Watchwhers: retconing Todds Retcons

[Draconafin]

Watch whers:
I am working between the DLG, what I remember of DF and DK as refs, but mostly using logic with Triad's established dragonrider cannon and how it weathered the long 9th interval.

https://www.triadweyrs.org/wiki/Wher

retconing Todds Retcons



- I would like to try and get the use of sk names to be accepted in Triad Cannon

now, Todd's reasoning was it was because wher named themselves after their handlers in like the 6th pass. We all know whers were basically not needed by the end of the 9th pass with firelizards becoming preferred in mining operations (DLG p.137) I assume because firelizards were becoming very easy to attain within the 9th pass and the fact that the DLG outlined the progress into a world without thread. Consequently the general existing Cannon consenses is that wher were no longer needed at the end of the 9th pass.

My reason for naming with sk would be a throw to dragons ending in th. So as a way to honour whers as their own entity. A wher name itself becoming like a dragonriders elevated name, and thus why they were named after their handlers. Or the locations they served. I can see the later becoming less common as Pern attempted to phase whers out throughout the 9th pass. However all reading I have done states that whers breed true. So they would have still survived in significantly smaller numbers with less and less places to practice.

Also Triad wher info mentions they are not pets; so moving away from a firelizard style of naming them whatever could re-inforce ths

- wherhold, wher stakehold. Both of which I know are not possible with in established Triad. But a centralized point where wher knowledge could be discovered and or kept alive. Much like the AHH Healer Hall. But something small, maybe run by one or two handlers, their whers would have to be a mated pair or sibbling pair to avoid fights. To fit within established Triad Cannon I can see such a local being set up within a Beast craft hold. On the outskirts so not to frighten the other Beasts.

Whers in general are basically extinct at the start of the 9th pass. Only thing aivas even mentions is their potential in terms of telepathy. The re-education of pern would certainly sink no resources on something that was considered unhelpful. Riders got a pass because of turns of service. Whers were just there because they didn't die out


- Flight. Nope, don't want it, don't need it. Given their size and build being similar to Earth's Shetland ponies, yes I can see them being able to be ridden as herd beasts over short distances. But I do not see them being able to fly; even with the science. Triad also subscribes to the DLG where whers have no mention of being able to go /between/

- /Between/ _if_ this was made plausible I would say it would have to have its own rules. A wher would need to clear the ground in able to do it safely. Such as in a gaited run where all feet clear the ground in a suspension stride. Also as wher visualisation is different to a humans and a dragons having natural night/lowlight vision I dare say a wher would have to personally see a location before jumping. Thus I can theorize that /between/ for a wher would be more like skipping a stone and be a series of smaller jumps along a set path. Rather than the instantaneous leap from place to place. Unless a dragon was to carry them. The only reason I would like to see /between/ become a thing for whers is for easy of movement around Triad. Mostly so if a storyline was to happen that one could get a wher into they wouldn't have to be already there; ie planned to be in the location in question for several months beforehand.

- Mating flights. Would be matting runs. Much like dragons are aware of each other rising some weeks in advance I dare say whers would be the same and would congregate for such events. It would also be one of the few times they would be allowed to wander without their handler as a way of continuing the breed. However if the wher comes back to lay its clutch is a different problem




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Lastly this note is mostly for me

the DLG mentions (p. 155) That Beastherders had nothing to do with whers and any wher or flit healing would be done by a dragon healer.

The dlg implies that the Weyrs were basically disbanded at the end of the 9th pass

So the logic... imo would be that any unImpressed dragonhealers would prolly be taken into the beastcraft because of working knowledge of pernese beasts over the original terran ones. Not to mention it would make former dragon healers more accessible for all the new flit owners

If I had to guess the basics of beast healing and dragonhealing would be the same. Much like healers starting out as gps

Having said that though I would guess that a dragon healer journeyman or woman could bond a wher instead of dragon if the opportunity came up while they were travelling to halls and holds for hands on with beasts. Dragons aren't always going to be available for practice during the interval. Meaning that dragonhealers/beasthealers would have to travel for practice opportunities

There would have been lesser need for dragonhealers during the interval so dragon/beast healers might have had more cross over during that time. Especially for hands on experience. Espeically with the decreases in dragon (and wher) populations