Post by Onyxaeon on Jan 17, 2009 23:25:29 GMT -5
Long ago in Perns history, before even it was colonized by red-blooded beings, a meteor shower battered the planet. The colonists saw little damage on the North and South continents, because it was the East where the damage was done. The massive forces at work during the shower, the heat and the pressure of the impact, created a type of mineral found nowhere else on Pern. It is on these deposits that Solainoti sits, and what makes it unique. Riosian, they named the mineral. It is hard like diamond, flammable like firestone, with the same black design though larger than normal chunks. It is almost like an eternal torch, holding dragonflame much longer than normal firestone ever could fathom to. If chewed by a dragon, it lets the beast sustain a flame much longer than it would otherwise, even through perpetual training.
The dragons of Solainoti found Riosian and started chewing it. They all did -- even the queens, because Riosian does not render queens sterile like firestone does. They all chewed it because something in the Riosian was heavily addictive, like heroin for dragons, only far worse.
So Riosian was mined frantically, because it became impossible for Solainoti's dragons to go without this addictive mineral. The withdrawal symptoms were quite violent, making the dragons miserable and liable to lash out at anything within sight. Their personalities changed drastically -- even docile greens began to grow greedy with their given shares, some even taking to stealing the hordes of other dragons. Eventually, it grew to the point that the limited deposit was mined out, except for a small cache that is stored deep within the Weyr and a hidden location that only the Weyrleaders know of far deep in the mountains, for emergencies only. A strict policy was set into place when the society of the Weyr began to crumble, the Holds tied to Solainoti fearing their protectors, and all of Solainoti's dragons were forced to quit Riosian; cold turkey.
Driven almost mad by her withdrawal, a gold Rose. The Flight was very short, but through it the clutch she threw was massive -- almost sixty eggs. It was later discovered that the gold, and the bronzes who chased her, suffered less from their symptoms after the Flight, the lust a form of sedative for their pain. So every female in Solainoti Rose soon after that, driven insane by the need to eliminate the pain, and every able male chased. Through that, eventually the dragons were mostly cured of their addiction. Their bodies still craved it, though, for none could forget the bittersweet taste and that was what told through their offspring.
The unborn dragonets in the huge clutch began to weaken, the shells discoloring and appearing as though they would shatter if touched. It was discovered that, although the parents were broken of their addiction, like crack babies the dragonets were suffering from withdrawal as well. They were dying without exposure to Riosian.
So some of the store of Riosian was taken up from storage and piled into mounds around the eggs. The clutch started to thrive again, almost immediately. They didn't need to ingest the addictive mineral, because they absorbed some of it through their shells before they hardened enough to be impermeable.
The mineral's side-effects produced new mutations out of the canon colors, and the dragons of Solainoti remained addicted. They no longer craved the Riosian, though, except as the vital life-support while they were in the egg. The hatchlings knew not of their parents' addiction, so they didn't try to eat the Riosian around them when they emerged from their eggs. But each did pull its rider over to a certain gem, and stubbornly refused to budge until that particular gem was tied in a leather cord around their neck.
So now each of Solainoti's native dragons has their own "birthstone" to be carried everywhere, but never eaten. The plague of addiction passed from the Weyr, to be replaced by the bizarre vogue fashion of wearing their Riosian as jewelry.
The dragons of Solainoti found Riosian and started chewing it. They all did -- even the queens, because Riosian does not render queens sterile like firestone does. They all chewed it because something in the Riosian was heavily addictive, like heroin for dragons, only far worse.
So Riosian was mined frantically, because it became impossible for Solainoti's dragons to go without this addictive mineral. The withdrawal symptoms were quite violent, making the dragons miserable and liable to lash out at anything within sight. Their personalities changed drastically -- even docile greens began to grow greedy with their given shares, some even taking to stealing the hordes of other dragons. Eventually, it grew to the point that the limited deposit was mined out, except for a small cache that is stored deep within the Weyr and a hidden location that only the Weyrleaders know of far deep in the mountains, for emergencies only. A strict policy was set into place when the society of the Weyr began to crumble, the Holds tied to Solainoti fearing their protectors, and all of Solainoti's dragons were forced to quit Riosian; cold turkey.
Driven almost mad by her withdrawal, a gold Rose. The Flight was very short, but through it the clutch she threw was massive -- almost sixty eggs. It was later discovered that the gold, and the bronzes who chased her, suffered less from their symptoms after the Flight, the lust a form of sedative for their pain. So every female in Solainoti Rose soon after that, driven insane by the need to eliminate the pain, and every able male chased. Through that, eventually the dragons were mostly cured of their addiction. Their bodies still craved it, though, for none could forget the bittersweet taste and that was what told through their offspring.
The unborn dragonets in the huge clutch began to weaken, the shells discoloring and appearing as though they would shatter if touched. It was discovered that, although the parents were broken of their addiction, like crack babies the dragonets were suffering from withdrawal as well. They were dying without exposure to Riosian.
So some of the store of Riosian was taken up from storage and piled into mounds around the eggs. The clutch started to thrive again, almost immediately. They didn't need to ingest the addictive mineral, because they absorbed some of it through their shells before they hardened enough to be impermeable.
The mineral's side-effects produced new mutations out of the canon colors, and the dragons of Solainoti remained addicted. They no longer craved the Riosian, though, except as the vital life-support while they were in the egg. The hatchlings knew not of their parents' addiction, so they didn't try to eat the Riosian around them when they emerged from their eggs. But each did pull its rider over to a certain gem, and stubbornly refused to budge until that particular gem was tied in a leather cord around their neck.
So now each of Solainoti's native dragons has their own "birthstone" to be carried everywhere, but never eaten. The plague of addiction passed from the Weyr, to be replaced by the bizarre vogue fashion of wearing their Riosian as jewelry.
