F'lar

F'lar was the Benden Weyrleader during the Ninth Pass, and united the Weyrs under his authority as the Weyrleader of Pern.

Biography

Early Life

F'lar was born Fallarnon thirty-two Turns before the start of the Ninth Pass, the son of F'lon and Larna, who died nine days after his birth. Both his father and his grandfather, S'loner, were Weyrleaders in their time. He inherited his father's distinctive amber eyes. He was raised by Manora, the headwoman of Benden Weyr, who would give F'lon his second son, Famanoran (or F'nor, as he became known later).

Impression

Fallarnon Impressed bronze Mnementh and shortened his name to F'lar in the dragonriders' tradition. Carrying on F'lon's legacy after the Weyrleader was assassinated, F'lar would become a Wingleader under the closed-minded Weyrleader R'gul. Like F'lon, F'lar believed that Thread would return, and that as a dragonrider he must answer the call to fight it.

Lessa, Fax and the Return of Thread

After the death of the last living queen-rider, F'lar went on Search to find a rider for the single queen egg in that final clutch. His Search brought him to Ruatha Hold, one of the "Seven Holds" held by the greedy tyrant Fax. As such, F'lar, his half-brother F'nor, and several Benden riders accompanied Fax for one of his inspections at Ruatha Hold. It was there that he encountered Lessa, the last of the Ruathan bloodline and the source of the mysterious power he felt in Ruatha's halls. After Fax attempted to renege on a promise he had made - to turn Ruatha over to his infant son, Jaxom - F'lar engaged Fax in a knife duel and defeated him, ending his rule over the "Seven Holds".

After the hatching of Ramoth and Lessa's impression, F'lar's Mnementh eventually flew the new queen, making him Weyrleader of Benden. After his ascension, F'lar promised the Lord Holders of Pern that he would find a way to bring the end of Thread by destroying it at its source: The Red Star, the erratic sister planet of Pern.

But Benden was one weyr, and not all of its riders were fit and able to fly against Thread. Lessa, risking the survival of dragonkind itself (as her dragon, Ramoth, was the last living queen in that time period. Kylara and Prideth were sent back in time by F'lar to try and better prepare Pern for the thread fall), travelled four hundred Turns back in time and beseeched the other five Weyrs to come back with her to the present. The Oldtimers, as they became known, agreed to come forward and fight Thread alongside Benden. But once there, F'lar faced several challenges to his authority, most notably from T'ron, the Weyrleader of Fort. After defeating T'ron, F'lar challenged any other Oldtimers to speak against Benden, or to follow him and fight their ancient enemy. Many agreed to follow Benden's lead, making F'lar the Weyrleader of all Pern; his leadership, however, did not go unchallenged, and there were some Oldtimers who persisted in their efforts against Benden. T'kul, the exiled Weyrleader of High Reaches, had attempted to steal a queen egg from one of Ramoth's clutches, and fly his dragon to mate with a younger queen, resulting in the ancient dragon's death; F'lar faced the grief-maddened Oldtimer in a knife duel and killed him.

The Discovery of AIVAS

When AIVAS was discovered on the southern continent seventeen Turns into the Ninth Pass, F'lar was among the first to give his support. When he was not discussing the greater plan, F'lar's studies with AIVAS tended to the more practical duties of the Weyrleader; tactics, mathematical projections of Threadfall, and draconic healing. He was convinced that AIVAS' plan to end the thread of Thread forever was doable, and he and Lessa were among the major leaders (the others being Jaxom and Masterharper Robinton) in the plan to carry out the promise he had made upon becoming Weyrleader.

Post-AIVAS

Despite the success of AIVAS' plan, F'lar made it clear that he would remain as Benden's Weyrleader until the Pass was over, to carry out the duty he had assigned himself.

Personality and traits

F'lar was described by C'gan, the Weyrsinger, as having his head "screwed on better than F'lon ever did"; unlike his father, F'lar was even-tempered and even-headed rather than brash and reckless. He was also an opponent of any kind of injustice, having battled and slain Fax and defeated several Oldtimer Weyrleaders to prevent such injustice.

F'lar

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