A QUICK PERN DICTIONARY
I`ll add to it when I`ve got time... right now I haven`t got time to think of all the other words. If you think of any more send them to help@arolosweyr.zzn.com and I`ll add them when I can.
Agenothree:- HNO3. Chemical used in flame throwers, mainly by
goldriders,
to kill Thread.
Apprentice:- The lowest station in a craft.
*between* The place dragons and riders reside in for three
heartbeats when
they travel instantly between one place and another.
Candidate:- A young person who is hoping to Impress at the next
Clutch
Celery:- Just don`t ask.
Clutch:- Eggs. One lot of eggs, at one time, from the same mother
is her
Clutch. Dragons have them. So do flits.
Crafter:- Anyone who works in any of the crafts rather than being
rider,
Holder, or drudge. There are three levels master, journeyman and
apprentice, plus one who has the final say the Master - eg the
MasterHarper.
Dragonless man:- A rider whose dragon has died, leaving him alone
and
lifematelwess. They go through life, always feeling that part of
them
which is not there, as if the best of them went with the dragon,
leaving only the
char and dross behind.
Dragonpair:- A dragon and his rider.
Dragons:- The most wnderful creatures on Pern (hey, so I`m
biased!)
Dragons were developed from flits, long long ago (we`re talking
thousands of years
here) using genetic manipulation, before the settlers forgot they
hadn`t
lived on Pern forever. They can fly, go *between* with people on
their
back to teleport between one place and another, breathe fire and
talk directly
into their riders heads ((like this)). They are warmblooded, have
two
hearts to pump the blood around their massive bodies and have
hide, not scales.
Created by head colony genetisist Kitty Ping.
Faranth:- The first dragon. Mainly used as a Pernish curse - same
way you
might say "for Gods sake" in Pern they say "for
Faranths sake!" And soon
you`ll find yourself saying "For Faranths sake" too. Oh
yes. And then the
men in white coats come.
Fellis:- Used to put people sleepybyes. Medical thingumybob.
Tastes sour
if you don`t disguise it. Can be slipped in drinks.
Firelizard:- See flit
Firestone:- A phosphorus rock mined by the Miner Craft and used
by dragons
and firelizards to produce flames to sear Thread. No, not a tire
(but both
Firestones can be rather dangerous).
Flit:- Firelizard. Ickle tiny flying lizard that can breath fire,
pick up
your emotions to some extent - not as much as dragons - and
_sometimes_ be
trained to do stuff. Tend to pester a lot for food - espiecially
when
newly hatched. Can hunt for themselves some, fish and things.
Like to be oiled -
if they aren`t then their hides crack - and to be scratched.
Harper:- The musical craft, and also the diplomatic one. Harpers
are
responsible for entertainment, for learning and also for keeping
the peace
in any disagreement.
Hatching:- The time when dragons gather together humming as the
eggs begin
to crack and the Candidates move in ready to Impress...
Hatchling:- A newly Hatched dragon.
Herdbeasts:- Cows. Or at least some sort of cattle. Dragons like
to eat
them.
HoldBrat:- Child of the Hold.
Impression:- The moment where a Hatchlings eyes meet a Candidates
eyes,
and they see each other as they really are, and their hearts and
minds bond
and they are together forever after
Journeyman:- The second level in a craft - generally gained from
18 (if
you are lucky!) onwards.
Klah:- Pern hot caffeine drink. Like a cross between coffee and
cocoa.
Made by running hot water through the bark of a klah tree and
adding
cinnamon, cream or whatever else the drink-ee would like.
Lifemate:- A dragon and hid rider are lifemates, bond together by
a
peculiar form of empathy that leads them to adore each other. A
dragon loves his
rider beyond all else, seeing all that is good in him. When his
rider dies
he will go *between* in sorrow, not wishig to live without his
lifemate. A
rider robbed of his dragon may also try to leave this world.
Master:- The highest level in a Craft, rarely gained before you
are at
least
40 if at all.
OW:- Men, cross your legs here. A particular way of fighting...
true
lethal OW is going for the groin and uh... removing what is
there. Less serious
OW is simply threatening that area in any way such as kneeing it.
Copyrighted
to Kim - our list OWner - she`ll sue you if you use it RL but if
you ask
nicely she may let you use it gamewise ;-)
Pern:- Where we live. Planet. Big Place. Has dragons.
P.E.R.N.:- Same thing. Stands for Parallel Earth Reasources
Negligible.
Named by the EEC team.
Redfruit:- A sweet red fruit from Pern.
Runnerbeasts:- Horses
Shipfish:- Dolphins (both spotted and bottle-nosed)
Sleeping furs:- Blanket
Thread:- The organism which all dragonriders fight. Falls from
the skies
like rain during Threadfall, eating anything carbonbased in it`s
passed.
As humans are carbonbased and so are all other living
organisms... yes, well
you get the picture. Can be destroyed by fire and retarded water
(when
Thread gets wet, it stops burning through things and makes yummy
dolphin
and fishie food).
Watchwher:- Related to dragons and flits, these large lizardy
things guard
Holds. They are capaple of a type of Impression - in the same way
flits
are, and do not like the light. Are generally kept chained and
cruel
HoldBrats have been known to tease them. Created by Kitty Ping's
grand-daughter Wind Blossom in an attempt to genetically engineer
another
batch of dragon eggs. Didn't work.
Weyr:- Where dragons live. Generally riders take advantage of a
natural
group of caves which have been formed - Arolos for instance is
founded on
a volcano. The whole thing is a Weyr. Generally about two-hundred
dragonpairs live in a Weyr.
weyr (lower case "w") :- A riders home. One cave, with
room for both
dragon(s)* and rider(s)*
*Riders who are involved with each other may wish to share a
weyr.
WeyrBrat:- A child in the Weyr.
Weyrleader:- The male half of the pair who leads the Wer. Rider
of a
bronze, or more rarely as in this case a large brown his dragon
caught the
WeyrWoman's gold last time she rose - Arolos Weyrleader is R`tal.
Weyrling:- A young rider who has not yet gone through their
dragonrider
training and graduated so are not yet full dragonriders.
WeyrWoman:- One of the pair who leads the Weyr. Traditionally the
first
goldrider whose queen rises to mate is WeyrWoman for the rest of
her life
- in this case Alba.
WeyrlingMaster:- Responsible for the Weyrlings and Candidates,
their
training, discipline etc. At the present time C'lin is
WeyrlingMaster
on Arolos.
WeyrlingMasterAssistants:- Help the WeyrlingMaster. Also called
Assistant
Weyrling Master(s).
Wingleader:- Responsible for their Wing. Above their WingSeconds,
below
the Weyrleader
WingSecond:- Helps his Wingleader. Below his Wingleader, above
ordinairy
riders.
Wings:- The teams the dragon-pairs of a Weyr are split up into,
lead by
their Wingleaders.
To go back to the basics click here
To learn about dragon stereotypes go here
If you think your character is too young to be in a profession yet try this link
Candidates and Weyrlings, HoldBrats and WeyrBrats
To leaen more about Holders and Crafters try here
And if you`ve heard enough and now want to join a Weyr... that would be this link.