Volatilis Weyr: Reaper's Nigh!

A

Abortion - It is considered evil in the Holds, but is often a necessity in the Weyrs, as pregnancy makes it difficult for female dragonriders to perform their primary function, which is fighting Thread.
Agenothree - HNO3, the chemical used to dissolve Thread. It is used in sprayers by groundcrews.
AIVAS - The computer brought by the Ancients, which allowed the Pernese to regain much of the technological knowledge they had lost over the centuries.
Ancients - The original settlers of Pern.
Apprentice - The lowest craft rank.
Archivists - A sub-branch of the Harper craft. They record and preserve Pern's historical writings.
Auntie - The term of address for an older female relative, or for any older woman in a Hold.

B

Badges - They tell which Hold, Craft, or Weyr the wear belongs to. People wear them in conjunction with rank cords.
Barracks - Dormitories. There are usually two of these in a Weyr, one for Candidates, and one for Weyrlings.
Beasthealers - Veterinarians, usually of large farm animals, but also trained in the care of domestic pets.
Beastherders - Ranchers, also shepherds.
Benden - The territory in the northeastern quadrant of Pern's Northern Continent. It is the region of the second oldest Weyr to be founded.
Benden White - The premier wine of Pern. It's Earth equivalents would be champagne or sparkling wine (Asti Spumante).
Between - The dark, cold place dragons travel through when they teleport from one location to another.
Blackdust - Thread that has been frozen and killed in cold air. It falls to the ground during Pern's winters.
Blue Dragons - They are small, agile males. They usually Impress men or women.
Boron - A chemical present in Pern's soil.
Bowl - Usually, this means the floor of the volcano that houses a Weyr. For Weyrs which are not located in a volcano, it refers to the wide, open area where dragons can take off or land, and where Weyrling ground drills take place.
Breastband - A Pernese bra.
Bronze Dragons - The senior male dragons. They mate with the golds and are the second-largest in size.
Brown Dragons - Male dragons, third-larges of the colors. They usually mate with the greens, but very rarely can also mate with golds.
Bubbly Pies - A favorite Pernese dessert, often sold at Gathers as little tarts. They are best eaten hot.
Burdenbeasts - Oxen.
Burrow - Thread that has penetrated the ground and that has begun consuming plant and animal life. It must be destroyed by groundcrews.

C

Candidate - A person who has been accepted for Search.
Candidate Master - The person at a Weyr who introduces Candidates to Weyr life and teaches them how to conduct themselves on the Hatching Grounds when the dragonets hatch. Some Weyrs have a person with this specific titles. At other Weyrs, the Headwoman or one of her assistants might do this job.
Candidate Robe - The white robe that a Candidate wears to a Hatching, to indicate that he or she is a candidate.
Chai - Strongly-spiced tea.
Clutch - The collective term for a group of eggs that has just been laid.
Clutchmates - For dragonriders, these are the people sho Impressed dragons from the same clutch he did, and who went through Weyrling Training with him.
Concubines - Mistresses of Lord Holders and minor Holders.
Couch - A stony wallow in an individual rider's weyr, where the dragon sleeps.
Cove Hold = The location of the Southern Continent's main Harperhall.
Crafters - Pern's equivalent of degreed professionals. They work in a variety of trades, governed by a pseudo-guild system.
Crom - A Hold in High Reaches territory. One of its products is coal.

D

Dawnsisters - A trio of stars in the Pernese eastern sky. They were later discovered to be the three starships which brought the original colonists to Pern.
Deadglow - A derogatory term for someone who is very foolish.
Dimglow - A derogatory term for someone who is dull or foolish.
Distance-viewer - A telescope.
Distance-writer - Pern's version of the telegraph, invented in the 9th Pass.
Dolphineers - Humans who work with dolphins. Some humans can communicate telepathically with dolphins.
Dragon - A creature genetically engineered from Pernes firelizards by Ancient scientist Kitti Ping. Dragons belch flame and destroy Thread from the sky. They are telepathic and bond with their riders for life.
Dragon Colors - There are five: Gold, bronze, brown, bluye, and green. Golds and greens are female. Bronzes, browns, and blues are male.
Dragonet - A dragon under a Turn old.
Dragonhealer - A crafter who heals dragons.
Dragonrider - A person who is telepathically bonded to a dragon. Such a person lives in a Weyr and trains to fight Thread.
Drudges = People who perform unskilled labor at a Hold, Crafthall, or Weyr.

E

Earthshakes - The Pernese word for 'earthquakes.'
Eggs - They are laid by dragons, firelizards, whers, and wherries.
Eye Rock - An astronomical sighting device at Benden Weyr, used in conjunction with the Finger Rock. When the Red Star is visible through the Eye Rock and appears to be balanced on the Finger Rock, a Pass is imminent.

F

Fair - The collective term for a group of firelizards in flight.
Farseer - A telescope
Featherfern - A Pernese herb.
Fellis - A Pernese sedative, widely used.
Feverfew - A Pernese herb.
Finger Rock - An astronomical sighting device at Benden Weyr, used in conjunction with the Eye Rock. When the Red Star is visible through the Eye Rock and balanced on the Finger Rock, a Pass is imminent.
Fingertails - Shrimp or prawns.
Firehead - A Pernese disease vaguely similar to measles, but without the spots. Symptoms include severe headache, dizziness, and photophobia.
Fireheights - A trench dug along the top of a Hold. It is filled with oil just prior to Threadfall, and the oil is set alight to destroy any Thread which might fall into it.
Firelizards - The native Pernese animal from which dragons were bred.
Firestone - A light, phosphine-bearing rock, which dragons chew to produce the flames they belch. It comes in various grades of quality.
Flamethrower - The instrument a goldrider uses to burn Thread. A gold dragon may not chew firestone, because she will become infertile, if she does.
Flitterbies - A nickname for firelizards.
Fort - The oldest settlement on Pern's Northern Continent, located in the west.
Fosterage - The practice of sending one's child to live with another family, if the birthparents are unable or unwilling to care for the child. Among high-ranking Holders, they often foster their heirs out in an exchange system with other Holders, so that the heirs may learn the ins and outs of running a Hold.
Fosterling - A child who is fostered to another family.
Full-Blood - A legitimate child of a Lord Holder.

G

Gathers - Pern's equivalent of county fairs, held on restdays when no Thread is due.
Gitar - The Pernese spelling of 'guitar.'
Glows - A light source, usually contained in a basket. They are made from bioluminescent lichen which are kept alive in a liquid solution.
Gold Dragons - They are the queens, the most senior and the rarest of the five dragon colors. Because they do not chew firestone, they are the only females able to lay eggs. They can inhibit lesser dragons when necessary.
Green - This color is sometimes considered to be bad luck.
Green Dragons - The smallest and most numerous of all the dragons. They are extremely agile, but have little stamina.
Groundcrews - People responsible for checking the ground for signs of burrowing Thread. If a burrow is spotted, it is the groundcrew's duty to destroy the Thread before it can spread elsewhere.

H

Half-Blood - An illegitimate child of a Lord Holder.
Half-Circle Seahold - A minor hold located on the Nerat Peninsula on Pern's Northern Continent.
Harpers - The craft of musicians, diplomats, spies, lawyers, and teachers. Officially, though they are only musicians and teachers.
Hatching - The social event at which newly-hatched dragonets telepathically bond with their riders.
Headwoman - The woman who supervises the domestic running of a Hall, Hold, or Weyr. She usually reports to the Weyrwoman, the Lady Holder, or the senior crafter.
Healers - The craft of physicians on Pern.
High Reaches - The Weyr territory located in the northwet of Pern's Northern Continent.
Holdless - A person who does not live in the security of a Hold, Hall, or Weyr, usually from expulsion rather than from choice. During a Pass, to be made Holdless is considered a death sentence.

I

Igen - A Weyr territory on Pern's Northern Continent. It is located in a desert area.
Impression - The telepathic bonding of a dragon and its rider at the dragon's hatching. This bond lasts for life. If a dragon's rider dies, the dragon will suicide by disappearing between.
Infirmary - Where the injured receive medical treatment in a Weyr.
Intervals - The 200 Turn-long periods when Thread does not fall on Pern.
Ista - A Weyr territory on Pern's Northern Continent. It is located on an island just south of the Igen region.

J

Journeyman - The rank attained in a craft by a person who has demonstrated sufficient competence to practice the craft without close supervision. They are posted throughout Pern to serve where needed for varying lengths of time. They also teach apprentices.

K

Klah - A stimulating drink made from a cinnamon-like bark and usually served hot.

L

Landing - The original settlement of colonists on Pern. It was on the Southern Continent, within sight of the Two-Faced Mountain.
Leading Edge - The first part of a Threadfall.
Lemos - A major Hold looking to Benden Weyr.
Long Intervals - Periods lasting 400 Turns, during which time no Thread falls on Pern. Long Intervals are artificially caused. They occur every third Pass.
Lower Caverns - The main domestic area of a Weyr, which is supervised by the Headwoman. It contains the kitchens, the dining hall, storage areas, and living quarters for a Weyr's support staff.

M

Marks - Pern's basic monetary unit. They are put out by each craft, and a committee of senior crafters meets annually to determine their worth each Turn. Marks are subdivided according to the division of musical notes, down to 1/32.
Master - The most senior craft rank among the general population of a craft. Masters conduct new research into the more esoteric fields of their expertise.
Mating Flight - The method by which dragons and direlizards mate. When a female dragon or firelizard goes into heat, she sucs the blood from an animal, then takes off into flight, chased by the males. When caught, the female entwines bodies with her mate, and the pair fall to the ground, using their wings as an airbrake. The longer and higher the flight, the larger the clutch of eggs that a gold will lay.
Meatrolls - A popular and common Pernese food.
Milkmother - A wetnurse.
Mychorrhiza - The scientific name for the Thread spores.

N

Nabol - A Hold in High Reaches territory.
Nearviewer - A microscope.
Necessary - The Pernese term for bathroom.
Needlethorn - The hollow spines of this plant are used by Pern's healers to inject medications into patients.
Nerat - The long, curving peninsula in the southeast part of the Northern Continent.
Numbweed - A topical anaesthetic used to relieve the pain of Threadscores and other external injuries.

O

Oil - Needed to keep the hides of dragons and firelizards soft and supple. Dry, flaky hide can harm a dragon or firelizard that travels between. Apparently, dragons do not have sebaceous glands in their hide.
Oldtimers - Dragonriders and support staff brought forward in time from the 8th Pass Weyrs to help Benden, the one remaining 9th Pass Weyr, to fight Thread. Some of them could not adjust to the ways of the 9th Pass, and they were eventually exiled to Southern Weyr.
Oort Cloud - A cloud of cometary debris in Pern's solar system. Every 200 or so years, its orbit intersects Pern, bringing with it the Thread spores.

P

Packtail - A very oily Pernese fish.
Pern - The planet on which the dragons and their riders live, named by the survey team from the Federation of Sentient (sic) Planets. It is actually an acronym, standing for: 'Parallels Earth; Resources Negligible.'
Phosphine - The chemical in firestone that allows dragons to belch fire when they chew the rock.

Q

Queen - A gold dragon.

R

Rank Cords - Worn in braided loops over one shoulder, they use a system of macrame knots to distinguish whether the wearer is of a particular Hold, Craft, or Weyr, and what rank the wearer holds. They are used in conjunction with badges.
Red Star - The reddish planetery body that is the source of Thread.
Redwort - A topical antiseptic liquid used by Pern's healers. It has a sharp scent and is reddish in color.
Renegades - People who have become Holdless because of committing criminal acts.
Riding Leathers - The clothing a draginrider wears when fighting Thread, which is made of wherhide leather. It generally consists of trousers, jacket, gloves, helmet, boots, and goggles, with layers of regular clothing worn underneath. This protects the rider against the cold of high altitude and of between, and to provide some protection from Threadscore.
Ruatha - A major Hold in Fort territory. The word is Irish for 'red river.'
Rukbat The star that is Pern's sun.
Runners (animals) - Domesticated animals used for riding on Pern. They look similar to llamas.
Runners (people) - Couriers.

S

Sail - The membrane of hide that stretches between whe wingbones of a dragon or firelizard.
Search - The process by which dragonriders look for new candidates to Impress dragonets. The dragons are the ones who choose.
Searchriders - The riders of dragons who search for suitable candidates. Technically, any dragon can Search, but some riders, usually blueriders, are specifically assigned to this task.
Sevenday - The Pernese word for a week.
Shipfish - The Pernese term for dolphins, though the word 'dolphin' is also used.
Skybroom - A rare tree native to Pern.
Sleeping-furs - A Pernese bed, often filled with furs for warmth.
Smiths - Pern's engineers.
Southern - The name of the first Weyr and territory established on the Southern Continent in the 9th Pass.
Southern Boll - The southwestern peninsula of Pern's Northern Continent
Spiderclaws - A crustacean, similar to Terran crabs.
Starstones - The collective term for the Eye Rock and the Finger Rock in a Weyr.
Stillroom - The room in a Hold where medicines are distilled.
Sweeps - Aerial surveys done by dragonriders to ensure that no Thread has burrowed into the ground.

T

Teaching Songs - Instructional songs taught to Pernese children by the Harpers as their basic education. They teach how to prepare for Threadfall, how to treat dragonriders, and how to live during a Pass.
Telgar - The territory in the north central area of Pern's Northern Continent. It is the home of Pern's main Smith crafthall.
Thread - A spore that falls on Pern, which consumes anything organic that it comes into contact with, destroying plants animals, and people. It can be 'drowned' in water or burned by fire. Stone, ceramics, and metal are impervious to it.
Threadfall - A period of about six hours during which Thread descends to Pern, and dragonriders must flame it out of the sky.
Threadscore - The injury sustained when Thread touches a person's bare skin. It is usually treated by sluicing with water and then slathering with numbweed salve to relieve the pain. If it is deep enough, the wound must be cleaned, then sutured closed.
Timing - The ability of dragons to travel between through times, as well as through space. Usually, gold dragons inhibit this ability in the lesser dragons of a Weyr.
Tithes - The 'first fruits' of the harvest. More accurately, it is donations made to a Weyr by the Holds and Halls in its territory, to support the Weyr so that the dragonriders can concentrate on fighting Thread and caring for their dragons, instead of having to work at other jobs to support themselves. Tithes consist of food, leather goods, healers' services, fabrics, and anything else needed to run a settlement of dragonriders.
Tithing Trains - The wagon trains coming from Holds or Halls, bringing tithes to a Weyr.
Turn - A Pernese year. It is composed of 13 months of 28 days each, plus Turn's End Day.
Trundlebugs - A Pernese insect.
Tubers - Potatoes.
Tunnelsnakes - Snakes with legs, which inhabit caves.

U

Uncle - The term of address for an older male relative or any older man in a Hold.

V

Valerian - A bitter herb used as a sedative.
Vtols - Pern's equivalent of flies or mosquitoes.

W

Watchdragon - The dragons in a Weyr, Hold, or Hall whose duty it is to keep a lookout for Thread falling out of pattern or season. Their riders also log incoming and outgoing riders traveling adragonback.
Watch-heights - Where the watchdragons and their riders stand watch.
Watchwher - A wher used at a Hold as its guard animal and as a first warning of invaders or trouble.
Weyr - Any place where dragons and their riders live, whether it be in a hollowed-out volcano, a cliffside, or anywhere else. When capitalized, it refers to the place where a group of dragons live. When lower-case, it refers to the private residence of an individual dragon and rider.
Weyrcrafter - The senior member of any particular craft at a Weyr, for example: Weyrhealer, Weyrsinger, etc.
Weyrleader - The bronzerider whose dragon most recently mated with the Sr. Weyrwoman's gold. He is responsible for organizing a Weyr's riders to fight against Threadfall, for planning the attack strategy, and for seeing to it that riders and their dragons are properly trained to fight Thread.
Weyrlings - Riders whose dragons are less than 18 months old and thus who are still in Weyrling Training.
Weyrlingmaster - Think 'drill instructor.' This person trains weyrling riders and dragons in the basics of fighting Thread and living in a Weyr.
Weyrling Training - The initial training that newly-Impressed riders and dragons undergo. It lasts for 18 months after a dragon's hatching.
Weyrmates - A dragonrider and his or her significant other, who may or may not be of the same sex. Because dragons influence their riders so strongly during mating flights, it has become the custom for riders to not marry, to show consideration for non-riders who expect sexual fidelity in a marriage.
Weyrwoman - The term of address for any goldrider. However, it is usually reserved for the most senior goldrider in a Weyr. A Weyrwoman is in charge of the domestic and diplomatic running of a Weyr, while the Weyrleader oversees Threadfighting.
Wher - The descendants of an early attempt to bioengineer dragons. They are nocturnal and photophobic.
Wherhide - Used by dragonriders to construct their Threadfighting gear.
Wherry - a birdlike, native Pernese creature, about the size of a turkey.
Wing - A group of 12-30 dragonriders who fly together during Threadfall, led by a Wingleader and one or two Wingseconds..
Wing Drills - Daily practices for fighting Thread.
Wingleader - The dragonrider in charge of leading a Wing.
Wingsecond - The second-in-command of a Wing. Some Weyrs have one per Wing, others have two.
Withies - Water reeds, often used for making baskets.

Y

Yellowfruit - Lemons.