Irnaish and Trylath's record
The Presentation It was almost dusk and the weyrfolk were gathered in the Lower Caverns for a special lecture from the Starsmith department of the Smithcraft. Anxiously, the crowd prepared for the Starsmith's arrival as glows were brought and extra chairs were set up for the large crowd. When he finally arrived, he was accompanied by a young woman. She was probably 18 if my guess was right. Her strait dark blonde hair reached to her chin, and was tucked neatly behind her ears. She carried in her arms a wherhide sack which looked to be about two handspans wide, two handspans long, and one handspan deep. Both the Starsmith and the young woman were both quite tall. The Starsmith himself carryed numerous large rolls of the new wood pulp sheets. Together, they walked to the head tables as they drafted a few of the weyrboys as helpers. They were followed closely by a hovering, chattering green fire lizard who took her perch on the girls shoulder as soon as they stopped. When she turned towards the crowd, I could see that her neck was scarred.
With all eyes on them, the Starsmith addressed the crowd, "I hadn't expected such a large turnout. This is all rather impressive. Let me introduce my daughter, Irnaish. She has helped with all my observations and inventions, and probably knows more than me about the subject." As all eyes turned towards her, Irnaish smiled shyly at the compliment while she blushed slightly. "And her darling green flit is named Madj." Then, he unrolled the sheets, and instructed the weyrboys to hold them up for display. Recovering from her father's introduction, Irnaish began to explain the charts and figures they had brought. She began with Pern and its two moons, Belior and Timnor, and then worked her way out through the solar system to the other stars on the galaxy. From my seat about half-way back, I could tell they knew their subject matter well, and Irnaish, once immersed in the familiar subject, was confident and excited with her teaching. By the time they had finished, my knowledge of space beyond Pern's atmosphere was greatly enhanced. "Lastly, Irnaish has a new invention that might interest you all," the the starsmith announced. Gently, the girl took a bundle out of the sack she carried in. Carefully, unwrapping the furs, she held up a new black shiny instrument. It had two round cylinders connected in the middle. The whole thing being only about a handspan long and wide by half a handspan thick. "This is a variation of the distance viewer," she said, "except that you may look through it with both eyes at once! When viewing objects with both eyes, the picture is in three dimensions and relative distances can be distinguished. Of course, it isn't powerful enough to look at the stars, but you can get a good view of the star stones from here." As she brought them to her eyes, Madj disappeared between. Demonstrating how to use her invention, Irnaish invited others to take a look. The first person to look was told to look at the star stones. "Hey, when did your Madj return?" he asked, and then reality hit him, "Wait! She's not here, she's perched on the eye rock!" Straining, the crowd looked for her, but she was too far away without the aid of the new 2-eye distance viewer. As more were given a turn to look, I heard comments like, "Wow! I can see the watchdragon as if he were right here!" and, "My Oranth seems only a dragonlength away instead of the other side of the bowl!" Individually, all who cared to look were given the chance while klah, wine, meatrolls, and sweetbreads were passed to those waiting. When my turn came, I politely took a look. As I handed the black instrument back to Irnaish, I asked, "That's amazing. So, what is your next project?" I was now standing close enough to notice her big green eyes which danced as she replied, "My next project is to present myself as a candidate for the next hatching. I've been Searched!" "And your father agrees with that?" I questioned. "From the presentation you just gave, I can see that you are quite valuable as a Starsmith. He's just going to let you leave the craft?" The look on her face told me that many had asked the same question. "When the Search Riders asked my father if I would be a candidate he thought about it for a long time. Ever since the accident he has been very protective of me." Cautiously, you ventured the question that had been on everyone's mind, "How did it happen?" "Let's just say, never stand behind a working smith. Especially don't stand between one working on metal at the fire, and the cooling tub of water. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and got burned by a chunk of hot metal. But that's enough of that story." You sense that she does not care to discuss her scar further. "When my father finally asked me what I wanted, I told him I would go. Not everyone Impresses, but if I do it would be a great honor to him to have a dragonrider for a daughter! Reluctantly though, he told me it would be a shame to loose his best senior apprentice. Almost as an afterthought, she said, "There is one condition to all this," as she hesitated, "He won't let me come to the Weyr until the dragons begin their tell-tale hum. Something about no good wasting time just sitting around when I could be taking measurements and drafting charts." "Good thing new riders start out in the weyrling baracks." you point out. "You're not going to have any time to prepare." "I know," she moaned, "I'm just excited to have the chance." By this time, there were so many people crowded around for a turn, or to ask Irnaish a question that I politely moved on.
The New Queen The junior queen was asleep when I entered the weyr, but I heard voices in the back. Stepping lightly, so as not to disturb her, I walked towards the sound.
The two weyrwoman, Carah and Irnaish were quietly visiting while a green fire-lizard eyed me intently. When the green flit chirped my arrival, they looked up. "Another one to visit the new queen I see," Carah teased. Irnaish, the new queenrider was tall and slender. Her dark blonde hair and her bright green eyes accented her beautiful face, despite the scar on her neck. They were both quite cheerful and welcomed me warmly.
"I hope I'm not intruding..." I ventured, hoping that I might stay a little while longer. "Of course not," Irnaish reasured you. Carah and I were just visiting while Trylath sleeps. "And who does that beatiful green flit belong to?" I wondered aloud. "Madj looks to Irnaish," Carah told me. "She didn't approve of Irnaish Impressing Trylath at first, but now she seems to have mellowed. She gets jealous." Curious, I ask, "So tell me what happened on Impression day." With eyes sparkling with excitement, Irnaish related, "Well, as my father wouldn't let me go to the weyr until the dragons began their hum, I was sitting at my work table drafting the new plans for my next project. I was studying under my father, the Starsmith, if you didn't know." "I saw the dragonrider land ouside my window, and knew it was time. Next thing I knew, I was standing on hot sands of the hatching ground looking up at my father in the stands. Half of him wanted me to Impress, and half of him didn't. More than anything, I wanted to Impress a dragon." "Madj was on my shoulder as I stood with the other girls. As each egg hatched, I knew it was not my turn yet. When at last, the queen hatched, I somehow knew she was looking for me. She struggled to her feet and staggered towards us. She was so beautiful and perfect. Then, Madj had her first fit of jealosy and hissed at her! Appalled, I told her to behave herself and sent her to my father. The new queen was trumpeting her distress from Madj's treatment, and her trouble getting to her selected rider. Her mother, Queen Zalideth echoed her cries with a mighty bugle." "Then, as she staggered closer, I could now concentrate. As I looked into her rainbow eyes, I heard her sweet voice, "Irnaish, I am so very very hungry!" "It was then that I realized I had Impressed the Queen!" "So when did Madj finally decide it was O.K," I couldn't help but ask. "It took my queen, Raenith, Zalideth, and Trylath, along with Irnaish to reasure her that it was alright, and Irnaish still loved her!" Cara exclaimed as Irnaish smiled. A crooning dragonet informed us all that Trylath was awake and very hungry. Excusing myself, I took this as my cue to leave.
The Design In awe, you watch as the junior queen, Trylath, gracefully landes in the weyr bowl. With ease, her rider, Irnaish swings down from the queen's strong neck. Irnaish is very tall, and very thin. She has short, dark blonde hair, green eyes, and is also confident and sure of herself. Now, she pauses a moment to rub her dragon's eye ridges, before she backes away to watch her queen retire to the ledge of her weyr. Weyrling practice must be over you think, as you see the other dragonriders land as soon as Trylath moves to her weyr.
With amazing swiftness, Kirina produces a small scrap of hide from her belt pouch and hands it over to Irnaish. "I always have a scrap on hand. You never know when you'll need it. Oh, and here's something to write with as well." "Kirina, it's perfect," Irnaish thankes her. As Irnaish begins sketching, you as well as a few other onlookers inch closer to see what she is doing. Irnaish is talking to herself as she works, "Now, instead of individual eye peices, if we were to fashion one large piece ...and a notch for the nose ... now a little curve for a better fit ... and ... there. Much better." Satisfied with her sketch, she takes measurments from her own set of eyeshields she carried in. By then, a small crowd had formed around the artist. When she was finished, she looked up in surprise. "Please, may we see your design?" you ask before you realize you spoke the words out loud. "I don't see why not," she answers. Holding up her sketches along with her other set of eyeshields she explains the different designs. "My idea is to make the glass for the eye shields in one large piece instead of two separate pieces."
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