Really.  What are these mystical hides that we weyrwomen spend so much time on?  What do they contain?   What is so important about them that we spend most of our tenures hidden in the records room 'working' on them?  And, the ultimate question, what ~exactly~ is it that Junior Weyrwomen do ICly?  Telinda from Southern Weyr on SouCon has some very nice paragraphs that briefly describe the Senior and Junior role from an IC perspective:

The Senior Weyrwoman cares for the Residents, children and the Staff of [the] Weyr. She checks over the tithes, stores and the Weyr as a whole. She is in ultimate charge of the Candidates and the care of the human population of the Weyr. Her most important duty is that of her lifemate, including preparing for all aspects of mating, clutching and hatching.

During Threadfall, the Senior Weyrwoman leads the Queens’ Wing, essentially acting as its Wingleader, and she is also responsible for training the Junior Weyrwoman to fly in its ranks. Anything that is a support to the Rider population of the Weyr is also under her jurisdiction, for example Firestone stores, accounting and daily meals. The Headwoman assists the Senior Weyrwoman by reporting to her on the status of the Lower Caverns, and the Stewards report to her on the status of the Weyr’s supplies.

The Junior Weyrwomen have all the duties of Riders, which include Threadfall, but also assist the Weyrwoman in much the same way a Weyrsecond assists the Weyrleader. During Threadfall they fly in the Queens’ Wing, using flamethrowers while in flight. They generally take up the under-side of a Wing formation to catch any Thread that the Wing above misses. They are expected to train in their Wing in a disciplined fashion and to know as much as a Rider knows. The only time they aren’t expected to fly Threadfall is when their mature dragon rises and then takes to the sands with a clutch.

If the Senior Weyrwoman’s dragon does not rise for a long time, or on the retirement or death of the Weyrwoman, then a Junior Weyrwoman, usually the ‘eldest’ and most able is expected to become Weyrwoman. The Junior Weyrwoman is required to assume all duties that come with the position.

Junior Weyrwomen are expected to know as much, if not more than, the average Rider when it comes to Wing formations, Weyr upkeep, basic Dragonhealing and the like. She also has to learn the basic Queen Wing formations and train with them, for every Flight formation.

This next section is taken directly from the "Some Terms of Interest" pages at the back of "Moreta":

 

"Weyrwoman: The rider of a dragon queen and coleader, with the Weyrleader, of the Weyr. She is responsible for the conduct of the queens' wing during Fall, under the Weyrleader's orders; for the care of dragons, riders, and all Weyrfolk; and for the peace and tranquillity of the Weyr during a Pass and during Intervals. She appoints all subordinates, insures that all tithes are delivered or collected, and mediates all disputes except honor contests among riders. She is responsible for the training, fostering, and disposition of the Weyr's children and nonrider personnel, overseeing with the Weyrleader the training of weyrlings under the Weyrlingmaster...  Weyrwomen have autonomy in their own Weyr, but will act in concert with other Weyrwomen when necessary for the good of the Weyrs... Each Weyr has from two to five queens, the larger numbers occurring during a Pass. In the event of the death or voluntary retirement of a Weyrwoman, the position will be assumed by the oldest of the other queenriders in the Weyr...

So - a Weyrwoman can voluntarily retire. This helps those of us who have been in the position and assumed nothing short of injury, insanity or death could allow us to do so.

I remember having a hard time roleplaying exactly what my duties were after graduating to the ranks of Junior.  I have been asked by those who Impressed gold after me, "What do I do?" on a few occasions.   Unlike our fellow riders in 'regular' Wings who have sweeps and wing reports to specifically roleplay around, we have 'The Records.' Whee ;)  Seriously, though...I am hoping to detail what ~I~ think (therefore, this is my opinion and nothing actually gleaned from Anne's books - my theory) the records actually contain.  Hopefully having something a little more concrete will be beneficial to new Juniors who find themselves unsure as to what it is they actually are doing ICly.

Table of Contents

• What Are In The Records?
• Dragonhealing
• Weyr Upkeep
• Wing Formations
• Flight/Clutching/Hatching
• Flamethrowers
• Etiquette

 

What Are In The Records?

This is my theory as to some basic things the records likely contain.  I assume that the Weyrwomen, both Sr and Jr, are not the only ones who keep records as the Weyr often has Scribes as well as Stewards and Headwomen.  Perhaps it is the Weyrwomen who transcribe what the others detail into permanent, official Weyr records.  Whatever the procedure, to follow is a list I think safe enough to assume the records contain:

This is by no means meant to be a complete list but rather just an idea for things to use when roleplaying the records.

Dragonhealing:

If your Weyr is lucky enough to have an IC Dragonhealing program and you can take the time to go through the lessons, by all means do it! :)  Roleplaying a Jr can be a bit slow, especially when your fellow recent grads are doing drills with their new Wings.  Because no dragon will disobey a gold they become quite valuable in aiding with dragons or their rider's injuries.  The more a Jr knows, the more helpful she becomes.  She is almost obligated to have a least basic training.  If your Weyr does not have a Dragonhealer program, there are resources on the Web that detail the basics.

Weyr Upkeep:

I would assume this would entail such things as cleaning out unoccupied weyrs and rooms, making sure there is no greenery growing out of places it shouldn't, that there are plenty of dishes, pots and such in the kitchen...that sort of thing :)  The Headwoman and Head Steward would likely be heavily involved in the daily maintenance of these matters, perhaps with the Senior Weyrwoman assigning some bits to the Juniors, although I am unsure as to how likely that would be.

Wing Formations:

Even though the Queens' Wing flies beneath the other Fighting Wings, their knowledge of formations is no less needed than that for the others.   Juniors would be expected to be learning these patterns and knowing their effectiveness and need in a variety of Threadfall situations.  This is usually taught during Weyrling training.  The best reference I could find for additional information on formations is located on SouCon's Southern Weyr pages.  We used to have one for NC's Benden Weyr, but with the move and shift of pages it has apparently been lost.

Flight/Clutching/Hatching:

As a Junior, one would likely get some additional training regarding the Clutching and Hatching aspects.  Flights are generally covered during Weyrling training while the Clutching and Hatching might not be.  From a TOTAL IC perspective, a Junior would likely be taught the signs of when her queen is about to clutch, her dragon taught where to go perhaps, etc. 

Flamethrower:

Another thing likely taught during Weyrlinghood.   A Junior can likely rp getting more and more used to the 'Thrower, what settings work best in what situations, etc.  We turn again to SouCon's Southern Weyr who has a wonderful resource regarding the history and use of Flamethrowers.

Etiquette:

Something that I was told I would be taught during Weyrlinghood as a newly Impressed goldrider, which might also be one of those things a Junior could assume she was taught during that period.  I am guessing that these would be things such as how to properly greet Lords, Ladies, Craftmasters and other Weyrleaders in addition to acting properly outside (as well as inside) of one's Weyr.   Because of their position in Pern's society, goldriders are likely expected ICly to always be on their best and most respective behavior.