Sharra

Sharra was a Pernese woman, one of six siblings, her sister Murda, and brothers Hamian, Brever, Kevelon and Toric, born of High Palisades Hold, near Ista. She was originally a Journeywoman Healer, who later earned the rank of Master Healer, as well as the title of Lady Holder, after marrying Lord Jaxom of Ruatha, with whom she had two children, Jarrol and Shawan.

Biography[]

Southern Continent[]

Sharra resided in Southern Hold with her brother Toric. At some point, she impressed two fire lizards, brown Meer and bronze Talla. She was an accomplished healer and was familiar with the disease known as Fire-head Fever, though one of her patients died due to complications arising from going between too early. On one occasion, she went out with a number of holders to gather numbweed, where she met Piemur, an apprentice from Harper Hall, whom she brought to Southern Hold.

After Jaxom fell ill with Fire-head, Sharra was summoned to nurse him due to her skill in healing. During this time, she became able to communicate with Jaxom's dragon Ruth, who needed to tell her what was wrong with Jaxom. During his long recovery, Jaxom and Sharra fell in love. Aware that Toric might not be amenable, Sharra resolved to enjoy Jaxom while she could, assisting in the exploration of the local landscape. One night, Toric requested that Sharra return to Southern Hold to treat an ill holder. In reality, he held her hostage, intending to forcibly marry her to a holder. Sharra called out to Ruth, who took Jaxom to rescue her. Jaxom used Ruth's abilities as an example and forced Toric to agree to let Sharra marry him. Soon after, Jaxom was confirmed as Lord Holder of Ruatha Hold, with Sharra as Lady Holder.

AIVAS[]

As Sharra continued to work with the Healer's Hall after becoming Ruatha's Lady Holder, she was called on after her mate, Lord Jaxom, made the discovery of the AIVAS (Artificial Intelligence Voice Address System) annex, which had been buried under centuries of ash and dirt since the eruption of Mount Garben (an event that forced the original colonists to move to a safer location in the north). Inside the annex, a sentient computer system, calling itself Aivas, was reactivated to not only deliver a means for the Pernese to rid themselves of the threat of Thread, but also to bring them up to a level of technology and information that could further improve their lives.

It was during this time that Sharra worked in conjunction with Healer Hall to aid in a second phase of Aivas' plans (the chief part was guiding the dragonriders to stop Thread from falling on Pern). To do this, Sharra and a good number of healers had to learn about bacteria and how they worked in infections and diseases. Then, under Aivas' guidance, Sharra helped to dissect a Thread ovoid to understand how it "lived". With this information, the healers developed a biological means to render Thread impotent and unable to reproduce. To help with this, several dragonriders were attached to the final mission made the journey to the Red Star to scatter the "Thread Killers" among the inert ovoids still on the surface.

During all of the events leading up to this, Sharra had been in touch with her brother Hamian, to tell him about Aivas. It was at her prompting that Hamian approached Aivas to inquire about learning to produce synthetics and plastics as durable as the Ancients were able to make.

After the end of the mission to defeat Thread, Sharra continued to work with Healer Hall, even after the self-shutdown of Aivas. She was still able to access Aivas' vast data-banks, using what was inside the medical knowledge to further improve the skills and techniques of her Crafthall. However, Healer Hall became the target of people who were strongly anti-technology -- called Abomonators -- who ransacked the Hall's still room and medicinal storage to destroy months of labor in one night. Sharra had been present in the hall during the attack and summoned her mate's white dragon, Ruth, and Jaxom to aid in stopping the Abominators from further damage to the Hall. Dragons and Holders from Fort assisted, and the guilty were seen to by Lord Groghe.

Later, while the threat of the Abominators were still at large, Sharra later learned that her brother, Lord Toric of Southern, was setting himself against both the Lord Holders and the Weyr Leaders of Pern, as he had ambitions to expand his Southern Hold to a size far larger than was fair for any Lord Holder to have. She confided to Jaxom that Toric was greedy and sought to better his station and rank at the expense of others.

Appearance and personality[]

Sharra was a fairly tall woman (she could kiss Jaxom without having to rise up on her toes), with a sun-touched complexion, deep colored eyes and dark hair that fell in waves to her shoulders. Her nose was a touch long, and her chin was observed to be "too firm for beauty", yet she had a double-curve to her mouth that some found beguiling. Fit and well-made, Sharra also had long legs for a woman as well.

She had a voice with a rich Southern accent (as meaning being from the Southern Continent), which was often noted for her beautiful speaking and singing ability, as well as allowing her to put her patients (chiefly Lord Jaxom) at ease.

Sharra was a woman with a level-headed, common sense mannerism about her, which lent to her capability as a healer and an organizer: skills that aided her after she became a Master Healer. Compassionate, caring, with a wry sense of humor as well -- qualities that had proven why she became Lord Jaxom's Lady -- she also had a tenacious streak when it came to the care of her patients, as well as learning new medical techniques and skills. Her mind was as sharp as many of her peers -- which allowed her to see many aspects of the issues of her time -- as such, it gave her the means to comprehend the value of modern technology, including Aivas.

Master Oldive once praised Sharra for being "so generous and giving" of herself, key qualities she used to face the day-to-day duties as Lady Holder of Ruatha.

Sharra

Contents

Biography[]

Southern Continent[]

AIVAS[]

Appearance and personality[]

Appearances[]