Islands of Pern is set in an alternate 9th Pass setting where AIVAS was not discovered. Thread will continue to fall on Pern after the present Pass, and the technological revolution that occurred in the wake of AIVAS’ discovery has not happened. The population growth in the north, however, has continued unabated, and so the Pernese continue to explore their planet, both in the south and, more recently, in the west.

The first official holding on the Western Continent was Founders Tip Hold, which was settled in Turn 32 of the 9th Pass. The holding was constructed originally for a few, brave families who wished to harvest the plentiful fishing grounds just off the coast. Over the next few Turns more Seacrafters and their families arrived. At first, these early settlers did not need much protection – a spare Wing from the High Reaches was all that was needed to defend the immediate vicinity from Thread during Fall – but as time passed, and more people arrived, it became clear that there was need for a real Weyr.

In early Turn 35, an enterprising Bitran named Casonis got wind of the construction of the New Weyr, and began to consider the possibility of further settlement on the continent. Together with some of the more ambitious members of his family, Casonis made a case for leading the settlement project to the Conclave. The latter approved Casonis’ mission, and in the seventh month of that Turn, both Ithaca Hold and Ithaca Weyr were founded.

Word of the new holding and Weyr has spread throughout the Northern and Southern Continents, and as holders arrive and more lands are cultivated, it is imperative that the new Weyr have a full complement of dragonriders. For this reason, Ithaca Weyr's riders are transfers who come from all over Pern; those with a mining or smith background are particularly welcomed as the original cavesystem of the Weyr's crater needs to be expanded in order to accomodate Ithaca's burgeoning population. The current Weyrwoman at Ithaca is Rayira. Originally a Wingsecond in the Weyr's Gold Wing, Rayira became senior queen rider when the original Weyrwoman, Shylye, was killed in a cave-in during weyr construction in month 9 of Turn 36. Despite the tragedy, the Weyrfolk have persevered and they are looking forward with high hopes and expectations to the Turn ahead.

The Western Continent is not a tame place, and even if civilization has finally reached its shores many of its new inhabitants can barely be called civilized. In addition to the people of Hold, Hall, and Weyr, there are folk of a more independent nature; holdless and itinerant traders (some law-abiding, some not), disreputable entrepreneurs with an eye out for how to make a quick Mark, and even pirates can be found haunting the uninhabited regions and islands of the West. The Continent is the new frontier, and people of all walks and stations in life are curious to settle, explore, and make their fortunes.