Bitra Hold was founded in the First Pass by a group of people who believed that Avril Bitra was a would-be hero seeking to bring assistance to Pern. It was one of the three loyal holds at the end of the Second Long Interval (along with Benden and Lemos). Bitrans are notorious for their gambling habits as well as for cheating. At the end of the First Interval, Bitra was ruled by a despot named Chalkin, who refused to believe in Thread and treated his people with terrible cruelty.