Toward the end of 9th Pass, contact was also re-established with forgotten
group of Weyrs located on the Far Eastern Continent. The reason for
"losing" the Weyrs in the first place was due a natural phenomenon that
prevents dragons from going between from any point on Pern to
any point on Far Eastern. The Far Easterners call this phenomenon the
"Windwall," partly due to its howling maelstrom appearance. This was
significant to StarRise because the Windwall appeared to the east of
the Eastern Ring Islands. Riders from StarRise saw this phenomenon many
times during their lives.
The Windwall was an unnatural "wall" of torrential shifting
winds surrounding the Far Eastern Continent. Dragons cannot go between through the Windwall, nor can they easily fly through it. For this reason,
the Far Eastern Continent was mostly out of contact to the rest of Tenth
Pass Pern.
The 'Wall, located miles off the eastern coasts of the islands
in the Eastern Ring, was a terrifyingly beautiful sight. A game of weyrlings
at StarRise was often to see how close one could fly to the Windwall
without getting sucked into it. This was a very dangerous game and many
weyrlings have died in the attempt. Sailing near the 'Wall was also
treacherous, as it could shift unpredictably and it caused variable
shifts in the sea's currents.
The Windwall was created shortly after the first Ancient Threadfall
and was then tested on the uninhabited Eastern Continent, the hope being
that its electromagnetic properties would create a dome over the land
and protect the continent from Thread. The first test went well, the
Thread slid harmlessly into the ocean.
Then, things began to go wrong. The machines which generated
the 'Wall had been buried and then activated. One box was a connector,
establishing the charge, and feeding the dome its power. Once activated,
the dome fed the power back into the boxes, keeping them operational.
But the power soon began to grow beyond the creator's control, possibly
tapping into the planet's own electromagnetic field and/or the gravity.
The inventor reached the connector and shut it off. Unfortunately,
he was killed shortly after by Thread, and thus the location of the
box, its secrets, and the ability to activate it and turn if off died
with him.
In the Eighth Pass, a freak incident triggered the dome, cutting
off the Eastern Continent from the rest of Pern. The resurgence of the
dome caused earthshakes and eruptions in what was thought to be stable
land, and caused unpredictable Threadfalls.
The Windwall was a mutation of the original dome and wa subject
to fluctuations. These fluctuations manifested themselves as shifts.
The shifts could take many forms: strengthening or weakening the 'Wall,
the winds could change directions in an instant, the 'Wall can bulge
outward or inward, and could even bring about unpredictable Threadfalls.
Then, in late turn 24 of the Tenth Pass, there was an earthquake
epicentered on the Far Eastern Continent. The Windwall immediately collapsed.
The harnessed winds were released across the globe, causing hurricanes,
tornadoes, and other such atmospheric havoc. The shifts in the
sea currents and tidal waves caused by the earthquake were magnified
by the collapse of the Windwall.
But the greatest change caused was the relocation of the Maelstrom
and Great Maelstrom. Both moved south, the Great Maelstrom making
travel between the Benden coastline and the Eastern Ring Islands dangerous
and difficult, or a very long voyage. The Maelstrom, smaller and
marginally less hazardous, made passage from the now open Far Eastern
Continent to the High Reaches coast almost as dangerous.
The Pernese have lost one danger...but gained two more.
If you've got questions about our verison of 10th Pass Pern
or ideas about what you'd like to see in this section, please let us
know! Write to the Weyr at admin@starriseweyr.com.
