Help Background

Your background can be as long or as short as you like so long as it answers two questions: Where did your character come from? and Where are they now and why?

It can be split into multiple sections (See +Help +Info), but at minimum the "general" section must be set to clear character generation.

A good background is realistic. Avoid major tragedies and remember this is Pern: we have Holds, Halls and Weyrs. Holds are where most people are from. There are major Holds and minor Holds — see 'news holds' for a list. Do not claim to be a member of the 'blood' of a Hold (that means, related to the Lord/Lady Holder or Holder) without checking with the HelpStaff about whether or not it will be ok. Halls are where crafters and their families live — see 'news crafts' for a list of crafts. Again, check with the HelpStaff before claiming a CraftMaster as one of your relatives. Weyrs are where dragons live, along with their riders, support staff and families — see 'news weyrs' for a list. It is not recommended that you claim a gold or bronze rider as a relative without checking first.

PernWorld is set approximately a century after Thread was banished for good. There is thus NO Thread on Pern. AIVAS was found in working order and there is a lot of technology in existence. Dragons have fewer and smaller clutches, the Weyrs have spread out and several Weyrholds have been founded. Dragonriders must have some skill to support themselves and their lifemate; no longer do Holds and Halls casually tithe to the Weyrs.

It is recommended that you check '+<alias>help' for a PC area. <alias> is the three letter alias listed in 'news holds', 'news crafts' and 'news weyrs'. Not all areas have anything in these files but a number do and it is valuable information.

EXAMPLES!

The three letter alias for Fort Weyr is FOW. To see the Weyr's helpfiles, type '+fowhelp'.

An example background would look something like this:

Born in a northern Cothold, Carlyn grew up among evergreens and mountains. Her family consisted of her parents, two older brothers and three younger sisters. When she was twelve, Carlyn was sent to Fort Hold to live with an ailing Aunt. She was Searched just after her seventeenth Turnday, and went to Fort Weyr with high expectations. No dragon hatched for Carlyn, but she became addicted to Weyr-life nonetheless. She made arrangements for her aunt, whom she was never particularly close to, and returned to Fort Weyr as soon as she could. Always one for hard work and the outdoors, Carlyn made herself useful in the stables.

The background isn't required to reflect your life story, only enough to give others a general idea of your history. You're welcome to write more if you want, of course.

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