Dragon~/Rider

* Pern
* Inheritance Cycle

## Dragonriders of Pern

### Selection and Training

Nearly all dragonriders start out as candidates. Candidates range from ten years old to the early twenties and fall into two categories. People born and raised in the weyr, referred to as weyrbred, are allowed to stand automatically for as long as they met the age requirement. However, non-weyrbred individuals also can be candidates. Non-weyrbred candidates are typically chosen on Search where dragons look for those people who possess the ability to bond with a dragon. Weyr policy prefers a surplus of candidates as compared to eggs, as a dragon that cannot impress a suitable candidate will die.

Dragonriders are chosen from the candidates at a hatching, where newly-hatched dragons Impress a human. However, a dragon will occasionally choose to Impress a person not explicitly chosen as a candidate. Though the exact mechanism behind this choice is not fully understood, it is known that different colors of dragons have different preferences, depending on the gender and sexual orientation of the human. Once impression is made, the person is expected to put aside all other life plans in favor of the Weyr. Newly impressed riders are called Weyrlings. Male dragonriders make contractions of their names, such as Famanoran to F'nor, a tradition that began during the First Pass as dragons would shorten their riders' names since they needed to communicate very quickly during Threadfall.

The new dragonriders undergo extensive training to learn how to care for their dragons and fight Thread safely. This takes place during the dragon's two year maturation process and is the responsibility of a Weyr's Weyrlingmaster. Weyrlings are first taught basic dragon care, before being taught to fly and go *betweeen*. Lessons on Thread-fighting techniques and the chewing of firestone also take place. A pair cannot begin to fight Thread until the rider has turned sixteen years old, even if training has been completed. This means that during Passes, older, more mature candidates may be favored as they can begin to fight Thread quickly. Those riders who are underaged but have completed training are often assigned as sentries or messengers.

### Roles and Hierarchy

Due to their role as protectors of Pern, dragonriders are respected by Pern. Even the most junior adult dragonrider is equivalent in status to a senior journeyman. The hierarchy of dragonriders tends to follow the natural ranking order of the dragon species. Riders of gold and bronze dragons tend to be in leadership roles, while riders of brown, blue and green dragons are in subordinate roles. The rider of a Weyr's senior gold serves as Weyrwoman, and is the domestic head of the weyr. Meanwhile, the rider of the bronze dragon that flies the gold in a mating flight serves as Weyrleader, and is the military head of the Weyr.

Beneath the Weyrwoman and Weyrleader are the remaining dragons. Junior gold riders assist the Weyrwoman in her duties. Meanwhile, bronze, brown, blue, and green riders are divided into units called Wings. Wings are led by a Wingleader, usually an experienced bronze riders. Wingleaders may have one or two Wingseconds, which are usually bronze or brown riders. Wings contain between 12 to 33 dragons, depending on the number of dragons in a Weyr. Another important role is that of the Weyrlingmaster, who is responsible for training Weyrlings following their impression. The Weyrlingmaster may be any experienced rider, and is chosen by the Weyrleader. Some riders may take the role of Weyrsinger, such as C'gan, which is a dragonrider who is also trained as a Harper and performs Harper duties for the weyr.

### Duties

The primary duty of all dragonriders is to fight Thread. During Threadfall, dragons and riders fly into the air and use the dragons' ability to breath fire to burn the Thread before it can reach the ground. Neglecting this duty can have dire consequences and thus is punished severely. Pern is divided into regions protected by a specific Weyr. When Threadfall is due, the Weyrleader of the affected region leads the wings of the Weyr against it. As gold dragons cannot breathe fire via firestone, Gold riders use flamethrowers and burn low altitude Thread that passes by the the upper wings. Green dragons do not have the stamina to last a full Threadfall, and thus tend to fly Thread in shifts. Some greenriders also handle supplying dragonriders with Firestone, to ensure that the dragons can properly produce flame.

When not flying Thread, dragonriders have a variety of duties, as assigned by the Weyrleader. Wings may be assigned to patrol their territory or go on Search. Each Weyr has at least one rider who serves as a sentry, monitoring travel in and out of the Weyr. In the Ninth Pass, Weyrleader F'lar would introduce the concept of having a rider stationed at nearby holds as a means of long-distance communication. These riders were often either young riders not yet able to fly Thread, or older riders looking for less strain.

Dragonriders may also take on other tasks not assigned by their Weyrleader as needed, so long as it doesn't conflict with required duties. Some riders will take urgent messages for holders for a fee. Riders will also carry passengers to large scale meetings, such as Gathers or Council meetings. In the Southern Continent, dragonriders commonly assist local holders with containing and hunting felines.

Dragonriders will also intervene during natural disasters, aiding in evacuations and rescues where necessary. Following the Fireball Flood, dragonriders were considered to be responsible for anything that falls out of Pern's skies. As a response, dragonriders decided to form a formal Star Hall to watch the stars and divert hazardous objects. This also would have the advantage of providing a craft for dragonriders following the end of Threadfalls: Skywatchers.

### Society

Weyrs and dragonriders have a reputation of being sexually open, due to the nature of mating flights, which induce sexual contact between the participating riders. Thus, the Weyr often serves as a refuge for those who clash with the more conservative beliefs of the Holds or Crafts. Due to the nature of the dragon-rider relationship, dragonriders do not participate in marriage, as the needs of a dragon is considered to outrank any commitment. Instead, riders will often become Weyrmates, which is similar to dating or marriage, but without the formal commitment of a marriage. However, some pairings may be as close and as long lasting as a traditional marriage.

As most Weyrs are incapable of supporting themselves, they are dependent on tithes from holds and crafts for support. The exception to this rule are Weyrs in the Southern Continent, which are built on lush open ground rather than extinct volcanoes, and have greater access to natural resources. Because of the typical dependence of the Weyrs, dragonriders sometimes lose support during an interval, as they are seen as less useful. As the Ninth Pass is to be the last time Thread falls on Pern, tithes will end after the end of the Ninth Pass and dragonriders will need to support themselves.

The death of a dragonrider is mourned, as dragons suicide upon the death of their riders. Dragons are able to sense when one of their number has died, and thus such deaths are known Pernwide. Should a dragon die before their rider, the rider is left heavily affected. Traditionally, a rider suicides upon their dragon's death. However, some riders are able to go on to lead productive lives, such as Lytol and Brekke, though such former riders still often carry immense pain from the loss of their bondmate. Because of the danger of death when fighting Thread, children born in the Weyr are raised by foster parents, to avoid the pain that comes with losing a parent should the parent die during Threadfall. Duels within a Weyr are heavily regulated to avoid fatalities, since a dragon dies if their rider does. Attempting to kill or successfully murdering another dragonrider is a serious crime and is severely punished.

Though fighting Thread is extremely dangerous and often deadly, those dragonriders who survive to mature ages have several options available to them. Aging riders will often take less strenuous duties, such as message running or sentry duty. Some aging dragonriders would transfer to Weyrs on the Southern Continent, where Thread-fighting was less strenuous, and where there was a better climate. Dragonriders can also retire, leaving active Weyr duty altogether. In the Ninth Pass, aging dragonriders often retired to the Southern Continent, claiming small holds for themselves and their dragons.

## History

When Thread first fell on Pern, the colonists used sleds for aerial defense. Recognizing that the sleds and their power packs wouldn't last throughout the First Pass, they engineered the dragons as a defense. The dragons would be ridden by dragonriders; the pairing of dragon and rider took advantage of the strengths of each member.

When dragons hatched, they impressed their riders, creating a telepathic bond between the pair. The riders took care of their newly hatched partners and later took part in training with their dragons.

The death of a rider would cause the dragon to go *between.* The death of a dragon would often, though not always, cause a rider to suicide.

The **Dragon Riders** (**Shur'tugal** in the Ancient Language or **Argetlam** meaning Silver Hand) were a coalition of elves and dragons formed at the end of Du Fyrn Skulblaka; to forge peace and order between the elves and dragons. The riders were created because treaties between the two races would prove useless to stop fighting; a signed piece of paper meant nothing to a dragon.

An irrevocable bond was wrought by the elves and the dragons; the elves provided the structure of the spell and the dragons provided the strength, thus; creating the Dragon Riders.

When a fleet of Humans sailed across the sea thousands of years later, they to were added to the elite order of the Dragon Riders. The role of the riders became more than uniting the elves and dragons; they became keepers of the peace throughout the land of Alagaësia and were respected and honored by the people they served. After the end of the Rider War, Urgals and Dwarves were also admitted. There were both male and female riders, all of whom were immortal and were able to use magic.

The riders not only were peacekeepers, they were healers, scholars and the strongest magicians throughout the land besides Shades (though the Riders did not promote this fact).

### The training of a Rider

The bond with the Riders and their dragons gives the Riders a strong and powerful ability to use magic and enhanced physical abilities. Through rigorous training, a Rider would become some of the most powerful magicians and swordsmen in all of Alagaësia. Also, the bond stops the aging of Rider's body making him immortal while his dragon is alive.

In the past, newly bonded pairs of dragon and Rider were taken to the elven capital of Ilirea (which later became the Humans' capital Urû'baen after Galbatorix conquered it), where older Riders trained one or two students at a time. The training could consist of the senior dragon training the younger in aerial maneuvers (especially those used in battle), building stamina for long-distance flights, increasing speed, dragon lore and the ancient language. It is also a mandatory requirement that the Rider and dragon would share their lessons. In order to do that, the pair would keep their minds connected so they could listen in on each other's lessons and learn. After class, the senior Rider would test the two to ensure that both had learned each other's subject. Both the senior dragon and the senior Rider were addressed by their students as 'Master' or 'Ebrithil'.

To train a Rider to use magic, the novice was given a set of frustrating, apparently impossible tasks that could not be accomplished without the aid of magic. If a student discovered its ability before this regimen was complete, that student would be removed at once from the others and apprenticed to another elder.

The formal training of a Rider and dragon traditionally took many years and the Dragon Riders continued to hone their skills throughout their lives. At the end of the training, the Elven smith Rhunön would forge a sword for the Rider.

### Ranks of the Riders

It appears, through Eragon's conversations with Oromis, that there were four ranks of the order. They are as followed.

* **Apprentices**: These were new riders in training.
* **Dragon Riders**: Young riders and dragons who had completed their training and carried out missions for the Elders and the Head Dragon Riders.
* **Elders**: The oldest, wisest and most powerful members of the order. Seems as if some or all of these Elders served on a council. Technically the new elders would be Murtagh, Thorn, Arya, Firnen, Eragon, Saphira, Glaedr and the sane Eldunari.
* **Head Dragon Rider**: This is the title of the overall leader of the Riders. He is usually the oldest or most powerful of the riders, but not always the wisest (as Vrael was the Head Dragon Rider, but according to Galbatorix, Oromis was the wisest). The first Eragon, Anurin, Vrael and Eragon Shadeslayer were all Head Dragon Riders and are the most well known in the series.

### The blade of a Rider

*Main article: Rider's sword*

These swords were forged by the Elf Rhunön, widely considered to be the best smith in Alagaësia, as well as were some of the best hand-crafted swords ever made. The Elves' methods of forging always remained a secret. According to Arya, Rhunön made all the Riders' swords. The ore that was used to forge the blade of the sword is what Rhunön called brightsteel, which was a shooting star that fell down to Alagaësia many years ago.

The Dragon Rider's swords were eternally sharp. The Elves' custom was to have the sword's color match the color of the Rider's dragon. The size and shape of a Rider's sword differed based on its owners fighting style, as they were all tailor-made for each specific Rider. Their blades were tinted to resemble the color of their dragon's scales. The swords excelled at cutting through enchantments of every kind and they were nearly immune to destructive magic.

Some Riders chose not to wield swords. If they preferred to use a lance or a bow for fighting from their dragon, Rhunön or another of the elven smiths would have crafted a weapon of equal power to the conventional sword.

### The bond

After the agreements of creating the Dragon Riders, a spell was cast over the dragon eggs to ensure that the baby dragons inside would only hatch when the eggs were touched by the Human or Elf whom they wanted to bond with. In exceptional circumstances, the dragon would subvert certains spells and bond with a Human child under the age of ten or an elven child under the age of twenty but most Riders were older. The instant the egg is laid, the dragon infant inside is ready to hatch, but waited sometimes for years to.

Upon hatching, the young dragon would make contact with its Rider for the first time, leaving a mark, the *gedwëy ignasia* ("shining palm"), on the Dragon Rider's hand. A bond forms between the dragon and the Rider, which melds their minds on a basic level, binding them for life in the most enduring friendship that can possibly exist and endowing the Dragon Rider with magic.

But the bond can be strained. Some Elves and Humans have tricked dragons into accepting them as Riders and there was one unhappy tale of a dragon hatching for one who did not wish to be a Rider. In spite of the bond, it is possible for a Riders to become Shades. In *Brisingr* , Oromis said that such an abomination would be the worst terror that had ever walked the earth, much worse than Galbatorix.

After Galbatorix's death, the Bond was changed by Eragon to include Urgals and Dwarves as well.

### Numbers

The exact numbers of the Riders were unknown, but as Eragon II found hundreds of Riders swords in Galbatorix castle in Urû'baen, it may be assumed that they weren't ever more than a few hundreds of members.