For all the people confused by some of the words, terminology and phrases used IC-ly we're compiling this jargon list for quick and easy referencing. Missing something have an addition to make? PM an admin and it'll be added a.s.a.p.
A A'reus Slang for 'useless drunken bum'
B C Candidate People typically between the ages of 12 and 22 who are chosen to stand for a clutch of dragon eggs with the chance of impressing and becoming dragonriders.
Candlemark One hour in Pern time.
Clutch Nest of dragon eggs. Once clutched it takes 5 weeks for the eggs to hatch. All eggs in a clutch look the same, except for a Queen egg which may be slightly larger with a golden sheen.
D Dawn sisters Cluster of stars visible in Pern's dawn skies, just over the horizon.
E Eye Rock rock formation placed in every Weyr in conjunction with Star Stones. When the red star is bracketed by the eye rock and the sun balance on the star stones, thread will fall.
F 'Fall Short for Threadfall.
Fellis/Fellis Juice The Fellis plant is native to Pern. When the leaves are boiled Fellis juice is produced, it is a strong narcotic that the healer hall uses as pain medication. The Fellis juice is both addictive and dangerous in large quantities.
Firelizard Ancestor to the dragons of Pern. They are miniature dragons who can be kept as pets they impress in the same way dragons do but the connections is not as strong. They are intelligent but not sentient.
Firestone Phosphorus stone that the dragons chew carefully and ingest in order to breathe fire. Queen dragons cannot chew firestone and it is believe to make them sterile (the reason green dragons don't clutch is because they do chew firestone). Firestone is mined by the miners of the minecraft or found and is required in great quantities by all Weyrs. It is highly explosive.
Flit/Flitter Fandom slang for firelizard.
G Gather A festival where people literally Gather. These are generally hosted by a Hold and attract a lot of people. There is trading and bargaining but also leisure such as runnerbeast races, harper performances and dancing.
Glow Pernese light source, small enough to fit into the palm of one's hand. Baskets of these are commonly used to light hallways and rooms.
H Hall A centralized location of learning, study, and living for crafters. Always located near a Hold.
Headwoman The senior weyrwoman's right hand woman. She is in charge of the lower caverns and the head of the supporting staff of the Weyr. Arguably she is the most important person in the Weyr at any given time, functioning as a mother to all who need one and some who don't think they need one.
Herdbeast A beast that lives in herds. A pernese bovine and beast of burden. It is both used for food as well as the pulling of carts and waggons.
Hold A stronghold erected by the pioneers of Pern to protect the people from Thread. They are build into mountainsides and house the people of Pern. Each Hold has land and smaller settlements beholden to it, making it fully self-supported.
I Impression To impress, verb. The forming of a telepathic bond between dragon and rider or firelizard and firelizard owner. It is a momentous occasion and a life changing event.
J Journeyman A craft ranking see this topic for more information.
K Klah It's made from the bark of a specific tree native to Pern. It has a look, flavour and properties similar to coffee.
L Look to Often used between dragon and rider (or vice versa) and it implies they are rider and dragons. E.g. Dragonth looks to R'der as R'der looks to Dragonth.
Lord Holder The man in charge of a Hold.
M Mating flight Dragons and firelizards woo their mates through a display of strength and skill midair. Whichever lucky male can catch the female wins the right to mate with her. Because they are empathic creatures and bonded to humans the humans are often dragged along for the emotional ride and will get intimate with each other. Queen/Gold flight in particular have a big effect on people and not just the riders. The gold flight also determines the Weyr's weyrleader.
N Numbweed A plant native to pern. It is a natural anesthetic and numbweed cream is produced from it en mass to be used as topical anesthetic for a whole scala of ailments and procedures.
O P Q R Red Fruit Fruit native to Pern, reportedly similar to an orange.
Red Star The red star is a celestial body that the Pernese consider a harbinger of Threadfall. When the Red Star appears in the sky, Thread is impending. If the Red Star is in the Eye Rock, Thread will fall.
Rise to mate/Rising When a female dragon goes in heat and prepares to mate it's called “rising” or “rising to mate.” A mating flight follows during which male dragons give chase in order to catch the female. Mating occurs midair in free fall. Greens rise to mate ever 8 to 12 weeks whereas Golds will only rise to mate 1 or 2 times per turn.
Runner/Runnerbeast Pernese equine very similar to a horse.
S Search The period between clutching and hatching during which the dragonriders of a Weyr go out to search out candidates for the upcoming hatching.
Searchriders The dragonriders specifically trained for searching candidates. They are often blue riders but other dragon colours can become searchriders too. The dragons of Searchriders are often more empathically inclined than others and therefore more sensitive to scouting out candidates.
Soapsand Fandom born term for sweetsand.
Stand The act of attending a dragon hatching as a candidates. Candidates stand for a clutch hoping to impress.
Star Stones rock formation placed in every Weyr in conjunction with an Eye Rock. Whenthe red star is bracketed by the eye rock and the sun balance on the star stones, thread will fall.
Sweetsand A fine sand that foams profusely when combined with water and rubbed. It's the Pernese substitute for soap. May be called soapsand.
T Thread Alien spores brought to Pern by the red star. Thread falls from the sky and devours anything that is organic. It often seems to have a mind of it's own and falls in clumps, clusters and single threads. It's silvery and will continue to grow and feed unless it's destroyed by fire, ice or drowned in water. Dragonriders fly out to meet Thread head one and flame it from the sky to protect the people on the face of Pern.
Threadfall Thread falls in patterns all over Pern, one such a rain is called Threadfall
Tithe/Tithing Deliveries of life essentials to the Weyr. Each Hold has to deliver tithes to the Weyr they look to for protection, seeing how during 'Fall dragonriders cannot sustain themselves, being too busy fighting thread to man crops and fields.
Tunnelsnake Snakes who live in tunnels, their bite is poisonous and should be treated immediately.
Turn One year in Pern time.
U V V'tol Pernese bug. Not a rider – OR IS IT?
W Weyr (note the capitalisation) The place where dragonriders and their dragons live along with the support staff a Weyr requires to function. Weyrs are made into rocky are by carving out caverns while making use of the natural caves and shape of the mountain it's in. To give you an idea of size... Enkala Weyr can hold up to 300 dragons and at full capacity requires a support staff of 950 people.
weyr (note the lack of capitalisation) Sleeping quarters of a dragon and his/her rider.
Weyrleader Typically the bronzerider whose dragon won the mating flight of the senior Gold in the Weyr. He is in charge of the wings of the Weyr and leads them to fight Thread. He also fullfills many diplomatic roles.
Weyrwoman Senior The senior weyrwoman is THE weyrwoman of the Weyr. She is in charge of the whole Weyr because she rides the senior Gold dragon. She typically leads the Queen's wing in flight and runs the Weyr with the Headwoman as her left hand and her Weyrleader as her general. Every Weyr has but one Senior Weyrwoman and she typically commands great respect. Junior The junior weyrwoman is one of a few gold riders at the Weyr. They do ride clutching gold dragons but they are usually younger than the senior queen dragon. A weyr can have up to five queen dragons, meaning up to four junior weyrwomen. They are apprentices as well as helpers to the senior weyrwoman and command a lot of respect.
Wher/watchwher A cousin to dragons the retarded cousins at that. They're ugly creatures with short backs and tiny mostly useless wings. They're highly photosensitive and prefer to be nocturnal. Whers occur in the wild as well as domesticated, though they are highly territorial and aggressive. They may bond to people in ways similar to dragons but it's rare. They are usually kept as guard animals at Holds and Halls.
Wherry Predatory birds of Pern. They are a nuissance, make a good substitute for turkey and can be dangerous in large flocks.