Before the Fall - A AU 9th Pass Pern RPG

[BTF Staff]

Almost 200 turns ago, Thread failed to fall from the skies, raining down its deadly enemy. Some say that Thread would never fall again, while the dragonriders never stood down its vigilante watch over the skies.

However, it was a mixed blessing that Thread never came. Towards the end of the Lost Pass (as it was come to be known), a terrible airborne flu stuck at the lands of Pern with devastating effects. Dragonriders and Holders fell victim to the disease, which killed off almost a quarter of the population. For Dragonriders, the loss was even more devastating. Only four Queens survived the epidemic; only two of those Queens were still in the prime of their fertile time. The Weyrs struggled with what to do, but soon it became clear that they would have to consolidate their numbers. Closing down first Ista and High Reaches, and then Igen and Telgar when their Queens failed to rise or produce a Queen to replace them. They watched as their numbers dwindle, as more riders died than eggs being laid.

Fast forwards almost 150 turns, Fort and Benden are beginning to once again fill those long empty weyrs, forcing the opening of not only one new weyr but two, High Reaches and Igen. Almost all the Holds had either stopped tithing or cut back their Holds tithes to the bare minimums, giving only their leftovers to the two remaining Weyrs, still there are a few loyal Holds that help keep the Weyrs cupboard from going completely bare. But even with their help, the two Weyrs find that it becomes necessary for them the Dragonriders to enhancement their own incomes by finding jobs.

Fort Weyr
The Weyr of Unbelievers - that is what the 1st Weyr has become known as by those at the 2nd. A Weyr of strict hierarchy and traditionalist, Fort is far from an idyllic place filled with fear and Gold and Bronzeriders are the nobles of the Weyr, getting all the best and don't do any of the work. Brownriders are the true leaders of the Weyr, but don't let those with the ranking dragons know, as some that have voice their concern have disappeared. Women at Fort have almost no rights, instead they are thought of as breeders and drudges. They are only searched for anything but gold, and those that do impress greens are thought of as freaks and are quickly either shipped to Benden or delegated to the lowest rung at Fort.

Telgar Hold
To the Holds, the idea that Thread is coming back is blasphemy to speak of. The tithes have been sending to the weyrs have been getting smaller and smaller with some Holds cutting the Weyrs off completely. Those Holds that are traditionally beholden to Telgar have fought the hardest against the expansion of Fort Weyr and possibly being forced to now tithe to a new weyr. Some say that the Lord Holder just might cause a coop of power. Some Holds have resisted the Telgar philosophy and some have embraced it whole heartily. Strife is inevitable; the question is only when it will happen.

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Currently:
Senior queen Orlaith has laid a record setting 28 egg-clutch on the sands of Fort Weyr. Unfortunately, the Weyr does not have nearly enough boys to present to her eggs. The acceptable age range of candidates has been widened in special cases (more like most cases) but boys are hard to come by. The queens of Fort have been producing larger and larger clutches over the Turns, and holders are getting tired of losing their sons to the Weyr. The Lower Caverns boys are being pressed into Standing, whether they want to or not and whether they’re really candidate material or not.

To combat this problem Weyrwoman Julianya has decided to allow girls to Stand at the Hatching, despite there being no gold egg present.

Calling her decision a bit of a controversy would be a vast understatement. The Weyr is divided between those who think it’s a terrible idea (a camp that includes the Weyrleader and some of the goldriders) and those that think it’s the best solution to the problem. A smaller, much less vocal minority thinks it’s about sharding time.

The always volatile Weyrleader is raging, claiming this will be the ruination of the wings, the Weyr and possibly all of Pern. Girls in the Lower Caverns are being harassed, warned off from the clutch. Searchriders have been dispatched to the holds, ordered to ignore their feelings on the matter and bring back both boys and girls. Female greenriders have always face a hard time at Fort Weyr, but the soon-to-be weyrlings are going to need a lot of moxie to make it through.

[BTF Staff]

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To the surprise of everyone at Fort Weyr, the Weyrleadership changed for the first time in seven Turns. The new Weyrleader V’tero is relatively unknown, despite spending his entire life at the Weyr. His wing is known for its frequent live-flame wing drills, accepting female greenriders and doing well at the Spring Games.

Weyrleader V’tero quickly made a name for himself, however. After a long meeting of the wingleaders, he announced to a Weyr-wide gathering that Fort Weyr would begin training for the beginning of the Pass next Turn. Any dragonriders not willing to prepare themselves to face Pern’s traditional enemy were more than welcome, he said, to apply for transfer to whatever Weyr would have them.

The Fort Weyr party line has been staunchly against the idea that Thread would ever return. The new Weyrleader’s unilateral decision to change decades of tradition has divided the Weyr. Threadfall believers are coming out of the woodwork as they finally have a leader that agrees with them. Supporters of the former Weyrleader are trying to leave, but Fort’s isolation from the other Weyrs are working against them.

It’s a volatile time at Fort Weyr, but a time of new possibilities and new opportunities. The Weyrleader only has a few months to solidify his power base before Orlaith rises again. Only time will tell if things truly change at Fort Weyr, or if the new boss will be the same as the old boss.

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Everything’s coming up baby dragons at Fort Weyr this summer. Senior queen Orlaith's most recent clutch resulted in a healthy sixteen pairs of weyrlings--including four female greenriders! Junior queen Haduth rose several months early and is getting extremely egg heavy. Her first clutch will be laid in the next few sevendays and there's a possibility it may include a queen egg.

This is a tough job; the holds in Fort’s territory have been getting tapped for candidates twice a Turn lately. Searchriders have been grumbling that the best candidates are being hidden away while duds and troublemakers are presented during Search. No one can prove it, of course, but it’s not helping Weyr-Hold relations any.

Like every other game this summer, Before the Fall is looking for candidates. What sets us apart from the pack is how we run candidacy. There’s no Candidatemaster, no lessons, no egg touching, no organized barracks with rules and schedules. Candidates are Searched, their names registered with the Weyrwoman and then they are placed under the Headwoman’s supervision. Candidates with crafter training or skills work with their craft, others are put to work in the Lower Caverns. When the Hatching comes the candidates are armed with their white robes and whatever stories they managed to get from riders and veteran candidates.

If candidate’s aren’t your thing, there’s still plenty for you at Before the Fall. Our open positions include Lords Holder, Wingleaders, crafters of all ranks, and dragonriders of all kinds. We’re a small game that’s looking to expand our membership so we can expand our plots. Weyr-wide plotting? Let’s try for Pern-wide!

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