Post by IceFire on Apr 25, 2009 21:17:58 GMT -6
---|A|---
Agenothree: A common chemical on Pern, HNO3. It was used in flamethrowers to produce a charring gas that burns Thread, now it may be used as a weapon or holders may use it to clear the land.
Airsled: A transportation vehicle used by the Pern colonists. Non-existent anymore, Landing refrences still refer to them as the main fast transortation and defense against Threadfall before dragons.
AIVAS: Artificial Intelligence Voice Activated System. The computer that gave Pern the plans to sent the Red Star away forever.
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Belior: Pern's largest moon
Between: The strange, cold, black area of nothingness. A dragon may go between and come out in a different location.
Black Rock: Coal
Blooding - The means by which queen dragons obtain a quick, lightweight source of energy for their flights. Firelizards and Green dragons have no need to blood. The term 'blooding' can also refer to how a wher and handler strengthen their bond. The handler cuts open his palm, and his wher licks the blood from it, thus each showing the other that they trust each other with their lives.
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Candidate: A person, typically between 12 and 21 years old that stands at a hatching in hopes of Impressing. Those who are Searched can be forced to come to a Weyr against their will, though usually this is not approved.
Crafthall (Hall): Crafthalls are the 'guilds' of Pern.
Crawler: Type of Pernese insect that humans find really annoying
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Day Sisters: A trio of stars visible from Pern. Also called Dawn Sisters
Dragon: Genetically engineered from fire-lizards to better fight Thread, their main purpose is gone - but they are still protectors of Pern. They are highly telepathic and a bit less empathic, and bond to a rider at birth. They need their rider to live (and most of them time, vice versa). They are ranked by color and size. They are "cousin" to the fire-lizards and the ugly watch-whers. They grow big enough to carry a rider, or even multiple riders, and they have the powers of teleportation (between), telepathy (and empathy), and telekinesis (not known well outside the Weyrs, and in small doses). They have hide instead of skin or scales, large wings maybe double their length, four clawed feet, and powerful hindquarters and jaws. Their eyes are multifaceted and change colors thanks to their emotions. They need to be oiled often to prevent the hide from going dry and breaking, and their color pales when they are unhealthy. At birth they choose the most likely candidate out of those on the Sands and they tell this person their name (ending with "th") and if the rider is male, they shorten the boy's name with an apostrophe.
Dragonhealer - See Weyrhealer
Dragonet: A young dragon.
Drudge - Typically lazy, mentally deficient or otherwise incapable of applying themselves to a Craft. Drudges generally cannot or do not perform a task without considerable supervision. Note: Drudges are not Candidate material. Also, Weyrfolk and Holders who work within their Weyr or Hold are not necessarily Drudges.
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Eyerock - A stone situated in the center of the Star Stones. Times of Threadfall can be predicted by when the Red Star is rimmed by the Eyerock.
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Fall - The approximate fifty turns in between Intervals in which Thread actively falls from the sky. During times of Fall, clutch numbers increase significantly.
Fellis Juice: A narcotic painkiller that can be addictive. It is created from Fellis Tree fruits.
Firestone: A phosphorous-bearing mineral which dragons chew to produce flame.
Firelizard (Flit): They are like miniature dragons, their DNA being the basis of the process that engineered dragons. They are small, usually an arms length at full growth, growing up in a matter of weeks. They have thinner and streamlined bodies than those of dragons, and can only communicate by pictures. They are extremely intelligent, though don't always understand humans. They develop unique personalities, Impressing anyone, usually the first that offers them food shortly after hatching.
Flight - Also called Rise. Flight refers to the mating of a dragon or firelizard. Due to the extreme empathic pull of a Flight, non-dragons within the vicinity of a Green may experience a strong desire to mate, while an entire Weyr or Hold may be strongly affected by a Gold's Flight - particularly if the Gold is the Senior in the Weyr. Population booms have been known to occur nine months after a Gold's Flight.
Fostering: A system where the young are brought up by a couple other than their blood relatives. Common within the weyr
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---|G|---
Gather - A large festival in which people gather to sell and trade their wares and celebrate. Gathers are only held on days without Threadfall, or day in which Thread falls out at sea.
Glow: a light-source which can be carried in a hand-basket.
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---|H|---
HAD: Hear All Dragons. They are able to hear what other rider's dragon's speak. They are very rare.
Hatching: A public event where a clutch hatches and the dragonets impress
Hatchling - Newly hatched dragons or firelizards.
Harpers: The teachers and entertainers. They educate the young of the hall, hold, and weyr through the Teaching Ballads. The Masterharper is responsible for training the younger harpers, the appointment of harpers to Weyr, hold, and hall, and the discipline of the harpers.
Headwoman - the senior Weyrwoman's second in ensuring that the Weyr is properly maintained and supplied. Headwoman positions are often drawn from within the Weyr - either Weyrfolk with experience or female candidates who have failed to Impress and undergone rigorous training.
Herdbeast - May refer to ovines (sheep), bovines (cattle), caprines (goats), and swine (pigs). Herdbeasts are kept in Weyrs for dragons to feed on; Holds supply them as part of their tithes.
Hold: They are generally built into a cliff or a cave system, and are where the common people live and work. A Hold is administered by a Lord Holder.
Honorific - A tradition and convenience amongst dragons and their riders to elide names as a means of making them quicker to say during Threadfall. Typically female Weyrlings adopt a nickname as opposed to an Honorific (EX: Lars as opposed to Larsette), though females are able to take on honorifics when their names calls for it (EX: E'line as opposed to Eiriline). Canonly, the Honorific may be chosen by the dragonet, but more often it is decided by the Weyrling or a higher ranking rider. In most DRoP roleplays, the dragonet nearly always chooses the name.
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Impression: The choice of rider made by a newly-hatched dragon, which occurs at a Hatching. The dragons choose their riders, and the lifelong bond between dragon and rider begins through the joining of their minds.
Interval: The period of time between passes where no thread falls. They were normally 200 turns but there were the occasional Long Intervals lasting up to 400 turns.
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Jr. Weyrwoman: A female dragonrider who rides a queen, and is understudy to the Senior Weyrwoman.
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---|K|---
Klah: A hot stimulating drink made of tree bark and tasting faintly of cinnamon.
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---|L|---
Landing: The place where the original settlers landed and set up base. On modern day Pern it is the place where most scientists go to first learn, and one of the few places with more than a couple of computers. Most great technological ideas come from the Technicians and Computers Crafts which had a Hall here.
Lifemate - For dragons, refers to riders and vice versa.
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Marks - The currency of Pern in the forms of smooth wooden, stamped disks.
Month: Four Sevendays
Mutant: Product of Shimari's Stones. Creatures and even plants touched by the stone were marked by it, and their children would have strange abilities or looks, with a matching scar in the same place and the same shape as their parents. The scar would be one or two colors - the color of teir primary mutation and fading into a second color if they had a secondary mutation.
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Nameday - Also called Turnday.The Pernese birthday.
Needlethorn: The needles of the plant can be used as syringe for injections and to draw blood.
Numbweed: It's a medicinal cream which, when smeared on wounds, kills all feeling it is used as an anesthetic. If too much numbweed is used it will cause bleeding and scarring. To prepare the salve, it requires 3 days of stewing, then 1 day to strain it, and the juice skimmed to the right consistency for the salve.
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---|O|---
currently none
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Pass: A period of time during which the Red Star was close enough to drop Thread on Pern.
Pern: Third of the star Rukbat's five planets. It has two natural satellites.
Proddy - The term given to the erratic behavior exhibited by female dragons pre-Flight. Proddiness can last several days before, or a mere matter of hours. Proddiness is comparable to the emotional PMS symptoms exhibited by female humans.
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Queen Candidates - Females specifically groomed for the Impression of Gold dragonets.
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Red Star: Pern's stepsister planet. It has an erratic orbit. No longer a problem.
Rising - See Flight
Rukbat: A yellow star in the Sagittarian Sector, Rukbat has five planets and two asteroid belts.
Runnerbeast: Also, 'runner'. An animal adapted to Pern's conditions. There are racing, farm working beasts, and placid riding types that are distinctly bred for these conditions.
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Search - The process by which candidates are selected for the Weyr. A Search is typically conducted by Green and Blue dragons, who are more sensitive to the criteria for a good candidate.
Sevenday: A week on Pern
Sky-broom: The wood is difficult to work, but highly prized in the WoodcraftHall. Its used for some harps and other instruments. It's also the highest quality of material for a painter's 'canvas'
Star Stones: A figuration of stones set up on the rims of a Weyr used to foretell the arrival of a pass, which is when the red star can be seen through the eye rock.
Sweetsand - The Pernese equivalent of soap. Different herbs and perfumes can be added in scent the sweetsand to preference.
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Thread: A parasitic organism that originateed from spores from the Red Star, which descend on Pern and burrow into it, devouring all organic material they encounter. Only stone and metal are impervious to Thread. The best way to fight Thread was to burn it out of the sky before it can hit ground; but water can also destroy the silver strands by drowning them.
Timor: The smaller of the two moons of Pern
Trundlebug - pollinators by nature, trundlebugs are rather beetle-like in appearance.
Tunnel Snake: Technically not snakes because they do have six pairs of legs, these creatures are a minor annoyance to the people of Pern.
Turn: A Pernese year.
Turnday - See Nameday
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Unhatched Eggs - Within any given clutch there will be several that do not hatch. These are taken Between for disposal. Speculation upon the reasons for unhatched eggs range from incompatible human personalities to underdeveloped dragonets.
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currently none
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Watch-dragon: the dragon whose rider has pulled a watch duty on the Weyr roster. A watch is generally 4 hours long. During a Pass, they watch for any erratic Threadfall that might, by chance, occur. Also watch for anyone entering or leaving the Weyr.
Watchwher: Also known simply as 'whers'. An ungainly nocturnal creature, a cousin to the dragons. They are vicious when aroused, protective of those they see as friends. They are used as a watch dog in the holds and halls, but can also be used in mining ventures.
Weyr: a home of dragons and their riders.
weyr: the individual living quarters of a dragon and his/her rider
Weyrharper: The Harper for the dragonriders, usually a dragonrider him or herself. They teach the weyrlings and other youngsters with traditional songs and lessons.
Weyrhealer: Also known as Dragonhealer. A healer specially trained in dragon anatomy, though of course they do have knowledge of human anatomy, but while their can be many Healers - some Impressed, some assigned there - Weyrhealers are few and far between and especially covetted.
Weyrleader: The rider of the dragon that has mated to the queen of the Weyrwoman during her flight. The Weyrleader is in charge of the fighting wings of the Weyr, responsible for their conduct during battle, and the discipline of all riders. He is chosen when his dragon flies the Senior Queen.
Weyrling: Dragons and their riders up to about two years old. They are still learning under the Weyrlingmaster and usually have a strict code of conduct.
Weyrlingmaster: Teacher of Weyrlings. Can be male or female, on any dragon but a queen.
Weyrsecond - The Weyrleader's second in command. Chosen by the Weyrleader or if the Weyrleader has no preference, by the next Flight of a junior queen.
Weyrwoman: the rider of a dragon queen, and co-leader of the Weyr, along with the Weyrleader. She is responsible of the conduct of the Queen's wing during battle, under the Weyrleaders orders; for the care of the dragons, riders, and all Weyrfolk. She appoints all subordinates, insures that all tithes are delivered and collected, and mediates disputes among riders. As any dragon or rider will obey the queen dragon of the Weyrwoman, or the weyrwoman herself, she is one of the most powerful people on Pern. She is chosen when her dragon Flies after the old Senior dies or retires, traditionally.
Wherries: a type of fowl roughly resembling the domestic turkey of Earth, but about the size of an Ostrich.
Wingleader: The dragonrider in command of a Weyr's fighting wing, the Weyrleader is in charge of all the fighting wings, usually in the main one.
Wingsecond: the dragonrider second in command to the Wingleader.
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currently none
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currently none
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currently none
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---|Pernese Curses, Oaths, Explicatives, Sayings, Slang|---
A dragon among the wherries: a cat among the pigeons
A hard roll to eat: something hard to do, or take in
A hunk of firestone: all gas and ash: a blowhard
Acting like a green in heat: meaning acting randy, horny or very explicit in a sensually/sexually way (literally) and maybe also said of someone who overreacts badly.
Acting [or other verb] like a suncrazed wherry: doing something crazy, acting crazy and wild
Bend a tail: a euphemism for defecating. Actually only true for dragons but used by humans too.
Betting against a Bitran: doing something that is destined to fail, taking on an impossible task.
Blood will tell: meaning that one's true nature eventually will always show or prevail
Born under the Red Star: said of someone who is evil, generally disliked or (very) unlucky
Bronze interests: to have bronze (you can substitute bronze by another color) interests means a dragon wouldn't mind being flown by the dragon he/she is indicated to have "interests" in. Probably also applicable to human situations, but in that case more in a humorous way.
By the Egg: mostly an exclamation of surprise but also used as kind of an oath
By the Egg of Faranth: mostly an exclamation of surprise but also used as kind of an oath
By the first egg: mostly an exclamation of surprise but also used as kind of an oath
By the shards of my dragon's egg: over my grandmother's dead body
By the Shell: mostly an exclamation of surprise but also used as kind of an oath
Catch two fish on one hook: catch two birds with one stone
Crackdust: an expletive indicating annoyance or disbelief. Also used like our 'nonsense', 'blasphemy', etc. (sometimes used to point out an obvious lie: That's so much crackdust, and you know it!)
Deadglow: a numbskull, a stupid person. The term is derived from glow; a glow that has died sheds no light.
dimglow: a not too bright person. The term is derived from glow, a glow loses his lightning abilities gradually, so a "dim glow" does not shed much light.
Each egg hatches a different way (but a crack at the right time speeds things up): Everything comes in its own time, but spmetimes a little help with make things happen faster/better
Eggshells: Mild curse
Faceted as dragon eyes: something (or someone) that has many sides to it, like a difficult case or someone's character.
Fardles: an expletive indicating annoyance.
Flying winglight: having few Wingriders in Wings when fighting Thread. Also used to describe a situation where there are not enough people to do something.
Free-marked: free of any charge
Great Faranth: Pernese equivalent to 'Good Lord' or the like
Great shells and stars: an expletive indicating annoyance or disbelief
Harper's winter tale: a fairy tale, an untrue story
Has a dragon's two stomachs: said of someone who has an endless appetite
Heard and witnessed: a traditional confirmation when somebody else makes an oath or promise, made voluntarily and meaning the person who makes the statement confirms the oath and will see to it that it is carried out
Hidebound: Pernese slang for a person who is set his ways
If you are hungry enough, even tunnel snake tastes good: meaning that under dire circumstances people will do things they normally wouldn't.
It will be a warm day between before...: it will never happen
It [or expression] won't matter a grain of sand in Igen: not important in the long run
Left out for Thread: being left out, fending for your own in a bad way. Said when someone needs help (very badly) but does not or did not get it.
Like dragon, like rider: like father, like son
Scorch It: an expletive indicating annoyance, surprise or disbelief. Also equivalent to our 'shove it'.
Shards: an expletive indicating annoyance or surprise
Shells: an expletive indicating annoyance or surprise
Smokeless weyrling: useless
Southern sized: (unusually) big, large or even meaning out of proportion.
Starting to chew firestone: said of weyrlings that have completed their basic training
Tail fork first: backward
Take a long hop between: Go Away!
Taking a short dragonride: a euphemism for abortion. To end an unwanted pregnancy a green rider could go between on their dragon, resulting in losing the baby
That's well dusted: It's nasty or unpleasant
The hindmost falls between: the one who falls behind gets left behind (can also be used like 'last one in is a rotten egg'!)
Thread-lost: Being out in the open while Thread is falling
Thread will come and get you: equivalent to 'the bogeyman will get you'
Through Fall, Fog and Fire: to stop for nothing
Trying to anger a Crimson: Extremely difficult if not impossible (actually not true for the hot-tempered Crimsons of BOW)
Wherry hunt: wild-goose chase
Wherry teeth: nonsense; I don't believe you
