Post by Phoenix Fawkes on Feb 7, 2008 2:54:34 GMT -5
This are only a few Key terms that I've decided to post in here. If you're interested to know more and kick up your Pernese vocabulary, the site I found these will be posted at the bottom of the page.
*** Bolded Terms are key (or commonly used terms) ***
Abortion - It is considered evil in the Holds, but is often a necessity in the Weyrs, as pregnancy makes it difficult for female dragonriders to perform their primary function, which is fighting Thread.
Agenothree - HNO3, the chemical used to dissolve Thread. It is used in sprayers by groundcrews.
Apprentice - The lowest craft rank.
Badges - They tell which Hold, Craft, or Weyr the wearer belongs to. People wear them in conjunction with rank cords.
Benden - The territory in the northeastern quadrant of Pern's Northern Continent. It is the region of the second oldest Weyr to be founded.
Bowl - Usually, this means the floor of the volcano that houses a Weyr. For Weyrs which are not located in a volcano, it refers to the wide, open area where dragons can take off or land, and where Weyrling ground drills take place.
Blackdust - Thread that has been frozen and killed in cold air. It falls to the ground during Pern's winters.
Beastherders - Ranchers, also shepherds.
Bubbly Pies - A favorite Pernese dessert, often sold at Gathers as little tarts. They are best eaten hot.
Burrow - Thread that has penetrated the ground and that has begun consuming plant and animal life. It must be destroyed by groundcrews.
Candidate - A person who has been accepted for Search.
Candidate Robe - The white robe that a Candidate wears to a Hatching, to indicate that he or she is a candidate.
Couch - A stony wallow in an individual rider's weyr, where the dragon sleeps.
Crafters - Pern's equivalent of degreed professionals. They work in a variety of trades, governed by a pseudo-guild system.
Dawnsisters - A trio of stars in the Pernese eastern sky. They were later discovered to be the three starships which brought the original colonists to Pern.
Dimglow - A derogatory term for someone who is dull or foolish.
Dolphineers - Humans who work with dolphins. Some humans can communicate telepathically with dolphins.
Drudges = People who perform unskilled labor at a Hold, Crafthall, or Weyr.
Fair - The collective term for a group of firelizards in flight.
Fellis - A Pernese sedative, widely used. Often combined in a juice for easier application
Firestone - A light, phosphine-bearing rock, which dragons chew to produce the flames they belch. It comes in various grades of quality.
Flamethrower - The instrument a goldrider uses to burn Thread. A gold dragon may not chew firestone, because she will become infertile, if she does.
Fireheights - A trench dug along the top of a Hold. It is filled with oil just prior to Threadfall, and the oil is set alight to destroy any Thread which might fall into it.
Gathers - Pern's equivalent of county fairs, held on restdays when no Thread is due.
Glows - A light source, usually contained in a basket. They are made from bioluminescent lichen which are kept alive in a liquid solution.
Groundcrews - People responsible for checking the ground for signs of burrowing Thread. If a burrow is spotted, it is the groundcrew's duty to destroy the Thread before it can spread elsewhere
Harpers - The craft of musicians, diplomats, spies, lawyers, and teachers. Officially, though they are only musicians and teachers.
Headwoman - The woman who supervises the domestic running of a Hall, Hold, or Weyr. She usually reports to the Weyrwoman, the Lady Holder, or the senior crafter.
Holdless - A person who does not live in the security of a Hold, Hall, or Weyr, usually from expulsion rather than from choice. During a Pass, to be made Holdless is considered a death sentence.
Intervals - The 200 Turn-long periods when Thread does not fall on Pern.
Journeyman - The rank attained in a craft by a person who has demonstrated sufficient competence to practice the craft without close supervision. They are posted throughout Pern to serve where needed for varying lengths of time. They also teach apprentices.
Klah - A stimulating drink made from a cinnamon-like bark and usually served hot.
Long Intervals - Periods lasting 400 Turns, during which time no Thread falls on Pern. Long Intervals are artificially caused. They occur every third Pass.
Marks - Pern's basic monetary unit. They are put out by each craft, and a committee of senior crafters meets annually to determine their worth each Turn. Marks are subdivided according to the division of musical notes, down to 1/32.
Master - The most senior craft rank among the general population of a craft. Masters conduct new research into the more esoteric fields of their expertise.
Meatrolls - A popular and common Pernese food.
Necessary - The Pernese term for bathroom.
Numbweed - A topical anaesthetic used to relieve the pain of Threadscores and other external injuries.
Oldtimers - Dragonriders and support staff brought forward in time from the 8th Pass Weyrs to help Benden, the one remaining 9th Pass Weyr, to fight Thread. Some of them could not adjust to the ways of the 9th Pass, and they were eventually exiled to Southern Weyr.
Rank Cords - Worn in braided loops over one shoulder, they use a system of macrame knots to distinguish whether the wearer is of a particular Hold, Craft, or Weyr, and what rank the wearer holds. They are used in conjunction with badges.
Riding Leathers - The clothing a draginrider wears when fighting Thread, which is made of wherhide leather. It generally consists of trousers, jacket, gloves, helmet, boots, and goggles, with layers of regular clothing worn underneath. This protects the rider against the cold of high altitude and of between, and to provide some protection from Threadscore.
Runners (animals) - Domesticated animals used for riding on Pern. They look similar to llamas.
Sail - The membrane of hide that stretches between whe wingbones of a dragon or firelizard.
Search - The process by which dragonriders look for new candidates to Impress dragonets. The dragons are the ones who choose.
Searchriders - The riders of dragons who search for suitable candidates. Technically, any dragon can Search, but some riders, usually blueriders, are specifically assigned to this task.
Sevenday - The Pernese word for a week.
Sleeping-furs - A Pernese bed, often filled with furs for warmth.
Sweeps - Aerial surveys done by dragonriders to ensure that no Thread has burrowed into the ground.
Teaching Songs - Instructional songs taught to Pernese children by the Harpers as their basic education. They teach how to prepare for Threadfall, how to treat dragonriders, and how to live during a Pass.
Thread - A spore that falls on Pern, which consumes anything organic that it comes into contact with, destroying plants animals, and people. It can be 'drowned' in water or burned by fire. Stone, ceramics, and metal are impervious to it.
Threadfall - A period of about six hours during which Thread descends to Pern, and dragonriders must flame it out of the sky.
Threadscore - The injury sustained when Thread touches a person's bare skin. It is usually treated by sluicing with water and then slathering with numbweed salve to relieve the pain. If it is deep enough, the wound must be cleaned, then sutured closed.
Tithes - The 'first fruits' of the harvest. More accurately, it is donations made to a Weyr by the Holds and Halls in its territory, to support the Weyr so that the dragonriders can concentrate on fighting Thread and caring for their dragons, instead of having to work at other jobs to support themselves. Tithes consist of food, leather goods, healers' services, fabrics, and anything else needed to run a settlement of dragonriders.
Turn - A Pernese year. It is composed of 13 months of 28 days each, plus Turn's End Day.
Watchwher - A wher used at a Hold as its guard animal and as a first warning of invaders or trouble.
Weyr - Any place where dragons and their riders live, whether it be in a hollowed-out volcano, a cliffside, or anywhere else. When capitalized, it refers to the place where a group of dragons live. When lower-case, it refers to the private residence of an individual dragon and rider.
Weyrcrafter - The senior member of any particular craft at a Weyr, for example: Weyrhealer, Weyrsinger, etc.
Weyrleader - The bronzerider whose dragon most recently mated with the Sr. Weyrwoman's gold. He is responsible for organizing a Weyr's riders to fight against Threadfall, for planning the attack strategy, and for seeing to it that riders and their dragons are properly trained to fight Thread.
Weyrlings - Riders whose dragons are less than 18 months old and thus who are still in Weyrling Training.
Weyrlingmaster - Think 'drill instructor.' This person trains weyrling riders and dragons in the basics of fighting Thread and living in a Weyr.
Weyrling Training - The initial training that newly-Impressed riders and dragons undergo. It lasts for 18 months after a dragon's hatching.
Weyrmates - A dragonrider and his or her significant other, who may or may not be of the same sex. Because dragons influence their riders so strongly during mating flights, it has become the custom for riders to not marry, to show consideration for non-riders who expect sexual fidelity in a marriage.
Weyrwoman - The term of address for any goldrider. However, it is usually reserved for the most senior goldrider in a Weyr. A Weyrwoman is in charge of the domestic and diplomatic running of a Weyr, while the Weyrleader oversees Threadfighting.
Wher - The descendants of an early attempt to bioengineer dragons. They are nocturnal and photophobic.
Wherhide - Used by dragonriders to construct their Threadfighting gear.
Wherry - a birdlike, native Pernese creature, about the size of a turkey.
Click Here For More ---- > Glossary
*** Bolded Terms are key (or commonly used terms) ***
Abortion - It is considered evil in the Holds, but is often a necessity in the Weyrs, as pregnancy makes it difficult for female dragonriders to perform their primary function, which is fighting Thread.
Agenothree - HNO3, the chemical used to dissolve Thread. It is used in sprayers by groundcrews.
Apprentice - The lowest craft rank.
Badges - They tell which Hold, Craft, or Weyr the wearer belongs to. People wear them in conjunction with rank cords.
Benden - The territory in the northeastern quadrant of Pern's Northern Continent. It is the region of the second oldest Weyr to be founded.
Bowl - Usually, this means the floor of the volcano that houses a Weyr. For Weyrs which are not located in a volcano, it refers to the wide, open area where dragons can take off or land, and where Weyrling ground drills take place.
Blackdust - Thread that has been frozen and killed in cold air. It falls to the ground during Pern's winters.
Beastherders - Ranchers, also shepherds.
Bubbly Pies - A favorite Pernese dessert, often sold at Gathers as little tarts. They are best eaten hot.
Burrow - Thread that has penetrated the ground and that has begun consuming plant and animal life. It must be destroyed by groundcrews.
Candidate - A person who has been accepted for Search.
Candidate Robe - The white robe that a Candidate wears to a Hatching, to indicate that he or she is a candidate.
Couch - A stony wallow in an individual rider's weyr, where the dragon sleeps.
Crafters - Pern's equivalent of degreed professionals. They work in a variety of trades, governed by a pseudo-guild system.
Dawnsisters - A trio of stars in the Pernese eastern sky. They were later discovered to be the three starships which brought the original colonists to Pern.
Dimglow - A derogatory term for someone who is dull or foolish.
Dolphineers - Humans who work with dolphins. Some humans can communicate telepathically with dolphins.
Drudges = People who perform unskilled labor at a Hold, Crafthall, or Weyr.
Fair - The collective term for a group of firelizards in flight.
Fellis - A Pernese sedative, widely used. Often combined in a juice for easier application
Firestone - A light, phosphine-bearing rock, which dragons chew to produce the flames they belch. It comes in various grades of quality.
Flamethrower - The instrument a goldrider uses to burn Thread. A gold dragon may not chew firestone, because she will become infertile, if she does.
Fireheights - A trench dug along the top of a Hold. It is filled with oil just prior to Threadfall, and the oil is set alight to destroy any Thread which might fall into it.
Gathers - Pern's equivalent of county fairs, held on restdays when no Thread is due.
Glows - A light source, usually contained in a basket. They are made from bioluminescent lichen which are kept alive in a liquid solution.
Groundcrews - People responsible for checking the ground for signs of burrowing Thread. If a burrow is spotted, it is the groundcrew's duty to destroy the Thread before it can spread elsewhere
Harpers - The craft of musicians, diplomats, spies, lawyers, and teachers. Officially, though they are only musicians and teachers.
Headwoman - The woman who supervises the domestic running of a Hall, Hold, or Weyr. She usually reports to the Weyrwoman, the Lady Holder, or the senior crafter.
Holdless - A person who does not live in the security of a Hold, Hall, or Weyr, usually from expulsion rather than from choice. During a Pass, to be made Holdless is considered a death sentence.
Intervals - The 200 Turn-long periods when Thread does not fall on Pern.
Journeyman - The rank attained in a craft by a person who has demonstrated sufficient competence to practice the craft without close supervision. They are posted throughout Pern to serve where needed for varying lengths of time. They also teach apprentices.
Klah - A stimulating drink made from a cinnamon-like bark and usually served hot.
Long Intervals - Periods lasting 400 Turns, during which time no Thread falls on Pern. Long Intervals are artificially caused. They occur every third Pass.
Marks - Pern's basic monetary unit. They are put out by each craft, and a committee of senior crafters meets annually to determine their worth each Turn. Marks are subdivided according to the division of musical notes, down to 1/32.
Master - The most senior craft rank among the general population of a craft. Masters conduct new research into the more esoteric fields of their expertise.
Meatrolls - A popular and common Pernese food.
Necessary - The Pernese term for bathroom.
Numbweed - A topical anaesthetic used to relieve the pain of Threadscores and other external injuries.
Oldtimers - Dragonriders and support staff brought forward in time from the 8th Pass Weyrs to help Benden, the one remaining 9th Pass Weyr, to fight Thread. Some of them could not adjust to the ways of the 9th Pass, and they were eventually exiled to Southern Weyr.
Rank Cords - Worn in braided loops over one shoulder, they use a system of macrame knots to distinguish whether the wearer is of a particular Hold, Craft, or Weyr, and what rank the wearer holds. They are used in conjunction with badges.
Riding Leathers - The clothing a draginrider wears when fighting Thread, which is made of wherhide leather. It generally consists of trousers, jacket, gloves, helmet, boots, and goggles, with layers of regular clothing worn underneath. This protects the rider against the cold of high altitude and of between, and to provide some protection from Threadscore.
Runners (animals) - Domesticated animals used for riding on Pern. They look similar to llamas.
Sail - The membrane of hide that stretches between whe wingbones of a dragon or firelizard.
Search - The process by which dragonriders look for new candidates to Impress dragonets. The dragons are the ones who choose.
Searchriders - The riders of dragons who search for suitable candidates. Technically, any dragon can Search, but some riders, usually blueriders, are specifically assigned to this task.
Sevenday - The Pernese word for a week.
Sleeping-furs - A Pernese bed, often filled with furs for warmth.
Sweeps - Aerial surveys done by dragonriders to ensure that no Thread has burrowed into the ground.
Teaching Songs - Instructional songs taught to Pernese children by the Harpers as their basic education. They teach how to prepare for Threadfall, how to treat dragonriders, and how to live during a Pass.
Thread - A spore that falls on Pern, which consumes anything organic that it comes into contact with, destroying plants animals, and people. It can be 'drowned' in water or burned by fire. Stone, ceramics, and metal are impervious to it.
Threadfall - A period of about six hours during which Thread descends to Pern, and dragonriders must flame it out of the sky.
Threadscore - The injury sustained when Thread touches a person's bare skin. It is usually treated by sluicing with water and then slathering with numbweed salve to relieve the pain. If it is deep enough, the wound must be cleaned, then sutured closed.
Tithes - The 'first fruits' of the harvest. More accurately, it is donations made to a Weyr by the Holds and Halls in its territory, to support the Weyr so that the dragonriders can concentrate on fighting Thread and caring for their dragons, instead of having to work at other jobs to support themselves. Tithes consist of food, leather goods, healers' services, fabrics, and anything else needed to run a settlement of dragonriders.
Turn - A Pernese year. It is composed of 13 months of 28 days each, plus Turn's End Day.
Watchwher - A wher used at a Hold as its guard animal and as a first warning of invaders or trouble.
Weyr - Any place where dragons and their riders live, whether it be in a hollowed-out volcano, a cliffside, or anywhere else. When capitalized, it refers to the place where a group of dragons live. When lower-case, it refers to the private residence of an individual dragon and rider.
Weyrcrafter - The senior member of any particular craft at a Weyr, for example: Weyrhealer, Weyrsinger, etc.
Weyrleader - The bronzerider whose dragon most recently mated with the Sr. Weyrwoman's gold. He is responsible for organizing a Weyr's riders to fight against Threadfall, for planning the attack strategy, and for seeing to it that riders and their dragons are properly trained to fight Thread.
Weyrlings - Riders whose dragons are less than 18 months old and thus who are still in Weyrling Training.
Weyrlingmaster - Think 'drill instructor.' This person trains weyrling riders and dragons in the basics of fighting Thread and living in a Weyr.
Weyrling Training - The initial training that newly-Impressed riders and dragons undergo. It lasts for 18 months after a dragon's hatching.
Weyrmates - A dragonrider and his or her significant other, who may or may not be of the same sex. Because dragons influence their riders so strongly during mating flights, it has become the custom for riders to not marry, to show consideration for non-riders who expect sexual fidelity in a marriage.
Weyrwoman - The term of address for any goldrider. However, it is usually reserved for the most senior goldrider in a Weyr. A Weyrwoman is in charge of the domestic and diplomatic running of a Weyr, while the Weyrleader oversees Threadfighting.
Wher - The descendants of an early attempt to bioengineer dragons. They are nocturnal and photophobic.
Wherhide - Used by dragonriders to construct their Threadfighting gear.
Wherry - a birdlike, native Pernese creature, about the size of a turkey.
Click Here For More ---- > Glossary