[Magic Clutch] Black, Blacker, Blackest... [Weyrling Lesson]

[Meepfur]

Talis and Blue Holleth
Difficult Grid - Runnercraft Hall

Focus. Keroon, the Runnercraft Hall. Talis kept the coordinates in her mind, unwavering, and guided Holleth there without incident.

Quote:

6: Success! You passed with flying colors! There was nothing to that jump and you're feeling great! Gain one Anxiety/Confidence level!

________

Distraction/Intensity: 5
Exhaustion/Alertness: 4
Memorization/Visualization: 5
Anxiety/Confidence: 3+1
Slacker/Studious: 5  

[ShinosBee]

F'enn and Green Zezollath

Distraction/Intensity: 2
Exhaustion/Alertness: 4
Memorization/Visualization: 4
Anxiety/Confidence: 4
Slacker/Studious: 3

Grid 1 - Easy Difficulty Level
1. Fishcraft Hall - 20
2. High Reaches Hold - 11
3. Nabol Hold - 1
4. Tillek Hold - 15
5. High Reaches Weyr - 7

The jump home was the last one, and the easiest, really. They knew the place by heart, and the coordinates as well. Still it was with heavy hearts that the green accepted her rider’s guidance and threw herself between, keening silently into the silence and dark after the brother that was lost there forever. A breath later they spilled into the light and air over the seven spires... and into new heartache. Barely had the green gotten her bearings, tweeting a gentle, somber hello to the watchdragon when another lance of pain struck her. A keen went up from the bowl, and F’enn flinched at the misery swirling around his dragon’s hearts.

Another? Who...?

Aviforth... sweet Aviforth...  

[TheWishling]

Rune of Green Saevath

Now, as they hovered above Fishercraft Hall, she closed her eyes, remembering the cut of the shoreline of High Reaches Hold. She could remember it pretty clearly, and as her mind pictured it, one of few things she could remember about it, could see clearly. Saevath gave the equivalent of a mental grin, and within a moment? snapped through the cold of Between and straight to High Reaches Hold. The shore was below them in moments, and they were above it in only seconds, like REAL riders, and Rune gave a cheer of pleasure! YES! This was how it was done!

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Distraction/Intensity: 4
Exhaustion/Alertness: 3
Memorization/Visualization: 2
Anxiety/Confidence: 5
Slacker/Studious: 3

Grid 1 - Easy Difficulty Level
1. Fishcraft Hall - 6
2. High Reaches Hold - 11
3. Nabol Hold
4. Tillek Hold
5. High Reaches Weyr  

[ShinosBee]

Theo and Bronze Iweth

Distraction/Intensity: 2
Exhaustion/Alertness: 4
Memorization/Visualization: 5
Anxiety/Confidence: 2
Slacker/Studious: 5

Grid 1 - Easy Difficulty Level
1. Fishcraft Hall - 16
2. High Reaches Hold
3. Nabol Hold
4. Tillek Hold
5. High Reaches Weyr

A day of wonder! A day of triumph! The start of a new chapter in their lives! Iweth was bright and ready beneath his rider, all but thrumming with pride and excitement. How wonderful, how magical to be able to come and go all across Pern as they liked! The bronze was ready for that freedom, for the adventure of it all.

Theo, meanwhile, was shivering in his straps, swallowing the urge to gag where he sat. The last minths had thrown how taxing and dangerous the life of a rider could be into sharp relief, the man’s rose-colored view of the world cracking just slightly. And today was the most dangerous day, at least until they rose to fight thread. They could die...! He was so wrapped up in his worries that he missed the launch call, only jerking back to focus when Iweth relayed the request for coordinates, stammering them out, thankfully correct (and bless those hours and hours of obsessive studying!) and then—!

With a cut-off shriek of fear, they were gone... and then back, Theo still clinging to his straps and the tail end of his wail fading out into the air over the Hold.  

[TheWishling]

Rune of Green Saevath

Next....Well, Nabol wasn't hard to visualize. Rune had met a few people from there. They all made her feel a little sick to her stomach. However, it was easy enough to pull the thought to her mind of the place, easy enough to pull the FEELING of Nabol to her, and mesh that to Saevath, who cackled and popped them through. In moments, there they were. A pop through. A quick snap. There they were. Nabol, hovering above, Oh, I LIKE this place~ How DELIGHTFUL~

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Distraction/Intensity: 4
Exhaustion/Alertness: 3
Memorization/Visualization: 2
Anxiety/Confidence: 5
Slacker/Studious: 3

Grid 1 - Easy Difficulty Level
1. Fishcraft Hall - 6
2. High Reaches Hold - 11
3. Nabol Hold - 18
4. Tillek Hold
5. High Reaches Weyr  

[Meepfur]

Talis and Blue Holleth
Difficult Grid - Dark Woods Hold

Dark Woods - an ominous name, perhaps, but still no ill tidings for Talis and Holleth. She carefully relayed the coordinates, and they were soon right where they wanted to go.

Quote:

3: Success and Failure!

If you have a Distraction Level of 3 or less or a Confidence Level of 2 or less, you fail!

If you have a Memorization/Visualization of of 3 or less, you fail! These smaller holds can be tricky, but a dragon and rider can't always fly direct from a Major Hold!

Everyone else succeeds!

________

Distraction/Intensity: 5
Exhaustion/Alertness: 4
Memorization/Visualization: 5
Anxiety/Confidence: 3+1
Slacker/Studious: 5  

[TheWishling]

Rune of Green Saevath

Tillek Hold was the next stop over. Her confidence was high and the Green's was higher still. The human's was like a warm hearthfire, and the dragon's like the steel edge of a blade, and together, it worked. Rune visualized their next goal, and in a moment, they were through Between, and over the hold's metal anchor, circling it like a bird of prey as Saevath let out a bugle of victory, cackling her mental laughter all the way.

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Distraction/Intensity: 4
Exhaustion/Alertness: 3
Memorization/Visualization: 2
Anxiety/Confidence: 5
Slacker/Studious: 3

Grid 1 - Easy Difficulty Level
1. Fishcraft Hall - 6
2. High Reaches Hold - 11
3. Nabol Hold - 18
4. Tillek Hold - 9
5. High Reaches Weyr  

[Meepfur]

Talis and Blue Holleth
Difficult Grid - Seawater River Cothold

A cothold outside of Tillek was next, and while cothold it might be, knowing the coordinates and giving them correctly were no less important. Rider and dragon focused themselves, and away they went, popping out exactly where and when they were meant to.

Quote:

4: Success and Failure!

If you have a a 3 or lower in Slacker/Studiousness levels, perhaps you needed more fear of Between because something goes wrong and you fail to return and are lost forever... unless you get your coordinates checked.

If you have an exhaustion level of 1 and this is your fourth roll or fifth roll, you're just too tuckered out and start getting sloppy. You wind up making a fatal error... Unless you get your coordinates checked. Also, if this is the second time you roll this, and if you don't fail an NPC will in your stead. DM Uta so she can iron out which NPC winds up on the chopping block!


Everyone else? You're good to go!

________

Distraction/Intensity: 5
Exhaustion/Alertness: 4
Memorization/Visualization: 5
Anxiety/Confidence: 3+1
Slacker/Studious: 5  

[TheWishling]

Rune of Green Saevath

Last but not least, home. Home to high reaches.....A deep breath in, and Rune visualized the cliffs and the weyr, a smile curving her lips as even Saevath pulled the thought in to her own mind. Three hearts beating in time and the pair pulled Between, only to pop back over High Reaches Weyr safely, wings spread wide and Saevath...pausing before keening in her pride....wait. Something was wrong. Siblings were...gone. Something wasn't right. In her realization, the Green let out a low keen, mourning the loss with her brothers, sisters and cousins, though still restlessly circling the skies....perhaps...they could keep going...

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Distraction/Intensity: 4
Exhaustion/Alertness: 3
Memorization/Visualization: 2
Anxiety/Confidence: 5
Slacker/Studious: 3

Grid 1 - Easy Difficulty Level
1. Fishcraft Hall - 6
2. High Reaches Hold - 11
3. Nabol Hold - 18
4. Tillek Hold - 9
5. High Reaches Weyr - 7  

[Meepfur]

Talis and Blue Holleth
Difficult Grid - Bloodstone Cothold

Another cothold, this one outside of Nabol. It would be this jump, and then home. Back to the clutchmates and classmates who survived to mourn. In some ways, they weren't eager to go back. All those siblings and cousins, all that emotion...in some ways, it was easier being away from all that. Less sharp.

But it would also be a relief to make it back. They wouldn't linger long over Bloodstone.

Quote:

6: Success! You passed with flying colors! There was nothing to that jump and you're feeling great! Gain one Anxiety/Confidence level!

________

Distraction/Intensity: 5
Exhaustion/Alertness: 4
Memorization/Visualization: 5
Anxiety/Confidence: 3+1+1
Slacker/Studious: 5  

[ShinosBee]

Theo and Bronze Iweth

Distraction/Intensity: 2
Exhaustion/Alertness: 4
Memorization/Visualization: 5
Anxiety/Confidence: 2
Slacker/Studious: 5

Grid 1 - Easy Difficulty Level
1. Fishcraft Hall - 16
2. High Reaches Hold - 5
3. Nabol Hold
4. Tillek Hold
5. High Reaches Weyr

With the first jump behind (and a fresh wave of nausea grappled down), Theo was feeling... moderately better about the whole ordeal. Iweth was thrumming happily, already spinning tales of their skills and daring-do in his head as they flew thoughtlessly over the Hold below. But they had only just started, and they couldn't be too triumphant yet. They had to hop several more times and it was impossible to rest yet, not for Theo.

When they were ready he gave the next coordinates, his mental voice trembling, but a bud of excitement starting in his heart. This... this was riding. He really was a rider now, wasn't he? He really had been chosen? Well I did tell you so, didn't I? Iweth asked as they slid through between to their next destination. I know... but still, every day I wake up thinking I'm dreaming.  

[Meepfur]

Talis and Blue Holleth
Difficult Grid - High Reaches Weyr

Quote:

3: Success and Failure!

If you have a Distraction Level of 3 or less or a Confidence Level of 2 or less, you fail!

If you have a Memorization/Visualization of of 3 or less, you fail! These smaller holds can be tricky, but a dragon and rider can't always fly direct from a Major Hold!

Everyone else succeeds!

________

Distraction/Intensity: 5
Exhaustion/Alertness: 4
Memorization/Visualization: 5
Anxiety/Confidence: 3+1+1
Slacker/Studious: 5  

[ShinosBee]

Theo and Bronze Iweth

Distraction/Intensity: 2
Exhaustion/Alertness: 4
Memorization/Visualization: 5
Anxiety/Confidence: 2
Slacker/Studious: 5

Grid 1 - Easy Difficulty Level
1. Fishcraft Hall - 16
2. High Reaches Hold - 5
3. Nabol Hold - 9
4. Tillek Hold
5. High Reaches Weyr

As soon as they slid out of between over Nabol, Theo knew something was wrong. The happy thread of Iweth's delight snapped and shriveled into nothing, a sharp, heart-breaking keen slipping from the bronze's throat—one of their clutchmates (a cousin, but still)... had been lost. What little calm had begun to come over Theo was swiftly lost, the man crying out aloud in shared sorrow with his dragon, and leaving the pair to circle overlong at Nabol, of all places, before slowly calming and daring to consider moving on. Despite Theo's fears, Iweth had never really let himself consider that they might not all make it back.

But Theo had been right, it seemed. And now, no matter how well they did with the rest of the lesson, it would be a sorrowful day, and not a glad one.  

[ShinosBee]

Theo and Bronze Iweth

Distraction/Intensity: 2
Exhaustion/Alertness: 4
Memorization/Visualization: 5
Anxiety/Confidence: 2
Slacker/Studious: 5

Grid 1 - Easy Difficulty Level
1. Fishcraft Hall - 16
2. High Reaches Hold - 5
3. Nabol Hold - 9
4. Tillek Hold - 20
5. High Reaches Weyr

Fear could sharpen as well as cow, and it was to Theo and Iweth's benefit (though saying that felt terribly harsh and selfish) that they had... lost... someone already today. When the jump to Tillek came up, Theo double, triple, quadruple-checked his coordinates before they went, forcing his jittery mind to calm stillness and clarity on the mental image of where they wanted to go. When they reappeared this time over yet one more successful location, now with only the leap home to go...

It... it's going to be fine. We're almost done now. Such tragedy, such a loss! Poor Eskharath... the finest of browns! We will mourn him once we reach home. We just have to... get home, first. Oh my Theo! My hearts! They shatter! The bronze was always a dramatic creature, but this time, at least, he really meant his mournful wailing.  

[ShinosBee]

Theo and Bronze Iweth

Distraction/Intensity: 2
Exhaustion/Alertness: 4
Memorization/Visualization: 5
Anxiety/Confidence: 2
Slacker/Studious: 5

Grid 1 - Easy Difficulty Level
1. Fishcraft Hall - 16
2. High Reaches Hold - 5
3. Nabol Hold - 9
4. Tillek Hold - 20
5. High Reaches Weyr - 18

With a breath and a snap they were back... hanging high in the sky over the Seven of High Reaches, the glitter of dragonhide and sand below in the bowl to greet them. They had survived... With a gulp of relief they spiraled down to land, Theo instantly slipping from his straps to move around and hold his bronze's head in his arms. He was really getting too large to fit so nicely... but neither of them would dare stop trying. Later, as they waiting for the last stragglers of the class to reappear, and another wave of loss and sorrow swept them, Theo could only cling the tighter to his dragon. This time it was a brother they had lost... sweet, eager Aviforth. Gone forever.