Post by Raelyn on Nov 27, 2011 10:04:36 GMT -5
Pern is a small earth-like planet from Anne McCaffery's SciFi/fantasy series, Dragonriders of pern.
The story is that colonists from far in the future leave civilization far behind to start an agrarian society on a far distant planet - Pern. The colonists discover Wherries, a bird-like species, the deadly Tunnel Snakes, and the empathic Firelizards (which resemble miniature dragons of terran myth), among Pern's natural flora and fauna. The creatures in general seem inclined to 3 sets of limbs (arms, legs, and either wings or a third set of arms/legs), green blood, and faceted, jewel-like eyes. Having also brought their own animals from earth, the group of colonists, which includes genetic scientist Kiti Ping, ex-governor Boll, and ex-Admiral Benden as well as other families and individuals. Pern seems like paradise, a beautiful new world to explore.
Until Pern's dark secret is revealed. Every 200 years or so, a carbon- eating, deadly, mindless organism they name 'Thread' falls from the skies, brought to the planet by Pern's sister planet (the 'red star'). It devours everything it touches... including humans, and animals, and greenery. It burrows into the ground and kills, destroys. Everything... except fire, water, metal, stone, and non-carbon-based materials. (Fire and water, as well as cold, kill it, and it cannot consume stone, metal, or sillicates). With this knowledge, the colonists begin to do what humans always do: try to find a way to fight back.
Like ducks, and yet totally unlike them, baby firelizards 'impress' on a human who feeds them at the time of their hatching - however, the firelizards' 'bond' with their human is more telepathic/empathic than a simple mother/child sort of thing... the small creatures can fly, are intelligent, chew phosphorous 'firestone' and belch out flames, and can teleport 'between' locations. If only, the colonists remark, the firelizards were many times bigger; they could ride their flaming 'dragons' to fight the deadly Thread where it falls. This inspired the scientists, who entreated geneticists to do exactly that - make the firelizards bigger. Eventually they do, and wind up with Dragons, intelligent highly loyal and moral sentient creatures the size of large horses, capable of carrying riders, in addition to lifelong empathic and telepathic bonding to a person of their choosing, flaming, and teleportation capabilities of their firelizard cousins.
With the hatching of the first clutches of Dragons, the resourceful and intelligent natures of the human colonists, and a temporary solitary government on Pern, they start their fight against Thread. Soon enough the dragons are old enough and strong enough and big enough to join their new life partners in flaming thread, flying 'falls, and evading injury by 'betweening'. The battle begins.
The battle ends some 3000 years or so later (?) with the discovery of old-tech artificial intelligence computer AIVAS, who helps the Pernese of the 9th Pass relearn vital skills they lost long ago in the hope of ending Thread for good. With the rediscovery of the 3 ships the colonists had come to Pern in being in orbit of the planet, and the awakening of cameras on board said ships, a dragon and rider, Lord Jaxom and his White 'sport', Ruth, between to one of the ships for the first time. It all culminates in an expedition to the surface of the 'red star', Pern's sister planet, to set off an antimatter explosion that forcefully propels said planet into a varied orbit around Rukbat, the Star... moving the planet far away enough that Thread will not be able to reach Pern. It succeeds.
This is where Moonlit Weyr comes in, a Weyr started in the years after the End of Thread in a dormant volcano. It's soon discovered that certain minerals present cause harmless changes in the eggs of dragons laid on the hatching sands : baby dragons hatch with strange new color combinations that only exist at Moonlit (and Cloud Dragonhold).
Raelyn of Lilac Judurith is the Weyrwoman, and her mate - Weyrleader of Moonlit - is G'rin of Bronze Nimirith.
__________
The story is that colonists from far in the future leave civilization far behind to start an agrarian society on a far distant planet - Pern. The colonists discover Wherries, a bird-like species, the deadly Tunnel Snakes, and the empathic Firelizards (which resemble miniature dragons of terran myth), among Pern's natural flora and fauna. The creatures in general seem inclined to 3 sets of limbs (arms, legs, and either wings or a third set of arms/legs), green blood, and faceted, jewel-like eyes. Having also brought their own animals from earth, the group of colonists, which includes genetic scientist Kiti Ping, ex-governor Boll, and ex-Admiral Benden as well as other families and individuals. Pern seems like paradise, a beautiful new world to explore.
Until Pern's dark secret is revealed. Every 200 years or so, a carbon- eating, deadly, mindless organism they name 'Thread' falls from the skies, brought to the planet by Pern's sister planet (the 'red star'). It devours everything it touches... including humans, and animals, and greenery. It burrows into the ground and kills, destroys. Everything... except fire, water, metal, stone, and non-carbon-based materials. (Fire and water, as well as cold, kill it, and it cannot consume stone, metal, or sillicates). With this knowledge, the colonists begin to do what humans always do: try to find a way to fight back.
Like ducks, and yet totally unlike them, baby firelizards 'impress' on a human who feeds them at the time of their hatching - however, the firelizards' 'bond' with their human is more telepathic/empathic than a simple mother/child sort of thing... the small creatures can fly, are intelligent, chew phosphorous 'firestone' and belch out flames, and can teleport 'between' locations. If only, the colonists remark, the firelizards were many times bigger; they could ride their flaming 'dragons' to fight the deadly Thread where it falls. This inspired the scientists, who entreated geneticists to do exactly that - make the firelizards bigger. Eventually they do, and wind up with Dragons, intelligent highly loyal and moral sentient creatures the size of large horses, capable of carrying riders, in addition to lifelong empathic and telepathic bonding to a person of their choosing, flaming, and teleportation capabilities of their firelizard cousins.
With the hatching of the first clutches of Dragons, the resourceful and intelligent natures of the human colonists, and a temporary solitary government on Pern, they start their fight against Thread. Soon enough the dragons are old enough and strong enough and big enough to join their new life partners in flaming thread, flying 'falls, and evading injury by 'betweening'. The battle begins.
The battle ends some 3000 years or so later (?) with the discovery of old-tech artificial intelligence computer AIVAS, who helps the Pernese of the 9th Pass relearn vital skills they lost long ago in the hope of ending Thread for good. With the rediscovery of the 3 ships the colonists had come to Pern in being in orbit of the planet, and the awakening of cameras on board said ships, a dragon and rider, Lord Jaxom and his White 'sport', Ruth, between to one of the ships for the first time. It all culminates in an expedition to the surface of the 'red star', Pern's sister planet, to set off an antimatter explosion that forcefully propels said planet into a varied orbit around Rukbat, the Star... moving the planet far away enough that Thread will not be able to reach Pern. It succeeds.
This is where Moonlit Weyr comes in, a Weyr started in the years after the End of Thread in a dormant volcano. It's soon discovered that certain minerals present cause harmless changes in the eggs of dragons laid on the hatching sands : baby dragons hatch with strange new color combinations that only exist at Moonlit (and Cloud Dragonhold).
Raelyn of Lilac Judurith is the Weyrwoman, and her mate - Weyrleader of Moonlit - is G'rin of Bronze Nimirith.
__________
