Storm Nexus

Welcome to The Storm Nexus!

Zareth's clutch has Hatched, revealing an astonishing array of mutations and bizarre developments. Although, after a heated debate, it has been decided that the Weyrlings be allowed to grow up as if normal so long as they do not display any dangerous problems, there are those who disagree with this decision. What are the Weyrlings themselves thinking...?

Meanwhile, raider activity has reached a fever pitch once more. A queen wyvern owned by a raider recently laid a clutch in Plateau's Hatching Grounds, however, with the result that Plateau now has another whole clutch in the possession of various riders. The battle is evenly matched at this point and damage is heavy on both sides. A raid on the enemy's base is being planned, as well... by both sides...

As if all of that weren't enough for Weyrwoman Qir to deal with, word of the Southern Continent has leaked out, and now everyone wants to go whether they have permission or not! So far the queens have been able to control the dragonriders, but the Rogue dragons bow to no queen, and what about the non-dragonriders? The Lords Holder and Masterfishers do their best, but they can't control every man or every ship...

Finally, Senior Queen Seystrenth is rising to mate. Who will the new Weyrleader be? What will he -- or she -- do about the situations facing Plateau Weyr?

More importantly, what will YOUR character do?

Currently seeing adult dragonriders of all sorts, adult wherhandlers of all sorts but especially adult fighting and Healer whers, Candidates, Weyrlings from past clutches (several are adoptable and have not yet been taken up; we have a clutch that is two months old ICly and a clutch that is six months old ICly.) Also raiders, holdless, traders and other assorted folk. As we are just gearing up again after a short hiatus however we are open to just about all character types right now! This INCLUDES adult Kings (bronzes), both wher and dragon!!

-FEATURES-

- Set on Pern with most of the familiar setting features you'd expect, but with some historical and setting changes inspired largely by Dune and to a lesser degree by other sources.

HOWEVER! There is no need to have ever read Dune; this is not a crossover, merely a Pern game with additional concepts, ideas, and features derived from non-Pern sources, the primary one being Dune. But the webcomic DIGGER by Ursula Vernon has had almost as much influence on the game's setting in some ways as well, for example. It would be -helpful- if a player has read both DUNE and DRAGONFLIGHT, but, honestly, you can function in Storm Nexus without having read either book -- and of the two Dragonflight is far more important to understanding the setting.

- Semi-canon caste system for dragonkind. Instead of having additional new colors, I have divorced the hide color from the concept of draconic caste altogether. There are now Queens, Kings, Officers, Knights, and Soldiers, with the occasional sport, more politely known as a Scout, though traditionalists do not consider them a true caste.

- There is "magic," although it isn't magic in the traditional sense. There's a big emphasis on quantum physics. The science is fuzzy, but just accurate enough to be fun and to help the suspension of disbelief (in the head admin's opinion, anyway!)

- No sexuality-based Impressions, and the Candidate's sex is much less important. Male queenriders are rare but do happen, while female Kingriders are more common but still rare. (Queens and Kings do what they want after all, with no one powerful enough to tell them otherwise save their own kind, who wouldn't think to.) Officers, Knights, Soldiers, and Scouts might choose anyone. Impression is much more about personality.

- Member-run Touchings and Hatchings for players with Queen dragon, flit, or wher characters -- and even those who don't if you spend marks to buy, or win in a site contest, the privilege to do so! We'll be giving this out fairly often if there's sufficient demand/interest among non-queen players.

(This is optional; players who don't want to can simply tell the admin so and he will run their characters' Hatchings and Touchings. Basically we want everyone to be able to enjoy all aspects of the game -- just because we can't make enough queens to give one to everyone who would want one doesn't mean people without a queen will never get to run a touching/hatching cycle, and just because one dislikes running such things won't stop you from being able to have a queen!)

- The Pern aspect of the game is inspired by the mood of Dragonflight rather than the rest of the series. Remember the reference in early Dragonflight to "tapestries depicting Pern's bloody history", and to people who were "Soldier-bred"? Yeah. This is -that- version of Pern, not the mysteriously sanitized later-series version in which Fax was the ONLY acquisitive, warlike Lord Holder EVER, apparently.

- Non-dragonrider characters aren't just encouraged but NEEDED for critical site plots, especially wherhandlers, Crafters (including the Soldiercraft, which existed in Dragonflight but mysteriously vanished in the rest of the series), and Holders living in the two major Holds in the PC Weyr, Plateau's, territory.

- Two additional sentient toolmaker species, both capable of Impressing to dragonkind, available as PCs in addition to normal humans! Ferali are a human-created race made thousands of years ago on Old Terra to be a servitor people but who are equals in Pernese society, while Therioi are an alien species with a natural shapehshifting talent who reshaped themselves, as a species, in the image of Terran life in order to be able to survive on Earthlike planets. All three races are, for the most part, capable of Impressing a dragon, flit, or wher.

- Unique Impressable pet species including wyverns and the soon-to-be-released blink cats. Players can buy, earn, or win special tickets giving them the privilege to create a new such species, too!

- There was once high technology, but it has long since been lost, as has most of the lore. Modern Storm Nexus Pern's technology level ranges from Dark Ages to early Renaissance at very best. More variety of regional subculture and dialect than in canon Pern, so more character background variety.

- The Southern Continent is just about to open up for exploration IC, and it will contain several new creatures for pets, working animals, and bondables. A new bondable has already made its way to the Northern Continent, the wyvern -- a twisted, venomous version of the fire-lizard made by Ted Tubberman using wherry and tunnelsnake features! Blink cats and other unique critters of the Southern Continent are coming soon!

-PLOT POINTS-

There is lot of variety in the game's major plots, ranging from the romantic and political machinations of the higher levels of leadership at Plateau Weyr to very dark and ugly sagas involving bold raider bands and acquisitive Fax-like Lord Holders to high adventure and exploration in the Southern and Far Western Continents when they are finally discovered. (Not rediscovered, per se, as here Landing was in the North so the South was never really known to begin with except on a chart even to the first colonists; same with Far Western.) In short, no matter what your taste in theme and mood, there will likely be at least one major plotline that will appeal specifically to your inclinations -- and if there's not, we're very open to player-suggested major and minor plots!

LATEST PLOT POINT!
Senior Queen Seystrenth has risen! What will the consequences of this all-important mating flight be? Who will win, Therbarth or Schoroth? Or... someone else altogether? (And what about the rumors that Schoroth was seen chewing firestone while the other males were blooding their kills...?) This plot is going on RIGHT NOW!

- Dragonriders exist to be Pern's peacekeeping force, ensuring the Charter is upheld and not violated by the Lords Holder, as well as to defend against Thread. So what will happen when a Fax-like figure arises? Will the Weyr's nuclear politics fail for the first time in hundreds of years, forcing a continent-wide war?

- A powerful band of raiders, larger and more organized than any ever before encountered, has attacked Plateau Weyr and done serious damage. All three resident adult Queens were injured, two badly enough that they were forced to transfer to the Weyr on Ista Island to recover there in safety and warmth. Two of the other Weyrs each sent one Queen to help the Senior Queen, Seystrenth, lead the Weyr and to provide clutches while her pierced wing heals and she cannot fly. But Qir, the Weyrwoman, and Seystrenth are both suspicious that these interloping Queens have ulterior motives for their generosity, and they don't intend to relinquish their Seniorship without a fight! Meanwhile, there is the pressing problem of the raider band itself -- where did it come from, how is it so much better equipped and organized than other bands, and why does the Weyr seem unable to root it out regardless of how fierce and well-executed its counterattacks are? It's almost as if someone is helping the raiders...

- The Southern Continent is lost and unknown. AIVAS does not exist in our setting (here, Landing was in the North!) but there's plenty of other weird stuff down there. Very soon there will be an exploration-of-the-South plotline. The Far Western continent, too, will have its own separate discovery-and-exploration storyline.


Weyrwoman Qir and Senior Queen Seystrenth look forward to seeing your characters around Plateau Weyr...!