A'seno and blue Vedeth
The Road So Far!
It all began at the Harperhall at Kellad Hold, in the protectorate of Madellon Weyr, for Areseno – a young boy of 14 Turns, dreaming of becoming a blue rider.
Areseno was born the son of two Harpers at the Southern Harperhall, Kellad Hold. Surrounded by music, he was apprenticed to the Craft when he came of age. But he never excelled in any discipline, and it seemed as if an unremarkable career as a mid-level journeyman likely lay ahead for him. And then, in early 102, J'kel – a dragonrider of Madellon Weyr – came to Kellad Hold in search of candidates for the new clutch hardening on the Sands of Madellon Weyr. Areseno caught the attention of J'kel's blue Hozrath. And a sevenday later, Areseno arrived at Madellon Weyr, joining the candidate pool for senior queen Shimpath's first clutch by her new mate Muzzanth.
As a candidate, Areseno was assigned a bunkmate – Martom, a confident young Weyrbred lad, 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 – Gydeton, the blustering, entitled son of Lord Meturvian of Kellad – who took a firm disliking to Areseno! Backed up by his crony Varell, Gydeton became the thorn in Areseno's side throughout the sevendays of candidacy.
Hatching Day
The dragons' hum woke Martom and Areseno on 102.03.17. Following a brief run-in with Gydeton, 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 Areseno left, Martom – keen to prove himself by Impressing on his first attempt – asked him for help procuring some additional confidence in the form of some alcohol.
The one-armed green rider and the thieving queen
Immediately on leaving the candidate barracks, Areseno 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 Areseno to find it. Despite Areseno's best efforts, though, he didn't manage to complete and return the jewellery set before the Hatching.
A blue lady
Coming across T'gala, Pern's only female blue rider, bathing her Heppeth in the lake, Areseno offered his assistance – which T'gala gladly accepted.
Friend request
Given Areseno's age, finding some wine for Martom proved difficult – the Weyr Vintner, Master Saxton, refused to sell it to an underage candidate. His only other alternative was an illicit purchase from the shady figure of Grimes. And L'stev's warning about getting drunk before the Hatching held weight. The Vintner's offering of alcohol-free grape juice gave Areseno an idea – and offering it to Martom, none the wiser for the substitution, still had the desired effect of boosting his confidence before the Hatching – without any unwanted side-effects!
The Hatching
When it came to the Hatching, Areseno had to wait a little while before the grey-swirled silvery cream egg Hatched to reveal the very pale moon-blue dragonet who would choose him, naming himself Vedeth.
A friend in me
And Areseno wasn't the only lucky one. To his delight, Martom also Impressed, becoming the rider of a bright golden-bronze hatchling, Kauth.
Whatever happened to Gydeton?
Sadly, there was at least one fly in the numbweed. Gydeton Impressed the biggest dragonet of the clutch, a hefty dark-brown hatchling, making them Areseno and Vedeth's new classmates. (On the bright side, at least Varell didn't Impress!)
After the Hatching
"Vedeth" by Chris S. Baily
The Weyrlingmaster was the first to congratulate Areseno on his Impression, but it was J'kel, thrilled that Hozrath had finally found a successful candidate after so long without, who stepped in to help with the immediate matter of Vedeth's first meal. That was Areseno's first opportunity to speak to Martom, too, and they introduced each other, with considerable delight, to their respective dragonets, Vedeth and Kauth. Martom also told Areseno that his new name was to be – perhaps unsurprisingly – M'tom.
It wasn't long before Vedeth's personality started to become evident. The moon-blue dragonet, while seemingly reluctant to even leave his egg, showed glimmers of a curiously perceptive and knowing mind beneath his apparent laziness.
With both dragonets full to bursting with fresh meat, the newly minted dragonpairs left the Hatching sands for their new home: the weyrling barracks.
Meeting the Weyrleader
As Areseno and M'tom 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. Areseno was proud to introduce Vedeth to the Weyrleader. And after a brief conference with Vedeth, Areseno gave the Weyrleader his own new name: A'seno, rider of blue Vedeth!
Following their audience with the Weyrleader, and the application of oily rags to relieve Vedeth's and Kauth's newborn itchiness, A'seno and M'tom 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
A'seno and M'tom soon went their separate ways to find family and friends. Many of the riders and Weyrfolk A'seno had helped during the day greeted him with warm congratulations as he hunted through the throng – but, at last, he found his family.
A'seno's Harper parents were absolutely delighted to find themselves the mother and father of a blue rider - even though it meant he would be leaving the Harpercraft for good. And they were even more delighted to drink to A'seno and Vedeth when the Weyrleaders arrived to toast them!
The rest of the evening passed in a blur for A'seno, 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, A'seno 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 A'seno'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 A'seno 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 Vedeth.
A close encounter
On his way back to the barracks , A'seno 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 A'seno 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, A'seno decided, on balance, not to tell the Weyrlingmaster about the stranger.
Returning at last to Vedeth – billeted between M'tom's Kauth and a slender green dragonet – A'seno 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 blue beside him – A'seno 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?
A'seno and Vedeth's story will continue in Dragonchoice: Weyrling, coming soon!
A'seno'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:
THE YIN TO YOUR YANG
Vedeth and I complement each other!
Achievement Unlocked:
EBONY AND IVORY
Vedeth and I agreed on something very important!
Achievement Unlocked:
IN TUNE
Vedeth and I agreed on something quite important!