Simonpet's Create-A-games Archive
Weyrwoman and Staff
The Weyrwoman and junior goldriders will alternate between hunting and scout patrols when they have no other tasks to accomplish. The Headwoman (Headman) is in charge of sending the Lower Caverns staff to help the Crafters when necessary, and is in charge of facilitating the apprenticeship of weyrbrats.
Weyrwoman
The Weyrwoman, or senior goldrider, is the rider of the eldest fertile gold in the Weyr. She is appointed by her dragon being the first gold to mate and serves until her dragon fails to rise to mate or dies, which makes replacing an incompetent Weyrwoman difficult. She is in charge of all matters pertaining to housing, food, the raising of children living in the Weyr, training, organization and discipline of the support staff, and the day-to-day living requirements of the dragons and their riders. In addition, she is a diplomatic ambassador, responsible for relations to other Weyrs, Holds, Crafthalls, and villages. Most of her duties are administrative, delegating responsibilities to her Headwoman (Headman) or junior goldriders.
Her council is made of junior goldriders, retired dragonriders, the Headwoman (Headman), the Weyrleader, and wingleaders.
The equivalent ranks are "hunter" and "scout".
Junior Goldrider
Junior goldriders are assistants to the Weyrwoman and are primarily assigned to record keeping, lower-level diplomatic duties, training gold weyrling pairs, and fostering teenage girls who are likely to rise to a leadership position within the Weyr. This provides them with important experience for future leadership positions, as each junior pair has the chance to become Weyrwoman on very short notice.
The equivalent ranks are "hunter" and "scout".
Retired Dragonrider
Retired dragonriders are those whose dragons are too old to mate or have died, and often remain as assistants or advisors to the Weyrwoman. They are sometimes designated to represent the Weyrwoman in her absence.
The equivalent rank is "elder".
Headwoman (Headman)
The Headwoman (Headman) is the Weyrwoman's primary assistant, being responsible for implementing orders regarding management of the Lower Caverns. She (He) is in charge of the cook staff, cleaning staff, maintenance staff, and fostering staff.
The equivalent rank is "gathering chief".
Lower Caverns Staff
The Lower Caverns staff include anyone who lives in a Weyr and isn't a dragonrider or Crafter. They include the cook staff, cleaning staff, maintenance staff, fostering staff, and Crafter helpers (those knowledgeable in a Craft but don't have the ambition or monetary means to pursue an apprenticeship). They are lead and organized by the Headwoman (Headman).
The equivalent ranks are "gatherer" and "substitute mother".
Weyrbrat
Weyrbrats are any children in the Weyr who are younger than 13 turns of age, after which they can choose to become Candidates (if there are dragon eggs in the Hatching Grounds), part of the Lower Caverns staff, or apprentice to a Crafter. Children are typically fostered out when they are young, to ensure their parents don't need to take too much time away from their job, Craft, or dragon. As such, children grow up in cohorts which typically contain their best friends, worst enemies, and future partners.
The equivalent ranks are "child" and "tester".
Weyrleader and Dragonriders
The Weyrleader and all dragonriders under him will alternate between hunting and scouting patrols. The Weyrlingmaster and his or her seconds are in charge of training the weyrlings and candidates.
Weyrleader
The Weyrleader is determined by whichever bronze or brown dragon mates with the senior queen, with the rider of the winning dragon becoming the new Weyrleader. If a Weyrwoman likes a particular bronzerider or brownrider and he has the approval of the majority of the Weyr, he is likely to stay Weyrleader for a long period of time.
The equivalent ranks are "hunter" and "scout".
Wingleader
The wingleader is in charge of caring for a wing of 12-22 dragons, and is chosen by the Weyrleader based on merit. Bronzeriders and brownriders are popular choices as other dragons typically don't listen to "lesser" colors. However, there have been notable bluerider and greenrider wingleaders in the turns after the Final Pass.
The equivalent ranks are "hunter" and "scout".
Wingsecond
Wingseconds are the second-in-commands to their wingleader, with there typically being one or two per wing. They are chosen by the wingleader and are typically bronzeriders or brownriders in training to be wingleaders themselves. However, there have been notable bluerider and greenrider wingseconds in the turns after the Final Pass.
The equivalent ranks are "hunter" and "scout".
Dragonrider
Ordinary dragonriders make up the bulk of the dragonriding population. They include all colors except for gold, and are assigned to wings. Occasionally, they will be called upon to help the Weyrlingmaster, Crafters, or Headwoman (Headman).
The equivalent ranks are "hunter" and "scout".
Weyrlingmaster
The Weyrlingmaster is in charge of the training and discipline of young dragonriders, or weyrlings. The Weyrlingmaster is appointed by the Weyrleader and must have a good deal of experience and thick skin because as many as 25% of all weyrlings can die before the end of their training.
The equivalent rank is "teacher".
Weyrlings
Weyrlings are young dragon-rider pairs learning basic care, how to perform airborne maneuvers, how to go between, behaviors expected of dragonriders, and other such things. Weyrlinghood has been extended from one turn to five or more turns, depending on how mature the dragon-rider pair is.
The equivalent rank is "apprentice".
Candidates
Candidates are teenagers and adults between the ages of 13 and 35 who are attempting to Impress a dragon. While older teenagers are preferred, adults who are open to the idea of a dragon bond may occasionally Impress. All successful candidates have some telepathic ability which can occasionally lend itself to seemingly-magical abilities such as empathy, a "sixth sense" for people in the area, the ability to hear all dragons or, very rarely, the ability to "push" on people's emotions telepathically. The latter two abilities are extremely rare and are most prominent in descendants of Lessa and F'lar of Benden Weyr.
The equivalent rank is "apprentice-in-waiting".
Crafters
While Crafters have a single specialty, they will occasionally participate in unrelated activities when they have no other duties. This is especially relevant for "offshoot" Crafts such as Tannercraft or Woodcraft, which know some Beastcraft and Farmercraft respectively. Additionally, there are three levels: apprentice, journeyman, and master. Apprentices are those 13 turns and older who are learning how to perform in their Craft. Journeymen are often sent from their "home" Crafthall to serve at a Hold or Weyr to provide training and services. Masters typically congregate at Crafthalls where they teach apprentices, but some accept postings to Holds and Weyrs.
Apprentices will be grouped under their Craft but will not be considered full Crafters (and therefore eligible to participate in patrols) until graduation.
Beastcrafter
Beastcrafters are specialists engaged in livestock breeding and caring for animals. Runnerbeastcrafters are a sub-craft engaged in the breeding of runnerbeasts. Animal healers specialize in treatment of all animals except for dragonkind. Many know how to hunt.
The equivalent rank is "hunter".
Farmercrafter
Farmercrafters are specialists engaged in agriculture and botany, especially crop plants.
The equivalent rank is "gatherer" or "farmer".
Fishercrafter
Fishercrafters are specialists engaged with seamanship. Activities included are fishing, shipbuilding, and shipwriting. Seacrafters are subcraft engaged in sea transport of people and cargo.
The equivalent rank is "fisher".
Glasscrafter
Glasscrafters are specialists engaged with crafting glass items for usage and decoration.
The equivalent rank is "warrior" or "crafter".
Harpercrafter
Harpercrafters are teachers, musicians (composers, instrumentalists, and singers), archivists, and spies. They are often employed to teach children the laws, ballads, and history of Pern. Drummers are a subcraft that work in drum towers to communicate in Morse Code across Pern. Spies are occasionally sent out by Harperhall on behalf of the Masterharper to report on the Holds and Weyrs.
The equivalent rank is "scout".
Healercrafter
Healercrafters are specialists engaged with modern medicinal and surgical tools. Weyrhealers are a subcraft engaged in the caring of dragonkind.
The equivalent rank is "shaman".
Starcrafter
Starcrafters are specialists engaged with astronomy. They work closely with Weyrs to detect and deflect threats from space. Other activities include the planning of spaceworthy crafts and engaging with the satellites above Pern.
The equivalent rank is "scout".
Smithcrafter
Smithcrafters are specialists engaged with engineering and mechanics. They work to create new technology for Pern and have several ties with other Crafts, namely Glasscraft, Starcraft, and Woodcraft.
The equivalent rank is "warrior" or "crafter".
Tannercrafter
Tannercrafters are specialists engaged with crafting leather items for usage and decoration.
The equivalent rank is "hunter" or "crafter".
Woodcrafter
Woodcrafters are an offshoot of Farmercraft and are specialists engaged with trees. They work to care for forests and to breed new types of trees. They employ woodsmen, unskilled workers who work in forestry.
The equivalent rank is "gatherer" or "crafter".