I'dris and bronze Cristath
The Road So Far!
It all began at Jessaf Hold, in the protectorate of Madellon Weyr, for Indaris – a young man of 18 Turns, dreaming of becoming a bronze rider.
Indaris was born to unusual privilege – a grandson of Winstone, Lord of mighty Jessaf Hold. Indaris didn't scramble for the attention of the young Search rider, Garlan, who came to Jessaf in early 102 seeking candidates for Madellon Weyr's latest clutch. But as a scion of the Hold, Indaris was among the party welcoming the green rider to Jessaf – and, in due course, became the focus of her dragon Hushith's attention. Lord Winstone wasn't enthusiastic about Indaris becoming a candidate – displeased that such a opportunity would ruin his plans for Indaris's betrothal to a niece of Lord Orfen's. But he grudgingly accepted that, as Indaris had his majority, he had the right to accept Search. And with Winstone's admonition that he Impress a bronze – or a brown at the very least – ringing in his ears, Indaris left to begin his candidacy at Madellon Weyr.
As a candidate, Indaris was assigned a bunkmate – Soburn, an anxious Weyrbred youth with one failed Hatching already haunting him, who would soon become his closest friend in the Weyr. He also got to know many of his fellow candidates, including the Weyrbred twins Leover and Leoguy; Zielaph, the nephew of a Madellon bronze rider; and Chiliam, a good-natured highborn lad from Kellad.
But he also made an enemy – Rielat, a self-important apprentice Weaver – who took a firm disliking to Indaris! Backed up by his crony Kestor, Rielat became the thorn in Indaris's side throughout the sevendays of candidacy.
Hatching Day
The dragons' hum woke Soburn and Indaris on 102.03.17. Following a brief run-in with Rielat, the pair joined the rest of the candidates for a morning lecture. The Weyrlingmaster, L'stev, gave the whole cohort – increased by three late Searchees to a total of thirty-five – strict instructions about pre-Hatching preparations, including eating, drinking, bathing – and in some cases, getting a decent haircut – and then turned the group loose for the morning. Before Indaris left, Soburn asked him to find out if H'nar, the young Wingleader of the Betweenless Wing, might currently be seeing someone – or not.
The one-armed green rider and the thieving queen
Immediately on leaving the candidate barracks, Indaris was flagged down by M'shen – a green rider with one arm, a fire-lizard queen – and a problem. His queen, Squiffy, had stolen several pieces of the Weyrwoman's jewellery, and hidden it around the Weyr. M'shen recruited Indaris to find it. Despite Indaris's best efforts, though, he didn't manage to complete and return the jewellery set before the Hatching.
Respecting his elders
In the Weyr's kitchen gardens, Indaris encountered R'hren, a former Weyrleader of Madellon, now peacefully retired to potter among his beloved plants. R'hren asked Indaris to help him track down the ingredients for a warming salve to help his elderly bronze, Staamath, with his arthritic forepaws. Indaris duly located the components of R'hren's salve, winning the old bronze rider's approval in the process.
Gifted a small pot of the salve, Indaris offered it to old S'rius, who was equally appreciative of the gift. And while Kisha, the blind old green rider Indaris encountered in the infirmary, would have nothing to do with one of R'hren's concoctions, she too grew to approve of Indaris – especially after he solved all three of her fiendish riddles!
Southern comfort
Indaris met G'kalte – a brown rider and Wingsecond, not to mention Weyrwoman Valonna's weyrmate – in the Bowl, and was quickly recruited by him to help with a diplomatic matter. G'kalte had been tasked with delivering two gifts from Valonna to her Southern counterpart Weyrwoman Karika – but he'd been summoned away to collect his own grandmother, Lady Coffleby, for the Hatching.
He asked Indaris to figure out which of the seven Southern dragons visiting Madellon were the correct pair to hand over Karika's gifts. And while G'kalte's brown, Archidath, offered Indaris some intelligence on the Southern seven, his advice was somewhat garbled! Nonetheless, Indaris unravelled Archidath's confusing suggestions and got the right packages to the right dragons – without being growled at!
A Masterful order
In the dining hall, Indaris met his fellow candidate Zielaph, who'd been tasked by his somewhat dim uncle, bronze rider Fr'ton, with delivering a complicated drinks order to a group of Master Crafters. Zielaph had information about their names, beverages, crafts, and fire-lizards – but not in any sensible order!
Luckily for him, Indaris solved the puzzle of Fr'ton's confusing notes adeptly, delivering the correct drinks to the correct Masters, and earning a handsome tip in the process. Indaris even shared the largesse with Zielaph, who then introduced him to Fr'ton – who, having Impressed a bronze in spite of his less than boundless promise, gave Indaris a certain confidence in his own prospects!
Kitchen diplomacy
Madellon's kitchens – the heart of the Weyr, and domain of Headwoman Crauva – provided Indaris with the opportunity to show off his work ethic before the Hatching. A round of chores duly pleased Crauva. And the kitchen was also the source of the hotfruit R'hren had sent Indaris to find for his warming salve.
Eggs and baskets
A visit to the Archives led to a meeting with Tarshe, Madellon's Weyrwoman Second. When Indaris expressed an interested in looking up some Weyr records, Tarshe offered him the loan of a glowbasket – on the proviso that he return it afterwards. Which – mindful of not offending such an important personage of the Weyr – Indaris did!
Weyrbrat by name...
A run-in with a Weyrbrat – Terzon, whom Rielat had paid to cause Indaris trouble – resulted in an unfortunate public incident. All too aware of being shaken down, Indaris gave the kid a shove – in front of a number of witnesses – doing nothing for his reputation!
A blue lady
Coming across T'gala, Pern's only female blue rider, bathing her Heppeth in the lake, Indaris offered his assistance – which T'gala gladly accepted.
Friend request
Conscious of Soburn's bashfulness, Indaris approached the object of his affections – H'nar, Wingleader of the Betweenless Wing – with some circumspection. Still, when questioned, H'nar insisted he had to know who was making enquiries of him. And when he learned the identity of his admirer, he told Indaris that he wasn't interested in Soburn – or any other men, for that matter. But Indaris's agile pivot in questioning revealed that a close friend of H'nar's – blue rider M'rany – might be a viable alternative. Thus encouraged, Soburn began to think more positively of life as a dragonrider – even if H'nar would end up being his Wingleader!
The Hatching

When it came to the Hatching, Indaris had an excruciatingly long wait before the large greeny-grey egg Hatched to reveal the pale greeny-bronze dragonet who would choose him, naming himself Cristath.
A friend in me
And Indaris wasn't the only lucky one. To his delight, Soburn also Impressed, becoming the rider of a slender olive-green hatchling, Aeranth.
Whatever happened to Rielat?
Sadly, there was at least one fly in the numbweed. Rielat Impressed an impressively proportioned indigo-blue hatchling, making them Indaris and Cristath's new classmates. (On the bright side, at least Kestor didn't Impress!)
After the Hatching

"Cristath" by Chris S. Baily
The Weyrlingmaster was the first to congratulate Indaris on his Impression, but it was Garlan, delighted that her risky choice of Winstone's grandson had Impressed, who stepped in to help with the immediate matter of Cristath's first meal. That was Indaris's first opportunity to speak to Soburn, too, and they introduced each other, with considerable delight, to their respective dragonets, Cristath and Aeranth. Soburn also told Indaris that his new name was to be – perhaps unsurprisingly – S'burn.
It wasn't long before Cristath's personality started to become evident. The pale bronze dragonet – the largest of the clutch, and the image of his father Muzzanth – proved to be a particular intelligent and perceptive character even minutes out of the egg.
With both dragonets full to bursting with fresh meat, the newly minted dragonpairs left the Hatching sands for their new home: the weyrling barracks.
Big brother
Another friend Indaris made along the way – a young Holdbred candidate, Nichen, whom Indaris had encountered in a hopelessly dishevelled state directly before the Hatching – hailed Indaris at the barracks – crediting him with his successful Impression of a moon-blue dragonet, Yooth!
Meeting the Weyrleader
As Indaris and S'burn wiped the worst of the blood and sand from their tired new dragonets, the Weyrleader, T'gat, came to inspect both boys' dragonets, to ask after their names – and to ask the two new weyrlings how they should now be called. Indaris was proud to introduce Cristath to the Weyrleader. And after a brief conference with Cristath, Indaris gave the Weyrleader his own new name: I'dris, rider of bronze Cristath!
Following their audience with the Weyrleader, and the application of oily rags to relieve Cristath's and Aeranth's newborn itchiness, I'dris and S'burn headed into the boys' barracks to claim the billets that would be theirs for the next Turn. Choosing adjacent cots, the two new weyrlings got their dragonets settled on the couches that they would take months to grow into. But there was no time for them to sit and admire their new dragons. The Weyrlingmaster soon came along to give them their new weyrling shoulder-knots, before chivvying them off to the Hatching feast!
The Hatching feast
I'dris and S'burn soon went their separate ways to find family and friends. Many of the riders and Weyrfolk I'dris had helped during the day greeted him with warm congratulations as he hunted through the throng – but, at last, he found his family.
Lord Winstone, I'dris's grandfather, was very pleased indeed to be able to boast to all and sundry that his grandson had Impressed a bronze, although he still managed to find fault with Cristath for failing to be the largest dragonet in the clutch – a criticism that the Weyrleaders were quick to cut short in their toast to I'dris and his bronze.
The rest of the evening passed in a blur for I'dris, and it came as a relief when the Weyrlingmaster ordered all the new weyrlings back to the barracks for a good night's sleep. But en route to bed, I'dris was flagged down by a Weyrbrat, Emry, bringing the message that Weyrwoman Second Tarshe wanted to see him in the Archives.
Setting the record straight
Tarshe, tasked by the Weyrwoman with converting candidate documentation into weyrling records, went through I'dris's background with him – including much of what he had got up to on the morning of the Hatching – for good and ill. She offered I'dris some advice about paying attention to his new classmates and surroundings, lest he fall foul of the Weyrlingmaster's penchant for snap quizzes, and made some observations on Cristath.
A close encounter
On his way back to the barracks , I'dris had two peculiar encounters – first, with Tarshe's queen, Berzunth, who seemed quite agitated by one of the visiting dragons on the Rim; and then with a mysterious hooded figure, smelling strongly of what I'dris would later realise was firestone, who called him by name – and gave him a curious wooden box.




"The Watchful Queen" by Chris S. Baily
Back at the barracks, I'dris decided, on balance, not to tell the Weyrlingmaster about the stranger.
Returning at last to Cristath – billeted between S'burn's Aeranth and a mucky-looking brown dragonet – I'dris was too tired to examine the strange wooden box very closely, and put it in his clothes' chest for later examination. But even as he went to sleep – a dragonrider at last, his bronze beside him – I'dris was struck with a deep sense of foreboding. Who was the mysterious dragonrider in the hooded cloak? And what was the significance of the strange wooden box?
I'dris and Cristath's story will continue in Dragonchoice: Weyrling, coming soon!
I'dris's achievements

Achievement Unlocked:
CARRY ON WAYWARD SON
I travelled The Road So Far!

Achievement Unlocked:
OUR ROB, OR ROSS
I received a mysterious box!

Achievement Unlocked:
A HORSE WITH A NAME
I have a name and it's a good name and I don't need to fix my name. Probably.

Achievement Unlocked:
OPPOSITES ATTRACT
I make quite a strange match with Cristath!

Achievement Unlocked:
SUGAR AND SPICE
I've been a very nice person (so far)!

Achievement Unlocked:
EBONY AND IVORY
Cristath and I agreed on something very important!

Achievement Unlocked:
BUM NOTE
Cristath and I disagreed on something quite important!