Post by Kit on Feb 3, 2011 3:06:34 GMT -5
A Weyrling's Life For Me?
The newly Impressed pair are now called weyrlings, and they live in the Weyrling Barracks, situated on the other side of the weyr from the Candidate Barracks, in a somewhat isolated spot, and only connected to the Lower caverns on one end. Weyrlings are kept away from the body of the weyr through most of their training, having their own common bowl for all their outside duties and separate maeltimes, except at dinner, where they sit at their own table. The weyrling barracks is structured much like the candidate barracks, there is a girls side and a boys side and still no doors to their rooms. But they each have their own rather larger cubicle, with a bed, desk, a lockable chest, shelves, and the stone couch their dragon sleeps on. Bigger dragons get the bigger rooms, out of necessity, but after a small clutch, everyone may get fairly large ones. Weyrling training last eighteen months and there is no intimate relations allowed for the first nine. The dragons find it very upsetting when they are young and easily confused, some hatchlings have died that way.
Weyrlings also adhere to a strict schedule.. it is exactly like candidates, only they wake up at dawn with their dragons and get an extra hour in the morning to bathe and oil their lifemates, and weyrling morning lessons about dragon care, weyr history, and dragonrider duties, and afternoon lessons are drills, first on the ground, and then in the air. Dragonets can start to fly at the age of four months, sort of a clumsy glide. They can take extended flights by six months, but they cannont bear their riders' weight until they are eight months old. Weyrlings move into their own weyrs at nine months. Greens start rising at nine to ten months, and males start to chase about that time. Reds and silvers rise at about one turn of age and grays and golds can be two or even three turns old. About this time, air drills become more serious and organized, focusing on teamwork and working in ever larger groups. During the Interval, training ends when they are placed in a wing at fifteen months, but during Threadfall, it is somewhat different.
The last month of their training is mostly about testing their abilities, both rider and dragon. This is where the wingleaders will watch them to place them in a wing. Blues, greens, and whites will be tested for Searchdragon capabilities and reds, browns, bronzes and blacks for leadership qualities. Gold and silver weyrlings will go through another year or more of training with the Weyrwoman, up through their first mating flight and hatching of their own dragon's clutch before they take on their full duties.
Weyrling lesson schedule:
Month one:
Dragon feeding, bathing and oiling
Dragon first aid
Empathy link basics
Month two:
Straightening the empathy link
Using a dragons eyes:(Blindfolded obstacle course.)
Rider and dragon fitness
Month three:
Knots and weyr etiquette
Unmounted swim lesson
Ground drills begin
Month four:
First unmanned flights
First dragon hunts
Firestone grading
Month five:
Making and maintaining riding straps
Choosing the saddle star (special lesson with Arktos)
Proper harnessing, speed harnessing
Month six:
Mounted swim lesson
Firestone grading and bagging
Unmounted aerial drills
Month seven:
First mounted flight
Mounted aerial drills
The dragon toss(firestone tossing)
Month eight:
Weyr sexuality and flight procedures
Greens, grays, reds and all males begin to receive firestone
First flames
Month nine:
Choosing a weyr
Greens begin to rise, and males begin to show interest
Firestone and flamethrower basics
Month ten:
Giving clear destination coordinates
First assisted betweening
Flame accuracy drills
Month eleven:
First betweening alone
Live flame aerial drills
Courier duty begins
Queenriders stop regular lessons and begin private lessons with Weyrwoman and Second
Month twelve:
Reds and silvers begin to rise, all males should be Chasing, save whites
Colors brown and smaller begin to reach full growth
Dragons able to carry passengers
Search and rescue drills
Month thirteen-fifteen
Advanced aerial drills
Search tests and leadership evaluations
Wingleaders and seconds begin to watch drills
Month fifteen- eighteen
Weyrling lessons end for non- queenriders
During intervals weyrlibs are immediately graduated and placed in wings
During the pass, weyrlings begin firestone relay until blooding:
Eighteen months- three turns
Queenriders receive continued instruction under Weyrwomn and her second until their dragons first clutch hatches.
Fly with me:
After fifteen months of weyrling training, it is time to fly in your first Fall. But you won't be placed in a wing. First, you'll do firestone relay, bringing firestone to the other wings. It is dangerous work, because you don't know what you're getting into. Many weyrlings are scored badly when they come from between right into a clump of Thread. Your first threadscore is called your 'blooding.' If you survive your blooding, you'll be placed in a wing. There is a deep tradition surrounding this, where the Wingleader comes to the weyrling's table and taps the weyrling on the shoulder. He says "The Weyrleader has permitted me to fly with you." and you know that you have been placed in his wing. You'll leave the weyrlings table, and sit with the wing that night, and from then on, you will adhere to the practice and Fall schedule of that wing
The newly Impressed pair are now called weyrlings, and they live in the Weyrling Barracks, situated on the other side of the weyr from the Candidate Barracks, in a somewhat isolated spot, and only connected to the Lower caverns on one end. Weyrlings are kept away from the body of the weyr through most of their training, having their own common bowl for all their outside duties and separate maeltimes, except at dinner, where they sit at their own table. The weyrling barracks is structured much like the candidate barracks, there is a girls side and a boys side and still no doors to their rooms. But they each have their own rather larger cubicle, with a bed, desk, a lockable chest, shelves, and the stone couch their dragon sleeps on. Bigger dragons get the bigger rooms, out of necessity, but after a small clutch, everyone may get fairly large ones. Weyrling training last eighteen months and there is no intimate relations allowed for the first nine. The dragons find it very upsetting when they are young and easily confused, some hatchlings have died that way.
Weyrlings also adhere to a strict schedule.. it is exactly like candidates, only they wake up at dawn with their dragons and get an extra hour in the morning to bathe and oil their lifemates, and weyrling morning lessons about dragon care, weyr history, and dragonrider duties, and afternoon lessons are drills, first on the ground, and then in the air. Dragonets can start to fly at the age of four months, sort of a clumsy glide. They can take extended flights by six months, but they cannont bear their riders' weight until they are eight months old. Weyrlings move into their own weyrs at nine months. Greens start rising at nine to ten months, and males start to chase about that time. Reds and silvers rise at about one turn of age and grays and golds can be two or even three turns old. About this time, air drills become more serious and organized, focusing on teamwork and working in ever larger groups. During the Interval, training ends when they are placed in a wing at fifteen months, but during Threadfall, it is somewhat different.
The last month of their training is mostly about testing their abilities, both rider and dragon. This is where the wingleaders will watch them to place them in a wing. Blues, greens, and whites will be tested for Searchdragon capabilities and reds, browns, bronzes and blacks for leadership qualities. Gold and silver weyrlings will go through another year or more of training with the Weyrwoman, up through their first mating flight and hatching of their own dragon's clutch before they take on their full duties.
Weyrling lesson schedule:
Month one:
Dragon feeding, bathing and oiling
Dragon first aid
Empathy link basics
Month two:
Straightening the empathy link
Using a dragons eyes:(Blindfolded obstacle course.)
Rider and dragon fitness
Month three:
Knots and weyr etiquette
Unmounted swim lesson
Ground drills begin
Month four:
First unmanned flights
First dragon hunts
Firestone grading
Month five:
Making and maintaining riding straps
Choosing the saddle star (special lesson with Arktos)
Proper harnessing, speed harnessing
Month six:
Mounted swim lesson
Firestone grading and bagging
Unmounted aerial drills
Month seven:
First mounted flight
Mounted aerial drills
The dragon toss(firestone tossing)
Month eight:
Weyr sexuality and flight procedures
Greens, grays, reds and all males begin to receive firestone
First flames
Month nine:
Choosing a weyr
Greens begin to rise, and males begin to show interest
Firestone and flamethrower basics
Month ten:
Giving clear destination coordinates
First assisted betweening
Flame accuracy drills
Month eleven:
First betweening alone
Live flame aerial drills
Courier duty begins
Queenriders stop regular lessons and begin private lessons with Weyrwoman and Second
Month twelve:
Reds and silvers begin to rise, all males should be Chasing, save whites
Colors brown and smaller begin to reach full growth
Dragons able to carry passengers
Search and rescue drills
Month thirteen-fifteen
Advanced aerial drills
Search tests and leadership evaluations
Wingleaders and seconds begin to watch drills
Month fifteen- eighteen
Weyrling lessons end for non- queenriders
During intervals weyrlibs are immediately graduated and placed in wings
During the pass, weyrlings begin firestone relay until blooding:
Eighteen months- three turns
Queenriders receive continued instruction under Weyrwomn and her second until their dragons first clutch hatches.
Fly with me:
After fifteen months of weyrling training, it is time to fly in your first Fall. But you won't be placed in a wing. First, you'll do firestone relay, bringing firestone to the other wings. It is dangerous work, because you don't know what you're getting into. Many weyrlings are scored badly when they come from between right into a clump of Thread. Your first threadscore is called your 'blooding.' If you survive your blooding, you'll be placed in a wing. There is a deep tradition surrounding this, where the Wingleader comes to the weyrling's table and taps the weyrling on the shoulder. He says "The Weyrleader has permitted me to fly with you." and you know that you have been placed in his wing. You'll leave the weyrlings table, and sit with the wing that night, and from then on, you will adhere to the practice and Fall schedule of that wing
