U'mern and blue Khilth
The Road So Far!
It all began at Madellon Weyr for Unamern – a young boy of 14 Turns, dreaming of becoming a blue rider.
Unamern was born the son of Nelya, a Headwoman's Second at Madellon Weyr. While he didn't have to be Searched, he was 'given the nod' as a likely dragonrider by the Weyr's most senior retired Search pair – S'rius and his elderly blue Padseth. As a first-time candidate with no dragonrider blood, Unamern looked forward to the Hatching with both excitement and trepidation – fearing he might not have what it takes to Impress, but hoping beyond hope that he would!
As a candidate, Unamern 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 Unamern! Backed up by his crony Varell, Gydeton became the thorn in Unamern's side throughout the sevendays of candidacy.
Hatching Day
The dragons' hum woke Martom and Unamern 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 Unamern 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, Unamern 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 Unamern to find it. Despite Unamern's best efforts, though, he didn't manage to complete and return the jewellery set before the Hatching.
A Masterful order
In the dining hall, Unamern 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, Unamern 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. Unamern 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 Unamern a certain confidence in his own prospects!
Eggs and baskets
A visit to the Archives led to a meeting with Tarshe, Madellon's Weyrwoman Second. When Unamern 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. But with one thing and another, Unamern didn't bring it back – earning the Weyrwoman Second's ire!
At the lake, T'rello – the rider of the biggest bronze at Madellon, Santinoth – asked for Unamern's help in bathing his gargantuan dragon. Unamern, reluctant to get wet, refused – earning T'rello's disdain, and a blot on his reputation!
Friend request
Given Unamern'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 Unamern 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!
Wherry bad behaviour
Unamern's assorted instances of bad behaviour finally caught up with him. L'stev collared him in the Bowl and gave him an ultimatum – buck up his ideas, or sit the Hatching out. Unamern chose the former, and the Weyrlingmaster sent him to do penance in the wherry hatchery – though Unamern remained on probation, with one more slip promising to rule him out of standing!
A breath of foul air
Early in the day, Unamern 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 Unamern soon found himself struggling for breath.
Undeterred, Unamern 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 Unamern from the Sands!
The Hatching
When it came to the Hatching, Unamern 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 Unamern his name was Khilth.
A friend in me
And Unamern 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 Unamern and Khilth's new classmates. (On the bright side, at least Varell didn't Impress!)
After the Hatching
"Khilth" by Chris S. Baily
The Weyrlingmaster was the first to congratulate Unamern on his Impression, but it was old S'rius, delighted to have found yet another weyrling, who stepped in to help with the immediate matter of Khilth's first meal. That was Unamern's first opportunity to speak to Martom, too, and they introduced each other, with considerable delight, to their respective dragonets, Khilth and Kauth. Martom also told Unamern that his new name was to be – perhaps unsurprisingly – M'tom.
It wasn't long before Khilth'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 Unamern 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. Unamern was proud to introduce Khilth to the Weyrleader. And after a brief conference with Khilth, Unamern gave the Weyrleader his own new name: U'mern, rider of blue Khilth!
Following their audience with the Weyrleader, and the application of oily rags to relieve Khilth's and Kauth's newborn itchiness, U'mern 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
U'mern and M'tom soon went their separate ways to find family and friends. Many of the riders and Weyrfolk U'mern had helped during the day greeted him with warm congratulations as he hunted through the throng – but, at last, he found his family.
U'mern's mother, Nelya, was thrilled by her son's Impression – though perhaps not quite as ecstatic as U'mern's younger siblings, Ashi and Halante. As the first dragonrider in the family, U'mern was keenly aware of what it meant to his brother and sister. And when the Weyrleaders came to drink a toast to U'mern and Khilth, Valonna was particularly delighted for Nelya – one of her most trusted Headwoman Seconds.
The rest of the evening passed in a blur for U'mern, 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, U'mern 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 U'mern'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 U'mern 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 Khilth.
A close encounter
On his way back to the barracks , U'mern 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 U'mern 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, U'mern decided, on balance, not to tell the Weyrlingmaster about the stranger.
Returning at last to Khilth – billeted between M'tom's Kauth and a slender green dragonet – U'mern 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 – U'mern 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 Unamern's Impression here. U'mern and Khilth's story will continue in Dragonchoice: Weyrling, coming soon!
U'mern'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
Khilth and I make a very strong match!
Achievement Unlocked:
SNAKES AND SNAILS
I haven't been very nice!
Achievement Unlocked:
EBONY AND IVORY
Khilth and I agreed on something very important!
Achievement Unlocked:
BUM NOTE
Khilth and I disagreed on something quite important!