Life in the Hold
Contents
Hold Overview
Here you will find detailed information into the Hold structure at Triad Weyrs.
Ranks
Lord Holder
The Lord Holder oversees the direction his Hold is taking and is ultimately responsible for all formal business decisions. He has a duty to responsibly govern those who look to him for protection, which means ensuring their survival, distributing supplies, and resolving their disputes. He also serves as his area's representative to the rest of Pern, and has responsibilities to attend Conclave.Lady Holder
The Lady Holder is married to the Lord of the Hold. She is to produce heirs, oversee the Headwoman, and promote positive relationships between the Hold and Weyr. The Lady Holder also oversees her Ladies-in-Waiting who look to the Lady of the Hold for introductions to eligible bachelors. She also oversees any children "fostered" by neighboring Holds.Steward
The Steward's job involves a mix of working with people and large amounts of hidework. Those who need to appeal to the Lord must first pass their request through the Steward, who is responsible for making sure that critical information is brought to his attention. He makes sure the Hold has up to date records of all the business transactions it is involved in. It is alo the Steward's job to know the types of work that needs to be done in the Hold's territory, and decide who is doing it. Male holders are organized into labor divisions that report to the Steward.Headwoman
The Headwoman's job is to oversee the internal needs of the Hold. She makes sure the Hold is not going to run out of vital supplies, and oversees the distribution of common supplies to the residents of the hold. She allocates housing assignments to the residents, and helps ensure the domestic records are kept accurate. Drudges and servant women are organized by the areas where their duty lies - laundry, kitchen, creche, cleaning, etc - and they are overseen by the Headwoman.
- Note: The Headwoman and the Steward fill complementary roles. Her job is to handle the Hold's internal operations, while his job is to handle the Hold's relationship with the outside world. The pair must coordinate to know what supplies and resources the Hold currently possesses, what it is scheduled to receive in tithes and shipments, and what it might owe to its parent Weyr as well as any bigger Hold it looks to.
Occupations
Holders make up the bulk of Pern's population and workforce. There is a wide variety of jobs for them to perform, and two people working for the same Hold may have entirely different duties according to their talents, temperaments, and assignments.
The type of workers a hold needs depends on the environment of the hold and what resources it has access to. Sea holds will have holders who know about fishing and boats and weather, while farm holds will have animal herders and field hands.
The hold residents of noble bloodlines have slightly different duties from an average holder. In general, they are fostered to different Holds in hopes of forming marriage alliances. Members of both genders receive training in Hold management from the appropriate higher-ranking members of the Hold structure. They may work as assistants, understewards, or other positions above those of the regular laborers.
Note that some jobs overlap in name and function with those in the established Crafts. A Craft education is formal advanced training in many aspects of a trade. The holder versions of the same job are informally taught via on the job experience and focused on the practicalities of day to day living. Occupations that overlap with a Craft are denoted via an *. Note that none of the overlapping jobs on this list may wear Craft knots; that is a privilege for the Craft-trained only.
Here is a list of sample jobs:
- Animal herder
- Candlemaker
- Carpenter
- Cloth maker
- Clothing maker
- Coach driver
- Cook
- Digger
- Field hand
- Fisher
- Gardener
- Gatherer / picker
- Guard
- Herbalist
- Hunter
- Leather worker
- Logger
- Midwife
- Net and sail mender
- Planter
- Potter
- Repairman
- Scribe
- Ship construction and repair
- Stable hand
