All The Weyrs
Weyr | Weyrleader | WL Dragon | Weyrwoman | WW Dragon |
---|---|---|---|---|
Benden | L'nyr | Bronze Solth | Telsa | Braedath |
Fort | Z’vin | Bronze Wirylith | Devorah | Frizith |
High Reaches | J'ral | Bronze Exereth | Wygelle | Ormanth |
Igan | F'rell | Bronze Denomth | Tedileen | Quesith |
Ista | M'wai | Bronze Remlith | Eilid | Harth |
Southern | C’doc | Bronze Jinth | Kassia | Foreth |
Teglar | H'gan | Bronze Grenith | Lasia | Brenuth |
To give our timeline a more "global" feeling and to allow interactions between PC and NPC Weyrs, we've tried to develop the unique flavor of each Weyr. Here is a brief overview of how each one is generally perceived around Pern. If you're writing a persona who originated in another Weyr you'll want to look over that description here, though of course your persona might have his own opinions.
Benden
Benden is a solid, by-the-book Weyr. Benden residents have a reputation for following a strict-- some would say archaic-- code of honor and respect for those above and below them. Benden is as good as its word and willing in duress to forsake Tradition in favor of justice, but it much prefers peaceful maintenance of the status quo. Southern’s' erratic, liberal nature distresses the leaders of Benden, but they're not certain if Fort's odd notion of "justice" isn't enough to erase the points it gains in Benden's eyes for upholding Tradition. Still, Fort is the traditional leader of the Weyrs, and Benden will speak out against it only under extreme circumstances, when honor and fairness demand it.
High Reaches
Whilst not as hidebound as Fort, its previous Weyrwoman, Jesa, was a close friend of Fort's Masena, and until Jesa's death a couple of Turns ago, Fort and High Reaches formed a rather unholy alliance, much of it directed against Southern. Southern's first Weyrleader, R'tal, had demanded punishment for transgressions committed by a favorite crony of Jesa's, and Jesa in turn had framed R'tal for assault against her, which nearly lead to murder as the bronzeriders of High Reaches rushed to defend their Weyrwoman. For a full Turn, an embargo existed between the two Weyrs, gradually being relaxed under pressure from riders and Weyrfolk on both sides who had friends and family to see. After a Weyr Conclave which had seen the deaths of Weyrwoman Sytria of Ista from a stroke and the Fort-appointed Weyrleader T'sutar of Southern from attempting to fly without a dragon, Jesa also died heroically in Threadfall. At least, that's the official story. Under its new leaders, High Reaches is attempting to find its equilibrium again. Its relationship with Southern is weak, its dirty-dealing association with Fort is gone, and its trustworthiness in the eyes of other Weyrs is tarnished. Its leaders are left to struggle with their own consciences as well as the legacy of their predecessors.
Igan
Igen is a relatively neutral Weyr on the political scene, in no small part because its leaders are uninterested and outright incompetent in politics. On the whole, Igen has a more relaxed-- some would say lackadaisical-- atmosphere than Fort, High Reaches, Telgar, or Benden, often disdaining Fort's repression and Benden's outmoded preoccupation with honor, though even they can be disturbed by liberal goings on down in Southern.
Ista
Ista Weyr is the greatest friend of Southern, and therefore a great inconvenience to Fort. Its late, beloved Weyrwoman, Sytria set a standard for fairness and compassion to which her successor is trying very hard to live up. The Weyrwomen of both Southern and Telgar spent many Turns as juniors at Ista, and though there is little sisterhood between those two, while Sytria lived both Telgar and Southern followed her lead in Conclave. After Sytria's death, Southern still clings tightly to the alliance with this other almost as liberal Weyr, but Telgar has withdrawn somewhat, unsure of the new leadership; Telgar's loyalty, it seems, was more to Sytria than to Ista. Fort greatly resents Ista's support of the despicable Southerners, as well as the fact that Sytria's memory seems to carry more weight in Conclave than a Fort leader's voice. Recently Ista has been flooded with most of the residents of Southen Weyr, and gladly took in their Southern friends. Only when Ista was full to bursting did the Weyrleaders there sadly turn away the refugees to the other Weyrs.
Southern
Southern has previously had a reputation of being the "last chance" Weyr for troublesome dragonriders. Construction there began late in the Eighth Interval, as the proliferation of humanity on the rich Southern Continent would clearly need protection when Thread came again. Work was slow, done by hand and by simple tools, unlike the way the Northern Weyrs had been carved out so quickly thousands of years earlier. When the Pass began, the Weyr was not yet ready for habitation, and the other Weyrs covered its intended territory in shifts. Four Turns into the Pass, Southern was finally opened, relieving the strain of both extra land to cover and overcrowded conditions in the Weyrs. Southern sunlight and pioneering spirit, as well as the unfortunate habit of the North sending a steady stream of rejects and ... creative thinkers down, have conspired to make Southern a more freewheeling Weyr than its elder sisters. This is a strength as much as a weakness; though Southern must fight a reputation for being gullible and disorganized, it finds itself adapting successfully to problems and conditions that would wreck a hidebound Weyr trying to follow Tradition. It also has the respect of its local Crafts and many of its Holders, though smallholders have been covertly coming under the influence of a mysterious new power in the politics of Pern ... Despite its problems and scruffy appearance, Southern boasts the highest survival rate of all the Weyrs for Threadfighting dragons, and it is working with some of the more amiable Weyrs to train up Weyrling- and Candidatemasters in techniques that hopefully will raise the life expectancy of all who Impress. With the earthquake that destroyed Southen Weyr, most of it's residents have fled to first Ista Weyr and then the rest of the Northern Weyrs once Ista was full...with the unlucky few having to go to Fort when there was no room anywhere else.
Teglar
Telgar Weyr has a reputation for impartiality, one it struggled for and will fight to protect. It has no great trade resources, no great heroes or innovators, and its leadership cannot match the charisma of others, but it *can* stand as a voice of reason, pleasing no one and offending no one. It tries and often succeeds in taking the middle path, equally unimpressed by the extreme conservatism of Fort and the extreme liberalism of Southern, and regarding Benden as naive and Igen as vapid. The untrustworthiness of High Reaches makes that Weyr barely worth mentioning. Ista is still respectable, but Telgar's Weyrwoman Lasia esteems its new leadership not nearly as highly as she did her mentors Sytria and M'tol. Weyrleader H'gan is a shrewd man, managing to stay in the good graces of the often harsh and exacting Lasia, earning her respect and fondness, though not love, by leading their Weyr well and seeing through the political maneuvering of other Weyrs- and Holds, for that matter. He is the father of a headstrong, greenriding daughter, and Lasia holds tight to the lessons in ethics and justice she learned at Sytria's feet, and so traditionally low-ranking chromatic riders can find safety, respect, and useful work at Telgar. One occassional headache for Telgar is the legacy of Moreta's Ride. More than three hundred years after the fact, many of the ballads and lessons *still* point out that Telgar's cowardice contributed to that heroine's death and nearly brought far worse disaster for Pern. When those songs are sung in Telgar's territory, most Harpers have the tact to edit them.