Dragon+of+Pern

=Dragons of Pern=

The Dragons of Pern have been used for centuries to battle the thread that threatens Perns very existence. The thread has caused the human inhabitants (who are not native to this planet) to find shelter in caves. The thread falls from the sky when the Red Planet is in a certain orbit. Any thread that reaches Pern will instantly kill anything it touches and then multiply. Once the area is dead, it takes centuries for it to come back. Nothing will be able to live or grow in that area during that time.
 * History:**

Humans discovered that fire can burn the thread and water drowns it. Unfortunately it takes a large amount of water. It is dangerous to fight the thread with fire once it reaches the ground and there is still damage to the land even if they can kill it. That is where our dragons come in. The dragons can produce fire when they are fed phosphine-bearing rock. During flight with their rider, the dragons are able to char the thread before it falls to Pern. They are also able to transport between time and space, but this takes a very strong dragon and talented rider, as they could easily die during this transport phase called Going Between.

Over time, the riders and dragons (so named due to their resemblance to the Terran mythological creatures) became Pern heroes who are respected by all. For the riders and their dragon Wyers were hand hewed from the mountains over the caves. The people who live in the caves then provide for the dragons and their riders in return for all they do to protect Pern.

Children who show potential early in life are trained to be riders. This alone however does not guaranty that a child will be a rider. During training the children are taken to the hatching grounds to see the eggs. Their hope is that they can somehow bond with the egg so the dragon, once hatched, will choose them for their rider.
 * History of the Riders:**

The dragon chooses it’s rider shortly after they are hatched. Children who the Weyr hopes can become riders stand on the hatching ground when the eggs harden. When a dragon chooses his rider, it is called Impression. Once a dragon has an Impression with a human, they are forever bonded to each other. They are even able to read each others mind. This is how they communicate.

The Queen lays her eggs shortly after mating on the hot sands of the Hatching Grounds. The Queen will then violently guard her eggs until they are ready to hatch. At first the egg shells are extremely soft and easy to damage. It is believed that disturbing the Hatching Grounds or even upsetting the Queen During the hardening phase can damage the dragons within the eggs. It is against the law to do this and is punishable by the Weyr leader. Over time the egg shells begin to harden. Once they are hard to the touch they will start to vibrate and the Queen will sing. At this point the hopefuls (riders) are brought onto the ground to await the hatching.
 * Hatching Grounds:**


 * Dragon Types:**
 * Golden Dragons: These are the Queens. They produce the eggs and in some Weyrs they are not allowed to fight thread. Golden Queens are the fastest of the dragons.
 * Bronze Dragons: These are usually the mates to the Queen and as the second fastest dragons, they usually belong to the Weyr leader. They are also strong and brave.
 * Blue and Green Dragons: These may be either male or female, but rarely will a blue or a green lay eggs. Although the male dragons are usually slower than the bronzes, they have been known to mate with a Queen.
 * Brown Dragons: These are usually the slowest or the dragons, but are very smart.
 * White Dragons: These dragons are very rare. They are the smallest of the dragons, but do have special abilities which are only now being discovered.
 * Dragonets: These dragons are extremely small, usually the size of a bird of prey. They are prized as pets, for those lucky enough to Impression one, and will be a wonderful guard for them. They also sing. Once again we are just learning about their skills and uses. They are good at annoying the dragons!

Dragons feed on a herding animal called a -. Riders must closely monitor their Dragon to make sure that they do not over eat. The young will often over eat and not be able to fly or even walk sometimes. This is very unhealthy.
 * Feeding Habits:**

Dragons mate during flight. The Queen (keeping in mind she is the fastest dragon) takes off from her weyr. All the males take off after her. The one who can catch her, mates with her. While this is usually the bronze, there have been cases of blue, green and even brown dragons mating with Queens.
 * Mating Habits:**

Although the Dragons of Pern can live for hundreds of years, if they have Impressioned with a rider, they often choose to die when the rider does, or “Go Between”. This is done via their ability to transport through time and space; they simply chose to not return from the Between place.
 * Lifespan:**