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* JerkAss: Mostly to Robinton, partly due to AntiNepotism, partly because he just doesn't understand his son and can't relate to him at all.
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* JerkAss: {{Jerkass}}: Mostly to Robinton, partly due to AntiNepotism, partly because he just doesn't understand his son and can't relate to him at all.
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Poisonous Friend is no longer a trope
* FalseFriend: Likes to ingratiate himself to another hold with marriage alliances and/or favourable trade, then use the opportunity to slowly infiltrate them. Then he launches a lightning strike to conquer them before they realize what's happening.
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* PoisonousFriend: Likes to ingratiate himself to another hold with marriage alliances and/or favourable trade, then use the opportunity to slowly infiltrate them. Then he launches a lightning strike to conquer them before they realize what's happening.
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Characters who were active during the Eighth Interval, a.k.a. the Second Long Interval. Characters who had plot-significant roles during both the Eighth Interval and the Ninth Pass are listed under [[Characters/DragonridersOfPernNinthPassCharacters Ninth Pass Characters]].
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Eighth Interval Weyrleaders]]
!!S'loner
Rider of bronze Chendith, Weyrleader of Benden Weyr, and F'lon's father. One of a dwindling handful of dragonriders who expect Thread to return someday.
* TeleporterAccident: How he and his dragon die. All the other dragons instantly sense Chendith's death; but nobody actually witnesses it, so the exact circumstances can only be surmised. The best guess is that he suffered a heart attack at the moment he and Chendith went ''between'' -- either killing them outright, or causing them to [[BlindJump lose focus on their destination]] and fail to rematerialize. Either way, neither he, his dragon, nor the passenger they were conveying -- [[spoiler:Lord Maidir of Benden Hold]] -- are ever seen again.
!!F'lon
Rider of bronze Simanith and Weyrleader of Benden Weyr after S'loner. Father of F'lar and F'nor.
* ChildhoodFriend: To Robinton.
* HotBlooded: His main character flaw. [[spoiler:It ultimately gets him killed.]]
* TheCassandra: By the time F'lon becomes Weyrleader, virtually nobody, in the Weyr or outside it, takes the threat of Thread seriously anymore. His (frequently tactless) attempts to persuade people are generally met with ridicule or annoyance.
!!R'gul
Rider of bronze Hath and Weyrleader of Benden Weyr after F'lon.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Once F'lar takes over as Weyrleader at the start of the Ninth Pass, R'gul very quickly disappears from the story (which is why he's listed here rather than under [[Characters/DragonridersOfPernNinthPassCharacters Ninth Pass Characters]]).
* ObstructiveBureaucrat: Vetoes all of F'lar's advice to prepare Pern for Threadfall, because he doesn't believe Thread will ever return and he's afraid of antagonizing the Lord Holders with unreasonable demands.
* UnfitForGreatness: R'gul is a competent enough wingleader, and genuinely does have (what he thinks are) the best interests of the Weyr at heart. Unfortunately, he's completely incapable of preparing the Weyr for the Ninth Pass, utterly fails to manage Jora and all her attendant problems, and has no idea how to effectively respond to unexpected crises.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Eighth Interval Weyrwomen]]
!!Jora
Queen rider of Nemorth, and Benden Weyrwoman to S'loner, F'lon and R'gul.
* BigEater: Overeats compulsively and constantly, clearly as a coping mechanism for her mental and emotional problems.
* DeathByGluttony: Ultimately dies by overeating.
* FisherKing: Jora is incompetent, neurotic and probably mentally ill, which is reflected in her queen, which in turn affects all the other dragons and their riders. Benden Weyr deteriorates badly during her time as Weyrwoman as a result.
* IronicFear: She's a dragonrider... and she's afraid of heights. Unlike most examples of this trope, it is ''not'' played for comedy. Besides making her incompetent as a Weyrwoman, the resultant dysphoria clearly causes her severe psychological damage, which gets steadily worse over time.
* TheMillstone: Her complete inability to either function effectively as Weyrwoman, or keep her dragon under control, actively causes the Weyr to deteriorate in both efficiency and morale. This is the main reason Benden Weyr is in such a dire state at the start of ''Dragonflight''.
* ThereAreNoTherapists: Justified as Pern is a feudal culture, but Jora clearly suffers from serious psychological distress and doesn't get any effective help for it. It quickly becomes obvious that she's completely unsuited, mentally and emotionally, to being a dragonrider -- unfortunately, once you've Impressed, you're in for life and there's no backing out. Even more unfortunately, her mental problems are also reflected in her dragon, and since her dragon is the Weyr queen, ''everyone'' is affected.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Eighth Interval Holders]]
!!Fax
The despotic, self-styled "Lord of the High Reaches" or "Lord of Seven Holds". Lord Holder, by (questionable) inheritance or outright conquest, of High Reaches, Nabol, Crom, Ruatha, Keogh, Balen and Riverbend holds.
* BigBad: Of ''The Masterharper of Pern'' and the first part of ''Dragonflight''.
* HateSink: Fax is utterly, unambiguously despicable on pretty much every level.
* ManipulativeBastard: He's strategically minded, and very good at manipulating his targets in ways that suit his purposes. For starters, he plans his succession to High Reaches Hold very carefully, ingratiating himself to Lord Faroguy while positioning himself to quickly eliminate Faroguy's (legitimate) sons. He also cleverly orchestrates the events directly leading to [[spoiler:F'lon's death]].
* PoisonousFriend: Likes to ingratiate himself to another hold with marriage alliances and/or favourable trade, then use the opportunity to slowly infiltrate them. Then he launches a lightning strike to conquer them before they realize what's happening.
* SpannerInTheWorks: It's in no small part because of Fax that Pern is so woefully unprepared for the Ninth Pass. His persecution of harpers leaves huge swaths of the population uneducated, and his campaigns of conquest mean most of the other holds are too occupied with defense to worry about abstract threats like Thread. He's also [[spoiler:responsible for engineering F'lon's death]], which leaves the Weyr without strong and forward-looking leadership at the exact time that it's most needed.
!!Gemma
One of Fax's wives, and the eventual mother of Jaxom.
* DeathByChildbirth: Dies giving birth to Jaxom.
* RetCon: Introduced in ''Dragonflight'' as a member of the Crom bloodline, which Fax used to legitimize his claim on that hold. In later books, however, she's described as being of Ruathan blood, and her connection to Crom is seemingly forgotten.
!!Grogellan
Lord Holder of Fort, father of Groghe.
* RupturedAppendix: Dies from one after refusing to be operated on.
!!Maidir
Lord Holder of Benden, father of Raid.
* HeadbuttingHeroes: Was once good friends with S'loner, the Benden Weyrleader, but they fell out after repeated arguments over whether Thread would ever return. Their eventual attempt to reconcile is cut short when [[spoiler:they are lost ''between'' and killed]].
* NeverFoundTheBody: Disappears during a Hatching at Benden Weyr. Nobody ever knows for sure exactly what happened, but it's surmised that [[spoiler:he was being given a ride back to Benden Hold by S'loner and Chendith when they had their TeleporterAccident]].
!!Melongel
Lord Holder of Tillek, father of Oterel and brother-in-law of Robinton.
!!Kasia
Sister-in-law of Lord Melongel, and Robinton's wife.
* DoomedByCanon: Since Robinton has no spouse in chronologically-later novels, it's obvious that his and Kasia's marriage is doomed somehow.
* TheLostLenore: To Robinton.
!!Tarathel
Lord Holder of Telgar, father of Larad, Kylara and Thella.
* MyGreatestFailure: Never gets over the fact that [[spoiler:F'lon, the Benden Weyrleader, was killed]] while a guest of his.
* ReallyGetsAround: It's noted that Kylara inherited this quality from him. Larad certainly seems to have quite a few half-siblings.
!!Kale
Lord Holder of Ruatha, and father of Lessa. He becomes Lord Holder at a relatively young age, and his lack of experience makes him an easy target for Fax's campaign of expansion.
* NiceGuy: He's a kind, affable, and fair leader. Robinton notes that he might have been an ideal Lord Holder in more peaceful times.
* TooDumbToLive: Refuses to believe that Fax would attack Ruatha, due to their mutually-beneficial trading relationship. This in spite of the fact that Fax has already overrun several other holds in similar positions. As a result, he unfortunately ends up as a literal example of this trope, as Fax slaughters him and his entire family (save for Lessa).
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Eighth Interval Harper Hall Characters]]
!Gennell
Masterharper of Pern, and Robinton's mentor.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Probably the wisest and most competent character in ''The Masterharper of Pern'' besides Robinton himself -- and it's largely Gennell who gives Robinton his leadership skills.
!Petiron
Mastercomposer and Robinton's father. Later becomes resident harper at Half Circle Sea Hold, where he discovers and mentors Menolly.
* AntiNepotism: One of the reasons Petiron is so strict and distant with Robinton is that he doesn't want to be accused of favouring his own son. He also applies this in reverse -- when Robinton becomes Masterharper, Petiron retires as Mastercomposer and leaves the Harper Hall, because he doesn't want to put Robinton in a potential conflict of interest.
* JerkAss: Mostly to Robinton, partly due to AntiNepotism, partly because he just doesn't understand his son and can't relate to him at all.
* MyGreatestSecondChance: After having been an absolutely terrible father to Robinton, he spends his last few years mentoring Menolly. We don't see any of their time together, but it's clear he was a beloved father-figure to her.
* PoorCommunicationKills: An awful lot of trouble and heartache in (indeed, most of the plot of ''Dragonsong'') could have been avoided if Petiron had bothered to mention that his genius protegé was a girl (or, for that matter, actually told anyone her name).
* TookALevelInKindness: After Merelan dies, he mellows out and becomes a lot more accepting of Robinton, although they never really become close.
!Merelan
Mastersinger and Robinton's mother.
!Nip / [[spoiler:Kinsale]]
A journeyman harper who specializes in covert and undercover operations. He is fiercely dedicated to opposing and undermining Fax.
* CodeName: Goes by 'Nip' because the nature of his job causes him to "nip in and out". His actual name[[labelnote:*]](probably)[[/labelnote]] isn't revealed until the very end of ''The Masterharper of Pern''.
* TheInfiltration: Frequently does this as part of his job.
* MasterOfDisguise: A necessary skill for the work he does.
* TheNondescript: Usefully for a spy, he has bland and unmemorable features.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Eighth Interval Healers]]
!Ginia
Masterhealer of Pern (predecessor of Oldive).
[[/folder]]
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Eighth Interval Weyrleaders]]
!!S'loner
Rider of bronze Chendith, Weyrleader of Benden Weyr, and F'lon's father. One of a dwindling handful of dragonriders who expect Thread to return someday.
* TeleporterAccident: How he and his dragon die. All the other dragons instantly sense Chendith's death; but nobody actually witnesses it, so the exact circumstances can only be surmised. The best guess is that he suffered a heart attack at the moment he and Chendith went ''between'' -- either killing them outright, or causing them to [[BlindJump lose focus on their destination]] and fail to rematerialize. Either way, neither he, his dragon, nor the passenger they were conveying -- [[spoiler:Lord Maidir of Benden Hold]] -- are ever seen again.
!!F'lon
Rider of bronze Simanith and Weyrleader of Benden Weyr after S'loner. Father of F'lar and F'nor.
* ChildhoodFriend: To Robinton.
* HotBlooded: His main character flaw. [[spoiler:It ultimately gets him killed.]]
* TheCassandra: By the time F'lon becomes Weyrleader, virtually nobody, in the Weyr or outside it, takes the threat of Thread seriously anymore. His (frequently tactless) attempts to persuade people are generally met with ridicule or annoyance.
!!R'gul
Rider of bronze Hath and Weyrleader of Benden Weyr after F'lon.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Once F'lar takes over as Weyrleader at the start of the Ninth Pass, R'gul very quickly disappears from the story (which is why he's listed here rather than under [[Characters/DragonridersOfPernNinthPassCharacters Ninth Pass Characters]]).
* ObstructiveBureaucrat: Vetoes all of F'lar's advice to prepare Pern for Threadfall, because he doesn't believe Thread will ever return and he's afraid of antagonizing the Lord Holders with unreasonable demands.
* UnfitForGreatness: R'gul is a competent enough wingleader, and genuinely does have (what he thinks are) the best interests of the Weyr at heart. Unfortunately, he's completely incapable of preparing the Weyr for the Ninth Pass, utterly fails to manage Jora and all her attendant problems, and has no idea how to effectively respond to unexpected crises.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Eighth Interval Weyrwomen]]
!!Jora
Queen rider of Nemorth, and Benden Weyrwoman to S'loner, F'lon and R'gul.
* BigEater: Overeats compulsively and constantly, clearly as a coping mechanism for her mental and emotional problems.
* DeathByGluttony: Ultimately dies by overeating.
* FisherKing: Jora is incompetent, neurotic and probably mentally ill, which is reflected in her queen, which in turn affects all the other dragons and their riders. Benden Weyr deteriorates badly during her time as Weyrwoman as a result.
* IronicFear: She's a dragonrider... and she's afraid of heights. Unlike most examples of this trope, it is ''not'' played for comedy. Besides making her incompetent as a Weyrwoman, the resultant dysphoria clearly causes her severe psychological damage, which gets steadily worse over time.
* TheMillstone: Her complete inability to either function effectively as Weyrwoman, or keep her dragon under control, actively causes the Weyr to deteriorate in both efficiency and morale. This is the main reason Benden Weyr is in such a dire state at the start of ''Dragonflight''.
* ThereAreNoTherapists: Justified as Pern is a feudal culture, but Jora clearly suffers from serious psychological distress and doesn't get any effective help for it. It quickly becomes obvious that she's completely unsuited, mentally and emotionally, to being a dragonrider -- unfortunately, once you've Impressed, you're in for life and there's no backing out. Even more unfortunately, her mental problems are also reflected in her dragon, and since her dragon is the Weyr queen, ''everyone'' is affected.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Eighth Interval Holders]]
!!Fax
The despotic, self-styled "Lord of the High Reaches" or "Lord of Seven Holds". Lord Holder, by (questionable) inheritance or outright conquest, of High Reaches, Nabol, Crom, Ruatha, Keogh, Balen and Riverbend holds.
* BigBad: Of ''The Masterharper of Pern'' and the first part of ''Dragonflight''.
* HateSink: Fax is utterly, unambiguously despicable on pretty much every level.
* ManipulativeBastard: He's strategically minded, and very good at manipulating his targets in ways that suit his purposes. For starters, he plans his succession to High Reaches Hold very carefully, ingratiating himself to Lord Faroguy while positioning himself to quickly eliminate Faroguy's (legitimate) sons. He also cleverly orchestrates the events directly leading to [[spoiler:F'lon's death]].
* PoisonousFriend: Likes to ingratiate himself to another hold with marriage alliances and/or favourable trade, then use the opportunity to slowly infiltrate them. Then he launches a lightning strike to conquer them before they realize what's happening.
* SpannerInTheWorks: It's in no small part because of Fax that Pern is so woefully unprepared for the Ninth Pass. His persecution of harpers leaves huge swaths of the population uneducated, and his campaigns of conquest mean most of the other holds are too occupied with defense to worry about abstract threats like Thread. He's also [[spoiler:responsible for engineering F'lon's death]], which leaves the Weyr without strong and forward-looking leadership at the exact time that it's most needed.
!!Gemma
One of Fax's wives, and the eventual mother of Jaxom.
* DeathByChildbirth: Dies giving birth to Jaxom.
* RetCon: Introduced in ''Dragonflight'' as a member of the Crom bloodline, which Fax used to legitimize his claim on that hold. In later books, however, she's described as being of Ruathan blood, and her connection to Crom is seemingly forgotten.
!!Grogellan
Lord Holder of Fort, father of Groghe.
* RupturedAppendix: Dies from one after refusing to be operated on.
!!Maidir
Lord Holder of Benden, father of Raid.
* HeadbuttingHeroes: Was once good friends with S'loner, the Benden Weyrleader, but they fell out after repeated arguments over whether Thread would ever return. Their eventual attempt to reconcile is cut short when [[spoiler:they are lost ''between'' and killed]].
* NeverFoundTheBody: Disappears during a Hatching at Benden Weyr. Nobody ever knows for sure exactly what happened, but it's surmised that [[spoiler:he was being given a ride back to Benden Hold by S'loner and Chendith when they had their TeleporterAccident]].
!!Melongel
Lord Holder of Tillek, father of Oterel and brother-in-law of Robinton.
!!Kasia
Sister-in-law of Lord Melongel, and Robinton's wife.
* DoomedByCanon: Since Robinton has no spouse in chronologically-later novels, it's obvious that his and Kasia's marriage is doomed somehow.
* TheLostLenore: To Robinton.
!!Tarathel
Lord Holder of Telgar, father of Larad, Kylara and Thella.
* MyGreatestFailure: Never gets over the fact that [[spoiler:F'lon, the Benden Weyrleader, was killed]] while a guest of his.
* ReallyGetsAround: It's noted that Kylara inherited this quality from him. Larad certainly seems to have quite a few half-siblings.
!!Kale
Lord Holder of Ruatha, and father of Lessa. He becomes Lord Holder at a relatively young age, and his lack of experience makes him an easy target for Fax's campaign of expansion.
* NiceGuy: He's a kind, affable, and fair leader. Robinton notes that he might have been an ideal Lord Holder in more peaceful times.
* TooDumbToLive: Refuses to believe that Fax would attack Ruatha, due to their mutually-beneficial trading relationship. This in spite of the fact that Fax has already overrun several other holds in similar positions. As a result, he unfortunately ends up as a literal example of this trope, as Fax slaughters him and his entire family (save for Lessa).
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Eighth Interval Harper Hall Characters]]
!Gennell
Masterharper of Pern, and Robinton's mentor.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Probably the wisest and most competent character in ''The Masterharper of Pern'' besides Robinton himself -- and it's largely Gennell who gives Robinton his leadership skills.
!Petiron
Mastercomposer and Robinton's father. Later becomes resident harper at Half Circle Sea Hold, where he discovers and mentors Menolly.
* AntiNepotism: One of the reasons Petiron is so strict and distant with Robinton is that he doesn't want to be accused of favouring his own son. He also applies this in reverse -- when Robinton becomes Masterharper, Petiron retires as Mastercomposer and leaves the Harper Hall, because he doesn't want to put Robinton in a potential conflict of interest.
* JerkAss: Mostly to Robinton, partly due to AntiNepotism, partly because he just doesn't understand his son and can't relate to him at all.
* MyGreatestSecondChance: After having been an absolutely terrible father to Robinton, he spends his last few years mentoring Menolly. We don't see any of their time together, but it's clear he was a beloved father-figure to her.
* PoorCommunicationKills: An awful lot of trouble and heartache in (indeed, most of the plot of ''Dragonsong'') could have been avoided if Petiron had bothered to mention that his genius protegé was a girl (or, for that matter, actually told anyone her name).
* TookALevelInKindness: After Merelan dies, he mellows out and becomes a lot more accepting of Robinton, although they never really become close.
!Merelan
Mastersinger and Robinton's mother.
!Nip / [[spoiler:Kinsale]]
A journeyman harper who specializes in covert and undercover operations. He is fiercely dedicated to opposing and undermining Fax.
* CodeName: Goes by 'Nip' because the nature of his job causes him to "nip in and out". His actual name[[labelnote:*]](probably)[[/labelnote]] isn't revealed until the very end of ''The Masterharper of Pern''.
* TheInfiltration: Frequently does this as part of his job.
* MasterOfDisguise: A necessary skill for the work he does.
* TheNondescript: Usefully for a spy, he has bland and unmemorable features.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Eighth Interval Healers]]
!Ginia
Masterhealer of Pern (predecessor of Oldive).
[[/folder]]
