Post by Zactura on Oct 4, 2009 11:40:28 GMT -5
Unlike many sites, we are using feet for measurements, but not the usual direct conversion from meters. Instead, we are using the Harper's Tale sizes from Kaleeko's Pern Dragon Scale. They are big enough to be intimidating, but not big enough to be insanely hard to care for. This scale is roughly the composite scale for Pern dragons.
Gold
Gold dragons, also called queens, are the largest dragons (76 to 84 feet long) and the only fertile females. Gold dragons are by far the rarest dragons on Pern, at just less than 1% of the population. They are dominant over all other colors; any non-gold dragon will invariably obey a queen's orders, even against the wishes of its own rider. Queens are incapable of digesting firestone and producing flame (see below); however, they do fight Thread - they fly in the lowest wing, with their riders armed with specially designed flamethrowers to flame any Thread missed by the above wings. An egg that is going to hatch a gold dragon is notable: It is gold-colored and larger than other eggs. A gold dragon will always Impress a heterosexual female and are believed by most Weyrfolk to prefer young women who were not raised in the Weyr.
Impress To: Heterosexual Females
Gender: Female
Bronze
Bronze dragons are the largest males (70-76 feet long), although they are significantly smaller than the queens. Bronzes only comprise of about 5% of all dragons. They are almost always the ones to mate with queens, as the smaller colors generally lack the stamina to chase and catch the gold dragons when they rise to mate. Due to the 5-1 bronze/gold ratio and the infrequency of gold mating flights, they often mate with greens (the losers of a gold flight almost always seek a green for their needs), but their size often puts them at a disadvantage in chasing the agile, smaller females. The senior bronze of a Weyr is determined through which bronze wins the mating flight of the senior gold. In canon Pern, the rider of a bronze dragon is always a heterosexual male.
Impress To: Heterosexual Males
Gender: Male
Brown
Brown dragons are the next largest color (60 to 70 feet long). About 15% of all dragons are brown. They may occasionally mate with queens, although this is rare, and becomes even more rare as the dragons increase in size; by Ramoth's time in the Ninth Pass it is unheard-of. All brownriders in the Pern novels are men; most are heterosexual, but bisexual or "masculine" homosexual brownriders are not rare. Masculine females have a chance of Impressing a Brown, but this has not yet happened.
Impress To: Heterosexual Males, Bisexual Males, Homosexual Males
Gender: Male
Blue
Blue dragons are the smallest males (50 to 60 feet long) and make up about a third (30%) of all dragons on Pern. They are nearly as agile as greens, but unlike the greens, they often have enough stamina to last for an entire Threadfall. They mate only with greens, as they are simply too small to keep up with a massive queen over a long mating flight. There are few prominent blue dragons or blueriders in the books. Some assume the position of teaching the new riders after their Impression.Certain females have a chance of Impressing a Blue, but it has not yet occurred.
Impress To: Homosexual Males, Bisexual Males, Heterosexual Females, Homosexual Females
Gender: Male
Green
Green dragons are the smallest normal color (40 to 50 feet long), and make up about half of all dragons on Pern (50%). They are female, but unlike the queens, they are infertile and can produce flame. They are extremely valuable in Threadfall because of their agility, but they lack the stamina to last an entire Fall and generally fly in two or three shifts.
Impress To: Anything. They're not picky.
Gender: Female
Gold
Gold dragons, also called queens, are the largest dragons (76 to 84 feet long) and the only fertile females. Gold dragons are by far the rarest dragons on Pern, at just less than 1% of the population. They are dominant over all other colors; any non-gold dragon will invariably obey a queen's orders, even against the wishes of its own rider. Queens are incapable of digesting firestone and producing flame (see below); however, they do fight Thread - they fly in the lowest wing, with their riders armed with specially designed flamethrowers to flame any Thread missed by the above wings. An egg that is going to hatch a gold dragon is notable: It is gold-colored and larger than other eggs. A gold dragon will always Impress a heterosexual female and are believed by most Weyrfolk to prefer young women who were not raised in the Weyr.
Impress To: Heterosexual Females
Gender: Female
Bronze
Bronze dragons are the largest males (70-76 feet long), although they are significantly smaller than the queens. Bronzes only comprise of about 5% of all dragons. They are almost always the ones to mate with queens, as the smaller colors generally lack the stamina to chase and catch the gold dragons when they rise to mate. Due to the 5-1 bronze/gold ratio and the infrequency of gold mating flights, they often mate with greens (the losers of a gold flight almost always seek a green for their needs), but their size often puts them at a disadvantage in chasing the agile, smaller females. The senior bronze of a Weyr is determined through which bronze wins the mating flight of the senior gold. In canon Pern, the rider of a bronze dragon is always a heterosexual male.
Impress To: Heterosexual Males
Gender: Male
Brown
Brown dragons are the next largest color (60 to 70 feet long). About 15% of all dragons are brown. They may occasionally mate with queens, although this is rare, and becomes even more rare as the dragons increase in size; by Ramoth's time in the Ninth Pass it is unheard-of. All brownriders in the Pern novels are men; most are heterosexual, but bisexual or "masculine" homosexual brownriders are not rare. Masculine females have a chance of Impressing a Brown, but this has not yet happened.
Impress To: Heterosexual Males, Bisexual Males, Homosexual Males
Gender: Male
Blue
Blue dragons are the smallest males (50 to 60 feet long) and make up about a third (30%) of all dragons on Pern. They are nearly as agile as greens, but unlike the greens, they often have enough stamina to last for an entire Threadfall. They mate only with greens, as they are simply too small to keep up with a massive queen over a long mating flight. There are few prominent blue dragons or blueriders in the books. Some assume the position of teaching the new riders after their Impression.Certain females have a chance of Impressing a Blue, but it has not yet occurred.
Impress To: Homosexual Males, Bisexual Males, Heterosexual Females, Homosexual Females
Gender: Male
Green
Green dragons are the smallest normal color (40 to 50 feet long), and make up about half of all dragons on Pern (50%). They are female, but unlike the queens, they are infertile and can produce flame. They are extremely valuable in Threadfall because of their agility, but they lack the stamina to last an entire Fall and generally fly in two or three shifts.
Impress To: Anything. They're not picky.
Gender: Female