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A Guide to Candidates and Weyrlings; (Mostly) Everything You Need to Know
Topic Started: Jan 31 2013, 07:22 PM (1,837 Views)
Geist
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A Day In the Life: Candidates and Weyrlings at Evergen Weyr
From the very moment a candidate is Searched and agrees to come with the dragons to the Weyr, they have, in effect, signed up for the Pernese military. Whether they Impress during their first hatching or not, they will abide by rules and carry out specific duties every single day. This becomes their life until they either Impress and move on to Weyrlinghood with their young dragon, or they age too old to stand, in which case they will either choose to stay in the Weyr and live and work or go back to their home Hold or another.

Since we have noticed some misunderstandings and discrepancies through certain RPs, we’ve taken the liberty of writing this little guide so that players of candidates have a better idea what is expected of their characters ICly.


What Candidates Do (other than Impress dragons):

A candidate is never free to skip a lesson. When the Candidate Master calls, whether the candidate has stood for several hatchings, is a Weyrbrat that’s grown up around the Weyr and the dragons all his/her life, or is freshly Searched, they are expected to be at their lessons.* A candidate that does not show up for his/her lessons is not only at a loss for getting to know the other individuals they may one day be in a Weyrling class with, but will be assumed by the Candidate Master (unless an excuse is delivered from a higher ranking individual why the candidate missed their class) to be uninterested in candidacy. This can result in a candidate either losing their candidacy altogether for multiple offenses, but a pile of chores for those on their first offense. Candidates will have organized lessons usually once per Sevenday, increasing in frequency to 2-3 times a Sevenday when eggs are on the sands. The Candidates see their Candidate Master every single day, even just to check in.

In the time before a hatching, candidates are also expected to be up early and in bed early, with plenty of chores throughout the day to keep them busy. A candidate that is apprenticed to a craft will do chores pertaining to that craft. That is not to say they don’t get free time, however. Each day, aside from mealtimes, candidates will get a couple hours each night to take care of their own things and have some free time to themselves. Apart from that, they might be let off for a short break every now and then from their overseeing master (anyone from the Headwoman to the resident craft masters in the Weyr).

Candidates are also expected to respect all authority figures, including non-bonded individuals. All craft masters, journeymen, lower caverns folk, wherhandlers, and dragonriders should be treated as though they too can strip candidacy from a hopeful candidate. Candidates can be made unable to stand for as little as a squabbling fist fight, so mouthing off to your betters isn’t a good idea, no matter the nature of the character.*

Another important thing to note about candidates is that there is a reason their barracks are not co-ed and are split into separate halls for girls and for boys. While candidates are generally younger (13-15) and shouldn’t be thinking about fooling around anyway, those played on Evergen are vastly 15-20 per our rules. Even so, it is never okay for candidates to be extremely sexually active, especially girls. Pregnancy will revoke a candidate’s ability to stand for a dragon. If a pregnancy is discovered after Impression, it should be noted that the situation is extremely dangerous and could cause the newly bonded Weyrling to go between if the child is carried to term. The pain of childbirth is hard enough for a woman on Pern. A young dragon will almost definitely between during the experience due to panic for their rider at only nine months of age.

Therefore, it’s good practice to keep it in your pants boys and girls, especially because once Weyrling training starts, it’ll be months before Weyrlings are encouraged to partake in sexual activity. Even for boys, young, possessive dragons cannot handle physical affections toward other human beings carried over from candidate-hood. They could become aggressive and attack other Weyrlings or people because of misunderstood emotions.

Chores that candidates probably partake in (they will probably do something from this list each day and it could be repetitive if they are good in a certain area) [There are probably other things that are not listed here, if you have any questions just ask a staff member about it]:

  • Aiding in cooking, cleaning, washing in the Kitchen and Dining Hall
  • Changing glows in baskets throughout the Lower Caverns and other areas
  • Aiding in washing and folding clothing
  • Aiding healers in the Infirmary with basic remedial chores unless candidate has healer background
  • Aiding in remedial chores at the herdbeast corrals and stables (i.e. mending broken fences, mucking stalls, feeding runners and herdbeasts, etc.)
  • Aiding in bagging firestone in the reserves
  • Assisting riders where they are called upon to do so
  • Assisting in the creche with the care of Weyr children
  • Cleaning latrines (more than likely a punishment task but not always)
  • Helping to unload caravans that are bringing in tithes
  • Aiding in ridding the Weyr of any pests (irradicating overpopulations of tunnelsnakes, crawlies, trundlebugs, fy-bys, rockmites, rollers, scatid, etc that get into places they shouldn't be)
  • Assisting in their designated trade (If they were already an Apprentice or Journeyman beforehand)
*Even if you, the RPer, cannot post your candidate in a lesson or gathering it is assumed they were there anyway because it is MANDATORY IC. The Candidate Master should not see posts in the lessons stating that the candidate didn’t go to lessons or skipped them because they didn’t want to go. It is cause for them to be able to revoke candidacy ICly with the discretion of an admin.

*This has happened before. If a character steps out of line IC, there are IC consequences. It shouldn’t be taken personally OoC, but if you have a candidate that chooses to mouth off to ranking individuals, even unbounded ones, they can be stripped of their candidacy for a hatching or two, so bear this in mind if you have a character that might do such a thing.

**I also feel that here is a good place to mention this since this seems to be something misunderstood by a lot of folks. When there is a hatching and we have 20+ eggs for 16 or so PC candidates, you MUST remember that there are -loads- of NPC candidates standing off screen with the group of PCs. There will be dud eggs, there will be NPC bondings that we don't write out. Not every PC candidate will Impress, which we emphasize MANY times throughout the rules and hatching events. It isn't always because of eligibility not being met either. For example, if we see a PC candidate that has met all the requirements for bonding but we want to save them for a special hatchling at the next hatching, we will hold them back. Not Impressing is NOT ALWAYS A BAD THING :D


What Weyrlings Do:

Like Candidates, Weyrlings have a full day from the moment they wake up to the moment they go back to sleep. For the first few weeks, baby dragons must be fed every single day, which tapers off to much less as they grow older. Because they grow so fast and crack their skin to make way for growth, it is also imperative that their young partners bathe and oil them almost daily as well. When they’re not doing that, they should be doing their lessons and taking part in their training. *

As they get older, Weyrlings are encouraged to spend time with older riders, getting to know them and what they do. When not in training, they will run errands with wingriders and go to various places outside the Weyr to familiarize themselves with Pern and the territory just around their own home Weyr. They will also be expected, once their dragons can fly and go between to hunt outside of the Weyr for themselves. This makes for very full days for growing Weyrlings and one can expect to be utterly exhausted by the time they return home for rest.

Sexual activity for Weyrlings is extremely limited and a close eye is kept on all young new riders for violations for the health of the entire class.* Young dragons cannot comprehend the emotions and feelings involved when their human partners wish to engage and can and will become violent to protect them, sometimes resulting in the confused dragonet betweening never to return. Sexual activity for Weyrlings is not encouraged until about a turn after Impression, when male and green/vermillion dragons become sexually mature and can understand the processes and know that their riders are in no danger or position to leave them (gold and peridot riders are encouraged with the rest, even though their dragons may not rise until closer to two turns of age).

Respecting those of higher rank also goes hand in hand with being a Weyrling just as it does being a candidate. All Weyrlings, regardless of dragon color, are considered the same rank. A bronze Weyrling has no more right to disrespect a brown or blue Weyrlingmaster than a blue Weyrling has to disrespect them. Disrespect and/or insubordination as a Weyrling will also have IC consequences if it is done. This can be used as great character development if you wish your character to step out of line, but do not take the IC consequences personally OoCly.

Chores that Weyrlings partake in:

  • Refer to the Candidate chores
  • Assisting in changing the glows out in rider's weyrs
  • Tending to the Hatching Sands when there are no dragons brooding over eggs

*Weyrlings see their Weyrlingmaster EVERY SINGLE DAY, even if it’s only for a few minutes. Technically, there is a training exercise or lesson every day with the exception of well-earned surprise breaks and free time for hard work. Weyrling Lessons are MANDATORY ICly and OoCly here at Evergen now. There is no excuse for not getting your Weyrlings into all lessons unless it’s been talked over with an admin and we understand your reasons for being unable to attend.

Weyrlings that do not attend all their lessons do not graduate and therefore do not appear in the Weyrling Wing. They will also be stricken from the listings under the assumption that they’ve been abandoned. In order to avoid this, you MUST contact an admin and discuss any problems you may have getting your candidates to lessons.


*Weyrlingmasters are always on shift, even at night, walking the barracks to be sure every Weyrling pair is sleeping comfortably and not wasting their time for rest on tomfoolery. Ad’rik and X’vian are NOT the only Weyrlingmasters Evergen Weyr has, they are just the only on camera Weyrlingmasters. NPC Assistant Weyrlingmasters help X’vian and Ad’rik care for their charges. Just because there are only two Weyrling classes at a time, only numbering 20 or less doesn’t mean that is all the Weyrlings there are. There are ALWAYS NPC Weyrlings, making the classes number closer to 60-90 individuals at a time, Weyrling Wing dragonriders, intermediate and beginning training included.
Edited by Panzer, Oct 14 2017, 12:56 AM.
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