Pernese Locations

Despite its diversity, Pern locations tend to fall under four major categories. They vary wildly on social mores, how they're administered, and their overall opinion on society in general. On these subsequent links, you will find lists of every Hold, Hall, Weyr, and other important location on Pern. Most of these will be completely canonical. Some will be altered for our setting. Others do not exist and will be noted as such for people who might otherwise accidentally use them in a background or in RP.

Please note, for character creating purposes, we are respecting the long-standing fandom rule against the use of Benden Weyr and Ruatha Hold for backgrounds, relatives, origins, or anything else. Please avoid using them as much as possible, although they both ICly exist and still participate in today's Pern.

Also, big note here: We are set in the late 9th Pass, and if one were to be technical, many of Anne McCaffrey's book characters (F'lar, Lessa, Menolly, Sebell, Jaxom, Sharra, etc.) should theoretically still be alive. However, in the interests of not receiving a C&D from Mr. Jay Katz on Ms. McCaffrey's behalf, these characters no longer exist on our Pern. We will make no explanation as to their ultimate fates, as that would be rude. They are simply not there, and other people now hold their positions. This way, players who would normally reference, say, Sebell as Masterharper of Pern, will instead reference the game-created Masterharper, Gallifren.

And finally, a smaller note here: Just because an area might be tagged as Progressive, Neutral, or Traditional in overall mindset, that doesn't mean that every single person from that area is of the same opinion. When it comes to applying for a character and choosing which of the three overall political views he or she has, you can pick whatever you feel is right for the character. If you want them to be contrary to what the leader(s) of your chosen area believe, that's perfectly fine and indeed adds some RP hooks into how he or she may have been treated at home and might explain somewhat of why your character would move to one of the PC areas.

Holds

Holds are home to the majority of Pernese. Likened to an Earth castle and surrounding fiefdom, holders are generally farmers, shepherds, non-craft workers, and agricultural lifestyles predominate. Major Holds are led by a Lord (or very rarely Lady) Holder, and smaller Holds are led by a Holder who is beholden to the Lord. Smaller yet are the cotholds, one or two family farms and livestock pastures that look to either their nearest regular Holder or directly to a Lord, depending on if they're in a minor or major Hold. Generally the home of the most conservative of the various mindsets on Pern, the Holds are responsible for keeping greenery away from their areas near the main structures and also tithing to their beholden Weyr in exchange for the Weyr ensuring no Thread falls on their lands. Many major Holds have a crafthall or two nearby for various reasons, mostly due to location of needed supplies for the craft, such as the Woodcraft Hall being in Lemos because of the rich forestlands there. Other crafters are posted to various Holds, but they still look to their Craftmaster for leadership rather than the Lord Holder.

Halls

Crafthalls are often the home of artisans who create various goods needed for the rest of Pern on a professional basis. Many of the more basic skills are often done by regular Hold residents, such as cutting wood or minding a herd of runners, but crafters are set apart due to their intense training and specialization. Most crafts will have a primary crafthall somewhere on Pern, with one or more secondary Halls as necessary in other locations if the main Hall gets too big for the number of crafters learning. Crafts are led by a singular Master, generally referred to as 'the Master<craft>er of Pern', such as how Robinton was called 'Masterharper of Pern'. Most crafts elect their leader, and the progressive or traditional nature of the craft can often shift from Master to Master. While all crafthalls are situated within a Hold's territory (often near the main Hold itself), the crafts are autonomous from Hold authority and the Master of any given craft can pull his or her people out of a Hold whose Lord is being unreasonable to craft needs. All crafts use a Master/Journeyman/Apprentice format for ranks, with promotions being based on politics as much as skill.

Weyrs

Weyrs are the home of the majestic dragons of Pern, their riders, and the support staff necessary to maintain them both. Often situated in the craters of dormant volcanos, the Weyrs range in style from the smoothest rocky face in Fort Weyr to the chipped-off stone corridors of the more recent ones. Led by a Weyrleader (a bronze or very rarely brownrider whose dragon mates with the senior queen) and a Weyrwoman (the rider of the senior queen), the Weyrs stolidly maintain the anti-Thread defense of the planet to the best of their ability. As riders haven't the time to practice either craft or tend a farm in any significant capacity, they rely on tithe from the Holds and purchasing items from the crafts in order to survive. The support staff of any given Weyr is led by the Headwoman, a generally older and responsible woman who often has authority nearing that of the Weyrleaders. Each Weyr has a territory that is their responsibility during Threadfall, including all the Holds, minor Holds, crafthalls, and cotholds within that area.

Other

There are other locations on Pern that do not fall under the category of Hold, Hall, or Weyr. These tend to be very singular locations that serve a particular function or were built for a specific reason that predates a more traditional Pernese venue.

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