Post by DMITRI on Jul 19, 2017 23:15:46 GMT
--These norms are lifted mostly from the canon of the books, with alterations made as results of the storyline.
BIRDS
-chickens: Common sources of meat and eggs for Holds. Tunnelsnakes love to eat them if they aren't properly protected.
-ducks: Similar to chickens, but rarer.
-geese: Similar to chickens and ducks, but rarer. Duck and goose eggs are considered delicacies, because the tunnelsnakes prefer them over chicken eggs.
BOVINES
Descendants of Terran domestic cows. Provide meat, hide, milk, and butters and cheeses made from said milk. Come in two varieties, one bred specifically for its mean, the other for dairy production. Calves were traditionally herded/sent on to the Weyrs en bulke as dragon feed. Now they mostly remain in herds in the Holds and are a money-making staple for some.
CANINES
Descendants of Terran domestic canines. They come in a handful of varieties. There are molossers, or mastiff types, which are heavily built with powerful jaws and a shorter muzzle. They live almost exclusively in Holds as stationary guards, though a few may be found among scavengers and ravagers. They also serve occasionally as livestock guardian dogs. They come in a variety of sizes, shapes, colors, and fur lengths depending on climate. (molosser type examples: cane corso, dogue de bordaeux, dogo argentino, bullmastiff, presa canario, tibetan masstif, kangal, anatolian shepherd)
There are also lurchers, which are used commonly in both Holds as well as by scavengers and ravagers. They are used to hunt things like tunnelrunners and smaller wild fowl, as well as alerting to the presence of larger prey (acting as bay dogs), and some are large enough to aid in the hunting of wherries and boars. Coat color and texture varies. They have a thin, streamlined look, with tapered, pointed muzzles. Their legs are long. Their tails are often long and curl upwards at the tip. They are incredibly fast, but also have good endurance, allowing them to accompany scavengers and ravagers long distance. (lurcher type examples: azawakh, galgo, greyhound, irish wolfhound, borzoi)
Lastly are the feral canine, which have resorted to two types - the pariah dog type in the south, and the more wolvish type in the north. The southern dogs are more scavengers, and will often hang around holds and ravager populations looking for scraps. They are considered nuisances and occasionally kill livestock. The northern dogs are rarer, more reclusive, and more nocturnal. They are much more prone to killing livestock, have shaggier fur to protect them from the cold of the upper mountains. They are considered a danger to travelers among the northern Holds as they have been known to attack humans in times of hardship.
-There are no canines in the Weyr. Canines, like most Terra-imported creatures, have a deep fear of dragonkind.
DOLPHINS
Descendants of Terran dolphins, enhanced with Mentaynth. Also called shipfish. They were established on Pern to have strong relationships with the Pernese people, leading them to fish and out of storms, but over the years the people of Pern forgot about their intelligence and speaking abilitiies. Now they are regarded simply as 'shipfish' and considered good luck by fisherman.
DRAYBEASTS
Descendants of Terran domestic donkeys. They are treated as miscellaneous beasts of burden, occasionally eaten. Very often they are crossed with draftbeasts to produce something similar to what would have been a 'mammoth jack' on old Terra, very shaggy, with long ears, and immense bulk. They are stubborn but docile, and despite the stubborn streak, are more prized as beasts of burden because of their aggression towards predators.
FELINES
Descendants of Terran domestic cats. They are about twice as large but serve roughly the same purpose, chasing down vermin and keeping away tunnelsnakes. They are found almost exclusively in Holds and Halls as they fear and despise dragonkind, like most Terran imports.
-southern spotted felines: a rare variety of wild feline, the result of an attempt to infuse cheetahs with Mentasynth way back in the early days of Pern's colonization. They are rare and intentionally reclusive, and extremely dangerous. They cannot be domesticated.
FIRE LIZARDS
These were the original fauna bioengineered into modern Dragons. They are obviously much smaller, but have similar Thread-fighting abilities, come in the same colors, and also 'Impress' on humans upon hatching, though they do not suicide when their person dies. They have gone through severe population fluctuations during the course of Pern's habitation, to the point where many began to doubt their existence. Currently, they are all but extinct in the north, but have strong and visible populations bordering the southern coastline. The can also be found in the midland jungles, but are more difficult to spot among the trees. Extremely reclusive, their eggs are considered absolute treasures and a black market trade has contributed somewhat to their absence (and tendency to hide) in the wild. Both gold and green fire lizards are fertile, although greens tend to lay in poor places, and tunnelsnakes get to the eggs before they can hatch.
FISH
-fingerfish: Slippery fish the size of your fingers, hard to catch but good for a decent meal if you get enough of them.
-flatfish: Bottom-dwelling, edible, flat fish.
-shellfish: Pretty much the same as you would find on Terra.
-speckler: Large, tasty, speckly edible fish.
-spiderclaws: Crablike creatures, many legs, very tasty.
-yellowtail: Another large, edible fish, this one with a yellow tail.
-watersnakes: The oceanic version of tunnelsnakes. Highly venomous and inedible.
INSECTS
-crawlers: Slightly gecko-like creatures, that cling to walls, are considered a nuisance.
-spinners: Pernese version of spiders
-sandworms, grubs: Wormlike bugs that are known to have a positive impact on crop growth, and which eat Thread.
-trundlebugs: Parasite-eating bug that trundles about, coming in many different colors. Also pollinates plants.
RUNNERBEASTS
Descendants of Terran domestic horses. Also called just runners. The draft variety is usually referred to as a draftbeast or draft runner. Draftbeasts are necessary for caravaning and trade especially now that dragons are no longer available for travel and transporting goods. They come in a great array of colors, but most are on the stockier, smaller side (think quarter horses, arabians, morgans) and used to travel long distances. A few are bred for recreational racing or for emergency swift message-sending. Some Holds are known for breeding distinctive types of horses. Baron Hold, for example, was once known for its spotted horses, though the type has become less common as they are associated with the bleaching disease, and because they are more highly visible in a jungle setting, attracting ravagers.
Runners, like most Terran imports, are terrified of dragons and have to be brutally restrained to prevent them fleeing from one. They are also used fairly commonly as food for dragons. There are some feral populations in the drier midlands in particular that are easy prey. They are sometimes food for people as well and considered decent fare.
SHEEP
Descendants of Terran domestic sheep. They are slightly adapted for the climate, but serve the same purpose, providing meat & wool. They are often used as food in the Weyr for dragons.
SWINE
Descendants of Terran domestic pigs. They are slightly adapted for the climate and are a bit shaggier, but are still used as food and considered good eating, preferable to sheep or runners.
A number of pigs escaped and have become feral. They live in the south and also the drier midlands, where they have grown to great sizes and are very dangerous. Holders avoid them, Ravagers and Scavengers occasionally hunt them, and Dragons flying overhead find them easy meals to pluck up as they travel.
TUNNELSNAKES
Native to Pern, tunnelsnakes come in many varieties (some poisonous to eat, some with a venomous bite, some edible) and are mostly considered a giant nuisance as they get into food supplies and raid henhouses and so on. They have many small legs for digging and grasping prey and can be up to four feet long. Cats, fire lizards, and dogs will hunt them. They are dangerous to children especially. Some make decent eating if you're on the road and can catch them.
TUNNELCATS
Ferrets. One of few Terran imports to make it, they have thrived, gone semi-feral and are used to help control tunnelsnake poulations. They are also seen as a source of food.
WATCH-WHERS
Ugly, smaller versions of dragons, bioengineered to fight Thread at night. They are now utilized primarily as guard animals and occasional beasts of burden, as the people of Pern have become ignorant of their original purpose. They're photophobic, but have excellent night vision, and are useful in mining and digging out new holds, as they can see better than their handlers and can carry a lot of weight. Most of the time they're chained in a lair, where they reside during the day, and come out at night to serve as guard, hence the name. They have very moderate telepathic abilities, to the extent that they can communicate vaguely with dragons and with highly telepathic humans. Each Hold usually has a watch-where, which typically has a handler to attend to its needs. They have a very long lifespan and may go through two or three handlers. While they do bond with their handlers, it's not a permanent connection like the bond of draconic Impression. They come in all of the color variants as dragons and fire lizards, but are dully colored, and because they spend most of their time in the dark their color isn't typically noted.
WHERRIES
Native avian species. They are large, predatory flightless birds that easily turn cannibal. They exist in the wild and in a slightly more manageable domestic state. They are the most common food for Dragons at the Weyr, and are also commonly eaten in Holds. You can typically tell their origin from the taste of their meat, as the coastal wherries have a fishy, oily layer. They will eat just about anything.
BIRDS
-chickens: Common sources of meat and eggs for Holds. Tunnelsnakes love to eat them if they aren't properly protected.
-ducks: Similar to chickens, but rarer.
-geese: Similar to chickens and ducks, but rarer. Duck and goose eggs are considered delicacies, because the tunnelsnakes prefer them over chicken eggs.
BOVINES
Descendants of Terran domestic cows. Provide meat, hide, milk, and butters and cheeses made from said milk. Come in two varieties, one bred specifically for its mean, the other for dairy production. Calves were traditionally herded/sent on to the Weyrs en bulke as dragon feed. Now they mostly remain in herds in the Holds and are a money-making staple for some.
CANINES
Descendants of Terran domestic canines. They come in a handful of varieties. There are molossers, or mastiff types, which are heavily built with powerful jaws and a shorter muzzle. They live almost exclusively in Holds as stationary guards, though a few may be found among scavengers and ravagers. They also serve occasionally as livestock guardian dogs. They come in a variety of sizes, shapes, colors, and fur lengths depending on climate. (molosser type examples: cane corso, dogue de bordaeux, dogo argentino, bullmastiff, presa canario, tibetan masstif, kangal, anatolian shepherd)
There are also lurchers, which are used commonly in both Holds as well as by scavengers and ravagers. They are used to hunt things like tunnelrunners and smaller wild fowl, as well as alerting to the presence of larger prey (acting as bay dogs), and some are large enough to aid in the hunting of wherries and boars. Coat color and texture varies. They have a thin, streamlined look, with tapered, pointed muzzles. Their legs are long. Their tails are often long and curl upwards at the tip. They are incredibly fast, but also have good endurance, allowing them to accompany scavengers and ravagers long distance. (lurcher type examples: azawakh, galgo, greyhound, irish wolfhound, borzoi)
Lastly are the feral canine, which have resorted to two types - the pariah dog type in the south, and the more wolvish type in the north. The southern dogs are more scavengers, and will often hang around holds and ravager populations looking for scraps. They are considered nuisances and occasionally kill livestock. The northern dogs are rarer, more reclusive, and more nocturnal. They are much more prone to killing livestock, have shaggier fur to protect them from the cold of the upper mountains. They are considered a danger to travelers among the northern Holds as they have been known to attack humans in times of hardship.
-There are no canines in the Weyr. Canines, like most Terra-imported creatures, have a deep fear of dragonkind.
DOLPHINS
Descendants of Terran dolphins, enhanced with Mentaynth. Also called shipfish. They were established on Pern to have strong relationships with the Pernese people, leading them to fish and out of storms, but over the years the people of Pern forgot about their intelligence and speaking abilitiies. Now they are regarded simply as 'shipfish' and considered good luck by fisherman.
DRAYBEASTS
Descendants of Terran domestic donkeys. They are treated as miscellaneous beasts of burden, occasionally eaten. Very often they are crossed with draftbeasts to produce something similar to what would have been a 'mammoth jack' on old Terra, very shaggy, with long ears, and immense bulk. They are stubborn but docile, and despite the stubborn streak, are more prized as beasts of burden because of their aggression towards predators.
FELINES
Descendants of Terran domestic cats. They are about twice as large but serve roughly the same purpose, chasing down vermin and keeping away tunnelsnakes. They are found almost exclusively in Holds and Halls as they fear and despise dragonkind, like most Terran imports.
-southern spotted felines: a rare variety of wild feline, the result of an attempt to infuse cheetahs with Mentasynth way back in the early days of Pern's colonization. They are rare and intentionally reclusive, and extremely dangerous. They cannot be domesticated.
FIRE LIZARDS
These were the original fauna bioengineered into modern Dragons. They are obviously much smaller, but have similar Thread-fighting abilities, come in the same colors, and also 'Impress' on humans upon hatching, though they do not suicide when their person dies. They have gone through severe population fluctuations during the course of Pern's habitation, to the point where many began to doubt their existence. Currently, they are all but extinct in the north, but have strong and visible populations bordering the southern coastline. The can also be found in the midland jungles, but are more difficult to spot among the trees. Extremely reclusive, their eggs are considered absolute treasures and a black market trade has contributed somewhat to their absence (and tendency to hide) in the wild. Both gold and green fire lizards are fertile, although greens tend to lay in poor places, and tunnelsnakes get to the eggs before they can hatch.
FISH
-fingerfish: Slippery fish the size of your fingers, hard to catch but good for a decent meal if you get enough of them.
-flatfish: Bottom-dwelling, edible, flat fish.
-shellfish: Pretty much the same as you would find on Terra.
-speckler: Large, tasty, speckly edible fish.
-spiderclaws: Crablike creatures, many legs, very tasty.
-yellowtail: Another large, edible fish, this one with a yellow tail.
-watersnakes: The oceanic version of tunnelsnakes. Highly venomous and inedible.
INSECTS
-crawlers: Slightly gecko-like creatures, that cling to walls, are considered a nuisance.
-spinners: Pernese version of spiders
-sandworms, grubs: Wormlike bugs that are known to have a positive impact on crop growth, and which eat Thread.
-trundlebugs: Parasite-eating bug that trundles about, coming in many different colors. Also pollinates plants.
RUNNERBEASTS
Descendants of Terran domestic horses. Also called just runners. The draft variety is usually referred to as a draftbeast or draft runner. Draftbeasts are necessary for caravaning and trade especially now that dragons are no longer available for travel and transporting goods. They come in a great array of colors, but most are on the stockier, smaller side (think quarter horses, arabians, morgans) and used to travel long distances. A few are bred for recreational racing or for emergency swift message-sending. Some Holds are known for breeding distinctive types of horses. Baron Hold, for example, was once known for its spotted horses, though the type has become less common as they are associated with the bleaching disease, and because they are more highly visible in a jungle setting, attracting ravagers.
Runners, like most Terran imports, are terrified of dragons and have to be brutally restrained to prevent them fleeing from one. They are also used fairly commonly as food for dragons. There are some feral populations in the drier midlands in particular that are easy prey. They are sometimes food for people as well and considered decent fare.
SHEEP
Descendants of Terran domestic sheep. They are slightly adapted for the climate, but serve the same purpose, providing meat & wool. They are often used as food in the Weyr for dragons.
SWINE
Descendants of Terran domestic pigs. They are slightly adapted for the climate and are a bit shaggier, but are still used as food and considered good eating, preferable to sheep or runners.
A number of pigs escaped and have become feral. They live in the south and also the drier midlands, where they have grown to great sizes and are very dangerous. Holders avoid them, Ravagers and Scavengers occasionally hunt them, and Dragons flying overhead find them easy meals to pluck up as they travel.
TUNNELSNAKES
Native to Pern, tunnelsnakes come in many varieties (some poisonous to eat, some with a venomous bite, some edible) and are mostly considered a giant nuisance as they get into food supplies and raid henhouses and so on. They have many small legs for digging and grasping prey and can be up to four feet long. Cats, fire lizards, and dogs will hunt them. They are dangerous to children especially. Some make decent eating if you're on the road and can catch them.
TUNNELCATS
Ferrets. One of few Terran imports to make it, they have thrived, gone semi-feral and are used to help control tunnelsnake poulations. They are also seen as a source of food.
WATCH-WHERS
Ugly, smaller versions of dragons, bioengineered to fight Thread at night. They are now utilized primarily as guard animals and occasional beasts of burden, as the people of Pern have become ignorant of their original purpose. They're photophobic, but have excellent night vision, and are useful in mining and digging out new holds, as they can see better than their handlers and can carry a lot of weight. Most of the time they're chained in a lair, where they reside during the day, and come out at night to serve as guard, hence the name. They have very moderate telepathic abilities, to the extent that they can communicate vaguely with dragons and with highly telepathic humans. Each Hold usually has a watch-where, which typically has a handler to attend to its needs. They have a very long lifespan and may go through two or three handlers. While they do bond with their handlers, it's not a permanent connection like the bond of draconic Impression. They come in all of the color variants as dragons and fire lizards, but are dully colored, and because they spend most of their time in the dark their color isn't typically noted.
WHERRIES
Native avian species. They are large, predatory flightless birds that easily turn cannibal. They exist in the wild and in a slightly more manageable domestic state. They are the most common food for Dragons at the Weyr, and are also commonly eaten in Holds. You can typically tell their origin from the taste of their meat, as the coastal wherries have a fishy, oily layer. They will eat just about anything.
