Homeward Bound (A'lez)

[Ise]

D’ero gave it about a week after the graduation ceremony before he borrowed Jarshan’s fire lizard to deliver a message to his new wingleader A’lez. Also known as the Weyrleader. He had debated if now was the right time to ask the man permission to go North for a few days before deciding that now was the best time. Wing drills were hard work but they were currently simple drills, just getting the new riders into the wing and use to everyone. The eggs on the sands weren’t quite ready to hatch yet either. And everything had been rather quiet on the Holdless front as well. A few prisoners had been picked up but no attacks and no sightings. D’ero didn’t think he’d get a better chance to put forth his idea.

But before he had done that he had prepared. A few days had been spent in the records room, making sketches of maps and further planning out his trip. He had carefully gone over the details, trying to come up with every counter he could for when A’lez questioned his plan. Once he felt comfortable with it all, he sent out his request for a meeting to A’lez, waiting for Torc to return with an answer. He had kept the note brief, just saying that he wished to speak to A’lez when the man had a few minutes of time to spare. He had been unsure how to address the note though, he had taken Jarshan’s advise of going to his wingleader first to heart. But his wingleader was also the Weyrleader. So he had addressed to the Ilume Wingleader and Weyrleader of Refuge, A’lez. It assumed him slightly to think that he had spent more time worrying about what to call A’lez then he had about the rest of his plan.

A’lez had answered back promptly, letting D’ero know that as soon as he had some time he would send word to him and they could meet. It had been a few more days before a blue flitter had popped out of Between and dropped a note on D’ero’s head before taking off again. A’lez had some free time a few candle marks before the evening meal. He had finished taking care of Horuth before returning to his weyr. He changed into dry clothing, nothing special just something clean and dry before he gathered up all the materials he wanted to take with him.

When it was time, he left for the Weyrleaders weyr. He was calm as he strolled through the Weyr, unbothered by the fact that he would be speaking with the Weyrleader and asking permission to do what no other Northern had been able to do so far. Return home. He didn’t know if any of the others had asked yet. Or if they had tried to demand to go home. Or if they had just been waiting for permission. He knocked on A’lez’s door, figuring the worst the man could do was say no to him.

[Marnark]

The door was opened promptly, and A'lez stepped back without a word to allow D'ero entry before shutting the door again behind him. Walking back into the main area of the weyr, A'lez gestured at a chair for D'ero to help himself to. Moving to a table, A'lez poured klah into two different mugs before carrying both back and handing one to D'ero. All without saying a single word.

Finally, A'lez helped himself to a seat as well, leveling a patient gaze upon the young brownrider. "What's on your mind?" He asked, getting right to the point. He knew there was a reason why this young fellow, Northern or not, had gone through all the pains of trying to set up as formal a meeting as possible.

So A'lez played to it just a little. Some formality, but not so much as to be choking, instead offering a comfortable setting and tone. This youth had to have some serious gall to be asking for this in the first place, telling A'lez that D'ero really wanted whatever it was he was fixing to pose. Whatever the topic might be.

Neinoth was rather obviously absent, however, hovering near the Queen and her clutch, doting on her every whim and flattering her endlessly with pretty nothings when she didn't require anything else of him. All while gloating over those warm little orbs resting on the sands. His eggs, they were. His babies. A'lez knew that Neinoth was as fascinated by the Queen as he admittedly was of her rider. But that, really, was a touch over the top.

[Ise]

D’ero spared A’lez’s room a quick glance before he took the seat that was offered to him. While the Weyrleader filled two cups, the brown rider went through the few papers he had brought with him, finding the sketched out map he had made. He set it on the top of the table, smoothing it out. The map wasn’t perfect but it was clearly the Norther content of Pern. Most of the map was blank, only a few major landmarks had been noted. Until one came to the section of Keroon. He had put in as much detail of his homeland as he could, marking out the mountain rages, the major rivers, the major halls, the holds and other large settlements along with his own smaller one. His home never would have shown up on a map of Pern, it was just some backwater village that few people cared about.

D’ero picked up the mug that was set before him, taking a sip of the drink to not appear rude before giving the Weyrleader the barest hint of a smile. No useless chit-chat or other unnecessary words, just right to the point. That was a trait D’ero liked, too many people had to fill the silence with chatter. Or even worse, try to be coy about matters. D’ero made sure he was equally blunt about the matter at hand.
“I wish to return North. For three days at most. Depending on the weather I may even be able to do it in two.”

Making sure that A’lez had a clear view of his map, D’ero leaned in and pointed at the small dot that marked his home.
“I wish to go here, my home.”
He paused and glanced up at A’lez, looking to see what his reaction was, if he even showed a reaction.
“It’s a three days ride on runner from Keroon Hold. Nothing else of note is closer to it. Less then a days walk are the foothills that lead into the mountain range. When I left home two turns ago there were no other villages or any sort of man-made object between there and my home. I could easily hide Horuth there, walk to the village, see my family for a few hours, maybe even a day and then return to Horuth and to the Weyr.”

[Marnark]

North. A'lez recognized the map as soon as it hit the table, even in its crudeness. He'd been studying a lot of maps of the North, lately. Silently, he listened to what D'ero said, hearing him out before he bothered to lean forward to look at the map he had sketched.

North. He should have guessed. This was exactly what he had tried to warn D'seus against. Don't let them stay, don't let them impress, he'd said. He knew they wanted to go back, and to take the much needed dragons with them. Refuge needed them to stay. They needed the dragonpower.

Yes, the North needed dragons as well. He was well aware of that fact. But, the last thing D'ero said piqued A'lez's interest. Return. D'ero was going to go ... and come back? After a moment's thought, he fancied he knew why. This was the lad that fancied one of Raelwyn's Shield folk. The dark-haired scary one. What was her name, again? J-something. J-something that sounded rather masculine, not at all feminine. Which fit her, after a fashion, he supposed.

"Why do you want to go?" A'lez asked, sitting back in his seat again as he watched the youth. There were a ton of reasons why someone would want to go home, but he wanted to be clear on every point. "And how do you intend to protect Horuth from Threadfall?" No single dragon could fight thread alone. He was pretty sure that D'ero had learned that already.

[Ise]

The fact that A’lez didn’t outright tell him ‘no’ was a good sign to D’ero. It meant that the man was at least listening to him. He watched the Weyrleader look over the map, trying to figure out what was going through his head. Was he just entertaining D’ero until he shot the idea down or was he really going to give it some thought?

“I want to tell my family that I’m still alive. When I left, I told them that I was going back to the Hall, the beastcrafter hall, and that I’d be traveling around doing research for my breeding project. The Hall got a letter explaining that I would be unable to return any time soon since I was caring for my father. By now I’m sure they’ve figured out that I’ve lied to them and that I’m no where to be found. I just want them to know that I didn’t vanish off the face of Pern.”
The first question was an easy one. It was something he had wanted to do since they had landed in the South alive. The second question though was slightly harder. He hadn’t given much thought to Thread.

“If Thread has fallen in the area at all then everything will be dead. I’ll be able to tell that much as soon as I come out from Between. I’d return immediately. If Thread falls during the few days that I’m there, there should be caves or other natural overhangs for Horuth to stay safe under. I would make sure I can find him a safe place to stay before I left him.”
He eyed A’lez, wondering if the question was just a ‘what if’ scenario or if he knew something more.
“If there was Thread falling in the North, my duty would be to return here and inform you and the Weyrwoman. The is very little I could do by myself up there other then to try and warn people to stay indoors.”
Getting a warning back to the South would be far more important then trying to play hero. People would die, people he knew and cared about but even more would die if he did something stupid and got himself, or worse Horuth, killed.

[Marnark]

A'lez heard D'ero out again, gathering that for whatever reason, D'ero was concealing his true whereabouts and mission a secret. The Hall didn't know he was here. His folks didn't know he was here. Very interesting information, all of that. Why the secrecy? Had the mission not quite been sanctioned? Somehow, A'lez suspected this was the case. After Dragonriders had been removed so effectively from the North, reduced to little more than fanciful legend ... why would they suddenly have a change of heart now?

But, thread was falling. It had been falling for awhile now. Both North and South. Though ... the North was probably ravaged massively by the falls. With no protection from dragons, no protection from flitters. No protection from grubs. No protection other than the traditions of stone that they had probably abandoned along with everything else up there. Truth be told, A'lez suspected there wasn't a whole lot left of the North anymore.

Especially if the effort to find the Weyr had been some big hushed secret among the Northern. A'lez lifted a hand and tugged on his bottom lip thoughtfully for a moment. "Thread is falling there." He answered. "Leaving your dragon anywhere on the pretense of there 'might be' caves there ... it is not allowable. You and Horuth are invaluable and irreplaceable to the Weyr, I hope you realize. There are not enough dragons on Pern. Risking even one is a bad gamble, no matter the reasons." A'lez answered, shooting down D'ero's plan completely. "No, I will not approve your plan." He answered, more blatantly. "It is foolish and dangerous."

Rising from his seat, he walked over toward his desk. Hauling a long scroll out of a rack next to it, and then another, he carried them back toward the table. Taking a moment to move the mugs and D'ero's parchments aside, he laid one down and then unrolled the other. It was a massive sheet, covering most of the table when he laid it down. Once it was stretched out, it was quite apparent that it was a massive world map, intricately detailed as of old. The old Weyrs, the old Holds, they were all there. Details on natural resources. Forests, plains. They were all there, and in color. A'lez rested a finger on the map. "This is where you pointed out, about." A'lez asked.

"Right now I can tell you, there is going to be massive damage in the North. They are completely unprepared for what has befallen them. They have no defense against what is raining down upon their heads. Ground crews are only effective when there are Wings over their heads." A'lez informed him, unrolling the other scroll and laying the just as massive sheet down on the table. It was a black and white outline of the same map. Only it had sketches colored in all over it in swatches. "This is the staggered fall and routine of Thread." He said, gesturing at the map. "As you can see, it is quite extensive." There were numbers scratched in for every irregular patch on the map, some matching, some not.

Lifting the thread-plot scroll back off of the table, A'lez rolled it up again as he continued. "If you will wait, I have a proposition for you." He started. "I have been thinking about going to the North myself. I need to see what is going on there. I need to get a feel for what the political waters are like, how far the damage runs." He stated. "But I need a guide. I have never been there. You have. I also trust you do truly intend to return to the Weyr afterward." Setting the thread-scroll aside, A'lez pointed at the world map again. "I need to know which Hold would be the most receptive to such a visit. I trust you would have a good feel for that."

"When I go, we will be going in direct. None of this hiding dragons in funky places. This will solve your ill thought out problems. If you will aid in this, you may have your trip North. But only when the excursion goes. This means you will be reporting to me, as one of my Wing. You will be going as a guide to the destination." A'lez stated. "Is this acceptable to you?"

It would solve some of A'lez's problems, and give D'ero his desired trip at the same time. For A'lez had been pondering how to get coordinates for the North to begin with ... especially since he really hadn't trusted any of the Nothern riders. But in D'ero he saw a potential ally. D'ero had a reason to come back, unlike most.

[Ise]

D’ero frowned as A’lez shot his plan down. He opened his mouth to try and defend it again but stopped when the Weyrleader got up. Instead of telling D’ero to get out, he went and pulled two large scrolls out of a rack and brought them over. Though he wasn’t being allowed to go North, clearly their meeting wasn’t over yet.

He helped move things to make room for the large scrolls, carefully rolling up his own hand sketched map again. Once the sheets were fully laid out, he looked them over, raising an eyebrow slightly at them. Maps. Highly detailed maps too. He looked them over closely, giving a slight nod when A’lez pointed out the approximate location of his home. D’ero leaned over the map a bit as he looked it over, never seeing one that had this much detail in it. Nor one that was this old. Little things had changed and he could pick a few flaws out of the section of the map that held Keroon, though they were small changes that mattered little.

It was the second map that held his interest for longer though. A map of where Thread had fallen so far. He could do nothing more then run a hand through his hair as he tried to figure out what each bit of color meant. His mouth went dry as he looked it over, trying hard to commit parts of it to memory. He had so many questions he wanted to ask about it but he couldn’t find his voice before A’lez re-rolled the map

The brown rider leaned back in his chair, feeling slightly dazed. He glanced up as A’lez started speaking again and forced himself to listen and forget about the Threadfall map temporarily. He was completely unprepared for what the Weyrleader said next. He needed a guide and thought D’ero would be good. D’ero ran a hand through his hair as he thought about it. He was incredibly honored that A’lez would want him for something like this, but he also had to question why it was him. One of the lordlings would have been better suited for this. Not only would they know the ins and outs of the Hold politics better then he did, they had probably been to Holds other then their own.

D’ero stayed silent as he thought everything over, his eyes slowly moving over the map that was still laid out. Of course he wasn’t going to turn down this chance, he wasn’t that stupid, but he also wanted to make sure that he’d be able to do at least most of the things that A’lez wanted.

He got up and went over to A’lez’s desk, looking around before he found something to write with and grabbed it. He returned to his chair, tearing a corner off his map and started to write things down.
“You already know what Holds would be friendly to you and any other dragon rider, they all sent their children here as a symbol of that.”
He wrote down the holds that were dragon rider friendly and under them wrote down the name’s of those who had come South for them.
“Igen and Keroon are the two there were most vocal about the threat of Thread. I would suggest going to one of them first. I would prefer Keroon, I know the area better then I do Igen so I’d have a much easier job being a guide.”
He assumed that A’lez would figure he just wanted to go to Keroon to try and would instead be more interested in Igen. He’d have to try to talk to K’dyn later.
“I can not help you with the politics of the North. What I saw and what was really going on tend to be two different things. The little Lordlings would know about that better then I. N’var or K’dyn would be the best to talk to. Or have someone else talk to them. I would also suggest getting some personal item off of the son who’s hold you decide to visit. Being able to show that they did reach the South and are still alive would be good. Unless you plan on taking them with you.”

[Marnark]

A'lez watched and listened. He was somewhat impressed that D'ero had the wherewithal to hold his tongue on being shot down. He was also pleased to see the no nonsense way that D'ero handled the news that followed his plans being torn apart. D'ero was a solid youth, and A'lez was proud to see it. He had chosen well, in this lad. He rested his knuckles on the edge of the table, leaning on it slightly as he watched D'ero write.

"Right now it doesn't really matter to me which Hold it is I visit. For now, I only need one. Later I will figure out the rest. I only need to test the waters. Keroon is fine by me, if that is the area and people you know best." A'lez agreed. "We will fly straight in. Assuming you still have open squares in the north, there is where we will land." A'lez well imagined that the sudden and unannounced appearance of Dragons in the sky would no doubt cause a mild panic, and an even bigger stir. Even with those who might be wise enough to hope for such a sight. But that was part of what he was shooting for. His own Neinoth would be a good counterpart for just that. The big, old bronze was massive and regal in his own right. Especially now that he had a clutch to his name. Impact was what he was looking for. If they were going to mend things with the North, the North had to understand that Riders had their place for a reason. There was nothing so impressive, even to Riders, as a dragon barreling down on your head. For now, the South had the upper hand. They had what the North needed. What did the North have to offer in return?

"I chose you for exactly that reason, actually. I don't want the silver tongue and bullshit of a Lordling. I want your grounds up grassroots insight on how things really are over there." A'lez answered. "There are reasons why the Dragons chose as they did, D'ero. Never doubt their wisdom."

But D'ero did have a good point about the Lordlings. "If you would be so kind as to get this item." A'lez requested. "I really don't have time or inclination to get into an argument with them over why they're not going. In fact, I'd rather they not know that we are going. So do keep this information to yourself. I am not sure where we will wiggle it in, yet, but we will find time to pass by your home." He looked at D'ero, his gaze assuring the lad that he meant it.

"So tell me what you do know. Once I am there, I can speak directly to the Lords themselves, and do not need the input of the Lordlings. I do not need the Lordlings muddying the water for me, if you know what I mean."

Straightening, he tilted the rolled up scroll at D'ero with one eyebrow raised slightly. He had seen the expressions that had flitted across D'ero's face, and knew they meant he was bursting with questions. If D'ero was going to aid him in this diplomatic venture to the North, he might as well answer some of the lad's questions.

[Ise]

“Then you can start in Keroon. Not only do I know it better but it’s going to be summer time up there and Igen is desert.”
It was hard to look impressive when you were dying from heat in riding leathers. And if this was going to be a meeting to test out the waters, then making the right kind of impression was a good one. He also was less excited about having to fly all the way there. He knew that A’lez would want to see what kind of damage Thread had done to the North but D’ero didn’t want to see all that. These were places he knew, places that meant something to him.

“I trust the dragons and their judgment just fine. It’s the riders I don’t always get.”
He gave A’lez a slight smirk before shrugging a little. Politics were politics, he had a feeling they were more or less the same no matter were you were.
“The holds are split into three groups; those who believed Thread as returning and wanted the dragon riders back, those that thought Thread was a bunch of crap, and those who kept their mouths shut. Keroon, Igen, High Reaches, Telgar and Nerat were the pro dragon riders but you already know that.”
He looked over the map, thinking and pointing out the Holds as he named them.
“Fort, Benden, and Southern Boll stayed neutral. Since we left through Southern Boll I think they might lean a little more towards the dragon rider side but that’s just a guess. I just know that I wouldn’t want my secret trip South leaving by a port that was in enemy territory. And that leave Bitra, Lemos, Nabol, Tillek, and Ista as those who fought against the idea of Thread retruning. Bitra is the big one there. Any time the talk of civil war came up it was always against Bitra. Other then that… well I’m sure you can guess what it’s like. Lots of fake smiles as the Lords tell the common people how everything is going to be fine so long as we continue to follow them and believe in them. Plenty of backstabbing as well.”

D’ero was not surprised that A’lez didn’t want their little Lordlings to know about this. D’ero rarely talked to any of his fellow Northerners. He had enjoyed Osaris’ company but he rarely saw her now days. He went out of his way to avoid C’mar for Horuth’s sake. N’var whined and complained too much, always wanting the best of everything just because he had been born to some Lord. Of course now he was going to have to try and talk to N’var and find some way to get a personal item from the guy.

Letting out a puff a breath, D’ero leaned back in his chair, his dark eyes unfocused as he tried to think of the important things that A’lez needed to know about Keroon Hold. Keeping it to important and useful information was the hard part.
“The lord and lady of Keroon are Redell and Isa. They have… four children, N’var was the third son, last born. Useless in the family line which is why he was sent here. But Keroon was one of the first holds that started to believe Thread was coming back. They started saying that we needed to go South and try to find the dragon riders. Other holds didn’t like this idea, they still believe that tossing the riders out was they best thing ever done. Someone said they would send a group South to look for the riders, and someone else said that if that happened it would be a declaration of war. Before I left there were new rumors every week and were groups of soldiers were moving to. There was suppose to be a meeting of all the lord holders in Fort Hold to discuss the mater and try to come to some sort of peaceful situation. But all this information is two years old. I doubt Keroon and Igen have changed their minds about anything. And if Thread is falling, those Holds being hit will also be a lot more willing to let riders back into the North. If you want any newer information, then I would suggest sending someone North to hang out in the hold’s tavern for a few days to learn of any new information. I’m sure there’s still a threat of civil war though, unless it’s already happened.”

D’ero thought for another moment before shrugging. He couldn’t think of anything else useful at the moment. Over the next few days he was bound to come up with more but he could always just write it down and send A’lez a page of notes. He did look at the rolled up scroll that was pointed at him. He hesitated for a moment before he took the scroll and opened it up again. Oh he had a hundred different questions about it. He tried to pay attention to the whole map but his eye was always drawn back to Keroon and the small area where he knew his home was.
“Have you verified any of this yet or is it all just what past records say should have happened.”
He doubted anything in the North had been verified but there were plenty of places in the South were marked with Threadfall.
“And what do the different colors mean. Any other questions I have about this I’ll probably be able to figure out myself once I actually know and understand what I’m looking at.”

[Marnark]

A'lez helped himself to a seat again as D'ero talked, propping one ankle up on the other knee, elbow on an arm of the chair. He tugged on his bottom lip thoughtfully as he digested all the information that D'ero gave him about the Holds, and the situation in the North. Why hadn't D'seus asked all these questions to begin with? Or if he had, why hadn't he shared them? Civil war? War, period? This was a rather dire matter. Far more dire than any perspective of dragons or no dragons.

Finally, he sighed and laced his fingers together before him. "It sounds like I will need just that. Just appearing in their skies might not be a good idea if they are talking war over this. If it has already happened, then it makes no matter." He was silent for a moment, before shaking his head. "Pardon me, but Northerners are a bunch of fools. One sharding mistake after another and they aren't learning from it. In the face of Thread, exactly what good is war going to do anyone?" Reaching over to the table, he tapped the map with a finger. "If the thread damage is extensive enough, maybe they won't have the resources to even contemplate war."

Regardless, Thread was falling. Riders needed to go North. "I am not sure on the timing of the trip yet. There are things to be done yet, before we are ready to go. I am also undecided on whether or not we should just go ... or go during Thread. A demonstration, if you will." A'lez remarked, sounding as if he were asking D'ero's opinion. Which, after a fashion, he was. D'ero was from the North, from Keroon even. He would have a better idea what would be the best impression to be made.

But then ... war. A'lez wondered if that sort of thing wouldn't be more incentive for the Holds to make a pact with the Weyrs. Holds that backed the Weyr would have at least the threat of Weyr protection. No Holders in their right mind were going to march into battle in the face of Thread and firebreathing dragons on the other side. But then, there was the getter.

Were Northerners of a sound mind at all?

His gaze wandered to the thread scroll as D'ero unrolled it again. "That's a historical record, actually." A'lez offered. "I am not sure how they did it, as a lot of knowledge was lost when we all move South. But the Weyrs of old were able to figure out how the stars moved, and how it affected the Threadfall." He gestured at the expanse with a finger. "It's accurate. Even today. Everywhere that map says thread should fall, and when, it has, here in the South. No one has been North, obviously. But I see no reason why it would differ much, if at all. They were a smart bunch back then." Sitting up straighter in his seat, he pointed out the hatching. "They are done in different shades only to distinguish between one fall and the next. As you notice, some of them overlap. The numbers are the sequence. We are ... here." A'lez took a moment before pointing out a number sequence in the hatching. "Three days from now, we'll be flying thread over one of our Holds." He nodded, and then reclined again. "If that map is anywhere near accurate? Faranth have mercy on the North. They had better have stuck to the traditions of building in stone, or there are a whole lot of people dead already. With this map, I am confident in being able to successfully time a trip either between falls, or during. Or shards, from beginning to end of a fall. It's eerily accurate. That's only one month's falls, by the way. I have twelve more maps just like it for just this year. The Archivist has ... oh ... about six hundred maps on threadfall alone. One map for every month of a Pass. We'll be doing this till the day we die. If we are lucky, our children will see the end of this Pass."

[Ise]

D’ero watched A’lez’s reaction to his news, one eyebrow going up slightly. Had he not known about the threat of war in the North? Was it just a miscommunication or had N’var never brought it up? D’ero chuckled a little and shrugged when A’lez commented about how foolish Northerners were. He couldn’t disagree with the Weyrleader but he didn’t feel it was limited to just the North. Of course it was only a handful of people who were in charge of making such foolish decisions.
“If I can make a suggestion, I would send one of the Dragon Shield to the North to gather information for you. One of the males, I’m fairly sure all the women would bring too much attention to themselves.”
He looked over the map that showed Thread Fall, rubbing the side of his bearded jaw as he thought for a moment before pointing to an area near Keroon Hold.
“If your maps are correct then it wouldn’t be too hard to find a gap in Thread Fall long enough to have me drop someone off here. Less then a day’s walk from the Hold. There’s usually some flooding here in the spring months so no villages have really taken hold there. It’d be easy enough to drop someone off and get out of there before anyone sees. And if the Shield person plays mute then no questions should be asked. I’m sure plenty of people are going to the hold for answers and protection.”
It was an idea, maybe not the best one but at least the start of one. He didn’t think it would take anyone longer then a day or two of sitting around in a tavern or any other public space to figure out if there was a war going on or not.

D’ero needed no time to think about the best way to make an impression on the Hold.
“During Thread. Right at the start of it. Go in and be the heroes. Not only will they be in awe at the dragons fighting Thread but it’ll also show that Keroon was right in trying to find the riders. I doubt it’ll do anything to sway the holds against us but it’ll give the neutral ones something to think about. And whatever happens at the meeting with the Lord Holder, end it early. Set up another meeting, one that would take place right at the start of another fall. And don’t show up until the moment it’s done. I’m sure the Lord Holder will notice the timing and he should be smart enough to figure out that you know the timing of Thread. Plus, it’ll get all the commoners on your side and they’ll help force the Lord Holder into being more willing to work with us. No Lord Holder is foolish enough to want to deal with Thread Fall, Civil War and a revolt at the same time.”

The brown rider silently looked over the map, paying close attention to the different numbers in the hatch marks as he slowly made sense of it all. He frowned a little at the idea of having to fly in Thread Fall so soon and wondered if the new riders would be coming on that one or not. He was nervous but only because it would be his first fall. They had been hearing what Thread Fall would be like but hearing about it and going through it were two different things.

He looked up again as Northern Thread Fall was brought up and nodded.
“At least in Keroon most things are still built from stone. Our forests are small and pathetic compared to what’s here. A few structures are built with wood but homes are still mostly done with stone. Shards, this means I’ve completely lost my craft project though.”
He was now less worried about Thread Fall killing people but starvation. People could take shelter in their homes but who was going to bring their headbeasts or wherries into their homes as well. Any crops that had been planted would be dead as well. His frowned deepened as he started to wonder just how the North was going to survive this.

D’ero’s mood was not improved by the number of maps there were for Thread Fall. Six hundred maps. Six hundred months of death raining down every day. And less then a hundred dragons to be fighting it right now. As Thread Fall continued, the number of dragons would increase, but only if they managed to make it through these first turns of Fall. He shook his head slowly, trying to clear it and stay focused on the topic at hand.

[Marnark]

"It is a good start of an idea. Shield are competent in a lot. But I don't think sending them for that reason is a very good idea. Shield are hunters, regardless of the type of prey. They are ... a bit heavy handed, if you know what I mean." The last thing A'lez needed was a Shield loose in the North, getting pissed off over something and make a spectacle by offing someone. It was entirely possible, too. "I would like to have recent information, but at this point I don't see how it can be gathered. Especially since all Shield not only have flitters, but large flashy ones at that." A'lez pointed out.

But D'ero was thinking. That was good. He also approved of the answers he came up with, on timing the journey north at the head of a 'fall. Unfortunately, flying Thread meant at least one full wing, if not both of them. The problem with that would be some if not all of the Norther riders would be going. So much for a small partly. Unless....

"We won't fly the entire fall." A'lez said, hatching a new plan. "We'll fly the area immediately surrounding the Hold, but not all of it. With a smaller area, we can use fewer dragons. Less 'stone. I really don't want to take our entire force North. Especially not when they are needed here." A miniature wing, made just for that. Five dragons, tops. They could handle that small of and area, switching back and forth in the air. It would still have the impact, but less of the headache of the logistics.

A'lez laughed a little. "Son, it doesn't matter where you go. Forests are puny compared to Southern Jungle regardless. This is noted even in the tomes of Passes long gone. I am not surprised to hear that. But I am quite pleased to hear that at least some people still build in stone. It will help diminish the impact Thread has had." A'lez couldn't know D'ero was concerned about starvation, as he'd not said anything about it. But if he had, he could have answered that as well.

This was the South. Food was easy, and abundant. Protected against threadfall or not, the jungles were ripe with fruit, nut, and other staples. But A'lez did see the sobering effect on D'ero that the knowledge on just how involved Threadfall was. The North had made a grave mistake this past Interval, and it was only now sinking in to the youth. A'lez could only hope that the Lords in the North could be so wise.

[Ise]

D’ero gave A’lez a nod, glad that the man didn’t think his idea was a terrible one. Yes it needed work but A’lez knew the people of the Weyr far better then he did. With some time a better plan could probably be formed. But D’ero hoped they’d be able to get newer information before they went North. Two turn old rumors were not a good thing to be basing a mission off of. And anything N’var or the other Lordlings could tell them would be too dated to be of any use as well. He would have to keep thinking this plan over, trying to find some way to make it work and run the idea past A’lez again and again until he had come up with something workable. Maybe Jarshan could offer him so ideas… but no he probably wouldn’t be allowed to speak to her about this either.

He listened as A’lez approved of his plan for when to head North and started to change it a little, making it require less people. He didn’t know what to expect from Thread Fall yet and while he would feel better if there was a whole wing with them he knew that wouldn’t be possible. No one would miss a handful of riders doing something, people would notice a whole wing missing though. Especially if that wing was missing almost all its riders from the North.

“It’s not just the size of the forest. Even just the trees here are so much bigger then anything I’ve seen here before. With half a dozen of the trees here you could probably make one of the forests in Keroon. Wood has always never been very common in the North, it’s probably the only lesson we’ve remembered.”
He gave the Weyrleader a rueful little smile before he carefully rolled the Thread Fall map back up. A fascinating map but a depressing one. He didn’t want to think about how screwed the North was. Or that the fate of the North was in the hands of a dozen nobles who were safe and sound in the holds.

“What’s going to happen if the Lords won’t listen. Or if only some of them will listen but not all of them? And how are we going to be able to defend both the North and South at the same time?”
It would be two turns before they could get even another wing of dragon riders, how were three wings, plus whatever Haven had left, going to defend all of Pern? Or even just the parts of Pern where there were people?

[Marnark]

A'lez extended a hand to take the rolled up thread scroll as he shook his head slowly. "Like it or not, D'ero. The truth remains the truth. Due to the events of the past, there are not enough dragons to defend all of Pern from Thread this pass. Even with the best efforts of the Queens to produce enough dragons, it's too defunct. There aren't enough Queens to produce the numbers we need. All of Pern only has two Queens, I am sure you have noticed. On top of that, they don't rise as often as records indicate they should be doing. Something is very screwy with the dragons we do have. But even if they had been laying like they should have been doing, even then we still wouldn't have the resources or dragons necessary. Dragons are useless without firestone, I am sure you have come to learn." A'lez pointed out, tucking the scroll back into its place.

"Whether we like it or not, a lot of people are going to die. Pern is going to undergo a culling like it has never seen before. We only have two wings here, and the only other Weyr isn't as large as we are. The only reason we are going to be able to make any kind of foray North at all is because the South is grubbed. Here, we protect the crops and homes directly. Elsewhere, thread can fall where it will. However, even given that, we will not be able to protect even a single set of Holds from Thread in the North. Even if we were to abandon all duties here in the South and move North to reside in a Weyr there? We just don't have the dragons to fill a full Norther Weyr's duties. We might be able to pull one Weyr off if both Weyrs moved North into the same Weyr. And that's still a mighty big might."

He shrugged, and sat down again. "As it stands, there's little we can do. The logistics just aren't there. We can try to help the Holds that are interested in bargaining. The rest can kiss their asses goodbye. We don't have the dragonpower or the resources to stage a coup, if that's what you're thinking. Even if they were to all spontaneously line up, we still couldn't fulfill the demands. We'd need about twenty more Queens than we have, and twenty times the dragons we've got." He shrugged, open palmed. "We can't get that out of thin air."

"Worse, even if we had the dragons. We simply can't generate the 'stone to fuel them all. The North would really have to get its ass in gear for tithing, and mining stone. Dragons need fed, Weyrs need fed. And Dragons need 'stone. It was the whole reason for the tithes to begin with, that the Holders decided to throw off." He sat down and rested his hands in his lap.

"The cold hard truth, D'ero? You're one of the lucky few from the North who stand half a sharding chance at surviving. Period. People are going to die, and they are going to die in droves. Their only real chance is to uproot and move South. Here, there is food regardless of Thread, but even with that concession taken ... where will they all fit? The Holds here can't handle that kind of influx. Mark my words, though. Once the North learns that we are indeed here, healthy and happy? Protected? People are going to start migrating, even if half die on the journey over the ocean."

It was a dire thing to consider, but it was the way it was.

[Ise]

D’ero listened, keeping his thoughts to himself. He knew all of this. But hearing it from the Weyrleader just made it more final. The hatching he had Impressed from had been huge but one large clutch was not enough to make everything all better. And without firestone, a thousand dragons would still be useless against Thread.

He stayed emotionless and silent as he listened to how utterly hopeless the whole situation was. It was far easier to take this when he had slowly been coming to many of these conclusions himself over the past two turns. Part of him had hopes that maybe there was another Weyr or two in the South that was hidden away for safe keeping. Or that dragons might suddenly become magical enough to defend all of Pern even though there were only a couple dozen of them. Unfortunately he was older then six and couldn’t get himself to believe anything like that for more then a minute.

D’ero let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose lightly before looking up at A’lez.
“If the South is going to be the only safe place then someone needs to start figuring out how we’re going to move people down here. Something needs to be done here to start preparing Holds for a larger population. I know that not everyone from the North can be brought here but some of them do.”
At the Beastcrafter Hall, much of D’ero’s last turns had been spent working on a breeding project. He had gone through plenty of records showing the genealogy and pedigrees of different breeds of runners. The Southern population had already been separated from the North, and their numbers hadn’t been too large to start with. Over a hundred turns, much of the population would be related to each other in one form or another. The mass culling that Thread would bring would limit traits even more.

“Not only does something need to be done here but there has to be a way to decide who gets to come South. Age limits and gender limits are going to be important. There also has to be a fair way to decide it. Search dragons can help find new candidates, but people who aren’t going to be trying to Impress.”
He leaned back in the chair, shutting his eyes as he tried to think of the problem in a logical way.
“It’ll be hard to get people to work with us I think. Especially if they know how dire the circumstances are. So we need to bribe them. Families that mine firestone would be allowed to send children or relatives down South where they’d be safe. If they know that helping the riders will get them a safe trip South they’ll be a lot more willing to help us. And the more they help us, the better the situation will get for everyone.”