Pern Culture

[R'enh and Mnoranth]

Culture

Table of Contents

Vocabulary
Pernese oaths
Maledicta
Specific Medicines and Their Possible Sources
Units of Measure
Social Culture
Knots


---In Depth---
Between
Thread

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Vocabulary

*Agenothree*
A common Chemical on Pern. Flamethrowers use agenothree to create their fire and can be used both a-dragonback and on the ground to sear threads.

*Between*
An area of utter nothingness and cold which dragons use to travel between any two places in no longer than it takes a man to cough three times. A more in depth article is located here

*Black Rock*
Pernese coal, occasionally also called Cromcoal

*Camilid*
a large herd animal similar to a Terran alpaca that produces very fine wool.

*Day Sisters*
a trio of stars visible from Pern. They always appear in the same area of the sky and never seem to move and are most visible at dawn and dusk. Often called the Dawn Sisters. (In actuality they are the three colony ships in geosynchronous orbit.)

*Deadglow*
an insult implying stupidity in the person it is being applied to. Derived from glow.

*Fellis*
a flowering tree

*Fellis Juice*
a juice made from the fruit of the fellis tree. It is a soporific and induces sleep.

*Fire-Stone*
a phosphine-bearing mineral which dragons chew to produce flame. The rock is digested in the dragon's second stomach and the gas produced ignites when it contacts oxygen.

*Glow*
a light-source which can be carried in a hand-basket. It is the most common light-source on Pern and does have a limited life, but this can be extended by fully covering it. Covering it also turns the light off or down.

*High Reaches*
a mountain chain in the north-western corner of the north continent.

*Hold*
a place where the common people live; originally they were cut into the mountains and hillsides.

*Impression*
the joining of minds of a dragon and his rider-to-be at the moment of the dragon's hatching.

*Interval*
the period of time between passes, normally about 200 turns.

*Klah*
a hot stimulating drink made of tree bark and tasting faintly of chocolate & cinnamon ((think coffee and you'll have the right idea))

*Looks to*
is Impressed by

*Long Interval*
a period of time, generally twice the length of a standard interval, in which no Thread falls and Dragonmen decrease in number. Occasionally they are thought to herald the end of Threads.

*Month*
four sevendays

*Mosstea*
this herb is packed into wounds to prevent infection or can be infused to make a soothing tea.

*Needlethorn*
Pern's version of needles, these are both easier and harder to come by. They grow readily in Nerat, but during most of the Spring and Summer months are filled with a deadly poison and only become safe even to harvest at the end of Summer.

*Numbweed*
a medicinal cream which, when smeared on wounds, kills all feeling, used as an anesthetic

*Pass*
a period of time during which the Red Star is close enough to drop Thread on Pern. Usually 50 turns.

*Pern*
third of Rukbat's five planets. It has two natural satellites.

*Red Star*
Pern's stepsister planet, It has an erratic orbit and travels in and out of the Rukbat system.

*Redwort*
a Pernese herb that when steeped and applied to the skin or a wound acts as an antiseptic wash. It leaves a characteristic red stain on the skin.

*Rukbat*
a yellow star in the Sagittarian Sector, Rukbat has five planets and two asteroid belts.

*Sevenday*
the equivalent of a week on Pern

*Thread*
(mycorrhizoid) spores from the Red Star, which descend on Pern and burrow into it, devouring all organic material they encounter. The Dragonriders were established in order to fight Thread and stop the spores from reaching the planet surface.

*Turn*
a Pernese year which contains 12 months

*Watch-wher*
a nocturnal reptile distantly related to dragons. They are often the guardians of holds.

*Weyr*
a home of dragons and their riders. Most often an extinct volcano.

*weyr*
a dragon's den within the Weyr

*Weyrsinger*
the Harper for the Dragonriders, usually a rider him or herself

*Wherries*
a type of fowl roughly resembling a turkey, but about the size of an Ostrich.

Withies
water plants resembling the reeds of Earth.

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Pernese oaths

By the Egg
By the shards of my dragon's egg
By the first egg
By the Egg of Faranth
Shells
Through Fall, Fog, and Fire
Scorch it
Shards
Shard it
Crackdust
Shaffit
Jays
fardles

[R'enh and Mnoranth]

Maledicta

Wherry teeth: nonesense; I don't believe you
That's well dusted: It's nasty or unpleasant
He was born under the Red Star: someone evil or generally disliked or unlucky
Bend a tail: defecate
A hunk of firestone; all gas and ash:a braggart or a blowhard
Has a dragon's two stomachs: a "hollow leg," endless apetite
Tail fork first: backward
Wherry hunt: "wild-goose chase," a fruitless, foolish quest
Like trying to draw an inside straight in Bitra: an impossibility
Hatching fire lizards: building castles in the air
Chew it raw and swallow: accept the inevitable
A dragon among the wherries: cat among the pidgeons
Smokeless weyrling: useless (refers to a person or animal)
Go for a blow: go soak your head; shove off
Take a short ride between: Abort a pregnancy or an idea

[R'enh and Mnoranth]

Specific Medicines and Their Possible Sources

Analgesic: red willow salic, meadowsweet
Anodyne: aconite, whitehorm, adonis, glovecap, hops
Antispasmodic: parsley, basil
Burns: aloe, dragon's tongue (Pern aloe), comfrey, cucumber, witch hazel
Cough medicine: tussilago, comfrey, hyssop, thymus, borrago
Diaphoretic: box, ezob
Diuretic: ash bark
Febrifuge: sweatroot, spearleek, whitebulb
Tonic: featherfern, nettleweed, tansy

[R'enh and Mnoranth]

Units of Measure

fingertip: 1/2 in wide
hand: 4 in
handspan: extended thumb to little fingertip; 8-9 in
manheight: varies; over 5'2", under 6'2"
dragonlength: size of a green; 20-25 feet
weaver's length: from nosetip to extended arm fingertip; approx. 1 yd


Candlemark = an hour
Sevenday = a week
Turn = a year

[R'enh and Mnoranth]

Social Culture

Dragonriders and the Weyrs

To not know the name(s) of the queen(s), queen rider(s), bronze(s), or bronze rider(s) is considered an insult to the Weyr and the holds it protects.

During a Pass (the time when Threads fall) items are often gifted to the riders outside of the standard tithes as a show of gratitude, but commisioned items (whether for crafter or holder) are not given.

A Weyr usually protects three holds or parts of holds
Even though a Weyr only protects certain areas, its riders often have friends in other areas and spend time outside of the Weyr's 'stomping grounds'

Bronze riders are addressed with the title 'Lord'

Queen riders are addressed with the title 'Lady'

Holders

Lord Holders own the major holds (one hold per lord) and are addressed with the title 'Lord.' They are beholden to a specific Weyr that provides their protection and tithe a portion of their goods to the Weyr.

Minor holders run the minor holds and tithe a portion of their goods to the principle holds who grant them protection

Cotholders run the 'cots' and tithe a portion of their goods to the major holds who grant them protection

When a Lord Holder dies a conclave of all the other Lords Holder is called in which they vote on which of the possible heirs should replace the dead Lord

General hold size is, from smallest to largest cot - minor - major

Crafters

Within the crafts there are three ranks. In order of importance and knowledge they are, from least to most: Apprentice, Journeyman, Master

One member of each craft (always of Master rank) is voted by all the other masters to be the master of the entire craft. He or she is responsible for posting Journeymen and Masters, as well as advancing students in rank, and the advancement of knowledge and discovery within the craft

Apprentices have no personal property and are considered to have no intrinsic value until they have earned it.

General

Within both craft and Weyr the advancement from one rank to the next is called 'walking the tables'

Pern is, overall, a complex Fuedal-Agrarian and highly stratified society in which goods are traded for protection. Furthermore, as in feudal society, there are only a few large holds which control all of the non-Weyr land and the holds that dwell on that land have to tithe some of their goods to that major hold

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Knots

Rank is an important element of daily interactions on Pern. Knots are complex cord braidings which denote the ranks of many different Pernese. They're useful in avoiding serious social errors. Once glance at another's knot, and a well-trained Pernese will know number of useful things about the position the other occupies in society

Demonstration of Rank

HOLDERS
Holders indicate their Hold with a round badge showing the heraldry or with a shoulder knot of the appropriate colors. Lord/Lady Holders, and the Holder's also wear a thread to show whether it is a major or minor Hold (gold for major, silver for minor).

CRAFTERS
Crafters show rank with shoulder cords in craft colors, complexity increasing with rank. A round badge may also be worn to show the craft affiliation.

Apprentice:
One loop under the arm, string with one knot at end.
Journeyman:
One loop under the arm, with a knot in the top, two small strings with quatrefoil knots at end.
Master:
One loop under the arm, one over, two small strings.
Craftsecond:
One loop under the arm, two small strings, bound at the top.
Craftmaster:
Two loops over the arm, one under, two small strings, bound at the top.

RIDERS
Riders show rank by design and complexity of shoulder knots, which represent both Weyr and the color of their dragon. They may also wear a badge with a dragon of appropriate color on a background of the Weyr colors, and a badge indicating their Wing affiliation. Staff members wear a simple cord in Weyr colors, unless indicated otherwise in area +lhelp files. Candidates wear a resident knot, with a single thread of white.

Resident: One loop under the arm, string with two knots.
Weyrling:
One loop under the arm, string, plus lifemate color.
Rider:
One loop under the arm, string with two knots, plus lifemate color.
Wingsecond:
One loop under the arm, string with four knots, plus lifemate color.
Wingleader:
One loop under the arm, half loop over the arm, string tied to smaller loop, plus lifemate color.
Junior Weyrwoman:
One and a half loops over the arm, string tied to smaller loop, plus lifemate color.
Weyrleader:
Two loops over the arm, thread in lifemate color, plus tassel in bronze.
Weyrwoman:
Two loops over the arm, thread in lifemate color, plus tassel in gold.

FOR DRAGONWEYR

These are small iconic representations of the knots which you have seen show up recently on your mini-profiles. These are not the complex knots that would be seen but merely a representation. I will complete these more fully as time allows.

Weyrleaders


Retired Weyrwoman (non canon)


Junior Weyrleaders


Wingleaders


Wingseconds


Dragon Riders


Weyrlings


Candidate


Staff

---

Craft Master

Master

Journeyman

Apprentice

---

Lord Holder

[R'enh and Mnoranth]

Between

Between in Anne McCaffrey's "Dragonriders of Pern" series, refers to a dimension through which dragons travel during the process of teleportation, i.e. moving instantaneously from one place to another. If the dragon does not have a clear picture of its destination in mind, it is possible for the dragon and its passengers to become permanently lost in this dimension. Deliberately going between without a destination in mind is how dragons suicide, usually occurring when the rider that they are soul-bonded to dies of illness or injury, or if the dragon itself is mortally injured. To date, though many characters, firelizards, and dragons have been lost between (i.e. "Moreta's Ride"), none that have been so lost have yet emerged from it.

"Between" is universally described as a place of nothingness. Usually, for a dragon to teleport using its rider's directions, they stay in "between" for the time that it takes to cough three times. Firelizards take eight seconds to teleport anywhere on the planet. "Between" frequently causes cystitis and child-bearing problems in female dragonriders. Going "between" without proper coordinates is a frequent cause of death for inexperienced weyrlings.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
In Todd McCaffrey's Dragonsblood several make it out of between after they are lost.

Between is characterized by extreme cold (far below zero yet not as cold as outer space) and induces near-total sensory deprivation in humans who travel through it on dragonback. This effect on the rider can be nullified, however, through the use of a space suit and oxygen.

Dragons and fire lizards share the ability to teleport between. They deliberately use this ability to destroy any "Thread" organism which they come in contact with, as only fire, water, or the extreme cold of between is capable of killing this parasite.

Dragons are also capable of travelling between times, but this can only be used when they have a point of reference for that time, such as star positions or a vivid memory. The White Dragon, Ruth, could travel between to any time without fail, including to the future. "Timing it" was known to many riders a long time ago, but, since Lessa and Ramoth brought the weyrs forward, it was kept a secret. Riders who "Time" to a very distant era without protective gear, or to a past location in close proximity of their past self can experience fatal fatigue and disorientation. Since its discovery, the knowledge of this ability has been restricted, and only Bronze dragons are permitted to utilise it under directions from the Weyrleaders.

[R'enh and Mnoranth]

Thread

Thread is the name of a deadly phenomenon that appears throughout Anne McCaffrey's series of science-fiction novels about the fictional planet Pern. Threads are thin silver filaments of a space-borne mycorrhizoid spore that devours all matter that it touches. Pern periodically experiences Threadfalls where this deadly organism rains down from the sky.

Thread is brought to Pern by another planet in its solar system, the inexactly named Red Star. The Red Star has a 250 Turn (Pernese year) elliptic orbit around its sun, Rukbat. When at aphelion, the Red Star travels as far as Rukbat's Oort Cloud, the source of Thread. As the Red Star moves through the Cloud, some of the Thread falls into the planet's gravity well, remaining there as the Red Star leaves the Cloud on its journey sunward. As the Red Star approaches perihelion, it gets close enough to Pern for that Thread to rain down on the planet.

Threadfalls occur on Pern for about 50 Turns while the Red Star is near Pern's orbit. This is called a Pass, while the 200 Thread-Free Turns during which the Red Star is farther away are called an Interval. Occasionally the gravitational effect of Rubkat's other satellites prevent Thread from falling on Pern, even though the Red Star is near perihelion, leading to a Long Interval of 450 Turns. McCaffrey's first Pern novel, Dragonflight begins near the end of such a Long Interval, when most of the population of Pern believes that Thread is no more.

Thread remains dormant in space as a small ovoid, but is reactivated by passage through the atmosphere. Heat and atmospheric friction burn off the outer shell, releasing "thread-like" strings which float down to the surface in sheets, tangles and clumps. The size of a single strand is comparable to a long, silver strand of yarn yet while feeding, Thread grows visibly, being described as a "heavy hawser" rope or "wriggling sausages" about 10 cm by 3 meters in size. Structurally, Thread is composed of many thin, tighly wound fillaments within a very fine outer shell or film. Complex proteins allow Thread to consume any carbon-based substance through direct physical contact as well as providing wriggling mobility. Contact with Thread results in "Threadscore," similar to a chemical burn. A small clump of Thread can devour a fully-grown cow in moments. Feeding Thread grows rapidly, pulsing with sickly grey, pink and green colors as is consumes. Its exterior thickens the larger it gets. As if a Thread's need to eat interferes with its biological process, Thread dies from the inside out, hardening a thick, dead shell on the outside and unravelling/melting on the inside, leaving a foul stench. Water drowns Thread immediately, leaving a soggy, bubbling mess.

Thread hisses and thrashes about wildly when captured. The majority of Thread dies after landing, either due to starvation or simply "eating to death." However, what Thread does manage to survive can burrow into the ground and multiply extremely rapidly, devastating miles of land before perishing.

Close examination of Thread ovoids in a vaccume reveal a durable outer shell embedded with cometary matter (ice and dirt), requiring the use of diamond-edged tools. Dissection revealed a mass of tightly wound fibers, tubes, and bubbling yellow goo (boiling helium). Captured Thread ovoids that are exposed to warmth and oxygen explode into a writhing, devouring mass, melting into a dead puddle after about twenty minutes without food.