Nagas Weyr is situated on the Southern Continent on a jut of land reaching into the Didelus Bay. It is built into the solid but porous basalt mountain that forms this piece of shoreline. The mountain is a dead volcano, of which the southern wall collapsed or was blown out some decades before the Weyr claimed it. A second small cone had begun to form in the center of the crater before the mountain died.

The only way into or out of the Weyr, besides a-dragonback, is on foot or runnerbeast. There is no safe shore to land even a small boat on, as the basalt rocks that have tumbled from the cliff-face over the years since the mountain was formed will shred any boat that touches them. This also makes this area EXTREMELY hazardous to even the best of swimmers. Bathing can be done in a small upwelling of water inside the mountain, discovered as the dragons and miners dug their way carefully into the rock to build the Weyr. Dragonrider weyrs can only be reached by dragonback, except for the Queens weyrs which, perforce, must be accessible by foot for during those times that the Queens have clutches on the sands, the weyrling barracks, and the infirmary. Another weyr, adjacent to the Senior Queen's weyr, is also accessible by foot but is reserved for the Weyrleader in the event that he and the Weyrwoman do not care to share quarters.

The black basalt makes this an ideal place for a Weyr, however. It absorbs heat from any heat source--fires, sunlight, even candles can warm up a room rapidly. The porous surface distributes the heat as well. This is why the kitchens are placed beneath the constructed Hatching Grounds and are carefully ventilated upwards to help keep the kitchens cooler and the Sands as hot as any summer beach (and quite satisfactory to the dragons!).

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The primary stanchion of Nagas Weyr is Nagas Hold. It is located a half-day's easy runnerbeast ride West of Nagas Weyr; a runnerbeast, run to foundering, could make the trip in just under two hours, a runner going at full speed could make the trip in 4 hours (about 50 miles).

Nagas Hold formed about the same time as Nagas Weyr. The Weyr was busy rebuilding and needed some place to house skilled crafters and provide a place for shipped goods to arrive before being dispensed down the shore to the Weyr.

For this reason, the Hold is constructed around a central structure, made of hunks of black basalt lifted from the water to provide a safe harbor. Originally, this building was a sprawling, single-story housing facility, but after the Weyr was resettled enough to allow masons and Stonecrafters to turn their efforts to their own Hold, it was expanded to become the Lord Holder's residence. Three stories were added to the building and the initial first story was bermed and the second story became the Great Hall and "first" story, constructed with a causeway (similar to Ruatha's construction, DF & DQ, only freestanding rather than built into the rock) and the lower story turned into drudges quarters.

Smaller outbuildings and residences sprang up in a semi-circular expansion out from the Lord Holder's residence and the Great Hall. Most of these buildings were also constructed from basalt hoisted from the harbor by the dragons.

Crafthalls:

• Harper Hall
• Healer Hall
• Stonecraft Hall

Nagas Regional Map | Nagas Hold Map | Nagas 3-Dimensional Map
Nagas Hold Main Floor | Nagas Hold Basement | Nagas Hold Second Floor

Padas Hold is situated 400 miles almost due east of Nagas Weyr near the headwaters of Eastern River with flows into the opposite end of the Black Rock Sea.

This region is rich and fertile farmland. Volcanic eruptions in the far-distant past littered this area with ash, which rapidly broke down, providing a vast store of nutrients that were sucked up by plant life returning after the volcanos became dormant. It appears almost perfectly flat once you leave the foothills of the Eastern Barrier Range; however, this is very much an illusion. A person standing at the top of one of the rolling hills could see for a hundred miles in any direction on a clear day and gain the illusion that the land is flat. However, the plains are riddled with rills and small, shallow, sluggish streams which cut into the ash-enriched soil no more than a depth of 15 feet. These same rills provide easily-channeled water to irrigate great fields of croplands.

The Hold is centralized around the Crafthalls rather than the Lord Holder's residence. Originally, the Crafthalls installed themselves here because of the fertile farmlands, and the Hold, perforce, established after the Halls were built.

Crafthalls:

• Farmcraft Hall
• Vintnercraft Hall
• Weavercraft Hall

Samas Hold is the only Hold situated on the shore of the Southern Sea, north and slightly east of the Weyr. It's about 270 miles from the Weyr and about 450 miles from Padas Hold, at the mouth of Black Rock River.

This region provides its own bounty--fish, sand for glass, and sufficient sea-water-resistant wood for shipbuilding. This is the main center for shipping in Nagas' Weyr's territory; all shipping routes start and end here.

This Hold began as a smattering of small-time sailors and seacrafters carrying third and fourth sons in search of unclaimed territory (much like Southern Hold, DD). Originally, there was no Lord Holder; when the announcement came that they were large enough to claim Hold status, there was a frenzy of duels and mansion-building with the agreement that whoever could build the largest home in a certain amount of time would become Lord Holder. The Hold is therefore centered around several elaborate, sprawling, and frequently gaudy homes, whose residents often swear their ancestors were completely insane. (Think of this like an ancient Palace city of Earth, with the King and Queen living in the Palace, the courtiers' rich homes just beyond the Palace walls, the middle-class folk beyond those, and the poor folk and marketplaces in the next "level" beyond.)

Crafthalls:

• Glasscraft Hall
• Fishercraft Hall
• Seacraft Hall

Bukas Hold is located 450 miles northwest of Nagas Weyr in the hills surrounding Lagoon River. It is midway up the river between Big Lagoon and Western Lake. It's 380 miles not quite due west of Samas Hold.

This is hilly country, much steeper than the plains "hills" of Padas Hold. While Padas' steppes rarely vary in elevation by more than 20 feet, Bukas' hills range from a "low" 1,200 feet elevation to a towering 6,000 feet. There are a couple of mountains on the western side of the river that reach an elevation of about 10,000; these peaks keep snow on them all year round. The country is lush and green, and although the growing season may be a few weeks shorter than that of Padas, they aren't growing crops here.

This is still only loosely considered a Hold. Originally, there was only the Beastcraft Hall; one of the Journeymen came from a strong-willed family and, upon attaining his Mastery, moved out of the Hall to build the Lord Holder's residence. His expertise in Beastcrafting allows him to keep his eye on the herds and the breeders and keeps his Hold thriving. Beastcrafters, Tanners, and Woodsmiths being a relatively surly lot, few besides those attending the Halls and their families have settled here, making this one of the smaller Holds on Pern.

Crafthalls:

• Beastcraft Hall
• Tannercraft Hall
• Woodsmith Hall

Gunas Hold rests deep in the Western Barrier Range, 650 miles due west of Nagas Weyr and 100 miles east of Great Bay Sea; it is 450 miles southwest of Bukas Hold. The only way in or out of the region, besides via dragon, is by boat, after you hike the 100 miles down from the Hold itself.

This is mountain country, cliffs and peaks, snow that stays all year round. The growing season at the Hold proper, at about 12,000 feet elevation, is about 3 months long; food has to be grown in special (fragile and expensive) greenhouses of shipped up from other Holds. The desert begins on the western side of the Sea, which itself is 50 miles across.

This Hold is much like Bukas Hold--few people live there except those who discovered riches in the mountains: firestone pits, precious metal mines, jewel mines. These folk are isolated and the most remote Hold and it shows in their taciturn attitudes. They can afford to ship their food in because they have something to barter with: metals and gems. The Hold developed around the first Lord Holder, an explorer and Minecrafter who discovered a large vein of gold and silver and made himself quite rich off of it, shipping in the black basalt rock quarried at near Nagas Weyr to build himself a fine house that would remain warm all year round with minimal effort. The rest of the holders moved in and the Crafthalls came soon afterwards, relishing in the rich mines.

Crafthalls:

• Minercraft Hall
• Smithcraft Hall