Post by Member on Feb 21, 2009 15:43:52 GMT -6
now
A Clutch has been laid by Gray Haeoth, a Queen without external beauty, whose unique characteristics make her the desire of all of Pern. This Clutch, sired by her Champagne Clutchmate, will no doubt produce more of the odd, new colors that Achellaith Weyr is known for, just like the Bloods, Azures, and Blacks. All is not well, though, for Zymantis Weyr has finally made its move, and Haeoth's Clutch lies in ruins. The eggs are somewhat whole, or at least most of them are, and their fate lies in the balance. Achellaith Weyr is desperately searching for Candidates for the Clutch, which contains a glistening Queen egg, and is daring to expand their borders to the north, so that they may grow stronger, able to resist the reaching claw of Zymantis. Will it be enough, though, to save the decimated Clutch of Gray Haeoth? Or will Achellaith fade out of existence and cease to exist? Only time will tell for
how it came to be
Current Turn: 3249
Aivas. A savior if there ever was one. Pern was freed of Thread forever and advanced technology was reintroduced into the population. It seemed that everything would flourish and thrive.
But that wasn't how it worked.
At first, things were glorious. The skies were free of Thread, which left time for the riders to do as they pleased and relax for once. The barren landscape once again began to fill with life, growing endlessly until nearly everything was swathed in green. Food became plentiful, and the new times ushered in a wealth and prosperity unheard of before. Very few were hungry, homes were stronger, and an era of exploration began. Slowly, the riders and folk began to branch out together, spreading their roots over wider and wider areas until nearly everywhere was linked by lush Caravans, while riders protected from what little danger there was. The wealthy prospered, revelling in a life of riches where everyone was well clothed in opulence, even those servants who once again became popular. It was, in short, a time of prosperity and peace, as Pern leapt forward, growth speeded by the science Aivas brought about.
Among the many new areas studied, one in particular seemed to be growing faster than any could keep up with. This particular area, which revolved around genetics, was simply called Lifecrafting. There were more specific branches beneath it, such as Whercrafting and Dragoncrafting. Both weren't crafting so much as they were medical improvements, but as time wore on and the knowledge became more advanced, it began to evolve to a different level, starting first with whers. Simple science made them stronger, faster, and larger, and they became the perfect night guards. The genetic modifications made them sleeker and more draconic, but only for a short while, for science had made a leap far beyond morality, and all of Pern was slowly being corrupted.
It began with a Lifecrafter by the name of L'ki, a man who rode bronze and was ambitious beyond his years. He was the first to take genetic modification to the next level, starting with crawlers, and hardly stopped there. His attempt was to make crawlers that were different and unique, powerful and massive, but perfectly obedient to him. These creations would become known Draers, and they would be among the most fearful creatures created by the possibly insane bronzerider. Draers were easily two to three times the size of normal whers, and some of them vied for size with smaller green dragons. Six-legged and four-eyed, they looked like something out of a nightmare, as if a crawler had somehow gotten mixed with a wher and something else. Their flashing eyes and slavering jaws were the things of nightmares and few dared to trust them, though their loyalty could be bought through a method only a few knew of. The beginning of the end was manufactured by L'ki, bronzerider of Kraoth, of Zymantis Weyr.
With the creation of the draers, testing began anew, but this time with a much larger creature - the dragon. Initial testing was to increase size and strength, so that monstrous behemoths would rule the sky, submissive only to Theirs. This resulted in the production of a steroid that greatly increased the musculature of those it was administered to, as well as the size. A new line of these massive beasts began to emerge, with one Queen measuring almost double the size she was supposed to be. Demand was high for these dragons, and many Weyrs tried to coerce those Zymantis riders, with their over-large dragons, to transfer to their Weyr. They were often successful with bronzes and browns, for the large males wanted more power, and they easily dominated over their smaller brethren. A side-effect of the increased size and strength began to show as a thirst for power and control, and this manifested gradually over time, polluting the dragon population even if the increased size wasn't present. This was especially prominent in the lack of control and the heavily decreased Clutch sizes from the Golds, as well as an increased time span between when they Rose.
Although not all dragons were affected, many were, and the thirst for dominance gradually spread throughout the riders as well. Clashes erupted between Weyrs, often in the form of disputes over land or tithe. and tensions rose. Finally, it reached its breaking point in 3225, when Zymantis attacked the smallest Weyr, the massive forces completely annihiliating the enemy Weyr, wiping it from map and record. That was the first of the bloody wars that would follow as dragon attacked dragon, ichor falling from the skies like rain. Zymantis spread a deadly swathe of destruction across Pern, taking more and more land, fighting against the other Weyrs until the numbers finally dropped from an astounding 14 Weyrs to 4. It was a stalemate, the weyrs nearly equal, though there was always production of some sort of weapon, be it mechanical or biological.
Even as the fighting continued, a faction wishing for some form of peace, however vague, began to develop. Among normal Folk this was especially apparent, for they suffered the worst. The caste system was divided by extremes, and one was either opulent and wealthy, or poor and miserable. Prostitution and thievery became commonplace, and many fought to survive every day. Even while many riders remained ignorant to this, some dragons echoed the more common sentiment. Gold Achellaith, smaller than her oversized sisters, began to shy away from the violence, focusing her gaze across the Southern Sea. Although most of the northern portion of the land had already been developed, the South had been left relatively untouched, mainly because of its proximity to Zymantis Weyr. Some other dragons echoed Achellaith's desire to peace, though it could never be achieved from where they were. They plotted quietly to escape, and finally, as the Turn 3235 dawned, Gold Achellaith and a contingent of other dragons left, literally vanishing in time in an attempt to throw off any pursuers.
They reappeared in 3246, landing on a peninsula in the South. Achellaith, her bronze mate Grath, and a handful of others began to build a Weyr of their own, working tirelessly to create for themselves a haven. Somehow, they remained out of sight of searchers until the completion of their unnamed Weyr. Just immediately after completion, Achellaith was Rose and Caught by Grath yet again, and laid a large and healthy Clutch upon the new Sands. This did not go unnoticed, though, and Zymantis was the first to become alert to their presence just south of their Weyr. Almost daily a Zymantis dragon flew over the small, newly-founded Weyr, their presence silent by imposing. Word gradually began to leak out, and other riders and their dragons wishing for peace arrived, as did a few misplaced wherhandlers, who were fleeing the wrath of the vicious and territorial draers. The Zymantis riders did not only watch, though, and in secret, poisoned Achellaith in a hopes of killing her next Clutch.
The poison did not work as suspected, instead altering the Clutch she laid, mutating some of the dragons into different and unique colors. One egg mutated was that of the Queen, Haeoth, who, although smaller than Golds, had a hide the color of storm clouds, dull and unattractive, save for the faintest of white sheens that marked her as a Queen. A few more eggs hatched a mutated Bronze, whose hide, which was pale and almost silvery, marked him as a Champagne. From an egg that should have held a Brown Hatched a creature with a hide the color of dried blood, and thusly the first Blood likewise came into the world, harkening a new era of Clutching females. After her arrival, yet another new female color Hatched, this time in the form of a stunning, even-tempered little Azure, whose hide, although blue, glistened with a prominent sheen of gold. And from the final egg Hatched a Black, long and sinuous, imperious and demanding as it turned its attention towards those gathered. These new colors were strong and healthy, more than capable of holding their own with the original colors.
Zymantis, enraged by the fact that the attempted poisoning of Achellaith had not worked and had instead produced new colors, began to orchestrate an attack, hoping to wipe out most of the opposing Weyr, instead keeping the new colors and Queen for themselves. In the dead of night, a wing of Zymantis riders dropped from the skies upon the unsuspecting Weyr. Many were slaughtered before they could react, with Gold Achellaith leading the charge, bugling her fury and flashing in the moonlight as she rose to meet the behemoth bronze who led the Zymantis Wing. The pair fought, but Achellaith was outmatched and not at all accustomed to fighting, as the bronze was, but somehow managed to latch onto the Bronze's throat with her jaws, never letting go even as her mangled wings ceased to work and she plumetted from the sky, dragging the enemy to his death.
Surprised by the death of their Wingleader and the ferocity of the defense, Zymantis fled, returning to their Weyr and leaving their wounded and dead behind. In remembrance of their founding Queen, the Weyr became known as Achellaith Weyr, and gradually began to rebuild under the leadership of Ksiska and Haeoth. Besides the almost constant stream of refugees flowing in, Achellaith Weyr needed a Clutching Queen, and Haeoth finally Rose to the occasion. She was caught by another one of the mutated colors, a Champagne named Snoth, and laid a large Clutch upon the Sands. Zymantis Weyr had not forgotten, though, and as Haeoth lay in an herb-induced sleep, a small group of men snuck into the Weyr and tampered with the eggs, destroying some and maiming others. An enraged Haeoth awoke before they could finish the job and slew the men, heedless of their plees for help, splattering her mutilated eggs with blood as the whole Weyr awoke in a panic. The deed had already been done, though, and Haeoth's Clutch lay on the Sands, smaller in number and hardly as whole as it had been.