Months 0 - 3 (December 29 - January 19)
- Bonding
- Dragon Care 101
- Dragon Communication
During the first three months, weyrlings are focusing on their new baby dragons. These months are all about bonding, learning how to care for your dragon, and learning how to effectively communicate.
Caring for your baby dragon includes things like:
How to feed your dragon (acceptable sized chunks, how much and how often)
How to bathe/oil your dragon (how much soap? How much oil? Did you get all the cracks and crevices? Don’t forget between those toes!)
Developing a routine that works for you. In the beginning this probably looks more like a “do I oil before or after I feed?” routine, and less like a daily routine.
Communication during this time might include things like:
How to talk to your dragon without speaking out loud (definitely easier for some than others)
How to get your baby dragon to only project to you (and not the whole world; also much easier for some than others)
Some Scene Ideas and Prompts:
- Feeding your dragon (meat prep!)
- Bathing and oiling
- Daily stretches, walks and wing exercises (practice of extending, contracting and fanning wings)
- Working on your bond (early month 1)
- Talking to your dragon without speaking out loud (early month 1)
- Developing a routine that works for both of you
- Jogging laps or lifting firestone sacks for physical training (rider only)
- Sore muscles or minor injuries to you or your dragon
- Approved and chaperoned (by at least one AWLM) visits from anyone within the weyr
Months 4 - 6 (January 26 - February 9)
- Dragon Care 201
- Hunting Lessons
- Dragon Gliding (~ month 6)
During month 4, dragon care moves away from the basic day to day ‘feed/bathe/oil’ and on into the basics of dragonhealing. Dragon anatomy and basic first-aid skills are taught to all weyrlings, which will definitely come in handy as those babies grow and start bumping into and tripping over things.
As the dragons grow they’ll also progress into hunting lessons, starting with simple games on the ground (like playing tag, sneaking up on fellow weyrling dragons and pouncing straw dummies) to watching adult dragons hunt, to being able to chase a straw dummy pulled by a dragon, to actually going in for the kill. By approximately month 6, weyrlings should no longer need to butcher meat for their dragons.
Also around the end of this time come the first lessons in gliding. This won't happen until the dragonhealers have pronounced each baby fit to fly, and some dragons may take longer than others before given clearance. Once they’re given the go-ahead, the weyrlingmasters will take them out and let them test those wings in some very basic gliding. The ol’ ‘three beats and glide down' method tends to work well for most. Not long after these exercises begin, weyrlings are introduced to the beginnings of leather work and practicing with it and learning all there is to know about their riding straps — which will become crucial in the later months, when they begin creating them on their own.
Some Scene Ideas and Prompts:
- Exercises now include obstacle courses.
- Continuation with the physical training exercises from the last three months
- Practice with visualization
- More dragonhealing lessons and covering basic first aid (which might come in handy for those first hunts!)
- Lots and lots of gliding practice once cleared!
- Strap introduction, practical lessons in leather work and practice on old sets (begins early month 5)
- Drinking is permitted in moderation. Go celebrate (within reason)!
Other restrictions begin to ease back as weyrlings are given more freedom based on what their lifemates can (or cannot) handle.
Visits are no longer chaperoned or limited.
Months 7 - 9 (February 16 - March 2)
- Straps
- Riders Up!
- First Mounted Flights
While the dragons keep working on their gliding, and progress to more sustained flight, the weyrlings get to start working on their own set of straps, tailored to their lifemate's individual needs. An old set of riding straps are on display for the weyrlings to poke and prod and inspect, along with continued hands-on instructions on how to work with leather (how to pick it out, how to care for it, how to work with it, etc). weyrlings start their strap practice on scraps of old, not-so-great quality leather (because no one wants to mess up the good stuff!) until they’re competent enough to be trusted with nicer quality items. This is a lengthy process, and weyrlings can expect to be working on straps for at least a month or two before they’ve completed their first full set (and making future adjustments as their lifemates grow). But once they have…
Time to ride those baby dragons! By month 8, most dragons will be big enough and strong enough to carry their rider. Before weyrlings can mount up for the first time, several checks must be made. Dragonhealers will have to clear each dragon, and the weyrlingmasters will inspect and approve the riding straps before each pair is allowed to progress. Once riders have been given the go-ahead, they’ll progress and will be given the freedom to ride their dragons all over the weyr, although cautioned to keep an eye out for strain.
By the middle of month 9, it’s time to put both skills together and take their first flights! Just like before, these flights will start out small and progressively get longer, until by the end of the month most pairs should be flying around the weyr.
Once flying, weyrlings will find a few additional tasks they’ll have to complete, including:
- Elevator duty (flying residents up and down to places they can’t reach, like weyrs)
- Beginning short-flight sweeps around Fort’s territory (always in pairs and usually accompanied by another dragonrider)
- Messenger duty (once cleared for longer flight, weyrlings get to play messenger by flying back and forth to areas within Fort’s territory — a great way to get familiar with the place!)
Some Scene Ideas and Prompts:
- Continued gliding and wing-strengthening exercises
- Learning formation theory
- Starting your personal and first basic set of straps (early month 7)
- Physical exam checks for your dragons to clear for flight
- Mounted walks and ground exercises (mid-late month 7)
- Mounted short-flights, under supervision (early-mid month 9)
- Mounted fight, unsupervised (~ end of month 9)
- Putting all that formation theory into live aerial practice
- Muscle aches and growing pains (maybe not all physically)
- Firestone and flaming practice
- More visualization practice and early preparation for between
Months 10 - 12 (March 9 - March 23)
- Moving Out of the Barracks
- Between
- Mating Flights Lecture
Now that everyone’s using those wings for what they’re made for, it’s time to get out of those barracks and move into your own place! This is definitely based on merit, and any weyrlings that the weyrlingmaster team has concerns about may be held back and made to stay in the barracks, Generally, this would be because of age (too young) or because the weyrling pair has demonstrated a pattern of irresponsibility. It should also be noted that this is a privilege and not a right, and can be revoked if weyrlings abuse their newfound freedom. Make sure you’re still showing up for lessons and training!
By month 11, everyone should be on track to start learning how to go between. During the months leading up, visualization training will become increasingly important. When the weyrlingmasters deem a pair ready, they’ll take them up one on one for their first trip between — a leap across the weyrbowl. After that, the pair will take them around Pern and, once the weyrling has demonstrated that they are competent at visualization (and there are no concerns from the weyrlingmaster staff about a weyrling’s ability to behave) the pair will be given the freedom to independently go between.
And finally, toward the end of month 11 and on into month 12, weyrlings will get that infamous mating flights lecture. While there may be a basic overview of mating flights (in a lecture-style setting), weyrlings will also have the opportunity to discuss the specifics in private with a weyrlingmaster they feel comfortable with, or another rider around the weyr who has volunteered (and is trusted by the weyrlingmaster team) to make sure that there are no (significant) surprises come that first, fateful chase.
Some Scene Ideas and Prompts:
- Moving out into your own weyrs
- Mounted flight exercises and more formation practice (early month 10)
- Supervised expeditions into Fort’s coverage area and within straight-flight distance; more visualization practice and study
- Drill formation study and practice
- Between lessons, with a weyrlingmaster guide (early month 11)
- Gaining full clearance to between without guidance (~ end month 11)
- Mating flights lecture / related talks
All restrictions are lifted by the end of month 12!
Months 13 - 15 (Optional) (March 30 - April 13)
- Immersive Wing Experiences
- Riding Sweeps with S&R
- Playing Messenger
- Shadowing Deliveries with Transport
These next months see a diverse and immersive routine for the weyrlings, much of which is left to their choice. The weyrlingmasters will offer insight, of course, but ultimately they are given more freedom to pursue what they feel may better suit their interests or strengths. There is little to no pressure for weyrlings to settle on a wing or toward graduation; some may feel they are ready early into the thirteenth month and others may desire to take the full fifteen months. Others may require further training, depending on their earlier experiences (and perhaps more at the behest of the weyrlingmasters).
Wing shadowing allows weyrlings to experience what they could be facing should they decide to officially join that particular wing's ranks. It will also give the wingleaders an idea on whether or not the weyrling will be a suitable match.
Eventually, weyrlings will either approach a wing's leadership with their request to join or they can choose to announce their readiness to move on to the weyrlingmasters and leave it to their discretion where they may best fit. Graduation ceremonies are no longer as common, although celebrations, whether later or in smaller personal gatherings, are not discouraged.