Weyrlings

Widow's Peak Weyr

Weyrling Guide

There are rules that are to be followed by all weyrlings:

1- Weyrlings are forbidden romantic relationships other then a fondness for one another. Weyrling's lives are occupied completely with caring for their dragonettes, lessons, activities, chores and drills to become an efficient rider.

2- Craft lessons are given only to those who can practice the lessons during the rigors of class work. Otherwise there is no extra time for the weyrlings to focus on their craft training. Crafts lessons may continue after Graduation.

3- All weyrlings are treated equal during training. There will be no pulling rank, understood? Bronzes will be treated the same as blues, and golds the same as greens. All weyrlings need to focus on their training so to become active members of the Weyr. Bronzes will have to earn wing positions. Golds will have to wait the chance to advance after graduation.

4- The Weyrling Barracks are a situated on the ground level of the Weyr. Females will bunk together in one large room with individual cots placed beside dips which are to be filled with sands for their dragonettes to sleep. Males have the same arrangement in a seperate room.

5- The WeyrlingMaster is in control of the Weyrlings! All weyrlings are to obey him/her. Disobiedence will be severely punished especially since many of the activities you will learn can be quite dangerous!!

A Weyrling's day starts at sunrise, with feeding, oiling and bathing their dragonette first. For the next two candlemarks, lectures take place and then another feeding at lunch. Lessons and some drills continue until about midafternoon, for another feeding/oiling, then more lessons or drills until dinner. There may free time after dinner for those who have not pulled chore duties. This time is generally used to studying or cleaning. Bedtime is about 10pm.

As the dragons grow older the schedule differs a bit. The day starts at 8 a.m. with lessons, a feeding around noon if needed, drills in the afternoon, oiling around dinner and light practice afterwards.

Month 1

Dragonettes eat about 3-4 times a day and their riders must cut up the meat for this each time. Meat will be provided by the Weyr for these feedings. When dragonettes aren't eating, they're either feeling itchy,from the rapid growth causing their skin to itch, and begging to be oiled sleeping. Generally, your dragon will want to be washed at least once daily and oiled twice, particularly after naps. You will have to clean up their messes as well. Wheelbarrows and shovels are provided for scooping up dragonette dung and carting it to the compost heap. Emotionally, the dragonets will be focused on their riders and will sleep outside the classroom in the sun and sand when the rider is in class, but toddle after the rider when possible, besides times of feeding and washing. This period is the biggest toil for the weyrling pair as it demands the rider's full attention 24 hours a day. Also, as a rider, there are restrictions as to what you can and cannot do, since a dragonette's understanding of the world around it is still forming some of the more adult situations will confuse and scare the young dragons. Absolutely no romantic relationships between weyrlings or with other riders! This goes especially for sex. Weyrlings cannot consume alcohol either. You may not go outside of the Weyr's holdings without the Weyrlingmaster's permission.

Dragonet Sizes at this time:

Gold- 8-10 feet long

Bronze- 8-9 feet long

Brown- 6-8 feet long

Blue- 5-6 feet long

Green- 5-6 feet long

- 1st Sevenday -

Lesson: Feeding. Weyrlings will be taught about feeding they lifemate, the how, when and what will be taught.
Lesson: Hide care. Weyrlings will be taught about oiling their dragons hide, how to prevent damage to the skin, and how to make their own oil.
Lesson: The need to shield all emotional thoughts from the dragonettes.
Hands On: Weyrlings will bathe and oil their dragonettes.
Daily Exercises: The first sevendays will be spent mostly feeding and oiling the young dragons. Short walks to strengthen the babies and cleaning up the constant dragon dung.

- 2nd Sevenday -

Lesson: Dragonhealing, an introduction to the Craft and common problems with your dragons.
Lesson: The bond between the dragon and the rider, a few games will be played to strengthen the bond.
Lesson: The first practicing of active controling one's thoughts.
Hands On: Firestone selection. Weyrlings will be taught how to pick, sort and bag it.
Daily Exercises: The dragonettes are taught to flap their wings and hop. Weyrlings will do stand in place excersises and laps around the exercise area.

- 3rd Sevenday -

Lesson: Sexuality. Helping Weyrlings come to grasps with what the color of their dragon means, and the differences between Hold and Weyr.
Lesson: Shielding: Closing off of one's thoughts from their dragon. Weyrlings will now practice shielding their thoughts and gradually lengthen the time they kept thoughts from their dragon. This is gradual so as not to fighten the young dragonettes.
Hands On: Harness care work, helping out on the ground with the oiling of rider's harnesses.
Daily Exercises: Continued exercises outside. Filling and stackingl bags of firestone.

- 4th Sevenday -

Lesson: Learning about the way the Weyr is run, the geography, Thread patterns and weather patterns.
Lesson: Riding Straps. Weyrlings learn how to make, protect and repair their own riding straps.
Hands On: Sorting the grades of firestone by sight and odor.
Daily Exercises: Continued morning exercises. And line tossing full bags of firestone down the line.

Month 2

The dragonets have doubled in size, almost tripled in the case of the larger ones. Their meals are about 3 times a day. Washing and oiling are still once and twice daily as the dragonets are growing rapidly. You must still clean up their messes and cut up meat. Emotionally, the dragonets will be more open to interacting with other dragonets and dragons. Towards the third sevenday of the month, the dragonets will be learning how to fly without a rider. To prepare for this, they will begin swimming exercises daily. Drills of flying first short glides and later longer winged relays will be incorporated. The weyrling pair will practice seeing through each other's eyes, developing a more fluid partnership. Classes focus on wing formations, Thread, patterns of Fall, dragonhealing for Threadscores and firestone. Guest speakers may appear.

Dragonet Sizes:

Gold - 16-18 feet long

Bronze - 15-16 feet long

Brown - 12-15 feet long

Blue - 11-14 feet long

Green - 11-13 feet long

- 1st Sevenday -

Lesson: Threadfall Charts. Weyrleader comes to explain the Threadfall Charts detail.
Lesson: Dragon Harness. Weyrlings will be assisted by Dragonriders and the Weyr Tanner for this and learn how to measure their dragons and make their own harness.
Hands On: Complex Ground Drills. Weyrlings will be begin drilling in flight formations on the ground.
Daily Exercises: Morning exercises plus tossing full bags of firestone back and forth in formation.

- 2nd Sevenday -

Lesson: Dragonsight Training: Learning how to hear through the riders and dragons senses.
Lesson: Visualization Training: Learning on how to give very detailed images of places to your dragon to ensure safe trips /between/.
Hands On: Learning the basics of catching a falling rider. Done with a filled bag as a game.
Daily Exercises: Morning exercises. Formation drills.

- 3rd Sevenday -

Lesson: Threadfall Charts. More in-depth work, the Weyrlings will now rechart using the stars. Without the Red Star being a factor they will have predict the next Fall.
Lesson: Equipment and Techniques. Weyrlings will be taught by the Wingseconds and Thirds of the Weyr on the proper use of equipment and different techniques used when fighting Thread, presence mandatory.
Hands On: Dragons take first glides, without their riders to strengthen their wings.
Daily Exercises: Morning Exercises.
Duties: Weyr maintainance, cleaning storage rooms ect.

- 4th Sevenday -

Lesson: Dragonrider Etiquette. This will be taught to the Weylings by the Weyrleaders. The proper way in which dragonriders are to act when representing their Weyr.
Lesson: Policies. Weyrlings will be taught the polices of the Weyr and how it is run.
Hands On: Dragons fly longer without riders to strengthen wings further.
Daily Exercises: Strength exercises. Accuracy in tossing firestone bags up and down to each other.
Duties: Weyr maintainance.

Month 3

Your dragonettes should be eating once or twice a day now. Greens are by far growing the faster and will still need to be oiled more frequently than golds, who are growing at a more steady pace. Their sleep patterns have regulated now, just at night, and are more engaged with other dragonets. Flight training is continuing for them, with long flights across the Bowl and around the Weyr. The dragonettes are encouraged to fly whenever possible but not to strain themselves. They can now hunt for themselves as well. Ground drills for the riders, each sevenday getting more complex. Lectures cover mating flights, Dragon First Aid, Threadfall Charts mainly. Riders will take their first flight with their Dragons this month. Weyrlings have more free time as the young dragon can catch their own food in the holding pens. They begin to bond more with each other and explore a bit of the region. Visualization practice comes into play so as to prepare for /between/ing next month.

Dragon Sizes:

Gold- 21-23 feet long

Bronze - 20-22 feet long

Brown - 19-22 feet long

Blue - 16-18 feet long

Green - 15-18 feet long

- 1st Sevenday -

Lesson: Dragon First Aid. The Master Dragonhealer will instruct the Weyrlings at an advanced level.
Lesson: Threadfall Charts. Advanced work on Threadfall charts.
Lesson: Harness checking, maintaining and care.
Hands On: Riders practice mounting and dismounting Dragons on ground.
Daily Exercises: Stamina and Endurance. Dragons work on their wings more and Weyrlings work on their strength with bags of firestone.

- 2nd Sevenday -

Lesson: Mating Flights. Learning control of not only your dragon but yourself in mating flights.
Lesson: Mating Flights. Continued.
Test: Harness Care.
Hands On: First Flights. Weyrlings have a chance to take to the air on the first long glides. Dragons learn to adjust to riders weight and balance.
Daily Exercises: Stamina and Endurance. Dragons work on their wings more and Weyrlings work on their strength and balance.

- 3rd Sevenday -

Lesson: Human First Aid. Weyrlings will be taught how to care for themselves encase of an accident.
Lesson: Hunting. Being instructed on hunting with dragons for food and for felines.
Hands On: Ground drills end, and Wing drills begin. All Weyrlings must be present.
Daily Exercises: Stamina and Endurance. Dragons work on their wings more and Weyrlings work on their strength and balance.

- 4th Sevenday -

Lesson: Wing Drills. Keeping in formation and different techniques used.
Lesson: Rescue Drills. What to do in an emergency.
Hands On: Wing drills become more complex and really test the dragons and their riders both physically and mentally.
Daily Exercises: Stamina and Endurance. Dragons work on their wings more and Weyrlings work on their strength with bags of firestone.

Weyrlings are assigned their very own weyrs.

Month 4

Dragons now eat once a day or less. Most don't require oiling nearly as much and even though it seems like the smaller dragons are still growing too rapidly for any end in sight, their growth will being to taper off at the end of this month. Riders are now considered senior weyrlings. Lectures now center on hand signals and different crafts, since the riders will be ending weyrling training soon. For the most part, lectures are fewer and practices become more important. Drills with flying in formation and throwing firestone sacks while in flight begin this month. Riders are allowed one glass of wine with dinner if they so choose but restrictions upon sex still remain in place. Senior weyrlings are allowed to leave the Weyr with the Weyrlingmaster's permission. Dragons learn to skip /between/ this month, first with the rider receiving projected coordinates from the Weyrlingmaster's dragon and then the weyrling projects the coordinates on his own to his dragon. Weyrlings will be allowed two days at the end of this month to take straight flight visits their previous homes.

Dragon Sizes:

Gold- 29-32 feet long

Bronze- 28-31 feet long

Brown - 27-30 feet long

Blue - 26-30 feet long

Green - 22-25 feet long

- 1st Sevenday -

Lesson: Betweening. The dangers and the precautions that have to be taken.
Lesson: Sweep Rides. Learning about what is involved and what to do in various circumstances.
Hands On: Flying to near by Holds, and transporting people and goods.
Daily Exercises: Flights around the weyr to strengthen wings.
Duties: The weyrlings are assigned to work on making the tools now used by the wings since Fall has ended.

- 2nd Sevenday -

Lesson: Formation Flying. Advanced.
Lesson: Team Work. A lecture on working together with your wing.
Hands On: First jumps /between/. Weyrlingmaster must be present at all times.
Daily Exercises: Flights around the weyr to strengthen wings.
Duties: Continued learning the tools the wings will use in the present age.

- 3 rd Sevenday -

Lesson: Emergency Situations. Weyrlings will be presented with situations that they would have to deal with.
Lesson: Emergency Situations. Continued.
Hands On: Formation flying, all Weyrlings fly Aerial Drills in the air with their Group leaders.
Daily Exercises: Flights around the weyr to strengthen wings.

- 4th Sevenday -

Lesson: Hand Signals. When mental or verbal speech can�t be used.
Lesson: Other Crafts. To help earn extra marks.
Hands On: Jumping /between/ in groups, lead by the Weyrlingmaster.
Daily Exercises: Flights around the weyr to strengthen wings.

Month 5

Dragon growth this month nears completion for greens and blues and continues steadily for the higher colors until next month. The dragons are now eating every two days or so. Some of the better riders of the group may be asked to ferry people to various places close to the Weyr but not /between/. Learning the proper technique to flaming is also taught this month. Queenriders learn about flamethrowers. After both these lessons have been learned, cleaning up the dragon's mess is no longer a problem, as they will naturally do it /between/. Weyrlings begin practicing sweepriding with older dragon pairs towards the end of the month, to learn the geography of the area and to build stamina. To further learn the area, the weyrling will be dropped off at an unknown point and must navigate back to the Wey using a compass or celestial objects.

Dragon Sizes:

Gold - 38-42 feet

Bronze- 32-37 feet

Brown - 32 - 37 feet

Blue - 27-32 feet

Green - 22-27 feet

- 1st Sevenday -

Lesson: Carrying Loads: Weyrlings will be taught how to pack bags of firestone on their dragons and various other items.
Lesson: Feeding Firestone. Weyrlings will be shown with demonstrations on how to feed their dragon's firestone properly.
Hands On: Jumping /between/ greater distances as a whole wing.
Daily Exercises: Formation flying.

- 2nd Sevenday -

Lesson: Flaming. Weyrlings will be taught the basics of letting their dragons flame without putting anyone in danger.
Lesson: Flaming While Flying. Weyrlings will be taught how to calculate flame direction while flying.
Hands On: Dragons will learn how to chew firestone for the first time.
Daily Exercises: Formation flying with dives and dodges.

- 3rd Sevenday -

Lesson: Flaming Disasters. Weyrlings will be shown what can happen when precautions aren't taken into consideration and the consequences
Lesson: Flaming Disasters. Continued.
Hands On: Dragons will flame while flying for the first time. Weyrlingmaster must be present for such activities.
Daily Exercises: Formation flying with flaming.

- 4th Sevenday -

Lesson: Rope Drills. How to perform them carefully.
Lesson: Dragon and Rider Welfare. Weyrlings will be taught how to make sure that everyone around them is being cared for properly, including their dragons.
Hands On:Mock sweep ride locations are assigned to the new Weyrlings.
Daily Exercises: Mock sweep rides. Practicing flaming targets both on the ground and airial.

Month 6

The final month of training with the WeyrlingMaster. By now, all dragons have finished growing and are eating twice a week like usual. Weyrling pairs practice ferrying firestone and tossing it to each other as if they were fighting wings during Thread Fall. They will never see Thread but the skills must not be lost to future generations of dragons and riders.

Greens rise at the end of the month, some sooner, and will rise about 3 times a Turn. Golds rise in their seventh month and generally rise once or twice a Turn. Upon graduation at the end of this month, the newly made riders will be assigned to a fighting wing. If they are under 16 Turns, they will become Weyrlingmaster Assistants and used as couriers for guests or sweepriders until old enough to join the wings.

Dragons Full Size:

Gold - 40-44 feet

Bronze - 37-40 feet

Brown - 32-37 feet

Blue - 27-32 feet

Green- 22-27 feet

- 1st Sevenday -

Lesson: Flying in Dangerous Conditions. Weyrlings will learn how to control their dragon and what decisions should be made in dangerous flying conditions.
Hands On: Flying and Flaming. Weyrlings will learn how to put their knowledge to the test. Fake Thread will be dropped by full riders on the unsuspecting weyrlings for this test.
Hands On: Rope Drills begin. Weyrlings learn how to handle themselves and help others.
Daily Exercises: Extensive Training.

- 2nd Sevenday -

Hands On: Regular sweep ride routes are assigned.
Hands On: Flaming while performing Ariel drills.
Hands On: Practice delivering sacks of firestone to riders.
Daily Exercises: Extensive Training.

- 3rd Sevenday -

Lesson: Final Exam. Weyrlings will be tested on everything that they have learnt.
Daily Exercises: Extensive Training.

- 4th Sevenday -

A sevenday of leave to relax before beginning rotation among the various wings.

Month 7

Weyrlings will rotate between the various wings in month seven to see where their talents lay. They will be broken up into small groups and trade places ever sevenday until each group has had a chance to experience the works of the different wings.

Months 8 to 12

Weyrlings are attached to the wings they will be working with. They are now considered Apprentices to those wings and will ride out on all calls with their wings but will not be allowed to take part in the exercise except under supervision by a full rider.

At the end of the 12th month GRADUATION!

You are now a full rider and will be expected to Protect and Serve the peoples of Pern!

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All references to worlds and characters based on Anne McCaffrey's fiction are copyright© Anne McCaffrey 1967,2000, all rights reserved, and used by permission of the author. 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.