Pondering Pern Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ierne Island

The Ierne islanders finally had to move north for various reasons, and originally wanted the twin craters that became Benden Weyr. It took some fancy talking from Sean Connell to convince them otherwise. Rene Mallibeau also moved to Benden from Fort Hold at that time, and started off the vineyards that produce the best wine on Pern.

It had taken years for him to find the perfect south facing slopes for his precious grape vines.

Answer: Holth

Moreta's queen dragon, Orlith, had clutched and was with her eggs on the Fort Weyr hatching ground when Moreta was needed to help deliver the vaccine, so she rode the old queen Holth instead, and both died "between" of exhaustion. Orlith and Holth's rider, Leri, suicided by going "between" together at dawn on the day the eggs hatched. While the Ballad of Moreta's ride is mentioned in several of the books, the actual full words of this oft-spoken-of Pernese ballad have never been printed in any of them. Menolly, accompanied by a dining room full of harpers, sang this song to calm her fire lizards during thread fall soon after arriving at the Harper Hall.

Answer: Barla was of the Ruathan bloodline.

After a frightening visit from Fax's soldiers, who broke the news of the deaths of Ruathan Lord Holder Kale and his family (except Lessa), Dowell realised his wife is a second cousin in the Ruathan bloodline, and both she and the child could be seen as a threat by Fax if he discovered the connection.

Many years and three children later, the family were living in the Igan caverns until Aramina became the object of renegade lady holder Thella's interest.

Answer: Cara

Cara was only a baby when her mother died, from lack of oxygen and loss of blood caused by severe injuries, on the colony ship Yokohama, after trying to stop Avril Bitra escaping Pern. Her father, who only realised how much he loved his wife at the time he lost her, changed the family name to Telgar so Sallah's name would always be spoken and remembered.

He himself was known as only Telgar from the day of Sallah's death. Dena was Cara's older sister.

Answer: Green firelizard clutches.

Suspicion was aroused that Meron had some sort of contact with the Oldtimers because of the large numbers of the lesser coloured (brown, blue and green} firelizards that had appeared in Nabol Hold. Sebell and Piemur attended a gather at Nabol, under orders from the Master Harper, to investigate the rumour.

While Sebell played the role of drunken herder to gather information in the gather area itself, Piemur disguised himself as a drudge and entered the hold proper. He found firelizard eggs on the hearth in Meron's private quarters, and stole one of them.

While hiding from Meron's guards, he found himself transported to the southern continent along with a consignment of goods that were payment for the eggs he found.

Answer: A night alone at Fort Weyr.

As Fort Weyr was empty at the time Robinton was an apprentice at the Harper Hall, and had been for hundreds of years, it was the perfect place for a new apprentice to have his bravery tested by the older boys. Finding the worst thing about his night at the abandoned Weyr was the darkness, Robinton decided to make sure the other first years, whom were destined to follow him, had matches and tinder so they could light a fire.

Answer: A tapestry

The Ruathan tapestry was commissioned by Madra's father, and hadn't yet been made when Lessa arrived in the old time and first met her and T'ron. The image of Ruatha Hold depicted in the tapestry gave Lessa the destination for Ramoth to take them back in time.

It was Lessa's knowledge of this tapestry that convinced Mardra and T'ron that she was telling the truth about where and when she came from.

Answer: All of these.

Pona was a girl with a very nasty stuck up attitude. She was intensely jealous of Menolly for having the nine firelizards, a brilliant musical ability and because Menolly ranked her, being daughter of a holder. Things came to a head between the two girls at the Fort gather when Pona accused Menolly of stealing the two marks the Master Harper had given her. Following the fight that erupted because of the accusation, and because she bore false witness against Menolly, Pona was sent home from the Harper Hall in disgrace.

Another of the paying girls, Audiva, stood by Menolly during this incident, and they became friends.

Answer: The Fort Hold horde.

Nerilka, or Rill as she became known, lost her mother and four of her sisters to the plague, while they were attending a gather at Ruatha Hold. Contempt for her father, who deserted her mother and sisters to their fate, and dislike of her new stepmother drove Nerilka to run away from Fort Hold and make her way to Ruatha, where she worked alongside others to produce the runner vaccine necessary to prevent another outbreak of the disease. Tuero was also in Ruatha at that time, but didn't recognise Rill as one of those he had nicknamed the Fort Hold horde.

Answer: In his boots.

The oldtimers were disappointed with their visit to the mine hold that day, not knowing that what they wanted most was hidden in Piemur's boots and rubbing his ankles raw. Only a few small sapphires were found, and most of them were deliberately damaged by the miners as they extracted the stones from rock.

The large cut sapphires were given to new Harper masters when they walked the tables. Piemur found himself wondering who the four new masters would be, and if Sebell would be one of them.