Post by Rouxy on Aug 11, 2004 9:21:55 GMT -5
Dragon Colors
Gold
Golden dragons are female, and always bond with heterosexual females. They Clutch but cannot chew firestone to produce flame, and are usually the largest type of dragon, ranging some 38-42 feet from head to tail. Their clutches normally range around 15 eggs with the first lay, with clutches of some 20+ afterwards. Generally speaking, there may be about one gold egg per clutch, though clutches without gold eggs are more common. When fighting thread, they cover the lower levels with flamethrowers wielded by their riders, and the Queen's Wing often holds weyrlings and riders who are pregnant and cannot tolerate the cold of between. The first gold to rise in mating flight at a new Weyr becomes Weyrwoman, and after that it is the first gold to rise after the previous Weyrwoman has either passed away or retires. Any other queenriders are given the title of Junior Weyrwoman. The Weyrwoman will sometimes attempt to ensure a chosen successor by stepping down right before her chosen successor's dragon is about to rise; though not often, if a Weyrwoman refuses to relinquish her post even after it is deemed her dragon will not Clutch again, then the Weyrleader and Wingleaders will force her to step down and rule by council until the next queen rises. Golds are usually only flown by either bronze or brown, as most blues lack the stamina necessary to keep up.
Bronze
Bronze dragons are male, and always bond to heterosexual males. They chew firestone and can hold a flame for several minutes. They are the largest of the male dragons, dwarfed only by golds, their sizes ranging around 35-38 feet long. Bronze dragons can and do usually fly the Queen, but due to the much higher bronze to gold ratio, they will often seek out Greens to sate Flight passion, despite their agility disadvantage against the smaller colors. The senior bronze of the Weyr is determined through which bronze wins the mating flight of the senior gold. The rider then becomes Weyrleader. Wingleaders for the thread fighting wings are usually Bronze riders, though not all bronze riders are Wingleaders.
Brown
Brown dragons are male, and the next largest in size to the bronze, at 30-35 feet long. They normally bond with males that are heterosexual, but the occasional homosexual male has impressed. Impressions to females are almost unheard of, though it has happened. They can chew firestone, and hold a good flame for several minutes. More agile than the bronzes, the browns can fly both the Queens and Greens, though the likelihood of a brown catching a queen is much lower than a bronze. Their riders tend to be Wingseconds, or secondary Wingleaders.
Blue
Blues are the smallest male at 25-30 feet long, and tend to impress to heterosexual and homosexual males, and the occasional female. Agile and strong, these dragons make up a third of the total dragon population, and their speed make them perfect for fighting thread in the air, despite their inability to hold a constant flame for long. Blues tend to only chase greens, as they don't have the stamina to keep up with the Queens, but they can usually last the entirety of a fall, and are invaluable as the backbone to the fighting Wings. Blue dragons often take up positions as search riders, as these dragons are the best at choosing possible candidates.
Green
Green dragons are female, and are the smallest dragon at 20-25 feet long. They can chew firestone, but they cannot clutch, and their flame is usually short, bursts of heat that make them ideal for mid to lower altitude cleanup during threadfall, despite their inability to last through an entire fall. Pregnant Green riders are often corralled into the Queen's low altitude wing. They generally bond to homosexual and heterosexual females, though the occasional male is possible but rare. Greens can be flown by both Bronze and Brown dragons. This is generally the most numerous type of dragon in a clutch, making up a good 50% of the dragon population.
Impression
When a firelizard hatches, it will Impress to the first thing that feeds it, be it man or woman, adult or child. If it doesn't like said person, it will leave them, and return to the wild.
A dragon hatches from an egg, just like their tiny counterparts. When a dragon hatches, there is only one thing on its mind. It must find a lifemate. It will seek this goal, regardless of obstacles, because its very life depends on it. If no suitable lifemate is found, it will die. Designed to live only with a suitable partner, any dragon who does not find their bonded will suicide, flashing between in a heartbeat and forever lost without a way back.
When a dragon has found its choice, it Impresses then. No one knows the exact mechanism of Impression, but the bond formed lasts a lifetime. The dragon always knows their own name, and they tell this to their newly Impressed lifemate. Dragons will never Impress someone unsuitable for them, and will never Impress the imbalanced or mentally ill. By tradition, no one with a physical disability will be presented to Dragons at a hatching, but theoretically, this would be no barrier to Impression.
Dragon Maturity
Dragons take anywhere from around one and a half to two turns to reach their full, adult size. They grow quickly, and are able to start learning to fly around six months, when they've reached about half their adult size.
Greens reach sexual maturity before they reach their full adult growth, and rise to mate for the first time around 1 turn of age. Golds mature a bit later, at 1 1/2 Turns of age. The other colors' sexual maturity falls between these two age categories, while growth slows and stops between 1 1/2 and 2 Turns.
Female dragons will often begin to 'glow' before they mate, meaning a brightening of color almost to a shiny state, especially for golds. If a male is particularly interested in her, he will often dance attendance if he becomes aware of the female's upcoming flight to try and win her favor.
-This wonderful chart was made by KasierFlame
In this chart, the smallest white dragon represents Ruth, the only white dragon born in the 9th Pass. The largest is Ramoth, who easily overtook the position of largest dragon ever to grace Pern also during the 9th Pass. Sequentially down from Ramoth, is the average sized Gold, Bronze, Brown, Blue, Green, and Ruth.
Dragonlust
Dragonlust is the sensation a rider, and to a lesser degree others, feel when a dragon rises to mate. Especially strong in a rider who hasn't had much experience with the feelings their dragon puts out (weyrlings) dragonlust is strong enough to mentally take over even the most experienced of riders. Usually, an experienced rider can hold back the sensation long enough to do some preparations, such as going to the flight rooms or sequestering themselves in a room with a chosen partner before the effect takes control.
The effect is an overwhelming desire to mate with the object of the dragon's lust. For a rider, this will usually mean the rider of the other dragon. As there can only be a single male with any one female however, some people will volunteer themselves as 'flight moths', meaning they attend the flight and give in to the feelings to help sate the losers of the flight. This practice has led to a relaxed view of sex and sexuality in the Weyr.
For others who are not bonded to a dragon, a flight, especially that of a queen, will make one feel the urge, but it is in no way debilitating or controlling. The urge can be resisted or given in to at the person's discretion.
Dragon Telekinesis
The telekinetic abilities of dragons was thought to have been lost when the AIVAS machine questioned the riders of the 9th Pass about this ability. In truth, the ability was used in an unconscious manner (to augment flight) until it was discovered as a conscious ability by the green dragon Zaranth and her rider Tai in the 31st turn of the 9th Pass.
Since this discovery, the newly created Star Hall has worked in conjunction with the Weyrs to try and improve upon and further control this latent ability to aid in diverting dangerous Pern-bound objects. A type of voluntary selective breeding was enacted at Honshu Weyrhold at the end of the Pass in an attempt to magnify and further spread the telekinetic ability to the whole range of colors, as it seemed strongest in blues and greens. Even over the span of 250 Turns, the effects of the work at Honshu are not readily calculable. Higher ranking males with skill in the ability were hard to come by, as the program was limited to those males invited to join in the queen's flight. Often the queens in residence could not be swayed from their own personal preferences, nor would anyone want to pressure a Gold into mating with someone not of her choosing.
The gradual spread of a stronger form of the telekinetic ability through the upper dragon ranks has therefore been slow with only minimal success. Greens and blues still typically hold higher talent in the ability. Interestingly enough, a male and a female dragon may pair up, thus increasing the skill each would have individually.
Telekinetic skill typically shows in dragons when they begin learning how to fly as they master the conscious and subconscious aspects simultaneously. For this reason, learning as weyrlings is the preferred time for training to take place, however older dragons can pick up skills with a little more practice. Some weyrlings will show small signs of skill before they can fly, but the effect is usually instinctual, with little control.
Gold
Golden dragons are female, and always bond with heterosexual females. They Clutch but cannot chew firestone to produce flame, and are usually the largest type of dragon, ranging some 38-42 feet from head to tail. Their clutches normally range around 15 eggs with the first lay, with clutches of some 20+ afterwards. Generally speaking, there may be about one gold egg per clutch, though clutches without gold eggs are more common. When fighting thread, they cover the lower levels with flamethrowers wielded by their riders, and the Queen's Wing often holds weyrlings and riders who are pregnant and cannot tolerate the cold of between. The first gold to rise in mating flight at a new Weyr becomes Weyrwoman, and after that it is the first gold to rise after the previous Weyrwoman has either passed away or retires. Any other queenriders are given the title of Junior Weyrwoman. The Weyrwoman will sometimes attempt to ensure a chosen successor by stepping down right before her chosen successor's dragon is about to rise; though not often, if a Weyrwoman refuses to relinquish her post even after it is deemed her dragon will not Clutch again, then the Weyrleader and Wingleaders will force her to step down and rule by council until the next queen rises. Golds are usually only flown by either bronze or brown, as most blues lack the stamina necessary to keep up.
Bronze
Bronze dragons are male, and always bond to heterosexual males. They chew firestone and can hold a flame for several minutes. They are the largest of the male dragons, dwarfed only by golds, their sizes ranging around 35-38 feet long. Bronze dragons can and do usually fly the Queen, but due to the much higher bronze to gold ratio, they will often seek out Greens to sate Flight passion, despite their agility disadvantage against the smaller colors. The senior bronze of the Weyr is determined through which bronze wins the mating flight of the senior gold. The rider then becomes Weyrleader. Wingleaders for the thread fighting wings are usually Bronze riders, though not all bronze riders are Wingleaders.
Brown
Brown dragons are male, and the next largest in size to the bronze, at 30-35 feet long. They normally bond with males that are heterosexual, but the occasional homosexual male has impressed. Impressions to females are almost unheard of, though it has happened. They can chew firestone, and hold a good flame for several minutes. More agile than the bronzes, the browns can fly both the Queens and Greens, though the likelihood of a brown catching a queen is much lower than a bronze. Their riders tend to be Wingseconds, or secondary Wingleaders.
Blue
Blues are the smallest male at 25-30 feet long, and tend to impress to heterosexual and homosexual males, and the occasional female. Agile and strong, these dragons make up a third of the total dragon population, and their speed make them perfect for fighting thread in the air, despite their inability to hold a constant flame for long. Blues tend to only chase greens, as they don't have the stamina to keep up with the Queens, but they can usually last the entirety of a fall, and are invaluable as the backbone to the fighting Wings. Blue dragons often take up positions as search riders, as these dragons are the best at choosing possible candidates.
Green
Green dragons are female, and are the smallest dragon at 20-25 feet long. They can chew firestone, but they cannot clutch, and their flame is usually short, bursts of heat that make them ideal for mid to lower altitude cleanup during threadfall, despite their inability to last through an entire fall. Pregnant Green riders are often corralled into the Queen's low altitude wing. They generally bond to homosexual and heterosexual females, though the occasional male is possible but rare. Greens can be flown by both Bronze and Brown dragons. This is generally the most numerous type of dragon in a clutch, making up a good 50% of the dragon population.
Impression
When a firelizard hatches, it will Impress to the first thing that feeds it, be it man or woman, adult or child. If it doesn't like said person, it will leave them, and return to the wild.
A dragon hatches from an egg, just like their tiny counterparts. When a dragon hatches, there is only one thing on its mind. It must find a lifemate. It will seek this goal, regardless of obstacles, because its very life depends on it. If no suitable lifemate is found, it will die. Designed to live only with a suitable partner, any dragon who does not find their bonded will suicide, flashing between in a heartbeat and forever lost without a way back.
When a dragon has found its choice, it Impresses then. No one knows the exact mechanism of Impression, but the bond formed lasts a lifetime. The dragon always knows their own name, and they tell this to their newly Impressed lifemate. Dragons will never Impress someone unsuitable for them, and will never Impress the imbalanced or mentally ill. By tradition, no one with a physical disability will be presented to Dragons at a hatching, but theoretically, this would be no barrier to Impression.
Dragon Maturity
Dragons take anywhere from around one and a half to two turns to reach their full, adult size. They grow quickly, and are able to start learning to fly around six months, when they've reached about half their adult size.
Greens reach sexual maturity before they reach their full adult growth, and rise to mate for the first time around 1 turn of age. Golds mature a bit later, at 1 1/2 Turns of age. The other colors' sexual maturity falls between these two age categories, while growth slows and stops between 1 1/2 and 2 Turns.
Female dragons will often begin to 'glow' before they mate, meaning a brightening of color almost to a shiny state, especially for golds. If a male is particularly interested in her, he will often dance attendance if he becomes aware of the female's upcoming flight to try and win her favor.
-This wonderful chart was made by KasierFlame
In this chart, the smallest white dragon represents Ruth, the only white dragon born in the 9th Pass. The largest is Ramoth, who easily overtook the position of largest dragon ever to grace Pern also during the 9th Pass. Sequentially down from Ramoth, is the average sized Gold, Bronze, Brown, Blue, Green, and Ruth.
Dragonlust
Dragonlust is the sensation a rider, and to a lesser degree others, feel when a dragon rises to mate. Especially strong in a rider who hasn't had much experience with the feelings their dragon puts out (weyrlings) dragonlust is strong enough to mentally take over even the most experienced of riders. Usually, an experienced rider can hold back the sensation long enough to do some preparations, such as going to the flight rooms or sequestering themselves in a room with a chosen partner before the effect takes control.
The effect is an overwhelming desire to mate with the object of the dragon's lust. For a rider, this will usually mean the rider of the other dragon. As there can only be a single male with any one female however, some people will volunteer themselves as 'flight moths', meaning they attend the flight and give in to the feelings to help sate the losers of the flight. This practice has led to a relaxed view of sex and sexuality in the Weyr.
For others who are not bonded to a dragon, a flight, especially that of a queen, will make one feel the urge, but it is in no way debilitating or controlling. The urge can be resisted or given in to at the person's discretion.
Dragon Telekinesis
The telekinetic abilities of dragons was thought to have been lost when the AIVAS machine questioned the riders of the 9th Pass about this ability. In truth, the ability was used in an unconscious manner (to augment flight) until it was discovered as a conscious ability by the green dragon Zaranth and her rider Tai in the 31st turn of the 9th Pass.
Since this discovery, the newly created Star Hall has worked in conjunction with the Weyrs to try and improve upon and further control this latent ability to aid in diverting dangerous Pern-bound objects. A type of voluntary selective breeding was enacted at Honshu Weyrhold at the end of the Pass in an attempt to magnify and further spread the telekinetic ability to the whole range of colors, as it seemed strongest in blues and greens. Even over the span of 250 Turns, the effects of the work at Honshu are not readily calculable. Higher ranking males with skill in the ability were hard to come by, as the program was limited to those males invited to join in the queen's flight. Often the queens in residence could not be swayed from their own personal preferences, nor would anyone want to pressure a Gold into mating with someone not of her choosing.
The gradual spread of a stronger form of the telekinetic ability through the upper dragon ranks has therefore been slow with only minimal success. Greens and blues still typically hold higher talent in the ability. Interestingly enough, a male and a female dragon may pair up, thus increasing the skill each would have individually.
Telekinetic skill typically shows in dragons when they begin learning how to fly as they master the conscious and subconscious aspects simultaneously. For this reason, learning as weyrlings is the preferred time for training to take place, however older dragons can pick up skills with a little more practice. Some weyrlings will show small signs of skill before they can fly, but the effect is usually instinctual, with little control.
