Weyrling Lesson - Introductions

The weyrlings get their first group lecture.

Jenna - Wednesday, May 01, 2002, 8:14 AM
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Your location's current time: 8:28 on day 16, month 2, Turn 40, of the Tenth Pass. It is a winter morning.

Weyrling Barracks(#991RAJ$)
Row after row of stone couches line this gigantic cavern; weyrlings of all ages tend their dragons, hurry in and out, and perform various chores. Next to each couch is a small cot and press, so that riders can sleep by their dragons.

A small area is set aside near the north wall. It seems to be a classroom: the wall near it is covered in diagrams, as well as signs reading "Oil Daily" and the like. A large bin full of oil is strategically placed nearby, ceramic pots and long paddles lining the shelves behind it, ready to fill for an itchy dragon's oiling. Far in the back wall is a curtained partition that leads to the bathing cavern. Near the entrance is a dark, cool room with hanging slabs of meat and a gigantic bin filled with chunks for the young dragons to eat. Against a wall not far away are a few long tables where the Weyrlings take their meals.
+view is available.
A wide opening to the east opens out into the Bowl.
Contents:
Raith
Eishith(#5656OVabepst$)
Tenkanoth(#16972Vapst$)
Taisoth(#2323JOVaps$)
Randoth
Teth
R'dall
Weyrling Status Board
Laide
Oil Bin

J'tal comes through the wide archway to the east which leads to the bowl.
J'tal has arrived.

J'tal comes in whistling, as usual for his good nature, and nods in greeting to those he passes. He stops by the table at the far end to greet Valry and get a daily update from her.

Jenna is just waking up for the second time today. Easy to see why. Niyath is bumping the cot gently with her muzzle to try to get her 'mate up. Jenna mumbles, "Five more minutes, Niya. Jus' five."

F'niah comes through the wide archway to the east which leads to the bowl.
F'niah has arrived.

Hanreth has arrived.
J'nas has arrived.

Hanreth practically bounces from his couch, knocking J'nas off in the process. The weyrling peers around the room through bleary eyes, not even getting up from the ground. "What time is it?" he asks sleepily.

J'tal chuckles at J'nas, "Time for you to get out of that cot, lad. C'mon, the lot of you. We've things to discuss today."

J'nas struggles to his feet at the sound of J'tal's voice. He salutes the assistant weyrlingmaster, "Good morning, sir."

F'niah shuffles inside, Sanreth so close behind as to nearly stick his head between Sef's elbow and body. "Go on, go lie down," the boy urges quietly, sending Saneth off to curl up in his couch. "What sort of things, sir?"

Jenna rouses, as Niyath turns towards J'tal eagerly. Time for Important Things. She gets a face full of her lifemate's twitching tail, and groans, "I'm up, I'm up." She gives J'tal a groggy salute, automatically pulling on a sweater as she leaves the warm comfort of her cot.

J'tal returns J'nas' salute with an amused grin, "Good morning, Weyrling." He says to the rest of the alert and present Weyrlings, "Come over here and gather around. We're going to talk about the life of a Dragonrider, because that's what you all are." He gestures to the large table and chair that are around. As one pair approaches, he says to them, "No, no Ella, leave Murtoth over there on the couch and you come over here where you can take notes if you want. I promise, he can hear and you're not going far."

J'nas takes a seat at the table after convincing Hanreth that it was time for business, not play. The brown snorts derisively at the mention of work.

As Sanreth all but slides into his couch, asleep nearly at once, Sef tugs his tunic straight and attends the other bluerider. "What sort of talk, sir?"

J'tal says to F'niah, "What you need to expect as a Dragonrider."

Jenna has a whispered conversation with Niyath, who looks utterly disappointed at not being allowed in the crush of riders. The gold clamors up onto her couch so she can see better, as Jenna comes forward with the others, still trying to wake up. A hide and stylus is grabbed as an afterthought.

R'dall perks up, paying attention.

J'tal smiles as everyone settles down, "So. How is everyone today? Getting the hang of being a Weyrling?"

F'niah says "I think so, sir? If 'getting the hang of' means getting used to being woken up at all hours for feeding and mucking and oiling. All the dragonriders don't do this, do they?"

J'tal nods his head, "Of course, F'niah. We were all Weyrlings once. Lapeth would /not/ stop itching, no matter how much oil I put on him. I didn't sleep the first turn we were together, I think." He chuckles.

Jenna smiles ruefully at that statement, "I've used up a barrel I think already. She grows armlengths overnight, I swear it."

J'tal smiles at Jenna, "I'm sure she has and I'm sure you have used up a barrel already. And you've all learned how to cut meat properly, bathe your dragon, and understand what is your own hunger and what is theirs. That's a great start."

F'niah casts a dubious look over his shoulder at his couch, then back. "But... you don't /still/ do this, do you?" He considers the few awake dragonets doubtfully before adding, "They didn't mention that in any of the songs..."

J'tal smiles at F'niah, shaking his head, "No, but my dragon has stopped growing. He doesn't require daily oiling, only three or four times a week. /However/ he now takes two to three hours to oil and I have to use a ladder sometimes. He can go to the Feeding Grounds himself and knows what and how to eat, but it's up to me to do my duty to the Weyrherder and the Beastcraft to make sure my dragon is well fed here at home. And there are a great many things that you don't do as a Weyrling that will be your daily duty as a full Rider." He looks about at the other Weyrlings, "What are some of the things you see the fighting pairs do on a daily basis that you wonder about?"

Jenna grins a bit at F'niah, and then raises her voice, "Sweeps? Drills? That sort of thing?"

F'niah and a greenrider about halfway down the line say simulataneously, "Flights?" Sef blushes, but the greenrider only grins.

J'tal laughs and nods, "Aye, drills and sweeps and even flights. You will always see a flight of dragonriders in the air practicing their drills. There is always a dragon coming or going on sweeps. But /why/ do we do drills? And why do we do sweeps?"

A hand goes into the air hesitantly from one of the bronzers. "Well, sir, for drills - I mean, it's hard to get my lad to remember that he did just eat a few hours ago. They've got awful short memories, don't they?"

J'tal nods, pointing out the young bronzeling, "Very true. Dragons do have short memories. But if you do something over and over and over again, you don't forget it. They always know the way home, for example. Home is the one place a dragon can get without visualization from their rider."

F'niah offers, "We do sweeps um... so the Holders and such know who their dragonriders are? Besides just the Weyrleaders and Wingleaders?"

J'tal hms at F'niah and asks, "Is that why you think we do sweeps really? Anyone else have an idea what a Dragonrider does on sweeps?"

Jenna pipes up, "Look for signs of early fall? Or irregular fall? Or people stranded?"

F'niah flushes, but the girl next to him pipes up, "So we're familiar with our territory!"

J'tal nods to Jenna, "Right. Sweeps are something we do all year around to make sure all is well with the lands that we are beholden to. So, a few riders fly sweeps over each area for a number of hours every day to look for problems, which can come in any shape or size. Whenever something happens that the Holders or Crafthalls need rider help on, we're there. We do everything from... looking for a lost calf to rescuing an entire Trader family caught in a flood. From the air we can see more and our dragons can sense more than a group of people on foot on the ground." He nods to F'niah, "We also work with the Lord and Lady Holders and Craftmasters so they know who the riders are who are protecting them and helping them. Do you think you need to learn anything to work with such nobility?"

R'dall muses, "People of rank buy clothing for novelty. Novel clothing can be priced significantly higher than utility clothing."

J'tal laughs at R'dall, "Just don't say that to any Lord or Lady Holder, will you?"

Jenna offers a trifle diffidently, "Well, as a runner, I learned that there's much you have to keep to yourself. Discretion is always a key word when dealing with people of rank."

F'niah's expression twists into a 'huh?'. "Well, I'm a bluerider. I'm not gonna have to talk to them, not like Jenna is."

J'tal nods to Jenna, "Indeed. Etiquette. How to act in front of those we're beholden to and those of rank. It's not our job to tell someone of rank our opinion of them, but to always show them the utmost respect. You're representing Fort Weyr from now on and you're now more visible to everyone because of your lifemate." He snorts at F'niah, "Jenna's duties will be to play hostess, but you and the others will be the ones who deal with these people on a daily basis outside of the Weyr. Jenna may have to make trips out of the weyr from time to time to perform her duties, but you will talk to a Craftmaster or Lord Holder daily with sweep reports, deliveries, messenger service, and passenger transport. /You/ are the faces that are Fort Weyr to these people."

F'niah looks less than thrilled by the idea. "So what do the Wingleaders do, sir? I thought they were the ones that did all the reporting?"

Jenna's nose wrinkles lightly at the suggestion of playing hostess, but she doesn't say anything aloud. Niyath gives a little rumble from where she sits on her couch, keeping an eye on the proceedings.

F'niah adds in a loud aside to his neighbor, "Saneth'd never stand for all those people looking at him anyway!"

J'tal says "Wing reports, sure. Daily, weekly, and monthly wing reports to the Weyrleader and Weyrseconds. They are in charge of drills, discussing and researching Threadfall patters, training their riders to be prepared for anything. When you do a sweep report, you give a copy of the report to the area leader, and a copy of the report to your Wingleader, who in turn gives a copy of your report and the reports of all the other riders in his wing to the Weyrseconds, who study them and look for patterns, problems, and the like. All of this information then goes to the Weyrleader."

Jenna gets a little cross-eyed at the number of times the older rider says 'report'. "That's a sharding lot of hidework," she mumbles half under her breath.

J'tal grins lopsidedly at F'niah's comment, "Oh, he'll get used to it. As will you. There will be people who like you only because you're a dragonrider. On the other hand, there will be people that loathe you for the exact same reason. We have a title of rank because we were chosen by these amazing beasts to be their partners for life. It's a wonderful blessing and a huge burden at the same time, but what those who haven't Impressed do not understand is that the blessings far outweight the burdens. You will grow to naturally know your dragon's mood, his color, his habits, what he expects from you and what you will expect from him. And in the end, it's worth every backbreaking, exhausting moment of life with your dragon.

J'tal clarifies so there are no questions asked, "You will be taught about flights later when your dragons are old enough to understand the information."

F'niah too looks exceedingly dubious. "And then the Weyrleader has to do something about it all, I suppose. Good think I'll never have to worry about being Weyrleader. Poor R'tran!" He cocks his head to one side, considering the older rider. "That's good, I suppose. Saneth's so full of questions already I don't need to add in another topic."

Jenna grins as a greenrider next to her nudges her and murmurs, "If we miss the lecture, does that mean it'll all just go away? Hope so."

J'tal continues, "So, as a Dragonrider your obligation is first and foremost to your dragon. Second, you are obligated to your Weyr, meaning your duty. Third comes family, and fourth, always last, comes yourself. Your dragon is always going to be fiercly aware of his duty and obligation to the Weyr. When you have doubts or are dragging, it's your dragon's duty to get you up and on to the duties he shares with you for the day. You'll understand this better when hunger and itching aren't the main concerns of that beast of yours." He winks, "So, you'll learn what your duties are specifically and how to do them, you'll learn etiquette, you'll learn to understand your dragon and his or her health, you'll learn what it means to represent the Weyr, and you'll learn what you and your dragons are capable of as a team as well as individuals." He grins, "Did I miss anything?" He looks from face to face expectantly.

F'niah lifts a hand just above the level of his shoulders. "How long /will/ he be eating, sleeping, and itching so much?"

J'tal ahs at that, "He's growing. He'll be doing this for the next few months, as long as your dragon is growing at this rate of speed. It'll slow down dramatically after a turn, but you'll see it taper off in the next few months. Dragons reach their full growth at two turns."

Jenna asks on the heels of that, "When do they get to fly?" Niyath half unfurls her wings, already a bit big to fully extend them without crowding others. "And should we be doing any exercises to get them ready for it?"

J'tal grins at that, "Not just yet. Let them get their legs beneath them before offering them the sky, my old Weyrlingmaster used to say. It'll be quite some time before they're flying. In a few weeks we'll beworking to strengthen their wing muscles, but that's hard to do when they're interrupting you with demands for food or oil at this stage."

"How big are they gonna get?" asks the greenrider near Jenna. "F'niah's blue is smaller than my Faeith - but I thought blues were bigger!"

J'tal shakes his head to the greenrider, "Not always. Some greens are larger than the smaller blues. Your green should grow to be twenty to twenty five meters, but we can't tell what she'll be at this point."

Jenna looks faintly disappointed at the 'not for a few sevendays' on the flying, but nudges the greenrider companionably, "Trade you oiling? Niyath's nearly half that already."

The greenrider snorts back, and grins as she shakes her head.

J'tal looks around at the group, "Any more questions? Did I clarify enough for you?"

Jenna nods. "I think so, sir? I'm sure more questions'll come up. They have so far." Her lips twist, as Niyath rumbles a quiet agreement.

"No questions, sir," F'niah agrees, looking back at his couch again as a blue head wavers above the edge of the wallow. "Uh-oh... Saneth's hungry again. 'Scuse me?"

J'tal nods then, "Alright then, you're free to do your chores and care for your lifemates as you will. Just come find me if you have any questions."

F'niah hardly takes the time to flip J'tal a salute of sorts before he's weaving through the crowd, trying to beat Saneth to the meat.

Jenna makes her way back to Niyath as the meeting breaks up. She murmurs, "Well, I didn't expect it to be earthshattering news, love. They'll save that for later. Is that an itch?" She scratches absently at her own shoulder. "Let's get you some oil, and then we'll go have a look round the bowl, hm?"

J'tal smiles and moves back from the table, heading for the entrance.

J'tal steps out through the cavern's arch into the open space of the bowl.
J'tal has left.