Senior Weyrwoman Braelyn & Gold Ryolth
Weyrleader Th'zon & Bronze Shalketh
Jr.Weyrwoman Aracelis & Gold Jerinyth
Weyrsecond D'mar & Blue Pharrenth
Headwoman Nieve

Colors: Red, White and black.
Emblem: White roundel and radial lines outlined in black on bright red.

Location: In the Western Barrier Range

Honshu Weyr is located in the Western Barrier Mountains of the Southern Continent, overlooking a wide loop of the river that feeds into Drake's Lake. The Weyrhall was established in an Ancient Hold constructed by one of Pern's first settlers: Kenjo Fusaiyuko. Honshu's climate is atypical of the Southern Continent for it enjoys the full four seasons every turn. Falling under the protection of Honshu's Wings are Karachi, Suweto, Roma and Yukon Holds, and Herder, Miner, Weaver and Tanner Halls.

In the last few Turns of the Tenth Pass an earthquake shook Honshu Weyr, making it inhabitable. Riders were reassigned to Ierne, Monaco and Southern Weyrs, along with their coverage areas. Honshu Weyr remained uninhabited for nearly a decade. Even after the Pass, people were simply trying to resettle and get on with their lives and have some real relaxation after the Pass had ended. With the assistance of the SmithCraft, the renovation and rehabilitation of Honshu Weyr took nearly another 90 Turns to complete, from the initial surveys until the joyful opening ceremony, 100 Turns after the Weyr was abandoned.

For a decade after the Smiths first approached the problem of fixing the 3-foot-deep rift in the hatching sands, they were unable to come up with a feasible and sound method of ensuring that the shakes that had caused the rift to begin with wouldn't cause the problem again. Additionally, the land around the rift had caused a rake in the floor of the sands, with one part of the ground being a couple of feet higher than the other. Given that the hatching grounds were vital to whether the rest of the Weyr could be feasible, the Craft's top men and women focused on this problem, although there was the thought that the rest of the place could be made inhabitable, perhaps as a Crafthall or as a minor Hold. Still, political elements within the Weyrs persisted in the point that the effort was for naught if it wasn't able to restore Honshu as a functioning Weyr.

Various Smiths tried to correct this problem of the hatching sands and worried about how the new rake of the land would affect Dragon eggs. However, none of their efforts succeeded until Bennor, a Journeyman Smith who was born after Last Fall, was out walking one night and looking up at the old terrace that was such a prominent feature of Honshu Weyr as it used to be. He spent the next two days without sleep, hardly without food or drink, charting a terrace structure for the new hatching grounds, with little man-made structures that would prevent eggs from rolling down to the galleries at the bottom of the hatching sands. He also conceived of expanding mortar's function, grinding up small pebbles into a fine powder, mixing with water to create concrete, which was later called 'Bennor's Stone'. Using this new concept, he applied it vigorously to the sloping hatching sands and thus solved the problem of the rift and the rake at the same time. Sand was flown in from all over Pern, from each Weyr's beholden area, North and South, and thus Honshu Weyr now sports the most interesting color of sands, as it has regular tan-colored sand flecked with the black sands of Ista, for example, leaving a rather salt-and-pepper aspect to things.

Bennor earned his Master's pin for his work and he continued to lead the team of Smiths refurbishing as well as renovating the old Weyr. The famous murals were painstakingly restored to near-pristine quality and all the new inventions of the Interval were fitted into the redesigned Weyr, making Honshu as technologically advanced as the other leading areas on Pern. However, all was not positive in the salvaging of the Weyr. In the 77th turn of the Interval, Bennor was killed in a sabotaged hallway after he'd spoken against the need for protection against the thieves who roamed Pern.

Once the Weyr was once more structurally sound, a trio of goldriders was chosen from the Southern Continent Weyrs: one from Xanadu, one from Southern, and one from Ierne. They were Miriel, Shenna, and Burrala and each was interested in helping re-found Honshu. With a half-dozen bronzeriders and sufficient support staff they traveled to their new home, with the intent on bringing it back up to full strength and resuming their duties to cover the mountainous areas and foothills Honshu had served for so long. In honor of their predecessors, the Honshu folk used the same wing names that had been used in the past: Sunstrike for the queens; Sapphire, Flamestrike, and Swiftstrike for the fighting wings; and Dawnstrike for the Weyrlings that would surely come in the future.

Using the standard 'first gold to rise' method of choosing the new Weyrwoman, it was no surprise to anyone that Miriel was the first Weyrwoman of the new Honshu, with H'ren as her Weyrleader. Together, they and their Dragons were fruitful and Honshu soon had a fourth queen Dragon in its midst after loads of worry as to whether a gold Dragon would use Bennor's unusual terraced hatching sands. H'ren was a former Miner and he was more than happy to grease the wheels to get the MineCraft a foothold in Honshu territory, leading the Sapphire wing. Given it was the Interval, many Dragonriders relaxed their attentiveness, especially in the light of the occasional incident between the rider of a hungry Dragon and a holder whose livestock were hunted. This also meant there was the occasional accident and less than ten Turns into the new tenure of Honshu Weyrleader H'ren was killed during a tour of the nearby MineCraft's latest ore-shaft, leaving greenrider K'vair as acting Weyrleader until Miriel's Dragon rose again.

Miriel remained Weyrwoman for another thirty turns, until her queen was too old to rise, and because she'd planned for the transition Arrena's succession to Weyrwoman was smooth, even if the woman herself was prickly and something of a perfectionist. It was late in Miriel's tenure as Senior that the Weyr had its most spectacular success, using their Dragons as part of the search for a ship lost at sea bearing a much-loved Harper Master. The quick and agile green and blueriders earned their drinks that night as it was they who swooped down and snatched the foundering sailors, and the Harper Master herself, out of the water. They also carried them to safety, whilst their brown and bronze companions worked as wind baffles to keep the hurricane's winds from drowning the lot. On the other hand, Arrena's tenure was marred by new Weyrleaders with every clutch, as well as her own brother being caught stealing from Weyr stores and being banished. The Steward, her brother's accomplice, had taken umbrage at her cutting words regarding his work for the Weyr and kidnapped Arrena's twin daughters, intent on using them as hostages, or worse, teaching them to hate their mother. While a panicked Arrena used her queen to try and locate the children, it was the headwoman Oriane who located the children and brought them home safely. Arrena kept pushing herself and her Dragon until they were lost in a storm over the mountains to the south, trying to fly straight through the snow and stubbornly refusing to go *between*. Neither of them knew that the girls had been found.

Whatever her other faults, Arrena still knew her duty, and it was she who had insisted that Honshu Weyr still continue practicing with firestone when other Weyrs stopped using it for their Spring Games due to a shortage of the phosphine-bearing rock.

The next Weyrwoman, Burrala's daughter Kyndra, was of a more level-headed sort and she was nearly universally loved by the Weyr, especially for her habit of baking things for the riders and the children of the Weyr, gently fussing over anyone who needed it. She and her Weyrleader Z'nar loved each other deeply and their four children each impressed in turn. It is said that Z'nar loved his Weyrmate so much that when she died of the plague, he himself said farewell to their children, including Weyrling bronzerider Th'zon, and went *between*. Brownrider L'relet stepped up and was the rock the Weyr needed at the time as riders died all around them and their Dragons going *between*, keeping everyone going in the face of such horrific circumstances.

Honshu Weyr lost a great number of its riders and support staff before the plague was through with them. Only one queen and her rider survived and Braelyn, one of Th'zon's clutchmates and therefore equally unprepared to lead a Weyr through this crisis, became Weyrwoman. Fortunately, the population couldn't withstand such a vacuum and it's no surprise that shortly after the crisis abated Braelyn's queen rose and it was Th'zon's bronze who caught her, making the boy Weyrleader. Better news arrived when the clutch did, a gold egg amongst the lot giving the demoralized Weyr hope for the future. The new queen impressed to Aracelis, a lass from the nearby Harper Hall that was Searched the very day of the hatching by a desperate bluerider named J'van. Although Aracelis is not yet out of Weyrling training, she is already fulfilling her duties as a Junior Weyrwoman, working in tandem with Braelyn to keep Honshu afloat and to ensure they're ready when Thread returns. Already, there is great love between Aracelis and Th'zon and that love is proving to be a source of constant annoyance for Braelyn, who tried and failed to win the handsome bronzerider's affections for herself.

Honshu Weyr has been one of the Weyrs to advocate the jump to the past simply because they do not have the manpower to successfully defend their territory against Thread without help, as much as it pains them to admit it. Though not many dare saying so to her face, a number of Honshu's surviving residents and her fearless Headwoman believe that the main reason Braelyn's so fervent for people from the past to come forward is she wants a new Weyrleader, a strong bronzerider from the past. The fact that he also won't be familiar with Braelyn's faults (which would appeal to her as well) also gives credence to this supposition.

Senior Weyrwoman Braelyn:

Braelyn was born at Honshu Weyr during Kyndra's tenure as Weyrwoman. Since her mother was a bluerider, and the girl a product of a flight, she always thought she was something a little more special than the other weyrbrats riding on the coattails of their dragonriding parents. She certainly had the wisdom, even at a young age, to keep this to herself, keeping track of all slights and forcing herself not to proclaim her rights openly. She was fond of the Weyrleaders and was one of the devoted children who hung around them in an effort to learn about them and hopefully develop the right sort of mentality to impress, inasmuch as anyone could increase their chances. Braelyn was always eager to please those in charge, and shecraved the praise she got for doing a good job. Only the Headwoman Nieve saw through her attempts to be useful. Nieve saw Braelyn as being very calculated in her actions, rather than being helpful, and more than once she warned Kyndra not to allow the girl to stand, worrying the girl might put her ambition before the Weyr's benefit.

Much to Nieve's consternation, the Weyrleaders allowed the girl to stand in her 16th Turn, and that is when the queen Ryolth found her. For a while, it seemed as if impression had turned the ambitious girl into an honestly useful and helpful one, but it was not to be. The plague swept down on Pern, killing a great number of people at Honshu, including Weyrwoman Kyndra and the other goldriders. With the suicide of Z'nar as he followed his love *between*, the Weyr was abruptly in the hands of this conniver, although she was cunning enough to defer to acting Weyrleader L'relet and pretend to rely on his experience. Still, it galled her when the brownrider keeping the Weyr afloat said that it was in their best interest to keep Nieve on staff, although Braelyn itched to remove the thorn in her side.

When Ryolth suddenly rose, barely old enough to qualify as an adult, it was Th'zon's bronze who won the chase and the mantle of Weyrleader. Even as a man younger than she, Braelyn realized he would be strikingly handsome and very much a natural leader, and thus she wanted him. But this too was not to be. Braelyn's behavior, while joyous and overly proud her queen had clutch a new gold for Honshu, took a decidedly waspish turn when Aracelis was searched and impressed the new queen, for she was suddenly the odd man out, with the kind Harper starting to replace her as favorite in the hearts of her Weyrfolk, and had already won the heart of Th'zon. Thus, when the idea spread across Pern to seek help in the past, she was very calculated in her responses. Rejecting Th'zon in favor of a potential better and healthier and more mature bronzerider from the past, Braelyn argued for the risky leap back through time. She knew that she could unseat Th'zon if only Ryolth could be flown by another bronze. However, the Weyr is well aware of the fractious personal lives of the Weyrleaders and the Junior Weyrwoman who reminds them almost painfully of Kyndra and her gentle ways. Braelyn's starting to develop a paranoia that the Weyr will try to unseat her, although that is not the long-standing tradition of the Weyrs: a Senior Weyrwoman may not be removed from authority except by death, health reasons, or she chooses to step down voluntarily. And there's no way on Pern Braelyn will give up the reins of power voluntarily. To date Ryolth has yet to be flown by any other bronze, leaving Th'zon as Weyrleader.

Thaizon was a boy who knew perfectly well that his parents were the Weyrleaders and that he mustn't flaunt this in front of anyone. Kyndra taught him to understand people. Z'nar taught him to lead them by example. Thus, Thaizon tried to embody the best traits of both his parents. That's not to say he was perfect all the time. The Weyrleaders' son was upbraided in public on more than one occasion, because he's rather fond of harmless prankery, things to ward off people treating him like some sort of celebrity, or worse, as a stepping stone to get in good with his parents.

His parents showed great love to their son, but they never allowed nepotism to darken their choices for him. While other Weyr children were allowed to be Candidates as early as the age of twelve, a particularly harsh trick that led to a serious injury (accidental as it was) caused Z'nar to state that his son would not be permitted to stand until his thirteenth Turn. The boy's pranking never truly ceased, but he actually developed an almost fanatical desire to ensure that his tricks and jokes never hurt anyone ever again.

One Turn later Thaizon was allowed to stand. He stood off to the side, nearly in shadow. Not yet in control of his emotions, he was as both fascinated by Braelyn as he was repulsed and it was with a mixture of emotions that he saw her impress the queen. Resigned to the possibility that this wretch would be Weyrwoman, he turned to leave the sands. It was then that bronze Shalketh, the last dragon hatched out of the clutch, stumbled into him, and their lives became one.

During Weyrlinghood, Th'zon's behavior was enough to make even the most reticent father proud as a peacock. However, when the plague struck Pern, killing his mother and causing his father to follow her *between*, Th'zon was suddenly bereft of all he'd known and loved. Only Shalketh was still there for him, and the support of Nieve, the Headwoman, his parents' ally and friend. With Braelyn suddenly thrust into the role of Weyrwoman (and loving the power /far/ too much, as far as the Weyrling was concerned), Th'zon found himself turning away. His only problem was that Ryolth rose before he could depart, and Shalketh caught her. Now only fifteen Turns, and Weyrleader of a demoralized Weyr, most other boys would have crumpled, but the friendship with bluerider D'mar led him into standing up for himself and for the Weyr against the capricious Weyrwoman. His natural ability to lead allowed him to keep things going. He at least managed to mature quickly enough that he was able to fend off her advances. While he was understandably proud that his bronze had sired a queen dragon, he worried that the candidates provided for the queen egg were not of good quality. No one wanted to spare their daughters for the Weyr anymore, needing them at home for the practical reason of child-bearing. It didn't help him that Braelyn was cultivating one or two simpering sycophants to Impress: a sheer disaster for a Weyr only a few Turns from a new Pass. Thus, his wing roamed the length and breadth of Pern on Search, coming up with newer and much more inventive excuses to poke around all the cotholds and whatever on both continents.

Still, Th'zon wasn't happy with the gold choices, so they stopped off at Harper Hall, partaking of a drop of wine. There, a blue started paying attention to a newly-minted Journeywoman named Aracelis. As the announcement came that the eggs were hatching, the Weyrleader gathered up his wing, grabbed hold of the Harper Master, and took both harpers to the Weyr, where Aracellis impressed the gold.

For the next Turn or so, Th'zon found the most specious excuses to stop by the Weyrling training, observing from the shadows as the new clutch of riders were taught how to take care of their dragons and about flying and going *between*. Slowly, he became fascinated with the new Junior. Eventually, at the conclusion of Weyrlinghood, when visiting the Harpers, the normally glib and eloquent Th'zon stammered for the words to express how he felt, Aracelis simply hushed him up with a kiss more eloquent than any flowery speech. With the support of his Weyrsecond D'mar, Th'zon chose Aracelis as his Weyrmate.

Despite everything Braelyn is actually a halfway-decent Weyrwoman, and Shalketh keeps winning Ryolth in flight, though that doesn't stop Th'zon from hoping that he will be outmaneuvered by another bronze. He supported the venture to the past, though not for the same reasons his Weyrwoman did. He simply wanted to ensure that Honshu Weyr could fulfill its duty to fight Thread when it came, and he was smart enough to understand that even with as many dragons as five queens they still wouldn't have that strength. While he would rather go follow his heart, he's mature enough to choose to lead those that circumstance gives to him to lead.

Aracelis was born at Benden Weyr to a couple of the Weyr's support staffers. Always a warm and cheerful child, she was the favorite of the old Aunties by the hearths, and she never abused this status. Her habit of singing while she was doing chores led to a trend of work songs amongst the lower caverns workers, and it also led to the girl being pulled aside by the Weyr's Harper and given special lessons. Her voice was her particular talent, although she was adequate enough in playing gitar in time with her singing. Taught the basics that any apprentice should know, she was duly sent first to the Harper Hall at Fort. There, she made a name for herself as something of a soloist. She wasn't the best, but she was more than adequate for the purposes of a Gather or even entertaining a Lord Holder in a command performance.

Aracelis learned all the aspects of the craft such that by her 18th Turn, she was permitted to walk the tables with the others of her age and class who had done equally well. From there, she was sent South to the newer Harper Hall at Cove Hold. Her primary task was to help train the Apprentices to sing in something resembling on-key, as well as support the craft that was as wounded by the plague as everywhere else. She was luckily one of the people who were not afflicted, but she tirelessly helped the healers with caring for the sick. Often, it was her voice that the dying heard last before they slipped away into coma and then death, their last few moments of consciousness being comforted by her. While others would have tired of this heart-wrenching duty, or of singing the death songs, or of the simple stench of illness, Aracelis did not. The Harper Master praised her many times for being a solid and caring presence that was sorely needed in their time of trial.

She was present when Weyrleader Th'zon's Sapphire wing descended upon Harper Hall one day, standing at the Master's right hand as usual as the dragonriders were duly greeted and refreshed. She was the one most surprised when a blue Searched her in front of the entire assembly. The diffident Weyrleader had her stuff gathered and herself and the Master brought with them to the Weyr. Dumped on the sands near a couple of girls she took an immediate dislike to, Aracelis looked around with wide eyes as the songs she sang come to life around her. Almost in a dream, she watched the dragons hatching, too quickly to see, really. It was the stupid shout from one of the other two girls that caused her to turn toward the queen egg, brows arched in wonderment as the gold dragon cracked shell and stumbled toward them. While she normally wouldn't have put herself forward while in public, Aracelis felt the queen should impress to someone other than the two simpering girls beckoning to the dragon, especially when she saw Braelyn shouting off to the side for one of them to step forward. Taking that step forward herself, pre-empting the others, the queen saw that movement and eyes met eyes. Aracelis knew nothing less than sheerest joy as she put her arms around Jerinyth's neck, tears running down her cheeks. Ushered in to Weyrlinghood, Aracelis quickly learned the political dynamics of Honshu. The young Weyrleader was nominally in charge, although she saw right through the scheming Braelyn and the Senior's designs on the handsome Weyrleader. Still, while she minded her place and learned her lessons dutifully, she was always aware when Th'zon was hiding in the shadows and observing the Weyrlings. She watched the Weyrleader in return, her observation much more subtle and unnoticed by the boy who was a Turn or two younger than she. Once she was permitted to fly *between*, she was unofficially made Junior Weyrwoman and given the duties of same even though she was still a Weyrling and still doing lessons with the Weyrlingmasters. However, she wanted to tell Th'zon how she felt about him, because she did indeed love him as deeply as she believed he loved her, so she arranged a visit to Harper Hall, away from Braelyn's prying eyes, and with the help of Jerinyth and Shalketh, declared her love in the gentle and quiet way everyone was used to.

Since then, she's remained a solid supporter of the Weyrleader, keeping Braelyn in check as much as possible, diffusing much of her crafty behavior, and working to ensure that Honshu will be ready for Thread. She too supports the effort to go to the past, but she defers to Braelyn in all things despite the Weyr's growing disaffection with the Senior and affection for her. The only thing she won't suffer Braelyn to interfere in is her budding relationship with Th'zon. While she's generally more along the lines of Kyndra's temperament, Aracelis does have some fire in her belly and once told Braelyn to keep her hands off her man. That's probably when Braelyn started thinking that it was best to simply find another Weyrleader entirely, although Aracelis believes that Th'zon is the right Weyrleader for Honshu. While she is a good person, she does sometimes lament the fact that they cannot depose the arrogant Braelyn, who doesn't have the Weyr's best interests at heart.

D'mar was born Dekelmar on the Northern Continent, a Telgarian holder boy of little note. His parents were real salts of the earth types, and this allowed the boy to learn to appreciate the world he was in and to be a steady sort. The only 'airy' thing he ever did was to construct kites and to fly them on the winds, but he always did his chores first. He was first Searched for Telgar Weyr when he was a mere boy of twelve, not finding his lifemate on the sands. From there, he began an amazing journey that took him to every Weyr on Pern, either as part of a candidate donation to Weyrs that didn't have enough for their eggs, or being Searched again and again. He quickly garnered a reputation as the unluckiest candidate ever, and it became the joke for other Candidates to stand near him, because they knew /he/ wouldn't be Impressing, so that increased /their/ chances. While others may have taken that poorly, Dekelmar actually welcomed others to stand with him. He stood because he felt it was his duty, but he knew that others /wanted/ to Impress with all their hearts, and anything he could do to help them achieve their dreams, he would do.

Imagine his surprise at Honshu Weyr, when Dekelmar was 24 (and standing for what he was gently told would be the last time because he would be too old), that blue Pharrenth calmly and methodically pushed, shoved, and clawed the other candidates away from the boy. D'mar was not only joyous, but he also worried about the Candidates who were hurt by the Weyrling dragon. The Healers, startled from their usual laid-back observation, darted forward and took care of the wounded. D'mar was hugely relieved that none of the injuries were that serious, much less fatal. In fact, two of the boys standing near him were later impressed themselves.

During Weyrling training, a number of people wondered that the lad never Impressed brown, because his stolid behavior was a far cry from the typical inventive and often erratic behavior of most of the blues in the Weyr. Once he graduated, Pharrenth rose after any number of greens just like the other blues, but his first win of green Cheliath was a turning point for the young man. Cheliath's rider, Mh'len, was one of the flakier greenriders in the Weyr, but for some reason known only to the two men, when morning arrived after the flight, D'mar never left. Their relationship has been ongoing for over a decade, and the only time anyone ever saw D'mar freaking out was when Mh'len was thought to have contracted the mysterious plague that was decimating the Weyr's population. They were like night and day, those two, and these days, hardly anyone can imagine one without the other.

It came as no surprise to anyone when solid, dependable D'mar was asked by the new Weyrleader Th'zon to be his Wing- and thus Weyrsecond. D'mar could not refuse, because he believes the young Weyrleader has what it takes to be truly great, if only that harridan Braelyn could be safely banished. He personally would rather work with Aracelis, and in his own quiet and subtle way, shows his disapproval for Braelyn's tricks and behaviors. Like Headwoman Nieve, D'mar isn't fooled by Braelyn's pretenses, and he will support his Weyrleader to the end.