|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 6:46 am
Telgar Weyr is coming to an end.
Rain refuses to come to their drought-stricken lands. The bowl of the weyr is a pit of dust with a stretch of mud where the lake used to be. Cavern after cavern that should be filled with food for the weyr is empty.
Hunting and foraging on the Southern continent worked for a while, but not enough riders and dragons could be spared from fighting Threadfall to go south. There were also dangers there, and several dragons were wounded during their hunts by felines.
The dragonriders have endured as long as they can, but as their dragons begin to grow hungry, they know their time is short.
Weyrleader E’var and Weyrwoman Sora have stubbornly held Telgar together, even when two of their wingleaders defected and left with a complete wing of dragons and riders for High Reaches. But they are beginning to realize that to save the weyr’s dragons and riders, they will have to surrender. They will have to disband the weyr.
As the weyr grows desperate, the surrounding lands are filled with strife. Men and women are leaving their homes, their farms, and their lands to live as refugees in other holds. One faction of men and women have gone from despair to anger, anger at the weyr that they believe has sucked their land dry.
A day of reckoning is coming.
As starvation undermines it and enemies from its own lands rise to destroy it, will Telgar Weyr stand? Will it endure, as it has before?
Or will it fall?
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 7:37 am
It's morning at Telgar. The day is cool and the sun seems far away in the sky. There is a wind that howls through the bowl, raising dust and blowing it into the weyr. The wind has been blowing all through the night as well, its mournful cries echoing in the unnatural quiet.
In the main hall, riders line up for a ladel of thin gruel, a sad remnant of Headwoman Souvea's past cooking. Every face is grim. There is threadfall today, and they will fight with near empty stomachs. But there is firestone enough, and they will fight. And so throughout the weyr, riders and dragons prepare for their duty.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 9:54 pm
J'san sat down with his bowl, giving the contents inside an almost impassive glance. The first time food had started looking like this, he'd spent the whole meal glaring at his bowl, as if the dinnerware was to blame. But it'd been too many meals like this... and there wasn't much sign of it getting better. J'san looked up and glanced around for his friends, hoping one of them would show up and distract him from the food.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 1:00 pm
Kazra stared bleakly at her bowl as the thin gray gruel was ladeled in. She smiled briefly and bitterly. She never heard fellow female green riders complain of being too chubby anymore.
Kazra turned to find a seat and saw J'san. She went and sat down across from him.
"Another long day ahead, huh?" she said, mostly rhetorically. She was thinking about how she and Kirath would fare. They had been moved up to the top wing, where the thread fell thickest and the greens had to be unbelievably fast and skilled to protect the larger dragons and stay out of trouble themselves. The top wing was where she had flown when she had been at High Reaches what seemed like so long ago.
J'son checked and tightened Darth's gear with a frustrated energy. Dust swirled into the weyr and he roughly wiped it out of his eyes with his hand. He was not looking forward to the Threadfall ahead. They were down a wing and a wingleader for another. He was still angry that two of his fellow wingleaders could betray the weyr like they had, effectively defecting to High Reaches.
Today, the greens would be short on back up and other dragons would have no back up at all. The bigger dragons could all last for the entire threadfall, but if one got injured, there would be no replacement. And the greens were to fly as long as they could, perhaps even longer, because there might not be a fresh rider and dragon left to replace them.
J'son tightened the last strap and then looked out across the bowl.
They would endure. They had to.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 4:50 pm
M'kael walked the halls not caring where his feet took him. Two wings down, man thats low M'kael thought to himself.
Why do your thoughts make me feel like staying between?" Gorlith's words sprang into his mind jolting him from his negative mood.
What would you do if you weren't up to fighting another for a female dragon's attention?"
I would fight until I couldn't, why is there a female who likes my shiny scales?
M'kael just put up his mental brick wall and walked to a window and stared out. He had finally become a partner to a dragon and become a part of a weyr, he couldn't let this place go down without a fight. He would do all he could to make sure Telgar stood for many turns to come. The wind felt cold but the sun felt warm. Which would last longer?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2009 10:26 am
J'san gave a somewhat bitter smile. "Indeed..." His expression changed to a concerned one. "How's Kirath's stamina these days?" Greens didn't have a whole lot of staying power, but with the Weyr so shorthanded J'san wouldn't be surprised if some of the greens stayed past their fatigue point. Unfortunately, that would likely result in more casualties since tired greens couldn't react as fast...
Silanth was snoozing at the moment, conserving his energy for Fall later.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2009 8:38 am
Iris was busy tending to Ellieth who had sustained thread scores last Fall. She was hoping the Weyrhealer would clear them for the upcoming Thread Fall because it was getting more and more disheartening to see her fellow riders struggle so much from being undermanned and underdragoned.
I feel fine. the green dragon assured her rider by nuzzling her shoulder.
"I know, love, but we have to get clearance or we wont be allowed to join our wing again."
Ellieth had been scored across a shoulder and along her left wing. Only her riders quick reaction had prevented the green from being out of commission for a longer time. The smaller dragon was expected now to fly an entire Fall and fatigue had made her clumsy enough to get caught between two clumps of thread. Her wingmates couldn't react in time to prevent the green from getting scored but Iris didn't blame them. She blamed herself as did most of the riders for the Weyrs decline. The morale of the Weyr was very low already and an injury was the worst possible thing right now.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2009 11:40 am
M'kael decided to head to the weyrhealer to see if he could help them with anything. While Gorlith was resting, the time before thread fall would be long so he wanted to fill it with something productive. He flipped a coin and caught it in mid air. He didn't want to look at what was facing up. He wanted it to be heads up.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2009 2:00 pm
L'san was laying out all of his medical equipment in the infirmary. Old J'roh had passed away a month before, leaving L'san as Weyrhealer. L'san felt too young and inexperienced for the job, but the Weyrwoman supported him. No one had criticized him and he was quite competent, but the shadow of the old Weyrhealer haunted L'san. The young blue rider did not feel he could ever be the Weyrhealer J'roh had been, the Weyrhealer that Telgar needed...
Ellieth needs to know if she is clear for Threadfall, his blue reported, interrupting his thoughts.
"She could be missing a wing and I'd still consider clearing her for today," L'san said bitterly to himself. Then, to his dragon,
Tell Ellieth to fly down to the dragon infirmary when she's ready. I'll meet her and her rider there.
L'san looked up when he heard K'tan's footsteps approaching in the corridor.
"She's good. I mean, when we're in the air, she's just so sharding pleased to be flying it would take a hurricane to make her land. So she doesn't get tired very easily. Or notice it, at least," Kazra said with a smile. It seemed more like she was trying to convince herself. But she had to go into the Fall thinking that they could make it the entire way. If they thought for a moment that they couldn't, they wouldn't. So she tried to keep her spirits up and enthusiastically ate her gruel.
Mekaama sat next to Aylith in their weyr, checking her flame thrower. As she cleaned the various parts and put them securely into place, she thought of D'niel. He had died on a day much less bleak than this. Funny that she should think of him now.
Aylith breathed softly in Mekaama's hair and gave her a soft nudge with her nose, but didn't say anything.
E'var stood on the ledge of his weyr, overlooking the bowl with Dalgeth standing behind him.
The dragons are filled with doubt, the bronze dragon said.
E'var nodded. He was as well. But he was the Weyrleader. He could not let his Weyr doubt itself. He could not let them fly to fight thread without hope.
Order the Wingleaders out into the bowl. We'll give the rest of the riders more time, but then we shall call them out as well, E'var said.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2009 10:24 pm
Mia sighed and stared into the watery depths of her nearly full drinking glass. It was the only thing that was full around here. Her bowl was empty already, though she had started eating mere minutes before. What food she could spare she slipped to Verianth, though the green complained.
The food they had picked in Southern was long gone, unfortunately. It had been good while it had lasted.
But the worst thing was, Mia imagined, was that she had never really gotten to know any of the other dragonriders. She had always been distant, and never had a weyrmate. Now it seemed like a good thing. No one could live in this kind of world any longer, but they tried- and tried hard. But they couldn't last forever, and both dragon and rider knew that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2009 6:13 am
While Iris was scratching her green mounts eye ridges Ellieth got the message from Kampoth.
Kampoth says we can fly down to the infirmary now. the dragon rumbled almost reluctant to let her rider stop her scratching.
"Alright, lets go see what the diagnosis is." she replied giggling. "I can scratch you summore later, you big lazy lizard."
Grabbing her riding cap and loosely closing the clasp in case they did get the all clear, Iris couldn't help but sigh at her dragons giddy eagerness to be up and away flaming Thread out of the sky as was her purpose. Scrambling to her usual position on the green neck the dragonrider passed by the spot on her mounts shoulder that had been marred by Threadscore. Running a hand gently over the uneven surface that she knew had healed perfectly due to her tendings every day she couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if it had been much worse. Would they have gone between together? Never to appear again? Leaving the Weyr and all those within to fend for themselves. It wouldn't be worse than desertion like so many have already done. Ellieth and Iris were a part of Telgar. Forever.
Her thoughts were broken by the Green propelling herself off her weyrledge to glide into the bowl. The wind was playing havoc with the dust that had accumulated and little tornados were forming and dieing all the time obscuring vision sometimes. Gliding through one such tornado Iris got a face full of dust and had to cough but thankfully she had her goggles to keep it out of her eyes.
Ellieth came to a neat landing in front of the Infirmary and bugled a greeting to the blue Kampoth who was sunning himself on the ledge.
A few Falls ago F'sen had found himself being promoted to Wingleader of T'bol's Wing. The older bronze rider had decided that he couldn't take the pressure of leading a Wing anymore eventhough he would continue to support Telgar in fighting Thread. F'sen who had been his Wingsecond for a long time had seemed like the obvious choice besides being a Bronze rider.
Dalgeth's rider is assembling the Wingleaders. the big bronze told his rider while he was lying on his ledge trying to catch some sunlight before the big battle. We are to meet in the bowl. Was that some contempt he could hear in his dragons mental voice?
"Don't like the dust?" F'sen asked playfully slapping the Bronze on his rump while he checked the fighting straps.
No, it gets into my nose. And it is not warm like Sand.
"You miss going to Southern, huh?" he replied climbing to his position and fastening himself on.
The only reply was a deep throat rumble that F'sen could feel through his legs as the dragon let himself drop off the ledge to glide to the assembly point. He could see 2 bronzes already there and thanked the Shell that he wasn't the last. He was still nervous around the other Wingleaders.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2009 5:57 pm
Mia drained the contents of her cup in one quick gulp. She rose silently, took care of her dishes, and exited the eating area. She had cleaning to do in her weyr. She hoped that maybe on her way she would bump into one of the other riders and start up a conversation.
It was good to make memories.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2009 6:23 pm
Dalgeth backwinged to land in the bowl. The dust kicked up by his wings reduced the visibility of the bronze dragons already there to the whirling light of their eyes and abstracted glimmers of metallic hide. He landed and the dust began to die down. E'var jumped down, pushing back the flight goggles he had worn for even the short flight down to the bowl onto his forehead.
Telgar's wingleaders stood in a semi-protected space protected by the bulk and wings of their dragons. The bronzes rose stoic and serious about them as they gathered for their pre-Fall meeting with the Weyrleader.
J'son was already there. He had been the first to arrive. Darth shifted his head slightly to watch Larsunath descend.
There was no joking or casual greeting between the gathered riders. They waited, grim and silent, for the rest of their peers to arrive.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 10:42 am
Well I guess I did some good M'kael thought to himself positively.
You could do some more positive things by shining my scales. If I am to be the best I have to look my best Gorlith put in trying to cheer him up. Even M'kael was becoming down in the dumps--which was very rare. M'kael had seen the wingleaders dragons heading to their usual meeting place so until they were done he had some more time to kill. He decided to head down to where the people cleaned the weyr. He had chatted with a few of them and they were very lively. While he turned a corner wanting to grab a bite for the road so to speak, he nearly ran into a woman who had just exited the eating area. she was shorter than himself, with blonde hair. she couldn't have been younger than 18. She had a nice smile.
Looks like my luck has changed for the better M'kael thought to himself.
"Sorry if I nearly ran you over. I hope I didn't hurt you. My name is M'kael, M'kael Namathorn, and the name of such beauty is?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 5:25 am
((It's good someone remembered the name of L'san's dragon...XD))
Kampoth bugled back and then tilted his head toward the infirmary as he summoned his rider.
L'san showed up in the entrance to the infirmary and waved Iris and Ellieth in. He coughed a bit on the dust and had to cover his mouth and quickly retreat inside. He would take a look at Ellieth there. He was fairly sure she would be ok to fly today, since Iris had likely taken excellent care of her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
