Structure
A very important point to remember is that most weyrs are accessible only by air. To reach the weyr of most rank-and-file riders, one must find a dragon willing to offer a lift. Fortunately, there are Weyrlings on "elevator duty" in the Bowl all day and most of the evening, offering lifts to those without a dragon of their own. Goldrider quarters are one or two stories off the ground, accessible through stairways that run into the rock. The Weyrleader's quarters are also structured like this, with his adjacent to the Weyrwoman's. Ground-level weyrs are reserved for invalids and riders recovering from injury.
In most cases, the oldest weyrs are the least desirable. Hastily constructed under emergency conditions to house the first dragonriders, these weyrs were built at a time when dragons of modern size were unimaginable. As it became clear that dragonkind would increase in size with each generation, weyrs were built with larger dimensions in mind. New weyrs had priority, especially when the colonial stonecutters began to run out. Older weyrs, when they finally grew unreasonably small, had to be enlarged by hand, a laborious and inexact process. Time has helped to smooth out the roughly-hewn rock, but the expansions lack the grace and comfort of those completed with power tools.
The living places of nonriders are not referred to as weyrs, for no dragon lives or has ever lived in them. Family quarters are along the ground level of the Bowl, with more set back a short way into the corridors that snake throughout the lower levels of the Weyr and into the earth. (Note: Family quarters are for nonriders ONLY-- rider weyrs are not structured to accommodate young children, and nonriders weyrmated to riders will just have to lump it. Dragonriders do not raise their children at Fort.) These are far less drafty than weyrs, simply because they lack the gaping cave mouth that is required to give a dragon entrance. Since space is not to be wasted, single people do not have rooms to themselves, unless they have the rank to warrant it.
Un-mated men and women live in dormitory-like situations, with three or four people of the same sex to a small room. These are usually deeper into the rock than family quarters. Each person has a bed and a footlocker for personal effects; the rooms also contain a table and chairs, shelf space, and possibly a small sofa. They are meant more to be slept in then lived in, as entertainment takes place outside
Children under the age of twelve live with their parents/fosterparents or in the creche. Unless attached to a full-time fostermother, all will spend at least part of every day in the creche-- Pernese daycare. Riders do not raise their children, and neither do their weyrmates-- even a civilian living in a rider's weyr has no place to safely raise a child. ALL children will be fostered at some point, for at least several months. This helps weaken blood bonds, which are seen as undesirable and artificial in the Weyr, and expose the children to different aspects of Weyr life.
In most cases, the oldest weyrs are the least desirable. Hastily constructed under emergency conditions to house the first dragonriders, these weyrs were built at a time when dragons of modern size were unimaginable. As it became clear that dragonkind would increase in size with each generation, weyrs were built with larger dimensions in mind. New weyrs had priority, especially when the colonial stonecutters began to run out. Older weyrs, when they finally grew unreasonably small, had to be enlarged by hand, a laborious and inexact process. Time has helped to smooth out the roughly-hewn rock, but the expansions lack the grace and comfort of those completed with power tools.
The living places of nonriders are not referred to as weyrs, for no dragon lives or has ever lived in them. Family quarters are along the ground level of the Bowl, with more set back a short way into the corridors that snake throughout the lower levels of the Weyr and into the earth. (Note: Family quarters are for nonriders ONLY-- rider weyrs are not structured to accommodate young children, and nonriders weyrmated to riders will just have to lump it. Dragonriders do not raise their children at Fort.) These are far less drafty than weyrs, simply because they lack the gaping cave mouth that is required to give a dragon entrance. Since space is not to be wasted, single people do not have rooms to themselves, unless they have the rank to warrant it.
Un-mated men and women live in dormitory-like situations, with three or four people of the same sex to a small room. These are usually deeper into the rock than family quarters. Each person has a bed and a footlocker for personal effects; the rooms also contain a table and chairs, shelf space, and possibly a small sofa. They are meant more to be slept in then lived in, as entertainment takes place outside
Children under the age of twelve live with their parents/fosterparents or in the creche. Unless attached to a full-time fostermother, all will spend at least part of every day in the creche-- Pernese daycare. Riders do not raise their children, and neither do their weyrmates-- even a civilian living in a rider's weyr has no place to safely raise a child. ALL children will be fostered at some point, for at least several months. This helps weaken blood bonds, which are seen as undesirable and artificial in the Weyr, and expose the children to different aspects of Weyr life.
The Hatching Sands
Fort's Hatching Sands are large and elaborate, built in the forgotten days when Fort was The Weyr, home to all the queens of Pern and their many Clutches. The Hatching area is marked off into multiple Sands, intended to provide the queens some privacy. The walls between each of the three separate Sands are large and thick, as well-formed as the high technology of the Colonists could make them.
Off of each of the separate ares is a small version of a weyr, designed to accommodate the rider of the Queen. The middle of the three Sands is the largest, designed for the Senior Queen. The weyr there is slightly larger and better furnished than the other two Sand weyrs. When the Senior is not in clutch, junior golds may use the central area.
Egg-touchings are not a custom at Fort. To avoid tampering with the developing Hatchlings, Candidates are not allowed on the Hatching Ground before Hatching day. The exception to this comes when there is a queen egg, when the girls are taken en masse to the Sands to touch it.
During Hatchings the females are grudgingly allowed to attend, even if there is no Queen egg. They are instructed to stand outside the ring of boys, but a Hatchling headed their way is not to be impeded. The theory is that any females who Impress Green-- or worse (*gasp*), blue-- don't deserve to Stand for the gold. Non-Candidate girls rarely Impress from the Stands, because only guests and men of the Weyr sit there. The women of the Weyr, who might have the best chances at Impression, are too busy preparing for the feast to watch the Hatching.
Off of each of the separate ares is a small version of a weyr, designed to accommodate the rider of the Queen. The middle of the three Sands is the largest, designed for the Senior Queen. The weyr there is slightly larger and better furnished than the other two Sand weyrs. When the Senior is not in clutch, junior golds may use the central area.
Egg-touchings are not a custom at Fort. To avoid tampering with the developing Hatchlings, Candidates are not allowed on the Hatching Ground before Hatching day. The exception to this comes when there is a queen egg, when the girls are taken en masse to the Sands to touch it.
During Hatchings the females are grudgingly allowed to attend, even if there is no Queen egg. They are instructed to stand outside the ring of boys, but a Hatchling headed their way is not to be impeded. The theory is that any females who Impress Green-- or worse (*gasp*), blue-- don't deserve to Stand for the gold. Non-Candidate girls rarely Impress from the Stands, because only guests and men of the Weyr sit there. The women of the Weyr, who might have the best chances at Impression, are too busy preparing for the feast to watch the Hatching.
Candidate Barracks
Male Candidates are housed in a large structure which is separated into small 'rooms' that house 2 boys each. Candidatemasters chaperone the barracks, watching for usual teenage mischief as well as signs of homosexual behavior. The boys earmarked early on as green and blueriders are instructed to obey the other "full males," as that is what they will be doing after they Impress. Additionally, in times when there are too many Candidates for the Candidatemasters to keep track of, or there is suspicion about what might be going on when the Candidatemasterss backs are turned, a "mole" will be inserted into the Candidate group, a young man whose purpose is not to Impress, but to spy on his fellows. Hazing is generally overlooked to a point-- if a boy is not tough enough to take it, he is not fit to be a dragonrider. And if he brings it on himself by disrespecting his betters ... Circumstances are currently stricter than normal, with "aberrations" subjected to more potential abuse, because of Fort's paranoia after its encounter with Arolos.
Female Candidates, all of whom are assumed to be for gold, have the other smaller barracks slightly separate from the boys barracks. The girls live two to 'room' just like the boys and are chaperoned by an older non-rider woman Assistant Candidatemaster, but that guardianship is mostly to make sure the girls are acting *exactly* as proper girls are supposed to, meaning not turning away the advances of boys. Male candidates are in fact *encouraged* to get the female candidates pregnant to help spawn the next generation of riders. Any girl caught indulging in "inappropriate behavior" with another girl will be ejected from Candidacy immediately, as she is obviously unsuited for gold. (In other words, homosexual, bisexual, and bi-curious girls had better hide it. This is an in-character restriction, not an out-of-character one. Your character's sexual orientation will not be taken disqualify her from Impressing gold, if you've earned it.)
Female Candidates, all of whom are assumed to be for gold, have the other smaller barracks slightly separate from the boys barracks. The girls live two to 'room' just like the boys and are chaperoned by an older non-rider woman Assistant Candidatemaster, but that guardianship is mostly to make sure the girls are acting *exactly* as proper girls are supposed to, meaning not turning away the advances of boys. Male candidates are in fact *encouraged* to get the female candidates pregnant to help spawn the next generation of riders. Any girl caught indulging in "inappropriate behavior" with another girl will be ejected from Candidacy immediately, as she is obviously unsuited for gold. (In other words, homosexual, bisexual, and bi-curious girls had better hide it. This is an in-character restriction, not an out-of-character one. Your character's sexual orientation will not be taken disqualify her from Impressing gold, if you've earned it.)
Weyrling Barracks
There are three modest rooms set aside for gold weyrlings, though rarely is there more than one gold weyrling at a time. The other two generally go to senior bronze weyrlings who have impressed the Weyrlingmaster. That one of the equal-sized barracks rooms was once set aside for female weyrlings of all colours is a long forgotten fact. It is now used to house male weyrlings. The few female chromatic weyrlings do not get their own sleeping quarters-- popular thought is that they have to think themselves at least half male to Impress a fighting dragon. Therefore, they bed down in the same rooms as their male classmates. Oftentimes, male green weyrlings, taking pity on the girls, will take beds near them. The presence of male greenriders will generally put a damper on any amorous intentions one of the bronze or brownriders might have--you never know what having thoughts like that around one of them might do to your masculinity, after all.