Threadfall and Thread
Oct 21, 2014 13:53:40 GMT -8
Post by Haruka-Sempai on Oct 21, 2014 13:53:40 GMT -8
Thread was the name given to a voracious, non-sentient organism that inhabited the Oort Cloud of the Rukbat system. Its appearance was as thin, silvery threads that periodically rained down on the planet (called Threadfall). Thread is a mycorrhizoidal spore that consumed any organic matter it could find, but was deterred by metal, plastic and rock, and killed by water, cold and fire.
Thread falls on Pern roughly every 200 turn, though twice in Pern history, the orbit of the Red Star does not bring it close enough to drop Thread on Pern. The time that Thread Falls is called a pass, and the time between is called an Interval. The times when the Interval is doubled in length is dubbed a Long Interval.
When Thread falls, the dragons take to the sky, using a curious rock known as Firestone. When dragons chew Firestone, it creates a gas that ignites upon contact with air, causing the dragons to breathe the fire that lets them burn Thread before it can reach the ground.
Dragons fly in wings of 12-33 members each. Three wings is called a Flight, and a Flight is what is deemed enough to handle a full Fall. Flights are made up of all dragonkind, excepting the Queens, and each color has its job. The smaller dragons are quicker and can get smaller Thread clumps, while the larger dragons fly steadily, burning large swatches of Thread.
The Queens form their own wing, which also usually consists of pregnant riders and dragons, as the cold of between can cause miscarriages. They fly on the lowest levels, using flame throwers to mop up the Thread that is missed by the higher dragons.
Not all Thread will get caught by the dragons, which is why each Hold and Weyr have groundcrews that also use flame throwers to burn out any burrows of Thread to prevent them from destroying the fertile land.
Thread falls on Pern roughly every 200 turn, though twice in Pern history, the orbit of the Red Star does not bring it close enough to drop Thread on Pern. The time that Thread Falls is called a pass, and the time between is called an Interval. The times when the Interval is doubled in length is dubbed a Long Interval.
When Thread falls, the dragons take to the sky, using a curious rock known as Firestone. When dragons chew Firestone, it creates a gas that ignites upon contact with air, causing the dragons to breathe the fire that lets them burn Thread before it can reach the ground.
Dragons fly in wings of 12-33 members each. Three wings is called a Flight, and a Flight is what is deemed enough to handle a full Fall. Flights are made up of all dragonkind, excepting the Queens, and each color has its job. The smaller dragons are quicker and can get smaller Thread clumps, while the larger dragons fly steadily, burning large swatches of Thread.
The Queens form their own wing, which also usually consists of pregnant riders and dragons, as the cold of between can cause miscarriages. They fly on the lowest levels, using flame throwers to mop up the Thread that is missed by the higher dragons.
Not all Thread will get caught by the dragons, which is why each Hold and Weyr have groundcrews that also use flame throwers to burn out any burrows of Thread to prevent them from destroying the fertile land.