Post by DMITRI on Jul 8, 2017 19:20:53 GMT
--These norms are lifted mostly from the canon of the books, with alterations made as results of the storyline.
CANON COLORS
Gold: also referred to as Queens for their ability to control the will of other dragons (as their human partners are often able to influence the actions of weak-minded men & women), they have the highest rank in the Weyr. The rider of the eldest Gold dragon in a Weyr is the Weyrwoman, and directs it as a matriarch. In canon, only Gold dragons are able to lay eggs (although Green dragons also rise to mate). They are the largest dragons, ranging from 40-45 meters long in canon. Traditionally they only Impress to female candidates with powerful minds, often already inclined to telepathy. The presence of healthy Queen dragons is absolutely vital to the health of the Weyr and its ability to populate itself. Queen dragons will rise to mate roughly once a year during a Pass, but during a long Interval (such as the one Pern is currently in) they may rise only every few years, and lay fewer eggs. They mate almost exclusively with Bronze dragons, but will mate with an exceptional Brown dragon once in a blue moon. The rider of the Bronze dragon that mates with the Queen becomes Weyrleader. For this reason, a Gold dragon often sticks to one mate, to maintain consistent leadership of the Weyr. Gold dragons are also the rarest color. They don't appear in every clutch, and only one golden egg is laid at a time. Given the current crisis of egg death in our story, a viable Gold egg is laid very rarely. They traditionally only Impress women and are only female.
Bronze: the second largest and second rarest color, the Bronze dragons and their riders rule the Weyrs militarily. They have always led the Wings in fighting Thread. While this is irrelevant to our site (our events take place during a Long Interval, where thread does not fall for hundreds of years), the Bronze riders still control the Weyr and demand the most respect, especially the riders whose dragons mate with Queens. Usually there are only a handful in each clutch. These days, one Bronze dragon a Hatching is the norm. They traditionally only Impress men and are only male.
Brown: the third largest and third rarest color, Brown dragons and their riders work in close association with Bronzes. They also played a vital role in fighting Thread in the past. About fifteen percent of dragons are Brown, and these days they average two viable eggs per clutch. Brown dragons and riders have taken on increasing responsibility and power in our story, since Bronzes are becoming rarer. They are more likely to fly Queens than ever before in Pern's history. They traditionally only Impress men and are only male.
Blue: the fourth largest and fourth rarest, perhaps thirty percent of all dragons, Blues are much more agile than the bulkier Bronze and Brown dragons. This makes them vital in battling Thread, despite their smaller size. Blue dragons have the reputation of being able to recognize prospective candidates better than other colors. For this reason, Blue riders are often sent on Search to the Holds before a Hatching. Given their familiarity with the Holds they are often also sent to deliver messages and observe the going-ons. They traditionally only Impress men, occasionally women. In canon and historically in our story, they are always male, but a handful of female Blue dragons have presented themselves since the bleaching disease reached the Weyr. These days there are typically three to five Blue dragons hatched per clutch.
Green: the smallest and most common color, the Green dragons represent nearly half of all dragons on Pern. They are exceptionally agile. They are traditionally female. Though they are sterile, they still rise to mate on a regular basis, allowing Brown and Blue dragons to mate where they could not succeed with a Queen. They and their riders have a reputation for promiscuity, as they often mate with different Dragons, but occasionally will form a longterm bond and mate with only one Dragon, particularly if the riders have a strong partnership. While Green dragons are traditionally female, they can Impress both men and women. When women were held back from the Weyrsearch during plagues and natural disasters in order to maintain population in the Holds, Greens resorted to Impressing on men as a norm. They typically Impress on male candidates who already have an inclination towards men. They make up the bulk of successfully hatched dragons. Because of their large numbers, they have also began to exhibit the bizarre phenomenon of presenting as the wrong sex, and male Greens have hatched. This suggests that the other colors can possibly hatch as the wrong sex as well, although it has yet to occur.
BLEACHING
Bleached dragons first appeared in Soforith's first clutch, roughly 30 turns ago. These dragons were (and are) largely normal, and represent each color ranging from Gold to Green, exhibiting every trait of their 'true color' despite lacking appropriate pigment. A fully bleached Queen will still maintain her size and fertility, however whether she retains her rank and place in the Weyr has been a subject of debate since the bleaching first appeared. Although enough time has passed that the bleached dragons are numerous and more of a norm, they and their riders are still occasionally treated with suspicion, and rarely, open bigotry. Solid colored dragons are universally and silently accepted as superior and more desirable. The more white a dragon has, the more likely they are to be relegated to undesirable duties, and treated with suspicion.
Many believe that the bleaching is linked to incidences of mental instability and infertility. However, these traits are likely just other results of the disease, and have been seen to occur regardless of color.
Piebald: these dragons range from nearly full-white to nearly solid-colored. Dragons with more pigment are treated with more respect and viewed as preferable to Impress and to breed.
Bleached: these dragons lack pigment entirely. They face the most discrimination or at least distaste from other riders and are seen (even by piebald riders) as unfit for procreation. They are often relegated to menial work. They are especially despised for their eyes. Dragons typically express emotion via fluctuating eye color. However, bleached dragons have white or green-tinged eyes. These means that they are harder to read, and less trusted.
Most dragons in current clutches lack at least some color. Roughly 15% of hatched dragons are solid, 60% piebald, and 25% fully bleached. This has led to forced acceptance of discolored dragons and their riders, however, it has also led to putting solid dragons and their riders on pedestals. Many riders of the Weyr are of the belief that if they can hatch a solid colored Queen and mate her to a solid colored Bronze, they will produce solid colored eggs, and that the 'disease' can be bred out of the species. This has led to conflict as piebald or bleached Bronzes have been prevented from participating in mating flights, even as solid Browns are allowed to attempt to fly a Queen. The only reason that conflict hasn't fully boiled over is that a solid Gold Queen hasn't hatched in the thirty turns since Soforith's first clutch.
CANON COLORS
Gold: also referred to as Queens for their ability to control the will of other dragons (as their human partners are often able to influence the actions of weak-minded men & women), they have the highest rank in the Weyr. The rider of the eldest Gold dragon in a Weyr is the Weyrwoman, and directs it as a matriarch. In canon, only Gold dragons are able to lay eggs (although Green dragons also rise to mate). They are the largest dragons, ranging from 40-45 meters long in canon. Traditionally they only Impress to female candidates with powerful minds, often already inclined to telepathy. The presence of healthy Queen dragons is absolutely vital to the health of the Weyr and its ability to populate itself. Queen dragons will rise to mate roughly once a year during a Pass, but during a long Interval (such as the one Pern is currently in) they may rise only every few years, and lay fewer eggs. They mate almost exclusively with Bronze dragons, but will mate with an exceptional Brown dragon once in a blue moon. The rider of the Bronze dragon that mates with the Queen becomes Weyrleader. For this reason, a Gold dragon often sticks to one mate, to maintain consistent leadership of the Weyr. Gold dragons are also the rarest color. They don't appear in every clutch, and only one golden egg is laid at a time. Given the current crisis of egg death in our story, a viable Gold egg is laid very rarely. They traditionally only Impress women and are only female.
Bronze: the second largest and second rarest color, the Bronze dragons and their riders rule the Weyrs militarily. They have always led the Wings in fighting Thread. While this is irrelevant to our site (our events take place during a Long Interval, where thread does not fall for hundreds of years), the Bronze riders still control the Weyr and demand the most respect, especially the riders whose dragons mate with Queens. Usually there are only a handful in each clutch. These days, one Bronze dragon a Hatching is the norm. They traditionally only Impress men and are only male.
Brown: the third largest and third rarest color, Brown dragons and their riders work in close association with Bronzes. They also played a vital role in fighting Thread in the past. About fifteen percent of dragons are Brown, and these days they average two viable eggs per clutch. Brown dragons and riders have taken on increasing responsibility and power in our story, since Bronzes are becoming rarer. They are more likely to fly Queens than ever before in Pern's history. They traditionally only Impress men and are only male.
Blue: the fourth largest and fourth rarest, perhaps thirty percent of all dragons, Blues are much more agile than the bulkier Bronze and Brown dragons. This makes them vital in battling Thread, despite their smaller size. Blue dragons have the reputation of being able to recognize prospective candidates better than other colors. For this reason, Blue riders are often sent on Search to the Holds before a Hatching. Given their familiarity with the Holds they are often also sent to deliver messages and observe the going-ons. They traditionally only Impress men, occasionally women. In canon and historically in our story, they are always male, but a handful of female Blue dragons have presented themselves since the bleaching disease reached the Weyr. These days there are typically three to five Blue dragons hatched per clutch.
Green: the smallest and most common color, the Green dragons represent nearly half of all dragons on Pern. They are exceptionally agile. They are traditionally female. Though they are sterile, they still rise to mate on a regular basis, allowing Brown and Blue dragons to mate where they could not succeed with a Queen. They and their riders have a reputation for promiscuity, as they often mate with different Dragons, but occasionally will form a longterm bond and mate with only one Dragon, particularly if the riders have a strong partnership. While Green dragons are traditionally female, they can Impress both men and women. When women were held back from the Weyrsearch during plagues and natural disasters in order to maintain population in the Holds, Greens resorted to Impressing on men as a norm. They typically Impress on male candidates who already have an inclination towards men. They make up the bulk of successfully hatched dragons. Because of their large numbers, they have also began to exhibit the bizarre phenomenon of presenting as the wrong sex, and male Greens have hatched. This suggests that the other colors can possibly hatch as the wrong sex as well, although it has yet to occur.
BLEACHING
Bleached dragons first appeared in Soforith's first clutch, roughly 30 turns ago. These dragons were (and are) largely normal, and represent each color ranging from Gold to Green, exhibiting every trait of their 'true color' despite lacking appropriate pigment. A fully bleached Queen will still maintain her size and fertility, however whether she retains her rank and place in the Weyr has been a subject of debate since the bleaching first appeared. Although enough time has passed that the bleached dragons are numerous and more of a norm, they and their riders are still occasionally treated with suspicion, and rarely, open bigotry. Solid colored dragons are universally and silently accepted as superior and more desirable. The more white a dragon has, the more likely they are to be relegated to undesirable duties, and treated with suspicion.
Many believe that the bleaching is linked to incidences of mental instability and infertility. However, these traits are likely just other results of the disease, and have been seen to occur regardless of color.
Piebald: these dragons range from nearly full-white to nearly solid-colored. Dragons with more pigment are treated with more respect and viewed as preferable to Impress and to breed.
Bleached: these dragons lack pigment entirely. They face the most discrimination or at least distaste from other riders and are seen (even by piebald riders) as unfit for procreation. They are often relegated to menial work. They are especially despised for their eyes. Dragons typically express emotion via fluctuating eye color. However, bleached dragons have white or green-tinged eyes. These means that they are harder to read, and less trusted.
Most dragons in current clutches lack at least some color. Roughly 15% of hatched dragons are solid, 60% piebald, and 25% fully bleached. This has led to forced acceptance of discolored dragons and their riders, however, it has also led to putting solid dragons and their riders on pedestals. Many riders of the Weyr are of the belief that if they can hatch a solid colored Queen and mate her to a solid colored Bronze, they will produce solid colored eggs, and that the 'disease' can be bred out of the species. This has led to conflict as piebald or bleached Bronzes have been prevented from participating in mating flights, even as solid Browns are allowed to attempt to fly a Queen. The only reason that conflict hasn't fully boiled over is that a solid Gold Queen hasn't hatched in the thirty turns since Soforith's first clutch.
