Rise!

[Kaya]

75.11.14
The storm arrived suddenly, it caught the locals off guard, the winds toppled one stable and killed a herdbeast inside. The next morning the plume of grey rose up from the distant jungle. It had happened before, they said. It would resolve on its own, they said. So it wasn’t until the wall of flames descended into their fields that they fled. They lost everything. They traveled, carrying their burdensome packs and even heavier hearts towards Cliffside.

A fire? they said. Impossible, they said. There were no farming peoples in Cliffside’s jurisdiction. Did they think that merely because Ser Ralt was no longer Lord that the council would be taken in by such obvious lies? And even so, it had happened before, they said. It would resolve itself.

75.11.15
The next day the wind changed, strong and wild. With it came the smoke from the west. It settled into Rainbow Mists Valley with choking strength. It made eyes water and left many coughing and stuck indoors. It made it as far as Cliffside, and they started to wonder about the true state of things. But, really, why bother with such cumbersome and slow matters when the Weyr would see to it.

Initial surveillance was stalled. Weyrwoman Rilora and Wingleaders alike would not send good men and women out into the gale and smoke. It took two days for the winds to subside enough for even the bravest volunteer’s request to be granted.

75.11.17
By then Golden Flight Hold knew. Their northern territory was ablaze. The fields left fallow caught first, the dried remains of last Turn’s crop burning hot and crisp in their dryness. The hungry flames leapt to devour the young shoots of the new season’s crops, tools left in fields and homes indiscriminately. Good folk died trying to save their cotholds. Others escaped to the south, though the smoke followed them.

Initial reports were difficult to interpret. The visibility was and remained extremely low. It wasn’t hard to find the fire, only to know where it ended. The news was already out across the entire region: the smoke was impossible not to notice. The LifeWings were working and already hard pressed with the affected elderly and young, sick animals, humans and dragons, all creatures were hurting for this disaster.

Urged by the council at Cliffside (it was not their duty to help, surely) and the Lord and his holders in Golden Flight, Rilora approached her Weyr. “We must rise, Dragonmen of Pern! This fire threatens not just those around us, but if it leapt into our Valley we too would know the heat of the flames. It destroys the work of honest farmcrafters in Golden Flight and weakens trade in Cliffside. Yes, fires have happened before, but I tell you, not like this! The heat, the destruction, the likes of this has not been seen in our history. It is a different threat to fight, but I know you will rise to the challenge all the same. We need every able hand, whether Rider or Handler, graduated or in training, every Weyr member’s dedication to this effort and with all that we will just make it to the other side of this. The strongest metal comes from the hottest flames, and friends, let me assure you, these are the hottest. Be strong. Rise!”

This great a fight had never been done before, but now it must be done. For the sake of their homes and the lives of many.

((Welcome to the fiery SOON plot! Get your characters ready to risk life and limb as they fight to save the region from this monstrous ball of flames. Get response thread ideas here or jump in and start your own thread right away! Additionally feel free to post here in the setting of just-after-Rilora's speech which was located in the Meeting Hall.))

[Moo]

My, it is very smoky today!
You know, I remember it looking much bigger than this.
Hmm. We are still in the sky above it, you know.
Oh, I know. It just felt bigger, in the sense that there was…more.
You were younger then. We were both young. We did not know the things we know now.
True. All the same, take us down. Won't do us any good to stay up here.
I don't know about that…All that smoke? It's cleaner up here. All the same, you're right. So down we go!

Cerrodalth landed in the center of the commotion in the Bowl, stolid and obtuse, and made no effort to apologize for paths he disrupted or conversations he stopped. As far as tactical plans went, it wasn't the cleverest, but it was the quickest way to get a grasp on the situation at hand - both the source of the smoke, and more importantly, whether or not their color was still as welcome as it was before.

It seems we have chosen the perfect time to arrive…in the middle of yet another one of these situations we've been hearing about. The South has been lacking in security lately, hasn't it?
Not everyone has the luxury of a mountain retreat. I suppose you'll need to request an audience with the Weyrwoman, or her Queen, or one of the Junior Weyrwomen, since I don't see one around here.

Cerrodalth rumbled an agreement in his throat and looked around the Weyr, squinting through the faint smoke. If everything had remained the same…He turned his head toward the Hatching grounds and the small openings to its left. The Weyrwoman's quarters had been near those. It was a good strategic decision, he supposed, to place a Weyrwoman at the heart of the Weyr where she could be reached easily. It was also a vulnerable location for that exact reason. Anyone could use the smoke as a mask.

The Chrome contemplated announcing his and his Rider's arrival to the Weyrwoman's Queen. He and J'ral had both briefed themselves on what dossiers they could get ahold of at Sky Mountain. Through word of mouth and reports from traders from sailors from higher officials, they had learned that this new Weyrwoman, young as she was, was competent enough in her rein. But now they were here, and not stuck in the mountains, and they would be the judge of that.

Here, let me off, I'll go look around inside. Stay here and see if you can make some sense of what's happening.

Cerrodalth obliged, and bent down low so his Rider could dismount.

Once on the ground, transfer papers in hand, J'ral straightened up, brushed off his riding suit, and headed toward the one place he assumed could be busy: the meeting room. Out of the entire layout of the Weyr, it was the one room he had committed to heart when he had been younger. After all, it was the place he had visited when he spoke to the previous Weyrwoman about a transfer. But that was a long, long time ago, and this was no time to dwell on the past. It had been an important room then, and he hoped it would still be an important room now. If any real threat were happening now, and the smoke they passed through wasn't from a simple brushfire, then the room would be full of high-ranking Riders and staff members - or at least, full of information or papers that could tell where to go next.

J'ral rounded the corner, and as he did, he caught wind of a voice - a woman's voice - speaking with passion and conviction. A slight smile cracked the stony exterior he had been maintaining - he still had it. There was someone in the meeting room, after all.

"…dedication to this effort and with all that we will just make it to the other side of this. The strongest metal comes from the hottest flames, and friends, let me assure you, these are the hottest. Be strong. Rise!”

Assuming that was the end of the speech, J'ral wasted no time in opening the door and entering the room. Manners be damned, he was not about to wait an extra fifteen minutes before anyone left and he was granted an audience with whomever was inside. Call it age, or a lifetime of making sure every second counted while training Wings, or the urgency of the situation, but they had just arrived and it was clear that if something needed to be done soon, they would have to do it themselves. Whether that meant unpacking their gear, or helping with the alleged firefight, it would be left up to whoever happened to be in charge. However, that could have taken quite a long time, and they simply didn't have any to waste.

It didn't take J'ral long before he spotted the speaker he had heard outside, and thankfully, it was the Weyrwoman herself. Her shoulder knots were a dead giveaway. He found a quiet spot in the back of the room and waited for her to approach, standing tall and alert and at as much attention as could be given at the end of a meeting.