'Nowhere' super Maximum Imperial Prison

[Wadeywade]

After a conversation with Scathien he suggested I post a writeup. This preliminary version is what I was able to consolidate from my notes about the island, which wade has partial ownership in currently.
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Nowhere
(Imperial Guard Super Maximum Security prison)

In the Eastern Sea 200 miles east by southeast from Virileth is the island of Il Mutah Har, a 30 acre island thats is the remains of a dead supervolcano. For years the rocky reefs and inhospitable landscape made the island a place no person wanted to ever be stuck on; yet saw its share of marooned and shipwrecked survivors washed up on its near-arctic shores.

Two months of the year (march-may) spring thaws the island turning biting ice and snow into cold hostile rain, the next two months (june-july) are by far the warmest with temperatures reaching the mid-80 degree Farenheit range, this is also a season of terriblly powerful storms and surging tides.

The following two months (aug-sept) the weather reverts back to a cold, merciless rain and in the last two weeks of year it turns to sleet, then snow. Then comes the 'long winter' of harsh cold and dangerous, sharp ice both in and out of the ocean. However, because it is located far out in an ocean, it never completely can completely ice over enough to allow passage from shore to island because the tides amd surf keep the ice floes ground semi-small (a large war ship can make the passage no problem) but as ice accumulates during the (Oct-Feb) Great Freeze life on the island becomes all but impossible without assistance.

Few native life forms live there, but it is known wild boars, wild dogs, and a few species of wild bird (crows, ptarmigan and ducks). During the non-freezing months blackberries, juniper trees, raspberries plus grains grow on the flat plateaus that are formed on the exterior of the island. Some of these are connected by narrow but solid paths of stone on the cliffside and some can be reached over-land, one is isolated by the pitch of the stone cliff and lack of a path (but more on that later). A few stunted apple trees grow, along with pines and a single, baby sized sequoia (thats actually 300 years old) that grows in the center of the small grove of tree just outside of the cave exit.

At the rear of the blasted out volcano cone that forms the islands body, a passage from the sea leads to a beach of obsidian and pyrite sand, and a passage winds upwards towards the plateau that provides living and agricultural space (which is limited by the short season but enriched by the incredibly fertile soil). Along this passage are a few small caves, one houses a stone bathhouse (with porch), another is the sub-basement of the lighthouse which warns ships off the rocks and reefs around the island. To the right of the beach (to the left is a stone dock large enough for a war or merchant ship) is a passage under the waterline and though it is in plain view it is also not, the natural formations of rock obscure the passage. These former lava tubes are 30 feet around, and run to the heart of the mountain.

These tunnels wind a ten minutes' swim (easily obtainable with the help of a mermaid or water mage but would be otherwise impossible even for the best swimmer/deep diver) to two caves: one has a huge stone blocking it, the other lets out on a cave 100 feet long, 30 feet wide and 20 feet tall; lining the rear is six cells with hardened steel bars of an amazingly good grade, each cell is of varying sizes to house halflings to Minotaurs, with a solid steel box five feet tall by five feet wide by five feet long that is heavily fortified and has only a slit in the door (solitary confinement cell). There are also Faerie-boxes to be heavily enchanted, Chirot, Torian and Magi wing restraints, mithril shackles and harnesses in various sizes, and though there is an absence of torture devices the bleak surroundings and variety of prisoner restraints makes up for this defecit.

This area is kept warm by the final pocket of heat deep below that actually prevents any ice from forming inside the prison caves' pool and some of the surrounding tunnels, these tunnels also provide, through small cracks, the water seepage that keeps the volcano extinct save for the two warm spots (prison cove and hot springs).

Air is provided by small fissures in the rocks formed when the volcano finally died 40,000 years before. These cracks wind through the rock, to the cave but are too small for even a Fae to fly through but do provide needed oxygen even in the mountains' heart.

Now an FAQ!
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What would it require to become a proper Super Maximum security prison?

The essential additions would be relatively straightforward; because of the already existing facilities (see REB listing IslandB for details) such as a bathhouse, a lighthouse, and storage facilities as well as the existing incarceration facilities it would only require; 1) an enchantment/spell that would allow any use of flight spells or magic of any sort over the ialsnd and also on the cells themselves, negating the ability of escape, 2) a charm or mIoP to the IG staff and the few residents (there are only four) to be able to go around this enchantment (for the island enchant for residents and Imperial Guard, both the island and cell enchants for the IG, meaning two similar but different versions), 3) for the IG to build a barracks and facilities they require, in addition to or elsewhere (as half the island remains free to purchase). And 4) a way to get 'prisoners' into the cave because of the impossible (without magic) swim.

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What inspired the idea?

Initially, the island from the TV show Arrow, but as I began to expand and explore I added a little of Chateau d'If from Dumas' Count of Monte Cristo as well as real life inspiration by an American prison that was notorious: Alcatraz. But I remembered in the latter two examples people actually had to live along side these incarcerated men and so, as I began to read more about it (mostly through memoirs of people who lived as kids on the Rock when their parents worked there) I began to add facilities it needed to be able to support life. Then I added life, animals and plants that cpuld survive the harsh cold and brutal rocky landscape.

But I wanted Il Mutah Har (which is actually Arabic for 'nowhere' or, 'purgatory') to be especially hellish even for the sentient inhabitants (who are an austere but unorthodox order of Vulpines) or prisoners alike. It is made endurable by these small but vital ameneties, much as with life in places like Tibet, Siberia and Alaska/Canada. Life on the island is precarious and even the wild animals that don't migrate are assisted through the winter by the inhabitants, who preserve the island as both sanctuary, refuge and prison.

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Why are there vulpines there?!?

Well the are Savi'atar (The Sundered) an austere order of once-extinct order of warrior-priests who came from all spectrum of Vulpine society to fight off the Run'ya Najaka and to spread the protection and love of The Lady (Trieste) to both vulpines and non-vulpines; to protect life when possible and prevent the dangerous objects or people fro. Causing random destruction on all society. The island itself was originally formed when the last remnant of the original order was annihilated by a volcanic blast, this volcano was incited by magic but, when Trieste saw so many souls lost she tore a hole in the volcano and silenced it; or so the legends say.

It was proven by Wade uth Matar the city that was destroyed, Tel'buk, really did exisist and was destroyed as legend said, and so, the island itself became the new ancestral home. It is the Sundered who maintain the island and these facilities at the behest of their Goddess.

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So, why turn it into a prison?

Well it already is. because of the islands' remote and nearly inhospitable conditions its perfect for this designated task. The fact it has already held a few prisoners for very short periods has proven it can be effective.

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[Miranda]

But who could possibly deserved to be put in it?

[miyuka]

I don't mind the island itself, I'm just not sure if the whole maximum security bit is needed. Like...is it just a "for background sake" kinda thing, or are people going to actually RP here cause I just don't see that being a thing.

[Infernis]

A few years ago, I kicked around an idea of creating a storyline where a prison(not yours, but similar concept) had been created in secret to house the greatest enemies of the Empire, all NPC threats.

The idea I had was for this prison to be breached at some point, and some of the residents escaping to resume whatever it was that landed them in there in the first place.

Why a prison? Why not kill the greatest threats? Basically, in our game world, death isn't much of a threat considering the ease of resurrections. It's far better, the logic goes, to keep them alive, imprisoned and helpless, rather than kill them and risk them coming back from the dead at some random point in the future.

I never got the chance to put that SL into effect, but that could be your motivation, if you want. Not a place for the players, but for SL threats to arise now and again.

[Wadeywade]

Great questions!
And it is interesting my idea mirrored yours, theyd be mostly NPC prisoners, of course. But it does open people the the whole 'escape from alcatraz' vibe. And it does work mostly for NPCs though. Weve had some nasty big bads.. and because of rezzing, deaths not always a aolution to these dudes, just sayin.

[miyuka]

Rezzing isn't actually a privilege of just anyone, I know it may seem that way cause any PC can be rezzed but that's more so people don't have to tear up their character sheets and to have some manner of fairness to the players given the type of world and how swiftly death can come. The 'ease of resurrection' is more or less an OOC thing. That being said, I could definitely see such an idea being used for SL reasons more so than as a place for your average RP.

[DiasEesha]

I certainly like the Idea for SL uses, especially tying in more things for the IG to be able to do at times. As such, I could see it being used, for these reasons storyline wise.

1) Acquiring information on a sect or band that is currently causing problems ic.
2) Linked up to an existing war or storyline where the emperor wants a target taken for whatever reason.
3) Of course the classic jailbreak possibilities.

course thats off the top of my head and Im sure theres more options. But I would say the location would operate autonomously until it is needed for an event, either tie in or originating from the island itself.

[Balard]

The idea for story line based rp is good, now as a prison of sorts i would say to you "Why not just make a cavern with cells under the guard headquarters the entrance be in the headquarters itself, ward it up so only the commander can enter and the captains." now the idea is pretty sound and i can think of many things that could be used and how to have it.

1. Any person committing treason is to be sent there.
2. Have no entrances/exits to the prison and have a direct portal which only the Commander and The Captains can enter.
3. If story line based prison scrap the 1st 2 suggestions and what i said above, have it filled with npc criminals that have done treason, have about a dozen break out and have the guard and noble guards work together to hunt/capture them with one or two people from the quest team or whoever is approved to be playing the criminals.

[Scathien]

The idea for story line based rp is good, now as a prison of sorts i would say to you "Why not just make a cavern with cells under the guard headquarters the entrance be in the headquarters itself, ward it up so only the commander can enter and the captains." now the idea is pretty sound and i can think of many things that could be used and how to have it.

1. Any person committing treason is to be sent there.
2. Have no entrances/exits to the prison and have a direct portal which only the Commander and The Captains can enter.
3. If story line based prison scrap the 1st 2 suggestions and what i said above, have it filled with npc criminals that have done treason, have about a dozen break out and have the guard and noble guards work together to hunt/capture them with one or two people from the quest team or whoever is approved to be playing the criminals.

You would also need to do something about potential teleportation spells, earth mages, earth magic, etc in order to prevent such things from interfering with the prison.

Also, if it is a sealed underground prison it would need a source of air.