So you wanna be a Dragonrider?

Cibryen's no-nonsense guide to becoming a candidate

What is a Candidate, you ask? A Candidate is one of the lucky Pernese youth, traditionally no younger than 12 and no older than 22, who has been thoroughly sniffed, poked and prodded by a green or blue dragon (or rarely, a brown), and told they have the potential to Impress a dragon of Pern.

As you probably know by now, Cibryen does not permit pre-made candidates. Each candidate-potential must be played for at least one month prior to Clutching, or they have no chance of being Searched, much less Impress. Translation: Two IC months of play, period. After the Flight is over, and the winner is decided, then the BoD will send out applications for Candidacy and Searchriders. Before that time, we do not keep track of who wants to be Search, and who doesn't. Candidacy remains even if you don't Impress; But remember that IC actions can get your candidacy revoked. Failure to meet your candidate's requirements will also get the Candidacy revoked.

At Cibryen, we are currently in a Pass. This means that every warm body they can throw in the path of Thread is needed as soon as possible. Because of this, they have raised the minimum candidate age to 14. Riders must be at least 16 to fly in a fighting wing, so anyone younger than 14 would be held back for precious months or Turns until they are mature enough to fly with the Big Boys. While there may be occasional exceptions (The BoD must approve the exceptions, and you can be well assured it won't happen often), all Candidates must be at least 14 Turns old. It takes approximately 18 months for a dragonet to reach full size and graduation over the course of their weyrlinghood, so a 14 Turn old who Impresses would be capable of graduating to a fighting wing with no delay. The younger riders—and the weyr staff can never guarantee who will Impress!—will fly with the weyrling wings or the Queen’s wing until they are of age to graduate.

What can you do in increase your chances of Search? POST, POST, POST! Post often. Get your candidate potential in early, and get them posting often. Quality means just as much as quantity, so if you don't post anything but one liners, no matter how many you send, your chances aren't very good. We don't want superlatives, we just want activity!

When's the best time to make a candidate potential? When there's no clutch on the sands, and no golds in the air! The more time you have to develop your persona, the better candidate they'll be.

You've been Searched. Now what?

So, your persona has been Searched, a green or blue deciding something is worth further investigation. Only the dragons know what is there to look at for potential, and even they cannot predict whether one will Impress a hatchling or not. It is customary to ask the Holder and at least one parent of the potential Candidate for permission before throwing the newly-Searched a-dragonback and into the chaos of the weyr, in hopes for permission. It is possible for a Candidate to leave for the Weyr, regardless of permission from family or Holder.

When your persona arrives at the weyr, they will be put into the charge of the Candidatemaster. This person is usually the Headwoman, or someone appointed by her, and the Candidatemaster will always report back to the Headwoman. The Candidatemaster will bring the new Candidates to their rooms, curtained-off alcoves within the area known as the Candidate Barracks. In these barracks are the above-mentioned alcoves, tables and chairs for socializing, and the constant reminder of their Candidacy—white robes hanging in each alcove by the bed..

Every morning at breakfast, the Candidatemaster will assign chores to the group, ranging from cooking help to helping in the infirmary. Every day after lunch, the Candidates will meet in their barracks with the Candidatemaster, and they will go over important things to know in preparation for the Hatching. Classes generally take place the month before the eggs are expected to Hatch, and the course subjects are roughly as follows:

Sevenday One:

• What is a Dragon? : A discussion with the Candidatemaster, Weyrlingmaster, and volunteer dragons about what a dragon is; basic anatomy and knowledge.
• What is a Rider?: A discussion with the Candidatemaster, Weyrlingmaster, Weyrleader if available, and volunteer dragonriders about what being a rider entails.
• What is a Weyrling?: A discussion with the Weyrlingmaster and Candidatemaster about the first few days of weyrlinghood, from Impression to feeding, oiling, and other basic care; outline of weyrling classes and schedule.

Sevenday Two:

• What Do Dragon Colors Mean?: A discussion with the Candidatemaster and dragonriders of each color, if available, to discuss the jobs, requirements and expectations with regards to the individual dragon color. Also includes the sex talk.
• What do I do if I don’t Impress?: An optional class, this is for those who don’t think they want to return to Hold life after the Hatching if they fail to Impress.
• Visit to the Sands: The Candidates go to the Hatching Sands for the first time to acquaint themselves with their potential lifemates.

Sevenday Three:

• A Weyrling’s Life for Me: A day where the Candidates spend dawn til dusk with a weyrling pair, helping tend the dragonet, including involvement in weyrling exercises, firestone toss, etc. If there are no weyrlings available, Candidates will spend their day with an adult rider instead.
• Thread!: An honest discussion about the centuries-old menace, including examples of Threadscore on both dragons and riders. Includes trip to the infirmary.
• Hot, Hot, Hot!: Another visit to the Sands, where there is a meet-and-greet with the gold on the sands if possible; discussion with the Weyrwoman about clutches and Hatchings from the gold’s point of view.

Sevenday Four:

• Visits to the Sands every single day.
• Hatching Sands Protocol: Exactly what to do on the Hatching Sands, including a visit to the Sands to continue acquainting themselves with the eggs.
• The Lecture: Final chance to back out; list of injuries, major catastrophes during the past Turn; ensures all Candidates are willing to Stand.

Candidates wear only plain, unadorned white robes to the Hatching. They don't wear shoes or other adornments. The reasons for this are varied, and quite practical. There's no difference between a Lord Holder's daughter and a drudge's son on the Sands. Shoes have always been a great indicator of wealth, in all societies, and while the Weyr does provide footwear to all candidates, on the Sands, there is no need for them. From a safety perspective, this lack of adornment also reduces the chance of injury. No kicking by heavy boots, no jewelry to be pulled or torn by frantic dragonets. It's also very humbling. Hard for a Lord Holder's daughter to be haughty when dancing from foot to foot! In some cases, sandals might be provided if actual injury is being cause, but this is rare, and tradition at Cibryen is for bare feet.

When the dragons start humming, it’s time to grab those robes and get onto the Hatching Sands, led by the person in charge of them (usually the Headwoman). The Candidates will stand in a half-circle at the edge of the Sands, sometimes clustered around certain groups of eggs if they desire. Those that Impress do, and are led into the Weyrbowl with the Weyrlingmaster and waiting riders to help feed, oil and explain their new lifemates. Those that don’t Impress will return briefly with the Candidatemaster to the barracks, where she will discuss with them their choices for the future.