Candidacy
Fort Weyr prides itself on being the first Weyr founded on Pern. There's an annual event hosted (the Connell Festival) to celebrate the pride Fortians have. As such, the tradition of dragonriding continues with new blood, new candidates, and new adventures. The Weyr is known to be a bit more strict and conservative when it comes to candidates and their search procedures. (see +fowhelp candidate_rules)
With the change in attitudes of Holders and Crafters alike, there are fewer and fewer who desire to stand for clutches, as there are limitations on how far a person can go with a dragon these days. In days long past, the heroism of the fire-breathing dragons might have caused several to dream about the day they could stand for a gold's clutch. Presently, young people have so much more ambition. Even the sky is no longer a limit to the imaginations and the inventions of the clever minded. Families see brighter futures for their children than standing in front of a dragon clutch. So it's no surprise that without Thread as their main purpose, dragons have been producing fewer eggs, and the candidate groups decline in numbers.
It brings the Weyr to battle against the economy, old ways struggling against new. How does one convince an apprentice or a journeyman who make decent marks to come away to the Weyr to labour away for a quarter of that as the eggs harden? Only with new strategies, old tales, and hope can Fort Weyr fill its sands.
In Fort, those who are searched (males ages 12-25, females 14-30) become candidates, each of which hope to impress a dragon from the clutch on the sands. The candidate, upon search, is brought back to the Weyr and given new lodgings in the candidate barracks until the time of the hatching. For the following sevendays, the candidates are expected to perform chores to prepare themselves for the rigorous life of weyrlinghood and to contribute back to the Weyr that houses them. If a candidate has any skill (a ranked crafter), they are allowed to continue their training or put their training to use for Fort Weyr. The Weyrwoman, Jr. Weyrwomen, and the Headwoman are all responsible for the well being of the candidates during their stay. Any disputes or incidents during candidacy are brought up the chain of command. Sometimes, authority over the candidates falls to the Weyrleader or a ranked member of the Weyr, but generally only with the consent of the Weyrwomen.
There are rules and expectations a candidate must follow during their stay with Fort Weyr. Records do not fail to show the consequences of what happens to candidates who do not feel the need to heed the rules of Fort Weyr. In some extreme cases, individuals have been removed from the Weyr and disallowed at the hatching.
Things to Know
IC candidacy is a player's opportunity to discover if an area is correctly matching their character's needs. It's also a time to develop a character and to forge relationships with other players, candidate and non-candidate alike. Often, candidacy can be stressful, especially in large groups. Fort Weyr does encourage as much role-play as possible, so that you, the player, can determine if Fort Weyr is really the place you want your character to Impress at. We hope to keep the weyrlings we impress at Fort, so we really want to stress that you should have a certain comfort level here - candidacy is a great time to discover that.
Things to do once you've been searched:
@link yourself to the barracks: type @link me=#10124
Update your +sheet/+finger/Desc
Rp - Network, get to know who you'll be around!
Other Things:
To help with RP, there's a chore board available. Type +chores from any room in Fort to see what you character has been given.
Submit NPCs to become candidates with you on the sands. There's an NPC candidate bot in the barracks.
You can create a cot, but please set it @dark to reduce clutter.
Pranks/Personal Events/Tps - You're encouraged to help keep your time as a candidate involved. Remember to first get approval from the staff for major TPs or pranks.
IC Rules
1. Candidates are expected to keep their areas and persons tidy at all times.
2. While you're a candidate, you should behave in a manner which speaks well of the Weyr. That means no fighting, no sex, no heavy drinking, no public nudity, and no shirking chores.
3. You must be cleared by a Healer before standing if you are ill, pregnant, or have been injured.
4. Candidates may not leave the Weyr without a dragonrider escort who is capable of bringing them back if the eggs are to hatch. (OOCly, you may use an NPC.)
5. Candidates receive one restday per sevenday. The other days, they are expected to do chores in the morning and afternoon, and have their evenings free. Those who do not have a basic education may be required to attend evening tutoring.
6. Candidates with a Craft background will be allowed to attend Craft classes to continue on with their apprenticeship or if in the case of a Journeyman, will be expected to host a class for fellow candidates or contribute in some other fashion to Fort Weyr.
OOC Rules
1. You must consent to reasonable punishments for violation of the IC rules, up to and including being removed from Candidacy.
*** Fort Weyr is PG-13. Excessive vulgarity is prohibited, which includes scenes of nudity, sex, or violence. Ensure the +rating of your partners when engaging in vulgar scenes and warn incoming players of the extent of the scene.
2. If you wish for your character to be sick, injured, or pregnant at the time of the Hatching, you need to speak with the Weyrwoman and a Healer beforehand, OOCly. Anything which might render your character unable to tolerate the extended heat of the Hatching Sands or the exertion of caring for a young dragon may mean you are asked to wait for the next clutch.
3. We do ask that you avoid TS during this period, but will not punish anyone for being in a private room with someone else, and we have no intention of watching over your shoulder to see what you're doing. However, the barracks are a public room, and TS there is strictly forbidden, even inside a cot-object.
4. Any pranks must be approved by the SearchCo before you do them. Try to keep them mild, or you could find yourself expelled!
5. Lastly, and most importantly, any conflicts should be taken to the Weyrleaders as soon as possible. If you have concerns about another Candidate, let us know, rather than talking about the person behind their back. Any harassment should be reported as soon as possible.
Common Questions & Answers
1) Who is the clutch dam and sire?
Fort Weyr is currently not in Search. The next cycle will start October 8, 2011. Gold Zuhth will be soon rising… who will catch her??
2) How many candidates can Impress?
As per Pernworld rules, only a maximum of 6 PC candidates can be impressed.
3) Will there be a gold egg?
Watch and see! We are always on the lookout for prospective gold candidates. If you think you would want to ride Gold at Fort, we strongly encourage you to try our intern program to see if Fort's the right place for you. It is not required in order to impress, but it helps you to know that you can mesh well with current staff and the OOC aspects of running a Weyr.
4) Will everyone that applies for search become candidates?
No. Unfortunately, depending on circumstances, some individuals will not be searched due to some trait that the SearchCo deems unsuitable for the RP provided by Fort.
5) Do I have to RP with SearchCo to impress?
No. There's a wonderful thing called 'logs' so that you don't have to feel pressured to RP with anyone in SearchCo. You can add logs to our wiki site at any time. Of course SearchCo does like to get to know the candidates, but we'll provide activities that ensure some time with SearchCo members. We do not want this to become a popularity contest after all, and must insist that you do not pester SearchCo members to RP if they are in private rooms. They'll come out to play when they're ready! Afterall, we just want you to make sure you can fit into Fort Weyr as a whole and have ample time to figure out in the long term if you can get along well with not just SearchCo, but everyone else as well.
