dragon, or encouraging a weyrling dragon unwilling to glide, will be reprimanded and sent to private retraining, starting with first month work.

"Oiling is to be done daily, bathing can be reduced to every three days, allowing the dragons freedom to splash in the Weyr lake when weyrling and dragon have time together -- AFTER asking permission first from the WLM or AWLM's. Dragons will want to swim in the Weyr lake often when it gets hot; ask before allowing this, as the lake becomes the main water supply for the weyr as summer gets hot, and the Headwoman may not appreciate you polluting it.

"Blue and greenriders, you'll notice your dragons growing a bit more than bronze and browns; this is normal, and will continue for another five sevendays or so, then the browns and bronzes will start overtaking their clutchmates in size.

"Green dragons will slowly begin to flirt with their clutchmates. They won't know WHY they are doing this, but they will appreciate the attention from other male dragons in the class, and often pass those emotions onto their riders. Greenriders who notice this are encouraged to come to the Weyrlingmaster *immediately* so that they can begin learning the special information a greenrider needs to learn about their dragon.

Brown Weyrlings as a rule your dragons are the more thoughtful, intense thinkers of the bunch. You'll notice your dragons tending to want to act as mediators of sorts at times. They won't have the need to lead as the bronzes will, they'll try to act as a support to others so you might find yourself in conflicted situations as your brown tries to bring a calmness to his surroundings while the others are more prone to acting on their feelings. You'll need to keep an eye out for their confusion and try to help them through the situations they might not totally understand as emotions run high."

"Bronze dragons will start to push for more and more leadership places, often forcing their riders to volunteer for things, or to go first and become a bit irritated when they do not get their way in this. Bronzes are a bit more strong-willed over positions in the clutch group and this needs to be watched by their riders so that the bronzes learn that they are part of a whole, not the leaders by dint of their hide color.

"Blueriders should watch their dragons as blues often try to push themselves more than they should and can develop strains as they overdo it.

"Weyrlings are about to start learning about rising, and what happens during one. This is done early, as many were holdbred and might find the concept a bit daunting, not to mention the need to eliminate all Hold training about the 'place' of a man and a wife as these concepts are alien to a Weyr situation.

"And as before, your dragon will still be eliminating waste either in the barracks or in the practice yard; they do not eliminate waste *between* until they can GO *between* so those of you with large dragons will get a lot of time to build up your arm muscles ... the piles are getting BIGGER ... but happily, soon this will end ... in a fair few months from now. Also, until now your dragons have had little control over keeping their mental sendings private, during this month you'll start to notice their control improving but it'll be several more months before they quit broadcasting so easily."

MONTH 3 Lecture - Basic Dragonhealing

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: *JM Dragonhealer Name* waited for quiet before he began his lecture on dragon illnesses. It was important that they all pay attention, though some things would not be relevant to later on in their training ... or in their career.

"It is easy to think of dragons when you first see them as immune to any problems that might afflict us less powerful beings," he indicated all of them. "But they have their moments of weakness too and as is often the case with people who are very healthy, they do not cope terribly well with being incapacitated at all. So ... I want you to pay careful attention to the list of principle draconic problems I am going to describe so you know if your lifemate should become afflicted.

"Now, one of the main weaknesses is to do with their multiple hearts - but usually when they get much older. For obvious reasons this was more commonly recorded in Intervals. Heart problems can develop along with age and can, if the dragon is allowed to over exert themselves. For example, rising to chase can lead to death. Usually the symptoms are an unusual lethargy and a slight tinge to the dragons hide that does not fade over time. A Dragonhealer should be consulted because in some instances, things can be improved with diet and light exercise.

"The more common illness which you will possibly be aware of by now is constipation or Thicktail. This is one of the most common draconic ailments encountered by weyrlings and dragonet; the young dragon overeats and literally becomes clogged up with rich food. A purge becomes necessary and this is not pleasant, as some of you know. Though the first time you may need a Dragonhealer there, the second and third time, if you let it happen again, you are on your own!" he smiled at them and continued.

"Chafed skin is something you will have to watch for in the next month or so when you make your first sets of straps. If made incorrectly, mis-sized, un-oiled, or leather that has become cracked and overly worn from use, the dragon's hide becomes sensitive and chafed. This is not only uncomfortable for the dragon, but can be a danger in between if the hide becomes cracked. Plus your lifemate will get irritable and grouchy and you do not want them trying to scratch themselves on you. This is more serious later when flying but it is worth being aware of now.

"Fractures and bone breaks can happen although, because of their density, a dragon's bones are difficult to break. They are equally difficult to set and heal. How can a bone be broken? Well imagine the weight and mass of a dragon hitting the ground at high speed in a bad landing, or toppling with all their weight on one point. Thread can eat through bone as well which can be very nasty. There are also less dramatic ways of managing it ... including particularly wild mating flights," he said with a wiggle of his eyebrows while the Weyrlings snickered, pausing to sip some water from the mug he'd brought in. "As a simple fracture may appear to be a little like a sprain to the untrained eye, it is best to call a dragonhealer for a diagnoses even on a suspected sprain."

"Now another common weyrling problem is that of overstressing. Sometimes, a pair's enthusiasm gets the better of them, particularly in first flights. Remember your dragon is strengthening NEW muscles and though they are there they haven't been used a great deal. As a full rider you will still have to watch for it, as abnormal weather conditions or drastic maneuvers can lead to this even then. Your dragon will favor the wing or limb, will complain and in some case there may a swelling on the muscle or tendon itself. Watch for signs of a fracture if this is the case, don't ignore it.

"Another one you will have heard your AWLM harp on about is the peril of patchy hide. As you know, young dragonets grow so fast you can practically see it going on before your eyes and as such, their hide stretches and can crack. You have been told to oil daily ... this will slow as time goes on but it is worth bearing in mind as it applies to adult dragons. A cracked hide in *between* can be deadly. Remember that.

"Your dragonets might frequently complain of a 'bad stomach' during your weyrling training. This is usually thicktail, but later on it could be responsible for them eating low-grade firestone. The impurities in the ore seem to make it uncomfortable and painful. Once it is regurgitated the problem will pass which will be none too soon for the pair of you, I can assure you. You soon learn how to grade ore as a result of that.

"Similarly, when your lifemates begin chewing firestone the odds are they may have the odd tongue bite. You will learn to numbweed the bite until the wound seals itself. Again the problem is a nuisance rather than an actual dangerous problem.

"Now another problem with young dragons is that of a talon loss. It can be a little painful and is caused primarily by accidents ... taking off and landing or learning to hunt for example. It is a problem that may need redworting and numbweeding but when it comes to it the talon re-grows within a month so it is not serious.

"Scrapes and cuts should be cleaned with redwort and then numbweeded. If the cut is deep, then call a dragonhealer to deal with it," he smiled and stood up from his stool. "That's enough for now. There are other injuries that have to be dealt with but we'll save that for later on. Now I will stress this again, if you have any worries or concerns ask your AWLM or come to us directly. Better to catch the problem early than wait for it to grow. Thank you for your attention."

MONTH 3 LESSON - Blindfolded Tag

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: Another lesson outside and the only sign of equipment was a pile of colored strips of cloth. B'lin was smiling though, as he led the weyrlings to a nice open patch of ground in the Weyrbowl, with significant lack of holes to trip in.

"Right then - this lesson - is playing tag!" he announced, then laughed at some of their faces. "Yes, I know you aren't kiddies any more and this isn't quite the tag you're used to. You're going to be blindfolded, with your dragon hopping alongside and telling you where to walk - and I mean WALK. These babies aren't up to running yet and you running blindfolded, you'll fall.

"Basically, I want you to try and learn to see through your dragon's eyes and this is a fun way to do it. It strengthens the empathic connection between you and gets you more familiar with the way you move, you think how your other half behaves. The aim is to make someone 'It' and to do that you touch them and yell "You're It!" Yes, it IS the old game you played as Brats. Blindfolds on everyone please ... and ... you're 'It'."

Smiling, he stood back to watch, having tapped a Weyrling on the shoulder.

MONTH 3 LESSON - Swimming exercise

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: "Today's lesson will be done in the lake. That's right, one reason for being told to wear swimming attire." B'lin looked around, making sure all the weyrlings were covered properly ... or there about. Normally, swimming in the nude was not something frowned upon but with young hormones raging, and restrictions in place, swimming attire was a must. Besides, first experiences in swimming could be clumsy and a little covering could help protect them.

"Up until now you've taken your dragon into the shallows with you where they've wallowed and enjoyed themselves. Dragons love water and will seldom pass up an opportunity for a good swim and more often than not, a good scrubbing. Now, today isn't a day off for you and your dragon. This isn't just for fun, though you will both enjoy yourselves.

"Today you take your dragon swimming and begin strengthening their wing muscles. This is very important and you have begun some of the land-based exercises, to encourage muscle building and stamina. Here in the South we have this added benefit of being able to strength train in the water as well as out. As they push against, and through, the water there is some resistance that will help gently stretch the muscles and exercise them in a way comparable with the way flight works. I want you to mount your dragon ... the buoyancy of the water will make sure there is not too much strain but you have to get use to the way you move together. If you can stay on a slippery wet dragon, you are NOT likely to fall off mid-air." B'lin gave a wry smile.

"Now, get out there and get your dragons swimming. Don't go too deep and when your dragon starts to tire bring them in. Do not overtax your dragon in this first stage, as swimming will be very tiring for your young dragon until they build up some muscle. Are you ready...? Then off you go!"

MONTH 4 - General Information

Date: 2006-08-01

Summary: "Entering the fourth month together is where things start getting a little more intense. Bronze dragons will be approximately 18 ft, browns 16 ft, blues 14 ft, and greens 11 ft," *AWLM Name* said, getting to the statistics right from the start. "You will be doing a lot of new things in this month which we will expand on as time goes on.

"Your dragons will want to fly, but we will be concentrating on building their muscles with swimming and exercises. However, the good news is in preparations for the first flights you will be fitted for flight gear and will start making your first sets of straps. This is mainly because you will be doing mounted ground drills to learn the principles of formation.

"Regular bathing and oiling is still necessary, especially for the blues and greens who will be making rapid growth over the next couple of months in comparison to the bronzes. They may even need an extra feeding that is out of character so do not be surprised by this. We will be watching your progress carefully in this month and will have a review with all of you to ensure everything is well by the end of the month."

MONTH 4 Lecture - Knots and Rank

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: "Knots are wonderful things," *AWLM Name* said as he picked up the variety of cords and thread he had. "It enables us to tell who we should be polite to, and who should be polite to us at a glance - if we can read them. As Dragonriders, you may now expect to come in contact with a wider variety of ranks and people than you would have done before, for one reason or another and you really don't want to end up insulting a Weyrleader or a Lord Holder or a Craftmaster accidentally. Plus you will want to know what knots you can wear yourself ... now and in the future. Now listen closely as there are a lot of variations. I have copies of this information for you to memorize, but lets go through them.

"Firstly, no knots." He looked around, to see that he had everyone's attention. "Only the Holdless are knotless - anyone who has a right to stay in a Hold, Craft or Weyr can wear some form of knot. The next rank up is that of a single loop under the arm and fastened in a single knot at the top. The colour Cord this is done in, demonstrates something about the nature of that rank and clue to origin as the cord is usually in the dominant colour of the Hold, Craft or Weyr. Arolos cords are for example, Southern Blue.

"Who wears a single knot? Support Staff, unskilled or yet to be placed residents as it shows they have a right to be there, someone being disciplined and children in the appropriate colours. Candidates are unique in that they wear a white single knot without affliation colours - possibly as there is significant transference of Candidates from weyr to weyr."

Picking up a double cord loop, he held it up for their perusal. "Now how about this? A double cord loop single knot, two colours, look familiar? It should ... this is what you've been allowed to wear as weyrlings. Again, this is usually in the dominant, and now subsidiary colour, indicating place of residence. In Crafts, Apprentices can wear these and in Holds, semi-skilled positions. Trainee Guards, Support Staff with responsibility, Creche helper, Stable Hands that sort of thing that require a certain amount of initiative.

"Now a double cord with a small knot-tail is a little bit more senior. Some of you Weyrlings will be granted permission to use your knots like this as a signal of responsibility. In crafts this goes to Senior Apprentices, and in Holds, to people with a little more responsibility than the basic described double cord single loop.

"I expect you can see the trend but a long knot tail on a double-cord single loop signifies a Wingrider, or a Jr. Journeyman or in the Hold, a full Guardsman, Head Cook, Head Creche assistant, or Personal Administrative Assistant for a start, or Traders.

"The double-cord single loop long tail and one tassel demarks a Watchrider in the weyr, a senior Journeyman in a craft, and deputies in key positions in a Hold - Minor Hold Steward, Guard Sergeant, Headwoman for example.

"The next stage up is the same as before but with two tassels. In the Weyr, you are likely to find Dragonhealers and Wingthirds with this, and Senior Journeymen, Guard Captain and CotHolders who are entitled to have gold tassels. You will also see our Headwoman with this rank and Stewards of the Major Holds." He paused a moment holding up examples before moving on.

"The next set alter a little, they are a double cord, double loop. Blood relative of minor Holds wear these with a silver thread through them, Senior Journeyman heading their craft where they are posted do too, with a gold thread and in the Weyr, the Head Dragonhealer and WingSeconds where them too.

"Imagine this again with a single tassel and you get Craftmasters if the tassel is gold. A Lord or Lady of a Minor Hold also with a gold tassel and in the weyr a Wingleader with gold or an AWLM with silver tassel.

"The next stage up is a double cord triple loop with silver tassel. A Craft Second wears this, a consort of a Lord or Lady Holder and in the Weyr, the Weyrsecond, Junior Weyrwomen and the Weyrlingmaster - with a gold thread through his."

He smiled. "Nearly there ... the next rank up is the same with two tassels, the tassels being gold. These are for the Major Lord and Lady Holders, the MasterCrafter and the Senior Weyrwoman and Weyrleader of each weyr, a select group. And that is all of them. Of course, there are nuances that are incorporated. For example, you will put a colour thread of your dragon into your knot, indicating your status. If you have a craft status you can incorporate a subloop to indicate that qualification, although on the whole the ranking cords apply ... and that is always the Weyr rank. There are also other marks of rank - the Weyrleaders pin, a Harpers Journeyman ring, but the knot system is used everywhere as it is an accessible material for everyone.

"Now pick up your reminder sheet and you can work on making your knots and recognizing them for next time. Are there any questions?"

MONTH 4 LESSON - Empathic bond blindfold race

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: B'lin waited for the weyrling group to settle down before addressing them in his usual strident and penetrating tones.

"Your lifemates are the grand old age of four months and have now reached approximately fifty percent of its adult size. Take a moment to look at your lifemate. Go on, look at them. Notice how large the snout is, how big the teeth are, even look at the tail. In a few more months this dragon will be fully grown, at twice this size.

"Now, if you think caring for a dragon is hard now, realize it'll only get harder with twice as much dragon to care for. But certain things get easier. You won't have to feed your dragon, and because the hide is no longer stretching in growth, oiling becomes less demanding. Don't for one minute believe though that you don't have to oil him or her at all. You will for the rest of your life spend time oiling your dragon to make sure the hide stays soft, you all know the dangers of a cracked hide in between, if you don't then you missed one of your lessons and need to go back and review."

He paused and reached into a couple of buckets that were next to him and pulled out a strip of cloth seeing the recognition in their expressions.

"Alright then, today we are going to continue with the dragon/rider bonding as this is your most important strength in fighting thread. Being able to see through each others eyes is a good way to become accustomed to this intense contact, making it become second nature ... and it can be a valuable skill. I have blindfolds here for you and your lifemate. Take a blindfold and stand comfortably next to your dragon. I want either you to be blindfolded or your lifemate then the unblindfolded pair will guide you both to one of the markers at the other end of the training grounds." He pointed to the visible, hastily erected posts with some bright coloured cloths dangling from them. "When you reach that end, you will swap and return here."

The blindfolds were distributed and the Weyrlingmaster nodded as he waited for them to get ready.

"Are you ready ... then ... without touching your lifemate, and WITHOUT crashing into anyone else ... off you go!"

MONTH 4 LESSON - Flight Gear Fitting

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: "In the next month or so, we will be starting to try short flights, so you WILL need flight gear," B'lin stated categorically. "We will be visiting the stores and the Weavercrafters to produce your flying gear. Now, you will need wherhide jackets - for all the heat down here it's cold up there. You will need warm but not thick leather gloves, wherhide trousers, your flying belt and head protection -- most of these items mentioned can be fitted by the weaver crafters, and leather workers, but I have to repeat you must not "make do". You have to be comfortable, you have to have gear that fits. We will look into goggles later but first ... the clothes. Now let's go get kitted out!"

MONTH 4 LESSON - Making Flying Straps

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: "Making your harness and straps is hard work and essentially down to the individual rider," *AWLM Name* said by way of introduction to the riding strap lesson. "Get used to leatherwork people, you are going to be doing a fair amount of it over the rest of your life. There is a reason for this ... how well would you trust your life to someone else's handiwork? To who else can your dragon explain if something fits comfortably? Right ... so don't complain..." The rider grinned.

"Now, okay we have pre-cut strap lengths available sometimes but you might have seen something ... a first stumbling block. Herdbeasts ain't exactly strap shaped so you need to securely stitch or plait the leather straps together. Flexibility is important! The straps have to have some give in them, else they will crack and tear. That means the next time you do a hard turn ... oh hey, no dragon underneath you or your passengers anymore. If I need to explain why THAT is a problem then I might as well give up here and now.

"Now unless you have been a professional weaver you are unlikely to have a metal needle strong enough to sew leather ... you will be using a sharpened punching awl. Make sure when you punch a hole through it's not supported on your leg okay? Hole in leg ... not good," he grinned and shook his head. "Then you deal with sewing it together by threading the cord through the hole - sounds simple doesn't it? Well it should be but ... practice this before you destroy good leather. You have to strike a balance between enough stitches and not enough ... too many and the leather tears, too few and it rips apart. About one every finger joint is about right. And we will be using tough cord. When your dragon is full grown and you are making straps that they won't grow out of immediately, invest in some of the tough multiple strand cords ... it's worth it. Trust me, even though you'd think it was made from metal the prices they charge."

He picked up some lengths of hide. "The wider the strap, the less it will cut into a dragons neck. The length of your hand is about right for the neck straps, and the optimum length is usually around the length of your outstretched arms ... both of them. Cut 'em and stitch them until you've got something long enough. Don't be tempted to use dyed colours, not until you are an expert. They are more difficult to handle and can be more prone to wear and tear. Plus it cost a fortune. Stick to the basic stuff and get fancy later. For your weyrling set, cut them long and you can er ... let them out instead of starting from scratch. Make sure you do not lose the hook rings. They are metal, and reusable and sharding expensive to replace."

Picking up a ready done strap, he held it up for all to see. "Okay then ... this is one design of strap. Make sure the pieces overlap and sew them across a couple of times and layer them. The theme all the way is strength. NEVER skimp to hurry it along ... it's your neck on the line. Now, you may have to line it with a suede or wool baffler to prevent chaffing or a ticklish dragon getting the fidgets. Yes, they ARE ticklish in places ... *Dragon name* hopped around like a sandflea until I sorted his straps out. A large *Dragon color* sandflea ... complaining a lot and loudly until I padded the sides.

"Anyway ... your riding belts should come with your flight gear from the weavers. You may get to a stage you want to make your own, but you will have to have some spare for passengers for a start, so make sure you have ones you are comfortable with. Children should have a full harness as they are often the ones leaning over pointing out the things on the ground below." He grinned a little at that. "The belts are wide for the same reason as the neck straps but this time for you ... if one safety strap breaks and you fall it doesn't cut in. You'll get to experience this in the rescue drills ... trust me, it can wind you as it is.

"So the basic set up is the neck strap that goes all around your dragon's neck with the rings attached up the side. This is your anchor and through those rings, the fighting straps, which are usually plaited thin leather or more commonly plaited cord as the length is easier to produce, are secured and connected to your riding belt. IF you are doing a lot of passenger or load ferrying, a second neck strap can be used. Same principle, but the load is cross-secured then and less likely to slip. Your securing straps should be about two inches thick roughly and if you include loops at regular intervals they can be used to help in rescues or to loop light carisaks onto. I do not recommend using them for firestone, as that's your safety line and you don't want it snapping.

"Now those are the basics. Practice with your awl just stitching small bits together and then we'll move onto making the bigger things. Plaiting safety ropes though ... you'll be doing that often so I should start practicing now. Okay? Good ... let's get started!"

MONTH 5 - General Information

Date: 2009-05-07

Summary: *AWLM Name* stood and looked around the present class and began the days lesson with a barrage of facts. He realized they probably would not absorb them instantaneously but they might pick up after the third or fourth repetition this week. "You are in your fifth month as weyrlings together with your lifemates. Your lifemate will be around the approximate dimensions ... this is average size so there will be variations. Listen carefully ... if you think there is something unusual about your lifemates development then you must report it to myself or one of the other AWLM. Okay ... bronze dragons will be on average 20 ft long, brown dragons 18 ft, blues about 15 ft and greens 12 ft.

"It is important to consider seasons in your lifemates development. Dragons may not be as hungry as the cold of autumn and early winter begins to hit. Weyrlings are to watch to make sure their dragons eat at least twice a week, three times if the dragon is a bronze or a brown, who are larger and need a bit more food. If a dragon refuses food for more than two days, a trip to the dragonhealer should be made. They will sleep a bit more and should be told to sleep inside as soon as it gets dark. Since dragons are communal creatures, they may need to be ordered directly and you, as riders, insist they sleep in their wallows. Washing your dragon will become a lot more difficult as the weather is chilly.

"Oiling is more important, as wind burnt hide needs the oil to remain whole and without blemish. Brown and bronzeriders will notice their dragons beginning to grow like weeds; which of course means itchy hide and a need for oiling. Green and blueriders, you'll not see as much growth, but your dragons will be gaining muscle and filling in better, looking less thin and more greyhound muscled. It is up to you to keep up with them," he gave a stern look around the group to make sure they were not slacking on their exercises before beginning again.

"Dragons will become increasingly independent and challenging to you. Even normally calm tempered, agreeable dragons will begin to argue and want to do things their own way. This is normal ... they are testing the boundaries of your unique relationship as they gain more capability. Green and blueriders may find this the most trying time. On the brightside you'll see a marked improvement in their control over what they broadcast but they'll still slip when distracted or excited. And as before, your dragon will still be eliminating waste either in the barracks or in the practice yard; they do not eliminate waste *between* until they can GO *between* so those of you with large dragons will get a lot of time to build up your arm muscles ... the piles are getting BIGGER!

"Now ... I want you all to examine your dragon carefully and I will be checking for strains, patches and general condition as I come round. Right then ... get to it!"

MONTH 5 LESSON - Complex Drill

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: Swimming built up muscles ... Swimming Was Good. And the younger Weyrlings spent so much time in the water swimming that they were beginning to look like fish. Drills on the other hand were becoming routine for the Weyrlings. B'lin knew the looks on the faces when they saw they had THOSE on the timetable. So, he was going to have a day doing something just a LITTLE different with water-drills. He would still get his younglings into knowing the drills but would bring a little difference into it. And any difference that meant they would pay more attention was useful.

He waited until the class was on the drill ground ready to get to work and then enjoyed the surprised looks as he sent them to get changed for swimming, not telling them JUST what was happening yet. Surprise them. Might as well use the lake since they had it afterall. And he and Quelenth could hover over the water to check the formations were neat enough. This would work well all round.

�On my mark, I want the greens in arrow head formation in the water first holding position as the blues linear behind them. Browns I want you in skirmish lines and bronzes behind there in a core. I want you to get the feeling of moving three dimensionally because when I call the swoop command instead of peeling off and rejoining, I want your colour to dive and come back up in the real formation. It's not as easy as it sounds so don�t get cocky! Okay on my mark ... move out ... Greens ... Blues ... Browns ... Bronzes ... That�s it, good ... Hold position and ... swing left ... even pace ... one, two, three, four, GREENS SWOOP!...� He yelled instructions as they attempted the maneuver.

MONTH 5 LESSON - Etiquette

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: Walking into the classroom, *AWLM Name* grinned as she pulled up a stool. �Today I�m talking to you about something a little different. Now it won�t be a life or death topic necessarily, but it can still have serious consequences. I�m here to talk to you about ...� She paused dramatically, noting that she had the class�s full attention. �...Etiquette!� she finished finally.

The class groaned. They�d been hoping for something exciting like a talk on mating flights or something.

�Yeah, that was my reaction exactly,� she replied. �But it needs to be talked about. Alright then. Etiquette ... ugh ... boring and useless right? Well the first part is right, the second part is false.�

She noted the skeptical looks on the faces of the class members.

�Allow me to give an example if you don�t believe me...� she went on. �Now suppose that you are asked to represent Arolos Weyr at the wedding of Arolos Hold�s Lord Holder. You manage to make the Lord Holder mad. Now ... when he tithes to us, he is going to short change us _and_ give the worst of his wares to us. We now don�t have enough to support the Weyr through the winter. We�re screwed unless we find a way to buy more food off of other Holders. And guess what? _You�re_ in BIG trouble...�

Some of the Weyrlings sniggered, rightly guessing that she was exaggerating.

�Okay ... so it probably won�t be _that_ bad. But still...� she shrugged. �You have to learn etiquette so that you have a chance to work your way up in wing rank and so that you don�t inadvertently piss off the wrong person, namely one of the Weyrleaders.

�First ... you should always practice good manners, in and out of uniform. That�s just good sense. We are, whether you realize it or not, constantly on public view and though there is a dependence between the Holds and Weyrs, goodwill and respect has a great deal to do with putting food in our bellies. Now ... the main times etiquette comes into play are when you�re formally meeting a superior, Searching, or representing the Weyr.

�In all of these cases, you should be in proper uniform. That means that you have to be in your full riding regalia and wearing your knots. This is so that you look professional, and so that you can be identified. Personally, I think that the real reason that they want you to wear your knots is that most of the people you meet have shoddy memories and need some way to remember who you are.� She winked at them.

�Now then when you�re meeting a superior, you have to salute them according to your position in the Weyr. As a Weyrling, and a new rider you will salute them like this,� she said, slipping off the stool and quickly demonstrating.

�As you move farther up you will be taught the other salutes. A goldrider ... once she�s graduated, for instance is like this ...� she demonstrated again. �This is to denote that she is not a regular wing rider, and the fact that she has more responsibility than the average newly graduated rider.

�After the salute, you must address the person properly. When addressing any rider, but especially a superior, you say their title, name, then the color of their dragon, and dragon�s name. R�tal for example would be addressed as �*Weyrleader* R�tal, rider of Brown Talith,' or 'Talith's Rider.'

�The same goes when you are meeting someone from a Hold, Crafthall, or another Weyr. You address them by their full title and then name -- if they then give you permission to address them otherwise, all well and good. Don't assume everyone is as laid back as we are in Arolos, some people take a slight as a deadly insult.

�When you are on Search it is not polite to walk in or walk up to the Lord Holder�s gorgeous wife, and proclaim that she will surely Impress the gold egg on the sands. Especially if there _isn�t_ a gold egg on the sands,� Kassia joked.

�Actually, when you�re on Search, etiquette dictates that you must approach the Lord or Lady Holder, or the highest-ranking member of the Hold or Crafthall available. You then ask permission to Search all of the eligible people in the area. This is actually more or less a formality. They cannot technically deny you Search, especially since we�re in the beginning of a Pass. But if they do say no, it is better to agree to their wishes and come back to the Weyr to talk to you�re commanding Wingleader to discuss what is best to be done.

�If they agree then the eligible people are brought forth. If your dragon Searches someone, then you must ask the parents� and Holders� permission to take them to the Weyr. Again, this is but a formality. The only person who can truly accept or deny the chance to Stand is the potential Candidate.

�Do everyone a favor though ... try not to Search too many people just because you find them attractive. It tends to make people upset. Especially if the potential Candidate is ready to be married off.�

She paused before beginning again. "The next section of etiquette is in dealing with your peers and other dragonriders. This CAN be dangerous as we are a proud and willful folk, practically by definition. It's hard to be humble when your dragon believes you are the greatest thing that ever happened to the world ... and you believe they are right!" she grinned knowingly.

"Etiquette is a protection against the egos that knock heads in a Weyr, because the wrong word, or a perceived slight and next thing you know you are Challenged and boy will you be in the wherryshit even if you win! The Rules of Honour Duels get covered later on. I guess the point I am making is ... be polite. Do NOT criticize another�s dragon, even people who seem able to take a joke about themselves. If you don't know the rider, extend them courtesy ... they may be proddy and Faranth help you if you insult a proddy rider. Offer them refreshment and whatever information they need and DON'T piss them off. Not everyone is as understanding as our ranking riders."

She took a breath. �Alright ... Any questions? If not ... I think we�re done for the day. Dismissed.�

MONTH 6 - General Information

Date: 2006-08-01

Summary: *AWLM Name* looked around at the Weyrling class and began his now familiar start of month lecture. "Now then, this month will be particualrly exciting for you because you will begin your first solo glides and flights as long as your dragon is deemed to be in sufficient health to attempt it. Your dragons will now be roughly around 60% of their full adult size ... bronzes roughly 22 ft, brown 19-20 ft, blues 16-17 ft and greens 13-14 ft. The brown and bronzes will now start to make substantial headway in growth compared to the green and blues." He looked around.

"Now then, not only will we be doing first flights but we will start looking at the drills needed as preparation to *between*. It is vital you pay attention and work on this now or you will not be allowed to try jumping between with the others. You will work on learning this, building flight stamina as well as necessary gear maintenance and more complex ground drills in preparation for when you take to the skies to try them for real.

"It's not all work though, this month you will get to SELECT a weyr of your own, though you won't be moving in right now ... but you get to earmark one to be your own from the list Jayara presents us with, so you might want to start thinking about that, if you have time from all of the other things we are going to pile on top of you now! If you have any concerns or do not understand something, don't stay quiet - ASK! It could literally be a matter of life and death for you or your wing mates."

MONTH 6 Lecture - Greenflights

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: The greenrider leaned on the table and rather unconsciously displayed himself to best advantage as he began the lecture in a soft voice, "My name is D'pan ... and as you may have noticed, I am a greenrider. I'm pretty much, from weyr gossip, as 'green' as riders can get and I am here to talk to you about some of the issues regarding your dragons rising to mate." Unsurprisingly, this was a lecture that he never had to try and be heard - a pin could have been heard over the other side of the Weyrbowl for the silence that descended.

"Now, your dragons will be coming into maturity any time from a Turn upwards, though the average is around 16 months. There will be an increase in rather blatant flirting from all the colours ... many will urge you to be more competitive with other riders to attract a certain dragons attentions. That is one sign of impending sexual maturity.

"For greenriders, the time before a flight is characterized by a certain ... sensitivity which slips easily into irritation, anger, snappishness and over emotionality. We call it being proddy. For the female riders amongst you, think of it as a magnified time of the month experience. For the male riders, Faranth help you, it's not something that you probably had to deal with before, hough you may have seen it in action from a distance ... a looooooong distance," he gave a wry smile.

"Suffice it to say, your mental preoccupation with sex will increase, for some of us that will be difficult to tell in general but if you are plagued by random continual flashes of sexual fantasies with people you've never even given consideration to before, you have either got a proddy dragon or you are a normal teenage boy." D'pan smiled again.

"Joking aside, it is difficult to monitor, hence why people are often surprised when they suddenly realize their green is off rising. The moment that you see their hide appear a really vivid green or have a near glow means you have very little time before she goes up. It is not as marked as the gold shimmer of a gold, but it is noticeable. A green will swoop to feed and rarely bloods ... often they will eat a complete herdbeast down to the hooves but rarely more than one. It's the queens that have to Blood and the bronzes that fly her - it provides quick energy for them both. The males don't have to blood for a greenflight but many do as the greens are fast, very fast in the air. Now, here's the bits you've been waiting for ... what does it feel like?

"Well..." and here he paused with a slow smile, "you become aware of a driving need. You may have thought you were desperate before but you won't know what the word means until your dragon rises. The link between you and your dragon is primal at this time, you FEEL what they feel, you are together in a way and intensity that is possibly only experienced at Impression. You feel somewhat like one of those dreams where you are aware something is going on because there is a part of you experiencing it, and a part of you observing you experiencing it. That part of you observing is the bit that gets you to a flight room when all you can see is what your dragon sees ... and taste what your dragon tastes. By the time the green is ready to fly you will have merged with them thoroughly and you feel the sensation of flight, how your dragon feels to fly. It is worth it for that alone." He smiled in memory, his voice still quiet and sultry soft. "At this point there is very little in the way of reasoning going on, just sensation, an immediacy and you will end up having sex, rather primal sex at first with whoever is close at hand.

"Usually this is the winner of the flight - but not always. I stress this because you can arrange to have a preferred partner there if you have read the signs. However, as I said it is not always that easy to pick up. Greenriders tend to have a rather ... passionate nature in general and they rarely have problem with who they end up with, it is the other rider who do according to their preference.

"Now.." and D'pan paused, "if you are of a weyr background, the fact you can end up with anyone, male or female in a flight is not new to you, and is acceptable. Those of you from Hold or Craft backgrounds will have to adjust to this as a fact of life. It may seem strange, but if you're a male into girls and wake up next to a man the following morning, having enjoyed the experience does not mean you are a monster. It does not mean you are obliged to pursue a relationship with that person or that things have to change, not like it would in the Hold environment. Once you have started *betweening*, I encourage you to actively start experimenting in this regard, particularly if you have not had opportunity to do so. It is a hard thing to do to lose ones virginity in a flight because the other participant will not be in a position to control themselves that effectively, nor will you. Believe me, you'd be walking funny for a sevenday or so and you may end up feeling inhibited, which is not good for you or your lifemate.

"So, you will not always end up with your weyrmate, you will not always even end up with your primary sexual preference and this may be a worrying situation for you. You may feel you don't know what to do ... frankly, nature takes it's course in a flight, the awkwardness comes after when you come to your senses.

"After a flight, first of all, if you are in any discomfort go to the Infirmary. There is nothing to be ashamed of, most of them there have seen it all before and in a couple of cases, experienced it too. They have flight checkups practically everyday in there with the greens going up the way they do. A few minutes to get checked over is better than contracting a fever from a minor wound. Male pairs ... you are particularly likely to be in need of this treatment as the thought of adequate preparation is often nowhere near your mind as the dragon lust takes over.

"Now I stress this, the union should be wholly consensual. Until you are ready, you should steer clear of the flight room or risk a rider trying to flight moth with you. They should be able to take no for an answer but it may be difficult to get them to hear! For the dragons, if they fail, the sensation and urgency is over taken by exhaustion - for the humans the sexual desire has to be worked off. It depends on the flight, the rider's reactions, the intensity of the emotional sensation as to how long this can take. It can be over in candlemarks ... and can take the best part of a day and night ..." He twitched a smile at that. "In one notable instance at least ...

"Anyway, a greenflight can produce disturbances that are not compulsive as such but raise the arousal level in bystanders. Only the participants of the flight will HAVE to satisfy their needs ... but for a Holder or crafter to be near a flight going up, the experience can be ... err ... disturbing. They are not used to such things. Also it can produce reactions in other creatures, livestock and the like, so for this reason you should keep a note of roughly when your dragon is ready to rise and stay within the Weyr. This is very important. And be aware that a threadscore, or being off her food can result in an unexpected rising or delay in rising so for the same reason, you should remain close to the weyr in that time and if you get caught out, hightail it back to the Weyr the moment she shows a colour change ... and then enjoy the experience.

"The following day, courtesy and politeness should make it obvious that you should thank your partner. If you have to leave, write a note ... don't just leave, that is bad manners. Thank them for having you ... as it were and make sure the least you do is acknowledge them as it is not unknown to end up with a son or daughter after such events. Even if you have no connection with them, it is nice for the mother to be able to tell the child who there father was - which is difficult if either of you have vanished into the dawnlight.

"So on that warning note, I ask, are there any questions? If you wish you may ask them privately," the older greenrider smiled again, wondering who would be first to pluck up courage.

MONTH 6 LESSON - Choosing a weyr

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: "Today, you get to pick what weyr you want to move into within your eighth month," B'lin said grinning. "Yes, I'm giving you a whole day to do this and we need this amount of lead time to get them all ready. Now, there is a list and diagram of available Weyrs that Jayara has provided us with that are fit for habitation or will be by the time you get there. These spots are marked in red. You can see a number and a color code for estimated suitable dragonsize next to each one and then a corresponding list at the side with a space to put your name. You look, you decide, you register - simple as that. Take the time to see if they are comfortable for your dragon and yourself because Jayara gets very annoyed with chopping and changing. Trust me on this." He tapped the board, "This will be in my office with me to register your choices and it is on a first come first served basis - bear that in mind. So with that final instruction ... happy weyr hunting!"

MONTH 6 LESSON - First Flight

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: "Today is a very special day," B'lin smiled as he looked over the assembled Weyrlings. "Today you will fly your dragons for the first time ... at least a little way." He patted the large ramp behind him that managed to scale a fair height as it was constructed over the top of some of the large unmovable boulders. "Or at least glide," he chuckled softly before looking at them sternly.

"One by one you will mount your dragon and then you and your dragon will walk up the ramp, no running, and glide to the bottom, just as you did when your dragons had their first solo glide ... except this time you will be on their backs. You may encourage your partner to flap but lets not get carried away ... literally! Their muscles are not strong enough for prolonged flight so if you get airborne, you will set down before you reach the lake. We will be working on that for today�s lesson once you have a taste for it. "

He smiled at the class. This was one lesson he truly loved ... he remembered well that first feeling of freedom as your dragon left the ground.

"Now then ... volunteers to go first?"

MONTH 6 LESSON - Strap Maintenance

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: "Your safety straps are for YOUR safety," B'lin began. "And they do experience wear and tear. Flying a dragon is a very physical thing so you will have to get into the habit of checking the straps after each flight and in detail every sevenday." He pulled up a harness. "Test the stitching in the thorough examination and examine the leather for cracks or brittleness. Don't ignore anything or keep patching when you need a full new set, it's tempting to do it. If it is in a vulnerable place make sure you do the job properly.

"Oiling the leather can preserve it and make it more flexible, so you should treat it regularly, especially after you start *betweening*. The cold is a prime reason for strap failure. Resist the urge to wash your dragon with straps on unless you really want them turning to rock on you. If they get wet in rain or inadvertently thrown into the lake, oil them over and over until the suppleness comes back." B'lin looked at them to make sure they understood.

"Now I will be coming around to inspect each rig and I want you to be aware of any problem you might have to fix, so start looking them over now..."

MONTH 6 LESSON - Weyr Width Flight Drill

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: "Now I know you all feel you don't need practice, that you are strong enough to fly Fall anywhere and everywhere, but truth be told, you and your lifemates haven't done much flying up to this point. Over the next few sevendays we will be increasing gradually ... and I emphasize the word gradually here, the distance that you and your lifemate will fly straight to build up the right muscles," B'lin paused noting the eagerness to be off.

"Double check your harnesses, I know your lifemate says he or she will not let you fall but if we have a near miss then they might not have a choice. Right..." he said crisply. "Take off by colour ... greens, blues, browns and bronzes up to this side of the Rim. We are going to do the Dragon equivalent of swimming widths. On my mark you will fly to the other side anyway you can. Then you will attempt to glide back using as few wing beats as possible. Then we will progress through sprint styles and rapid turns ... okay? On my mark ... up to the Rim ... Go!"

MONTH 7 - General Information

Date: 2009-05-07

Summary: "Now you may have noticed that your dragons growth will slowly rather dramatically in this month - proportionately speaking." D'fyd began. "Even the larger dragon may only make about a foot in growth, total. Some may not seem to make much at all and put on weight and solidity of muscles rather than size as a result of the flight drills. Your dragons will have gotten as much control over their sendings as they can this month, any detrimental habits that you've not addressed already will be dealt with over the next few months."

"We are going to continue the work of the past month of preparing you for flight in a wing with extended flying, and bond related activity. You will also be expected to run through many of the simpler drill forms with no prompting now and you will be getting lectures on draconic First aid. We will also be testing your broader learning and flexibility of mind. Be aware that Wingleaders start to eye up possibilities for their wing based on how well you are seen to learn and react." D'fyd hinted. "You might want to bear that in mind when you consider moaning about boring exercises and useless thought games."

MONTH 7 Lecture - Threadfall Injury

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: K'ren stood up bringing the class to attention. " This lecture is something I want you to pay particular attention to, if only because it will save me a lot of work...and you and your life mate a lot of pain. If you leave this class today even the slightest bit more wary than you came in I shall count the time well spent, because the subject is Thread, and the treatment of Threadscore and other thread related injuries." He looked around to make sure his audience was still focused. "Now, the first thing to say is that as Dragonriders you WILL get scored and so will your lifemates. There hasn't been a pair yet in Pass that hasn't suffered this injury and frequently. By all means, I would love all of you to make it your life's ambition to be the first�really I would because frankly, its horrible stuff. The sensation of a score is somewhat like a piece of living molten metal dipped in acid trying to burrow deep into your skin. It hurts.
Its not like a cut, it's not like a burn... it's worse. I tell you this so you don't underestimate its importance. By the end of Weyrling training you will have the instinctive reaction to flit between to crack the thread with cold. If...and this is important, there is still a burning sensation or moving, go *between" again and get direct to the Infirmary. If a thread has penetrated deep a skip between may not kill it." K'ren paused at this point looking around the quiet ranks. "I will stress here...you do not have much time. Thread- in its active state can consume a herdbeast in approximately two minutes- bones and all. There are cases where emergency amputation of a limb has been the only way to STOP a body related infestation once it has taken hold and the only reason there is time to do that is due to water saturation slowing the growth rate. Unfortunately that is the reality of the menace we face. As dragon riders you have access to the best form of first aid against thread... the cold of *between*. It brings with it the risk of cold between infection, BUT people recover from that. You don't recover from a thread infestation. Secondly, water. Thread need air to proliferate. Immersion in water will drown it...hence the Troughs near the Infirmary and the occasional desperate plunge into Arolos Lake. These are the main options available to us now and you must fix them in your mind. It has to be instinctive knowledge." K'ren looked around again. "Hypothetical situation. Kaith and I are flying thread... I clip a score...I skip between...it cracks off...I seem fine. So do I continue to fly fall? No, not until cleared by a Healer. This seems an over reaction, but there is something we call
Score shock. Sometimes, even a single score can traumatize the body enough for the rider to go into shock, and if untreated-- they die. Not through the PHYSICAL damage, but from the shock to the system. You may feel fine, but a healer will check to see if your pulse becoming erratic or if you are showing an adverse reaction. If you get scored you come to the Infirmary... end of story... A Healer may check you and then kick you out back to fly Fall but you come anyway," he said sternly.

"Now the treatment of scores. Now here's a surprise...numbweed. This is where you momentarily stop moaning about harvesting. The pain ratio is very high in a score and the first thing to minimize the possibility of score shock is to slather numbweed. If your dragon gets hit, then it is your priority as a rider to comfort and control them. Dragons do not like being in pain and have a very swift reaction to it. They yell. Believe me, the control-- even if you BOTH get hit-- will be yours and you have to bring them safely down, they trust you. So you bring them down and we slather numbweed all over you. Dragons can fly with a surprising large proportion of their exterior wing sail damage, but the inner membrane is more vulnerable and if Thread eats through it could hit the body. If Thread hits the chest area it can kill a dragon just as it could you. I want to stress that our lifemates are not invulnerable. We have a tendency to think they are and we are more fragile. In someways they are the larger targets up there and it is your responsibility to keep them safe.

The treatment of scores begins with numbweed, but also with redwort to kill infection. Only in some instances do we stitch immediately as there is a tendency for the edges of a score to puff up initially from reaction and cold between infection. When that has died down the Healers will stitch if necessary. Dragon hide we find has a tendency to heal faster so it is mainly riders who receive this treatment. The salve we usually supply helps to soften the scar tissue that might result and make it more supple so if you are discharge with a pot of this...use it if you don't want a weather wise ache!

Everyone thinks of Thread score as being the only thing to worry a rider in Fall. Not so. Char-burn can be nasty if you are not wearing your goggles. I would approximate the sensation as leaning over a fire and some body hitting the embers with a large stick to send glowing red-hot ash in your face. Though not as serious as Thread itself it can hurt, and it could damage your eyesight. Do NOT rub your eyes if you think this has happened again get down to the healers.

And you would be AMAZED at the amount of strains, back problems, bruised bones we get. Threadfall is rough. Catch a firestone sack slightly wrong and ...put your shoulder out. Have to backwing to avoid a clump and crack your ribs on a neckbone. Try a drastic swerve and your lifemates wing muscles are strained. There are reasons for the way you are trained to do things a certain way and on the whole it�s to stop you from damaging yourself. In the event you do, and I will keep saying this until people believe me, get to the Infirmary and get it seen to. Do NOT try and deal with it yourself until you have been given instructions...then we will more than willingly let you do the hard work.

Now that I have scared you all witless...are there any questions?"

MONTH 7 LESSON - Errand Flying

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: B'lin looked at them all. "Now... this is where I hope we start to invest some of the trust we have in you. Those of you I have deemed ready - the others are out either for injury or need a little more practice - will go to the assignments board. There is a Weyrlings section and you may have noticed before with non-betweening errands. When you get to betweening, we use a similar *betweening* section to make practical use of your skills. But for now, you will stick to Errands in the Arolos territories and fly straight. All the assignments there should be within your current capabilities and if you snag a short one, by all means try another. This first time out you will be going out in your clusters of three but there will be no direct supervision. I want you all to respect that. DO NOT under ANY circumstances overstrain your dragons - this is your responsibility to monitor and Faranth help you if you do." He smiled "I will not say fly straight and do nothing else because that would be practically impossible, this first time at least, but if you DO strain something, don't cover it up, get back here immediately. Right then... take your assignment and get to it!"

MONTH 7 LESSON - Pernese Whispers

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: "In Fall communication is vitally important." B'lin stated as he walked up and down in front of the group. "Unless you are fortunate enough to have a Hears all Dragons in your wing...which is very unlikely as they are few and far between, passing on information is a vital use of the dragon rider bond-- it has to be quick, it has to be accurate. Now...I am not going to give you a huge amount of instruction but Quelenth will bespeak one of the dragons in your group and then the message has to be passed by as quick a means as possible to you...and you will write down what you receive and raise your hand when you are done and I will time how long it takes, and then we will see how long and how accurate the message passing can be." He smiled a little to himself " Write down what you hear ... "I will be sending messages that may not make sense deliberately... Okay... pencils at the ready...here we go."

MONTH 8 - General Information

Date: 2006-08-01

Summary: "Now then...the month ahead�" D'fyd began "Your dragons should be around this approximate size on average. Bronzes 25-26 ft, Browns around 23 ft, blues 19 ft and greens have slowed down to 16 ft. Greens will become more rangy and feminine in build. Blues will be stocky, but remain agile whilst Browns will become more muscular but remain thin. Bronzes will begin to broaden and widen and become stronger in wings, legs and wings, losing agility. Hunting is done twice a week; dragons can eat until satiated, as they now understand their capacity. Weyrlings are no longer are required to ask permission before hunting.

You've got a very fit dragon that is ready and willing to fly any time, anywhere, for any reason. Dragons will often invent races between themselves at this point, challenging one another in their clutch group to prove they are the fastest, most agile, etc. Bathing and oiling is now a once a week chore, but even the smallest green will take up to a full 2 candlemarks to fully bathe and oil from here on. Think of this as "quality time" where you and your dragon are immersed within each other's thoughts, giving you time to relax from classes and unending changes hitting one after the other right now. Weyrlings will need to check riding straps for wear weekly and oil and maintain them on their own. The weyrlingmaster will no longer check to make sure you are wearing straps properly, caring for them properly, or repairing them properly. You will be getting lectures on that no doubt." The WLMA smiled as he continued imparting information.

"Green dragons will begin to flirt with their clutchmates a little more seriously and this should be discouraged by their riders IMMEDIATELY. While it is no longer as dangerous as it was, a dragon who flirts is not paying attention to class, and as weyrlings will studying the important preliminaries to going *between* in the coming sevenday, now is the time for both dragon and rider to think of nothing but class or they may not survive the next step in training." He looked around sternly as he ended on that serious note.

MONTH 8 LESSON - Stamina Relay

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: "You all need to get your speed and stamina up so we are going to try a little relay flying." B'lin announced as they prepared for that days lesson. "In your teams of three I want you to take this padded firestone sack...well one per team and I when I say go, you will take off from this side of the Rim and do a width, turn and come back, toss your sack to your wingmate who will repeat what you�ve just done." There was a murmur of protest from some of the weyrlings and B'lin held up a hand "We will be doing this TEN times each, before I have any protest from the larger dragons. The stamina advantage will counterbalance any initial speed advantage. Line up then... first dragon pair to the Rim edge and...on your mark, get set...and GO!"

MONTH 9 - General Information

Date: 2006-08-01

Summary: "Your dragon are now approximately 75% of their full size�or there about," D'fyd began. "Which means that the bronzes will be around 27 ft, the browns about 24 ft, the blues 20-21 ft, and the greens 17 ft. We will start to pull out the definitive skills of each dragon and dragon type in this training period - for example the agility of the smaller dragons, or the stamina of the larger and we will work on them. The flight exercises will increase and we will be doing more formation drills in the air. Ground drills will be primarily for learning new forms now. All of you will be training how to communicate effectively in Fall and problem solving and academic work will become very important, particularly those with an eye on a WingSecond or Wingleaders knots in the future. A good grounding now is very important for that in the future. Otherwise, more of the same people...more of the same!"

MONTH 9 Lecture - Advanced Dragonhealing

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: "This is a more advanced DragonHealing lecture. Though on the whole you will not have to perform these techniques yourself, and that will be left to the Dragon Healers themselves, I find it is always good to know what is going on and whether something is serious. "Master Welsin paused "So lets break this down into categories" He jotted some titles on the slate board behind him. "Lets work these through one by one. Firstly, Cuts. These have a multitude of causes and minor ones you will have treated yourself. For minor cuts the best remedy is to clean with redwort and leave to heal uncovered. If it is a deep cut this may need to be sutured by a dragon healer in which cast numbweed should be used to deaden the pain and possibly another antiseptic as redwort nullifies the effect of numbweed a little. The numbweed will keep the area moist as well and promote healing.
Fractures. As I believe has been mentioned before it is very difficult to break a dragons bones as they are designed to withstand the phenomenal stress of flight in Fall. But it can be done, by a crash landing, impact of any kind at speed, perhaps even during a mating flight. A Simple fracture is relatively easy to deal with. The bone is realigned and splints placed at 90 degrees to each other and wrapped with bandages
A compound fracture is a little more obvious in that it has an abnromal angle, or sometimes the hide is pierce by the bone. The dragon healers will treat this in the following way.
The injured area will be cleaned with redwort, the bones will be aligned into place. This often requires a team of healers and may need internal splints with sterile wherry gut. The damaged muscles and veins that are damaged will need suturing again and the injured area splinted. This will need a LOT of checking, as compound fractures are more prone to infection. Liberal numbweed at least three times a day and a lot of rest required for the dragon."
Welsin sipped some of his water a moment. "Dragons rarely get diseases, though it is possible - usually they are particularly healthy. However, if they are prone to any type of illness or ailment it is respiritory based. They can catch the dragon equivalent of a cold, and frankly it's disgusting. A Dragon with a cold produces an AMAZING amount of mucus and you don't want to be near them when they sneeze. They need a lot of water and rest and possibly a herbal tonic...for that you come to the dragonhealers.
Serious respiritory ailments such as pneumonia are usually the result of an injury to the chest region that allows infection to penetrate deeply. It will be pretty obvious that they are not well from their laboured breathing,dull eyes cold hide. They will need steam inhalation to assist in breathing and to break down the infection and to be kept warm with covers. Time rest and patience does the rest."

This was a long and heavy session but it had to be gone through. Several time usually before it sank in.
"Now, up until now, I have alluded to dragonhealing associated with Fall. Now we get onto specifics. In the instance of a threadscore on a dragon you can get a phenomenon called Rupture veins - the trauma to the area results in a longer term seepage of ichor into the area - this needs stitching around the ourside of the score to seal those vessels before necrosis...and infection can settle into the tissue. When your life mate gets a threadscore, and you will be helping to treat them - so you will be the most likely to spot continual seepage into a threadscore. Numbweed clots the ichor temporarily but the stitching is necessary.

Stitching and suturing of a wound on the whole will be done by the Dragonhealers; the basic process is to clean the wound with redwort, sterilise the needles and thread. For internal sewing we used sutures contructed of gut thread as it very slowly dissolves, but treated tannercraft thread...somewhat more heavy duty than the stuff used by the weyrhealers. Membrane area's frequently need heavy cross stitching though fortunately dragonhide grows at a remarkable rate - the trick then is to monitor and get the stitches out in time
Now, minor threadscores on a dragon can be treated by yourself as the dragons rider. You will have practicals in this but the process is simple. You go between to catch the and kill the thread. A minor score will have cauterised itself and when you reach the ground you will see a blacked mark. Wash out the wound carefully, get ride of the black thread residue and then rise with redwort..and smooth on numbweed. These surface score heal best uncovered and withing a couple of days it will be producing fresh hide. Humans heal much more slowly unfortunately.

Deep threadscores or tangle hits will have to be dealt with immediately with the Dragonhealers. Your role in this is to comfort and calm your lifemate - and believe me that is no easy task!
In serious incidents, you may be asked for you dragon to assist in a transfusion of ichor. Fortunately this is nowhere near as complicated as it is for humans. Dragons do not seem to reject anothers ichor, though as a matter of protocol we tend to do colour to colour transfusions. That seems to have the best healing factor, though we are not entirely sure why. Frequently it is as unscientific as letting the ichor drain into the injured area of the other dragon - the vascular system is such that it is automatically absorbed by cartiledge and the boron based bone structure.

Finally, one of the most complicated area's of injury and healing on a dragon is on their wings. Tears and damage to the wing vary in severity - minor injuries heal in a few days but major wing membrane damage can take up to three or four sevendays to heal.
Membrane can be stitched back over a bone...bones can be braced, a veritable patchworking can be made of the wing which can result in scar tissue initially that might hamper flight - however, usually within 18 months, scar tissue is absorbed and flexibility regained. Even those grounded with injury need not depair of never flying again. ..Dragons can recover from most things if they survive the initial trauma. And alot of THAT is down to YOU...the rider."
The dragonhealer paused. "That will do for now...now if you have any questions...please feel free to ask any of the dragon healers here and we will be pleased to answer you if we can."

MONTH 9 LESSON - Differentiated Flying

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: "You will have noticed that there is a distinct difference in your dragons capability for flight." B'lin began this lesson. "And if there is one thing that is important it is to play to your strengths. There will be some overlap in capabilities, but what we are interested in now is discovering what your dragon has a particular affinity with. For the Greens this could be lightning turns, or sprint interception. For the blues it may be hovering, or swoops, brown might discover theirs to be the focus of a group and having a strong pacing flight, or altitude gain...likewise with the bronzes." He looked around at them all "When we go aloft I want you in small arrowhead formation with a group and I want you to perform a sequence of maneuvers on my command and pay careful note to how happy you felt about each one. You will climb altitude to Leading edge level as quickly as possible. You will hover there as stationary as possible until my mark. You will stoop and sharp RIGHT turn, follow by a sharp left, followed by a right, then you will climb again at a steady uniform pace, in perfect formation and level out again continuing at a steady pace until I call an emergency stop. At that point we will return to the Weyrbowl and you will report on what maneuvers you and your life mate enjoyed and what you found more difficult. Trust me, you will not be able to do ALL of these maneuvers with the same sort of ease due to the build of your dragon, nor should you expect to, so do not push it too hard. Now mount up and on my mark... Go!"

MONTH 9 LESSON - Simple Formation Flying

Date: 2005-01-24

Summary: "Now then...this is where we try and start putting some of our ground drills into practice." B'lin called out as they set up to go aloft. "We'll start simple and work up to some of the complex precision flying. Not all today I hasten to add. Go up in your triad clusters and maintain position over the weyr and then we'll try a simple Arrowhead formation and see how tightly we can maneuver that around the weyr okay? I'll appoint "wingseconds" when we are up there. We'll be taking it slow but I have confidence that you will see how it translates from ground to air very quickly. Right then...up we go!"

MONTH 1 Lecture - Weyr Etiquette and Customs

Date: 2006-07-10

Summary: Lecture given by WW- please make sure it is adjusted if need be to fit various Weyrling Classes. This lecture has bit particular to the StormStar Weyrlings.

Article: Wygelle entered the classroom after all the Weyrlings had been seated. She moved over to the desk in front of the class and set down the satchel she had in her arms. Turning to greet the Weyrlings she smiled readily, having met them all earlier that month ten days after their hatchlings had made them Weyrlings they were all familiar faces to her.

"Greetings, as you know I'm Weyrwoman Interim Wygelle, rider of gold Ormanth. I won't keep you long today but as part of my duties I'm slated to give you a bit of information about Weyr Etiquette and Customs. This is an important lesson to be sure because each and everyone of you now represent Arolos Weyr in a way that you've never done before." She paused and moved to pull herself to sit on top the desk, skirted legs crossed, booted feet neatly positioned. She rested her loosely folded hands in across her knee and continued.

"While it's long been Arolos Weyr custom to treat each and every human begin with respect from the support staff members to the Weyrleader himself, there is a ranking system in place brought on by necessity to keep order. In a more traditional based Weyr you have these rank rights enforced sometimes with unnecessary brutality, some abuse their rank terribly and Arolos has tried its best to dispel that barbaric attitude without losing the structure needed. Having said that I don't want what I'm going to tell you next to go to anyone's head and make them think they are *better* than anyone else. It's not a matter of being better, it's a matter of status and structure and the positions you now hold in our world." Wygelle let that little bit sink in for a moment and then quickly continued.

"Proper etiquette in a Weyr means knowing the proper structure and behaving accordingly, but above all, always with respect to one another. You as Weyrlings are on your way to becoming dragonriders and as you all know dragonriders are revered by many because we risk our lives to protect the lives of others. Each and every holder and crafter out there is well aware what we risk for them and as their duty they provide for us the materials we need to live in a Weyr without our having to work the land and the crafts to support ourselves. We are dependent upon them and they are dependent upon us. Having a dragon is a powerful responsibility and they recognize this. Having said that, as a Candidate you were valuable to the Weyr as possible future Weyrlings, but now as Weyrlings you are more valuable because of the dragon you are now, and forever bonded with. When I say more valuable I don't mean you are worth more respect than the any other human being, I mean your position has risen to the point that the skill you will one day possess, will have you protecting lives while risking your own. In recognition of the sacrifice you are making to risk your lives you have become more valuable and that ties in with the whole chain of command and proper etiquette when dealing with such." Pausing again, Wygelle smiled over at the nearest AWLM. "Would you mind getting me a pitcher of cool water and a glass, all this talking has my throat a bit scratchy, I really appreciate it, thank you."

Gathering her thoughts she returned her attention to the Weyrlings. "Weyrwoman, Weyrleader, WeyrSecond, WW Second, Headwoman and her Weyrguards, Goldriders, WingLeaders, WingSeconds, Wingthirds, Bronzeriders, Brownriders, Blueriders and Greenriders, Weyrlings, Craftmasters, Journeyman, Apprentices, Candidates, Support Staff-- that there is the basic structure. Proper etiquette dictates you treat those ranking you accordingly. That doesn't mean bronze Weyrlings that you will start demanding others call you sir. What it does mean is in formal situations proper protocol is expected. I expect each and everyone in this Weyr to address me with one of these titles, Weyrwoman Interim, Goldrider, Rider of gold Ormanth, ma'am, milady, these are all proper ways to address me. However when I'm not in a formal position I have support staff members, Candidates, apprentices and such, all simply calling me Wygelle. These people are my friends and as such they treat me like their friend yet outside the informal atmosphere it's important that they use one of the proper means of addressing me. It's the same for all the ranks right on down the line. You will call those ranking you similarly, for instance; Weyrleader J'shar, Bronzerider J'shar, Rider of bronze Heyoshath, sir, or combinations thereof. You should never call someone ranking you by their given name without title unless you've been invited to do so, or have a prior relationship that would dictate you do so."

Wygelle paused and thanked the AWLM for bringing her the water she requested. After sipping the cold liquid she smiled at the Weyrlings.

"I'm being terribly long winded and probably telling you stuff you already know but it's necessary. Please bear with me and I'll try to get this over with as quickly as I can. Etiquette demands you use good manners at all times and judge the situation you're in to know how to react- formally or informally. When representing the Weyr you should take care to behave in the best possible manner. You will learn when it's expected that you put on your formal uniforms, which I know you will be getting shortly. You will also learn more about proper etiquette in lessons later on. Now, customs...Arolos Weyr has quite a few customs and we'll cover a few here now. One custom you might only recently have become familiar with is the custom to keep part of your dragon's egg shell and turn it into a pendant or another piece of jewelry if you desire. Those of you who are looking wide-eyed and worried that you didn't get a chance to save any of your dragon's shell, you're in luck. After the storm we had a few people gather bits of each egg shell, based off the harper artist sketches done prior to the hatching. The Weyr archivist who at great risk to themselves remained and took copious notes on the hatching has been able to match dragon with shell, not an easy task given the storm but it was done. You will each receive the shell bits for your particular dragon after class today." She smiled at them and took yet another sip of water before slipping down off the desk and walking in front of them.

"Arolos Weyr custom has us celebrating with various Gathers during the Turn outside the spontaneous Weyr Gathers. We have a Mid-summer Gather over at Arolos Hold with the customary Gather Dance to bring the Gather to an end, held in the Weyr. We have a Turn's End Gather held in the Weyr and a Turn's End celebration. We also customarily have a Hatching Feast- which you know was postponed due to the storm and not nearly as spectacular as what you'd normally have. On a smaller scale it's customary for riders to drink to the dead after a Fall, their way of honoring them. Not necessarily custom yet nonetheless entertained by many are various superstitious behaviors enacted before a Fall, you'll learn these as well as time goes on but not necessarily formally." She grinned.

"Well, I think this lecture has gone on long enough, but we do have time for a few questions. Remember anything I haven't taught you on this today you will be learning further as time goes on. You now have the basic idea of what is expected of you and various bits that the Weyr holds as custom. Now, any questions? If not please line up over here and I'll pass out your little egg shell packet. Thank you."

Wygelle returned to the desk and pulled herself up on it again, dragging the satchel to herself to untie it in preparation to handing out the packages.

ooc: Again, you don't have to respond unless you want to. Let it be assumed that your Weyrling was given the packet with bits and pieces of their dragon's shell if you don't wish to play them getting it. If you do want to respond with questions or simply coming up to get your packet, please put your Weyrling's name in the subject heading. Thanks.

IC Date- 8.14.5.30

MONTH 1 LESSON - Measuring the Dragons

Date: 2011-06-13

Summary: This is to teach the Weyrlings how to measure their Lifemates.

Article: The AWLM had gathered the Weyrlings up and, with three other assistants, brought them to the first of the Dragon measuring walls, that of the Green.
�Okay, you've seen these walls before, everyday I imagine.� The AWLM began in a clear and carrying voice �Now, for the first time, you get to use them. This is how all DragonRiders here at Arolos know how big their Lifemates are. As you can see we have one section for Green, one for Blue, Brown, and Bronze. Gold's don't have their own section as they are so rare we just use go by the Bronze wall.�
�Now, when your older you'll be able to go off and do this on your own but for now we're going to do it safely, which means organised. I'm going to stay here with the Green's while my fellow AWLM's are going to split up and take a colour group each. So, Green's stay here then, when I say, Blue's to the Blue wall, Brown's to the Brown wall, and Bronze's to the Bronze wall.�
The AWLM moved over to the wall, walking backwards and gesturing as he spoke �You'll see that each Dragon image is marked by month and the average size during that month. Average does not mean what most Dragons in a Clutch are it means average over many Clutches. Along the bottom we have our measurements, the smallest is an inch, the largest is a foot. You will have your Lifemate lie down with their tail where the picture indicates.� The AWLM said, pointing to the spot where the tails of all the picture Dragons were �You will then let your AWLM know where your Lifemate's muzzle finishes. They must be lying flat with their tails and necks out, no stretching though, we need an accurate measurement.�
The AWLM walked back from the wall �All questions should be asked of the AWLM dealing with your colour group. Now, go on, off with you, Green's stay here, Bronzes at the very end, the others in between.�
A great chatter rose up as the groups began to form and move off, herded by the AWLM's and the measuring began.

MONTH 10 - General Information

Date: 2006-08-01

Summary: D'fyd looked at the Weyrlings with a serious expression, "You're nearly a full rider, as in this month you will be learning to fly with your dragons *between*. You can now have anyone in your weyr that you want, start relationships, end relationships, anything you want. Your dragons are nearly full sized. Bronzes on average are 30 ft, Browns 26 ft, Blues around 22 ft and greens about 18 ft.

Dragons will begin staying with dragons other than clutchmates. Some may still prefer the friends they made while training, but they no longer feel a need only to be with their classmates, and may be sunning or resting with those in the wings potentially their rider may be joining. Some clutchmates remain very close, however, and when they are in wings together, they often overcompensate and must be separated in formation by wingseconds and wingleaders until they get a bit more experience and learn to adjust their feelings.

The WLMA looked around "Otherwise, the principle difference this month will be learning the art of going *between* and more about becoming a full dragonrider pair above and beyond what we have done to date. Are there any questions?"

MONTH 10 LESSON - First Between

Date: 2005-01-14

Summary: This was an important lesson. Possibly the most important lesson of all in some ways B'lin looked sternly over the class, his expression conveying the gravity of this lesson. They had just flown straight to Arolos Point and taken a good look at the area from a-dragonback in preparation for this next step.

"You are about to make an important step in your Weyrlinghood," he announced. "Today we will be practicing visualizing in preparation for going *between*. You will all attempt to visualize certain areas. Once you have them clear enough in your head you will give them to your dragon who will then give them to Quelenth and the other WLMA dragons for verification. If we get to a stage today where we are satisfied that you have got the hang of it we MAY progress to some one on one *betweening*-- that however all depends on your progress today. Now," his voice became quiet, "I want you all to try and picture
Arolos Point. Remember how it was when you saw it a little while ago and visualize it in DETAIL in your heads. Think of the colour, the shape, the relative positions of things, the edge of the cliff and it�s angle to the sea. Be as clear as possible before you transfer that to your life mate...and call when you think you are ready." This was an important stage for the youngsters... a slip now could mean losing them forever.

MONTH 10 LESSON - First Kill

Date: 2005-01-14

Summary: �Let�s settle down a bit, you know what�s happening today you�ve all been ready for this for a long time and now your dragons are finally ready.� T�ilson gave a low chuckle. �Now then, your dragons talons are thick and sharp so there is very little chance of them losing one wrestling a herdbeast. The same goes for their teeth. You look inside your dragon�s mouth and you�ll see some very impressive incisors and cuspid teeth, also known as canine teeth.� T�ilson moved out from behind his desk. �This isn�t an anatomy lesson though, today is the day you are liberated from having to provide food for your dragons.� A ripple of cheers filled the room. After the Weyrlings settled down, T�ilson continued.

�You�ve all had an opportunity to see a dragon bring down a herdbeast, whether you took advantage of that opportunity, that was up to you. I know some of you probably closed your eyes preferring ~not~ to see a dragon kill. However, today your dragon is going to get the chance to kill his first live herdbeast. It will be nothing like swallowing a fish, or crunching spiderclaws, or even tearing apart an already dead animal.�

Walking along in front of the tables, T�ilson looked closely at the Weyrling faces for any signs of worry. This wasn�t the time to be inhibiting a dragon.

�Here is how things will transpire-- we are all going to go down to the hunting grounds and one at a time you�ll let your dragons hunt. They are to ~only~ hunt the male yearlings, no females�we need to keep the breeding stock up. For this outing I don�t want them needlessly panicking the herd. They are to circle high, pick out the herdbeast they want and dive for that one only.�

The AWLM moved to his desk and sat on the edge of it looking out at a sea of rapt faces. �Now lets talk about what you might experience while your dragon hunts. It is quite possible you�ll feel their excitement and hunger. You might even feel their triumph over making that first kill and then their satiation as they feed. You�ve learned by now to separate a lot of your emotions from those of your dragons, you can tell your hunger from his or hers, but there are some emotions you need to experience first before you can keep yourself separate from them. Usually the first hunting experience is one of those. Some of you may even feel ill and that�s a normal occurrence. Killing a herdbeast, hearing their dying cries and witnessing their feeble attempts at staying alive can be disconcerting for those of you not used to seeing animals slaughtered. And even those used to that are used to seeing it done so that the animal feels the least pain. So, be prepared for a wide range of emotions and just remember this is all second nature to your dragon. All of them will be very excited and because they haven�t eaten as per instruction for three days now they should be very hungry.� T�ilson stood up and looked around again noting a few nervous Weyrlings. �Okay, time to go out to the hunting grounds, line up single file and we�ll go in that order. Keep your dragons away from the hunting grounds until they are told it is their turn. Remember only one herdbeast today, per dragon.�

MONTH 10 LESSON - Threadfall discussion exercise

Date: 2005-01-14

Summary: Surveying the current class of Weyrlings, R'oko smiled inwardly.
They were a really good bunch this Turn-
{{You say that ever Turn. Even I can remember that, you
say it so often!}} Lasuyth interrupted, amusement rich in his mental
voice.
[[Hush.]] Today's lesson was about Threadfall patterns,
vital knowledge for all dragonriders. Taking a deep breath, R'oko
silenced the residual vague murmurings with a mild bellow, and
proceeded with the lecture. "We all know what Thread is," he began
sternly. "Most of you have probably heard riders talk about flying
Thread by now, and be starting to think about how it falls." He
paused to let them catch up, then continued. "Fall doesn't ever
fall the same way twice. The patterns may be similar, but each Fall
has it's own twist. Wind and weather conditions are all
considerations the Weyrleader has to make in order to use his Wings
most effectively."
Pausing again, R'oko levelled a Look at a pair of
youngsters who were murmuring quietly at the back of the class.
After a few moments he reached for a redfruit sitting on his desk,
stood on his chair, and aimed. The soft fruit splattered on the
wall and the two talkers jumped, guilty looks mingling with pith on
their faces. R'oko raised an eyebrow. "There are basic formulas
for a lot of combinations, and these are implemented on every scale -
from Weyrwide to every last greenrider. Just a warning: I WILL be
testing you on tactics. Start concentrating, my children." THAT
got their attention; R'ok waited for the groans and complaints to
cease patiently. "Just as an example, let's look at a clumping
Fall. As the name suggests, the Thread falls in massed tangles that
closely resemble a Tailor's cottons after a feline romp, except that
this thread can be longer than most dragons. The bigger the clump,
the more flame it takes to burn it.
"A rider and his - or her - dragon must also concentrate on
avoiding other clumps, and it is very important that you broadcast
a 'claim' to your neighbouring riders. It makes no sense to have
three or four riders converging on one clump when one or two will
suffice and other clumps are falling through the Wings." This time
his pause was to take a sip of the juice on his table. "As you
should be able to imagine, this is tough enough on a perfect day.
Now it's time to think about wind factors." R'oko pointed to a
bluerider suddenly, gesturing for him to stand. Next he singled out
another bluerider, then a brown, and two greens, although specific
colour had little to do with his choices.
Nodding at the first boy, he said, "Right. You are
currently *between*, preparing for first wave fighting. The Leading
Edge is about to fall over, Arolos Hold." The boy nodded, frowning
in puzzlement. R'oko turned to the brownrider and one of the
greens. "You two are Threadfall, getting all excited about your
vacation to a fabulous-looking buffet. C'mon, you're excited!
Bounce or something." There were suppressed giggles from the rest
of the class, and R'oko gave a small grin. He looked at the
remaining pair and gave them their instruction. "You two are a
sprightly wind-" the greenrider promptly began to jig, grinning, "-
that's going to dance with our noble rider once he pops from
*between*." He nodded at the first boy and he pretended to jump out
of that soul-chilling emptiness. "Right, O Mischievious Wind, knock
him around a little!" The 'wind' began to shove playfully at the
bluerider, and he stumbled for a while. Shortly, however, he
learned to sway against their attack instead of fighting it, and
R'oko nodded approvingly. "Now we need our Threadfall - and, oh dear, it looks like it's in clumps today! Quickly, rider, flame it before it falls on Arolos Hold!" The two 'Threadfalls' linked hands and spun at the rider, who used his outstretched arms as his dragon's flame. He had to steady himself against the 'wind' at the
same time. R'oko let them play for several minutes, then clapped his hands sharply together. "Right. I want you to break into groups of no less than five and so the same. Take turns at being each component - no, leave the desks where they are," he said to one
weyrling. "You'll have to learn to dodge and work around other
riders who skip out of formation. Try changing the Thread patterns as well."
The older rider settled back to watch, grinning as one
disappointed weyrling was deemed 'dead' by her friends after missing a clump. After fifteen minutes he cupped his hands to his mouth and yelled new orders. "Combine into groups of no less than ten! Two people are riders, three people are wind and the rest are Thread! If you flame a rider or miss a clump, you sit the rest of the game
out!" He thought a while longer, then added, "Prizes for the last surviving rider!" There. That'd get them really pushing each other - both literally and metaphorically speaking.

MONTH 11 - General Information

Date: 2006-08-01

Summary: "We are about to go into our eleventh month," D'fyd said in his now traditional lecture. "Brace yourself for facts again. Bronzes should be 30 ft, Browns 27 ft, Blues 22-23 ft, and Greens at 18-19 ft. Their growth rate will be slowing down considerably now and they will put on muscles and mass instead of length in any quantity. Now in this month as a class you will be doing a lot more flying to get formations second nature, and errand flying to holds and weyrs to practice *betweening*. It is imperative that you and your lifemate have a strong mental bond for all the close formations that you will be doing and we will do some advanced exercises on that too. By the end of the month, you will be more like the real thing in terms of dragon rider status and you will start to be accorded the respect due one of the defenders of Pern. It is your duty to live up to that expectation for your sake and the sake of your dragon.�

MONTH 11 LESSON - A New Ground Drill

Date: 2005-01-14

Summary: After thinking long and hard about a certain puzzle, P'ul finally decided that he would do a trial run of an exercise on the ground, before having the Weyrlings try it up in the air, on their Lifemates.
So, again, he had them, all of the members of the class, out in the Weyrling exercise yard, without their Lifemates at hand.
"Set yourselves up in a "V" formation please, with one person at the point. The ends of the two arms will be in the forward, first-to-reach-Thread, position."
When the Weyrlings did so, they made sure to even out the arms as closely as possible.
"Stay there, and I want 'you', and 'you' and 'you'" -- indicating 3 Weyrlings --- "... to come out of the formation."
The indicated Weyrlings left the formation, leaving holes in the lines.
"Okay, folks, we're pretending that we are fighting Thread today, and these three members of your wing are taken out with injuries. They CANNOT return."
He walked by the remaining persons of the 'Wing'.
"How would you resolve this difficulty? You can't leave, there is still Thread falling. But you've lost 3 vital members of your task force. So, what do you do?"
He included the 3 'missing' members in his question, and waited for comments and suggestions. This was something that he needed to know; would they be able to 'think' on the wing? If problems arose, would they be
able to respond without freezing up? Who would think most agilely, and effectively?
These were things that would be good to know, later on down the line, when it was time to assign positions in the Wings.

MONTH 11 LESSON - In flight refuelling

Date: 2005-01-14

Summary: B'lin lifted a green tagged firestone sack "Now, firestone sack tossing�" he raised his eyebrows at the groan "...is about to move up a level. We are going to try some 'in-flight refueling' as it were. Sometimes a couple of riders will be nominated to return and get sacks of firestone for the wing and bring them back mid fall. You can see the advantages - fewer gaps in the wing to cover and for less time. However this strategy relies on being able to transfer the firestone mid air, and that is going to require throwing and catching and NOT dropping. There are two ways to do this, one from the side and one from above. In the side... the one bringing the firestone must fly close, as close as possible without fouling wings, so you have your lifemates furl their wings and you throw while the other rider catches. Now this is good for experienced riders as it is fast...but the odds are you will get hit by a load of rocks rather frequently. The second way has to be done from above involves stringing a rope through the loops on the sacks like so...and then flying above and dangling the loose end of the rope down to the other rider. When they have got hold of it, do not just DROP the sack as this has a nasty habit off swinging and giving another poor rider below you a concussion... simply keep hold of your end and send the sack sliding down the rope on it's loop to the receiving rider. And you thought those loops were just for hooking the sack on the harness didn't you?" B'lin smiled. "Sounds complicated but is actually fast and easy once you have the hang of it. So...take a sack for each colour, and we will all try refueling and being refueled until we are happy with the whole thing." And so saying, he took them aloft.

MONTH 12 - General Information

Date: 2006-08-01

Summary: "Your dragons are now approximately 85% of their full size and their growth rate slows even more now than it did before. " D'fyd announced. "Bronzes should be somewhere around the 31 ft mark, browns around 27-28 ft, blues, 23 ft and greens around 19 ft. Now your main task this month will be learning the mysteries of firestone even more so than you already have. Yes, your lifemates will be learning to flame this month, and you how to assist them.� D�fyd waited for the murmur of excitement to die down. �This is a big step in your Weyrlinghood towards becoming a full fledged dragonrider. You�ll specifically need to learn how to judge how much firestone your particular dragon need. You�ll also need to know how to select good grade ore. This is especially important. You don�t want your dragon complaining about his stomach and you don�t want to get a small flame just when you need a large one.� He nodded knowingly and continued. �You�ll also be learning how to flame in flight and in formation. This requires a lot of concentration otherwise you will be toasting each other�s tails.� A ripple of laughter spread across the room and D�fyd gave a small smile of his own. �You find the funny now, but the first time your dragon taste a burning lick from a flame you will not be laughing at all.� He was happy to note the laughter had died appropriately away. �You will continue betweening along with the weyrling errands and a select few will shadow sweepriders.� A few cheers were called out as more than one Weyrling had hopes of bring selected for this duty. �If you are deemed responsible enough and far enough advanced to be out on a long sweep for several days with them you may be chosen. I know you�ve worked hard and those that have will start to see the benefits of there achievements paying off. All of you will have a review of your progress at some point this month and we will take note of your progress and identify possible weaknesses to work on. Weaknesses are not something to be ashamed of unless they are hidden. If you have any worries about your dragons� or your performances so far don�t hesitate to let us know. You can�t get help unless you ask.� D�fyd took that opportunity to look around at the Weyrlings assembled and nodding, dismissed them to go about their lessons. They knew by now they could come to him after the lecture with any questions they might have.

MONTH 12 LESSON - First Flame

Date: 2005-01-14

Summary: "Firestone. You've sorted it, broken it, bagged it, thrown it around and today...you are finally going to USE it." B'lin grinned at the excited group. "Yes, finally. Actually obtaining a flame is not difficult, but obtaining a controllable flame is, hence why we have waited until now for your dragons stomachs to be ready to cope with the firestone and for you to know enough about firestone to judge what is needed.� B�lin looked at the eager faces and recalled his own moment in Weyrlinghood when he�d had Quelenth take his first bite of firestone, it was a good memory. �Okay now, take a bag tagged for your colour dragon and I want you all in a line, not in front or behind each other. Good...now... take a chunk, and feed it to your dragon and encourage them to think of their second stomach as they chew. It will sound terrible but it is rock after all. Now, only feed them three chunks to begin with and wait and for Faranth�s sake, stand to one side. Your dragon will feel the need to belch and will then release the flame. Simple as that." The WLM smiled. "It will be surprising at first but then you can start to judge what sort of effect those three pieces had and how much more you might need to get a longer more sustained flame...and every dragon is different. Some will flame VERY well on that amount�some will need more, so be careful all of
you. Okay when you are ready...away you go."

MONTH 13 LESSON - Treasure Hunt

Date: 2012-10-22

Summary: �Alright� attention everyone!� _____ called and waited for the class to settle. �You�ve been learning your way around the Protectorate for a couple of weeks now, and have visited all the major Holds and Crafthalls. You should be able to picture them relatively easily. Now I appreciate that all the drilling on their recognition points can get a bit tiresome, so I�ve come up with a way to make it a little bit more fun. A treasure hunt!�

He paused to watch the weyrlings� reactions, a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth. �You will go to each Hold on this list,� he said, gesturing to the board behind him, �And collect a ribbon which you will pin to this sash.� He held one up to illustrate. �Then onto the next Hold, and the next, collecting ribbons as you go. When you have a ribbon from each Hold you will return here.�

The smile broadened. �If you collect all the ribbons, you will get a prize. It doesn�t matter what order you do the Holds in, you can go alphabetically, or nearest first, or furthest first, or whatever you like. If you want to hop back here before going onto your next Hold to check your image with _insert own dragon's name here_ and I, please do. Better that than losing yourself *between*!�

He turned a stern face around the class for a moment. �This is a very competitive class, I know, but there is to be NO CHEATING and definitely NO collecting all the ribbons at any Hold to stop your classmates from completing their hunt. Understood? There WILL be sanctions if that happens!�

�Any questions before you start?� He waited for questions and answered them before dismissing the class. �Please now collect a slate with the list of Holds on, and a sash for your ribbons. Good flying!�

MONTH 13-14 - General Information

Date: 2005-01-14

Summary: D'fyd waited for silence and then address the Weyrlings. "Now...You are getting to the point where what you do will not be completely new to you but a refinement of existing skills. We will be learning more formations, flaming and non-flaming, we will be doing longer *between* jumps. The North is now on the Weyrling Errand roster, you will be given reference points to the Weyrs and principal Halls and Holds. Your lifemates will be getting to the end of their growth. From this point onwards you may only be a few feet away from their full growth so you will scarcely notice any change in size though when you do some drills with the Wings you will be aware of a little size difference, in mass if nothing else. Takes time to develop the muscle of a Thread fighting pair. One of the important skills you will learn in this section is Rescue procedure...we will run practical sessions on this, and also some rope drills...but more of that at the time. This is where you are groomed to join a full wing so pay attention and you could be tapped by a Wingleader when you graduate rather than joining the Weyrlings wing."

MONTH 13-14 LESSON - Fake Thread

Date: 2005-01-14

Summary: Several dragonriders milled around, gathering in twos and threes to talk among one another while the weyrlings arrived and arranged themselves into their assigned practice wings. Once the weyrlings were in order, B'lin walked to the front of the group and called for attention.

"Listen up, today you will be doing something rather exciting for those of you who enjoy a little adrenalin rush. I can still remember my first rope drill and you will more than likely remember yours. Frankly the experience is hard to forget." He grinned as he saw the faces attentive in anticipation. "Almost all of you are familiar with rope drills, most of you having watched them growing up in a weyr. For those of you holdbred, craftbed or otherwise in the dark about rope drills I will explain."

"Several dragonriders will take to the skies each carrying a whole slew of freshly painted ropes. These ropes will be hung down and let loose at random by the riders while you are in your thread fighting wing positions. Your dragons will be given firestone and the test...see how well you and your dragon react to simulated threadfall. He will be allowed to flame the ropes as if they were actual thread. If you or your dragon are scored, a paint mark will reveal that and you will do well to pay close attention to what caused you to miss the thread and be scored.

Remember, in actual threadfall you would go between if you were hit, for today's lesson you don't have to do that, there will be no pain as a stimulus. However, you would do well to remember every paint mark has the potential to be real thread and you and your dragon can be seriously injured, if not killed by a bad score. A paint mark on your pretty faces, well...you are scarred there for life. Paint marks on your dragon...realize the gravity of those marks, that could by your lifemate scored and in pain." He looked to see if they had followed his explanation and nodded to himself before continuing.

Okay, here's how we are going to do this. Go get your dragons started on the firestone and then line back up in wing formation in your assigned clusters. We will then take to the skies and you will test your mettle around the fake thread. When the ropes stop falling only then will we land and each one of you and your dragons will be thoroughly examined for 'thread score.' On my mark, lets get aloft and flame the evil fake thread menace from the sky!" He mounted up and then gave the visible hand signals to take them up reinforcing that through his dragon contact with the other dragons in the wing as the weyrling rose aloft, and the other dragons waited to ambush them with "threadfall"...

�Alright then, go to it...�

MONTH 13-14 LESSON - Flaming Fluffies

Date: 2005-01-14

Summary: OOC:- Fluffies = Pernese version of marshmallows. They wouldn't have an EXACT equivalent.. but we figured they might have something pretty close. So we invented it. Add them to your Arolos dictionary along with quickwort.

B�lin smiled. This was a lesson he had used on a few Weyrling classes... and it was fun every time. As well as actually being EDUCATIONAL. B'lin grinned, seeing curiosity in a few of the Weyrlings eyes as they arrived for their lesson to find him stood with a LARGE bag of fluffies, gotten from the stores, a pile of long sharp sticks, and several sacks of firestone.

"Right� today�s lesson is going to be on flaming precision,� he instructed quietly. "Your dragons have already learnt HOW to flame and think of their second stomach and you have learnt to grade the chunks your lifemate can take effectively. Now you're going to learn how to know what to expect when flaming." He grinned suddenly, "Except we're going to do it in a nice way - hand out the sticks please, and get a handful of fluffies and fill a bag of firestone each. " When all had been sorted, he explained, patting Quelenth, the brown sitting enjoying the lesson as much as he was sure the Weyrlings would.

"Right, who's roasted fluffies before - most of you, yes? Well, we're going to do it on the dragons flame. Wait til your dragons started flaming before you hold your fluffy near the flame - I DON'T want anyone to get burnt because they underestimated how strong the flame was going to be. And don't wave those sticks around too much," he added, giving one weyrling (who seemed about to take someone�s eye with his the way he was waving it around) a quick warning glance. "They're sharp. What we're aiming for here is long steady slow flames okay? Any questions? If you've got problems ask me, if not - get on with it!"
Hopefully these lessons would stick when they needed to be aiming for Thread, rather than fluffies!

MONTH 13-14 LESSON - Flaming Formation

Date: 2005-01-14

Summary: "It may seem obvious," B'lin began as he began the session. "But, when you are fighting Thread the last thing you need is to have another dragon pair come at you flaming, or accidentally flame your tail, or wing or whatever! So, now you have learnt to control your enthusiasm for flaming," and he smiled a little at that. "We will learn to apply this in a practical fashion. Now you will see part of the reason for the arrangement of the wing formations. They are designed so that there is enough leeway that if a dragon has to backwing and flame, the dragons around them have enough time to moderate their flame and speed. The difficulty comes where Thread hits in close proximity and the formation bunches up so you are within flaming distance. Now when we get aloft, in our basic arrowhead formation on my mark you flame full and then I will send a rapid sequence of maneuvers AND flame control instruction, which you have to obey immediately. Imagine that a dragon has swung into view unexpectedly... and react accordingly. I will give you no warning for this. Now...if we are all fire-stoned up...lets get up there and flaming!"

MONTH 13-14 LESSON - Rescue Drills

Date: 2005-01-14

Summary: "We have Rescue techniques to practice today." B'lin called out as a few experienced riders joined them. "This will involve falling off your dragon in flight so we are kindly providing you with ropes so you don't have to try and learn to fly on your own. You all will have one and we will do this exercise over the sea just in case something goes wrong and a rope snaps. Never the less, tie the rope under your arms and attach like so to your harness and the supporting dragon neck spur of your lifemate as a back up... like so." He demonstrated and then had them tie the knot carefully, checking each one until he was satisfied. "Now in Fall, with the best will in the world, if your life mate veers and your harness snaps or is scored you can be thrown. The most likely dragons to have this happen are the greens and blues because of the speed and maneuvers that they can do. You can catch a falling Rider either with your Dragons forelegs, in a back grip, from above or by diving under them and breaking their fall, either is acceptable. When you fall yourself you must immediately try and get your Lifemate to shout for help and a rescuer will come. Now, second form of rescue we will do is a dragon rescue. This is essentially for the Bronze, Browns or Golds. Out of appropriate dragon will assist. A Brown can rescue a green or a small blue if they are sizeable, a Bronze is preferred for a blue, and most definitely for a brown. Ideally a gold will come for a Brown or a Bronze injury, but in case they are not available two browns or two bronzes or a brown and a bronze for a larger dragon. The method is to dive past and to try and get the injured dragon to cling to your dragons back behind the wings. In the event of a double-team rescue, one can go below, and one above trying to provide left, or both can be below slightly staggered to break the fall. Not very elegant BUT it can save lives. Right then if you have got all that... let go aloft and begin!" And at his signal the Weyrlings took flight.

Month 14 Lesson- Hand to Hand Sparring

Date: 2006-08-23

Summary: Weyrlings practice more complex grappling techniques.

Article: M�zo faced the group of Weyrlings assembled in the practice room, dressed in loose clothing and standing on a thick felt mat. �Until this month you�ve been working as individuals, practicing your defense techniques, practicing your foot work and toning your muscles. You�ve all been doing quite well and I�m sure your bruises and sprains have healed quite well.� M�zo�s eye searched over the few that he knew hadn�t been the most graceful, his eye glittering with amusement. �Today, we�ll be begin putting into practice all that you�ve learned over the past months with a few exercises. You will be paired up with a partner, so kindly remember that this is an exercise and try not to break anyone�s bones.� M�zo eyed each of the Weyrlings, his brow arched. � I�d also like to remind should you and your partner get out of hand or too exuberant, that you�ll both have the lovely duty of mucking out the latrines for a sevenday.� He spoke the last with a wide smile. �And as much as they probably need cleaning, I�d rather not have a reason.�

M�zo continued. �Today, we�ll be working on grappling techniques to take an opponent down and how to escape should it be you that�s taken to the floor.� He gestured to his guests, who had stood quietly off to the sidelines, then stepped forward. �This is Bronzerider Ed�yas and greenrider T�sin, who have kindly agreed to help me with this demonstration.� Ed�yas and T�sin nodded to the Weyrlings and faced M�zo, inclining their heads. �Pay attention carefully, as I will be expecting you to do these very same moves after the demonstration. It will be done slowly at first to allow you to see the technique, and then at full speed to let you see the efficiency.�

T�sin faced Ed�yas, the bronze rider rolling his shoulders. M�zo spoke. �You attempt to tackle or grab your opponent.� T�sin dropped into a rushing stance and made to wrap his arms around Ed�yas�s waist. �But he gets you into a choke hold with his arm. Tuck your chin to protect your airway; it�ll make the choke hold more difficult for your opponent.� Ed�yas wrapped his right arm around T�sin�s neck, holding firmly as T�sin ducked his head. � Now, you will drop to your right knee and wrap your right arm around your opponent�s back and your left arm inside and under his right thigh.� T�sin did so, ready for the next move, legs bunching in anticipation. �Lift your opponent of the ground rotate and return him to the ground. � T�sin grunted, and lifted, Ed�yas hanging in his arms for a moment before being taken to the ground, his arm still around T�sin�s neck. �You�ll notice that Ed�yas has retained his choke hold. Should this happen, Use your left hand to brace your opponent�s body while you rotate counter clockwise around his head. When you reach the far side of his head, pull your head out of his choke; it will have ceased to be effective the moment you rotated. Pull away and stay ready.� T�sin completely the movement slowly, rolling away and landing in a crouch. At M�zo�s nod, Ed�yas rose and brushed himself off. He faced T�sin again. �Now..done in full attack speed�� Ed�yas rushed at T�sin the roles reversed and within moments had brought the greenrider to the mat and rolled away. M�zo nodded to each in approval before facing the class. �It looks difficult, doesn�t it? But it�s not, if practiced with a partner.� T�sin looked at him, rubbing the back of his head where Ed�yas had been a bit too firm with the body slam. Ed�yas said nothing, his face a mask of propriety.

M�zo continued. �Next is a position that I�m sure you�ll all find yourself in at some point in your life.� He nodded to the two, T�sin laying flat on his back with Ed�yas sitting down on his stomach. He gave a slight oof, but hid his grin, trying to look serious. Ed�yas arched a brow and waited. �Your opponent is sitting on you, swinging at your face, Deflect the blows as best you can� Ed�yas mimed blows to T�sin�s head, with T�sin lifting his arms to block. �As your opponent punches with the left hand, deflect the punch to the outside of your body to your right. Shifting your hips for leverage, place your right hand on top of your opponent's left hand on the ground. Reach your left arm over the top of his left arm, wrap clear around, and grab your own right wrist.� Ed�yas and T�sin demonstrated, T�sin half turned beneath the bronzerider, his arm wrapped around Ed�yas�. �Shift your hips back to the left, forcing your opponent onto his face. You may be able to keep the arm straight, but it will probably bend, allowing you to push the arm up behind the back for pain and or breaking. T�sin kindly don�t break his arm, please.� T�sin grinned and rolled Ed�yas face first into the mat, holding Ed�yas� arm tightly and pulling upwards. Ed�yas grunted, slapping the mat. �Work with your partner, so you don't scrape his face on the ground. Shifting your hips right, then left, is very important to gain the proper leverage for this technique. As in many of these types of techniques, you must move quickly to get the hold and move your partner, so you have to practice until you can do so without thought.� T�sin released Ed�yas, who rubbed his arm and they switched beginning positions. T�sin looked down at Ed�yas with a wry grin and at M�zo�s signal, he threw his first sparring punch with his right, then his left. Ed�yas was lightning quick as he pinned T�sin�s arm and shifted, bringing T�sin�s face flat against the mat and holding his arm tightly. �As I said..you have to be quick.� M�zo glanced at the two and nodded, arching a brow as they separated. T�sin�s face was red, but he grinned, rolling his shoulder to loosen the arm.

�The last demonstration,� M�zo continued with an arched brow at the two red faced men. �Involves throwing your opponent off of you should you be on the ground.� He nodded to the two and Ed�yas lay flat on the mat, knees slightly spread. T�sin knelt between his thighs, clearing his throat at the titters from the back of the class. M�zo looked up. �It looks funny now, but imagine yourself on the ground and it won�t be so funny anymore, would it?� He waited in silence for another moment before continuing. �Your opponent has you on the ground and is choking you.� T�sin leaned over Ed�yas, hands in a light grip around Ed�yas� throat. �Lift your legs and tighten them around your opponents waist as hard as you can, knees turned in to grind against the ribcage.� Ed�yas lifted his legs, pushing his knees against T�sin�s sides. T�sin grimaced and waited. �When he stands in an attempt to escape from your legs, bring your feet in and place them on or inside your opponent's hip bones.� T�sin half stood, hand still around Ed�yas� throat as the bronzerider placed his feet on T�sin�s hipbones. �Lift your opponent off the ground. Your right hand grabs his left shoulder while your left hand grabs his right wrist with your thumb down. This hand position will aid in turning your opponent the right direction.� Ed�yas lifted T�sin into the air, the green rider�s eyes closing as he braced himself. �Drop your left leg, so your opponent falls. Pivot counter clock wise as your opponent falls and release his arm so that he does not fall on you. You then roll away.� Ed�yas kicked T�sin off, the greenrider spinning in the air to fall flat on his back with a loud grunt as Ed�yas rolled, coming up in a crouch. T�sin blinked and slowly rose to face Ed�yas, rubbing his backside. The switched positions, Ed�yas now on top and T�sin on his back. At M�zo�s nod, the movement was done with speed and within moments, Ed�yas was the one flat on his back and T�sin was crouched, a wry smile on his face.

Both men stood, brushing themselves off as M�zo continued. �We will practice these techniques slowly for today. I do not want to see anyone trying them at full speed until your technique is approved and your partner is ready. As you master these, you will learn others in later classes. Now, if there�s no questions, find your sparring partner and we�ll begin.�

MONTH 15 LESSON:Fake Fall Simulation

Web link: Rainfall Weyr
Date: 2006-04-22

Summary: The AWLM organizes the weyrlings into a fake fall drill, complete with Wings and Wingleaders, in order to practice their between skipping, flaming, communication skills, coordination, and leadership abilities.

Article: Ga'wer waited on the practice field and watched as the weyrlings showed up. He was excited and hoped this would go well since it would really give them a taste of what wings did in threadfighting. When they were all seated, he stepped forward and slapped a hand on his leather covered leg. "As you know, today you be taking part in a threadfall drill. We'll have the ropes as usual, but things will be a little different. You'll be put into wings. Three, to be exact. Each will have a Wingleader and a Wingsecond. And one of you will get the honor to be the Weyrleader today."

He waited for the talking to die down and smiled at their excited faces. "Allright, how this will work is, you'll all pull a card. On each card, your role is written, your wing, and what will happen to you during fall. Some of you will be injured or have a near miss or something. Some of you will even die. And your Wingleaders will have to deal with that as well as coordination with other Wings. Of course, they will all have big jobs, so I'll need to speak with them a little before the drill. Now, come up and pick your cards."

Once the cards were given out, the bronzerider waited until the resulting squeals were heard. And when the kid came up to him that was picked to be Weyrleader, he took them aside. "Now listen. You are not only responsible for leading your Wing, but you also have to speak to the other Wingleaders to keep them coordinated. You also lead all the wings between to come out. Do you think you can do that?"

The weyrling shook their head, eager to prove they could. "Yes sir. We'll do our best, sir." Puffing with importance, the youngling stepped back to speak with his Wingleaders. They all received their briefings and then the Wings split off, mounting up and getting ready. Ga'wer waited until inspections were done and then he stepped back. Nodding to the riders to get ready with the ropes, he gave the Weyrleader the signal. And then they rose, albeit a bit shakily, and went between.

When they came out and the leading edge of the fake fall came, fighting had begun in earnest, and all Ga'wer could do was watch, standing with the fake healers.

MONTH 15-16 Lecture - Sweepriding

Date: 2005-01-14

Summary: "Sweepriders." T'ilson said the word and waited for the class to give him their full attention. "Most of you know from childhood on up what a Sweeprider is, having seen them patrolling around your holds and halls.
Sweepriders are vital to a Weyr for many reasons. Often it is a sweeprider that spots any Thread falling out of order on the rare occasions that occurs. Sweepriders also help locate any Thread burrows after a fall from
Thread dragons may have missed destroying in the sky. They are the ones who may spot a forest fire, wild animals, and any number of other potentially dangerous situations. Sweepriders try to help any people they find in
distress along roads, in holds and on farms. Situations come up and it is often a dragonrider that is needed to lend assistance. Sweepriders are instructed to stop in at Holds or Halls and at various small cotholds on a
pretty regular schedule to get the general news of how things are faring in and about the community. It is very important for the Weyr to be caught up on the current news spreading amongst the people it is protecting. Keeping
track of the weather is another important function of a Sweeprider. The wind, whether there is a storm brewing, these things are important to know."

The AWLM watched the eager faces in the Weyrling class. Being chosen for Sweep Riding duty was an honor, for it meant you were deemed responsible and mature enough to handle such an important job. For a Weyrling at fifteen
months, being sent out as a Sweeprider ~without~ a graduated dragonrider was something special.

"Now, most of you have been out with a Sweeprider before now and know what all is involved. The Sweeprider that took you out should have properly explained what he or she was doing. Afterwards, they have to turn in reports
on their ride and I hope the Sweeprider you were out with impressed upon you the importance of those reports. Weyrlings who are going out today as Sweepriders will have to give a written report on what they saw and the
conditions they found their Sweep area to be in." T'ilson stopped speaking and pointed a finger at a Weyrling. "Would you care to give an example of
what a report should be like?"

The young woman in question stood up and walked to the front of the class.
"A report should begin by stating the rider's name and rank followed by the date and Sweep time. After that you tell what area you patrolled and give first any emergency situations, which should have been verbally reported to
a higher ranking rider. After the emergencies, or if there aren't any, you start by telling of the weather conditions and then you make note of any Holds you stop at and who you speak with, also leaving a short note about
the conversation you may have had." The Weyrling paused and appeared lost in thought for a few moments. "Oh, and you also tell what Sweeprider you relieved and the one you meet when you are coming back in from a patrol. I
think that's it, sir."

"Very good and thank you," T'ilson waited for the Weyrling to take her seat before speaking again. "So, lets say Weyrling X has just returned from Sweep duty and he is tired having been out the standard two candlemarks. He
decides to write up a quick report-- it may go something like this-- Name, rank, date, Sweep time and area. Sweep Duty started at the sixth candlemark past dawn, I relieved Dragonrider Y, who informed me of no emergencies at
that time. Flying over the river I noted a thick band of wild herdbeasts drinking. Further on near Holder Z's cothold I was waved down. Holder Z informed me of a wild wher stalking his herd and asked for assistance.
Further sweeping revealed a possible wher trail seven dragonlengths to the west of the cothold, made note to pass on the information to evening sweepriders. Resuming Sweep duty I spotted several dark clouds that may
possibly be a storm coming up out of the east for the afternoon. Wind conditions were mild and after completion of Sweep no thread burrows and no Thread out of schedule were noted. Completed Sweep by giving a verbal report
to Sweeprider W." Tilson stopped speaking and gave a small smile to the Weyrlings. "That is just an example of what a report might entail. All reports are different, some riders give more detail than others and that's
okay also as long as they aren't taking up too much time doing reports. Are there any questions so far?" The AWLM looked out at the group and when no one raised a hand after a few moments he continued.

"Well, now that we've had a general review of Sweepriding Duty I've written up a short schedule for the next few seven days for those chosen ready for such a responsibility. If you are not on the schedule and you want to be, see me, or one of the other AWLM's and we'll help you get to the point where you are ready to be a Sweeprider. That's all for today. Those of you chosen
for mid-morning Sweeprides, get out there and get ready for your run. The rest of you meet me in the practice yard in a quarter candlemark for formation practice."

MONTH 15-16 - General Information

Date: 2005-01-14

Summary: "Once again, there are few new lessons to be learned, but many refinements required of existing skills." D'fyd began. "You are now practically full riders - a few more months will see you graduate from Weyrlinghood. Your dragons are approaching their full size, 95% of their adult growth and are more than ready for the responsibility of flying Fall. Still, we have more formations to fly, various skills to perfect such as *between* skipping in Fall. More rescue maneuvers and you will be fitted with your Threadfighting gear. A selected few will be allowed to run Sweep in groups without a full dragonrider as escort. This is a position of trust and those selected will be trusted to perform this task responsibly."

MONTH 15-16 LESSON - A Lesson in Tort - uh, Algebra

Date: 2005-01-14

Summary: "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen." B'lin greeted the Weyrlings cheerfully as they entered the room, and waited until they were all seated before beginning.

"Because we're at Arolos, all of you here have the potential to become Wingleaders some day, no matter what colour you ride. Now, you may think it unlikely now, but as you grow older, you might find yourself headed in that direction, so it's best to learn the skills while you're young. So, today we're going to learn a little about how you would calculate the distribution of a Wing. We'll start simply at first and make the numbers easier than they really are, and then we can approach the real numbers when you're getting a grasp on that."

He smiled at them, sitting back in his chair, "So, if for simplicity's sake, for now we say that it takes a Wing 4 bronzeriders , 6 brownriders, 8 blueriders and 12 greenriders to fly a 2 hour fall over a certain area. We'll also say that because of their size, greens and blues tire in half the time it takes to tire a bronze or brown, but because of their speed while they're in the air they can fight three times as much. Now, it's all much more complex than that, but again, we're simplying just for this lesson. Now, assuming we're talking about the same area and same conditions, can anyone tell me how we'd work out how many bronzes and browns does a Wing need to fly a four hour fall if it has 16 blues and 19 greens flying?"

MONTH 15-16 LESSON - Between Skipping

Date: 2005-01-14

Summary: "This..." B'lin said as the group prepared to go aloft "Is a VITAL part of Fall flying. You are going to learn to skip *between* in a shallow jump. You know how to *between* well enough but this a different technique. A normal jump takes roughly three slow heartbeats. Now imagine that in Fall. You jump and in the time you are between a tangle of Thread has dropped to where you come out, and it was nowhere in sight when you jumped. And if you've been scored...well maybe you aren't checking above and below in your hurry. So... a shallow dive between is within your line of sight. It will take only one heart beat. You've seen the flits do it even when they are playing tag. They dart in and out. This can be useful because usually if a clump is coming down too fast and you are low on flame or the wrong angle you can hop skip between swiftly because the visualization is THERE in front of you...or to the side of you. Be very aware anything near you because sometime the entire wing will have to skip jump and leave the Thread in that band for a lower altitude wing. So today we are going to practice that. We will demonstrate, and then you will practice alone, and as a formation- skip in your traids and eventually as whole wings until it is second nature to do it in an emergency. Now lets get aloft." He gave the hand signal and up they went.

MONTH 17-18 - Final Written Exam

Date: 2005-01-14

Summary: Final Written Exam:

"This is the written test culminating your entire Weyrlinghood. By now
you've had a chance to experience most of what you'll experience as a full
rider. Of course, there is nothing like time to give you the experience
you'll need to make something of yourself, to find your position in
Weyrlife. Some of you will be happy as wingriders, others will strive to
become wingthirds, seconds and wingleaders. Every position in a Wing is just
as important as the next as you've been taught. I won't continue on in this
vein or I'll be giving away answers that are on the test." T'ilson chuckled.
"You'll have several candlemarks to complete your exam. Good luck to all of
you and remember just do your best, that's all that's expected of you."

The WLM sat down at the desk in front of the classroom, with a gentle sigh.
He watched as the young men and women began to take their final written
exam, this was always a milestone in Weyrlinghood, one he remembered
well.

Exam:

1. Being a dragonrider means...
2. Outline full dragon anatomy. (This is to include: A. Body Structure, Ichor, Eyes, Skin, Diet B. Specific traits to your color dragon)
3. Explain an emergency rescue drill...
4. Write a short paragraph on Strapmaking and maintenance...
5. Give five minor draconic injuries a rider can treat themselves, and tell
when a dragonhealer should be consulted if treatment fails.
6. Outline the chain of command in a Weyr...
7. Tell in detail one memorable experience in your Weyrlinghood...
8. Write down the names of the Major/Minor Holds in Arolos Protectorate...
9. Diagram three possible wing formations...
10. Write down one piece of advice you'd give to a brand new Weyrling to help
them get through Weyrlinghood...

MONTH 17-18 - First Thread

Date: 2005-01-14

Summary: The Thread alarms were sounding and all around them the wings were launching into the skies, the stench of fresh firestone acrid and bitter was in the air as ground crews mustered, flame throwers at the ready. For the first time the Weyrlings were mounted up in full Fall gear as B'lin and the WLMA face them "We are going to meet Fall but we will be on the lowest level, catching only stragglers and providing replenishment of firestone. If you are called up to one of the wings for firestone duty, look alive up there...you will catch a glimpse of what it is like to be in the thick of action." The weyrlingmaster warn sternly, "I want no heroics, no fooling around no breaking of wing discipline or you will be facing discipline from myself personally when you get back! " He took a deep breath as the last of the fighting wings took flight and he gave them clearance room and then mounted his own dragon. "Alright Dragonriders... lets Fight Thread!"

MONTH 17-18 - General Information

Date: 2005-01-14

Summary: "Your dragons will be approaching full size" D'fyd began. "And this is the last time I will deliver this little speech to you-- bronzes will reach Approx 35-38 ft, Browns 30-35ft, Blues 25-30ft and Greens 20-25 ft. In this section aside from the normal drills and classes there is one principle difference. You will be flying into Fall with the Weyrlings wings, doing some limited flaming of thread and refueling firestone into the thick of the action. Now THIS is the most dangerous time. I cannot stress this enough. Many weyrlings all over Pern are lost at this stage but you have to face Thread at some point. Before you do we will prepare you as best we can, but for your own sake, the sake of your dragon and wingmates...review all the information we have taught you and be careful! After that, if you pass your end exams and test you will graduate and be assigned to the Weyrling wing or be tapped by a Wingleader for his wing...and you will finally be a FULL dragonrider, with the duties and privileges associated with the rank."

MONTH 18-17 - GRADUATION

Date: 2005-01-14

Summary: The Graduation ceremony itself was comparatively swift, though the celebration usually lasted long into the night. The soon-to-be full dragonriders, standing for the first time without any identification of rank were serried in disciplined rows awaiting the Weyrleaders speech and the confirmation that they would graduate to fight Thread and defend Pern.

"The Dragonriders of Pern have many privileges it is said." The Weyrleader began "And yet, their Duty is more than any privilege that could ever be gifted. In your skill, dedication and courage lies the safety of Pern itself. This is no rhetoric, or inflated opinion, this is the cold hard truth. And there will come days where you wish that you do not have to bear this heavy burden, that all the glory of being a dragonrider, the respect well-earned is not worth the risk to yourself or your lifemate. It is then that the true courage of a dragonrider pair is seen...finding the strength to protect others despite the risk to him or herself. As a dragonrider you serve Pern and her people and that must ever be in your mind. Everytime you fly Fall, lives are saved. Every Thread you char...is food for children saved from destruction, it is someone's livelihood and home protected, a family rescued. This is why you will have the recognition, the respect of Hall and Hold - not because you are better than them, but because without you, they could not exist, as the weyrfolk could not exist without them. And thus...with this mutually beneficial relationship shall Pern prosper and more dragonriders take to the skies ensuring the continued safety of our home. As such...I ask each and every one of you to remember these reasons as you now accept your Wingrider Knots and become full Dragonrider Pairs, and enjoin you to never dishonour your rank and welcome you now...as fully fledged Dragonriders of Pern!" He ended the short speech stepping back as the audience applauded and then summoning each of them by name, presented them with their first Wingrider knots to cheers and more applause from the weyrfolk celebrating.

Once they had all been given their Knots the weyrleader smiled and said in a strident voice "Dragonriders...dismissed! Let the feast begin!"

Month 3 Lesson - Flapping Exercises

Date: 2012-02-28

Summary: In the Weyrling Grounds, AWLM Lep'kin waited until he had the attention of all the Weyrlings before he began. "Okay, as you were promised in the beginning of the month, we're going to, or rather your dragons, are going to be spending a great deal of time this month working on strengthening their wing muscles. Partly through swimming and partly through some flapping exercises."

"And, as I'm sure most of you have guessed, since we're nowhere near the Lake, today we will be doing flapping activities. Most of you will find that your lifemate's are eager for this, since flying is natural for dragons and something they instinctively want to do. At least in most cases, there are always a few exceptions to the rules."

"And speaking rules, there are some for this lesson, and there will be no exceptions to them. Rule one, at some point your dragon, likely not today but with a bit of practice, may manage to lift of the ground. This is a good thing, however, if they do, they must immediately stop flapping and land. It is your job as the human half of the pair, to make sure your dragon listens and lands, anyone who does not, or worse, encourages their dragon to keep doing so, will find themselves spending the majority of their time going over lessons from month one, and will not be participating in any activities until I, or one of the other members of the Weyrling Staff have said otherwise."

Pausing for a moment he gave everyone time to think of that before he continued. "Rule two, keep an eye on your dragon and make sure they aren't pushing themselves too hard. Some of the more competitive dragons and those who are especial eager to fly often push themselves too hard and end up spraining their wings, which will only slow them down. That's really all the rules there are, other than, like always, to listen to anything I tell, if I saw stop, you stop, immediately."

"One last thing before I let you loose, at the end of the month, we'll have a few games where you can demonstrate just how much you and your lifemate have grown. I'll tell you more about that closer to the end of the month, but for now keep that and the rules in mind. Now, unless you have a question, feel free to spread out a little and get started."

MONTH 5 - First Glide

Date: 2007-01-01

Summary: Month 5 of the Weyrling Lessons - the dragons take their first non manned glide.

Article: A�gorn looked at the dragons ranged in front of him and smiled, at five months old they had grown quickly and were still growing. �I know you are wondering why I�ve dragged you out here, this is where, in a month�s time, you will learn how to fly.� He said with a sweeping gesture, pointing towards the rock that they took off from. �Yes I know this does not answer your question about why you are here. Your dragons have been doing a lot of swimming to build their muscles up, today they are going to learn to glide.�

He watched the excitement warring with disappointment, the riders would not be allowed to be on their dragons back, but they would be allowed to watch as their dragon flew without them. Kind of flew anyway. �Today is gliding, which will lead up to taking off from the ground then your own manned flight.�

A�gorn pointed to where Andurilth was, �no one can go past him, and in truth I don�t even want flapping at the moment. Today I want your dragon to walk to the top of the stone, then flair their wings and simply glide as far as they can. It�s not a race, they don�t have to go to far, they just have learn what it feels like to be in the air.� He said with a faint smile. �Now are there any questions and if not, who wants to go now?�

MONTH 8 - Moving Day!

Date: 2012-10-22

Summary: AWLM Talyai stood in front of the Weyrling Class with a smile as she addressed the class. "This is a day many of you have been waiting for. It's a chance for privacy, a chance for a bit of freedom and one step closer to being a full dragonrider. Today you will be moving into the weyrs you picked out back in your 6th month."

Remembering her days as a weyrling, the petite woman made sure to emphasize a few points. "Visitors are allowed but there will be NO sleepovers. Just because you and your dragon are mature enough to be in your own quarters does NOT lift the ban on sexual activity either. That ban still stands until you are betweening in 2 more months. If you have any questions or problems with this feel free to talk to me after your dismissed."

"I assure you, we will be checking to make sure you all aren't getting too big for your britches as well. Just like your cots, we expect you to keep your weyrs clean, your dragon properly cared for, your appearance tidy and your straps up kept without us looming over your shoulders. This is a time for you and your dragon to adjust to just living together and settle into a routine on your own."

Talyai looked around to make sure everyone was still paying attention. "You all are expected to be on your best behavior. Betweening, hunting, flaming and formations are some of the most important skills you will need as a dragonrider. These lessons are approaching fast. Don't get held back from the rest of your weyrling class for breaking the rules or misbehaving."

With all the important reminders out on the table, now was the fun part. "Alright everyone, you're free to move in! You can team up with your classmates if you need help transporting your things. Be sure to clean up your old cots and wallows as well. Most of what you will need to furnish your weyr is already provided or can be found in the stores. If you have any questions or problems feel free to contact myself or have your dragons call on Kawaleth."

Month 9 Lesson - Trust Building

Date: 2012-10-22

Summary: Regarding the Weyrlings that stood before him, Lep'kin couldn't help but smile. They were growing so quickly that it was sometimes hard to believe that they were only in their ninth month of training. �As you own know, or should know if you�ve been paying attention in your lessons, when fighting thread dragonriders need to trust their instincts, their dragons, and their wingmates. When fighting thread and you hear someone shout �go Between� generally it�s a good idea to act first and ask questions later, because if you don�t, there might not *be* a later. It doesn�t matter if you hate the person who�s shouting, in the sky, fighting thread your lives are in one another�s hands. As such, you need to learn to trust one another, to be able to hear another�s warning and respond instantaneously. This can be hard at times, but almost everything about being a rider is.� Lep�kin paused for a moment, allowing the weyrlings a moment to take that in. Taking a small swallow of water, he continued, �The point of today�s lesson is to work on that, to work on trusting one another. To begin, I need all of you to get into groups of two, if necessary one group of three may be formed."

Lep'kin fell silent as he watched the weyrlings divide themselves into groups. Once they finished, he gave one of the weyrlings a blindfold. "Okay, here's what's going to happen, you're going to put that blindfold on," he said, pointing at the Weyrling he had given the blindfold to. "Then all of you, except the two of you," this time he pointed at the Weyrling with the blindfold and that weyrling's partner, "will spread out among the grounds and make yourselves 'obstacles'. You can stand, sit, lay down, or anything else you want." Waiting to see if everyone understood, Lep'kin paused to see if there were any questions before continuing. "Now without touching your partner or moving from where you are standing you will direct your partner through your other classmates and get your partner to the other side of the Weyrling Grounds. The person doing the directing is the only one allowed to speak, everyone else must be quiet. Once you complete that the blindfold will be passed to someone else and another team will do the same thing. We'll do this until everyone has had a chance to be both the blindfolded and the leader."

"One last thing before we start, and this is directed to your dragons, while you are allowed to watch you can't help your riders they have to do this themselves. Now everyone, let's begin!"

Weyrling Dragon Sizes by Month

Date: 2006-08-23

Summary: The following table shows the Weyrling dragon sizes averaged out by feet. See the dragon links for full size averages.

Article:
Month Gold Bronze Brown Blue Green
1 8 7.3 6.5 5.5 4.5
2 12 10.95 9.75 8.25 6.75
3 16 14.6 13 11 9
4 20 18.25 16 13.75 11.25
5 22 20.075 17.875 15.125 12.375
6 24 21/9 19.5 16.5 13.5
7 26 23.725 21.125 17.875 14.625
8 28 25.55 22.75 19.25 15.75
9 30 27.375 24.375 20.625 16.875
10 32 29.2 26 22 18
11 34 31.025 27.625 23.375 19.125
12 34 31.025 27.625 23.375 19.125
13 36 32.85 29.25 24.75 20.25
14 36 32.85 29.25 24.75 20.25
15 38 34.675 30.875 26.125 21.375
16 38 34.675 30.875 26.125 21.375
17 39 35.5875 32.6875 26.8125 21.9375
18 40 36.5 32.5 27.5 22.5

Young Dragon Feeding Schedule

Date: 2007-04-15

Summary: Start out small and lead up to the first kill, here's how.

Article: The lesson needing to be learned today would be one that extended all the way to the Weyrling's tenth month. Z'ak didn't mind giving the lesson, this was a part he could do rather well because it didn�t involve any flying, not for awhile.

"Listen up, the first month you are feeding your hatchling finger size pieces of raw meat that you cut off the carcasses. A lot of you will want to know how the feeding will go and I'm here to tell you. First things first.�

Taking on a more serious tone, the AWLM hoped to impress upon the weyrlings just how important what he was saying really was.

�We follow this schedule for various reasons. No, your dragon won't be special and need to deviate from it because they are more advanced, their teeth are bigger and their claws sharper. We know that each dragon grows at an individual rate and that some are faster, stronger and so on. We know there are exceptional hatchlings out there but this isn't about pushing a dragon further just to prove they are wonderful. Each dragon is wonderful in its own right and you'll gain nothing if you decide your dragon should step outside the lines," Z'ak had to say it because inevitably there were those who believe their dragons needed to go faster to prove they are in some ways better. It wasn't something they needed to foster. They could get their competitive sides worked out in other ways. �Those found experimenting and trying to advance the feeding schedule on their own will be suitably punished and worse, a mark will go on your records. This record will follow you the rest of your lives. You hear of riders transferring in and out and with each of them they carry a record of their accomplishments or lack there of. You really don�t want a mark on your records because you couldn�t follow simple rules. When it comes time for wingleaders to pick you they�ll be looking at these records.� He looked about the class and caught the eye of several more aggressive Weyrlings.

"Alright then, first month finger size and gradually just a bit larger until second month, three fingers, third month fist size, fourth month an arm length, fifth month leg size, sixth month half a carcass, seventh month full wherry carcasses, eighth month half a herd beast carcass, ninth month full herd beast carcass, tenth month, first kill. There you have it, the basic size of the piece of meat your hatchling is eating in a rather easy guideline.�

�Okay let�s go over it in more detail. Yes, you might have to feed them a bucket full of fingers size pieces, two or three buckets full by the end of the first month, and the second month you will end up doing the same with up to four buckets of three finger thick pieces of meat. In the third month you'll cut them full fist size pieces and add small uncrushed bones. The fourth month you'll have to chop pieces the size of an arm with medium size bones and yes, you'll have to feed them several of them that size and by then you'll be learning the art of a meat cleaver." Zak grinned and looked at some of the wide-eyed faces about him.

"The fifth month you'll graduate to leg size pieces, and generally you're not cutting up as many because they are bigger. You'll make sure they're getting the bone and all there, the bones are essential to them and some of you might not like all the crunching but get used to it. It is true that you might be so tightly bonded and the bond still so young that you'll be sharing these various experiences with the hatchlings. Not pleasant all the time, but part of the life you've undertaken. Now the sixth month you'll get small herd beasts carcasses cut in half and generally they'll be butchered for you, because no, you're not going to be learning the art of butchery. Don't worry you'll be keeping up with the exercise portion that the carving brought before this, the bigger your dragons are the bigger their dung piles, but that's another lesson," he chuckled.

"Seventh month is a full large wherry carcass, no worry about the bones they�re right inside the wherry. Also you�re not in the butchering yard from this point on. You�re now in the Weyrling feeding grounds, you and your dragons will be shown where it is up past the rim away a bit from the full feeding grounds. In the eighth month a half a herd beast and the ninth month a full herd beast carcass. Now some of you may be saying that your dragons should be allowed to hunt long before then and I'm here to tell you that while the instinct is there and more than likely they'll be able to hunt and kill perfectly, there is a big difference from eating something already dead and something alive. This is an experience we want the maturity of ten month old betweening dragon to have. You'll learn safety measures in betweening and your dragons will know where to go if something frightens them. Believe it or not more than one in each class usually has to between while hunting and it's good they've learned how to jump to safety above the star stones, much better than losing them to between. What is it about the killing that sets this off? We�re not sure, but we do know that it happens. It's a wonderful and very powerful thing and you'll all have had an opportunity to watch it if you were in the seven day with a rider program, or just fortunate enough to be up near the feeding grounds. So while you think hey, my dragon should be allowed to kill as soon as we start flying and it spies a herdbeast, don�t. The chances are you�ll succeed without a problem but do you really, really want to risk that without them knowing how to between? I hope the answer is no. Like with all your Weyrling training things are done the way they are for a reason. You don�t have to understand, you don�t have to like it and you can complain if you want to, but in the end we only have what�s best for your dragon and you in mind, that�s all. Now, any questions?�

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.

The A to Z of the Weyrling Library!

Contents

Adjusting to Life As A Candidate

An Arolos Candidates typical Daily Schedule

ANYTIME - Pre-Gather Weyrling talk

ANYTIME - The Blue Dragon

ANYTIME - The Bronze Dragon

ANYTIME - The Brown Dragon

ANYTIME - The Gold Dragon

ANYTIME - The Green Dragon

ANYTIME LESSON - Moral problem solving

ANYTIME LESSON - Right and Wrong

Arolos Candidates In Character Rules

Calming Other Dragons Lesson

CANDIDATE - ACM - New Candidate Arrival

CANDIDATE - ACM In Depth Interview

Candidate Essay - 'My Life Before Candidacy'

CANDIDATE LECTURE - First day as a possible Weyrling

CANDIDATE LECTURE - On Hatching Day

CANDIDATE LECTURE - Respect

CANDIDATE LECTURE - Rock Climbing

CANDIDATE LECTURE - Sevenday before prohibition

CANDIDATE LECTURE - Sex Education

CANDIDATE LECTURE - Weyr Ethics

CANDIDATE LECTURE - What if you don't Impress?

CANDIDATE LECTURE Young to Old People of the Weyr

CANDIDATE LECTURE- Pre-Goldflight

CANDIDATE LECTURE- Pre-Threadfall

CANDIDATE LECTURE: Virgins Are People Too

CANDIDATE LESSON - Cleaning the Barracks

CANDIDATE LESSON - Dining Hall Duty

CANDIDATE LESSON - Experiencing the Crafts

CANDIDATE LESSON - Firestone Breaking

CANDIDATE LESSON - Foraging

CANDIDATE LESSON - Hookball game

CANDIDATE LESSON - Robe sewing

CANDIDATE LESSON - Tunnelsnake trapping

CANDIDATE LESSON - Visit to the Creche

CANDIDATE LESSON-Seeing the Eggs

CANDIDATE LESSON: Swimming

CANDIDATES IMPORTANT : What You Learn During Your Turn In the Barracks

Gold Flights

MONTH 0 - Post-Hatching Post

MONTH 1 Lecture - Duties of a rider

MONTH 1 Lecture - The Empathic Bond

MONTH 1 LESSON - Basic Oiling

MONTH 1 LESSON - Feeding Hatchlings

MONTH 1 LESSON - Introductions

MONTH 1 LESSON - Weyrling Uniform Fitting

MONTH 2 Lecture - Geography by Harper

MONTH 2 Lecture - General information

MONTH 2 Lecture - No Sex-Kassia

MONTH 2 LESSON - Essay Questions

MONTH 2 LESSON - Firestone Grading

MONTH 2 LESSON - First Ground Drill

MONTH 2 LESSON - Helping the Healers

MONTH 3 - General Information

MONTH 3 Lecture - Basic Dragonhealing

MONTH 3 LESSON - Blindfolded Tag

MONTH 3 LESSON - Swimming exercise

MONTH 4 - General Information

MONTH 4 Lecture - Knots and Rank

MONTH 4 LESSON - Empathic bond blindfold race

MONTH 4 LESSON - Flight Gear Fitting

MONTH 4 LESSON - Making Flying Straps

MONTH 5 - General Information

MONTH 5 LESSON - Complex Drill

MONTH 5 LESSON - Etiquette

MONTH 6 - General Information

MONTH 6 Lecture - Greenflights

MONTH 6 LESSON - Choosing a weyr

MONTH 6 LESSON - First Flight

MONTH 6 LESSON - Strap Maintenance

MONTH 6 LESSON - Weyr Width Flight Drill

MONTH 7 - General Information

MONTH 7 Lecture - Threadfall Injury

MONTH 7 LESSON - Errand Flying

MONTH 7 LESSON - Pernese Whispers

MONTH 8 - General Information

MONTH 8 LESSON - Stamina Relay