A'ton and bronze Theoth

The Road So Far!

It all began at Jessaf Hold, in the protectorate of Madellon Weyr, for Alton – a young man of 17 Turns, dreaming of becoming a bronze rider.

Alton was born to unusual privilege – a grandson of Winstone, Lord of mighty Jessaf Hold. Alton 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, Alton 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 Alton becoming a candidate – displeased that such a opportunity would ruin his plans for Alton's betrothal to a niece of Lord Orfen's. But he grudgingly accepted that, as Alton 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, Alton left to begin his candidacy at Madellon Weyr.

As a candidate, Alton 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 Alton! Backed up by his crony Kestor, Rielat became the thorn in Alton's side throughout the sevendays of candidacy.

Hatching Day

The dragons' hum woke Soburn and Alton 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 Alton 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, Alton 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 Alton to find it. The quest took Alton all over Madellon, from kitchens to lake to infirmary – but in the end he succeeded in reuniting the Weyrwoman's jewellery set, to general acclaim.

Respecting his elders

In the Weyr's kitchen gardens, Alton encountered R'hren, a former Weyrleader of Madellon, now peacefully retired to potter among his beloved plants. R'hren asked Alton to help him track down the ingredients for a warming salve to help his elderly bronze, Staamath, with his arthritic forepaws. Alton 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, Alton offered it to old S'rius, who was equally appreciative of the gift. And while Kisha, the blind old green rider Alton encountered in the infirmary, would have nothing to do with one of R'hren's concoctions, she too grew to approve of Alton – especially after he solved all three of her fiendish riddles!

A Masterful order

In the dining hall, Alton 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, Alton 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. Alton 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 Alton a certain confidence in his own prospects!

Kitchen diplomacy

Madellon's kitchens – the heart of the Weyr, and domain of Headwoman Crauva – provided Alton 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 Alton 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 Alton 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 – Alton did!

A blue lady

Coming across T'gala, Pern's only female blue rider, bathing her Heppeth in the lake, Alton offered his assistance – which T'gala gladly accepted.

Friend request

Conscious of Soburn's bashfulness, Alton 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 Alton that he wasn't interested in Soburn – or any other men, for that matter. But Alton'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!

Hair today

Mindful of the Weyrlingmaster's orders to be smart for the Hatching, Alton visited Madellon's resident barber – green rider Z'fell – for a trim. Very conscious of his dignity, Alton ensured he came away with a cut he actually liked.

A breath of foul air

Early in the day, Alton found out about a secret way into the Hatching Ground via storeroom that might allow him a sneaky peek at the eggs before the Hatching. Successfully entering the combination to the lock on the storeroom door, and suitably equipped with a glowbasket, he crawled into a confusing maze of passages. The route he chose turned out to be thick with choking toxic fumes from Madellon's volcanic foundation, and Alton soon found himself struggling for breath.

Undeterred, Alton pushed through the discomfort, and emerged shortly onto the Hatching Sands. But he wasn't quiet enough. Shimpath, dozing only very lightly, awoke, and she and Muzzanth chased Alton from the Sands!

The Hatching

When it came to the Hatching, Alton 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 Theoth.

A friend in me

And Alton 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 Alton and Theoth's new classmates. (On the bright side, at least Kestor didn't Impress!)

After the Hatching

"Theoth" by Chris S. Baily

The Weyrlingmaster was the first to congratulate Alton 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 Theoth's first meal. That was Alton's first opportunity to speak to Soburn, too, and they introduced each other, with considerable delight, to their respective dragonets, Theoth and Aeranth. Soburn also told Alton that his new name was to be – perhaps unsurprisingly – S'burn.

It wasn't long before Theoth'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 Alton made along the way – a young Holdbred candidate, Nichen, whom Alton had encountered in a hopelessly dishevelled state directly before the Hatching – hailed Alton at the barracks – crediting him with his successful Impression of a moon-blue dragonet, Yooth!

Meeting the Weyrleader

As Alton 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. Alton was proud to introduce Theoth to the Weyrleader. And after a brief conference with Theoth, Alton gave the Weyrleader his own new name: A'ton, rider of bronze Theoth!

Following their audience with the Weyrleader, and the application of oily rags to relieve Theoth's and Aeranth's newborn itchiness, A'ton 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

A'ton and S'burn soon went their separate ways to find family and friends. Many of the riders and Weyrfolk A'ton 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, A'ton'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 Theoth for failing to be the largest dragonet in the clutch – a criticism that the Weyrleaders were quick to cut short in their toast to A'ton and his bronze.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur for A'ton, 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'ton 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'ton'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'ton 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 Theoth.

A close encounter

On his way back to the barracks , A'ton 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'ton 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'ton decided, on balance, not to tell the Weyrlingmaster about the stranger.

Returning at last to Theoth – billeted between S'burn's Aeranth and a mucky-looking brown dragonet – A'ton 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 – A'ton 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'ton and Theoth's story will continue in Dragonchoice: Weyrling, coming soon!

A'ton'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 Theoth!

Achievement Unlocked:
SUGAR AND SPICE

I've been a very nice person (so far)!

Achievement Unlocked:
EBONY AND IVORY

Theoth and I agreed on something very important!

Achievement Unlocked:
IN TUNE

Theoth and I agreed on something quite important!