If you haven't read the series then this may get confusing. I apologize in advance, but here is a link to a place that gives a really good background description of Pern.
/wiki/Dragonriders_of_Pern
I hope dearly that this does not dissuade you from reading. It is one of the few books I enjoy to read and I couldn't wait to share it all with you in Skimmons version :]
I have also attached a DRAGONDEX at the bottom to help you with any unfamiliar words which are used from the books. There will also be a link to an even larger encyclopedia of Pern to help you.
I do not own Pern, it belongs to Anne McCaffrey. I do not own the characters, they belong to Marvel.
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The news was spreading fast over the land of Pern, even so far as the Southern Continent. Hold Lords who had once in the past been weary of this news, now rejoiced at the honorable Ride of Search. The bronze riders of the southern Ostagar Weyr were riding in Search to all Northern Continent Holds for a maiden between the ages of 18 and 25.
Ostagar's golden queen Tilith had laid a clutch of forty-two eggs and amongst them was the long sought for golden egg of a queen. Tilith had taken to between after the final egg was laid to take her eternal rest, her rider, the WeyrWoman of Ostagar having perished a week past due to old age and sickness.
Now, all Pernese dragon riders were rejoicing for their new queen and her unknown weyrmate.
The massive bronze dragon rested gently down in the large courtyard of Ruatha Hold after his short, chilling flight between. A moment later two browns and three greens blinked into the air above him and came to rest beside him, as a slender figure slipped off the bronze.
As all bronze riders were men, this one seemed odd to be so small and slimly built. The leader and fur bound riding gear fit him as it did any other, and even after taking off the riding cap and goggles he looked like a man.
The five riders behind the bronze dismounted and walked across the courtyard to the entrance of the Hold where it's Lord and several of the crafters and people of his court also waited.
"Ah! Dragon riders, Pern be praised, we have your rooms waiting and my Hall is open to your searching scrutiny," the Lord proclaimed, holding his arms wide in welcome.
The small lad stopped with his five wingmates behind him.
"Thank you Lord Pax," the words from the small boy's figure where not what was expected, for it wasn't a masculine voice which came from him, but a feminine one.
"I am Skye, First Wingleader of Ostagar Weyr and we ride to Ruatha in Search. Our dragons have need of your mountains and valleys as a place to rest while during our stay," the dragon rider requested.
Lord Pax looked shocked for a moment, as if having expected some other person to be addressing him now.
"You are the woman rider of a bronze?!" he asked, more interested than trying to be rude.
"That matter is one which is not up for discussion Lord Pax. Please escort my Wing and I to our rooms and we shall begin our business here," the small woman said.
"My apologies bronze rider, right this way," Lord Pax motioned hastily for the group to follow him into the stone walled Hold.
The large bronze trumpeted his leave as his massive wings unfolded and he took to the sky, finding a large overhanging rock above the Hold where he could survey all the lands here. The other dragons did the same, scattering themselves along the mountains.
It was true that Skye was a female rider of a bronze dragon. There were women riders in the Weyrs but normally they rode blues and greens if they were brought to the Impression. Normally, however, the only woman rider in a Weyr was the WeyrWoman, who was the rider of the golden queen dragon.
Four turns back she had been observing the Impression of one of Tilith's last clutches. There had been no queen egg and as the dragon had been sickly as her rider had been, the clutch was small, consisting of a mere fifteen eggs. Three of those eggs had been bronze colored and as the young men made connections with the newly hatched dragonets, one bronze egg remained shelled.
None of the remaining boys moved to touch it, all too afraid that it would break at the last minute and they would be trampled by the clumsy newborn beast. After several minutes and the other new dragon riders gone, the boys were ushered away from the egg and the crowd dissipated as the Weyrleader and WeyrWoman considered what to do with the seemingly 'dud' egg.
Skye had been delivering a message to the two Weyr Leaders and upon crossing the hot sands, the dragon's egg had burst open and the clumsy thing, claws and all, had crashed into the young woman.
The two gazed at each other, despite the cuts the girl had suffered and the bond was made. It was an unusual circumstance but it had occurred all the same and on that day she had become Skye, rider of Bronze Osgilith.
It had been two days since her and her wings arrival here, and yet they had not found a maiden suitable for search. She had two riders searching the surrounding countryside and farms for potential candidates and three others searching the crafters village. Skye had left it to herself to search in the actual Hold.
It was around midday when she ventured out back to the stables for a break from looking around.
Have you had no luck yet, dear one?
Skye turned her head to look up towards the mountains where Osgilith sat perched happily in the sun.
No I haven't. Have the others had any luck? she relayed through her mind to the bronze.
There was silence for a moment before the beast answered her, There have been no eligible candidates at present. T'gar and F'laten request to return to the Hold.
Skye sighed to herself and leaned against a stone pillar that supported the stables, I grant them leave. Relay to the wing that they may return to Ostagar. I will stay on a while longer though Ruatha seems fruitless this turn.
The beast did as was asked of him and moments later answered that everyone had returned.
Skye knew that many prominent WeyrWomen had come from the Blood at Ruatha Hold and from the High Reaches. She simply could not submit to the fact that there were none here now.
Osgilith my love, do you not sense anyone capable? Skye asked as she walked into the stables to look at the running beasts.
They were fine and strong tall legged creatures with smooth skin but for their heads and she fancied them, but would never again stoop to ride one. She had a far greater beast.
It was in this stable now, that she spotted an unfamiliar face in the back.
The woman was of average height, standing just short of her, and alone. Her face framed gently by dark auburn hair, the majority of which was pulled back to get out of her eyes while doing her work. Skye noticed she had a lean figure, a good one for riding. All others here had been so thin...it had been a bad season of crop with Threads falling every three days.
Pale skin, this girl was certainly of Ruatha and even perhaps of the Blood.
"Excuse me miss, might I have a word?" Skye addressed this woman and stepped towards her.
The girl turned to see her addressor, "Yes rider? Did you have need of me?" she asked, nodding low in recognition. It was not every day that one came into contact with a dragon rider. They were protectors of the world and had once been highly revered, and now were again after many years of suffering.
The brunette examined the doe eyed candidate, standing only a few feet away.
"I am Skye rider of bronze Osgilith and I have come to Ruatha Hold in Search. I find you to be a worthy candidate and request that you accompany me to Ostagar Weyr," Skye demanded and held out her hand for the other woman. There was no denying a dragon riders request of search but some women tried regardless.
"You are Pern's bronze woman," the girl commented as she stepped forward away from the running beasts. Skye held her head high and did not comment. "I am to be taken to a Southern Weyr then? Am I to remain there?" the woman asked and stepped into the light. Skye thought she seemed timid, unsure. It would not do well to be timid upon the sands in the belly of the Weyr for a hatching.
She has an air about her. She is suitable for the Weyr. This woman could be a great WeyrWoman, Osgilith relayed to his weyrmate. His assurance calmed any concerns Skye might have had about the girl.
Skye nodded to her dragon's assumptions and returned her attention to the woman, "Yes, I am to escort you to Ostagar Weyr on the Southern Continent and if you impress the queen egg then yes you are to remain as WeyrWoman. If you do not impress then you may return here or a rider may take you as his weyrmate," Skye answered and took another long look of the woman.
She was beautiful in her own way. The way she smiled, the way she held herself, both so small as if trying not to be noticed. She had succeeded for several days. Skye was lucky she had remained. It would be ill-suited for one of the Wing Leaders to return empty handed. Why had she not seen this maiden before? She must have hidden herself well. Perhaps one of the others thought her too slight, too timid. That could change easily with the correct training. If this girl did not impress and leave Weyr, then perhaps its bronze woman could make this girl her weyrmate.
"And do you have a weyrmate bronze rider Skye?" the girl asked, taking the riders hand to be lead away.
"The only weyrmate which I possess is my Osgilith," Skye responded an held the woman's hand gently, "and your name, my lady?"
"Jemma of Blood Pax, Raluatha Hold. I study beastology, which is why I am out here with the animals, despite royal blood," she smiled and let herself be lead into the Hold by the dragon woman.
"Well, Lady Jemma of Blood Pax," Skye smiled as she escorted the woman from the stables and back to the main entrance of the small castle, "We need to have a conversation with your Uncle."
DRAGONDEX .nl/pe/peintro_Between: Between places—In order to be able to go between places a dragon and/or its rider has to know where to go. The rider has to visualize a reference or recognition point and transfers it to the mind of his or her dragon. There are certain consequences to an ill-considered jump. Badly visualized reference points often result in staying between. One should always plan to arrive in the air above the reference point. The more experienced riders do not have to be in the air while taking the jump but can also do so from a stationary position on the ground. Weyrlings are taught a certain number of reference or recognition points, beginning with the Star Stone-Eye Rock-Finger Rock configuration of its Weyr. More reference points are then learned, first by the instructor and after that by going there, getting the initial visualization by the instructor. After that weyrlings are constantly taken to and from the main reference points all across Pern.
Clutch: A group of eggs laid by a dragon. Frequent clutches are a sure sign that there will be a Pass.
Dragon Rider: A person who has Impressed a dragon partner. During the first few centuries on Pern Hold people were usually glad to have a child (or children) chosen on Search and becoming dragonriders, because of the advantages of having a dragonrider in the family: the combination of the prestige accrued to the Bloodline as well as the availability of transport. There was also a more narrow minded group that disapproved of and had misconceptions about, especially, the sexual habits of dragonriders, which admittedly, were different from the majority of people on Pern, in order to accommodate their dragon's habits.
Dragon(s): Come in 5 colors and 5 sizes. Blue and Green dragons are the smallest. These can be male or female. Brown dragons are next largest, followed by Bronze dragons who are the largest males. Gold dragons are females and the largest of all.
F'laten: Rider of brown Topiath. Member of Ostagar Weyr, wingmate to Skye.
High Reaches: A mountain range on the Northern Continent.
Hold: a place where the common people live. Originally they were cut into the mountains and hillsides. There are major and minor holds.
Impression: "the moment when a newly hatched dragon links minds with a suitable human partner; a bond of such complexity and depth that no other union can be compared with it; almost overwhelming in the initial moment of recognition, and certainly the most intense emotion a dragon rider will ever experience" If a newly hatched dragon does not find a compatible personality among the candidates (or spectators present) he will die
Jemma: Blood of Pax, Ruatha Hold, Of the Blood, Ruatha Hold Heir, Niece to Lord Pax
Lord Pax: Blood of Pax, Ruatha Hold, Of the Blood, Ruatha Hold Lord, Uncle to Jemma
Nazgelith: Brown dragon bonded with T'gar of Ostagar Weyr.
Osgilith: Smallest bronze dragon of Ostagar Weyr bonded with Skye.
Ostagar Weyr: Second Weyr of the Southern Continent. (Does not exist in canon.)
Pern: third of the star Rukbat's five planets. It has two natural satellites. Gravity on Pern is about 90% of what is normal for Earth. The atmosphere on Pern has slightly above the normal oxygen content of Earth.
Ride of Search: literally a search, for prospective dragonriders. It is obvious that in later Passes there was less and less need to Search for regular dragonriders. By the Ninth Pass dragonriders only Searched for queen candidates. To respond to a Search was a holder (basic) right. The claim that a union had been arranged for a person that was Searched was enough to refuse the Search. Of course this happened very seldom because generally people were honored to be Searched and his or her relatives welcomed the dragonrider connections
Ruatha Hold: Major Hold & second oldest Hold.
Runnerbeast: Pernese equivalent of Terran Horses
Skye: A Wing Leader of Ostagar Weyr, rider of bronze Osgilith.
T'gar: Rider of brown Nazgelith and wingmate to Skye of Ostagar Weyr
Tilith: Golden Queen of Ostagar Weyr (deceased)
Topiath: Brown bonded with F'laten of Ostagar Weyr
Weyr: written with a capital W it means the complete Weyr, written without the capital it means the cavern, or other place, a dragon and his rider occupy. Weyrs are autonomous and may withhold services (basic courtesies like providing transport) with sufficient justification (fighting Thread is not seen as a service and may never be withheld)
Weyrmate: A person or dragon who resides in a weyr together.
WeyrWoman: Rider of a gold queen dragon and leader of a Weyr second only to the Weyr Leader.
Wing Leader: Leader of a Wing, which consists of 12 dragons
Wingmates: Members of a Wing.
