Thread & Threadfall Guide

[Masterharper]

Thread is the great Enemy of Pern. It periodically rains down on Pern in thin, silvery threads, hence its name. Thread is a living, non-sentient organism that is brought to the planet based on the proximity of the Red Star. Thread is only deterred by pure metal and rock, and is killed by fire, extreme cold, and water.

Threadfall isn't a constant in Pern. It only arrives in 50 Turn passes, before disappearing for the next 200 Turns, which are called Intervals. There have been three Long Intervals, which last about 400 Turns, before Thread returned. There have only been three Long Intervals in Pern's history, and the last long Interval was supposed to be the end of Thread for good. Unfortunately, that wan't the case, and Thread has once again returned to the planet.

Notes About Thread & Threadfall

• Thread will fall for approximately 50 turns. At the beginning of a Pass it only falls about once every sevenday or two; as the pass continues, it becomes more frequent, until, at its worst, it's known to fall every day. This is when losses tend to be at their highest, due to fatigue, stress, and injury. Echoes of Pern starts at the beginning of a Pass, and likely only needs to fight Thread about once every sevenday. As the Pass begins to reach its end, Thread's frequency lessens before it stops completely. It will ramp up quickly though -- by Turn 5 it will at least three times a sevenday, and by Turn 10 it will be just about daily. At it's peak it will fall every 12 hours.
  
  
• Nobody knows how Threadfall's pattern might have changed due to the failure of AIVAS. It is assumed to follow old patterns, but nobody really knows as it should have never returned in the first place.
  
  
• Thread can devour an entire herdbeast in approximately two minutes.
  
  
• Threadfall can last anywhere from 4 hours to 8 hours, depending on location.
  
  
• Thread can fall in sheets, individual strands, or clumps. Depending on the type of Fall, and immediate weather, dragonriders can find themselves in a very bad situation quickly.
  
  
• Thread gets thrown around easily due to the wind. The stronger a wind, or more frequent the gusts, the harder it is to fight.
  
  
• In Echoes of Pern, we do account for night falls. This is a particular dangerous situation as Thread can be difficult to see. Glows can be brought up in lanturns to try to light up the sky. Thankfully, night Falls are rare.
  
  
• Threadfall began in Echoes of Pern 3572.04.22 AL... which is the approximate equivalent to April 22, 2016.
  

 

[Masterharper]

Threadscore & Remedies

When Thread falls, it's a bit like silver rain; it can be blown and drifted on the wind, and can fall in sheets, clumps, or individual strands. When it hits someone or something that isn't made of pure metal, stone, fire, or water, it will essentially begin to devour it immediately. A full grown herdbeast (think a bull or cow) can be devoured entirely in minutes. When it burrows into the earth it can spread and destroy crops, animals, and buildings.

The cold of between will often kill Thread, which is why dragonriders hop Between when scored, when they can. But keep in mind that if Thread burrows deep enough in a person, or somehow gets shielded from the worst of the cold of Between (such as getting caught between the folds of clothing/gear, it might not kill it all in one go. So a rider might have to jump Between again and/or go back to the Weyr to try to get it off/killed/removed before it worms its way into the dragon or rider further. Once it's at that state, it's probably fatal.

Threadscore can do a fair bit of damage depending on what it hits and where. For dragons, getting scored can be major, moderate, or minor damage, depending. This can be anything from getting hit by a single strand of thread, to hopping between and accidentally finding an entire clump blown into them by the wind.

An entire clump has the possibility of doing more damage, given it's over a wider area; but any Threadscore can be bad. It can eat through bones, it can eat through their wingsails, and sometimes dragonriders that are badly scored wind up crashing from the air. If their wing is that damaged, it's up to the golds to help catch the falling dragons to avoid them crashing. Bad enough wounds can cause all sorts of problems; dragons can lose their eyes if it catches them in the face, they can be entirely grounded and lose the ability to fly if the score is bad enough on their backs/wing muscles/wing sails, and in other cases they are simply killed.

A dragon who catches a bad enough Threadscore on their belly might find themselves off in a very bad way. To add complication, dragon riders might be caught off guard when scored, and might more easily get lost Between. Threadscore is really quick and really ugly.

Riders who get scored tend to wear some bit of protection in wherhide jackets, goggles, fur, boots, and whatnot. While this tends to give them a little bit of time to get Between with their dragon, it also not foolproof. A rider could get hit by a single strand of Thread and not notice it right away, as it eats away at his or her jacket, and then quickly through their clothes and flesh. A rider could wind up in a clump of thread, and find entire parts of their body suddenly being devoured. Threadscores are common anywhere -- usually legs, face, shoulders, and arms. Like dragons, they can be minor, moderate, or majorly damaged; and depending on how bad, can also be easily killed.

If a rider is alive, and a dragon can do so, they'll try to hop between back to the Weyr for aid. If the rider is dead, the dragon will just suicide right there. If the dragon is dying, and the rider alive, they will probably try to go to the Weyr to get their rider to dismount for aid. A dragon will never willfully Between with their rider alive.

For non-fatal scores, healers and dragonhealers can use a few remedies. Usually numbweed is applied to the wound to take away the pain. The wound is likely doused in redwort, which is a common Pernese disinfectant. This will hopefully help to stave off infection. For dragons, ichor transfusions might be needed -- ichor is dragons blood and its naturally green -- and any healthy dragon can offer their blood for such a use. (Moreta needed to do something similar for a Threadscored queen in Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern.) For dragon riders, blood transfusions might be needed if they lost a lot of blood. These are rare though, especially since Pern's technology isn't nearly as advanced as our own, even post-AIVAS. Some wounds can be stitched, others might require bandaging and might be treated similar to burns.

Amputations can happen in an attempt to stop burrowing Thread from spreading; if infection sets in; or if Thread simply ate through enough of them. Mercy killings are also common and something healers might need to do if the thread gets to the point of eating the rider from the inside out.

Depending on the circumstance, gold dragons can help calm upset dragons; dragons can also help ease their riders pain. Riders can also help try to calm their wounded dragons, if able.

For non-riders, being caught out in Thread is a terrifying experience. For a non-rider to be scored, their chance of surviving is extremely slim. While dragonriders try to catch as much Thread as they can from reaching the vulnerable earth, they rarely get everything. Individual strands can be harder to catch or see, and depending on the wind, and the weather, more Thread might make it through the Wings.

Ground crews are often sent out to search for Thread burrows post-Fall, and to help kill any strands that might have penetrated the ground. Killing the burrows and infestation with flame throwers, fire, and water is imperative.

The only way to survive Thread would be to dunk oneself into water and hope that they caught the Thread before it burrowed. There is good reason non-riders stay indoors during Threadfall.

- - - Possible Injuries
Keep in mind this list is not comprehensive, but some injuries that are commonly (or rarely) seen!

Ash Burns
Steam Burns
Flame Burns
Bitten Tongues
Strained Muscles
Dislocated Shoulders from Improper or Sloppy/Old Stretched Riding Strap Muscle Cramps
Sprained Muscles from Over Exertion
Scoring -- killed by Between or Water, the wound will can be superficial, moderate, or deep. It burns, and leaves ugly scarring.

Wingsail Injury -- Smaller holes and tatters on a wing are fine. But any large holes, or wounds, can cause the dragon to be unable to fly. While wingsails can repair and heal with time, some major wingsail injuries will cause a dragon to be permanently grounded.

Broken Toes or Wingbones -- Landing hard, picking up Firestone sacks wrong, crashing, or being blown into something can cause injury. Thread itself might be able to eat through the more delicate bits quickly.

Chipped Tooth or Tooth Infection -- from all the chewing of firestone. Tends to happen in older riders, or young dragons who don't chew stone properly.

Thread "mites" -- tiny pieces of not-quite-dead-Thread that weren't quite burned fully from flame, and fall on the rider like ash. They can enter wounds and slowly eat away from a rider. [Typically happens when a rider flys, or wind pushes, ash from very-recent burned Thread.] Sometimes must be picked out by a healer!

Amputation -- either by Thread or because of Thread. Sometimes to save a life an arm or leg must go immediately. And you can bet there isn't much time for painkiller or numbweed when Thread is burrowed in you. Especially if it get to bones.

Burrowed Thread -- sometimes Thread falls so hard, or not fully out of its shell, allowing it to burrow quickly into a rider or dragon. This gives it added protection from the cold of Between. If near vitals or gets to the bones, a Healer might have no choice but to give a Mercy with fellis for a rider; a dragon might Between instantly knowing well his or her fate. Some burrows can be doused with water and redwort to drown it; in other cases amputation is required.

Eaten from Inside -- Sometimes Thread can enter the body and not get killed by Between. If somewhere on the stomach or gut, or near vital organs, this can prove impossible to treat and the most a healer can do is give mercy, or a dragon hop Between.

Eaten from Outside -- Certain clumps or sheets of Thread can hit a rider and land in all sorts of areas. If somehow protected by folds of cloth, or Between doesn't kill it all, then it could well continue chomping away.
 

[Masterharper]

Thread Fighting Tactics

Pern has a long history fighting Thread. These are the best tried-and-trued practices, and what High Reaches follows to the letter. The rest of the Weyrs, including Western Weyr, will also be following these patterns albeit less practiced and polished than High Reaches. These methods are tried and true, and have withstood the test of time.

Flights, Wings, and Altitudes
Dragonriders are always placed into Wings. Traditionally Wings are made up of one Wingleader, two Wingseconds, and than thirty wingriders of various colors. Three wings make up a Flight, which is the minimum number of dragons needed to fight Thread. It is considered very dangerous to only have one Flight of dragons in a Weyr, and up to three or four Flights is ideal. Larger Weyrs, or Weyrs who have no spacing limitations, are be able to support to more Flights.

Flights are lead by Flightleaders, who are assigned by the Weyrleader. In Echoes of Pern both the Weyrleader Second is always promoted to Flightleaders, with the rest of the remaining positions handpicked by the Weyrleader. While a Wingleader is in command of their individual wings and the riders, they will take orders from their Flightleader. Furthermore, the Flightleaders take orders and assignments from the Weyrleader, who can overrule a Flightleaders decision.

During Threadfall, the Weyrleader will assign one specific Flight to fight Fall, with a possible second Flight assigned as backup. This allows the third and fourth Flight (if the Weyr has that many dragonriders to spare) time to rest and recuperate from their last battle. While early on in Thread this might not seem so necessary, once Thread is falling daily or every-other-day, the downtime becomes imperative.

Dragonriders need time to rest and recuperate, especially during the heart of a Pass.

In Echoes of Pern, we will likely only focus on a single Flight of dragons per each Weyr. The other Flights will consist of NPCs and will be where we put inactive players or non-RPed characters. This way everyone can participate in Threadfall Events when we run them. Should the shop grow large enough to support two full Flights, then we will put them all in,
and just pretend the other two flights are on standby/recuperating!

The assigned Flight will rise up with the Weyrling Wing and the Queen's Wing. Depending on the size of both, the Weyrling or Queen's Wing might be broken up and put on rotation, depending on what works best for the particular Wings, their size, and the frequency of Threadfall.

The Flightleader would have already assigned the Wingleaders into their positions. Each Wing will fight Thread at different altitudes. There is traditionally a High Altitude Wing, a Mid-Altitude Wing, and a Low Altitude Wing. The Queen's Wing flies beneath them all, and the senior Weyrlings in the Weyrling Wing will support all the Wings as needed.

Each of the three Wings will spend a certain amount of time at each altitude before changing positions. Those in the Low Altitude Wing will move to the High Altitude position, those in the High Altitude position will move to the Mid Altitude role, and those at Mid Altitude will move to the Low Altitude Wing. Each position changes how the Wing will need to fight Thread, and how to best fight against the enemy.

High Altitude Wing: This is the most physically demanding position. The high altitude and strong winds tend to make it a physically draining position. Thread is also at its thickest here. Thankfully, dragonriders in the High Altitude Wing often don't need to do much more than flame in any given direction to take care of the mess of Thread. The downside is, due to the wind, it also is perhaps the most dangerous position to fly due to more Thread present in any given area.

Threadfighting Technique: Stacked positions are common this high up. Given how thick threadfall tends to be, blues and greens have an advantage of weaving and wheeling out of the way. They smaller colors are better able to keep the larger colors from getting snacked on by Thread. It is not uncommon to have blues and greens stacked higher than the bronzes and browns, so the smaller colors can cover the larger targets.

Mid Altitude Wing: This is a slightly more stable position. While wind gusts are common, and dragons still have to account for the change in wind, and windblown Thread, it isn't nearly as strenuous as the High Altitude Wing. Furthermore, Thread isn't as thick, so it allows the dragonriders to chase more of the clumps and strands.

Threadfighting Technique: This altitude can vary depending on conditions. Stacked techniques work well during harder falls, but also allows a Wingleader variation in style. The Finger Four position works well here, especially in solid numbers.

Low Altitude Wing: This wing is the least strenuous. The conditions are far more stable, and Thread is generally substantially less. Dragonriders are able to resupply their firestone -- if they haven't already -- and it allows the riders and dragons time to prepare to go into the worst of it again. this also allows time for their dragons to chew on more firestone. Thread is still fought at this level, but there tends to be less of it, and more individual strands chased after.

Threadfighting Technique: Forward and backward V formations are common here, usually stacked. This allows the dragons to spread out and catch the wind blown strands and cover the largest area beneath the heavier Threadfighting. At this point Thread is harder to spot and see as it's usually broken up or individual clumps or strands.

Queen's Wing: The Queen's Wing will send a portion (or all) of its riders to assist in the day's Threadfall. They fly well below the Fighting Wings, and consist of goldriders with flamethrowers, as well as fighting dragons that are on probation, recuperating from sickness or injury, young riders who aren't yet 16 Turns, or pregnant female riders who can't hop Between. These riders are the last defense to sweep up Thread before it hits the ground, so it's a very valuable position. Queen dragons also are able to catch falling dragons in cases of severe Threadscore.

Weyrling Wing: The Weyrling Wing is often put on rotation each Threadfall. It consists of Senior Weyrlings who can fly and hop Between. Often their job is to help resupply dragonriders firestone -- usually by taking it directly to them in the midst of the Flight. Other Weyrs have the riders toss stone to dragonriders at any altitude, should they need an emergency resupply, though ideally its to the Low Altitude Wings. The Weyrling Wing can also be assigned to fly between the Low Altitude Wing and the Queen's Wing, to give them actual practice fighting without forcing them into the higher altitude wings. The oldest senior weyrlings might be called to fill in for sick or injured riders, or to fill in when green and blues need a rest.

Green & Blue Fighters Greens are unable to fly an entire Threadfall. They just don't have the stamina. Some blues sometimes struggle to fly an entire Thread as well. While a blue technically has more stamina than their green counterparts, it isn't uncommon for a Weyrleader to make sure he rotates in is blue and green riders part way through Threadfall. Usually this means splitting up his green and blue riders to be on rotation. If Thread falls 4 hours, Group A might fly the first half of Thread (about 2 hours), before switching out with Group B. Group B would then fly and finish the rest of the day's Thread. If it's a longer Fall (8 hours) then Group A and B would switch off every two hours or a new Flight might come in take over. It just depends on the severity of Thread, casualties, weather conditions, and visibility.

White Dragons: White dragons can flame and do fight Thread. As they are smaller than greens, their Wingleader must make sure not to over exert them. In Echoes of Pern, similar to greens, a white rider will not be able to withstand an entire Threadfall. Often the whites will dance between the Queen's Wing and their assigned fighting Wing. While the fighting dragons will change altitudes periodically through Fall, the whites will alternate between the Queen's Wing and their Fighting station until they need to retire to the Weyr to recuperate. If there are enough whites in the Weyr, they'll be split up similarly to greens; some whites will fight the beginning of thread, others will trade places half-way through. This way they're covered the entire Fall. Weyrs that don't have many whites might place them differently.

White riders are always told to keep their dragos health in mind. If their white can't hold out for their shift, they must inform their Weyrleader and tap out. White riders who fly recklessly or over exert will find themselves in heaps of trouble.  

[Masterharper]

Common Wing Formations & Terminology

Stacked Any Wing formation below can be modified to be stacked or unstacked. A stacked formation traditionally means that two smaller dragons (green, blue, or white) will fly above their assigned bronze or brown wingmates. They are essentially meant to provide coverage for the larger, heavier, and less agile colors.

This formation is almost always used in High Altitude positions, and is common as a Mid Altitude role, too. It has less to do with stamina and more to do with agility. The greens and blues naturally are better at wheeling and diving and getting out of their way; their smaller size allows them to avoid getting scored, but also provide coverage for the larger colors who cannot get out of the way as easily due to their bulk.

Unstacked/Natural: Unstacked, or sometimes called natural position, is a Wing formation where the dragons will simply fight in their assigned position, and the whites, greens, and blues do not cover anyone. This usually allows the formation to be larger and more spread out, as opposed to a smaller stacked group. Every dragon knows exactly who they fly by, and what amount of space is needed between his or her dragons and their wingmates. This will vary from position to position, but at this point every dragon is fighting in their own space. These positions are often used in the Low Altitude threads, where threadfall is (usually) less heavy, and the dragons need to be more spread out to catch any drifting strands or clumps.

Unstacked positions tend to be the default state of a wing formation. A Wingleader must inform his or her riders if they must change it to a stacked formation.

- - -

Forward V: This is one of the most common wing formations and usually the first that weyrlings are taught. The Wingleader will always fly at the point of the V, and in standard flight, will have his two Wingseconds at either side. The rest of the wing falls behind with each dragon slightly behind and above the one in front of them. This is not an ideal thread fighting position given the open space between both sides, but it makes quite a visual display. It, and smaller version of the Forward V, are often used in sweeps or doing ground sweeps post-Fall.

This formation is often used when meeting Thread at the beginning of the Fall, so the Wingleader can readily make the call on what position to jump into as they approach the fray.

Backward V Similar to the Forward V except backwards, with the Wingleader taking up the rear. Like the Forward V, it does not make a particularly effective fighting position due to the gaps, but looks lovely to see. It is less commonly used when going up to face Thread, as the Wingleader is farthest from the fight.

Forward and backward V positions can be stacked in certain scenarios, often at lower altitude wings for better coverage, especially against Thread. While it isn't commonly used as a thread fighting technique, it isn't necessarily off limits. There might be a time where it is relevant -- a Wingleader just must be conscious of the gaps.

Wedge Formation: The Wedge Formation is similar to the forward V position mentioned above, but instead of dragons lined out in echelon right and echelon left of the Wingleader, it is a smaller V. Dragon's are placed approximately one wingspan away from one another but lined up row by row. So behind the wingleader are three other riders. Behind those riders are a group of five. Behind that group of five is a group of seven. Behind that group of seven is a group of nine, etc, etc. Until the entire wing is present and covered. The Wingsecond's tend to be placed on the outermost rear positions -- not only does this allow for them to take control if the wedge need shift, but they can see the health of the riders in front of them, and report to the Wingleader as needed through their dragons.

This is a common fighting position in all altitudes, and can be stacked.

Finger Four

Trail Position

Echelon Position

Sail Formation

Wall Formation

More to come....