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How Do We Get Roped Into These Things?


Date:  Not a Clue
Places:  Benden Weyr's Southern Bowl and Skyspace
Game:  PernMUSH
Copyright Info:  The World of Pern is copyright(c) to Anne McCaffrey 
l967. The Dragonriders of Pern(r) is a registered copyright.

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Kassi's Note:  This was fun, but a bit victim to jinxed timing--the 
participants kept having to leave or getting 'Net-booted, so it wound up 
being short.  Still, it was enjoyable RP, which is the main reason I
decided to post it. :)  Thanks go to M'kla, whose idea this was; 
unfortunately, her 'Net made it impossible for her to see how it came 
out.

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The Log:

T'fian salutes P'tran as he sees the weyrleader. "Good evening, sir," he
says. "I was just asking Kassima if she and Lysseth were up to
participating in M'kla's drill." He looks at Maarie. "And I should ask you
as well."

Maarie hmms? "Drill?"

P'tran turns to T'fian with a slight smile. "I was just going to ask if you
didn't mind me watching the drills. Considering how the Weyrlings are close
to the end of their training, I thought it would be wise."

Public announcement: M'kla announces "Starting at about 9:00 PM EST (that's
about 20 minutes from now) Benden Weyr will be hosting a Threadfall Drill,
and offers an invitation for all interested riders from all Weyrs to come
join us in the Benden Bowl to Flame rope from the skies. Non riders are
invited to come watch how the riders protect Pern from Thread in a
non-dangerous environment!"

T'fian shakes his head, smiling. "Of course not, sir."

P'tran grins a bit and nods, and then glances back towards the north again.

Benden Weyr> Maarie says, "Shouldn't give them false hope like that,
M'kla....no danger...sure... ;)"

T'fian turns to Maarie. "How are you and Zuseth at flaming?"

Laerth backwings for a landing.

Maarie glances at Zuseth then back to T'fian, "She is beginning to flame
better."

Laerth comes to a landing at the edge of the training grounds and gives a
slight snort, looking over the weyrlings' dragons with a critical eye.

Meroth backwings for a landing.

Benden Weyr> T'fian tries to figure out what his dragon was doing in the
air...

Laerth rumbles a greeting to Meroth and the other dragons.

Benden Weyr> P'tran ums, flying? :)

Benden Weyr> Alyssa says, "Um, hovering?"

Benden Weyr> T'fian says, "But I thought he was on the ground. ;)"

Benden Weyr> Maarie just chuckles, "I'd think you'd keep better tabs on him
than that."

Meroth warbles to the much larger bronze, opening one eyelid as the
weyrleader's dragon lands.

Lysseth warbles a greeting to Laerth as well, watching everything passively.

T'fian nods. "Do you feel up to flying 'thread'? Flaming ropes. I'd like
you to participate in the drill, if you feel up to it."

Maarie nods, "Zuseth should be able to handle that."

P'tran smirks slightly as he folds his arms. "Apparantly Laerth wants to
offer his own assessments as well," he comments softly

T'fian chuckles at the weyrleader and Laerth. "Of course he would. He's as
much Weyrleader as you." He turns back to Maarie. "Okay. What I would like
of both of you right now is to prepare your dragons for flaming. Like we
did the other night. And then, start bagging extra."

Dragon> Benden dragons sense that Laerth peers as if in assessment. << This
will be a good chance to see how the weyrlings are doing ... >>

Maarie nods and heads over to the firestone pile, pulling on her gloves
along the way.

Kassima nods mutely and follows Maarie, rummaging through the pile for
smaller fragments.

T'fian nods. "Be sure to get enought to last a full fall. I'm not sure
exactly how long this will run, but go for the general fall time... about
six hours worth."

P'tran listens as T'fian gives directions and nods to himself. "We have our
next Fall over Lemos," he comments, but it doesn't quite sound like just an
off-the-cuff comment. "Its expected to cut right across the forests in that
area."

Kassima starts selecting chunks, checking them carefully for any reddish
ore tint, and piling the acceptable ones to one side.

Maarie carries several pieces over to Zuseth, feeding them to her one by
one. Loud crunches all the while.

T'fian looks over at P'tran. "I hadn't been following the charts, recently.
So we're getting a full fall. Will we follow over into Telgar? Or are we
letting them take over at the sweep boundary?"

Kassima gathers up her pile and transports them to where Lysseth is
waiting, as the green dutifully opens her mouth and accepts the 'stone
chunks one by one. She crunches them noisily, as might be expected.

P'tran strolls over near LAerth and gives the bronze a scritch along the
eyeridge in a very natural motion. "We'll go up with you but we'll won't be
flaming. I'd rather we just get a look at the whole drill from a good
vantage point.

P'tran shakes his head at T'fian. "We'll handle the Fall as far as the
mountains to the west of the forest. After that its Telgar's Fall."

Maarie seems satisfied with the amount Zuseth has chewed and returns to the
pile to bag extra stone.

P'tran adds, "It will be a little tight in that corridor. I'd like it if
some of the Weyrlings could go up and help resupply firestone so I can
devote all the fighting wing dragons to the Fall."

T'fian nods. "Sounds good to me," he says before turning back to the
Weyrlings. "For the Weyrling formation, I'd like you, Maarie, as
wingleader. I'm going to be dropping rope and Meroth will be directing, but
we're not going to take actual part." He looks back at P'tran. "Yes, sir.
That would probably be for the best. Have the winds still been acting up?"

Kassima waits until Lyss has swallowed an acceptable amount, then turns
back to the pile to bag more 'stone. While working on this task, she
half-listens to the conversation.

P'tran comments, "well, only if you and Cerilla think the weyrlings are
ready of course ... yes, we still have some high-altitude winds that may
make things a bit tricky."

T'fian glances over at the weyrlings, smiling at their industry. "I'm sure
they'll be ready. But, that of course, is Cerilla's final decision."

Dragon> Laerth bespoke Benden dragons with << Just a brief OOC reminder
that anyone wanting to be in the drills, we're assembling in the training
grounds (south bowl) >>

Kassima sets aside one full sack and starts on another, pausing now and
then to dust off her gloved hands on her slacks--not that this does any
good, of course, but it's force of habit.

Dragon> Benden dragons sense that Vidarth would, if he could. My apologies
on not being able to participate.

P'tran looks over and sees most of the others ready. He grabs the straps of
his dragon and mounts up

P'tran climbs up onto Laerth in one smooth motion.

Reveth lumbers into the South Bowl area from the lake shore to the southwest.

N'fan climbs down from Reveth's back, aided by a thoughtfully extended
forelimb.

Maarie nods her acknowleldgement to T'fian as she finishes filling the
extra sacks.

Laerth rumbles a pleasant greeting to Reveth, eyes whirling in friendship
to his clutchmate

T'fian moves over to Meroth, and checks the bags of painted rope, strapped
to Meroth's straps. "Okay. What I've got here is painted rope. It looks a
lot like thread, just so you aren't too surprised. Unfortunately, I cannot
simulate the entire mass of thread that you see when actually flying a
'Fall, but the painted bit helps."

Kassima tops off her last extra sack and dusts off her hands again, nodding
to T'fian as well.

From atop Laerth, P'tran has a weyrling toss him a few extra sacks just in
case he feels to need to join in and attaches them to the loops on his belt.

T'fian glances upward. "Okay. With the winds, I'd just suggest a normal V
formation, but Maarie, you'd be up front. Understand?"

Maarie nods once more, "Yes, sir."

N'fan enlists the aid of a weyrling and a rather burly resident to ready
Reveth for the drill.

T'fian glances over, finally seeing Reveth. "Heyla, N'fan. Are you joining
in?"

From atop Laerth, P'tran brings Laerth to the side, intending to go up last
so he can watch the others and their launch and formation

From atop Laerth, P'tran smiles slightly to himself as he sees Reveth and
N'fan prepare for the drill

N'fan straightens and nods at T'fian. "Yes, sir. I'll be going up in the
next Fall, so I thought I'd get us ready for it.."

T'fian pulls himself up Meroth's foreleg, grasping the blue's riding
straps, and settles between his neckridges.

N'fan climbs up onto Reveth's back, aided by an extended forelimb and by
the riding straps fastened about the base of the blue dragon's long neck.

Between Meroth's neckridges, T'fian nods down at N'fan and then over at the
Weyrlings. "Okay. Mount up. Maarie, you send the wing up. Just like in the
formation drills. Arm up, signalling get ready, then drop it for the
launch. But make sure your wing is in proper formation."

Maarie looks about, trying to judge how many dragons are participating in
the drill. She nods and calls out, trying to sound confident, "Lysseth and
Kassi to the left of Zuseth and Reveth and N'fan to the right. Standard V
here." She calls out rest in the order she'd like then mounting.

Maarie grins as Zuseth warbles affectionately to her while mounting.

Kassima nods to Maarie and mounts up.

You place one hand on Lysseth's neck and she warbles down at you fondly.
You grin and scratch her eyeridges once before climbing up onto her lower
neckridges, using the riding straps and Lysseth's thoughtfully offered
foreleg.

<*> From atop Laerth, P'tran listens to Maarie's direction as his dragon
casts his quickly whirling eyes on the formation that is taking shape on
the sands.

<*> From Meroth's neck, T'fian says "We're holding this over the Training
Ground (*South Bowl*)!"

Kassima fastens her straps carefully, then signals Lysseth to move to
Zuseth's left. The green dragon takes her place in the formation as Kassi
lowers her goggles and waits.

<*> T'fian fastens Meroth's riding straps snugly about himself with the
ease of long practice.

<*> Baram emerges from the passage to the entrance cavern.

<*> Reveth lumbers into position...

<*> Baram looks up at the dragons and stands out of the way.

<*> Zuseth takes flight, using the thermals rising from the bowl to carry
her aloft.

<*> Meroth takes flight, using the thermals rising from the bowl to carry
him aloft.

<*> Lysseth springs from the ground, the air from her wings churning up
dust as she takes to the skies.

You spring into the air and catch the thermals rising from the bowl floor
to carry you aloft.

Benden Bowl> Laerth cranes his neck up to watch the other dragons take off,
spreading his own wings as he prepares for flight

<*> Reveth rises up from the bowl.

<*> Laerth rises up from the bowl.

<*> Meroth wings his way well above the formation below him, his rider
scanning to see how well the weyrlings (and Reveth) had held their formation.

<*> Zuseth rises quickly into the air with a few strong strokes, climbing.
Maarie looking behind her briefly to make sure things are in formation.

<*> Lysseth ascends smoothly, keeping her place to the left of Zuseth as
she rises up into the air.

<*> Laerth gives a long, low rumble, what it means is anybody's guess
except himself and his rider, and he swings wide of the formation.

<*> Reveth is right where he's supposed to be, with N'fan looking around to
check the positions of other dragons around him.

Dragon> Meroth bespoke Benden Weyrlings with << My riders tells me to tell
you that you look good in formation, and we will start now. >>

Dragon> Benden Weyrlings sense that Laerth rumbles. << I think they will do
well >>

<*> Meroth wings upward still farther and angles out a little to the left
of the wing below and behind him. His rider, reaches down to one of the
sacks of rope and turns it behind him, emptying half the bag. A mass of
silvery paint rope descends rapidly towards the wing.

<*> Reveth reaches around for his first maw-full of firestone, which N'fan
deftly delivers.

<*> Lysseth is on the left of the wing, so keeps careful watch on the stuff
as it falls. When it nears her, she banks a bit and a tongue of flame licks
at a patch of the silvery stuff, charring it totally as Lysseth bugles!

<*> Laerth cranes his neck to see how the weyrlings handle this first batch
of "thread"

<*> The winds of the bowl break up the large mass into smaller clumps,
spiralling and twisting in an accurate resemblence to thread. A large mass
falls slightly towards the left of Zuseth.

<*> A young brown dives out of formation, soaring ahead of the leading
green, his rider too anxious to let the rope come to him. He soars directly
into a very large mass, flaming. But there's too much.

<*> Laerth gives a snort and peers over in Zuseth's direction ...

<*> From Meroth's neck, T'fian shakes his head, at the brown, motioning for
his rider to rejoin formation.

Dragon> Benden Weyrlings sense that Laerth OOCly wonders if the weyrlings'
dragons are set @listen?

<*> The ropes sprial down towards Zuseth, slightly to the green's left, but
still capable of seriously wounding her if it were real.

<*> Zuseth turns her pale head to the left and her jaws open, a long spurt
of flame coming out and scorching the clump into ash as it passes nearer to
her.

<*> A smallish clump of rope is buffeted outward away from the formation on
Reveth's side. It catches a downdraft and plummets almost straight
downward, surely to hit the ground if let unchecked.

Benden Weyr> Maarie says, "I don't know about you guys, but I am lagging
pretty bad. Sorry if poses come slowly."

Benden Weyr> P'tran ahs and was wondering. I thought maybe you weren't set
@listen or I wasn't audible :)

<*> Reveth adjusts his position in the formation just a bit, and suddenly
folds his wings to his side to plummet after the 'thread'. He spreads his
wings with a rustle-SNAP and arcs up to flame it from beneath.

Dragon> Meroth bespoke Benden Weyrlings with << Very good, Zuseth. >>

<*> Laerth gives another rumble, and this time it appears to be one of
general approval, though he does SNORT at a bluerider weyrling that gets
cocky and banks a little too far to the left.

<*> Reveth bugles triumphantly and quickens his pace to fill in the gap he
left in the formation.

<*> The rain of rope still comes down strong and heavy, clumps of it
scattered this way and that. A large clump of the silvery mass is suddenly
shorn into two, the larger of the two floating towards Lysseth and the
other cutting across towards Reveth's gap.

<*> Lysseth hisses and cuts upward a bit to emit a fiery blast, engulfing
left side of the clump; another blazing emmission takes care of the right
as it falls. She slides back into formation as Kassi ducks a bit of
drifting ash.

<*> Zuseth banks to her left, watching for Reveth to come along but there
to intercept the 'thread' if the need arises, shortening the gap. She turns
her head and flames as Reveth is still too far away to reach it and only
scorched bits remain.

<*> A blue screams a challenge almost instictually recognizing the rope as 
thread and soars over, breaking his formation to attempt to cover Reveth's 
position. He almost collides as the other blue returns to his position, 
but manages to evade by banking hard away. Another clump falls through the 
gap left by his break.

<*> Reveth gets a refill of firestone on his way back up and moves back
into his position, ready for the next rope. Um, clump of thread.

<*> Laerth snorts at that one. If a dragon could rolls his eyes, this
bronze would be doing it about now ...

Dragon> Meroth bespoke Benden Weyrlings with << My rider says you HAVE TO
KEEP YOUR FORMATION BETTER >>

<*> Zuseth shifts back to her right and places herself back at the head of
the formation with a slight tilt of her wings.

<*> Astride her lifemate, a brownrider curses and signals her dragon to
take care of the clump that is falling through the gap. He does so,
charring it to ash and cinders so that it's no longer a danger.

<*> Another clump is partially charred to ash by a brown near the front of
the formation, but some of it escapes the flame and slips over towards the
tip at Lysseth's position.

<*> Lysseth turns her head and lashes the clump with a blaze of fire,
rendering it into harmless ash and relitively harmless cinders.

<*> Sliding towards Reveth is a large silvery clump that was missed by a
leading bronze's flame, almost on a direct intercept with the blue.

<*> Reveth angles his head only slightly, letting go his ready burst of
flame to envelop the threat and render it harmless.

<*> The amount of rope filling the air grows far less, only a few scattered
clumps left in the air. The largest however descends toward Zuseth, a
roiling, deadly mass of rope that accurately simulates threadfall.

<*> Laerth banks off to the side and up slightly to give his rider a better
look, very much like he does in regular Fall

<*> Lysseth turns her head to receive a fresh installment of firestone,
keeping an eye on the falling rope as she chews and swallows the rock.

<*> The flame of dragons and ash fills the air, the last bits being mopped
up, yet the clump still descends towards Zuseth. The other riders pause to
watch the leading the green. In their lapse, a clump that had been buffeted
off to the side suddenly gets pushed by a crosscurrent and comes in at the
left of Reveth.

Benden Weyr> Kassima ooopses, we lost Maarie....

Benden Weyr> T'fian says, "Did we? Oops."

Benden Weyr> P'tran says, "She was having bad lag, she probably lost her
connection"

Benden Weyr> T'fian says, "We lost N'fan as well. :)"

Benden Weyr> Kassima oh dears. :)

Benden Weyr> P'tran ums and hates to say it but you're going to lose me in
a few minutes, as I'll have to log off :/

Benden Weyr> T'fian says, "Well, these were the last two, and then I was
going to call it a night. :)"

Benden Weyr> Kassima says, "And I should've left a couple of minutes ago,
m'self.... :)"

Dragon> Meroth bespoke Benden Weyrlings with << OOC: Well, I'll retcon the
last two poses and say we're done, then. :) IC: That's it. You've missed
quite a bit, but you've done very well for your first time, Young Ones. >>

Dragon> Benden Weyrlings sense that Laerth gives a soft snort << I thought
it showed potential, at least. Well done >>

Dragon> Benden Weyrlings sense that Lysseth sounds determined. << We can do
better! We will do better! >>

Dragon> Benden Weyrlings sense that Laerth's praise is reserved, as he's
always a little over-critical of weyrlings

Dragon> Meroth bespoke Benden Weyrlings with << Yes, you will do better,
Lysseth. Of that there is no question. But you have done well for your
first time. >>

<*> Meroth banks sharply about and descends towards the wing below him,
angling into a position near Lysseth.

Dragon> Benden Weyrlings sense that Lysseth pauses. << Thank you. My rider
wants to know what we should do with the extra 'stone sacks that were not
used--would it damage them if, say, it rained again? >>

Dragon> Meroth bespoke Benden Weyrlings with << OOC: I've no idea. :) >>

Dragon> Meroth bespoke Benden Weyrlings with << We go down now. >>

Benden Weyr> Kassima ughs and has to go now, or else she won't live to make
it tomorrow. :P Um, ICly, can we just assume Lyss and I landed and did all
the post-drill stuff? :)

Dragon> Laerth bespoke Benden Weyrlings with << Inspect them after you
land. If the firestone is dry, it can be put back in the stores >>

Benden Weyr> P'tran says, "Ditto for me :)"

<*> Atop Meroth, T'fian motions downward.

<*> Meroth flies downwards towards the bowl.

You fly downwards towards the bowl.

Benden Weyr> T'fian waves to Kassima and P'tran. Thanks. :)