Fort Weyr

Turn 23

The spring rains of turn 23 brought about a rather drastic change to Fort. One minute the earthslide from turns (and turns) gone by was there and… well, then it wasn’t. Istan riders were seen about the bowl for some time, assisting Fortians with the clean-up effort (rumoured, among some, to be efforts to make up for something that went on during the day of the raiders). In the aftermath, Ancient rooms were discovered and explored, including what would become the solarium and Ancient baths. Several documents were also recovered and put away for safe-keeping. As clean-up and repair work continued, Peirith and Dargonath’s eggs were clutched and hatched, resulting in fourteen new weyrlings.

With Smiths working on getting running water into several weyrs and caverns, as well as a temporary dam for the Weyr’s lake, the latter cracked and broke down sometime into the work, bringing about the need for a more permanent solution: a waterfall, a newly-engineered one that now cascades down the mountainside.

As the turn progressed, Cirse announced that she would be stepping down as Senior Weyrwoman and temporarily transferring to Southern, taking her young daughter with her and accompanied by E’tyn. Hattie stepped up as Acting Weyrwoman and was soon confirmed as Senior when, on day 14 of month 10, Elaruth rose in her second flight and was caught by bronze Mecaith, making T’rev Weyrleader once again. In the wake of Cirse’s departure, Preita and her gold Yshtiath arrived from Southern as part of a training exchange programme for younger weyrwomen. Seemingly silly and promiscuous, it remains to be seen whether Fort will succeed in reining her in.

Winter of turn 23 and saw supplies getting light again, with tithes coming in incomplete as the region’s economy continued its attempts to recover from turns past. Fort’s stores were locked-down, with the usual hand-me-downs and so on still readily available. Mid month 13, Elaruth clutched fifteen eggs in the dead of night.

Turn 24

Elaruth and Mecaith’s first clutch hatched on day 25 of month 1, turn 24 yielding two bronzes, three browns, four blues and six greens. This seemed to bode a promising new turn, promise born out by good weather in the spring and a lively Gather season with plentiful trading of all goods and livestock, especially herdbeasts.

Early spring’s promise soured by late spring and early summer, however as rumors of herdbeast deaths started to circulate and strife about the deaths started to take place in small holds around the region. Accusations of poisoning and other nefarious misdeeds required the intervention of sweeps and watchriders on occasion to assist with mediation between quarreling parties.

In month 8, the Weyrwoman welcomed twin baby girls, leaving Preita to pick up much of the workload while she recovered from the birth. The Smiths also finished work on the new plumbing heralding the opening of the mineral baths and new private bathing accommodations of varying quality in some weyrs. Throughout summer and autumn, the herdbeast problems increased with more and more beasts dying and more and more arguments among holders as a result, drawing the Weyr into more mediation efforts.

In month 11, junior weyrwoman Preita was grounded for causing an altercation between two riders at the Weyr. On the 25th of month 11, beasts in the Weyr’s herd started dying of unknown causes, though the Beastcraft finally confirmed a disease passing from beast to beast in the winter. The only help at the time: quarantine.

Turn 25

Over the winter, Preita’s behavior continued erratic, requiring continued discipline from the Weyrleaders. At turnover, three holders were arrested at the Hold’s celebration for harming Weyrfolk and later locked up after confessing to a murder plot related to a belief that they’d determined the source of the disease affecting the herdbeasts.

The Weyrlings from Elaruth and Mecaith’s clutch were tapped into wings in month 2 in a simple ceremony without the usual lavish feast, given the ongoing problems with herds throughout the Fort region. Later in the month, the Weyrleaders announced that all dragons were to eat from the Weyr’s pens only once every ten days and a maximum of two beasts at a time. All riders are encouraged to supplement their dragons’ diets with hunting. Restrictions have also been placed on herdbeast movement in an attempt to stay the progress of disease across the Fort area. Obsidian wing’s duties were adjusted to include regular hunting, whether it’s catching dinner for weyrfolk or the dragon population. Word is that it’s not a popular move and that the restrictions on feeding haven’t gone down well, with some arguing that flights will serve as an excuse to blood, if not feed properly, and make the system unfair.

Month three brought the death of elderly green Kyriatath and her rider Ayanna, due to unknown causes. Rumours spoke of it being anything from starvation, the herdbeast disease jumping to the dragons or simply old age and a choice to go. No definite conclusion was reached.

On the last day of month 4, Elaruth rose to mate in a disastrous flight that involved Preita’s gold Yshtiath as well as Igen and High Reaches chasers. Though the queens fought and severely inured each other, they eventually separated and were caught by bronzes Aldroth and Mecaith respectively, keeping the Weyrleader knot in T’rev’s hands. Over the following months, both queens succumbed to infection from their injuries, resulting in Yshtiath and Preita’s departure Between after the young queen left four eggs on the Hatching Sands. Ten days later, an incredibly weak Elaruth produced eight eggs of her own. Only three of Yshtiath’s eggs Hatched and only seven of Elaruth’s, though Fort’s Senior had finally produced a queen of her own: Ali’s gold Isyath.

Three months after the Hatching, Southern’s Weyrleaders visited Fort to discuss compensation for Yshtiath and Preita. What form this compensation takes is still unknown, but two storerooms full of supplies and half the Weyr’s medical kit went missing shortly after.

Turn 26

On day 6 of month 1, a new junior weyrwoman joined Fort. Gold Kyourith was Hatched at Fort twenty turns ago, though she and her rider had been transferred to Southern as soon as they were grown. Opinion was that Fort couldn’t possibly afford to owe Southern anything else, especially not anything that could make up for an adult queen. With Elaruth still ill of health and Isyath not mature, Brin’s Kyourith was, for a time, Fort’s only healthy, mature queen.

Month two briefly returned Elaruth to the skies and brought Hattie’s son Hasander into the world. It also saw the near disaster a game between gold Isyath and brown Selaroqoth became, when slipping about on the ice of the lake resulted in serious muscle strain and chill for the brown when said ice cracked beneath him.

Midday of day 7, month 3, Obsidian rider Bea was found unconscious on the ichor-stained sands of the lake shore, her brown Oroth having gone Between for all time for reasons unknown. The now dragonless rider chose to live without her lifemate, though her behaviour was said by many to be unsettling.

Month 6 saw the start of weyrling dragons receiving mysterious communications from unknown dragons who refused to give their names or locations. Tsaheyluth and Sedark were among the worst affected, driven to near hysteria and a supposed breakdown by one communication. Another weyrling, green Lelanth, was so scared by one voice that she refused to leave her weyr. Other weyrlings these voices contacted included Ivwynoth, Chalmecath and Isyath.

Early in month 11, less than two turns after her previous flight, Elaruth unsteadily took to the skies in her fourth flight and was caught by bronze Bijedth, making Hematite rider N’muir Weyrleader. Shortly after he found himself with the knot, he began shadowing the wings and imposed a ban on alcohol for Hematite.

Day 10 of month 12, Fort was sent into lockdown by Elaruth. No dragons (including the Weyrleader’s bronze) were permitted to leave Fort unless allowed to do so by herself, Isyath or Kyourith. Not long after the order went out, a very ill green Nyvenirth and her rider, Isaphe, were escorted back to Fort by dragons that included gold Isyath and her rider, Ali. Following this, twelve riders, including the Weyrleader, were grounded for the foreseeable future.

Close to the end of the turn, Elaruth clutched ten eggs, with none appearing to be a potential gold.

Turn 27

The new turn brought solitary confinement for eleven riders, though not the Weyrleader himself, assumed to be involved in whatever earned the others their sentence. A selection of riders from other wings were suddenly given ‘high priority’ duties that they were not permitted to speak about.

With month 1 of the turn almost over, nine of Elaruth’s eggs hatched, though one remained unhatched and had to be taken Between by the Weyrleader and Bijedth. During the hatching feast, the elderly Lord Visrain of Boll, a man some way into his nineties, suffered a heart attack and died with his son and grandson at his side. Visrain’s heir, his eldest son, Jivrain, was and is known not to favour Fort and put doubts of his continuing to tithe into the minds of many, considering his father dropped dead in the Weyr.

Fashion Week tested ties with the Weaver Hall at Southern Boll, as well as logging duties for riders, under an effort by N’muir to strengthen the Weyr’s ties with the Woodcraft, make personal gain or get better prices on lumber, depending on who recounted the reasons for such an endeavour.

Early in month 4, the Weyr’s dragons keened for the loss of green Nyvenirth, who had continued to suffer ill-health after her rider, Isaphe, seemed to no longer care for her at all. Isaphe didn’t have to suffer long without her dragon, for she was soon murdered not far from the Infirmary, a knife with a ‘B’ carved into the handle left in her chest. It soon became apparent that the dragonless Bea was missing from the Weyr. Only days later, greenrider Yamilet was attacked near Boll and seriously injured by Bea. Her green, Ivwynoth, was also injured in her desperate attempts to reach her rider.

Late in month 25, after extensive searching, Fort was forced to admit to its Holds that there was a murderess loose somewhere in the Fort region. It was assumed that Lord Jivrain of Boll would have something to say about the matter; that his actions would speak louder than words, Fort’s tithe prospects growing ever smaller. Bea was apprehended and brought back to Fort by Storeskeeper Avaryk (who was rumoured to be posing as a guard of Boll Hold) and brownrider E’dre. Rumour had it that Avaryk was later forcibly removed from the Hold and instructed never to return under threat of imprisonment.