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 Posted: Sat May 26, 2018 4:49 pm
Introduction to Whers The underdog of the dragonkin, the Wher is by far the least popular. Most people consider the creatures unpleasant for a number of reasons. Even some of those that are bonded to whers will still acknowledge that they do have some issues. Standing from four to eight feet tall, whers are working beasts and it shows. The greatest strength of a wher is their heightened senses. These dragonkin have hearing, sight and smell far superior to humans. They are usually used in roles that utilise these skills; detecting hazards in mining, serving as guards, and sometimes as hunting companions. Whers are not pets, they are strong, both mentally and physically. Many a rich individual has found themselves in possession of a wher egg only to quickly lose control of the young creature. There is a strong population of whers existing in the wild, unbothered by human affairs. These whers are best left to their own devices if possible, but at times conflicts will arise between them and human settlers.
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Posted: Sat May 26, 2018 4:50 pm
Wher Colours Although wher colour does affect their size, unlike other dragonkin it has little effect on their build. A green wher can be more muscular and stronger than a gold given the right circumstances. A whers build is usually strongly dependent on their parents, leading to certain handlers choosing prospective mates with that in mind. Green 90% of green whers are between 4 and 6 feet tall. Unlike other dragonkin, green whers are not alone in being the smallest of their species. Equalling size on average with blues, there is little to tell the two apart. Green whers are however still the most numerous colour of wher, making up just under half of the population. When living wild, green whers naturally form female exclusive packs, because of this, handlers will often try to keep green whers in groups. Blue90% of blue whers are between 4 and 6 feet tall. The second most numerous wher colour, blue’s share their size with greens. In wild situations, blue whers will often form pairs or trios to stake out a territory that they can defend from larger males. As the most social of the male whers, blues are usually chosen to work in mines and larger holds, where having several whers is beneficial. Brown90% of brown whers are between 5 and 7 feet tall. Brown whers make up a sixth of wher numbers and are often the most versatile. A brown wher will often come out as a comfortable middle ground between the other colours, making them a popular choice for roles that require a variety of tasks. Wild browns are usually solitary, very rarely a brown will be accompanied by a smaller blue that is almost certainly a clutchmate. Bronze90% of bronze whers are between 6 and 8 feet tall. The rarest and on average largest of the males, bronze whers can also be the most troublesome. Bronze whers are strictly solitary. This means that they usually are chosen as guards for holds that only require a single wher. Despite their obvious distaste for other males of their species, bronze whers can still be dedicated and loyal to their bonded and tasks. Gold90% of gold whers are between 6 and 8 feet tall. The rarest of whers, golds are equal in size to bronze whers. Due to their rarity, gold whers are highly sought after, and gaining an egg large enough to contain a gold wher is an expensive endeavour. Wild golds will live in female groups, most often herself and several greens. It is rare for two golds to live in the same group. White The condition that causes whites in dragons can also be found in whers, however it is far from desirable. As white is a developmental complication this can be very dangerous for whers, which are already born less developed than most dragonkin. White whers cannot hatch without aid, many will also die within a short time of their hatching. They are prone to organ failure, most often the heart and lungs. The struggle with eye complications and hearing complications, often having poor hearing and vision. White whers are usually not considered to be fit for work and will end up out of place should they grow to adulthood.
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Posted: Sat May 26, 2018 4:52 pm
Abilities
TelempathyThere are those that would argue that whers have the weakest form of telempathy. However, this is actually because whers are generally quieter thinkers. Unlike with a dragon, wher handlers often don’t experience the same constant background noise. Similarly, whers are not prone to the overflows of information that firelizards are. Wher communicate is generally very concise. Whers will communicate through images, scents, sensation and emotion to get their point across. They do not have the ability to communicate in words, although they are certainly capable of understanding them when bonded to a human. There have been instances where whers have projected words as a form of communication. However, this is not the same as speaking as dragons do. The best a wher can manage is essentially a replay of a word they have heard at some point. Most often this is in response to frustration over not being understood, and is often limited to a handful of very familiar and simple words. SensesWhers are nocturnal, and this can be seen in their large eyes, which appear to have more facets than a dragon or firelizard eye, leading to a smoother appearance. These sensitive eyes are both a great strength for a wher and their greatest weakness. Capable of seeing as clear in starlight as a human can on a sunny day, wher’s are virtually colour-blind, seeing very muted shades of colour. A wher’s eyes are also extremely sensitive, sunlight will blind a wher and fire will do so if brought close enough to the wher's face. Even glowlight can cause a wher significant pain and it is imperative that a handler always be mindful of their bonded's weakness. Even if an attempt is made to shield a whers eyes from light, the knowledge of the light source may cause the wher to go into a state of panic drastic enough to make control impossible, leading to accidental injury. It is not just their eyesight, but also their sense of smell and hearing. Both are similar in level to that of a canine. Their hearing and sense of smell are often put to use in mines. Where the wher will be used to sense if the ground is shifting in an unfavourable way, or there is anything dangerous in the air. Command A wher's ability to command is largely tied to the golds physical strength, with larger golds able to exert more force than their more slender sisters. Whers can command firelizards to a degree, but often their command is strong enough that it will result in the firelizard fleeing in panic. If a gold dragon and a gold wher were to clash then it would depend greatly on the dragon's condition. Although a dragon could potentially control a gold wher, she would likely be set upon by the wher's pack while she held her down. Whers are likely to only use their command as a power boost in combination with physical force to establish their dominance and only in times of conflict. No dragonkin can command another to perform an action, they can only prevent them. Command does not affect non-dragonkin creatures. Between Whers seem capable of entering between, but not emerging. As such whers will only between to die, either out of panic or mortal injury. Flaming Whers are incapable of flaming. The consumption of firestone does not result in any gas production, then leading to vomiting of the stone back up shortly after consumption.
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Posted: Sat May 26, 2018 4:52 pm
Runs and Clutching The breeding of whers is rare. A gold wher will only rise around a dozen times in her life, breeding far less frequently than firelizards or dragons. It is not uncommon for there to be five turns between the clutches of even a young and healthy gold. Green clutches are even rarer, some greens don’t even clutch once in their lives. Interestingly a female whers likelihood of clutching is largely tied to her peers. A solitary wher will not clutch, although she may run periodically. It seems that whers will only clutch if they are in a pack of at least three members, combined with a steady supply of food and a suitable clutching location. In groups of all greens, only clearly dominant greens successfully clutch, packs that have no clear leader being unsuccessful. Wher runs are not sudden. Before her run comes the female will become increasingly vocal and wandersome. It is at this point that prospective males should be brought to a nearby location. In the wild this will cause males to come to the boarder of the female territory, calling and marking in an attempt to intimidate other males. Occasionally fights will break out amongst rivals. Subordinate females will run first, usually several days before the dominant female. This is seemingly test runs of sorts, allowing the pack to assess suitors over a longer period of time and pushing the males into more direct competition. Due to the nature of wher runs, a wherhandler is almost always in a vicinity of their wher's run. Whers don’t broadcast their emotions during the run, so only handlers will be affected. A wherhandler may find themselves more easily aroused than usual in the time surrounding a run, but this is usually ignored by experienced handlers. Once the dominant female has run, the males will be promptly chased out of the territory by the pack. Whers do not gestate for long, but the female will continue to hunt and interact with her pack in the meantime. She may also start burying kills as a cash for later. Approximately two weeks after her run, she will begin preparing her nesting area. Whers like to nest underground, making use of natural caves or digging tunnels of their own. These dens will often be large enough for the pack to squeeze together into, but in larger packs this might not be practical. If a bonded wher begins showing these nest preparing behaviours it is a good sign she will soon clutch. Once the eggs are clutched the wher will not leave her den. During this time her pack will hunt and provide for her. The clutchmother will use her body heat to keep the clutch at ideal temperature. Her packmates joining her if additional heat is needed. Usually a wher will clutch at least two eggs, the maximum being six. It is not uncommon for an egg or two to be consumed by the clutchmother within the first sevenday. Handlers accept that there is something wrong with the eggs and that the wher can sense it. The clutchmother will guard her eggs for approximately three sevendays before the clutch hatches.
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Posted: Sat May 26, 2018 4:54 pm
Impression Whers experience a relatively slow form of impression. Unlike other dragonkin, whers do not bond instantly, instead the bond forms over a number of days. Care must be taken to ensure that the wher is well cared for and plenty of affection given in the days after hatching, to ensure the wher bonds to the desired person. Whers are capable of impressing to those in their late teens and older, seeming to prefer more mature minds. Generally, bond forming occurs under two set of conditions. The first is that someone gets an egg and removes it from the nest. This is a risky endeavour. Whers are very protective of their nests and they do not take to their eggs being removed lightly. The egg is then kept by the human hoping to bond and the wher spending its first days exclusively with them. As bonding of whers, instead of keeping them chained in the traditional method, has become the norm this method is generally not considered the best in these instances. The second method, usually favoured by those that consider handling as a profession itself, takes place in the nest of the clutchmother. For this reason, it is advisable for a handler to provide their wher with a nest that is big enough to facilitate several humans and whers. The hopefuls must first gain the favour of the pack, introducing themselves and becoming familiar outside the nest. They are then allowed in and encourage to spend time with both the pack and the eggs. There is a divergence on ideals when it comes to pairing hopefuls and eggs. Some choose to do this before they hatch. Encouraging candidates to get familiar with the eggs enough to choose one. They will then purposely make efforts to bond to that egg and eventually the wher that comes from it. Others prefer the dragon way of doing things. Allowing the eggs to hatch and the candidates make efforts to bond to whichever wher approaches them. The final method is to not impose bonding at all. The candidates are to interact with all the whers once they hatch and allow an individual pair bond to form over the first few sevendays of the wher’s life. The method doesn’t seem to have any real impact on the strength or nature of the bond between handlers. Many handlers just choosing to use the same method for their whers’ clutches as they used to impress themselves. Once the bond is made it is very difficult to break, but it can be achieved. Whers are sometimes moved from one handler to another, this process can take months to achieve and both wher and human must be willing for it to succeed. Should a handler die, the wher may be moved to a candidate if the wher is still young. Older whers, however, will often decline rapidly and die shortly after their handlers.
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Posted: Sat May 26, 2018 4:55 pm
Growth and Development Whers are by far the steadiest growers of the dragonkin. This is potentially because a large part of a whers growth is attaining muscle. Unlike dragons and firelizards, who grow most of their muscle as they approach adulthood, whers are distinctly muscular from the time of their hatching. A juvenile wher will begin to "bulk out" very early in their development. This is one of the reasons why young unbonded whers must be dealt with as swiftly as possible as they can be lethal in just a few months. Wher eggs are most often circular, with a diameter of between five and eight inches. Hatching20% adult size When whers hatch they are completely defenceless. Their eyes are closed, they have no teeth and they can barely walk. Newborn wherlets are doughy in appearance and move around mostly by crawling and scooting on their stomachs. They find their way around by smell and become quickly familiar with the smells of their pack. Their eyes will remain shut for the first sevenday, even after opening their eyes their vision will be blurry. No light at all can be let into the den for at least the first two months to prevent damaging the eyes of the newborns. Their lack of teeth means that they must be fed by a packmate, although it is preferable for a candidate to do it to encourage a bond. Adult whers will chew meat for wherlets and feed them mouth to mouth. Candidates however are encouraged to provide them already minced meat by hand. 3 months35% adult size By this age the whers are toddling around. They are inquisitive and curious, but still very dependent on the safety of the den. It is at this point that the pack and their handlers can begin taking them outside. The wherlets will grow tired quickly, so these outings are often short bursts of excitement, before flopping over into a pile once more. The whers are still doughy, but at least now they look like dough with legs and necks. They’re uncoordinated and it is not unusual for a bounding wherlet to end up rolling head over heel. Luckily, they’re very durable at this age. 6 months50% adult size At this age wherlets are becoming more independent from their pack. They will still eat with them and sleep in the den, but this is the time that the bonded can start taking their wher out on ventures alone. The wherlets will also now start taking notice of their older packmates and start imitating their behaviour. Games are regularly interwoven with training goals, to try and get the whers to learn key skills from an early age. They are already capable of hunting with the pack, although usually their role is to simply run the prey towards the larger adults. Pudge is giving way to muscle, and it is now that their future build starts to come to the surface, depending on how much muscle they gain in the coming months. 9 months65% adult size Wherlets are now in training for their future role in life. Although they are clearly not adults yet, their temperaments and likely places with other whers is beginning to show. The females of a clutch will spend most of their time with the pack, while males may begin to wander. Bronzes and browns especially may start to become more distant at this stage, preferring to hunt alone, instead of with the pack. Blues can go either way, but if there is more than one blue in the clutch they will likely bond strongly to each other. It is around now that decisions will start being weighed regarding the future of the clutch, as the bonds they make at this stage may well impact the rest of their lives. 12 months80% adult size The pack is beginning to show hostility to the males. By this stage bronzes spend very little time with the pack, browns also likely being independent at this stage. Blues are unlikely to spend much time with the pack, unless there is only one, in which case they are more likely to hang around. This is the age where the male wherlets will start to move to their new homes. For bronzes and solitatry browns, this will be to a location that does not house a wher. Blues that have bonded to each other or two a brown in their clutch will ideally be moved to a new location. However, they may also be sent to a location with a solitary blue that has been part of a unit before. This is the most common path for solitary blues and especially sociable browns. Females may stay with their birthpack, or be moved. In the case of single females, it is usually preferable to keep her with the pack, if this is not suitable she should be moved to a join either another single female or a pair ideally. Pairs and larger clutches can stay, but are ideally moved to prevent overcrowding. As the females of the pack will not naturally drift in a comfortable environment, they will need to be gradually separated so as to not cause distress to the pack. As miniature adults, the whers may now begin taking up active duty. 15 months95% adult size The wherlets are now indistinguishable from adults. Their growth will be complete over the coming month. Whers that have left their pack will be settled into their new environment and actively taking part in their designated tasks. Any females that stayed with their birthpack will be functioning as any other member of the pack and will no longer be identifiable as the youngster of the group.
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Posted: Thu Feb 13, 2020 1:19 pm
Beastcraft and Whers HistoryIt's uncertain when exactly the Beastcraft began dabbling in purposely breeding whers. Officially the first whers bred under the supervision of the Beastcraft were hatched in Turn 93 of the latest interval. Since then these bloodlines have expanded dramatically, and most bonded whers are descendants from Beastcraft stock. At first the intention of breeding whers focused solely on temperament and build suitable for their traditional role as guarding. However, over the decades the roles that whers could fill were expanded, and with them the breeding programs organised by the Beastcraft. Now several distinct bloodlines and categories are managed by the Beastcraft. Although some will take a wher of any confirmation for jobs, believing that with enough training any job is possible. The Beastcraft are resolute in their belief that specific confirmations suit certain roles better, and market their wher pups as such. The Beastcraft is diligent in preserving their reputation. All whers officially sold by the Beastcraft will have documentation. One set in possession of the bonded, and another set kept at the Beastcraft Hall. To avoid forgeries, these documents are regularly updated, altered, and reviewed. Documents will usually contain a serial code in place of a name (As wher names can change throughout their lives), the bonded's name, any previous bonded individual's name, the location and date of the wher's hatching, their colour, their build, their markings, and their lineage. Roles Within the BeastcraftGuarding - Guard whers are bred to be large, muscular and intimidating. Bloodlines are chosen that show strength, perception, and loyalty. These whers are often used to patrol heavily inhabited areas at night. Most often these whers are assigned to Holds, but they are becoming increasingly popular for guarding herds. All colours of whers have been employed as guards, as there are few threats that can match a fully grown wher. Mining - These whers are often bred to be sleek, with exceptional sense of smell. Their job is to inhabit mines, detecting instability, poor air quality, and generally ensuring the safety of the mine they are assigned to. This role is often assigned to blues or browns. A pair or trio of greens may be assigned to a particularly large mining community. Racing - A popular event are large gathers, and a lucrative business for the Beastcraft. Racing whers functions in much the same way as racing dogs or runners. Although these whers are often bred for speed, they must also have enough musclemass to last a full race. An overly slender wher will tire too easily and is therefore unsuitable for racing. Any colour wher can race, although they are often entered into different racing categories depending on their strengths. Pest Control - A relatively new role, this often goes to the smallest whers. A common position assigned to runts, or whites. These whers need to be small and capable of moving easily through populated areas. They will patrol and deal with any pests in Weyr or Hold stores, rarely being found outside of large settlements. Status - There will always be those with enough marks to purchase a wher simply so that they can have one. The status wher bloodlines are few, and often offshoots of other bloodlines that produced particularly aesthetically pleasing individuals. These whers are bred to be as placid as a wher can be, although they are still far from the temperament of a firelizard or canine. Although conceivably any wher could be a status symbol, the most commonly chosen colour is bronze. Female whers come with the burden or requiring social companions, while bronze whers are large, striking, and solitary. Fighting - Not an officially condoned wher role, and not one that the Beastcraft actively breeds their whers for. However, many guard whers have found their ways into the fighting pits over the turns. The legality of wher fighting varies from Hold to Hold. Being outright illegal in some, to an undesirable, but ignored, pastime in others.
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Posted: Thu Feb 13, 2020 1:34 pm
Wher Confirmation All whers can be categorised into the Beastcraft build confirmation. These are terms assigned based on the whers musculature and size. BuildUndermuscled - This wher is lacking in muscle to the point it is undesirable. They have little in the way of stamina, and struggle in physically taxing roles. Lean - This wher has a sleek build. They are not built for stamina, but rather quick and agile movement. Standard - Neither particularly muscular or sleek. A common build amongst wild whers and usually considered an acceptable build for multiple roles. Muscular - This wher is heavily muscled, to the point that they are obviously bulkier than their kin. Overmuscled - This wher has excessive muscle to the point it is undesirable. They are not very agile at all and will struggle in roles that require fast movement. HeightGreen and Blue Tiny - 3'6'' to 3'11'' tall Small - 4'0'' to 4'8'' tall Standard - 4'9'' to 5'3'' tall Large - 5'4'' to 6'0'' tall Huge - 6'1'' to 6'6'' tall Brown Tiny - 4'6'' to 4'11'' tall Small - 5'0'' to 5'8'' tall Standard - 5'9'' to 6'3'' tall Large - 6'4'' to 7'0'' tall Huge - 7'1'' to 7'6'' tall Bronze and Gold Tiny - 5'6'' to 5'11'' tall Small - 6'0'' to 6'8'' tall Standard - 6'9'' to 7'3'' tall Large - 7'4'' to 8'0'' tall Huge - 8'1'' to 8'6'' tall Beastcraft Approved MarkingsAmong whers, markings often will move down family lines. These are the markings which the Beastcraft officially breeds for. Non-beastcraft whers are likely to have these markings, as well as potentially having undocumented markings. Markings are listed in their dominance, meaning they will cover any marking below them on the list.    
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