Whers

[. s p o r e ♪]

GOLD WHERS

Golds are the largest and most intelligent whers, approaching the size of smaller dragons. Arrogant and commanding, they have the power to impress their will on any other rank. Although often excellent mothers, they can be especially aggressive. They are built powerfully, and have the most stamina of any wher. Golds range in colour from pale, silvery gold, through sunny, metallic yellow to red-tinted rose-gold. They are the rarest of all true ranks, never born to chromatic females and only rarely to queens. Always female, golds run about once per turn and can clutch up to a score of eggs at a time, with a high rate of viable eggs, with only the occasional dud.

gender: Always female
runs: Once per turn
clutches: 8-20 eggs
hatching frequency: 0-1%

BRONZE WHERS

Bronze whers are always male, and are the traditional male counterpart to golds. Although not the largest rank of whers, they are arrogant enough for queens, and won't lie down for any rank besides a gold. And even then they won't be happy about it, for bronzes are far more used to bossing others around than being on the receiving end of it. Bronzes have a dark-gold base colour often tinted with brown or green, and can be darker or lighter depending on the individual. Although not as commanding as a queen, they are among the more domineering ranks of wher, and are a popular choice to lead packs.

gender: Always male
chases: Prefers golds
hatching frequency: 5%

BROWN WHERS

Slightly more even-tempered and patient than other ranks of wher, browns are least likely to immediately resort to violence to solve all of their problems. They are always male, and medium-sized among whers, with a build that is somewhere in between powerful and agile. Although not the largest or strongest of ranks, browns often chase golds as well as the smaller greens. Large browns can reach the size of a smaller bronze, while smaller ones are closer in size to blues. Their colours range from dusty, greyish-brown to russet and dark ebony-brown.

gender: Always male
chases: Any
hatching frequency: 15%

BLUE WHERS

Blue whers are the smallest male rank, in between greens and browns. They are slimmer and smaller, and more agile than their brown brothers, although they have less stamina. Blues have slightly varied temperaments, with some being calm and reasonable, while others are bouncy and mischievous. Because of their small size and comparatively low aggression, blue whers rarely lead packs of their own. While very few blues ever reach a large enough size to successfully chase a queen, they will chase green whers. They range in colour from pale powder blue to midnight, with ranging amounts of intensity in the colour of their hides.

gender: Always male
chases: Prefers greens
hatching frequency: 30%

GREEN WHERS

The smallest rank, and the most common, greens are found in abundance in every Weyr. They are very agile and quick, but their stamina is low and they are large enough only to carry a single rider easily. Any more and a green will become grounded, unable even to glide because of the excess weight on its shoulders. Green temperaments vary widely; some greens are surprisingly sweet, while others are vicious and territorial. They run up to four times during a turn, and can clutch as many as five eggs at a time, although at least half are usually duds. They range in colour from pale, dusty green to intense lime, and sometimes are dark enough as to be nearly-black in colour.

gender: Always female
runs: Four times per turn
clutches: 0-5 eggs
hatching frequency: 50%

[. s p o r e ♪]

ON WHERS

Whers were created thousands of turns ago in order to combat thread falling at night. They have a myriad of uses besides fighting thread, and have been used as guard animals in Weyr and hold alike due to their aggression and power. Although originally created from dragons, they are significantly different in both appearance and behaviour, and most dragons confronted with the comparison will deny any close relation.

Like dragons, whers are quadrupeds with an additional two webbed, bat-like wings springing from just behind their shoulders. They are able to chew firestone in order to breathe flame, and can go between to teleport from place to place. However, there the similarities end. Significantly smaller and stockier than their dragon cousins, whers have a compact build that allows them significant power considering their small size. Most whers are around the size of large horses, although those of lower ranks are smaller than golds or bronzes. In addition, whers are unable to fly with the skill of their dragon kin. Their bulkier builds combined with smaller wings mean that whers can only remain airborne for a short time, and do more gliding than true flying.

Bred to be nocturnal, whers have large, smooth-faceted eyes that are extremely sensitive to light. They see far less colour than a dragon would, and view their world in washed out browns and greys that allow them for clear vision in low-light. During the day, whers stay indoors or under shelter to avoid damaging their sensitive eyes. If a wher must be transported during daylight hours, they will be fitted with a blindfold to protect their vision. Whers are also useful in settings where there is no light at all, such as underground in mines. By using heat-sensing organs in their muzzles, whers can sense heat and use it to navigate in complete darkness.

Unlike dragons, whers were not engineered to be completely dependent on humans. They are quite capable of spending long hours alone or with only the company of other whers, and have been known to go wild if not presented with a human to Impress upon hatching. Usually a wher candidate will be given an egg, and once it hatches they will feed their own blood to the hatchling to cement a bond between them. If Impression is delayed, however, the young wher may refuse to bond, and will be killed to avoid it becoming feral. The strength of an Impression bond varies from pair to pair as well. A wher with a perfect bond to its handler will adopt that person's full name, with "sk" added to the end. A wher bonded only weakly to their handler may choose only the first letter or two of their handler's name for the body of their own name.

Once bonded, the relationship between wher and handler is much like that between a dragon and its rider. One difference lies in a wher's innate aggression, whereas a dragon is usually reluctant to attack any other creature unless it intends to eat it. A second, notable distinction from dragons is that whers are less intelligent than their larger cousins. Whereas a dragon may converse freely with its rider about any number of subjects, whers have limited language abilities, and speak in simple and often fractured sentences. A gold wher may be intelligent enough to converse in short sentences with her handler, although her grammar will be poor. A green wher, however, is often limited to simple ideas that she can put only partially into words. Greens aren't very good conversationalists.

Whers are often thought of as twisted, ugly, dragons-gone-wrong. With their large eyes, misshapen headknobs and tiny wings, bulky bodies scarred by fighting as well as by thread, and their knobby, two-toed feet, whers are far from Pern's most favorite creatures. They hardly present the endearing face that firelizards possess, and could never be called particularly majestic. But the point of whers isn't to be cute or awe-inspiring. Whers exist to get the job done, and that is something they are certainly capable of.