Characters in Dragonriders of Pern
Encyclopedia
Characters in the Dragonriders of Pern
series of science fiction novels by Anne McCaffrey
.
and the rider of bronze Mnementh.
F'lar was born Fallarnon, 32 turns
before the beginning of the Ninth Pass of the Red Star. His father, F'lon, and his grandfather, S'loner, were both Weyrleaders in their own time. His mother was Larna, who died just after giving birth to him, and he was raised by Manora, the Headwoman at Benden Weyr and mother of his half-brother F'nor.
At the time of his ascension to Weyrleader, Benden Weyr was the only populated weyr
on Pern
. Like F'lon, F'lar believed that Thread would return to devastate the land. He took responsibility for ensuring that Pern was protected from Thread, and he even promised the Lord Holders that he would destroy Thread completely at its source, the Red Star.
F'lar was a champion of justice, and was involved in a number of knife fights that were fought to protect both his beliefs and those less able to defend themselves. He fought and killed Fax, the self-styled "Lord of Seven Holds", when the visit of dragonriders to his holdings precipitated a challenge to Fax's authority. This victory resulted in the discovery of Lessa of Ruatha Hold
as a candidate for the last remaining queen egg, and ultimately the successful Impression of Ramoth. Later, he also fought the oldtimers T'ron (who challenged him when he offered to help another Weyr) and T'kul (whose dragon, Salth, had just died trying to fly the queen Caylith, in contravention of an agreement that only younger Bronzes would have the opportunity).
Mnementh flew Ramoth to establish F'lar's leadership in the weyr, and F'lar and Lessa became lifemates. Together they had a son, F'lessan, whose childhood name was Felessan.
After the discovery of AIVAS, F'lar was one of the champions of the scheme that rid Pern of thread forever.
F'lar has dark hair (later described as greying), and amber eyes that he inherited from his sire, Falloner (F'lon).
's former Weyrleader, F'lon and its current Headwoman Manora. He was also the half-brother of the current weyrleader, F'lar. He is a wingsecond at Benden.
F'nor is a major character in the books; his most notable deed was attempting to fly to the Red Star in an attempt to destroy Thread at its source. This attempt was unsuccessful, as the Red Star could not support human or dragon life, and almost resulted in his death.
F'nor and Brekke formed a long-term relationship.
A Benden Weyr
native, F'lessan was born as "Felessan", and is the son of the Benden Weyrleaders, F'lar and Lessa. Since Lessa nearly died giving birth to him, he has no full siblings (nor any known half-siblings). Through Lessa, F'lessan is related to Lord Kale of Ruatha Hold
, Lessa's late father, who was killed, as well as almost all of Ruathan blood, by Fax.
When he was young, F'lessan befriended young Lord Jaxom, prior to Jaxom taking on his full duties at the Ruathan Holdship. In his early teens, F'lessan Impressed a bronze, young Golanth, from a clutch of Ramoth and Mnementh, his parents' dragons. Over the Turns, F'lessan and Golanth (called "Golly") became one of the key young dragonpairs that helped to stop Thread from returning. F'lessan also fell in love with Tai, a young Monaco Bay rider of green Zaranth, in "The Skies of Pern
". He has three sons, including S'lan, a brown rider.
F'lessan later discovered and restored the abandoned Honshu Hold which he claimed and called "Honshu Weyrhold".
F'lessan and his dragon were injured in a skirmish involving felines in "The Skies of Pern
", but recovered, though his dragon was permanently handicapped.
after his mother's death, and was raised by the ex-dragonrider Lytol. Jaxom caused controversy among the leaders of Pern
by Impressing the white dragon
, Ruth, when he was eleven years old. Later, he became a hero—although he did not tell anyone at the time—by saving a queen egg of Ramoth's (the Benden
queen dragon) from the rebellious Oldtimers, who had stolen it in their attempt to repopulate their Weyr. He was also one of the central forces of the movement to banish Thread from Pern forever.
Jaxom is born approximately five Turns (years) before the start of the Ninth Pass of the Red Star, whilst F'lar and F'nor were leading a search for candidates for the last Queen egg of dragon queen Nemorth's final clutch. His mother, Lady Gemma, the wife of Fax dies giving birth to him.
Fax initially agrees to acknowledge Jaxom as the new Lord of Ruatha Hold
on the basis on the Hold being unable to adequately provide for its Lord, but threatens to renege on that promise and attacks F'lar. F'lar kills Fax in the duel, leaving Jaxom an orphan.
Deelan, the mother of Dorse, is his wet nurse and foster mother. Until Jaxom is old enough to take his position as Lord Holder, Ruatha is left in the hands of Lytol, a former dragonrider and weaver, who acts as mentor and guardian to Jaxom throughout his younger years.
On a visit to Benden Weyr, Jaxom and his friend Felessan (later, F'lessan, and also the son of F'lar and Lessa) take the chance to spy upon a clutch of Ramoth's eggs, and Jaxom expresses concern about the smallest egg. On their way back, exploring the back tunnels of the Weyr, the two boys discover a previously unknown room, with diagrams from ancient times and a microscope.
When Jaxom returns to the Weyr for the Hatching, the white egg fails to hatch, and Jaxom impresses Ruth when he breaks the egg's unusually tough shell and inner membrane. The Impression is considered a nuisance by many, as Jaxom has responsibilities as Lord Holder to uphold, and some feel it might create a conflict of interests. Also, a dragon and its rider must live in a Weyr, but Jaxom as a future Lord Holder must live in his hold, and clearly he can not live in two places at the same time. This problem is sorted by the Pragmatic Lytol who points out that any place a dragon lives is by definition a weyr, so if Ruth were to live in Ruatha's stables, the stables become a weyr..... Ruth is not expected to mature to a size which would allow him to join a Thread-fighting wing of a weyr, which would take Jaxom away from his responsibilities in Ruatha, so the two are allowed to return to Ruatha.
Growing up, Ruth becomes his main friend, but once allowed to fly, and then to go between, he finds friends among other students at the Harper Hall, Smithcraft and in the Weyr. He also learns how to go between time as well as place, and, despite thinking that it would bring down recriminations upon him, to flame Thread. Because Ruth is especially adept at 'Timing it', he and Jaxom play a major part in the end of Threadfall forever.
Jaxom defied the Southern Holder by marrying Sharra, who is a great healer. Sharra is the only other person who can hear Ruth's thoughts. Together they had two boys whose names were Jarrol and Shawan.
Weyrwoman during the Ninth Pass, and rider of the gold dragon Ramoth. Lessa's ability to psychically influence the thoughts and actions of others plays a role in various parts of the series.
Lessa was the daughter of Kale and Adessa, the Lord and Lady of Ruatha Hold
. Kale was an amiable man and in ordinary times was considered the ideal Lord Holder. However, Kale underestimated the greed of his neighbor, Fax, the Lord Holder of High Reaches, who had conquered five other holds since claiming his own. This optimistically trusting nature resulted in the deaths of Lord Kale and the entire Ruathan bloodline...except for Lessa herself, who hid in the watch-wher
's den. According to the books, Lessa was 11 turns (years) old at the time of the attack.
At a young age, she was already very headstrong and independent. Her father apparently mentions her as "stubborn at only four [years old]", and the Harper Robinton is many years later amused when she falls asleep during a marching song.
Lessa spends years as a drudge in Ruatha's kitchens, surviving abuse and subtly undermining a hold which should otherwise thrive; as a way of gaining petty revenge against Fax and biding her time. So when the Benden riders come in search of a woman with the telepathic talents to Impress
the new queen dragonet, the dragons can feel her aura and she also uses her abilities to embroil the dragonrider F'lar in a fight to the death with Fax, which F'lar wins.
Instead of inheriting her family hold of Ruatha, Lessa reluctantly gives up her right as heir to Jaxom, son of her distant cousin Gemma, whom Fax had married to give his claim to Ruatha some form of legitimacy. She then travels to Benden Weyr to become the only Weyrwoman on Pern. She joins forces with Weyrleader F'lar to fight the resurgence of the voracious alien life-forms known as "Thread". Lessa's most notable accomplishment is the re-discovery that dragons can travel between times as well as places. She foolhardily dares to use this skill to travel 400 years into the past in a single jump to seek help leaving F'lar in despair back in the present. However she succeeds in persuading the dragonriders at the end of the Eighth Pass to travel to the future and resume fighting the menace of Thread that once again threatens life on Pern. These saviours become the "Oldtimers" in the present and several eventually become a thorn in Lessa's and F'lar's side.
At first, Lessa is portrayed as an extremely unsociable, cynical and uptight personality, having known nothing but abuse and petty revenge in her time at Ruatha. In the course of the books, however, she grows into her broader role, becoming much more personable; developing a genuinely loving relationship with F'lar. Nevertheless, she is always notably short-tempered and occasionally uses her considerable psychic ability to influence the mood of others and affect their perceptions of things through the use of her ability to talk to all dragons.
Lessa is a petite woman described as being childlike in figure with extremely long, thick black hair. Her queen Ramoth is the largest dragon on the planet.
F'lessan becomes her only child, it being assessed as too dangerous for her to have more after nearly dying in childbirth. In the earlier books, she expresses bitterness that she was not like Kylara, another Weyrwoman known for her promiscuity, who bore many children despite not wanting any.
In The Skies of Pern
, she admits that she left the care of F'lessan to his fostermother and that she'd never really paid much attention to him. Manora replied that it was expected, since she was Weyrwoman and had other duties.
Menolly grew up in Half-Circle Sea Hold, where she assisted the Hold harper, Petiron (Robinton's father), in teaching children their learning songs, wrote her own songs, and dreamed of becoming a harper. Her parents grudgingly allowed her to continue teaching the Hold children children music after Petiron died, as their community had no other harper. When she deeply wounded her hand while gutting packtail (a type of fish), the wound was allowed to heal wrongly so that she could not play again. They did, along with not being able to play, forbid her to sing once the replacement harper came, as they believed it was not proper for girls to do such things. Menolly was, in fact, beaten severely for simply playing music that was not part of the regular classes.
Menolly ran away from home and took refuge in a cave, where she Impressed nine fire-lizards: gold Beauty, bronzes Rocky and Diver, browns Mimic, Lazybones, and Brownie, blue Uncle, and greens Auntie One and Auntie Two. Being far from her cave, and without a Hold, Menolly found herself caught in Threadfall, but was rescued by a brown dragonrider and brought to Benden Weyr. After the Hatching feast, she was finally discovered by Masterharper Robinton, as the apprentice Petiron mentioned in messages to the Harper Hall.
At the Harper Hall
, Menolly befriended Camo, Piemur, Audiva, Silvina, and Sebell. Not everyone approved of a girl becoming a harper, and she was the victim of envy (especially among the female students) because of her fire lizards. Being the talented student she was, she rose to the rank of Journeyman a week from the day of her arrival. She wrote many popular songs, such as "The Fire Lizard Song/Queen's Song" and "Brekke's Song"—songs helped transmit news and current events throughout Pern. Eventually she married Sebell, with whom she had three children, and became a Master Harper, helping with the movement to banish Thread from Pern forever. Her songs were very important to Pernese's evolving society.
When, during Dragonsinger
, Menolly arrives at the Harper Hall (though both this and Dragonsong
are viewed primarily through the eyes of Menolly), Piemur is one of the first to get to know her. At first this interest is merely a curiosity regarding Menolly's possession of nine fire lizards, though it grows to a closer mutual friendship throughout Dragonsinger, the second book in the Harper Hall trilogy. Piemur has doubts about his future in the Harper Hall, unsure of what will become of him when his voice breaks, and shares these doubts with Menolly, who convinces him to concentrate more on the present.
At the start of Dragondrums
, Piemur's voice begins to break. While his voice is in transition, he is unable to sing, so becomes the apprentice of Masterharper Robinton himself. However, this is kept secret, and Piemur is publicly assigned to Drum tower (a system of communication using complicated drum measures to communicate over long distances). Robinton's plan is for Piemur to use his natural talents to gather information that could be useful for the planning the future of Pern. These missions include a visit to a nearby mine, where Piemur discovers that the exiled Oldtimers are taking gemstones without payment.
The other apprentice and journeyman harpers at the Drumheights know Piemur's reputation, so bully him according to the mischief they expect in return. Piemur believes that this is a test, and he is supposed to remain silent about the bullying, in order to prove his discretion. The culmination of this is when the other apprentices grease the steps leading the Drumheights: Piemur slips on the steps, causing a dangerous fall, and is lucky to escape with a severe concussion. Following this incident, he is removed from the Drumheights.
When Piemur recovers from his fall, Master Robinton assigns him a mission with Journeyman Sebell. They are to join the Gather at Lord Meron's Hold (disguised as cattle traders, ironically enough), to report the commoners' mood concerning Lord Meron's association with the banned Old-timers as well as the Lord Holder himself, who is slowly dying of a wasting disease. One of the first things they notice is the extreme number of firelizards in the Hold, and deduct that this is the payment Lord Meron has been receiving from the Old-timers. After a series of events, Piemur finds himself being chased around Nabol Hold, unable to escape, and with a firelizard egg, stolen from Lord Meron, that he believes is that of a queen. He hides in a sack in a small storage room, and promptly falls fast asleep, presumably due to his recent head injury.
While Piemur sleeps, with the egg tucked warmly in his shirt, the sacks are transported between to Southern Weyr, where the Old-timers reside, and Piemur escapes without notice. He flees the area until the firelizard, which he was correct to assume was a queen, has hatched. He names the firelizard Farli (possibly due to a coincidence, this has the same pronunciation as the Scandinavian "danger" – "farlig", "farleg", etc.).
On his way to Southern Hold (not inhabited by the Old-timers), Piemur meets Sharra, a girl from the very place he is going to, and helps her in the research she is conducting on the native plants of the Southern Continent. They eventually make their way back the Hold, on the same day that Menolly and Sebell, who, until now have been searching the Northern Continent for him, arrive at Southern Hold. As there is no reason for Piemur to return to the Northern Continent – his good voice is gone, and Masterharper Robinton was interested in exploring the Southern Continent regardless of where Piemur was – he is instructed, or rather permitted, to stay and map the coast of Southern.
Along with Jaxom, Lord of Ruatha Hold and rider of the White Dragon
, Ruth, Piemur takes part in the rediscovery of Landing, the first human settlement on Pern, and thus the uncovering of the AIVAS, and all the subsequent events.
Piemur is involved in a large amount of the controversial "progress" that occurs after the awakening of the AIVAS, and together with Jancis, granddaughter of Mastersmith Farandel, rebuilds one of the first computers.
Piemur later marries Jancis, and has a son, Pierjan.
, his character was a sketchy representation of the Harper Craft Hall. In Dragonquest
his personality became more fully developed and this process was continued throughout Dragonsong
, Dragonsinger
and Dragondrums
. In The Masterharper of Pern
, the story of young Robinton is the canvas for developing the backstory alluded to throughout the original Pern Chronicles.
The early stories of Robinton's life allowed McCaffrey to develop characters such as F'lon, father of F'lar and F'nor, and Silvina, Camo and Shonagar of the Harper Hall. McCaffrey also used him to expand the story of Fax
, allowing Robinton to provide an extra perspective on scenes that were some of her earliest writings.
Robinton, as the Masterharper, embodies McCaffrey's ideals for the Harper Hall
. A musical prodigy, he surpassed both his parents by composing popular songs throughout his childhood, and becoming a Journeyman
harper at fifteen. He was faced with professional jealousy (which caused estrangement from his father when young), similar to that which challenged Harpers Menolly and Piemur in Dragonsinger
and Dragondrums
.
A wise diplomat, teacher and leader, he helped the Benden
Weyrleaders, Lessa and F'lar, deal with the return of Thread and the Oldtimers, gaining the love and respect of everyone on Pern
. Of course, McCaffrey ensured that he had redeemable character flaws, such as his great fondness for wine (particularly Benden wine), which could be said to have saved his life in one point in The White Dragon
, when he suffered a heart attack.
When Robinton eventually stepped down as Masterharper and retired to Cove Hold on the Southern Continent, he became close friends with Lytol, former Lord Warder of Ruatha Hold
and a former Benden brown rider (mentioned as a green rider in Dragonflight), as well as D'ram, rider of bronze Tiroth and a former Oldtimer Weyrleader of Ista. This friendship reflects the lessening of the isolation and rigidly controlled autonomy of Weyr, Hold and Hall, which was a constant theme of the original Pern Chronicles.
Upon the discovery of Landing and the Artificial Intelligence Voice-Address System (AIVAS/Aivas) at the end of The Renegades of Pern, Robinton, D'ram and Lytol took over joint administration of the Landing facility, leading the efforts to both end the onslaught of Thread and to modernize Pernese society. In All the Weyrs of Pern
, "traditionalist" Pernese attempted to end what they perceived as AIVAS' "destructive" influence on their society by drugging Robinton's food and drink, kidnapping him and holding him for ransom in exchange for AIVAS' destruction. Robinton was quickly found and rescued, but the effects of the overdose took its toll on Robinton's health. After the Red Star's orbit was altered and ensuring that the current Pass would be the last, he died peacefully in the AIVAS chamber, shortly after AIVAS shut itself down. His fire-lizard Zair, like a dragon following his rider, died with him.
Robinton was laid to rest in the waters of his beloved Cove Hold, and every dragonrider, Lord Holder and Craftmaster on the planet turned out for the service. His death was a metaphor for the end of the great struggle with Thread, which had consumed the lives of all Pernese since shortly after Landing on Pern.
of F'lar, the Weyrleader of Benden Weyr
during the Ninth Pass. Mnementh is the sole mate of gold dragon Ramoth and thus the sire or ancestor of many dragons born during the Ninth Pass. He is also the second-largest dragon on Pern, after Ramoth (though Ramoth is not much larger), although Jaxom's Ruth mistakenly describes him as "the biggest dragon on all Pern".
, Ruth hatches near the end of the novel. The dragon's story is expanded upon in the novel The White Dragon
.
In Dragonquest, the gold dragon Ramoth lays a clutch of eggs, one of which McCaffrey describes as small with an unusually tough shell. The weyrfolk of Benden Weyr
assume that the egg will not hatch, and begin to depart from the Hatching Ground when all the other hatchling dragonets have impressed with human dragonriders. The character Lord Jaxom jumps from the bleachers to the Hatching Ground to assist the unborn dragonet by breaking open the shell. Jaxom inadvertently Impresses the dragon.
After Impression, the Council decides that it has no problem with the young Lord's bond with Ruth, as it is believed that Ruth will not live long. He does survive to maturity, although he is much smaller than the other dragons. In order to avoid the animosity of the Lord Holders, Lessa and F'lar carefully guide the Lord and dragon. Lord Jaxom is able to fly on Ruth, and is trained to go "between".
Lord Jaxom becomes frustrated with various restrictions, such as the inability to take Hold of Ruatha, and the refusal of Dragonrider status. He rebels, and attempts to teach Ruth to chew firestone. He discovered Ruth's innate ability to orient himself in time while practicing going between. After Lord Jaxom and Ruth emerge amidst Threadfall, the Weyrfolk consent to give him firestone training.
In addition to his small size, Ruth is notable for his hide, which though commonly regarded as white, appears to be composed of pale hues from all dragons. It is possible that Ruth is a neuter, and indeed, "he" never shows an interest in mating. In addition to his physical attributes, Ruth is unusually willing to speak with humans besides his own rider, and has close and friendly relationships with fire lizards, as well as a long memory and heightened intelligence. He also has a heightened ability to travel "between" to different times with the knowledge of exactly when and where he is in time and space.
At the time of Impression, male dragonriders' names are shortened with an apostrophe. This follows an old tradition of shortening names because the first dragons of Pern slurred the rider's names during Threadfall. For example, Famanoran became F'nor at his impression.
Most girls will only Impress gold queens, with the exception of a few female green riders, such as Mirrim, (and one blue rider, Xhinna) and queens fly in a wing of their own, with agenothree
tanks to sear Thread from the skies. (Agenothree got its name from the chemical name, HNO3, but caught on as 'agenothree' when M'hall mispronounced it when in a rush.) However, in times when the Weyrs are low on dragonriders, some Weyrwomen do not use a queens' wing, preferring to use females as purely-mating dragons, and don't want to run the risk of them being unable to rise for mating flights. Thus, female dragonriders do not shorten their names as a rule.
When asked why all dragons' names end in th, Anne McCaffrey facetiously replied, "Dragons have forked tongues. They lisp"; Pernese dragons have no vocal cords, and speak only telepathically.
Dragonriders of Pern
Dragonriders of Pern is a science fiction series written primarily by the late American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey, who initiated it in 1967. Beginning 2003, her middle child Todd McCaffrey has written Pern novels, both solo and jointly with Anne. The series comprises 22 novels and several short...
series of science fiction novels by Anne McCaffrey
Anne McCaffrey
Anne Inez McCaffrey was an American-born Irish writer, best known for her Dragonriders of Pern series. Over the course of her 46 year career she won a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award...
.
AIVAS
An advanced computer called AIVAS (Artificial Intelligence Voice Address System). AIVAS was found by Jaxom and Piemur while they were excavating the city called Landing, the original settlement of the ancestors (the original colonists from Dragonsdawn), that had been buried in ash during a volcanic eruption. AIVAS has remained undisturbed since the events of Dragonsdawn some 2500 years earlier and, in addition to holding a huge volume of stored information long since lost to the Pernese society, claims to be able to eliminate the threat of Thread forever. AIVAS reintroduced many technological advancements to the society. Some people feeling AIVAS was a threat to their way of life called it an abomination and tried to destroy it, but they were unsuccessful.F'lar
F'lar was the weyrleader of Benden WeyrBenden Weyr
Benden Weyr is the second of eight Weyrs on the planet of Pern in Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern fantasy novel series....
and the rider of bronze Mnementh.
F'lar was born Fallarnon, 32 turns
Year
A year is the orbital period of the Earth moving around the Sun. For an observer on Earth, this corresponds to the period it takes the Sun to complete one course throughout the zodiac along the ecliptic....
before the beginning of the Ninth Pass of the Red Star. His father, F'lon, and his grandfather, S'loner, were both Weyrleaders in their own time. His mother was Larna, who died just after giving birth to him, and he was raised by Manora, the Headwoman at Benden Weyr and mother of his half-brother F'nor.
At the time of his ascension to Weyrleader, Benden Weyr was the only populated weyr
Weyr
A Weyr is a collection of dragons, their riders and support staff in Anne McCaffrey's fictional world of Pern.The function of a Weyr is to fight Thread, a spore that originates in the Oort cloud of the Rukbat solar system, carried by a planetoid referred to as the Red Star with a loose elliptical...
on Pern
Pern
Pern is a fictional planet created by Anne McCaffrey for the Dragonriders of Pern series of fantasy and science fiction books. It is said to be "Rukbat 3", the third planet in orbit around the star Rukbat, counting outward....
. Like F'lon, F'lar believed that Thread would return to devastate the land. He took responsibility for ensuring that Pern was protected from Thread, and he even promised the Lord Holders that he would destroy Thread completely at its source, the Red Star.
F'lar was a champion of justice, and was involved in a number of knife fights that were fought to protect both his beliefs and those less able to defend themselves. He fought and killed Fax, the self-styled "Lord of Seven Holds", when the visit of dragonriders to his holdings precipitated a challenge to Fax's authority. This victory resulted in the discovery of Lessa of Ruatha Hold
Ruatha Hold
Ruatha Hold is a hold, or dwelling-place , on the fictional planet of Pern in the series of "The Dragonriders of Pern" by Anne McCaffrey. Ruatha was the third major hold to be established on Pern. Its founders were Peter "Red" Hanrahan, his wife and their children...
as a candidate for the last remaining queen egg, and ultimately the successful Impression of Ramoth. Later, he also fought the oldtimers T'ron (who challenged him when he offered to help another Weyr) and T'kul (whose dragon, Salth, had just died trying to fly the queen Caylith, in contravention of an agreement that only younger Bronzes would have the opportunity).
Mnementh flew Ramoth to establish F'lar's leadership in the weyr, and F'lar and Lessa became lifemates. Together they had a son, F'lessan, whose childhood name was Felessan.
After the discovery of AIVAS, F'lar was one of the champions of the scheme that rid Pern of thread forever.
F'lar has dark hair (later described as greying), and amber eyes that he inherited from his sire, Falloner (F'lon).
F'nor
Famanoran or F'nor (Fnōr) is the rider of the brown dragon Canth and was the son of Benden WeyrBenden Weyr
Benden Weyr is the second of eight Weyrs on the planet of Pern in Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern fantasy novel series....
's former Weyrleader, F'lon and its current Headwoman Manora. He was also the half-brother of the current weyrleader, F'lar. He is a wingsecond at Benden.
F'nor is a major character in the books; his most notable deed was attempting to fly to the Red Star in an attempt to destroy Thread at its source. This attempt was unsuccessful, as the Red Star could not support human or dragon life, and almost resulted in his death.
F'nor and Brekke formed a long-term relationship.
F'lessan
F'lessan is the rider of bronze Golanth.A Benden Weyr
Benden Weyr
Benden Weyr is the second of eight Weyrs on the planet of Pern in Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern fantasy novel series....
native, F'lessan was born as "Felessan", and is the son of the Benden Weyrleaders, F'lar and Lessa. Since Lessa nearly died giving birth to him, he has no full siblings (nor any known half-siblings). Through Lessa, F'lessan is related to Lord Kale of Ruatha Hold
Ruatha Hold
Ruatha Hold is a hold, or dwelling-place , on the fictional planet of Pern in the series of "The Dragonriders of Pern" by Anne McCaffrey. Ruatha was the third major hold to be established on Pern. Its founders were Peter "Red" Hanrahan, his wife and their children...
, Lessa's late father, who was killed, as well as almost all of Ruathan blood, by Fax.
When he was young, F'lessan befriended young Lord Jaxom, prior to Jaxom taking on his full duties at the Ruathan Holdship. In his early teens, F'lessan Impressed a bronze, young Golanth, from a clutch of Ramoth and Mnementh, his parents' dragons. Over the Turns, F'lessan and Golanth (called "Golly") became one of the key young dragonpairs that helped to stop Thread from returning. F'lessan also fell in love with Tai, a young Monaco Bay rider of green Zaranth, in "The Skies of Pern
The Skies of Pern
The Skies of Pern is a science fiction novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. It was the sixteenth book published in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne or her son Todd McCaffrey.The Skies of Pern was first published in 2001...
". He has three sons, including S'lan, a brown rider.
F'lessan later discovered and restored the abandoned Honshu Hold which he claimed and called "Honshu Weyrhold".
F'lessan and his dragon were injured in a skirmish involving felines in "The Skies of Pern
The Skies of Pern
The Skies of Pern is a science fiction novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. It was the sixteenth book published in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne or her son Todd McCaffrey.The Skies of Pern was first published in 2001...
", but recovered, though his dragon was permanently handicapped.
Jaxom
Jaxom is both a dragonrider and a Lord Holder. He was declared the Lord of Ruatha HoldRuatha Hold
Ruatha Hold is a hold, or dwelling-place , on the fictional planet of Pern in the series of "The Dragonriders of Pern" by Anne McCaffrey. Ruatha was the third major hold to be established on Pern. Its founders were Peter "Red" Hanrahan, his wife and their children...
after his mother's death, and was raised by the ex-dragonrider Lytol. Jaxom caused controversy among the leaders of Pern
Pern
Pern is a fictional planet created by Anne McCaffrey for the Dragonriders of Pern series of fantasy and science fiction books. It is said to be "Rukbat 3", the third planet in orbit around the star Rukbat, counting outward....
by Impressing the white dragon
Dragons (Pern)
The Dragons of Pern are a fictional race created by Anne McCaffrey as an integral part of the science fiction world depicted in her Dragonriders of Pern novels....
, Ruth, when he was eleven years old. Later, he became a hero—although he did not tell anyone at the time—by saving a queen egg of Ramoth's (the Benden
Benden Weyr
Benden Weyr is the second of eight Weyrs on the planet of Pern in Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern fantasy novel series....
queen dragon) from the rebellious Oldtimers, who had stolen it in their attempt to repopulate their Weyr. He was also one of the central forces of the movement to banish Thread from Pern forever.
Jaxom is born approximately five Turns (years) before the start of the Ninth Pass of the Red Star, whilst F'lar and F'nor were leading a search for candidates for the last Queen egg of dragon queen Nemorth's final clutch. His mother, Lady Gemma, the wife of Fax dies giving birth to him.
Fax initially agrees to acknowledge Jaxom as the new Lord of Ruatha Hold
Ruatha Hold
Ruatha Hold is a hold, or dwelling-place , on the fictional planet of Pern in the series of "The Dragonriders of Pern" by Anne McCaffrey. Ruatha was the third major hold to be established on Pern. Its founders were Peter "Red" Hanrahan, his wife and their children...
on the basis on the Hold being unable to adequately provide for its Lord, but threatens to renege on that promise and attacks F'lar. F'lar kills Fax in the duel, leaving Jaxom an orphan.
Deelan, the mother of Dorse, is his wet nurse and foster mother. Until Jaxom is old enough to take his position as Lord Holder, Ruatha is left in the hands of Lytol, a former dragonrider and weaver, who acts as mentor and guardian to Jaxom throughout his younger years.
On a visit to Benden Weyr, Jaxom and his friend Felessan (later, F'lessan, and also the son of F'lar and Lessa) take the chance to spy upon a clutch of Ramoth's eggs, and Jaxom expresses concern about the smallest egg. On their way back, exploring the back tunnels of the Weyr, the two boys discover a previously unknown room, with diagrams from ancient times and a microscope.
When Jaxom returns to the Weyr for the Hatching, the white egg fails to hatch, and Jaxom impresses Ruth when he breaks the egg's unusually tough shell and inner membrane. The Impression is considered a nuisance by many, as Jaxom has responsibilities as Lord Holder to uphold, and some feel it might create a conflict of interests. Also, a dragon and its rider must live in a Weyr, but Jaxom as a future Lord Holder must live in his hold, and clearly he can not live in two places at the same time. This problem is sorted by the Pragmatic Lytol who points out that any place a dragon lives is by definition a weyr, so if Ruth were to live in Ruatha's stables, the stables become a weyr..... Ruth is not expected to mature to a size which would allow him to join a Thread-fighting wing of a weyr, which would take Jaxom away from his responsibilities in Ruatha, so the two are allowed to return to Ruatha.
Growing up, Ruth becomes his main friend, but once allowed to fly, and then to go between, he finds friends among other students at the Harper Hall, Smithcraft and in the Weyr. He also learns how to go between time as well as place, and, despite thinking that it would bring down recriminations upon him, to flame Thread. Because Ruth is especially adept at 'Timing it', he and Jaxom play a major part in the end of Threadfall forever.
Jaxom defied the Southern Holder by marrying Sharra, who is a great healer. Sharra is the only other person who can hear Ruth's thoughts. Together they had two boys whose names were Jarrol and Shawan.
Lessa
Lessa is the BendenBenden Weyr
Benden Weyr is the second of eight Weyrs on the planet of Pern in Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern fantasy novel series....
Weyrwoman during the Ninth Pass, and rider of the gold dragon Ramoth. Lessa's ability to psychically influence the thoughts and actions of others plays a role in various parts of the series.
Lessa was the daughter of Kale and Adessa, the Lord and Lady of Ruatha Hold
Ruatha Hold
Ruatha Hold is a hold, or dwelling-place , on the fictional planet of Pern in the series of "The Dragonriders of Pern" by Anne McCaffrey. Ruatha was the third major hold to be established on Pern. Its founders were Peter "Red" Hanrahan, his wife and their children...
. Kale was an amiable man and in ordinary times was considered the ideal Lord Holder. However, Kale underestimated the greed of his neighbor, Fax, the Lord Holder of High Reaches, who had conquered five other holds since claiming his own. This optimistically trusting nature resulted in the deaths of Lord Kale and the entire Ruathan bloodline...except for Lessa herself, who hid in the watch-wher
Whers
Whers, or Watch-whers are dragon-like creatures in the fantasy series Dragonriders of Pern. In comparison to the majestic dragons that were the end result of Kitti Ping Yung's genetic experimentation, whers are deformed and stunted...
's den. According to the books, Lessa was 11 turns (years) old at the time of the attack.
At a young age, she was already very headstrong and independent. Her father apparently mentions her as "stubborn at only four [years old]", and the Harper Robinton is many years later amused when she falls asleep during a marching song.
Lessa spends years as a drudge in Ruatha's kitchens, surviving abuse and subtly undermining a hold which should otherwise thrive; as a way of gaining petty revenge against Fax and biding her time. So when the Benden riders come in search of a woman with the telepathic talents to Impress
Impression (Dragonriders of Pern)
Impression is a concept from the Dragonriders of Pern novels by Anne McCaffrey. It is a colloquial term used to describe when a human forms a mental bond with one of three creatures native to the planet Pern, on which the stories are all based...
the new queen dragonet, the dragons can feel her aura and she also uses her abilities to embroil the dragonrider F'lar in a fight to the death with Fax, which F'lar wins.
Instead of inheriting her family hold of Ruatha, Lessa reluctantly gives up her right as heir to Jaxom, son of her distant cousin Gemma, whom Fax had married to give his claim to Ruatha some form of legitimacy. She then travels to Benden Weyr to become the only Weyrwoman on Pern. She joins forces with Weyrleader F'lar to fight the resurgence of the voracious alien life-forms known as "Thread". Lessa's most notable accomplishment is the re-discovery that dragons can travel between times as well as places. She foolhardily dares to use this skill to travel 400 years into the past in a single jump to seek help leaving F'lar in despair back in the present. However she succeeds in persuading the dragonriders at the end of the Eighth Pass to travel to the future and resume fighting the menace of Thread that once again threatens life on Pern. These saviours become the "Oldtimers" in the present and several eventually become a thorn in Lessa's and F'lar's side.
At first, Lessa is portrayed as an extremely unsociable, cynical and uptight personality, having known nothing but abuse and petty revenge in her time at Ruatha. In the course of the books, however, she grows into her broader role, becoming much more personable; developing a genuinely loving relationship with F'lar. Nevertheless, she is always notably short-tempered and occasionally uses her considerable psychic ability to influence the mood of others and affect their perceptions of things through the use of her ability to talk to all dragons.
Lessa is a petite woman described as being childlike in figure with extremely long, thick black hair. Her queen Ramoth is the largest dragon on the planet.
F'lessan becomes her only child, it being assessed as too dangerous for her to have more after nearly dying in childbirth. In the earlier books, she expresses bitterness that she was not like Kylara, another Weyrwoman known for her promiscuity, who bore many children despite not wanting any.
In The Skies of Pern
The Skies of Pern
The Skies of Pern is a science fiction novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. It was the sixteenth book published in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne or her son Todd McCaffrey.The Skies of Pern was first published in 2001...
, she admits that she left the care of F'lessan to his fostermother and that she'd never really paid much attention to him. Manora replied that it was expected, since she was Weyrwoman and had other duties.
Menolly
Menolly is a tall, thin, dark haired girlMenolly grew up in Half-Circle Sea Hold, where she assisted the Hold harper, Petiron (Robinton's father), in teaching children their learning songs, wrote her own songs, and dreamed of becoming a harper. Her parents grudgingly allowed her to continue teaching the Hold children children music after Petiron died, as their community had no other harper. When she deeply wounded her hand while gutting packtail (a type of fish), the wound was allowed to heal wrongly so that she could not play again. They did, along with not being able to play, forbid her to sing once the replacement harper came, as they believed it was not proper for girls to do such things. Menolly was, in fact, beaten severely for simply playing music that was not part of the regular classes.
Menolly ran away from home and took refuge in a cave, where she Impressed nine fire-lizards: gold Beauty, bronzes Rocky and Diver, browns Mimic, Lazybones, and Brownie, blue Uncle, and greens Auntie One and Auntie Two. Being far from her cave, and without a Hold, Menolly found herself caught in Threadfall, but was rescued by a brown dragonrider and brought to Benden Weyr. After the Hatching feast, she was finally discovered by Masterharper Robinton, as the apprentice Petiron mentioned in messages to the Harper Hall.
At the Harper Hall
Harper Hall
The Harper Hall at Fort Hold is a central location in Anne McCaffrey's Chronicles of Pern.- Role within Pern Chronicles :Anne McCaffrey combines the roles of teachers, historians, lawyers, diplomats and musicians into the guild of Harpers on the planet Pern...
, Menolly befriended Camo, Piemur, Audiva, Silvina, and Sebell. Not everyone approved of a girl becoming a harper, and she was the victim of envy (especially among the female students) because of her fire lizards. Being the talented student she was, she rose to the rank of Journeyman a week from the day of her arrival. She wrote many popular songs, such as "The Fire Lizard Song/Queen's Song" and "Brekke's Song"—songs helped transmit news and current events throughout Pern. Eventually she married Sebell, with whom she had three children, and became a Master Harper, helping with the movement to banish Thread from Pern forever. Her songs were very important to Pernese's evolving society.
Piemur
Piemur, originally the son of a farmer and cattle trader, is taken to the Harper Hall as an apprentice due to the excellent voice he possesses, though he has very little aptitude concerning other Harper skills. Piemur is apprenticed to Master Shonagar, the Master of Voice at that time. Due to Piemur's small stature, he is forced to develop other talents in order to be able to enjoy his residence at the Harper Hall, and therefore becomes known as a person of constant mischief and disregard for Hall regulations.When, during Dragonsinger
Dragonsinger
Dragonsinger is a young adult fantasy novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. Published by Atheneum Books in 1977, it was the fourth to appear in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne or her son Todd McCaffrey....
, Menolly arrives at the Harper Hall (though both this and Dragonsong
Dragonsong
Dragonsong is a fantasy or science fiction novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. Released by Atheneum Books in March 1976, it was the third to appear in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne or her son Todd McCaffrey...
are viewed primarily through the eyes of Menolly), Piemur is one of the first to get to know her. At first this interest is merely a curiosity regarding Menolly's possession of nine fire lizards, though it grows to a closer mutual friendship throughout Dragonsinger, the second book in the Harper Hall trilogy. Piemur has doubts about his future in the Harper Hall, unsure of what will become of him when his voice breaks, and shares these doubts with Menolly, who convinces him to concentrate more on the present.
At the start of Dragondrums
Dragondrums
Dragondrums is a young adult fantasy novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. Published by Atheneum Books in 1979, it was the sixth to appear in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne or her son Todd McCaffrey....
, Piemur's voice begins to break. While his voice is in transition, he is unable to sing, so becomes the apprentice of Masterharper Robinton himself. However, this is kept secret, and Piemur is publicly assigned to Drum tower (a system of communication using complicated drum measures to communicate over long distances). Robinton's plan is for Piemur to use his natural talents to gather information that could be useful for the planning the future of Pern. These missions include a visit to a nearby mine, where Piemur discovers that the exiled Oldtimers are taking gemstones without payment.
The other apprentice and journeyman harpers at the Drumheights know Piemur's reputation, so bully him according to the mischief they expect in return. Piemur believes that this is a test, and he is supposed to remain silent about the bullying, in order to prove his discretion. The culmination of this is when the other apprentices grease the steps leading the Drumheights: Piemur slips on the steps, causing a dangerous fall, and is lucky to escape with a severe concussion. Following this incident, he is removed from the Drumheights.
When Piemur recovers from his fall, Master Robinton assigns him a mission with Journeyman Sebell. They are to join the Gather at Lord Meron's Hold (disguised as cattle traders, ironically enough), to report the commoners' mood concerning Lord Meron's association with the banned Old-timers as well as the Lord Holder himself, who is slowly dying of a wasting disease. One of the first things they notice is the extreme number of firelizards in the Hold, and deduct that this is the payment Lord Meron has been receiving from the Old-timers. After a series of events, Piemur finds himself being chased around Nabol Hold, unable to escape, and with a firelizard egg, stolen from Lord Meron, that he believes is that of a queen. He hides in a sack in a small storage room, and promptly falls fast asleep, presumably due to his recent head injury.
While Piemur sleeps, with the egg tucked warmly in his shirt, the sacks are transported between to Southern Weyr, where the Old-timers reside, and Piemur escapes without notice. He flees the area until the firelizard, which he was correct to assume was a queen, has hatched. He names the firelizard Farli (possibly due to a coincidence, this has the same pronunciation as the Scandinavian "danger" – "farlig", "farleg", etc.).
On his way to Southern Hold (not inhabited by the Old-timers), Piemur meets Sharra, a girl from the very place he is going to, and helps her in the research she is conducting on the native plants of the Southern Continent. They eventually make their way back the Hold, on the same day that Menolly and Sebell, who, until now have been searching the Northern Continent for him, arrive at Southern Hold. As there is no reason for Piemur to return to the Northern Continent – his good voice is gone, and Masterharper Robinton was interested in exploring the Southern Continent regardless of where Piemur was – he is instructed, or rather permitted, to stay and map the coast of Southern.
Along with Jaxom, Lord of Ruatha Hold and rider of the White Dragon
The White Dragon (novel)
The White Dragon is a fantasy or science fiction novel by American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey.It completes the original Dragonriders trilogy in the Dragonriders of Pern series, seven years after the second book...
, Ruth, Piemur takes part in the rediscovery of Landing, the first human settlement on Pern, and thus the uncovering of the AIVAS, and all the subsequent events.
Piemur is involved in a large amount of the controversial "progress" that occurs after the awakening of the AIVAS, and together with Jancis, granddaughter of Mastersmith Farandel, rebuilds one of the first computers.
Piemur later marries Jancis, and has a son, Pierjan.
Robinton
Robinton is a central character in many different Dragonriders of Pern books set in the Ninth Pass. When Anne McCaffrey first wrote about him in DragonflightDragonflight
Dragonflight is a fantasy or science fiction novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. It is the first book in the Dragonriders of Pern series. Dragonflight was first published by Ballantine Books in July 1968...
, his character was a sketchy representation of the Harper Craft Hall. In Dragonquest
Dragonquest
Dragonquest is a fantasy or science fiction novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. It is the sequel to Dragonflight, set seven years later and the second book in the Dragonriders of Pern series...
his personality became more fully developed and this process was continued throughout Dragonsong
Dragonsong
Dragonsong is a fantasy or science fiction novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. Released by Atheneum Books in March 1976, it was the third to appear in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne or her son Todd McCaffrey...
, Dragonsinger
Dragonsinger
Dragonsinger is a young adult fantasy novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. Published by Atheneum Books in 1977, it was the fourth to appear in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne or her son Todd McCaffrey....
and Dragondrums
Dragondrums
Dragondrums is a young adult fantasy novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. Published by Atheneum Books in 1979, it was the sixth to appear in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne or her son Todd McCaffrey....
. In The Masterharper of Pern
The Masterharper of Pern
The Masterharper of Pern is a science fiction novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. It was the fifteenth book published in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne or her son Todd McCaffrey....
, the story of young Robinton is the canvas for developing the backstory alluded to throughout the original Pern Chronicles.
The early stories of Robinton's life allowed McCaffrey to develop characters such as F'lon, father of F'lar and F'nor, and Silvina, Camo and Shonagar of the Harper Hall. McCaffrey also used him to expand the story of Fax
Fax
Fax , sometimes called telecopying, is the telephonic transmission of scanned printed material , normally to a telephone number connected to a printer or other output device...
, allowing Robinton to provide an extra perspective on scenes that were some of her earliest writings.
Robinton, as the Masterharper, embodies McCaffrey's ideals for the Harper Hall
Harper Hall
The Harper Hall at Fort Hold is a central location in Anne McCaffrey's Chronicles of Pern.- Role within Pern Chronicles :Anne McCaffrey combines the roles of teachers, historians, lawyers, diplomats and musicians into the guild of Harpers on the planet Pern...
. A musical prodigy, he surpassed both his parents by composing popular songs throughout his childhood, and becoming a Journeyman
Journeyman
A journeyman is someone who completed an apprenticeship and was fully educated in a trade or craft, but not yet a master. To become a master, a journeyman had to submit a master work piece to a guild for evaluation and be admitted to the guild as a master....
harper at fifteen. He was faced with professional jealousy (which caused estrangement from his father when young), similar to that which challenged Harpers Menolly and Piemur in Dragonsinger
Dragonsinger
Dragonsinger is a young adult fantasy novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. Published by Atheneum Books in 1977, it was the fourth to appear in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne or her son Todd McCaffrey....
and Dragondrums
Dragondrums
Dragondrums is a young adult fantasy novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. Published by Atheneum Books in 1979, it was the sixth to appear in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne or her son Todd McCaffrey....
.
A wise diplomat, teacher and leader, he helped the Benden
Benden Weyr
Benden Weyr is the second of eight Weyrs on the planet of Pern in Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern fantasy novel series....
Weyrleaders, Lessa and F'lar, deal with the return of Thread and the Oldtimers, gaining the love and respect of everyone on Pern
Pern
Pern is a fictional planet created by Anne McCaffrey for the Dragonriders of Pern series of fantasy and science fiction books. It is said to be "Rukbat 3", the third planet in orbit around the star Rukbat, counting outward....
. Of course, McCaffrey ensured that he had redeemable character flaws, such as his great fondness for wine (particularly Benden wine), which could be said to have saved his life in one point in The White Dragon
The White Dragon
The White Dragon is a 2004 Hong Kong wuxia comedy film directed by Wilson Yip and starring Cecilia Cheung and Francis Ng.The White Dragon is directed by Wilson Yip, whose best known works to date are Bullets Over Summer, Juliet in Love and SPL: Sha Po Lang...
, when he suffered a heart attack.
When Robinton eventually stepped down as Masterharper and retired to Cove Hold on the Southern Continent, he became close friends with Lytol, former Lord Warder of Ruatha Hold
Ruatha Hold
Ruatha Hold is a hold, or dwelling-place , on the fictional planet of Pern in the series of "The Dragonriders of Pern" by Anne McCaffrey. Ruatha was the third major hold to be established on Pern. Its founders were Peter "Red" Hanrahan, his wife and their children...
and a former Benden brown rider (mentioned as a green rider in Dragonflight), as well as D'ram, rider of bronze Tiroth and a former Oldtimer Weyrleader of Ista. This friendship reflects the lessening of the isolation and rigidly controlled autonomy of Weyr, Hold and Hall, which was a constant theme of the original Pern Chronicles.
Upon the discovery of Landing and the Artificial Intelligence Voice-Address System (AIVAS/Aivas) at the end of The Renegades of Pern, Robinton, D'ram and Lytol took over joint administration of the Landing facility, leading the efforts to both end the onslaught of Thread and to modernize Pernese society. In All the Weyrs of Pern
All the Weyrs of Pern
All the Weyrs of Pern is a science fiction novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. Published in 1991, it was the eleventh book published in the Dragonriders of Pern series.-Plot summary:...
, "traditionalist" Pernese attempted to end what they perceived as AIVAS' "destructive" influence on their society by drugging Robinton's food and drink, kidnapping him and holding him for ransom in exchange for AIVAS' destruction. Robinton was quickly found and rescued, but the effects of the overdose took its toll on Robinton's health. After the Red Star's orbit was altered and ensuring that the current Pass would be the last, he died peacefully in the AIVAS chamber, shortly after AIVAS shut itself down. His fire-lizard Zair, like a dragon following his rider, died with him.
Robinton was laid to rest in the waters of his beloved Cove Hold, and every dragonrider, Lord Holder and Craftmaster on the planet turned out for the service. His death was a metaphor for the end of the great struggle with Thread, which had consumed the lives of all Pernese since shortly after Landing on Pern.
Mnementh
Mnementh is the bronze dragonDragons (Pern)
The Dragons of Pern are a fictional race created by Anne McCaffrey as an integral part of the science fiction world depicted in her Dragonriders of Pern novels....
of F'lar, the Weyrleader of Benden Weyr
Benden Weyr
Benden Weyr is the second of eight Weyrs on the planet of Pern in Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern fantasy novel series....
during the Ninth Pass. Mnementh is the sole mate of gold dragon Ramoth and thus the sire or ancestor of many dragons born during the Ninth Pass. He is also the second-largest dragon on Pern, after Ramoth (though Ramoth is not much larger), although Jaxom's Ruth mistakenly describes him as "the biggest dragon on all Pern".
Ramoth
Ramoth is the gold queen dragon of Lessa, the Weyrwoman of Benden Weyr during the Ninth Pass. She is the mate of Mnementh, and is the largest dragon on Pern. For a period of time at the beginning of the Ninth Pass, Ramoth was the only remaining queen dragon on all of Pern, until the queen Prideth was hatched from her first clutch. Because the two queens would not be able to repopulate the empty remaining Weyrs for the approaching Pass, Lessa and Ramoth jumped back in time 400 Turns to bring forward the members of the empty Weyrs.Ruth
Ruth is the only white dragon described in the series, and is much smaller than the other dragons in the series' ninth pass timeline. In DragonquestDragonquest
Dragonquest is a fantasy or science fiction novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. It is the sequel to Dragonflight, set seven years later and the second book in the Dragonriders of Pern series...
, Ruth hatches near the end of the novel. The dragon's story is expanded upon in the novel The White Dragon
The White Dragon
The White Dragon is a 2004 Hong Kong wuxia comedy film directed by Wilson Yip and starring Cecilia Cheung and Francis Ng.The White Dragon is directed by Wilson Yip, whose best known works to date are Bullets Over Summer, Juliet in Love and SPL: Sha Po Lang...
.
In Dragonquest, the gold dragon Ramoth lays a clutch of eggs, one of which McCaffrey describes as small with an unusually tough shell. The weyrfolk of Benden Weyr
Benden Weyr
Benden Weyr is the second of eight Weyrs on the planet of Pern in Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern fantasy novel series....
assume that the egg will not hatch, and begin to depart from the Hatching Ground when all the other hatchling dragonets have impressed with human dragonriders. The character Lord Jaxom jumps from the bleachers to the Hatching Ground to assist the unborn dragonet by breaking open the shell. Jaxom inadvertently Impresses the dragon.
After Impression, the Council decides that it has no problem with the young Lord's bond with Ruth, as it is believed that Ruth will not live long. He does survive to maturity, although he is much smaller than the other dragons. In order to avoid the animosity of the Lord Holders, Lessa and F'lar carefully guide the Lord and dragon. Lord Jaxom is able to fly on Ruth, and is trained to go "between".
Lord Jaxom becomes frustrated with various restrictions, such as the inability to take Hold of Ruatha, and the refusal of Dragonrider status. He rebels, and attempts to teach Ruth to chew firestone. He discovered Ruth's innate ability to orient himself in time while practicing going between. After Lord Jaxom and Ruth emerge amidst Threadfall, the Weyrfolk consent to give him firestone training.
In addition to his small size, Ruth is notable for his hide, which though commonly regarded as white, appears to be composed of pale hues from all dragons. It is possible that Ruth is a neuter, and indeed, "he" never shows an interest in mating. In addition to his physical attributes, Ruth is unusually willing to speak with humans besides his own rider, and has close and friendly relationships with fire lizards, as well as a long memory and heightened intelligence. He also has a heightened ability to travel "between" to different times with the knowledge of exactly when and where he is in time and space.
Sebell
Robinton's successor as MasterHarper of Pern; companion of fire-lizard Kimi; husband of Menolly.Sharra
Grew up in Southern Hold in the Southern Continent. She is a Journeywoman healer, and spouse to Jaxom Lord Holder of Ruatha. Together they have two children. She was essential to the annihilation of thread.Dragonriders and Weyrfolk
- Brekke and gold Wirenth (deceased) – Junior weyrwoman at Southern Weyr, weyrmate of F'nor. Like Lessa, possesses the rare ability to hear all dragons
- Carola and gold Feyrith – Weyrwoman at Benden, once-weyrmate of C'rob, weyrmate of S'loner, mother of Larna
- Cosira and gold Caylith Weyrwoman of Ista
- C'rob and bronze Spakinth – Wingleader at Benden; Spakinth flew Feyrith before Chendith
- D'ram and bronze Tiroth – Oldtimer Ista, then Southern, Weyrleader
- F'lon (Falloner) and bronze Simanith – the weyrleader of Benden WeyrBenden WeyrBenden Weyr is the second of eight Weyrs on the planet of Pern in Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern fantasy novel series....
and the rider of bronze Simanith. F'lon is mentioned in DragonflightDragonflightDragonflight is a fantasy or science fiction novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. It is the first book in the Dragonriders of Pern series. Dragonflight was first published by Ballantine Books in July 1968...
, the first book published in the series, as the father of two of its main characters, F'lar and F'nor. However, not much was known about him until Anne McCaffrey wrote a prequel, The Masterharper of PernThe Masterharper of PernThe Masterharper of Pern is a science fiction novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. It was the fifteenth book published in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne or her son Todd McCaffrey....
. In this book, which is set in the Eighth Interval, we meet Falloner, as he was known as a child, through the eyes of his best friend Robinton. Like his father S'loner, F'lon believed that deadly Thread would return to devastate Pern, although it had not fallen for hundreds of years, and endeavored to prepare PernPernPern is a fictional planet created by Anne McCaffrey for the Dragonriders of Pern series of fantasy and science fiction books. It is said to be "Rukbat 3", the third planet in orbit around the star Rukbat, counting outward....
for its menace. F'lon's first love was Larna, a girl who he grew up with in Benden Weyr. After she died giving birth to F'lar, he became the partner of Manora, the weyr's Headwoman, and later (to his disgust) the weyrwoman Jora. F'lon is similar to his son F'lar in several ways, including his curly dark hair and unusual amber eyes. However, F'lon doesn't have his "head screwed on" as well as F'lar, and often does foolish things out of emotion. This led to his murder by Gifflen, an assassin hired by Fax, the greedy "Lord of Seven Holds." - G'bear and Winlath, Weyrleader at High Reaches Weyr after M'rand retires
- G'dened and Baranth, Weyrleader at Ista, son of D'ram
- G'narish and bronze Gyarmath – Igen Weyrleader
- J'fery and Willerth, Weyrleader of Telgar after R'mart retires
- K'van and bronze Heth – Weyrleader at Southern
- Kylara (Insane after her dragon's death) and gold Prideth (deceased) – the headstrong Weyrwoman of the Southern Weyr, later moving to High Reaches Weyr when the Southern Continent is given to the rebellious Oldtimers who refuse to acknowledge Benden as their sovereign. Kylara is known for flouting sexual and political customs, such as openly taking a lover from among the Lord Holders (Lord Meron of Nabol) rather than maintaining the polite fiction that her Weyrleader, T'bor, is her lover. She also finds much of the domestic work of the Weyrwoman's office distasteful, preferring to leave day-to-day management of the Weyr to the junior gold riders, including Brekke and Vanira (also called Varena). When Brekke's gold Wirenth rises to mate, Kylara is engaged in an intimate liaison with Meron at Nabol. Wirenth overflies Kylara's gold Prideth, triggering the latter dragon's own mating frenzy, and the two dragons battle to the death. Both women survive, but Kylara is left in a childlike state and Brekke suffers deep depression. Kylara is the full-blood sister of Lord Larad of Telgar Hold, the daughter of Lord Tarathel, and the half-sister of Lady Holder Thella and Lady Famira of Lemos Hold.
- Larna – Mother of Fallaron (F'lar) dies two days after Fallaron is born
- Manora – Headwoman of Benden Weyr. Mother of Famanoran (F'nor)
- Mirrim and green Path – Benden Weyr; weyrmate of T'gellan and Monarth; Brekke's fosterling. Impressed three firelizards.
- N'ton (Naton) and bronze Lioth – Fort Weyrleader; weyrmate of Margatta and Ludeth
- R'mart and bronze Branth – Telgar Weyrleader
- R'gul (Rangul) and Hath, Weyrleader at Benden before F'lar
- S'loner and Chendith – Weyrleader at Benden before F'lon, weyrmate of Carola and Jora, father of F'lon and Bravonner
- Tai and green Zaranth – rider at Monaco Bay Weyr; weyrmate of F'lessan
- T'bor and bronze Orth – Southern, then High Reaches, Weyrleader
- T'gellan and bronze Monarth – Weyrleader of Monaco Bay Weyr; weyrmate of Mirrim and Talina
- T'lion and bronze Gadareth – Monaco Bay Weyr. T'lion re-established contact with the Monaco dolphins
Oldtimers
This is the derogatory term used for those from 400 Turns past called by Lessa and Ramoth into the present Turn. Some of them were exiled to the Southern Continent because they were unable to accept the leadership of the current-day Riders. The term is only usually used for the older Oldtimers that were exiled south- Bedella – Weyrwoman of Telgar and rider of gold Solth. She's known to be very unintelligent. The woman likes music, and is R'mart's Weyrmate
- B'zon – bronzerider who let his dragon, Ranilth, chase gold Caylith at Ista
- D'ram – rider of bronze Tiroth; Weyrleader at Ista Weyr; an ally of F'lar, later, along with Robinton and Lytol, became an administrator of Landing, the original settlement of the original colonists before they were forced out by a vulcanic eruption. He was not one of those exiled south
- Fanna – Weyrwoman of Ista Weyr; dies; rode gold Mirath; at her death, D'ram retires
- G'narish – Igen Oldtime Weyrleader; younger than many other Oldtimers; rider of bronze Gyarmath
- Mardra and gold Loranth – former Weyrwoman of Fort Weyr; weyrmate of T'ron and Fidranth; exiled
- Merika and an unknown queen – Former Weyrwoman of High Reaches, who is hated by all. She's supposed to have a bad temper. Kylara mentioned that when she helped out during Threadfall, the woman treated her with contempt
- Nadira – Igen Weyrwoman, rider of gold Baylith
- R'mart, Weyrleader of Telgar and rider of bronze Branth; stepped down in the 9th Pass
- T'kul and bronze Salth – former Weyrleader of High Reaches; a conservative who kills his bronze Salth when he sends him to fly after the young Ista queen Caylith in a mating flight, he was killed shortly after by F'lar, during this time Robinton had a heart attack; exiled
- T'ron and bronze Fidranth – former Weyrleader of Fort Weyr; also called T'ton; weyrmate of Mardra and Loranth; exiled
Other Craftspeople
- Andemon – MasterFarmer
- Betrice – Journeyman Healer, wife of Gennell
- Curran – MasterFisher
- Domick – Masterharper, Craftmaster of Song Composition
- Erragon – Master Astronomer
- Fandarel – MasterSmith; grandfather of Jancis
- Gennell – MasterHarper before Robinton, husband of Betrice
- Idarolan – MasterFisher(retires)
- Jerint – Masterharper, Craftmaster of Instrument Making
- Mekelroy (Pinch) – Masterharper
- Merelan – Masterharper/MasterSinger; wife of Petiron; mother of Robinton
- Morilton – Norist's successor as MasterGlass-smith
- Morshall – Harper Craftmaster of Theory
- Nicat – MasterMiner
- Norist – MasterGlass-smith, exiled for involvement in Robinton's kidnapping
- Oldive – MasterHealer
- Petiron – Masterharper/MasterComposer; teacher of Menolly; husband of Merelan; father of Robinton; composer of technical and complex music
- Shonagar – Masterharper, Craftmaster of Voice
- Sograny – MasterHerder
- Tagetarl – Journeyman Harper/MasterPrinter
- Wansor – Master Starsmith
- Zurg – MasterWeaver
Holders
Pern is divided into many Holds. The politics between the lords of these holds provides the backdrop to many of the books.Fax
- Lord Fax – the greedy, violent self-styled "Lord of Seven Holds" in Anne McCaffreyAnne McCaffreyAnne Inez McCaffrey was an American-born Irish writer, best known for her Dragonriders of Pern series. Over the course of her 46 year career she won a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award...
's Dragonriders of PernDragonriders of PernDragonriders of Pern is a science fiction series written primarily by the late American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey, who initiated it in 1967. Beginning 2003, her middle child Todd McCaffrey has written Pern novels, both solo and jointly with Anne. The series comprises 22 novels and several short...
series. Originally a nephew of Lord Faroguy of High Reaches, he carefully conquered hold after hold by means of trickery, marriage, murder, and force. He repressed his holders, denied them education, and encouraged them to mistrust harpers and dragonriders. At the height of his power, he controlled High Reaches, Crom, Nabol, and Ruatha, as well as three minor holds. Fax married many women, including Lady Gemma of Crom. Fax's downfall was engineered by Lessa, the orphaned daughter of the Lord Holder of Ruatha, who hid for ten years as a kitchen drudge and mentally repressed Ruatha's natural productivity. On a visit to Ruatha HoldRuatha HoldRuatha Hold is a hold, or dwelling-place , on the fictional planet of Pern in the series of "The Dragonriders of Pern" by Anne McCaffrey. Ruatha was the third major hold to be established on Pern. Its founders were Peter "Red" Hanrahan, his wife and their children...
, Fax died in a brutal fight with the Bronze dragonrider F'lar, but not before he had named his infant son, Jaxom (son of Gemma, who was distantly related to the Ruathan bloodline), as his successor. Fax was the nephew of Lord Faroguy of High Reaches, and was known as being greedy and ruthless even in his youth.
Major Holds
- Benden: Lord Maidir (husband of Hayara, father of Raid, Maizella, and Hayon); Lord Raid (supports Benden, but very stubborn); Lord Toronas
- Bitra: Lord Sifer; Lord Sigomal (opposed to AIVAS; deposed and exiled for aiding the plot to kidnap Master Robinton)
- Crom: Lord Lesselden (husband of Relna, killed by Fax); Lord Fax
- Fort: Lord Grogellan (husband to Winalla, died because he refused to have his appendix surgically removed); Lord Groghe (son of Lord Grogellan, husband of Benoria; friend of Robinton; advocate for AIVAS and BendenBenden WeyrBenden Weyr is the second of eight Weyrs on the planet of Pern in Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern fantasy novel series....
. Gold fire-lizard Merga, seventeen sons) - High Reaches: Lord Faroguy (husband of Evelene, believed to have been killed by Fax); Lord Fax (Faroguy's nephew); Lord Bargen (Faroguy's son, succeeds after Fax's death)
- Igen: Lord Laudey; Lod Langree (son and heir of Laudey)
- Ista: Lord Halibran (father of Halanna); Lord Warbret
- Keroon: Lord Corman; Lord Kashman (son and heir of Corman)
- Lemos: Lord Asgenar (pro-Bendon, husband of Famira)
- Nabol: Lord Fax; Lord Meron (Anti-Bendon, his death formed a subplot in DragondrumsDragondrumsDragondrums is a young adult fantasy novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. Published by Atheneum Books in 1979, it was the sixth to appear in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne or her son Todd McCaffrey....
); Lord Deckter - Nerat: Lord Begamon (opposed to AIVAS, deposed and exiled for aiding the plot to kidnap Master Robinton)
- Ruatha: Lord Ashmichel; Lord Kale (son of Ashmichel, husband of Adessa, father of Lessa, killed by Fax); Lord Fax; Lord Jaxon (succeeeded as a baby, husband of Sharra). During Jaxom's minority Ruatha was administered by Lytol (formerly Lytonal, then L'tol, rider of brown Larth)
- Southern Boll: Lord Sangel; Lady Janissian (elected Lady Holder of Southern Boll at Sangel's death)
- Souther Hold: Lord Toric
- Telgar: Lord Tarathel (father of Larad, Thella, and Kylara. Related to Petiron); Lord Larad (Pro-Benden, half-brother of Thella, brother of Kylara. Became Lord Holder at age 15. Father of A'ton, a dragonrider, and Laradian)
- Tillek: Lord Melongel (husband to Juvana, whose sister Kasia married Robinton, but died of a fever after their honeymoon); Lord Oterel (son of Melongel and Juvana, nephew by marriage to Robinton; father of Ranrel, Terentel, and Blesserel); Lord Ranrel (son of Oterel, member of the Fishcrafthall)
Minor Holds
- Yanus – Holder of Half-Circle Sea Hold; father of Menolly and Alemi, thought it was disgraceful for a girl to be a harper
- Mavi – Yanus' wife who discouraged Menolly's musical talents
- Jayge – Trader, later Holder of Paradise River in the Southern Continent
- Aramina – Jayge's wife. Aramina can hear the mental speech of any dragon, and is a cousin of Lessa. Mother of Readis
- Readis – Two people were named Readis: an uncle of Jayge, who joined Thella's band then later helped Jayge to free Aramina, getting killed in the process; and the son of Jayge and Aramina, who founded both Kahrain Hold and a Dolphin Hall there
Renegades
- Thella – renegade half-sister of Larad, called "Lady Holdless"; led a band of robbers and tried to capture Aramina
Red Hanrahan
- Peter "Red" Hanrahan – a vet who arrives on PernPernPern is a fictional planet created by Anne McCaffrey for the Dragonriders of Pern series of fantasy and science fiction books. It is said to be "Rukbat 3", the third planet in orbit around the star Rukbat, counting outward....
as one of the original colonists from Earth. From their home in ClonmelClonmelClonmel is the county town of South Tipperary in Ireland. It is the largest town in the county. While the borough had a population of 15,482 in 2006, another 17,008 people were in the rural hinterland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian army which sacked both...
in IrelandIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, he, his wife Mairi, and their two children, Sorka and Brian, travel to Pern in deep sleep on the colony ship Yokohama. Red is one of the founding fathers of Pern society and, along with his extended family, reflects much of McCaffrey's own Irish origins in the multicultural mix of early Pern. As one of the senior vets, Red is a vital staff member in Kitti Ping's dragon engineering project and a source of guidance to the dragonriders of the First Hatching. His own daughter Sorka Hanrahan, along with fellow Irish colonist, Sean Connell, makes first Impression of the native firelizards who provide the genetic material for the dragons. Sorka and Sean later become riders of the First Dragons and founders of Fort WeyrFort WeyrFort Weyr is the first of eight Weyrs established on the Planet Pern in Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series. It is located in the mountains of the Southwestern peninsula of the Northern Continent. It was built primarily using high tech sonic/plasma stone cutters to form perfectly smooth...
. Throughout this phase, Red provides guidance and support. It is to Red and Mairi that Sean turns in times of stress such as at the death of queen rider Alianne, whose dragon, Chereth, was the first to go between on the death of her rider. Red and Mairi help to raise Sorka and Sean's five children along with their own seven younger children born after their arrival on Pern. When the original northern hemisphere settlement at Fort became over-crowded during the First Pass, Red and Mairi apply to Paul Benden to begin a third settlement in a cave system to the north. They take a hundred and forty-one people representing a range of families, ages and skills, along with the horses and other livestock Red has been carefully breeding to begin the new Hold. On the journey from Fort to the new place, Red's paternal care of his people and his skill with horse-flesh is clearly demonstrated. The key point to the journey is the crossing of a swollen river which marks the boundary of their lands. Red works tirelessly to bring his caravan across the ford. While crossing the ford, Sean arrives to check on their progress and to seek their comfort after the death of Alianne. Eventually, Red's caravan arrives safely and they begin to make their cave system into a new home. Red scrounged from Joel Lillienkamp, the store-keeper of the colony, a set of air-lock doors taken from one of the shuttles which transported the colonists to the surface from the great colony ships still in orbit around the planet. The climax of Red's story is the Dooring of his new hold, before the colony leaders, community and dragonriders. At this point, Red announces the new settlement's name: the Hold of Red's Ford. In the Irish, Rua Atha, or Ruatha.
Early dragonriders
- and gold Faranth – Leader of the original queenriders and eventual Weyrwoman of Fort Weyr; Faranth may or may not have been the first fertile queen on Pern, but clutched the first second-generation gold, ensuring the continuation of the species
- and bronze Carenath Leader of the original dragonriders, eventual Weyrleader at Fort Weyr. His dragon flew Faranth
- M'hall (Michael/Mihall) and bronze Brianth Torene's weyrmate; first Benden Weyrleader; son of Sean and Sorka
- Torene and gold Alaranth first Weyrwoman at Benden Weyr; could hear all dragons; was the first to officially put forth the idea of shortening the names of dragonriders
First Interval / Second Pass
- Lord Chalkin – Lord of Bitra in the First Interval, shortly before the Second Pass. Was impeached and exiled due to his blatant disregard of the imminent return of Thread, and the brutal treatment of his people who tried to leave Bitra
- Lord Jamson – High Reaches Lord Holder in the First Interval, shortly before the Second Pass. He was the only Lord Holder who was opposed to the impeachment of Lord Chalkin of Bitra
Second Interval / Third Pass
- and gold Talenth – Recently impressed Queen rider at Fort Weyr. Eventual Weyrwoman at Telgar Weyr. 3rd pass
- and gold Arith (deceased) – Queenrider at Benden Weyr, 3rd Pass. Cured the illness decimating the dragons of her time, but lost Arith in the process
- B'nik and bronze Caranth – Weyrleader at Benden Weyr in the 3rd Pass
- B'nurrin – Ianath, Igen Weyrleader in the second pass.
- D'gan and bronze Kaloth – arrogant Telgar Weyrleader in the 3rd Pass
- D'miel – Ronelth, Istan Weyrleader in second pass.
- D'vin and Bronze Hurth – Weyrleader at High Reaches in the 3rd Pass.
- G'don – Chakath, High Reaches Weyrleader in second pass.
- K'lior and bronze Rineth – amateur Weyrleader at Fort Weyr in the 3rd Pass
- K'lon and blue Rogeth – rider at Fort Weyr
- K'vin – Charanth, Weyrleader of Telgar in the second pass
- M'shall – Craigath, Benden Weyrleader in second pass
- M'tal and bronze Gaminth – 3rd Pass Benden Weyrleader
- Salina and gold Breth (deceased) – 3rd Pass Benden Weyr Weyrwoman; rider of Arith's mother
- S'nan – Magrith, Fort Weyrleader in second pass
- T'mar and bronze Zirenth – Bronze rider that went back in time to Igen Weyr with Fiona to help heal the injured riders. Third pass
- Tullea and gold Minith – nasty Weyrwoman of Benden after Breth's passing. 3rd pass
Sixth Pass
- Lord Alessan – Lord of Ruatha in the sixth Pass. Brother of Oklina, lover of Moreta
- Lady Nerilka – daughter of Lord Tolocamp and Lady Pendra; originally from Fort, marries Alessan after Moreta's death. Nicknamed "Rill"
- Bestrum – minor holder on Fort/Ruathan border in the sixth pass
- Gana – Bestrum's lady
- Lord Ratoshigan – Lord Holder of Southern Boll in the sixth pass
- Lord Tolocamp – Lord of Fort Hold during Moreta's time; violated Capiam's quarantine by leaving Ruatha for Fort, where shortly after he locked himself in his apartments and refused entry to anyone. Wouldn't share his abundant supplies with the other holds during The Plague, so Masterhealer Capiam and Masterharper Tirone withdrew their men from his hold. His first wife is Lady Pendra, second is Lady Anella. Sire of (by order of birth): Campen, Pendora, Mostar, Doral, Theskin, Silma, Nerilka, Gallen, Jess, Peth, Amilla, Mercia & Merin (twins), Kista, Gabin, Mara, Nia, and Lilla.
Dragonriders
(Rider first, dragon second)- Moreta and gold Orlith – Fort Weyr; famous Weyrwoman of history, and lead character in the book Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern (1983)
- B'lerion and Nabeth – Weyrleader of High Reaches when he mates with Oklina and Hannath
- C'ver – arrogant Watchrider that keeps Moreta from delivering the serum to Telgar Weyr
- D'say – father of M'ray with Moreta and Wingleader at Ista Weyr
- K'dren and Kuzuth – Weyrleader at Benden Weyr during Moreta's time
- Leri and gold Holth – former Weyrwoman at Fort Weyr before Moreta
- M'barak and blue Arith – Fort weyrling who helps Moreta transport serum
- M'gent and Ith – Wingleader at Benden Weyr
- M'tani and Hogarth – nasty Weyrleader of Telgar Weyr
- Oklina and gold Hannath; sister of Alessan at Ruatha Hold; Impressed the queen Hannath at Orlith's last hatching; weyrmate of B'lerion and bronze Nabeth of High Reaches
- S'peren and bronze Clioth, wingleader at fort, preferred second in charge by Moreta
- Sh'gall and Kadith, the Fort Weyrleader, and Moreta's weyrmate
At the time of Impression, male dragonriders' names are shortened with an apostrophe. This follows an old tradition of shortening names because the first dragons of Pern slurred the rider's names during Threadfall. For example, Famanoran became F'nor at his impression.
Most girls will only Impress gold queens, with the exception of a few female green riders, such as Mirrim, (and one blue rider, Xhinna) and queens fly in a wing of their own, with agenothree
Nitric acid
Nitric acid , also known as aqua fortis and spirit of nitre, is a highly corrosive and toxic strong acid.Colorless when pure, older samples tend to acquire a yellow cast due to the accumulation of oxides of nitrogen. If the solution contains more than 86% nitric acid, it is referred to as fuming...
tanks to sear Thread from the skies. (Agenothree got its name from the chemical name, HNO3, but caught on as 'agenothree' when M'hall mispronounced it when in a rush.) However, in times when the Weyrs are low on dragonriders, some Weyrwomen do not use a queens' wing, preferring to use females as purely-mating dragons, and don't want to run the risk of them being unable to rise for mating flights. Thus, female dragonriders do not shorten their names as a rule.
When asked why all dragons' names end in th, Anne McCaffrey facetiously replied, "Dragons have forked tongues. They lisp"; Pernese dragons have no vocal cords, and speak only telepathically.
Crafts
- Master Capiam – MasterHealer during the time of Moreta
- Master Belesdan – MasterTanner; located at Ista Weyr
- Master Tirone – MasterHarper during Moreta's time
- Desdra – Journeywoman healer studying for her mastery during Moreta's time; lover of Capiam
- Master Fortine – Capiam's second in command
- Master Brace – Tirone's second in command
- Macabir – Healer in Fort Hold's internment camp during The Plague (Moreta's time)
- Tuero – Journeyman harper stranded at Ruatha during The Plague. Becomes Ruatha's permanent harper
- Balfor – Beastmaster elect, Keroon Hold (offered Beastmaster position, but refuses it. Believed to turn down the offer because he thinks he caused Moreta's tragic death)