Welcome to Gaia! ::

Craft ranking system
There are three degrees of rank: apprentice, journeyman (or journeywoman), and master. Apprentices begin their education as early as eight or nine years of age and are instructed by one or more master craftsmen on a regular basis. Journeymen (or women) continue to receive instruction, but may go without instruction for indefinite periods of time to practice their craft in outlying settlements. The majority of a craft's members will be journeymen and journeywomen; many will never advance beyond this point. The highest regular rank is master which denotes the ability, right, and responsibility to pass the ways of the Craft on to apprentices and journeymen. There are two types of Master in a crafthall: a Craftsmaster, who is higher ranking than apprentices and journeymen/journey women, and a Master Craftsman, who is in charge of all things relating to that particular craft.

Organizational structure
Crafts are divided into separate halls. These Halls are both places of work and a social structure. A Crafthall may range from a humble Fisher's shack on a rocky coast to the great craft complexes like Smithhall at Telgar or the Harper and Healer Halls at Fort. Generally, one or more crafthalls are recognized as being the center of learning for their craft are generally identified as Major Crafthalls, the rest being considered Minor Crafthalls. Each crafthall selects a leader from among their masters, and the convocation of all Craftsmasters of a craft elect their head, their Craft's Mastercraftsman. The Mastercraftsman has the right to speak for all members of his Craft, planet-wide.

The difference between Hall-Crafts and Hold-crafts
A distinction should be drawn between the Hold-crafts and the Hall-crafts. Several Crafts, while having their own Halls and places of learning, are basic skills that no Hold can do without. Examples include the Farmercraft, Weavers, Cooking, and Beastcraft. These Hold-crafts are therefore found everywhere, and their life does not primarily revolve around their home Halls. In contrast, crafts such as the Minercraft, Smithcraft, or Healercraft require specific locations, specialized halls, and years of learning to master. Unlike the Hold-crafts, these Crafts stand somewhat aloof from the regular day-to-day life of the Holds of Pern.

- Information (c) Wikipedia

Color: Green
Major Hall: Fort

The Healercraft is one of the oldest crafts on Pern. Unlike all the crafts but the Beastcraft, it relies on hands-on training for its healers. A child who shows aptitude for the craft often apprentices under his local journeyman healer, training there up to senior apprentice before leaving to train under a Master for their Journeyman rank. Rank and specialist training is indicated in elaborate shoulder knots.

After an apprentice achieves Journeyman rank, he chooses a specialty & begins to direct most of his studies as a journeyman towards that calling. Those who don't choose a specialty go on to become general healers who are assigned to more remote holds. Specialties include nursing, diagnostics, pediatrics, geriatrics, midwifery, urology, herbalism, dentistry, surgery, mindhealing, massage therapy, and respiratory ailments. Every Weyr will have at least one urologist, one midwife and one surgeon in addition to their regular healing staff.

Healing on Pern is not extremely advanced. Surgery is rare, due to the Pernese aversion to it. Cesarean sections and repair surgery for 'Fall injuries and the like are the only surgeries commonly accepted due to the risk of infection and shock. Birth defects are virtually unknown, as the Pernese do not have the technology to sustain those born with them. Healers treat their patients in preventative manners for most common illnesses, prescribing tonics and teas that stave off illness.

Suicide holds no stigma on Pern, as a person's death is considered a private matter. Euthanasia is practiced when the healer, his patient, and his Master agree that the illness is terminal and cannot be healed. A dragonrider who loses his dragon tends to end his own life, and none see this as wrong.

Color: Black
Major Hall: Crom
Serrat: Minor Hall at Halevin


Specialties
Excavators:
The excavators are the earth-movers of Pern. They are responsible for civil engineering projects from digging canals to building roads, dams and dikes, to carving tunnels for Holds and Weyrs. Excavators need more than just brute strength. They also need a deep understanding of math, geology, chemistry and explosives. Theirs is often times a dirty and thankless job. Many only notice the Excavator’s when something goes wrong. Still, it is their civil projects on which the foundations of Pern society are based on.

Gem Cutters
After the gemstones have been removed from the ground, it is the job of the gem cutters to extract them from the encasing stone and appraise each one for value. Their job requires quite a delicate hand and a keen eye. Once the gem cutter has freed the gem, they must then give it it’s first rough cut. As many of their gems are used by the Smith Hall for their purposes, it is not particularly necessary that they cut all the stones down perfectly. Many are left in their rough cut state for the Smiths to cut to serve their own purpose. However, some are cut beautifully and sold to private citizens who can later have them set into jewelry or pass them down to the next generation. The gem cutters are also responsible for setting a value on the gems that pass over their table. They have to have a deep understanding of geology and an understanding of the current market. They also need to have a an honest reputation, a steady hand and confidence as one wrong move can cost marks worth of damage, and one gem slipped into a pocket or priced suspiciously too high can ruin a gem cutter’s reputation forever.

Geologists
Geologists are more than just simple rock-hounds. They cover a wide range of duties and terrains as well as disciplines. Some of their duties include searching out potential sites for new quarries and mines, searching for suitable stone cliffs and caverns from which new Holds and Weyrs can be carved, locating underground wells, finding suitable soil for farmland or certain crops to grow, studying erosion patterns and assessing risk to an area based on natural disasters recorded in the geological history. Their work can take them from the top of the highest mountain down to the ocean floor. They have to be highly skilled in areas such as chemistry, mathematics, hydrology, climate and mapping. They may work in close association with all other specializations within the Minercraft.

Masons
Masons are highly specialized and can be divided into several groups, including the stonemasons, the bankers, the carvers, and the tilers. Stonemasons are those that lift and lay stones, often using mortar to join the stones together. They may be asked to build simple walls to mark boundaries, or stronger walls to offer protection to a Hold or Hall. The stonemasons build the stone structures which many Holds, Hall, and cots are made of. Some also specialize in helping the excavators build levies and retaining walls when needed. The bankers carve the stones the stonemasons will need out of larger, rougher stones. They are not to be confused with the sawyers (see Quarriers). The bankers cut the stone to a specific geometric shape to fit into an intended slot along a wall, door frame or window, which requires a good eye and a steady hand. Even more specialized are the carvers who posses a certain amount of artistic skill and talent. They can carve intricate patterns into or out of stone which is often used to decorate Holds, Halls, Weyrs and monuments of all kinds. Finally, there are the tilers which specialize in laying the tile floors of many buildings. Masons learn their skills from observation and practical practice, though a certain amount of knowledge in surveying, chemistry and geology is quite useful.

Quarriers
The quarries are depended upon to supply the masons with their needs. The most obvious job of the quarrymen is to cut large stones slabs out of the side of hills and mountains. These stones are then passed along to the sawyers who then cut them down into rough, though manageable blocks which can be delivered to the site and cut down into even smaller, more specific blocks by the bankers. While the term “quarrier” would denote the excavation of stone, on Pern some quarries specialize in the making of bricks and tile. They work more with clay than actual stone.

Surveyors
The surveyors are the masters of space on Pern. They do much more than just draw maps. Their skills may be called upon to settle disputes on property boundaries, to draw the boundaries of a particular building, to measure elevation and area, or to provide information on how to best utilize an area’s resources. If you want to build a road, ditch, canal or Hold, the surveyors are the ones you would call upon to tell you where exactly it should be put. For that reason they work closely with geologists, masons, and vulcanologists. They must have a deep understanding of mathematics such as geometry and trigonometry, as well as geology, physics and historical records.

Vulcanologist
The skills of a vulcanologist are highly specialized, though vital considering the geothermically active areas in which Weyrs are typically built. Where there are hot springs, there is magma under the surface of Pern heating it, and where there is magma pushing up towards the surface, there is always the possibility of an eruption. Their job is to monitor the temperatures of thermal pools, the seismic activity, and the changes in the shape of known volcanoes which might signal an impending eruption. It is their job to not only alert those who may be effected by the volcanic event, but also to predict the path such an eruption may take, create evacuation plans and recommend such an evacuation to those in a position of authority when it might be necessary. Those these events are rare, it is their job to stay always on the alert and continue to study the natural world to better predict these events and save lives. They must have an understanding of geology, seismology, physics, surveying and map reading.

Color: Aqua
Major Hall: Tillek
Serrat: Minor Seacraft/Dolphin Hall at Dorras






Color: Grey
Major Hall: Kahrain
Serrat: Minor Hall at Dorras Seacraft Hall

Color: Yellow
Major Hall: Keroon

Beastcrafters on Pern work almost entirely with domesticated species that were brought to Pern by the original colonists. There is a small offshoot studying tunnel snakes, but that is solely for the purpose of understanding better how to deal with them. Their task is to study and improve breeding practices as well as the care and management of the various types of beasts.

The Beastcraft is not involved with the care of dragons, whers or fire lizards, that area being the domain of Dragonhealers.

Beastcraft is one of the Hold crafts that can be taught just about anywhere. Many holders study beast and farmcraft without ever actually being affiliated with the formal craft or it's hall. Without that affiliation though they cannot have the title of Journeyman or Master. For those who do formally apprentice with a member of Beastcraft It is not required that they travel to their main crafthall to receive their knots so long as there is a Master there to grant them.

Specialties
Beastcrafters can work with a range of animals, or specialize in one or two species. Here's a list of common species worked with and their earth counterparts.

Bovine
- Cows, oxen, buffalo. These animals are also known as herdbeasts and cultivated for milk, meat, leather, and oxen are commonly uses as draftbeasts for pulling carts.
Runnerbeast
- Horses. Pernese runners come in three different forms generally, that of a draftbeast for pulling plows and carts, a smaller workbeast for riding and herding other animals, and the best examples of their species, racing runners. Each major hold has it's own line of racers.
Ovine
- Sheep. Ovines are bred for both meat and wool. If possible, ovines are sent to hill pastures during the summer where they can range more freely without destroying grazing land near holds. During the winter, they generally return to their home hold and are fed hay and some grains until spring weather allows them to go out again to the hills.
Caprine
- Goats. Caprines are by far one of the most common herdbeasts kept. They are easy to care for and provide an ample amount of both meat and milk
Porcine
- Pigs. Of all the meat-producing herdbeasts, porcines are the fewest in number. This has resulted in pork being a special treat and an expensive delicacy.
Chicken
- Chickens aren't common either as it is difficult to protect them from predators. Wild firelizards and wherries find chickens to be easy prey. It can be done if someone is vigilant enough.
Llama
- Llama are raised as burden beasts, as well as for their wool which is sheered in warmer climates.
Draybeast
- Donkeys, Mules. Draybeasts are said by some to be more sure of foot and steadier than runners. They are used as pack animals, and to pull wagons and plows. Some pernese prefer them to runners when it comes to riding as well.
Canines
- Dogs. Canines are also bred and used as herding and companion animals. Most holder families will have at least one or two canines to work with.




Color: Yellow
Major Hall: Nerat


Specializations

Conservationist
Forestry
Grain Crops
Hybridist
Nursery/Seedlings
Orchardist
Vegetable Crops

Credits
Information drawn from

Triad Weyrs
DragonRiders Club
Pern Wikia