Month 3

Etiquette, Self-Defense & Gliding
RL Dates: Nov 23 – Dec 1, 2009
Dragon Age: 3 – 4 months

Write or play about something that you learned from etiquette class that you didn’t know before. If you’re holdbred, maybe the Weyr’s political structure is more complicated than you thought. If you’re craftbred, maybe you didn’t realize that many dragonriders keep craft skills up and trade. If you’re weyrbred, maybe you didn’t realize that there’s similarities in rank structures in the holds to the ones in the Weyr.
Self-defense practice. Spar with a partner or as teams and work through what you learned in class to try to improve your abilities with the new moves.
How do you feel about learning how to defend yourself? How do you see the practical lessons tying into the theories of etiquette that are also being taught?
How does your dragonet feel about what you’ve been learning? Is he/she okay with you handling a knife, the rules of duelling and possibly getting hurt? How about the etiquette lectures, does he/she find them absolutely fascinating, dead boring or just not pay much attention at all?
Practice throwing and catching sandbags or firestone bags make it a race to see which team of weyrlings can toss bags around a circle the fastest or from one end of a line to the other.
Run a ground drill practice or its aftermath. How do you and your dragon do at marching drills? Do you like them? How about your dragon?

Dragon

Dragonets take their first glides across the Bowl. By the end of the month, they should be flying comfortably around the whole Bowl.
Dragonet sensitivity continues to decrease. Most dragonets are able to operate independently of their weyrlings, though some will continue to want to keep a line of sight open.
Dragonets are just under half of their full size.
Stretching exercises to go along with those glides are a regular facet of morning exercise.

Weyrling

Rider Etiquette is taught with a specific focus on rank, hierarchy in the Weyr and the proper modes of address for riders of different ranks towards holders and crafters.
Self-defense and basic weapons training will also be provided and builds somewhat on etiquette training and the appropriate times to use these techniques.
Riders learn how to disable an opponent without causing lasting harm or death and the rules of duelling with a belt-knife. Wrestling and martial arts are also taught along with the idea that dragonriders should use these forms of physical combat if pressed, rather than a bladed weapon. The best defense against a knife attack is avoiding one in the first place, or running away.
Laps and calisthenics are now a part of the daily routine along with ever-increasing loads in those sandbag tosses.
Ground drills are now a part of the daily routine, starting with simple formations.
Weyrlings start examining straps and learning the theory of strap-making

(This is a guideline only and is intended to give you an idea of how a typical Weyrling’s day might go.)

Weyrlings continue to be restricted to the Weyr but may RP anywhere within the Weyr exercising their judgement about being away from their dragon for longer and longer periods of time.
Limitations on alcohol consumption remain the same: one glass of wine or ale with a meal.
No intimate contact. No kissing, no making out, no sex.
Weyrlings must salute all riders, and may salute or bow to ranking Crafters and Holders.

Fort Weyr