With the Long Interval over and the Threads again reaching through space from the desolate Red Star a more hospitable host, Pern found itself in more trouble than one scantly populated Weyr was capable of handling. The Southern venture had already begun and more dragons were on their way, but F'lar and Lessa - indeed, most of educated Pern - realized that even these additional dragon pairs would not be enough to save their beloved planet.
Desperate, then Benden Weyrleader F'lar declared that all Holds and Halls would mobilize their own ground crews, setting firestone to burn in any burrows unearthed during these ground sweeps, issuing a few frantic moments of disturbed mumbling among the various leaders of Pern. At once, though, the chaos was silenced as the Masterweaver Zurg rose to his feet.
What the Masterweaver had to say would forever alter Pernese history. He spoke in great detail of an elaborate, ancient tapestry that once decorated a wall of Ruatha Hold. He spoke of vibrant colors and lost techniques, and then he described the man on the ground... the man holding the strange, metallic object with a tongue of flame licking the ground.
Zurg proceeded to describe the formations of bronze dragons overhead, the close formation and the sadness he felt for losing those ancient techniques, which the Mastersmith Fandarel never did seem to hear, already lost in his musings over this strange, unheard of flamethrowing device. Arrangements were made for Fandarel to view the tapestry itself, and in a matter of days the Mastersmith had constructed a rude model of the elaborate flamethrower.
What Fandarel created was close - and efficient - but it was not the flamethrower of ancient Pern. Baffelled at his inability to recreate the flames that issued from the metal mouth of the tapestry-depicted nozzle, Fandarel pored over spraying his agenothree fuelled creation upward, over any way at all to make this anachronism EFFICIENT.
The Smiths never did get to see his "invention" through, however, for Lessa's great flight between times to ancient Pern proved the saving grace of modern Pern, bringing forward Weys full of dragons and flamethrowers - which were promptly reproduced and distributed to every Weyr, Hold, and Crafthall as part of the combat against the Red Star.
Written by Junior Weyrwoman Joslyn, Rider of Gold Jeuneth.
Constructed of a thin metal and designed to be as lightweight as possible, the flamethrower is actually made of two separate tanks, one pump, one curved tube, and one cylindrical nozzle. Just over twice as tall as it is wide, the tank itself is just under two feet long and nearing ten inches in diameter, a cylinder with a pump from one of the flattened, disc-like ends and a flexible tube near the opposite end. The pump is used to build of the air pressure within the tank, which is usually done well before Fall to avoid the trouble later on. Brackets are positioned near the opposite end, to hold the flexible tube when it's not in use - during Threadfall or otherwise. From the end of this flexible tube is a short, cylindrical metal nozzle, designed to swivel for better aim at burrows; a valve controls the flow from the nozzle's end, which should be maintained at a steady stream of both agenothree and flammable blackrock oil. The agenothree, a strong and corrosive acid, is used to dissolve Thread that cannot be reached by the flame alone; it is also a fertilizer in its diluted form, and therefore safe to use on any soil or field. The flammable blackrock is stored in a separate, inner tank and is sprayed simultaneously with the agenothree; this is what actually ignites and creates the Thread-shrivelling flame, shot from the end of the nozzle as the finest powder which must be carefully measured to avoid saturating the ground.
During Threadfall, they are strapped to the user's back and held by a wooden cradle of sorts or a set of wher-hide straps about the waist and shoulders, designed to keep the base near the wearer's waist for easy access to the flexible tube and the nozzle at the end of it. The same tank is used for both goldriders and ground crew, and requires constant upkeeep. Although not entirely delicate, flamethrowers must still be properly maintained through regular inspections and general upkeep of everything from the nozzle to the two tanks. All tanks are thoroughly inspected before Threadfall and dismantled afterward to dispose of the flammable inner contents; they are then reassembled, tested, and stored safely until they are ready to be used once again.
Written
by Junior Weyrwoman Joslyn, Rider of Gold Jeuneth
and based partly on Kestrall's Ground Crew Manual, of PernMUSH.
Crossbows
are gifted to each Weyrwoman shortly after graduation. The reasoning
behind this is to improve aim and flying abilities without using a Flamethrower
and causing damage to trees and landscaping. Crossbows are hunting weapons.
They consist of a wooden stock, or handle, with a bow made of wood,
iron, or steel crossing it at right angles. The bowstring, held in a
notch by a catch or trigger, was pulled back by a lever, which in the
smaller bows was worked by hand or foot. The missile to be shot (called
a bolt, or quarrel) was then laid in a groove on the top of the stock,
and when the trigger was pulled the missile was propelled with considerable
power.
Also known as an arbalest, the hand-held crossbow is used for sport, and is particularly good for hunting the Wild Felines of the Southern Continent. With the type of crossbow shown here, Weyrwomen can use the crank (at right) to pull back the bowstring onto a catch on the wooden handle (at center), load the arrow (also known as a bolt or quarrel) onto the handle, and fire by pulling the trigger. Generally it takes a lot of practice to be able to do this one handed, but is possible once the right mechanisms and muscles have been worked out and developed. The arrows reach distances of up to 300 meters.
Written
by Senior Weyrwoman Telinda, Rider of Gold Tiarnath
Based on "Crossbow," Microsoft®
Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001 © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation.
All rights reserved.