Sky Rider Signaling

All right I need you all to learn the sets of signals by the end of the week or none of you will be able to ride your Griffons. - Griffon Flight Instructor

With the rise of Griffon Riders, there has been a significant change in the way warfare will be played out in the coming years, but many things have been created with them such as Flight Armor and even their form of language. Due to the harsh condition of reaching higher altitudes communication between riders became limited as it became harder to hear one another due to their protective gear muffling their voice and winds that would block out the sound of it. Making it impossible for them to plan and work together as they lack communication for cooperation with one another. This leads to a long debate to figure this out by many riders and High King Darius Harkon himself with ideas ranging from horns to shield bashing to allow enough sound for riders to recognize commands. Though these plans would not work as it upset the Griffons if done near them too much leading and the sound often be hard to recognize if a rider was too far away. It was after many tests and meetings that the riders began to argue about whose plan was better which lead to an aggressive argument. It was in this argument that Darius realized the best solution to this problem was when the riders around him saw them making hand gestures and Magnus the Slayer would agree with this method of communication when he was a Dragon Ship as many of those riding it use hand signs to communicate.
Thus began a new form of communication through signals rather than words for the riders to use in flight. The basic idea is to use hand signals to communicate commands to those near them may it be officers or common riders to ensure they know what they are tasked to do. These signals can often be complex to those who do not know them but are easy to understand by those who were taught them.

Arms Gesture Types

The use of sky signaling is complex to those who are using it as certain gestures mean certain things that they must learn from memory as they can be used in rapid succession if a situation is hazardous and every second counts. Each part of the arm is used to convey certain commands that will allow a rider to understand a command easier and will not be lost in translation to avoid confusion.
Hands: Hands are used for more complex commands that will be used such as aerial maneuvers and tactics while in flight. They require a focused mind and a good memory to properly understand as they are often done quickly.
Forearm: The use of the forearm and hand revolves around directional movement and grouping in creating formation and disbursement methods. Gestures of these types are carefully observed to ensure proper understanding of them.
Entire Arm: The entire arm is used for basic commands that are easy to memorize such as attacking or holding a position. This is the most basic type of signaling that anyone can memorize with ease.

Common Signals

Hand on Head - Stay Put
Clockwise Closed Fist - Form up
Straight Arm Vertical Hand - Advance
Double Chest Pound - Attack
Forearms Connected - Dive

Spoken by

• Norrian

Limited Range

Due to the signaling relying solely on hand gestures it has a limited range on how far it can be seen. Creating a weakness in this complex language and can easily cut off riders from contacting one another if too far away or their line of sight is limited. Causing riders to be disorganized and cut off if they are not in close formation with one another to properly carry out orders.

Griffon Handling

Griffons can be hard to deal with at times and can easily be distracted if not properly trained. This is why riders make close bonds with their mounts for them to obey them, recently they have been using their signaling to train as Griffons have excellent eyesight and memory to understand commands. If taught a command vocally and use signaling as well they can follow command even without the need of hearing their rider's voice.