Miner Hall

MasterMiner Chasana

Colors: Black and white.
Emblem: Black pick and shovel on white background.

Main Crafthall Location: Near Honshu Weyr.

Miners liberate what the natural resources Pern has from the depths of her crust, working closely with the Smiths who make use of their product. Miners carve out and excavate mineshafts, searching for metals, gems, minerals, and coal, generally making use of tools and very few explosives. Some Miners also find and harvest liquid minerals such as rock oil and natural gas, and study both Earth Science (Geology) and Rockology (Petrography). Others make jewelry, study lapidary, spelunking and mountain climbing.

On SouCon, the MineCraft is based in the Unified Crafthall and is under the direct auspice of the Craft Wizard. To become an Apprentice, Journeyman or Master please read through NEWS CRAFT JOINING. Characters may also request a posting to any open Hold or Weyr.

The MineCraft has many minor Halls all over the Northern and Southern Continents, centered where minerals and metals are found. The MasterMiner skills extend not only to the excavation and shaping of minerals but also to the ecology of the land. Unfortunately, the Miners and Farmers are often at odds -- the Farmers want to plant in the fields, and the Miners want to dig. They each recognize the necessity of each other for without each other life on Pern would be more uncomfortable.

The Miners work closely with the SmithCraft for whom they extract ore and minerals in exchange for the newest and most efficient tools. In fact, the MasterMiner and MasterSmith are often considered two halves of the same whole, for coordination between the two are key. Miners carve out and excavate mineshafts, searching for metals, gems, minerals, and coal, generally making use of tools and very few explosives.

In every Mine Hall, however minor, a Harper Journeyman can usually be found. Harper's act as a communication system between the halls and the MasterMiner, conversely they keep the Miners informed of what's going on in the world, particularly information specific to MineCrafting. Furthermore, Firelizards are used for communication between Halls, as well as being used for killing Tunnelsnakes and detecting gas leaks in the Mines.

Some MineCrafters mine only gems, which is a science in itself as it takes a special skill to get the crystals out of the matrix intact. Others cut and polish the stones to make jewelry. The SmithCraft often sells or barters tools to the Miners who make jewelry, which sometimes include some ready-made settings for the insertion of gems. Precious gems are no more valued than semi-precious stones on Pern and so a great number of pieces are also made from jade, agate and other pretty stones. Although they have no special value, gems are still important for various functions within the SmithCraft, particularly diamonds.

The MineCraft has unearthed jade of all colors in both Lemos and Jordan Hold. The skill needed to carve jade is tremendous, and only a few are able to do so. Not only is it used for ornamentation, it is used when a hard surface is needed, for example in mortars and pestles for the HealerCraft, and plates for measuring powders or molding pills. Pastry chefs use jade for rolling pins, bowls, and cutting boards, which can be chilled to keep delicate dough cool. Some of the carvers are talented enough to make belt buckles and liqueur decanters.

Other MineCrafters specialize in seeking and harvesting liquid minerals such as rock oil and natural gas, both of which are useful to the SmithCraft. Geology and petrography are also areas of expertise for the MineCraft but known Earth Science and Rockology respectively. Interested MineCrafters also study lapidary, spelunking and mountain climbing, all of which require the study of the stress and structure of stone formations. Lapidary is particularly popular in both Hold and Weyr.

During the Tenth Interval the miners found substantial ore and mineral deposits in the Western Barrier Range near Honshu Weyr. Chromium was in plentiful supply here as were a number of other ores. Techniques improved greatly having a substantial impact on safety. However, the Miners are perhaps remembered best during this Interval for releasing Nemar's disease -- it is still unclear what happened, but the Mines they discovered have been boarded over and abandoned.

SubCrafts

Coal:	Much the way that Firestone mining is a SubCraft, so too is Coal Mining. Centered most notably around Crom, coal shafts are rigorously maintained. Coal mining requires a hearty constitution, and its miners are regularly screened by Healers to avoid black lung disease. Most miners stop mining coal after their fortieth Turnday, turning then to distributing the rock through the planet.

Firestone:	Given that Thread is still a very real menace, there are plenty of Miners who specialize in finding and maintaining the veins of precious firestone that run through the earth. Firestone is best mined with certain techniques, to make sure the final product is good enough to be used for the defense of Pern. These miners are also responsible for the sorting and distribution of firestone to the Weyrs.

Geology:	Those interested in Geology, or Earth Science, study the history and structure of the earth. These Miners keep a close check on the more unstable regions of the planet, checking for signs of impending 'quakes and analyzing the areas after such incidents have happened. They also keep check on the volcanoes of Pern, particularly those now being used as Hatching Sands, monitoring their activity and their heat output.

Gems:	The Pernese demand the highest quality, clearest clarity, purest color and finest cuts to their gems. These Crafters identify veins and specialize in extracting them from the earth.

Lapidary:	Lapidary has always demanded excellence and attention to fine detail. Pernese demand the highest quality, clearest clarity, purest color and finest cuts to their gems and the settings in which they are placed. The Apprenticeship and Journeymanship for this SubCraft is long and arduous, involving the student in all stages of the process of gem setting. This SubCraft can CrossCraft with Smith, and the Jewelry specialty adds two to three Turns to the training of any Journeyman.

Liquids:	These Crafters specializing in finding and harvesting the liquid minerals that Pern has,including rock oil and natural gas.

Petrography:	Petrographers study rocks, and these Crafters may also SubCraft with Firestone or Coal. It is these SubCrafters who determine which vein of quartz to use for the StarCrafter's lenses and for the marble for kitchens in various Holds, Halls and Weyrs. They also determine where the highest deposits of needed minerals occur, including salt and calcium carbonate.

Spelunking and mountain climbing:	A spelunker, technically, is a person who goes in caves. These Crafters more or less systematic study the caves and old mines of the area, drawing maps and making reports, as well as noting any interesting veins for further investigation. Mountain Climbing is sometimes required to enter some of the more remote caves.

CrossCrafts

Much like the rest of the Crafters, Miners can be found crossing into Crafts other than their own. Some may choose to work with the Smiths, making working the ore and gems they've excavated into finished products. Others become Woodsmiths, learning joinery and carpentry, with an eye to making the mines safer places in which to work. Often Miners live in small camps in the back end of nowhere, and the occasional Miner may choose to dabble in Healing or Baking, to better serve the needs of his or her immediate community.

MasterMiner Chasana:

Chasana hails from Karachi Hold, daughter to the MasterMiner in charge of the nearby minehold and his wife, a granddaughter of the Karachi bloodline. From a very early age, the girl was fascinated by all things bright and shiny, and the more expensive those items, the better. She was, frankly, spoiled rotten, the only child her mother had been able to bring to term. Still, she had quite a knack for picking up mining techniques, and it was only natural that she join the Craft herself when she became old enough. Everyone was surprised when she enthusiastically threw herself into even the hardest, dirtiest work assigned to Miner Apprentices. It was a means to an end, however. She learned to suppress the appearance of the nastier aspects of her personality, and as she seemed to mature, was trusted with more and more responsibilities in line with her inherent talent in the industry. Unfortunately, her skills in political manipulation are just as well-developed. To this day, Chasana continues to keep up her smiling guise, though there have been occasional rumors of a more ruthless nature seething beneath the Masterminer's surface. Chasana has achieved her primary goal- to become Masterminer- but she is quite aware that she could just as easily lose the post should her Crafters become aware of her true nature.

Chasana is a ruthless, manipulative, greedy woman who will not rest until every one of her goals is within her clawing grasp. She hides it well, quite practiced in the art of deception, and as far as most are concerned, she is simply a very talented Miner, quite devoted to her Craft and fond of uniquely shaped jewels.

Relevant Links:

Cutting and Setting Cabochon Stones (Essei)