K'raarl and blue Acrobolth

The Road So Far!

It all began at the Harperhall at Kellad Hold, in the protectorate of Madellon Weyr, for Kararaarl – a young man of 18 Turns, dreaming of becoming a blue rider.

Kararaarl 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. Kararaarl caught the attention of J'kel's blue Hozrath. And a sevenday later, Kararaarl arrived at Madellon Weyr, joining the candidate pool for senior queen Shimpath's first clutch by her new mate Muzzanth.

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

Hatching Day

The dragons' hum woke Soburn and Kararaarl 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 Kararaarl 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, Kararaarl 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 Kararaarl to find it. Despite Kararaarl's best efforts, though, he didn't manage to complete and return the jewellery set before the Hatching.

A rising problem

Kararaarl encountered both Soleigh, whose green Bristath was preparing to rise near the lake, and her weyrmate Maris, who was getting very drunk in the dining hall on account of her fears that Soleigh was having an affair with a blue rider, G'tron. Kararaarl's intervention successfully got rid of G'tron, whose Imdoth was very sweet indeed on Bristath, from the mating flight – not to mention G'pellas, another blue rider, needed in the Harper ensemble – and reconciled the two green riders. Even if Kararaarl did annoy Soleigh, who wasn't impressed with him for prolonging Maris' binge by bringing her more wine!

A Harper born

Kararaarl's Harper training came in handy when Carleah, the Weyr Singer, asked him to play a set with her ensemble in the dining hall. They played to a rapturous reception that gave Kararaarl's confidence – and his mark purse – quite a boost!

Eggs and baskets

A visit to the Archives led to a meeting with Tarshe, Madellon's Weyrwoman Second. When Kararaarl 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 – Kararaarl did!

A blue lady

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

Friend request

Conscious of Soburn's bashfulness, Kararaarl 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 Kararaarl that he wasn't interested in Soburn – or any other men, for that matter. But Kararaarl'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, Kararaarl didn't have to wait too long for his date with destiny. The grey-swirled silvery cream egg Hatched out a very pale moon-blue dragonet who told Kararaarl his name was Acrobolth.

A friend in me

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

After the Hatching

"Acrobolth" by Chris S. Baily

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

It wasn't long before Acrobolth'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 Kararaarl 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. Kararaarl was proud to introduce Acrobolth to the Weyrleader. And after a brief conference with Acrobolth, Kararaarl gave the Weyrleader his own new name: K'raarl, rider of blue Acrobolth!

Following their audience with the Weyrleader, and the application of oily rags to relieve Acrobolth's and Aeranth's newborn itchiness, K'raarl 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

K'raarl and S'burn soon went their separate ways to find family and friends. Many of the riders and Weyrfolk K'raarl had helped during the day greeted him with warm congratulations as he hunted through the throng – but, at last, he found his family.

K'raarl's Harper parents were absolutely delighted to find themselves the mother and father of a blue rider and happier still to learn that K'raarl had already brought his musical skills to the Weyr. And they were even more delighted to drink to K'raarl and Acrobolth when the Weyrleaders arrived to toast them!

The rest of the evening passed in a blur for K'raarl, 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, K'raarl 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 K'raarl'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 K'raarl 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 Acrobolth.

A close encounter

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

Returning at last to Acrobolth – billeted between S'burn's Aeranth and a mucky-looking brown dragonet – K'raarl 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 – K'raarl 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?

Find out more about Kararaarl's Impression here. K'raarl and Acrobolth's story will continue in Dragonchoice: Weyrling, coming soon!

K'raarl'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:
BIRDS OF A FEATHER

Acrobolth and I make a very strong match!

Achievement Unlocked:
EBONY AND IVORY

Acrobolth and I agreed on something very important!

Achievement Unlocked:
BUM NOTE

Acrobolth and I disagreed on something quite important!