The crafts of Pern are vital to the survival of the world.  The Halls are the repository of all the collected knowledge in each craft.  They are the place where the very specialized training of people to use this knowledge takes place.

There are never nearly enough crafters to fill the need.

The crafters are the specialists of the planet.  They are the ones who keep the knowledge and skill alive, and even further it.  They guide, teach, direct and supervise.  However, many holders are trained in the workings of a craft without ever officially being part of the Hall itself.  They are holders, their skills and abilities belonging to their Holds.

Most Halls have an enclave at every Major Hold.  This enclave consists of several masters, scores of journeymen, and flooding of apprentices and students.  The enclave at the Hold is the administrative nexus of that Hall for that Hold's territory.  Journeyman who journey through the territory are based here, but are seldom in residence.  They have routes they cover, going from the smaller minor Holds to cotholds on a regular basis to attend to those things that need doing and are outside the day to day abilities of the inhabitants.  Other journeymen, the masters, and the apprentices remain in residence at the main Hold attending to the 10,000 residents of the Hold.

Large minor Holds will also have crafters permanently assigned to them.  Usually at least one master, several journeyman, and a score of apprentices.  Cotholds never have crafters permanently assigned to them.

No matter how many crafters are assigned to one location, there are simply not enough to fill the need.  Crafters therefore train holders in the basics of the craft to serve as assistants and unskilled labor.  For example, most of the people you see working the fields are not part of the Farmer Hall.  The shepherds tending the sheep are not part of the Herder Hall. The woman tending the scraped knee is not a crafted Healer.  However, the man testing the soil for acidity is a journeyman Farmer.  The man crossbreeding runners to produce one that will work longer, harder, and for less food is a Master Herder.  The woman diagnosing a child with lung infection is a journeyman Healer.

The length of time usually spent as an apprentice varies from craft to craft.  However, six to eight turns seems to be the average.  However, not all apprentices ever become more than that.  There is no promise of promotion.  It is pure skill and ability that determine how far a crafter will rise in his hall.  Likewise, journeymen is as far as the majority of crafters will ever rise.  The rank of master is held only by a few.

Apprentices are like college students.  They are learning the details and fine-tuning of their chosen craft.   Apprentices may enter the Hall starting at the age of ten, but the Hall prefers them to be at least twelve. Journeymen are the high school teachers and the doers, and it is extremely seldom you'll find a journeyman younger than sixteen, with the preference being that journeyman be of at least eighteen turns of age.  Masters are those people with the PhDs who do the research and development and exploration to further the craft or teach the next generation of journeyman and masters.  There will almost never be a master who is younger than thirty turns.

A MasterCrafter is elected by a vote of all masters currently in the craft.  A MasterCrafter has usually hand-picked his successor and only seldom is this preference overlooked or ignored when the time to vote comes.  

Harper, Major

Herder, Major

Farmer, Major

Personal Combat

Central Academy

Weaver

Woodsmith

Contact Sable Weyr's Leadership at irilyn@yahoo.com