The World of Pern(tm) is copyright to Anne McCaffrey (c) 1967. The Dragonriders of Pern(r) is a registered copyright. This is a log of roleplay on PernMUSH, available online by permission of Anne McCaffrey, author of the Pern novels, and recorded by A.S. Korra'ti (piper@murkworks.net), player of Mehlani of Telgar Weyr on PernMUSH. This log may be distributed freely as long as this header remains intact. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Log Date: 9/22/1997 Log Cast: (Firelizards) Ezra, Holl, Ged, Sterling, Kunzite, Dare (People) Alexi, Mehlani, Gwynden, K'tyn, J'lyn, Jehrina, T'bin, Makear, Ceria, Elyandra, F'hlan, Alexi, Suzot, Danton Log Intro: As in Hold or Hall, so too with a Weyr: life continues in all of its cycles. Littles grow up to be young men and women; they Impress their dragons and their firelizards, or join Crafts. Their firelizards rise to mate, if female; they chase the rising ones, if male. So has the young bronze who looks to Mehlani, F'hlan's daughter, done this very evening. And even as bronze Tzornth's rider goes looking for his offspring to try to look after her in the aftermath of what her firelizard has done, another aspect of life occurs in the Weyr as the elderly auntie who has presided over the Living Cavern for as long as many can remember comes peacefully to the end of her Turns.... [This log is a companion log to salless-death.txt, from F'hlan's point of view.] ---------- Holl> Holl(#6542p) Holl> Fire and sunlight meet and meld into a hide that is the classical shade of bronze. The gleaming metallic color covers this fire lizard from snout to tailtip, with the exception of his slightly oversized wings. The wings are crosshatched with bold red and faint golden stripes, making him look, oddly enough, like he's wearing plaid. When he trills, he trills sweetly, liquid notes sailing skyward; at all times, silent or not, he seems to regard the entire world with a warm tenderness in his little whirling eyes, particularly when his chosen human is in view. Holl> You head south. Holl> South Bowl(#298RL$) Holl> The southern half of the bowl is the largest. Its expanse stretches out, partitioned into sections by the color of the ground. The shore of the lake stretches out to the southwest. The bowl's patch of wildflowers, gardens and a few small small trees stretching out in that direction also, grading into the Runner Pasture. The rest of the southern bowl is pressed earth as hard as rock, raked with dragon talons from turns of launchings and landings. Towards the weyrling barracks, the ground is scarred in regular patterns from the performance of age-old drills. The rest of the ground is scarred more irregularly, and a large pile of firestone is stacked neatly by the wall. The ground also has black stains from the firestone. The training grounds and the meadow are both covered with a blanket of pure white snow, though it is trodden down in dragon-wide paths where the dragons move. Holl> Snow falls silently but heavily around you. Holl> Contents: Holl> Kunzite Holl> Dare Holl> Sterling Holl> Ezra Holl> Obvious exits: Holl> North Bowl Feeding Grounds Runner Pasture Lake Shore Weyrling Barracks Weyr Entrance Holl> Ezra glares at all those distasful /males/ that are ariving. SHe gives out anouther shriek at them to leave her alone! Holl> Holl wings into view, shortly thereafter followed by a nervous-looking brown. Both of the males' eyes whirl redly, and Holl, swifter than brown Ged, dives headlong towards the gathering pack, his gaze focusing immediately on the glowing female. Holl> Sterling cocks his head to view the glowing green. Winking his eyeridges, scratchs at the snow covered grounds in antisapation. Holl> As Ezra sees Holl arrive she finally snaps. As the snow swirls about her glowing form. she pumps her wings with new found energy and soon soars above the males. Holl> Kunzite hisses a little as he spies the other males, turning the hiss into a sweet warbles as he looks at Ezra. Holl> Holl doesn't bother to land. The bronze instead wings skyward again, throwing off poor brown Ged as the smaller and shyer male desperately pumps his wings to keep up. Holl> Dare takes that gust of flight as a challenge and quickly bursts into flight to meet it with a fierce downbeat of teeny verdegris wings. Holl> Kunzite launches himself into the air, his darkly bronze form elongating as he pushes himself through the air to chase after the gleaming Ezra. Holl> Sterling flaps his wings as he attempts to gain air space. Wheeling quickly to avoid the rising of another male he tarrys momentarilay in his climb after Ezra. Beating strongly he soon catchs up to the other males in the air. Holl> Ezra pumps higher and higher oblivous to the snow that tries to weigh her down and stings her eyes. SHe trumpets again her hate for those below her. Then without warning she turns around and dives at them the wind pushing her faster. She splits their ranks and zooms over the bowl florr. Holl> Holl loses some of the precious lengths he's gained in trying to keep up with Ezra... and is thrown off by her sudden maneuver. Brown Ged actually manages to keep better pace, his wings flittering furiously as he zips ahead of the bronze, though Holl doesn't take too long to recover and is immediately back in Ged's wake. Holl> Dare darts in and around Ged, but then drops back behind Holl, still managing to keep ahead of Sterling. But his pace is erratic, in fits and starts, and places him just about anywhere in the pack at any particular moment. The greeness of his wings is very different from the other flyers. Holl> Kunzite warbles after the pretty green, her agility an amazement to a largish bronze such as he. As she turns about and comes back, he croonz excitedly, and tries to entangle her wing with his...instead, he flutters and falls toward the bowl floor, only managing to straighten himself out at the last second. Gamely, he uses his greater strength to again try to catch up. Holl> Sterling flips a summersault as he comes head to head with his object of passion. Straightening out he takes a dive after her. Cooing softly at her glissening hide as he decends. nearing the floor he straightens out and glides over the dusty snow, disturbing it not. Holl> Ezra then climbs higher then before, fighting against the snow. SHe squeels as Kunzite breifly touches her. SHe then swerves as Sterling comes after her, so she just climbs straight up in desperation. Holl> Ezra takes flight, using the thermals rising from the bowl to carry her aloft. Holl> Ezra has left. Holl> Kunzite takes flight, using the thermals rising from the bowl to carry it aloft. Holl> Kunzite has left. Holl> Dare takes flight, using the thermals rising from the bowl to carry him aloft. Holl> Dare has left. Holl> Sterling takes flight, using the thermals rising from the bowl to carry him aloft. Holl> Sterling has left. Holl> You spring into the air and catch the thermals rising from the bowl floor to carry you aloft. Holl> Southern Bowl Airspace(#1353RLe) Holl> You hover above the southern end of the great bowl of Benden Weyr. Jutting from the walls of the Weyr are many ledges that lead to the individual dragonweyrs. Directly below you are the sands of the southern bowl, and just off to the side is the part set aside as the Training Grounds for the weyrlings. Close to the training grounds you can see the waters of the Weyr lake and the large pen that serves as the dragons' feeding grounds. Holl> Snow falls silently but heavily around you. Holl> Contents: Holl> Sterling Holl> Dare Holl> Kunzite Holl> Ezra Holl> As the snow comes down, both Holl and Ged lag behind, their wings beginning to falter as the flakes gather on their sails. Being the larger, Holl catches up first, and is the more visible of the two, his reddish wings glinting as he spirals upward through the snowfall. Ged drops behind, creeling in growing exhaustion. Holl> Kunzite pumps strongly after Ezra, saving his breath for a croon that seemingly erupts from him spontaneously as the lovely green darts hither and yon and then moves straight up, an easier target with her straight course. Holl> Ezra soon begans to tire and tries to use tact, but due to the fact this is her first flight, she doesn't have much. She still screams hate, but tries to hide in the snow. WHat she does't realize is her glowing body is like a beacon as she tries to sink a little witout losing her speed. Holl> Sterling climbs higher as does his growing passions for the green and the flight. Being smaller and more agile, he twirls as he climbs the air currents saving his strangth for the more daring paths still to come. Holl> Dare pumps after Ezra, darting through the sheets of scattered white flakes with unflagging energy and enthusiasm. Holl> Enough of this -- at least, for brown Ged, who drops like a rock back towards the floor of the Bowl, his strength petering out as the little brown yields to the demands of his overstrained wings and blips *between* to seek the shelter of his human's weyr. But Holl, eyes whirling vividly violet-red, presses on, putting out more power to _his_ wings to keep himself aloft, and he closes the distance between himself and the back of the pack. Glowing Ezra is now tantalizing near, and the bronze presses himself all the harder. Holl> Ezra flares her wings and comes to an almost stop before she does a somersault in mid-air and ends up now behind the pack of fighting males. SHe chortles at her supposed cleverness and flits quickley in the oppisate direction of the males. Holl> Holl, on the tail end of that pack, abruptly finds himself in front of it. With a bugle of delight, he whips about as quickly as he can manage in the frigid air, arrowing straight for the green, too intent now to try any subtle maneuverings. Holl> Kunzite is a dark, gleaming shape in the snow swirls, limned in white. His eyes, a lambent purple, flare as the green flips in the air and goes the other way. Tiring, but still energetic, he turns to push after the lithe gleaming green, caroling to her. Holl> Dare drops like a rock about a foot, but uses the drop to change directions and keep pursuing after Ezra. Holl> Kunzite Holl> With a dark bronze, nearly black hide that glistens like a sullen gem, this graceful, arrogant Bronze peers about his domain, gracing everyone with his glorious existence. Vocal, eloquent, he comments on all that he sees. Holl> Sterling Holl> This small, wirey bronze has a mottled greenish bronze hide, like the color of aging copper. His wings are fine, almost transparent, and his frame is well-formed, right up to his wedge-shaped head. His eyes sparkle wickedly, and you see a hint of challenge and mischief in them. He wears the bands of an Istan bronzerider. You groan as you remember who he looks to....Shards, what are T'bin and he up to now? Holl> Dare Holl> This lovely blue lizard is the exact shade of fine sapphires. He is perfectly proportioned, and very bright. His temperment and easy going manner gives testiment to his love and devotion to his pet. He wears a braided red and brown ribbon collar that marks him from Ruatha. Holl> Sterling Coo's again as he makes changes to his flight to follow Ezra's. Beating harder now to pass the larger and stronger lizards he seems singal minded in his stuggle. Holl> Ezra finally begins to slow and drop back. SHe tries valently to keep her speed, but the snow and her dwindling strength cause her to falter and become /way/ to close to the pack. Holl> At last--she's so close! Holl bugles, clearly and sweetly and breathlessly, and puts forth his last reserve of strength to try to reach that glowing green beacon so enticingly near. Holl> Dare darts forward to sieze the moment too. Dart. Seize. Holl> Sterling countinues to fight his way forward as he see's his disrire slowing. He bobs the air currents to ease his battles. Wings spread wide and legs drawn up he dives toward Ezra. Holl> Kunzite stretches his wings the slightest bit, and curls his neck and tail forward in anticipation of seeing the green drop back, so tantalizingly close. Warbling again to her, he ingores tehe other males, knowing that it is his own dark glory that might tempt her. Holl> Ezra feels all of the males closing in on her. SHe tries to pull upon reserves, but they are gone. As her blue/green wings slow and falter the males close about her. SHe tries to evdae, duck and drop, but to no use, they are swarming about her. (okay one more pose from everybody now) Holl> If a fire lizard in flight can be said to spring, Holl does so, a burst of desperate speed making him leap ahead by a length or so. His wings outstretched to their fullest, whipping against the silently falling snow, the bronze reaches forward with desperate claws... Holl> Kunzite watches Ezra struggle against the wind and weather almost sadly. Why, if she were to rest in his embrace, there would not be any need for her to struggle so-- he has strength aplenty. Darkwings flaring, his neck and tail seek her sleek green form. Holl> Dare comes in low, dreadfully close to the sharp claws, in order to find a vector of approach that isn't all ready taken by some other firelizard. It's a risk, but he'll take anything for the chance to catch this glowing green. Holl> Sterling croons as he wings closer. The glowing green drawing him onward as his wings use up the last of his strangth. He inches closer and tries to catch Ezra with an out reached claw as he sees her slowly desending due to her spanning strangth. Craning his head he aim and moves. Holl> Ezra feels a tail twine with her's and a neck curl about her own and claws grasp her as an extra wieght almost seems to fall upon her. The ready cry in her throat turns to a crroooonnn as she is finally caught by the bronze Holl. SHe willingly twines her glowing beacon of a form about him in the cold driving snow. Holl> Kunzite hisses with dismay, and turns away from the pair. Holl> Dare spirals away. Holl> Dare goes home. Holl> Dare has left. Holl> Kunzite flies towards the north end of the bowl. Holl> Kunzite has left. Holl> From the North, Kunzite goes home. Holl> Sterling whirls his eyes as he flies off in another direction Holl> Holl, for once, yields to the drive of the instincts of his kind--at any other time, he would be with his precious bonded human. But here and now, the young bronze finds far more joy in twining about the green as the two of them plummet, more controlled now, through the soundless snow. Holl> Sterling has left. Holl> Zibrith leaps from Zibrith's Ledge and flies into the air. Holl> Zibrith has arrived. Holl> Zibrith flies towards the north end of the bowl. Holl> Zibrith has left. Holl> From the North, Zibrith flies downward to the ground. [The sensation of her little bronze winning his first mating flight is overwhelming indeed for young Mehlani--but not even that tide of sensation can block out something else that reaches her as she hides alone in the Weyr. Outside she can hear dragons beginning to raise their voices in mourning--and not for nothing has 'Lani been raised by a dragonrider. She knows what it means when the dragons keen. Shocked back to coherence, she runs off in search of the one person who can assure her all is well: her father F'hlan, who is in turn looking for her. She finds her father in the Living Cavern, but Mehlani finds out something else: that the dragons keen for the passing of old Salless....] You walk past the lintel and into the wide living cavern. Benden Weyr's Living Cavern(#750RJ$) This huge cavern is sufficently roomy to hold a large portion of the Weyr's population without feeling cramped. There's always a bustle of activity here. Fragrant dishes are constantly in prepartion for mealtimes: currently for the late meal. Drudges are always present, either cleaning under Salless' watchful eye, or helping fetch and carry. A myriad of glowbaskets and many ever-lit hearths make the cavern warm and inviting despite its size. The scents of cooking meats, baking breads and pastries, and the pungent aroma of spices hang mouthwateringly in the air. It is little wonder that those seeking to relax nearly always find their way here to do it. Branches of evergreens and glistening winter berries are ornaments of the season. A short tunnel jaunts eastward out to the bowl and the merry sounds of cooking, chores, and laughter echo from the kitchen at the southwest end of the cavern near the westerly passage to the rest of the lower caverns. To the southeast is an entrance to the infirmary weyr to care for injured dragons and riders. Contents: J'lyn Gwynden T'bin Alexi Kassima F'hlan K'tyn(#7313PJOUce$) Elyandra Jehrina Danton Suzot J'lor Ceria Salless Scrap of Hide Athena(#9341V) DRINKS, courtesy of Apprentice Suzot and Journeyman Enpici. Obvious exits: Lower Caverns Kitchen Bowl Alexi looks up at the sound of the Dragon keening, then looks to K'tyn, "I'll help if necessary..." Mehlani stumbles into the cavern, white of face, looking horribly shaken. Her clothing--breeches and jacket--and her hair are quite disheveled, and the girl's blue eyes are huge, nearly black with dismay. Her gaze scans the room, and when it alights on her father, 'Lani makes a tiny little squeak of a noise and stumbles to him, mumbling, "Da?" Gwynden blinks a bit, not taking it in for a moment. "Died? Dead? Like when the summer goes away and the flowers -- die?" Whispering again, her face seems to fall. "But... she can't be. Who will take care of the weyr?" K'tyn moves for Salless, and stands near her. For a moment he smiles, remembering her acid comments, and the many many plates of food she prepared for him. He looks up, at T'bin, and at the others around him, accepting the tears and pain. "J'lyn, T'bin..Garant. You think we can manage? She looks...much smaller than I thought she was." He nods at Alexi. "My thanks for the offer, Alexi." "As will I, Weyrleader," J'lyn says, his voice cracking slightly. Jehrina says "Use one of the largr benches... it will be easier that way." T'bin takes a deep breath, gritting his teeth, and nods. He helps arrange Salless on one of the benches. Makear walks here from the Inner Cavern. Makear has arrived. Ceria sobs, still stroking the little brown firelizard she holds in her lap. Elyandra buries her face in M'larr's shirt, refusing to watch and stifling her sobs. Makear looks upon the scene with wonder of what she missed. SHe quietly slips into a dark cornor where no one will notice her. Hearing his daughter's voice, F'hlan immediately turns to the young girl and wraps a gentle embrace around her shoulders, drawing her close and shifting Ged into a jacket pocket, to be better able to hold his daughter. Alexi moves closer and waits for any instruction... Suzot straightens, just when it was thought that the girl couldn't get any taller. "Benden'll have to take care of herself," she tells Gwynden. "Salless - deserves a vacation." Danton says quietly to Gwynden, "Someone will. Here, sit down," he suggests, "You alright?" T'bin, with a surprisingly clear head, gestures Alexi to the other end of the bench and helps lift it up. Alexi says softly, "Aye, Suzot, that's the truth." Salless has left. T'bin lifts Salless into his arms. Alexi moves to the bench and lifts. J'lyn hefts the bench with help from the others. K'tyn helps lifting, as well. Suzot stiffens into firm resolution and goes deliberately to stir the klah. Tiny, a tiny action, but maybe someone seeing it will feel the message the Vintner subconsciously means to convey: life goes on. Her bottem lip trembeling, Gwyn is at a lost for words. Watching the men move the dear woman, tear after tear slips down her usually rosie cheecks. "But," she croaks out, "You come /back/ from vactions..." T'bin stops, trembling for a moment, then grits his teeth and leads the way towards the entrance of the living cavern and the blowing snow outside. Jehrina takes another deep breath, refusing to crack in the middle of the living cavern. She simply watches the group of men lift the bench. K'tyn looks at Jehrina, andthen at F'hlan. He nods, then helps T'bin carry Salless out. T'bin walks down the short tunnel and out into the bowl. T'bin has left. Alexi walks down the short tunnel and out into the bowl. Alexi has left. K'tyn walks down the short tunnel and out into the bowl. K'tyn has left. Kassima watches with respective silence, unable to look away even as her fire-lizards softly echo the dragon's keen. She bows her head as the bench is lifted, and murmurs, "'Twas the best way for her t'go, I think. In the Cavern, surrounded by Weyrfolk... and happy." J'lyn sniffs back hot tears, and helps carry Salless's body out. J'lyn walks down the short tunnel and out into the bowl. J'lyn has left. F'hlan catches the young Weyrleader's eye and nods to him over Mehlani's head, even as the lass, figuring out quickly what's occurred, breaks into a silent torrent of sobs. With a bit of stiffness to his motion, Tzornth's rider stoops a bit, scooping the delicate girl up into his arms and murmuring to her, "C'mon, miteling. We'd better get you somewhere warm." From Ceria's arm, Defiant croons softly. No longer near Gwynden, Suzot is mercifully not there to give the only replies she could give, which would probably sound callous and uncaring. Never mind about her bleeding knuckles; she hasn't got any way of explaining death to a little. It's just as well. Cradling his offspring to him, careful not to squash her against the pocketed brown in his jacket, F'hlan limps stiffly out into the Bowl, murmuring a request for pardons as he exits the scene. [End log.]