The Dragons - so named for the mythical Terran creature they resemble - are the protectors of Pern. They develop a very strong empathic/telepathic link with their riders, who they select upon hatching. This link is so strong that if a dragon's rider dies, the dragon will go *between* never to return - if he or she has the strength. Conversely, if a rider's beast dies, he or she may go insane or become suicidal.

The Dragons of Pern have two special abilities. One is the ability to chew and digest a form of phosphine-bearing rock to produce a gas which ignites on contact with the atmosphere. The other is the ability to go *between* one place and another (even one time and another) almost instantaneously (i.e. teleport). These two abilities combine to allow dragons to char thread in mid-air while escaping *between* to avoid getting hit by it. It should be noted that draconic memories are very short-term; specific events lasting perhaps a day or two. This is often considered a blessing as dragons bear the brunt of threadscore.

There are 5 varieties (colors) of Dragons. Green and Golds are female, while Blues, Browns, and Bronzes are male. Details on each color are listed below.

A note about the term 'dragonlength'. This measure of distance is equivalent to the length of the 'average' green dragon: about 25 meters.

Male - Mature size: 35-38 meters

As the 'leaders' of dragonkind, bronzes have the greatest endurance, strength, and possibly intelligence. Generally, it is a bronze dragon who flies to catch and mate with the golden queens. Riders of bronze dragons are trained to fill leadership positions in the Weyrs; the rider of the bronze who successfully flies the senior queen of a particular Weyr becomes the Weyrleader.

Male - Mature size: 30-35 meters

A well-grown brown dragon can sometimes be as large as some bronzes and, if they so dared, could mate with golds. Browns have the endurance to fly an entire fall without faltering while still retaining reasonable agility. They have somewhat greater powers of concentration and intelligence then greens and blues. (But don't say that to blue or green riders! ;-)

Male - Mature size: 24-30 meters

Blues are the workhorses of dragonkind. While not quite so maneuverable as their green sisters, blues have somewhat more endurance and are capable of sustaining flame for longer periods.

Female - Mature size: 20-25 meters

Greens are numerically the most common dragons on Pern. They are light, very maneuverable and agile. They do not have much endurance, and can only breathe short bursts of flame. It is generally believed that greens are rendered infertile from chronic use of firestone, but a there are some who think that they are genetically incapable of producing offspring.

Full female - Mature size: 38-42 meters

The Golden queen dragons are the ones who bear the young. Gold dragons do not chew firestone, since it is believed that doing so would render them sterile like the greens. (Of course, nobody has dared to *try* to feed stone to a queen, so there is no proof one of this one way or another.) The 'senior queen' of a Weyr is usually the one with the oldest rider. This rider, known as Weyrwoman (capital 'W'), is responsible for all dragons in the Weyr. No dragon will disobey a gold (except another gold), even if his or her rider wishes otherwise.

Firelizards are the tiny cousins to dragons, and are indigenous to Pern. They share almost all of the abilities of their larger relatives, except that their links to humankind are more empathic rather than telepathic, and that they have a form of 'racial memory'. Because of their small (under 1 meter from nose to tail-tip) size, they are more useful as companions and message carriers than as threadfighters (although they are capable of chewing firestone and breathing flame). For some time, firelizards were regarded as legendary creatures, until they were 'rediscovered' during the 9th pass. Since then, they have become very popular among the Pernese, as they are very loyal and loving to those humans they 'look to'.

Welcome to Dragonhealing at Igen Weyr

Roleplaying as a Novice

Roleplaying as Training Rank

Roleplaying as a Capable Dragonhealer

Basic Information: Anatomical notes

Basic Information: Dragons and firelizards

Basic Information: Herbs and treatment