StarRise/Igen New Member's Pack

New Member's Pack

Section I - Club Information
Welcome and Introduction
Membership in StarRise Weyr
StarRise Online
Getting Help
StarRise Weyr Publications
Out of the Blue
The StarRise Watchdragon
The Wingmate
The StarStone at StarRise Weyr
The People Of StarRise
StarRise Fanzines
Special Events and Activities
Conventions
StarRise Online

Section II - Pern Fan Fiction
Introduction to Pern Fan Fiction
Submission Guides
Writers' Guide
Style Guide
Electronic Submissions
Format
Title
Text
Grammar
Print Styles & Special Fonts
Story Content
Date
Timeline Continuity
Weyrlings
Two (or More) Part Stories
Stories Not to Write Because We Won't Accept Them Anyway
Stories to Write Because We Will Accept Them
Helpful Hints on Writing Your Story

Section III - Fictional Pern
Introduction to 10th Pass Pern
StarRise Weyr Territory
The Eastern Ring Islands
StarRise Weyr
Weyrling Training
Igen Weyr Territory
Igen Weyr

Section IV - Persona Guide
Creating Your Own Pernese Persona
Persona Upkeep
The StarRise Persona Sheet
StarRise Weyr Persona Sheet

StarRise New Member Pack

SECTION I
CLUB INFORMATION

Welcome & Introduction

Welcome to StarRise Weyr, a registered fan club of Anne McCaffrey's Pern. If you've ever read Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series and wished you could have a dragon of your very own, then you are not alone. The purpose of StarRise Weyr is to provide a forum for fans of Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series to play out their Pernese dreams. We do this by creating our own persona characters (PCs) that we write about. We also have our personas interact with other members' personas in the club. These stories and articles will then be published twice a year in our fanzine called "Out of the Blue". This is as close as we'll ever get to riding dragons, so we try to make it as "real" as possible. This an introduction to what we are, how we play, and how you can join the fun.

This guide is not intended to be the ultimate source of Pern knowledge. It is intended to be a handy reference to get you started writing for StarRise Weyr. More detailed information is available in THE STARSTONE OF STARRISE WEYR (the StarRise Weyr Manual) and, of course, the Dragonriders of Pern series itself.

StarRise Weyr makes a few assumptions about the Pern it exists in. The most important thing to keep in mind is that this is not Anne's Pern, this is our Pern. The most notable difference between the two Perns is the absence of AIVAS. Anne's Pern had AIVAS, who taught the Pernese to get rid of Thread forever. In our Pern, AIVAS was destroyed before being discovered in the 9th Pass. As a result, every 200 turns, Pern still battles to survive a Pass of the Red Star. Another major difference to keep in mind is that StarRise Weyr takes place during the 10th Pass, approximately 250 turns after the events in the series by Anne. The people in the books -- F'lar, Lessa, Robinton, et al. -- are just features of a murky history. Yes, the harpers still sing the song of Lessa's Ride, and the Oldtimers aren't forgotten, but it's all part of the distant past. There are no more Oldtimers, the strife between the Holds and Weyrs has been healed, and the people of Pern have expanded to the Southern Continent and the Eastern Ring Islands with a vengeance.

When you joined StarRise Weyr, you got a lot more than just the stories and fanzines we send out. In addition to our publications, you are also getting the opportunity to create a character who will be able to live, meet, and interact with the characters already written about and those yet to be written in StarRise territory and across our fannish version of Pern.

The club leader at StarRise Weyr want to make it clear that we work for you, the members, not the other way around. Our job is to give the club direction, organization, and guidance, but ~you~ make the club. We put out the publications, but without your submissions and input, we won't have any publications. This club is a cooperative venture. We have to work together on ideas, policies, and standards in order to thrive.

So, participate! It's your club, here for your enjoyment.

Membership in StarRise Weyr

StarRise Weyr now has two policies on membership, both quite simple:

OPTION 1: Full Membership. This is a membership to the club where not only do you read the stories, but you also participate in the club itself. You can do this by writing stories, poems, articles, columns, ect., by RP'ing, and by helping in some mundane duty that helps keep the club going.

OPTION 2: Read Only Membership. This is a membership in which you choose to only read the stories. If we know this is the membership you want, then we'll not pester you to participate. You're welcome to read -- but we hope everyone would like to participate.

StarRise does produce hardcopy fanzines, so an offline-only membership is something we can do. Just let us know and we'll notify you when a hardcopy is ready for distribution. Don't let an offline status stop you from participating, however! StarRise started as an offline club, and we haven't forgotten how to do things that way. ;)

EXCEPTION 1: From time to time, certain members join fan clubs such as these with the sole intention of causing trouble. Those members will be denied membership in StarRise Weyr.

PLEASE NOTE: StarRise Weyr is a club, a group entity. There are many different personalities, in the club, all with differing needs, hopes, and fears. The leadership of StarRise Weyr hopes to encourage an atmosphere where all StarRise members can co-exist in harmony. We do realize, however, that there are times when some members of the group cause friction and negative feelings in the rest of the group. In these situations, the leadership of StarRise Weyr will make all attempts to resolve the situation. If, however, the situation cannot be resolved, the member causing friction for the rest of the group will, as a last resort, be removed from the membership roster of StarRise Weyr. This is not a step we take lightly or often, but it is one we've found to be necessary from time to time, for the protection of the club as a whole. It should also be noted, however, that no member will be summarily removed from the club at a whim from the leadership of StarRise Weyr. Any removal will be done after all other attempts to resolve the situation have been exhausted.

Getting Help

Since StarRise runs remotely, you may, from time to time, feel cast adrift, without anyone to ask when you have questions. We don't want that to happen. Below are listed some e-mail addresses you can use to keep in touch. Of course, we hope you'll begin a regular correspondence with all the club members, as well.

Hope Schultz: tlenajade@yahoo.com
Anna Smith: anna.smith75@yahoo.com
Chantal Whittington: aerdensrw@yahoo.com

StarRise Weyr Publications

Out of the Blue
StarRise Weyr publishes OUT OF THE BLUE, the backbone of the club, two times a year. The stories of the StarRise characters, their tunings and artwork can be found in this volume. This storyzine is also known as OOTB.

The StarStone at StarRise Weyr
This will tell you everything you need to know about StarRise Weyr as a club, and our fictional Pern as StarRise Weyr views it. The current manual is our second version, completely revised and updated from the first. We'll be updating some information as necessary. Plans for a third version are now beginning…have patience with us and it'll soon be available!

StarRise Weyr also publishes many special interest fanzines. Many of these 'zines are written by members around either a central theme (such as THE GHOSTS OF STARRISE), are member aids (THE ATLAS OF STARRISE), or are backdated stories (FIRST FLIGHTS).

**Copies of the Ghosts of StarRise and First Flights are no longer available.

SECTION II
PERN FAN FICTION

Introduction to Pern Fan Fiction

Pern fan fiction is why StarRise Weyr exists. Let's face it, without fan fiction, we wouldn't have a 'zine, we wouldn't have membership, and you wouldn't be reading this.

What is it? Well, basically, Pern fan fiction allows us to put characters we've created onto a world we all know and love and write about them, their adventures, their problems, and their hopes and dreams. If you have ever role-played, or taken a good look at one of StarRise's publications such as OUT OF THE BLUE, then you have a pretty good idea of what it's all about, and this is why we're here.

However, as the years pass and times change, what members want changes as well. In recent years, RP'ing has become important to many clubs. Therefore, StarRise has recently decided to give it's members and opportunity to participate in group email RPs. A theme, or scenario, is provided and the rest is up to you. These RPs are encouraged to be used as a basis for stories. Imagine…if a dozen people participate in one RP, you can easily get five or six stories out of it without once making the stories seem old or repetitive.

Submission Guides

Writers' Guide

All too often, people will join a Pern Fan Club, create a persona, and are never heard from again because they feel that they "can't write." Unfortunately, this causes disappointment and disillusionment with Pern groups in general and StarRise in particular. The person then decides that joining was a bad idea in the first place, and lets their membership lapse. We at StarRise don't believe that anyone should be left out of the club activities just because they believe they "can't write." So, for those of you that are not participating for this reason, we have a few helpful suggestions:

Write a story and submit it. Even if you think it's terrible. Many times we've gotten a story with a letter attached saying it was just awful, but the person thought they'd send it anyway. Some of our most creative people have done this. While these stories might need some work (haven't seen a story yet that didn't), they are usually quite good. You don't need to be the next Ernest Hemingway to be published at StarRise. We're here to have fun, not create a literary masterpiece. The fun is in writing the story…not necessarily in what others think of it. So, sit down and write. Did you have fun? Then send it in.

Collaborate. Okay, so you can come up with great ideas, but can't write them down. Or you can write but can't come up with those great ideas. Find someone to write with. You've heard the old saying about two heads being better than one? Well, it's true. There are lots of people in the club just dying to write with someone.

Get other people to use your persona. If you still think you "can't write," don't have anything to write about, or just don't have the time, but still want to participate, then let other members know you want them to use your persona. Folks are always looking for people to use in their stories. This will give you the thrill of seeing your name in print, and you may decide to jump in later.

Take lessons. Read a book or magazine about writing. Take a creative writing course at your community college. There are excellent opportunities available--make use of them.

Talk to us. That's what we're here for. We can help out with ideas, personas, characterization, writing tips, editing, etc. If we can't offer any practical advice, we can at least give encouragement and comfy shoulders to cry on.

These ideas are all proven methods told to us by StarRise members-- published members. They worked for them, they can work for you, too.

Style Guide

Electronic Submissions

Please send submissions via attached file, or as a letter, if necessary. Please save the file in plain ASCII (aka Text, or DOS Text or Plain Text) without formatting for italics, boldface, etc. Currently, the Weyr ~can~ accept files in Microsoft Word (up to version 97). Not all formats are available to all editors--plain text will always be your best bet. If you're not sure how to save in Plain Text from your word processor, contact the Weyr and we'll help out.

Mac users: if you're sending a file, please remember that you need to have your software add linefeeds and carriage returns and you need to turn OFF Smart Quotes--or you get a story of one very long paragraph with a bunch of "funny-looking Os."

Format
The "format" is how we want the story to look when it reaches us. This is especially important for electronic submissions. The reasoning behind our sometimes rigid formatting guidelines is that we get over 200 pages of text every quarter that needs to edited and formatted for publication. As you've probably guessed, this is an enormous task. We try to shorten or ease the task by using text scanners, "search & replace," and other computer tools. We've determined that standardizing submissions helps shorten this process by giving us just one set of characters to "search" for, thereby saving time spent doing the drudgework of formatting character-by-character. Your help in this process is greatly appreciated.

Title
The story title should be flush to the left margin and look something like this:

Title
Author's Name (Persona Name)

Please do: place it in the left margin, include your name the way you want it to appear, and capitalize only the first letter of each word in the title (or the way you'd like it to appear in the newsletter). We include the author's featured persona names too, so make sure we know which persona belongs to who, especially in group-written stories. Do not use ~just~ persona names since we don't always know who they belong to.

Please don't: use ALL CAPS, underline, or centering.

Leave two empty lines after the author's name, the Pernese date (flush to left margin), one empty line, then the beginning of the story.

Text

Each paragraph should be separated by a blank line--do not indent. Via Genie: remember to put at least one space on every blank line. Otherwise, the blank lines disappear, and you end up with one very long paragraph.

Scene changes should be separated by: one blank line, three ###'s (flush to left margin), and another blank line. Please don't use empty lines, dashes (---), asterisks (***), or anything except three (3) ###'s.

At the end of the story, write the word "END." That way, we'll know we have the whole story, and not just a part.

Grammar
Grammar starts with spelling. Please review your work before you submit it. Please make use of your software's spell checker. If your software doesn't have a spell checker, consider reading your story backward to check for spelling errors. Yes, this really does work.

Also check your work for words left out, repeated phrases, awkward phrases, etc. Anything that doesn't sound quite right. It helps to read you story out loud, and/or to get someone else to proofread it for you. Send your stories in as complete as possible and our job will be much easier--and faster!

Words that should be capitalized:

Bowl
Weyr Lake
Search/Searched
Impress/Impressed
Thread/Threadfall/'Fall
Hold (major hold only)
Lord Holder/Lady Holder/Holder's Lady
Weyr (as in StarRise Weyr)
Harperhall (when referring to the main Harperhall)
(Please follow this convention for the rest of the crafthalls)

Words that should NOT be capitalized:

~between~
lower caverns
dining cavern
living caverns
gold (as in dragon)
bronze (as in dragon)
brown (as in dragon)
blue (as in dragon)
green (as in dragon)
gather (unless you're referring to a specific gather, such as the Horizon Hold Gather)
turn
firelizard
weyr (meaning an individual dragon's living space)
weyrling
Titles such as:
harper
healer (and other crafters)
weyrwoman
wingleader
wingsecond
master
journeyman
--unless using the term as a title (such as Weyrwoman Lessa or Journeyman Sebell)

Standard Spellings (all one word):

StarRise
firelizard
firestone
dragonet
wherhide
bronzerider
brownrider
bluerider
greenrider
goldrider

Print Styles & Special Fonts
Our newsletter is "printed" completely online, so we don't have a lot of options as to print quality, font styles, etc. What we have is basic text. Because of that, and because we want everyone to understand us, there are certain standards we'd like everyone to follow concerning our stories. Please follow these rules as you put your stories together.

All italicized text should be placed within tildes (~). Examples:

Emphasis: "I said, do ~not~ touch that!"
Rider to Dragon (and vice versa). Z'leena gazed out over the Bowl. ~Quiet day today, Soneth~
~between~

Please don't use underlining, computer _underline_, *asterisks*, - dashes-, or especially ALL CAPS. It's easier (and faster) on us if we're able to do a quick Search & Replace for the italics, and the tildes and are easy to find as you're not likely to use them for anything else.

Story Content

Date
Please be sure to date all your stories. We place the stories chronologically in each issue, so if we don't have a date, we get to put it wherever we think it belongs in the timeline. Don't assume we'll know where to put it either--our guesses have been wrong before. If you're unsure about Pernese dates, there are a couple solutions. We have a Pern/Terra conversion chart available. If you have access to the Web site, it will be there. You can also (as a last resort only, please) list the date in Terran terms and we'll convert. What I usually do is fill in the current Pernese turn (or count back for however many years I'm backdating) and then use an approximate date that corresponds to the Pernese. For instance, if I knew I wanted the story to take place at the beginning of May, I'd date it 22.05.05--the 22nd turn, and around the beginning of the fifth month. If you want to have your story happening on the same day as some other event, contact the writer of the original event to find out when their story happened or check the Weyr timeline.

Timeline Continuity
When you're writing a backdated story, check the timeline in the webpage, or ask the person behind the character you're using. It's very easy to put a character somewhere they couldn't possibly be if you don't double check.

Weyrlings
We've had a lot of problems with weyrling characters doing things (like flying, going ~between~, fighting Thread, etc.) before the character has reached that far in training. If you have a weyrling character--or you're using someone else's weyrling--be sure to check the Weyrling Training Schedule to be sure the character has reached at least the beginning of whatever action you've got him doing. Just count the months since the Impression date and match it up with the Training Chart in this Guide.

Two (or More) Part Stories
Sometimes, stories are too long to include in just one issue of the club storyzine, and they can be split into two parts or serialized over more than one issue. We will not, however, print the first part of the story without having at least a firm promise for "Part 2" (or whatever it takes to get to the end). This is one of those, "we've been burned before" situations. We understand that all stories will be a continuation of your characters' lives, but please don't put that pesky "To be continued" on the end of your story if there's any possibility that readers won't be seeing the next installment next issue.

Stories Not to Write Because We Won't Accept Them Anyway

Okay, sometimes we have to reject a story. Some of these are per Anne McCaffrey, and we will not compromise on those.

Using Anne's Characters: This is rule #1. Don't even try to use Anne McCaffrey's copyrighted characters (including dragons) for a StarRise publication. This includes using such characters as background for your own characters.

Odd-Color Dragons: Anne has requested that there be no "sport" (mutated) dragons and firelizards. Ruth was the only one.

Wrong Sex for Dragon Impression: Females can Impress golds and greens, and occasionally a blue. Males can Impress bronzes, browns, blues, and sometimes a green. Anyone can Impress any color firelizard, though.

Dragon Fighting Dragon: StarRise will not accept any stories that contain dragon fighting dragon. It will just not happen. It's a dragon thing. Note that this is accepted to a limited extent during mating flights.

Hearing Another Rider's Dragon: Please remember, it is extremely rare to be able to hear another rider's dragon--yes, even if your characters are twins. They just don't care to talk to anyone else in most instances. It is even more rare to be able to hear all dragons. If you want your persona to have this talent, you better be able to justify it to the Weyr first. Chances are, this won't be accepted. Characters with this happening will not be accepted from new members. Please check the Persona Requirements section before you begin writing.

Timing ~between~: Timing is expressly forbidden. This is serious. The Masterhealer General has determined that timing is hazardous to your health. And Jina will hunt you down and kill you if you do. If you feel you must use timing in a story, be prepared to have the story nitpicked to death. You will need to justify every word and action in the story. The character involved will also need to receive a very stiff penalty for the timing incident.

Obscenity, Graphic Violence, Etc.: We do not publish suggestive, obscene, or inflammatory material. This is a family publication. It's up to the Weyr to decide what's obscene, graphic, or otherwise.

Dragons Doing the Impossible: Dragon's can't fly upside-down, they're not built for it. Green dragons don't lay eggs. They've been genetically designed not to. Dragons can't catch their riders mid-air after they've leaped off a ledge. You'll just have to learn to mount like everyone else. Dragons can't do triple rollovers then come out into a dive. They'd rip their wings off if they tried--and their rider too. Dragons can't-- Well, you get the idea.

Using Another's Persona in a Derogatory Manner: You wouldn't want them to use yours that way, would you? If you wish to use a character developed by another fan writer, courtesy requires that you get that author's permission and approval.

Everything You've Always Wanted: Okay, we'll accept "The guy gets the girl," but we won't accept, "The guy gets the girl, the dragon, the money, revenge, fame, recognition, etc, etc, etc," all in one story. It's no fun to have all your problems solved. Save something for the next story.

Religion: The closest Pern comes to religion is their thanks to the dragons and their riders that save all Pern. Don't have your characters worshiping anyone or anything. There is no Deity on Pern. We're on our own.

Space Invaders from Mars: This is Pern. Not Delta-Gamma III. We're so far out in the middle of nowhere, the FSP will never find us again, and they have a map. Pern is fun the way it is, let's keep it that way.

Magic: The only magic on Pern is dragons, going ~between~, Impression, etc. Don't have your characters casting spells, dealing with mystical runes, etc.

Impression from the Stands: This is allowable, if there is an interesting story around the incident, but check with the Editor before you waste your time. Chances are, it won't be accepted. (Note that this is one of those done-to-death plot devices.) Characters with this happening will not be accepted from new members. Please check the Persona Requirements section before you begin writing.

Impressing Someplace Other Than a Weyr: All Impressions happen on the Hatching Grounds at a Weyr. You will never stumble over a dragon egg on the beach, just about to hatch, and Impress.

Wrong People Impressing: Craftmasters, Lord/Lady Holders, Hold Heirs won't be Searched, and they won't Impress.

Stories to Write Because We Will Accept Them

We're sure you're wondering by now just what kind of stories we will accept. If you follow the guidelines set down in the books, in THE DRAGONLOVER'S GUIDE TO PERN (some exceptions), as well as this guide, you should be just fine. Just remember that Pern deals with common sense. Focus your storylines on interactions between people, and you'll have great stories. Let Pern be the setting, and your persona, and other peoples personas, be the story.

If you come up with a story idea you're not sure we'll accept, first check the books (Did a similar situation happen there?), then check this guide-- it explains just about everything we won't accept, but new ideas crop up all the time. If these sources haven't answered your questions, let us know and we'll get an answer to you.

We prefer stories set in the here and now for your persona. There are two reasons for this. First, the events take place in real time. This is so we can all interact together. That does not mean that if you submit a backdated story, we won't print it. We will. We just prefer stories set in the present. Second, we encourage stories set in the current time for your persona because readers will be more interested in what your persona is now. Once they get to know you, then they'll be curious about your background. If you really, really want to write a backdated story, though, we have fanzines (FIRST FLIGHTS) just for that purpose.

We do want to hear your Impression story. Everybody loves Impressions. But if you submit one, we suggest you concentrate your story on the interesting happenings around the event, instead of just the Impression itself. We know it was a special moment for you, but too many Impression stories in a newsletter take away from the charm of it all.

Helpful Hints on Writing Your Story
Avoid the "Superpersona Syndrome." We all know that your persona is very important to you. After all, each of us puts a lot of work and effort into creating our characters, we want to see them succeed--but keep it believable. The super-strong, handsome, never-fail dragonrider is not interesting to read about. One of the great parts about StarRise (and Pern fan fiction) is that the different personas can interact with each other. Chances are that "Mr. Superpersona" would be very difficult for someone to use in their story. And let's face it, what did you think of the people in high school that fit that description? The readers of your story will probably think that same thing about your character.

Make use of pre-existing characters. The Eastern Ring Islands are a big place, with many people populating the various holds, halls, and the Weyr. Have your characters interact with these people. This will help make your stories tie in to the "reality feel" of StarRise. Just be sure to get permission from that character's owner first. If you're just going to have them standing in a crowd, or saying "Hi" as they go by, permission isn't really necessary. However, if they are going to do something, react to something, become injured or ill, or die, etc., you must have their permission. If this permission isn't given, we won't publish the story. This is one of the best things about fan fiction-- give it a try.

If you submit a story containing another author's persona, we will assume that you have asked for and received permission, and that you have sent that person a copy of the story for their approval. It is your responsibility to do this, not ours. In many cases, the Editors will agree to check the story with any other members involved, but don't count on this.

Using a character from another Weyr's territory is exactly the same as using a character from within StarRise. If you use a Weyrleader from another Weyr, a Lord Holder from a hold outside the territory, or even a craftmaster from a hall outside StarRise's territory, then you must have permission and approval from the person who owns the character. Likewise, if part of your story takes place outside StarRise territory, you may want to seek permission. This is only for stories where the persona or location will have a significant "part" in the story. If you're just going to have your character see Weyrleader so-and-so from such-and-such Weyr off in a distance, that's okay. If you're giving this Weyrleader a speaking part, then you'd better make sure the words have the owner's permission. With locations, it's a bit easier. If you're having your character go to, say, Fort Hold, you shouldn't have any problem if they're just going to go visit one of the "regular folk" of the hold. If you're going to destroy a portion of the hold, or in some other way permanently effect the hold, you should seek permission before turning the story in for publication. Check with the Weyr if you need the name of a current Weyrleader or Lord Holder.

If you want to write another story that coincides with another member's story, that's encouraged too. You can write the same event from your character's point of view. Or, you can continue that tale where theirs leaves off. Even mentioning the event in your story is good. It will make the other member feel flattered and it will tie a little more of the club together.

Have a plot. That is actually harder than it sounds. Have a goal in mind, and work the events in the story toward the resolution of that goal. The resolution doesn't have to be "all's well that ends well." Neither do all of your story threads need to be neatly wrapped up in one story. In fact, planting the seeds for future stories is a wonderful writing tool that adds a sense of continuity, but something needs to actually happen in your story.

Just Do It, Write! The above aside, even if you don't have a story in mind, write ~something~ involving your character. A good place to start is by keeping a "diary" for your persona. Even though you may be the only person ever to read it, write down the character's thoughts or reactions to various events. How would they deal with the day-to-day life on Pern? Which other characters would they come into contact with? What are their opinions, feelings, and dreams? This isn't like filling out a persona sheet. Use the character's own thoughts and viewpoints; separate them from your own. From this launching point, you'll come up with several potential storylines, trust me. Don't worry about writing "the perfect story." That'll come in time. For now, just write.

SECTION III
FICTIONAL PERN

Introduction to 10th Pass Pern

Pern is the third planet of the Rukbat System in the Sagittarius Sector. It was a Terran colony world that lost contact with Mother Earth due to periodic attacks from an organism which devours all organic material it comes into contact with. The colonists called the organisms "Thread," because they resemble shining silver threads as they fall from the skies. To counter Thread, the Pernese (back when they still had the skills) modified an indigenous life-form to create "dragons" (so named for the mythical beasts they resembled).

It's been over 3000 years since those beginnings, and things have changed a bit.

Welcome to 10th Pass fannish Pern. We are a variation of Anne McCaffrey's "Dragonriders of Pern" universe. We exist in the 10th Pass of the Red Star (the Pass after the one in the books), mainly to give Ms. McCaffrey plenty of room to write more books and to avoid our stepping on her characters' toes, so to speak. You'll notice some differences between our Pern and Anne's Pern.

The most noticeable difference, of course, is that there is a 10th Pass. In Anne's version of Pern, the 9th Pass was the last one.

In our fannish universe, AIVAS, the intelligent computer left by the Ancients, was found, but sadly, exposure to the elements and time destroyed the delicate circuitry and AIVAS was unable to tell the Pernese how to destroy Thread. So the Pernese of the 9th Pass were left with an intriguing mystery and 200 turns after the end of the 9th Pass, another Pass, the 10th, began.

The advances in technology made due to AIVAS, of course, never happened. And, since the 9th Pass itself continued without the relief provided by AIVAS, many of the technological advances conceived by the Pernese themselves were abandoned in the greater demand for simple survival. You'll notice that our Pern is just a bit more primitive, in many ways, as a result.

We do follow a few rules concerning Anne and her books. She has asked that we not use her characters except in a historical sense. For instance, while "The Ballad of Lessa's Ride" and "The Battle of the Two Queens" are sung at every spring gather, the characters of Lessa, F'lar, Robinton, etc., will not be making any appearances in StarRise publications. That also means using Anne's characters for your stories or personal history is not allowed. She has asked us to leave Benden Weyr and Ruatha Hold to her, so we strongly discourage people from claiming Benden or Ruathan heritage. Also, per Anne's request, Ruth was the only white dragon.

Women have become liberated on Pern. Some of the changes that have occurred during the Interval include: females Impressing greens and some blues, and an increased acceptance of females in the crafthalls (including journeymen and masters).

During the Interval after the 9th Pass, holdless from the Northern Continent as well as the many younger blooded sons and daughters settled all over the Southern Continent, which proved to be a more extensive land mass than its Northern counterpart. As the South became inhabited, many of the islands off the Southern coast were explored, as well as the islands along the Eastern Ring.

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 an unnatural 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 is significant to StarRise because the Windwall appears to the east of the Eastern Ring Islands. Riders from StarRise often saw this phenomenon many times during their lives.

Recently, however, in the latter part of turn 24, the Windwall…disappeared. No one knows how or why, but around that time there were some major earthquakes in the region of the Far Eastern Continent, accompanied by tsunamis and severe weather. When things settled, the five Weyrs of the Far Eastern Continent -- all located along the coastline -- were destroyed and the inhabitants severely decimated.

Another side affect of the earthquakes was the movement of the Great Maelstrom, a naturally formed whirlpool between Benden Weyr's territory and the Eastern Ring Islands, and the Lesser Whirlpool -- only slightly less dangerous than its sister -- between the Eastern Ring Islands and the Far Eastern Continent.

However, dragons are now free to travel to the Far Eastern Continent without endangering themselves or their riders.

Although some of F'lar's hopes for the future did not come about, the Weyrleaders made sure they did not forget their original purpose nor allowed the holders and crafters to forget either. When the Red Star drew close again (as the starsmiths predicted it would), the queens started rising more frequently and producing larger clutches. The Southerners grew concerned that they would be unprotected during the upcoming Pass. While the land was thoroughly grubbed, it takes time for the fields to be fully protected and there was so much room on Southern that grubs couldn't reproduce fast enough to cover the newly cultivated fields. Also, as the holders more than once stated (rather loudly), no one wanted to be grateful to a grub! Plans were made to expand the already existing areas of dragon concentration and to build new Weyrs to ensure Southern would not turn into the barren land of the Ballads. There are now several Weyrs on the Southern Continent: Janus, directly to the south of the Eastern Ring, Sable, Southern, Crescent, and Haven.

The islands along the Eastern Ring also got a new Weyr: StarRise.

StarRise Weyr

StarRise Weyr is located at the southeastern tip of FireGem Island. Since it is very close to the equator, it is quite warm there most of the turn. The mountain itself is a blown-out volcano, extinct for many, many turns. The southwestern side of the mountain is gone, so the Weyrfolk have easy access to the beach that comes right to the base of the Weyr mountain. This open side of the mountain provides some much needed cooling breezes, but it can also capture fierce winds that can whip themselves into little cyclones in the Bowl.

Located so close to the water, it has it's own docks, located at the southwestern tip, on the left of the large blown-out side. There is a tunnel that begins here, that leads almost all the way around the Weyr mountain.

Following along the inner wall of the Weyr toward the north, next is the lower caverns entrance. The lower caverns consist of a living cavern, a dining cavern, a smaller serving area (kind of like in a cafeteria, where you pick up your food) and the kitchens. Beyond the kitchens are more tunnels leading to various storage rooms, dormatories and living quarters for the lower caverns personnel. Next is the child care area, with the nurseries, children's dormatories and the harpers' classrooms and offices.

Beyond that is the Infirmaries, both dragon and human. Both consist of huge open rooms (though the dragons' Infirmary is quite a bit larger than the humans'). The dragons' Infirmary has a number of hollows to keep all sizes of dragons comfortable while they heal. The human Infirmary has many rows of beds, often separated by screens. Additional beds are stacked along the walls, in case of epidemics. There are two hallways located off the main chamber leading to numerous smaller, private chambers.

Next along the eastern side of the Weyr is the weyrling and candidate area. The weyrling barracks consist of three huge chambers, each large enough to house the latest batch of weyrlings and their dragons. In front of the weyrling barracks is the weyrling training area, also known as the "Weyrling Pit," where weyrling training takes place. Next to the weyrling barracks are several ground-level and just above ground-level weyrs for the Weyrlingmaster and 'seconds. Above the weyrling barracks, accessible by a set of steep, switchback stairways, is the candidate quarters. There are two huge chambers, each connected in the rear to a large bathing area with several pools. In both weyrling and candidate quarters, the sleeping arrangements are divided by age or weyrling class, rather than sex, and there is very little privacy.

Continuing past the weyrling area we come to the Northern Hatching Grounds entrance. This entrance is sealed, due to a cave-in several turns ago which killed the queen involved and most of her clutch. The Northern Hatching Grounds are not used, though there has been talk of opening them again.

Past this entrance, there is a wide passage leading to the tunnel which travels around the Weyr mountain. This tunnel goes to the inner stabling areas as well and is how the animals of the Weyr are brought in. Rarely will the animals be led across the Bowl, since dragons in flight tend to cause them to stampede. The feeding grounds, attached to these stables are next, at the very northern point of the Weyr. The feeding pens are next to the Weyr Lake, with a small portion of the lake fenced off for the beasts. The beasts stabled in the feeding pens will not, however, go near the lake when dragons are bathing at the other end.

Beyond the lake, about a third of the way back down the eastern side of the Weyr, is a tunnel that leads from the bowl to the inner tunnel. It's called "Crafter's Alley." This is where most of the Weyr's crafter workrooms are located, in various chambers along this tunnel. This is also where the living quarters for the crafters of the Weyr are located.

Next comes the Weyrleader's Complex. There are two junior goldrider weyrs along the northern stairway, then two more along the southern one. The southern weyrs are larger and are allocated for the Sr. Weyrwoman and Weyrleader. Another entrance at the base of the southern stairway looks much like a weyr, though it is a tunnel to the balcony that overlooks the Eastern Hatching Grounds. At the base of the southern stairway is the entrance to the Eastern Hatching Grounds. This chamber is much larger than the Northern Grounds and is still in use. Just beyond that is the entrance to a short tunnel leading to the StarRise Council and Records rooms. It is the last stop on our tour, located about one third of the way from the southernmost tip of the Weyr, just before the opening and the beach.

Weyrling Training

Each month, a weyrling will begin training in:

MONTH 1: Care and feeding of dragonets; how much to feed them; when to feed them; what to feed them and what not to feed them; cleaning and oiling dragon hide; how to spot imperfect hide; what to do about imperfect hide; dragon/rider bonding exercises; first aid for dragons: how to deal with dragon-induced emotions; making the first set of weyrling rank cords.

MONTH 2: Firestone familiarization (selecting, sizing, and bagging firestone); Weyrling Chain (teams of weyrlings fill empty firestone bags and pass them through a chain of waiting team members to the supply dragon); Dragon Toss (tossing and catching full bags of firestone from one weyrling to another).

MONTH 3: Ground Drill (very precise, exacting marching drills requiring the young riders to perform intricate maneuvers in teams; to gain endurance and self-discipline; training lasts all the daylight hours and is very tiring).

MONTH 4: The "extras" of being a dragonrider; how to make and maintain fighting straps and other equipment; interpreting and maintaining Threadfall charts; dragon nutrition and health care.

MONTH 5: First flight; just a short glide at first, from a height; then longer glides from higher heights; finally, taking off from flat ground.

MONTH 6: Short flights within and around the Weyr: learn about air currents and weather patterns that affect flight; more first aid for dragons, concentrating on muscle strain and development; weyrlings are utilized at this time to perform ferry service for the Weyr residents; later, begin flights outside the Weyr and in the immediate area to strengthen dragon's flight abilities.

MONTH 7: Flight practice; weyrlings with extra abilities begin extra training at this time.

MONTH 9: Formation flying in groups of three, six, nine, and twelve; Ground Drill transferred to the air; learn the "Dragon Toss" in the air; accidents are common; weyrlings with extra abilities are given extra responsibilities as flight leaders.

MONTH 10: Terrain recognition exercises; young riders receive visualizations from the Weyrlingmaster and his 'seconds.

MONTH 11: Going ~between~ to recognition points around Pern: often, young riders are required to fly straight to various points on Pern, then return via ~between~.

MONTH 12: ~between~ in formation; train in groups of three, then in groups of six, nine, and twelve; injuries from collisions are common.
MONTH 13: Firestone training; start with soft stone (practice stone) to learn the procedure, then progress to firestone (low grade ore); wingleaders begin sizing up the weyrlings to choose from among them for their wings.

MONTH 14: Firestone duty; deliver firestone to the wings during Threadfall; this is where the "Dragon Toss" comes in handy.

MONTH 15: Weyrling Wing; fly at the Trailing Edge of Threadfall; weyrlings make their first set of full dragonrider rank cords.

MONTH 17: Queen's Wing; fly with the queen's wing until chosen for a fighting wing.

Reminder: Bear in mind that up to 60% of all weyrlings do not live to their second turn. Accidents occur, even among hatchlings, and especially when the weyrlings start going ~between~, fighting Thread, and tossing firestone sacks around.

Igen Weyr

The information for Igen Weyr territory is rather skimpy at this time due to our just starting here. Please feel free to develop more for this section of the club.

SECTION IV
PERSONA GUIDE

Creating Your Own Pernese Persona

Stick to the guidelines here and you should do very well when designing your character. Try to make them as "real" and human as possible. Take a look at some of the characters already inhabiting StarRise and some of your favorites from the Dragonriders of Pern books to help guide you in the type of character you want. Remember that representatives are also available to give you any help you may need.

Don't use any of Anne's names; either people characters or dragons. Anne has given us an alternate Pern to play with, and reserves the use of her copyrighted characters for herself. The characters of Lessa, F'lar, Robinton, and the rest are all long dead by our version of the 10th Pass, as are the "Oldtimers." They're all part of our history, but they have little bearing on our present version of Pern. Remember that in our version of Pern, AIVAS did not destroy the threat of Thread forever, so it's still around .

If you intend to have more than one character, then please fill out one persona sheet for each. You can have as many personas as you'd like at the Weyr for the one flat fee. Good advice is to start small, with just one alter-ego. Don't be afraid to use other people's characters as siblings, friends or mentors. Be sure to contact the person behind the persona first, though, for permission.

Remember, we're all human, with human strengths and weaknesses. Please don't try to make a 'super' character. A person with no faults isn't very interesting or fun to write about, and even less fun for the other members to read about. But a character with a few personality quirks is always fun in stories. Any special abilities you would like your persona or your dragon to have (ie: hearing all dragons, large size dragon, extra maneuverability, etc.) should be cleared with the club leaders first. Chances are, these things will not be accepted, but we're more than willing to listen.

Also, if you are able to send in a drawing of your persona with your persona sheet, we'll publish it so people in the Weyr will know you better.

We reserve the right to reject any character or details that conflict with established club policies. If we reject part of your character, it isn't that we don't want YOU--your character just didn't fit into StarRise's established scenerio the first time. We are more than willing to work with you. Just let us know so we can work it out.

All personas should be sent to Anna for approval. To find out information about past or upcoming dragon clutches, or when dragon hatchlings will be/were available, contact Anna Smith at the address above.

Dragonriders

Many members of StarRise wish to become dragonriders. Keep in mind that the age limit for Impression is 14-21. StarRise allows female personas to Impress only greens and golds. Male personas can only Impress bronzes, browns, and blue.

Very Important: Dragons come in gold, bronze, brown, blue, and green. The shades may vary according to the individual, but not drastically so. Anne has asked that there be no more white, odd-colored, or sport dragons, so there will be none.

Members get to name their own dragons but, in terms of your stories, your dragon will tell you.

There are three ways you can go about Impressing a dragon at StarRise:

1) Impress a Hatchling:

Let us know what clutch you would like to be a candidate for, and we'll let you know if you've Impressed and the color of your new weyrmate. The Weyr will announce any upcoming Hatchings in the WATCHDRAGON. If you have a particular color dragon you'd like to Impress, please let us know of your request in advance, and we'll see what we can do. In the case of a gold dragon, there are three things you must do to get one:

a. Work for the club. Write for the club, do mundane stuff, be a go- getter, etc. b. Ask for one. We don't know you want one unless you tell us. c. Accept that you'll need to be involved in some aspect of the mundane running of the club at all times once you get the gold.

2) Backdate:

In creating your persona, if you want a dragon that came from a past clutch, just let us know how old your weyrmate is now, and the color you'd like. We will check over the clutch chart and see if there are any eggs left un-Impressed at the time you were a candidate. Then we'll give you a list of Hatchings in the appropriate time frame, any clutchmates from those hatchings, and the parents of the clutch. Select a dragon from that information and let us know. Remember, gold dragons, of any age, must be earned, and since a gold egg's hatching is a special event, we will not be backdating any gold dragons.

3) Transfer From a Different Weyr:

Just fill out the persona sheet, and send it in. Please check with the other Weyr, or ask us to check, to see if there was a clutch on the grounds and possibly who the queen was at the time of your Impression. Gold dragon transfers must be cleared with the Weyrleaders of both Weyrs before a transfer can be approved.

Crafters

If, instead of becoming a dragonrider, you want to be a crafter, just remember that a crafter has to spend a time as an apprentice at one of the crafthalls (or at a hold or Weyr), then spend a lot of time as a journeyman. If you want your persona to be both a dragonrider and a crafter, remember: dragons take a lot of time and energy, so you can't be both a full-time craftsman and a fighting dragonrider at the same time. Any craft your persona was involved in before Impression will become not much more than a hobby after Impression. Also, try to keep in mind what everyone else is doing. If you want to become the Weyrhealer, for instance, there probably won't be a place for you. The Weyr already has a healer, with a long list of candidates behind. If you want to stand out, be a smithcrafter, or even a woodcrafter. Healing is one of the most popular crafts. There are, however, lots of open crafter positions at the various major and minor holds in StarRise territory.

Holders

If you wish to become a holder in StarRise territory, you'll need to check on that with the club leaders. Being a Lord Holder is a lot of work. You can't be both a holder and a dragonrider at the same time. Many of the major holds in StarRise territory are already staffed with Lord Holders, but that changes from time to time due to member fluctuation. Check with the Weyr. However, many of the minor holds and cotholds in StarRise territory do need holders. (Send mail to Anna Smith at anna@gypsywanderer.org to check on availablity of holds.)

Others

There are other character types you can be. There are holdless people, lower caverns folk at the Weyr, holds and crafthalls, traders, pirates, theatrecrafters, etc. If you'd like to be one of these, please let us know.

If you really want to stand out: Don't be a dragonrider. Crafters, holders, and others stand out in any fandom Weyr.

Once you've figured out who and what you want your persona to be, you can begin to fill out the persona sheet. Here's a bit of a description of what we're asking for:

Persona Restrictions

There are certain persona types and/or persona traits that we'd rather not see at StarRise. Here are a few we are almost certain to reject.

Related to Lessa: If you submit a character that is related to ANY character created by Anne McCaffrey, it will be rejected. We are not permitted to use Anne's characters in any way.

The Firelizard Farm: If your character has more than three firelizards, do not expect us to accept the persona. Menolly was the clear exception and will remain so. All firelizards must be approved by the club leader. Golds and bronzes are given as tokens of appreciation.

Aliens from Space: If your character comes from off-planet, he will not be accepted. Pern does not have traffic from elsewhere in the universe.

Magic: Want to have your character able to heal the sick and wounded by just touching them? What about being able to read minds or predect the future? Reads runes? Forget about it.

Amnesia Victims: This one has been done to death so many times we don't even want to look at it anymore. Please do NOT submit a character that knows nothing about his past.

Supersonas: We like to read about human characters rather than comic book heroes. If your character is so far above the rest of the human race in talents and skills, please submit him to Marvel Comics rather than StarRise. Please create plausible, human characters. Please do not create a character with any special talents without clearing it with the Weyrleaders first.

Incredibly Young Masters: No, we will not accept a 15 turn old journeyman or a 22 turn old mastercrafter. Use your own judgment, but be realistic. A good ballpark figure is about 18-22 for journeyman (depending on the craft) and 35 or older for master (again, depending on the craft).

Joke Names: Please, please, please do not use joke names. We've got a North, South, etc., and it's making my hair turn gray. Also, any names that come from common Terran terms should not be used. (Truth, etc.) These names are awfully distracting to those who are attempting to "play Pern" with a sense of reality and they really suck in stories. This goes for dragon and rider names alike.

Special Abilities/Special Dragons: We term "special abilities" as things like the ability to hear all dragons, Impressing from the stands, etc.. Special dragons are golds, those with special talents, etc. Please do not submit a persona with special abilities or special dragons as your first persona--it will not be accepted. We reserve these for members who've been with us for a while. If you'd like to create a character with special traits, please create another character to use first, until we get to know you. Realize also that the ability to hear all dragons is exclusive to female characters. Impression from the stands will not happen to a character that is in any other way ineligible to Impress (too old, a Hold Heir, etc.).

Persona Problems

Names: Some names have a vowel problem. Dragonrider names get contracted or honorificed when they Impress (males always, but females get to choose). Usually, a name like Jalen would be changed to J'len, but not J'alen. Mooret would become M'ret, not M'ooret or M'oret. The vowels are removed. Recently, I've seen the names "C'ooter" and "M'oulder" come across my desk. Please don't do this to me.

Illogical Characters: There are some characters we simply cannot accept because they just don't make sense. Some things to watch out for are conflicting persona traits (a shy guy who's also the life of the party), inexplicible special skills (the guy raised by farmers who is also a ninja warrior), etc.

Orphans: Pern is more of a communal society than Earth. If a child's parents die, he'd be fostered to someone. He will never be abandoned to his own devices.

Being Searched From Far Away: Unless there is a gold dragon on the sands, dragonriders usually will go on Search only within their own territory. Searching for candidates outside their territory is considered poaching, so they probably won't do it. If they happen to come across someone while visiting the hold or crafthall for some reason, then maybe. But they won't actively go on Search all over Pern. I know they did it at Benden, but that was when there was only one Weyr on the planet.

StarRise Weyr does not discriminate based on age, race, ethnic origin, or sexual preference for you or your personas.

Persona Upkeep

The persona upkeep policy at StarRise Weyr relates mainly to those special positions of high visibility around the Weyr. The positions referred to are: goldriders, wingleaders, Lord/Lady Holders, Weyrlingmaster and Weyrlingmaster 'Second, Weyrsinger/Weyrharper, Weyrhealer, Headwoman, and the like. They are not handed out lightly, and they do hold a certain responsibility. These positions are in high demand, so if you want one of them, or you've got one of them already, you've got to work to keep it. So to get that position you've always wanted, or to retain it once you've got it, here's all you've got to do.

First level ranking characters require at least two submission per year.

Second level ranking characters require at least one submission per year.

So what's a ranking character, and what level are they? Join the message board and find out!

We do understand that sometimes things happen beyond the control of man, woman or machine. To this end we do have a grace period of one or two issues for those getting behind on their submissions. We are willing to work with you if we're aware there is a problem. Just remember to contact the Weyr and inform us of the extra time needed. This keeps the production of the newsletter going smoothly and also keeps the club leaders apprised of any problems.

If for some reason a member has been removed from his or her position and feels that they need a second chance, they should contact the club leaders. Tell them why they deserve a second chance, explain what they think went wrong, and what they're going to do to change that. Second chances are not offered lightly, and third chances are not offered at all. Remember that the position may fill quickly, so don't waste time asking for that second chance.

These positions are the most popular jobs within the Weyr. And in most cases, there is generally only room for one of them, fictionally. It's not fair to the more active members that they should have to wait for a inactive member to decide they don't want to support that position anymore. Therefore, we believe the above policy to be fair. As usual, if you don't agree, we're more than willing to discuss it.