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«When man first came to Pern, he built a good hold in the South, but found it necessary to move North to shield»

Holds were settlements which were developed as shelters against Threadfall. Usually carved from cliff faces, they were watched over by a Lord and Lady Holder, whose duties were to see that all were cared for, that supplies were set aside for the lean years of a Pass, and that all were treated fairly.

The Minor Holds were under the jurisdiction of the Major Holds (larger and more politically powerful Holds). 

The following is not a complete list of all the settlements on Pern. Since many Minor Holdings are not listed in the Atlas of Pern, the Minor Holdings currently known are the ones that have played a part in one of the Pern novels published thus far.

Northern Holds[]

Sorted from West to East

Tillek Shield

Tillek Hold[]

Tillek was also home to the Fishercrafthall and at least five minor holds, whose names are not known.


High Reaches Shield

High Reaches Hold[]

High Reaches Hold was also home to at least one minor hold whose name is not known.


Fort Shield

Fort Hold[]

Fort Hold was also home to the Harper Hall and Healer Hall, and at least one Minehold. During the Sixth Pass, two un-named holds were known to exist between Fort Hold and High Hill Hold.


Boll Shield

Southern Boll Hold[]

Southern Boll Hold was also home to the Weavercrafthall, and at least one minor hold whose name is not known.


Ruatha Shield

Ruatha Hold[]

Ruatha Hold was known to have at least twenty minor holds and three mineholds by the Sixth Pass.


Nabol Shield

Nabol Hold[]

Nabol's borders were known to have changed over time. In the Second Interval, its borders extended to the Big Bay — with the inlet of the Crom River even being known as the Bay of Nabol — but by the Ninth Pass, Nabol was landlocked; its former lands having seemingly defected to nearby Ruatha. It's not clear whether the border changes were in any way linked to the conquests of Fax.


Crom Shield

Crom Hold[]

Crom Hold was also home to the Minecrafthall, and at least one minor hold whose name is not known.


Telgar Shield

Telgar Hold[]

Telgar Hold was also home to the Smithcrafthall, the Starcrafthall, and at least one minor hold which was briefly used as a base by Lady Holdless Thella.


Ista Shield

Ista Hold[]

Ista Hold was once home to Bitkim Camp, a Mining Stake established by settlers Avril Bitra and Stev Kimmer prior to the First Pass. Its exact location is uncertain.


Igen Shield

Igen Hold[]

Igen Hold was also home to the Tannercrafthall, as well as the Igen Caves, which were inhabited by a large number of Holdless folk.


Lemos Shield

Lemos Hold[]

Lemos Hold was also home to the Woodcrafthall, and at least one Minehold.


Keroon Shield

Keroon Hold[]

Keroon Hold was also home to the Beastcrafthall, and at least seven minor holds whose names are not known; one of which was the home of Fort Queenrider Moreta.


Bitra Shield

Bitra Hold[]

Bitra Hold was home to at least one minor hold whose name is not known. Prior to the Second Pass a mine was located in Steng Valley, suggesting that a Minehold may have existed there.


Nerat Shield

Nerat Hold[]

Nerat Hold was also home to the Farmercrafthall.


Benden Shield

Benden Hold[]

Benden Hold was also home to the Mastervinters who make Benden wine, and at least one minor hold whose name is not known.


BlankHold

Unknown Holds[]

Southern Holds[]

For a list of the settlements built prior to the First Pass, see «List of Stakes».

Due to discrepancies between books, the borders of the Southern Continent are not precisely known. While Southern Hold largely occupied the land that was once the Delta and Dorado Provinces, plus Ierne Island and a small area of Macedonia Province, it is not clear whether the remainder of Macedonia and Cathay Province were beholden to Paradise River Hold - the largest Hold in the eastern areas of the Southern Continent - or whether they were self-sustaining. The Skies of Pern suggests that a minor hold in Jordan Province was beholden to Paradise River Hold, which could mean that the entire eastern regions looked to that hold.

No Holds other than the Southern Hold can be called the Major on the Southern continent, since they did not receive such status on the conclave and their rulers did not have the status of the Lord. But some of those settlements were independent of other Holds, which allowed them to be singled out on this list along with the Major Holds.

In addition, it is not clear how many of the stakeholds were resettled. Cibola Province alone is believed to be completely uninhabited, as there were no settlements there in the time of the Ancients.


Southern Shield

Southern Hold[]

Southern Hold was known to have at least twenty four minor holds beholden to it, and at least three Mineholds including the Karachi Camp. Southern Hold may also have been home to the Plasticcrafthall.


Paradise River Shield

Paradise River Hold[]

Paradise River Hold was also home to the Dolphincrafthall, and at least one minor hold.


Rubicon River

Rubicon River Hold[]

Ninth Pass Founded by Readis, founder of Dolphincraft was a Major Crafthall (mistakenly dubbed «Kahrain Hold» in The Dolphins of Pern).


Cove Hold

Cove Hold[]

Cove Hold was founded during the Ninth Pass as a home for Robinton following his heart attack and forced retirement. Located on a small cove, the area became home not only to Robinton, but D'ram, Lytol and later on, Wansor. It served as a jumping point for further exploration of the south.


BlankHold

Landing[]

In Landing were housed the Computercrafthall, the Techniciancrafthall, the Printercrafthall, the Papercrafthall, and possibly the Plasticcrafthall. A Hydro-Electric Power station existed somewhere up the Jordan River.

Weyrhold[]

Weyrhold was a unique settlement, inherent only to the Southern continent. These were the habitats of dragonriders, where they lived as ordinary holders or craftsmen.


Honshu Weyrhold Shield

Honshu Weyrhold[]

Formerly Honshu Stake, it was rediscovered early in the Ninth Pass by F'lessan and Golanth. F'lessan found an observatory that, with AIVAS's help, he restored and started skywatching.


BlankWeyr

Malay River Weyrhold[]

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