Blackstone Mine

Blackstone mine and warren is a place in Japan that serves both as a business and a place of residence. Originally a just a mine, it evolved over time to become a place of residence for various individuals who's circumstances make life uncomfortable above ground. There is also a small community of magic users within.

## As A Business

Blackstone's primary source of income comes from the mining of copper and silver. Thanks to the various earth-attuned individuals that live there, the mine has been able to operate at a decent rate for an extended amount of time. The profits of the business all go towards the community that lives deeper inside.

There's also a foundry setup within that allows for custom metalworking orders to be placed over the internet. These are usually forwarded to the citizens within and they work with a variety of materials, not just those naturally found in the cave.

## As A Community

Blackstone's primary demographic are passive energy Hanshin who's abilities and anatomies make life above ground harsh or who find underground living more fulfilling. Mole people, those with chronic light sensitivity, and so on. Inside the early portions of the mine are paths that lead to several larger chambers filled with carved in businesses and homes. Businesses include specialized grocery stores, craft shops, and even a few specialized locations like a martial arts dojo. Certain rules are kept in place such as a restriction on powdery substances like flour (because of dust explosions).

The magic-aware community is small. A small alchemy shop-slash-specialty-store exists as well as specific funded places for magic to be practiced with little fear of discovery, disguised as simple renovation initiatives and the like. Despite being underground, Geomancy is rare here.

The community itself is contained enough that they have their own collection of superstitions and habits. Cavers do not follow a standard sleep schedule due to the lack of the sun regulating their circadian rhythms. Many children of residents believe in spirits, both beneficial and harmful.

### The Warren Council

The mine and the management of the community is decided by a selection of individuals known as the Warren Council. The Council is in charge of various areas such as Finance, Expansion Planning, Management of New and Existing Residents, Construction, Defense, and of course the management of magic and keeping it well hidden. Council members and their immediate families enjoy a level of clout and authority over others in the community.

## Inside The Cave

The cave itself starts out well carved. Bioluminescent plants and insects line many walls and roofs to apply a form of gentle, natural light for residents. Deeper inside leads to both natural passages and dug out mine shafts. The parts of the mine under work and typically kept under guard however the rest of the cave is generally left for residents to explore as they please. It's generally frowned upon to let outsiders explore the deeper caves due to the risk of getting lost or worse.

Still, with approval, exploring the deeper caves host a mild amount of underground animal hanshin or other cave dwelling creatures for study.

At one point, in a deep winding path, an abandoned spaceship was found. This information has generally be suppressed by the warren council.

## Other information

### Notable residents

- Firiblestar Starlinius (Council Member and player character)

- Mokoin Hinne (Player character, attendee of Heritage Academy)

### Trivia

- Cavers do not celebrate birthdays, and believe them extremely cursed.

- Cavers who grew up underground consider surface folk to be an incredibly silly people

- Non-resident miners are considered honorary residents of the warren.

- Cave survival training is mandatory for all residents and many carry supplies for such with them out of habit.

- The cave dojo is a bit of an urban legend joke where every time it gets mentioned, some kind of over the top training has to be included.