The Weyr itself is built below a caldera lake, among low mountains on the very north tip of the Southern continent. It is situated east of Paveh and west of Alabaster, and is due north of Dawnlight Hold at the edge of the plains which the Hold resides upon. The long-extinct volcano which makes up the Weyr's foundation has a large lake resting in its bowl, shallow though quite wide. This lake has been stocked with fish and has thrived with them. The rim of the bowl is not very high above the lake edge, so many weyrs actually face outward from the volcano rather than inward.
The underside of the lake is a beautiful if somewhat dangerous area to play in. The whole central area (that is to say, the naturally occuring caverns) provide endless corridors to explore and places to carefully put down residences. There are not more than a dozen actual full time residents in that area, as it is pretty delicate to be in.
Surrounding those natural caves is a thick wall of stone, and reinforcements made so that the exterior will not collapse. To the north side, there is a large meeting hall, which has a very wide opening to the outside snaking up and around to the lake. Other weyrs, kitchens and supply rooms spread from here. Most of the inhabitants live on the north side of the weyr bowl.
On the south side, there are odd hydroponic arrangements, which have been the marvel of the weyr for many years. Reflected light is brought from large open rooms above, via mirror hallways. Like sending light through an Egyptian pyramid, these hallways have large, finely made metal mirrors which catch and focus the light of the sun and move it to the dark corridors. Many outer weyrs and corridors are lit with these lights, rather than with glows. Water is sent through the lake's underside as well as up from well springs below.
Most of the food at the Weyr is provided by Dawnlight Hold. The mirrors and other fine metal items are as well from there. There are a number of craftsmen residing at the Weyr but they are largely there for upkeep purposes and do not normally have classes for their Crafts. The main focus in Blackstone is on riding and flying dragons into threats.
For several generations, they have proven that their tactics and training are far superior to that of many other Weyrs. Techniques which take longer to master but are far more effective are taught here, and it is common to see aged riders teaching their younger counterparts these techniques day in and day out.
This weyr has a secret history as well as the one which is known. The secret? It was made only two generations back in the present era. Why would that be so amazing? Well, the same people inhabiting it today are the ones who built it more than four hundred turns before! The current Weyrleader, H'lis, had Impressed at a place named Sandy Ridge, but was very young. When he was so much smaller than the rest of his clutch mates, he decided to between times, to the past where he could learn at his leisure, grow into a man and return to fight threats just in the nick of time.
He did this, but then realized that his idea was neither unique nor the end of the exercise. He contacted his parents, then timed it to his ancestors, and convinced them that a weyr in this location would be ideal for fighting practice. The Weyr was constructed by experts and crafters more than four hundred turns back, then left nearly empty for several generations, until the threats began again. Then, brave and experienced riders were brought back in time to inhabit the weyr, train weyrlings and their dragons, and return them to their own times as experienced as they were! During times between eras, the tradition of heading back into time continued, so there was at least one era filled with trainees from three different Intervals! Never in the history of **** has one Weyr been so busy!
The tactics and riding at the Weyr are top notch, bar none. If a rider does not have what it takes to fly threats at this weyr, they are automatically sent to another. If they cannot keep up, they will be simply left out of practice. Only the very best will be kept on as teachers and seniors.
When the Weyr was informed that the old world did not need them any longer, a concerted effort was made to locate a world which did. And they found it in spades, in a place called Alskyr. Folk who had been used to the ways and means of the weyr were brought together to make a new Caer, and at the Kshau Protectorate Isle just off the west coast of Paniya, a new version of the old Weyr was created. It is not quite the same as it was, at least on the outside, but the interior is almost exactly the same.
There will be no more hatchings at this weyr/caer, however some few dragons continue to breed as they will. They will not interbreed with the native Alskyran dragons.
