Cibola Hold's territory lies between 35º and 45º South Latitude.  Its most prominent landform is the northwest-pointing peninsula whose southern edge is a range of rocky peaks that continues roughtly east by southeast across the whole of the hold.  This range is known as the Spine, and divides Cibola hold into two distinct recions.

North of the Spine the land is flat and fairly arid.  The easternmost part of this region, by the shores of the Great Bay, is a forbidding sandy desert with very little water.  The shoreline is broken, with cliffs and sea caves alternating with white sand beaches.  Few people live here by choice, though there are several profitable salt mines owned by the Lord of the Hold and worked by convict labor.  In the past there were many pools of blackwater (what we would call crude oil) on the surface, though in recent years they have been almost completely exhausted.  An ambitious minecraft project underwritten by Lord Morgav seeks to dig beneath the sand hoping to find more of this useful resource.  Just recently, in 2855, the Seacraft relocated its primary crafthall to a huge sea cave in a stretch of palisade cliff along the shoreline of this region.

As one moves west, the shoreline remains craggy and cave-pocked, though inland the climate becomes slowly more hospitable.  By the time one reaches the peninsula the aridity is broken by occasional small rivers, and the temperature is cooler and more livable.  The main hold is located halfway up the peninsula, where the largest river in this area empties into a deeply cleft rocky bay.  This region is well-suited to herding, and is dotted with beastholds; some prosperous, others struggling.  Several silver mines may be found in the spine south of the main hold, and one deep gold mine is still worked, though it is not as profitable as it once was. 

Past Cibola Hold proper, the flatlands narrow, and the last part of the peninsula is craggy across its entire width.  Just recently, opals were discovered in this area, and several mines have started to produce fine gemstones.  Sapphires, emeralds and rubies have also been found here, though they are much rarer.  Production of all of these remains slow due to the difficulty of travel though this forbidding region.

The land south of the Spine, by contrast, is green and fertile, amply watered by rainclouds swept in off the sea by the prevailing west wind and funneled by the Spine.  Most of the shoreline here is marshy, with the exception of a small stretch just south of the spine at the base of the peninsula, where the Southern Farmercrafthall has been located for hundreds of Turns. 

East of the marsh, the land is fertile and hospitable, with warm summers and mild, rainy winters with little snow.  The Plains River flows through this region on its way to the marshes and the sea.  All manner of crops are grown here and quite a few people live in the many farmcots that fill this area, though the population is sparser in the hillier south towards the border with Izmir Hold.  Across that border is a very thinly settled, mostly wild area of hills and forests, the haunt of raiders.  Morgav's Rangers patrol the border in force.  The land slowly rises and grows hillier as one proceeds eastward; the easternmost area is a forest that extends just across the border with Dawn Sisters hold.  Intensive replanting has kept this forest productive during the entire history of the hold; about three quarters of its area consists of orderly plantations rather than true forest.  The remaining quarter has been left untouched by long tradition, and remains almost completely in its natural state.

The main hold of Cibola is located atop the palisade cliffs on the north edge of the peninsula, commanding a natural harbor; it is dominated by a big stone building that was built for defense and is Threadproof only as a by-product.  It is known as "Cibola Fortress", or sometimes just "the Fortress" to distinguish it from the rest of the main hold. 

The fortress is far from the only part of the complex, though, and is surrounded by slate-roofed adobe crafthalls, warehouses, stables, and cotholds (some large enough to hold several hundred people.) Just outside the Fortress gate is an irrigated garden, and the entire complex is dotted with painstakingly cared-for fruit trees.  Lord Morgav will not listen to any demand from the Weyr that this greenery be removed.  The gather ground lies to the south of the Fortress, and just west of it is a large and ornate stone arena where bullfights and horseraces are held.  The bullring also features a tower with a clockwork bell that rings every two hours.  A two-tiered stone aqueduct brings in water from further up the river, providing running water to many of the buildings in the main hold complex and filling a large cistern.  The Cibola hold complex is closer than most holds to what we on Earth would consider a town, and is home to over two thousand people.  Most of them are employed in the fishing fleet, the harbor, the irrigated farm fields outside the complex, at the Fortress itself, or at the crafthalls.

The harbor is formed by a spur of the palisade cliff, which is shaped like the Cibola peninsula in miniature.  At the tip of the spur is a watchtower and lighthouse, and a manmade jetty closes off most of the harbor, leaving a reasonably sized channel for ships to enter and leave.  The harbor itself has room for three large vessels at once, plus a small fleet of fishing and coastal patrol boats.  A pair of large hoists move cargo and occasionally passengers up and down the cliff, and there is also a stairway.  Cargo is stored in warehouses along the cliff's edge, or else in the small cave complex, high above the waterline, that forms a basement of sorts for the Fortress itself.  The harbor has no provision for Thread protection, however; any ships caught there during Threadfall are on their own.  A natural cavern two hours fair sail up the peninsula can shelter many small boats, but full-size ships must unstep their masts to fit inside.  This cavern is reserved for the fishing and patrol fleets, with a bit of leftover space for a trader or two should they wish to pay for the privilege.  (Note: click here or on the picture for a more readable version of the map.)

The entire hold complex is guarded by the sea cliffs on one side and a quarter-dragonlength-tall (20 terran foot) adobe wall on the other.  Though it was built over two hundred Turns ago, this wall is still quite strong and secure especially since it is regularly patrolled by guards.  The single gate is always manned, and is closed at night.

Outside the walls are farm fields and pastures, which are irrigated from the "Gold Stream", the smallish river that flows from the Spine to Cibola's harbor.  It is so named because gold was discovered near its headwaters many Turns ago.  The irrigation is necessary because the climate in the area is semi-arid, and the natural state of the land is unsuited for growing much besides scrubby grass.  Just outside the main gate of the hold there is an area for the loading and unloading of wagons, which also serves as a fairgrounds of sorts during major gathers, when the gather grounds inside the wall is too small to hold everyone.  Holdless caravans are not allowed inside the walls and must camp in this area; there are slate-roofed shelters that even the tallest wagons can be driven under in case of Thread, though as one might suspect Lord Morgav charges a fee for their use.  Individual holdless people are allowed inside the walls, but must prominently display a caravan badge at all times.

As the Gold Stream flows down to the harbor, it drops down a steep incline where waterwheels are set up to provide power to the Cibola smithhall, the largest and most technically advanced in the region, and among the top five in the whole of Kadanzer territory.  Most other crafthalls are located in the western part of the complex; the healerhall is one of the few exceptions, as it is conveniently situated between the Fortress and the bullring.