Young men and women migrate, and work hard to prosper in the new growth of the lush Southern plains.

After 30 Turns go by, these once young southern holders now prepare to turn over their holdings to their grown children.

One such holder, Leid, is not so lucky. He and his wife, gone now due to illness, never had children (not for lack of trying.) In absence of such heirs, Leid now fosters his siblings’ three oldest children -- Kayt and her brother Voiran, and Ramir, their cousin.

The Weyrs’ population during this period steadily grew in number. No dragons or riders died fighting Thread, and the queens continued to have successful flights, and large clutches.

Weyrleaders, much to the disgust of the riders, took steps to decrease the number of dragons hatched.

In short:

• queens were allowed to gorge before a flight, thus keeping it short, and producing few, if any eggs.
  
• Bronzes were not permitted to rise when a queen was due to rise, and only a few browns and blues were allowed to chase her. This too, resulted in few, if any eggs.

An older Queenrider--not the senior queen, but she could’ve been if they hadn’t been transferred--was too set in her ways (as was her golden dragon) to do this. When the queen neared Rising, her rider deliberately lied to the Weyrwoman and Weyrleader about it, so plenty of bronzes were sure to be there. When she did rise, her rider controlled her, urging her to blood, not gorge, as had been encouraged since the first. Old habits die hard, you see.
Seeing this active rebellion, the bronzeriders followed suit, letting their dragons chase. As sure as hens lay eggs, a strong bronze caught the queen, and she conceived.

A queen egg, and 11 others, completed her clutch.

The Weyrleaders, infuriated, refused to let anyone be Searched for the clutch, refused to let anyone in the Hatching Grounds to see the eggs, intent that these 12 would not Impress, and would die. Such was their punishment for defying the Weyr’s orders.

The Weyr, of course, was in uproar.

Riders threatened to leave, and some did manage to transfer to other (nearly full) Weyrs, but most remained.

A few riders, loyal to the queen (via friendship with her rider), did attempt to Search. Her brother E’nik, a bluerider, did his best to find suitable youths for the eggs. A few he found, but due to the Weyrleaders’ demands, they could neither be formally Searched, nor brought to the Weyr.

Days became sevendays became months. The clutch was near to Hatching, but the ‘leaders still refused to Search.

The Queenrider, confined to her weyr and the Hatching Grounds where the doomed eggs hardened, began to worry. E’nik and his dragon Chirolth regularly, and secretly, flew *between* into the Grounds to feed the Queen, and console his sister.

A scant few days were left, and E’nik worried. He asked permission from the Weyrleaders to go visit the hold where his girl, Saizi, was posted as Harper. He hadn’t seen her since this whole thing began.

That day, he arrived in Vallen’s Cove...

Upcoming events:

• The youths from Vallen’s Cove (ages 14-18 or so) are invited to “attend” the Hatching.
  
• 12, including Kayt, Voiran, and Ramir Impress.
  
• The hatchlings go “home” to Vallen’s Cove with their riders -- the Weyr is nearly full... where else are they to live?
  
• Other family members, having heard that Leid’s chosen Heirs Impressed, making them inelligible to Hold, try to force Lord Leid to give his land to their children.
  
• In a last-ditch effort, Leid proclaims Vallen’s Cove “Vallencove Weyr” and Kayt, now a Queenrider, is pronounced Weyrwoman.
  

In the Future:

• Weyrleaders take back the Flight restrictions, and eventually accept Vallencove Weyr as an official Weyr, presenting them with Star Stones.
  
• Other Southern holdings open land for dragonpairs to live on, should they desire, in return for the convenience of a local dragon for transportation. (None become full Weyrs... or do they?)
  
• Two new Weyrs, ______ & _______ are founded to the far west and far east of Vallen’s Cove. This allieviates surplus dragon population in the current weyrs, and pleases everyone.
  
• The mal-nourished Queen falls ill, and she and her rider go *between* together.