The Old Prison of Shavag
The Old Prison of Shavag is a vast mountain stronghold turned half-ruined dungeon, built to hold the worst offenders of the high passes. Its upper courtyards lean under cracked battlements, its halls smell of wet stone and rust, and its lower cells are wrapped in silence broken only by dripping water and distant metal groans. Long ago it was a feared place, but neglect, storms, and one catastrophic event left it battered and unsafe. The first time Tarantula moved within its walls, the mountain shook, the masonry split in several places, and sections of the prison were never properly repaired. Now it stands as a dangerous, crumbling maze of cells, guardrooms, sealed doors, and forgotten tunnels, with Tarantula still dwelling somewhere below.
The Old Prison of Shavag
Cold, echoing, and oppressive, with the sense that the mountain is holding its breath
The Old Prison of Shavag is a vast mountain stronghold turned half-ruined dungeon, built to hold the worst offenders of the high passes. Its upper courtyards lean under cracked battlements, its halls smell of wet stone and rust, and its lower cells are wrapped in silence broken only by dripping water and distant metal groans. Long ago it was a feared place, but neglect, storms, and one catastrophic event left it battered and unsafe. The first time Tarantula moved within its walls, the mountain shook, the masonry split in several places, and sections of the prison were never properly repaired. Now it stands as a dangerous, crumbling maze of cells, guardrooms, sealed doors, and forgotten tunnels, with Tarantula still dwelling somewhere below.
Distant, pragmatic, and willing to let the prison decay so long as the threat inside remains contained
History
Security Measures
The prison was built to hold raiders, smugglers, and dangerous spellcasters from the mountain passes. Its lowest levels are ringed with iron-barred cells, old chains bolted into the stone, and watch slits cut into narrow corridors. After years of neglect, some locks jam, some doors hang crooked, and a few stairwells have cracked or collapsed. Guards still rely on heavy doors, alarm bells, and choke points rather than finesse. The place feels secure in parts, but only because the mountain itself is hard to escape.
Notable Prisoners
Most cells are empty, but a few inmates remain in forgotten blocks or sealed holding rooms. These include a mute cult courier who knows route maps through Shavag, a disgraced ranger who once guided caravans through the peaks, and a half-mad smuggler who memorized the old supply tunnels. The most dangerous prisoner is Tarantula, kept in a reinforced central chamber deep below the main keep. Rumor says she was moved there once, and the force of her arrival cracked walls, shattered lamps, and sent dust pouring from the ceiling.
History of the Site
The prison was expanded in stages over many decades. The oldest section is carved directly into the mountain, while later additions were raised in rough stone and timber. What began as a hard mountain jail became a grand holding fortress for the region, with barracks, supply halls, a warder's office, and deep isolation cells. Its decline began when funding thinned and the surrounding roads became less traveled. Then Tarantula was brought in, and the prison never fully recovered from the damage of her first confinement.
Escape Routes and Containment
The prison still contains old mechanisms meant to control dangerous captives. Iron grates can seal whole corridors, narrow passages can be flooded from cistern valves, and several staircases can be blocked by dropping stone portcullises. In theory, the wardens can isolate one wing from another. In practice, many of the controls are rusted, mislabeled, or half-broken. Clever characters may exploit these features to trap enemies, make a barricade, or create a safer route through the prison.
Denizens
Distant, pragmatic, and willing to let the prison decay so long as the threat inside remains contained
A weary prison warder who keeps the remaining staff in line. He is practical, underpaid, and more frightened of what will happen if Tarantula escapes than of the inmates themselves.
An elderly cook and messenger who knows the layout better than anyone. She trades information for kindness and has seen the prison at its best and worst.
A scarred guard who believes the prison should be sealed forever. He is loyal, suspicious, and likely to overreact to any sign of trouble.
A quiet inmate who claims to have survived Tarantula's first arrival. Whether he is mad, truthful, or both, he knows too much about the sealed lower levels.
Rumors & Plot Hooks
- 1.Tarantula did not just shake the prison, she cracked something deep under the mountain that still hums at night.
- 2.There is a hidden route out through an old supply shaft, but it was sealed after several guards disappeared.
- 3.One lower wing is not abandoned at all, but occupied by prisoners the wardens no longer admit exist.
- 4.The bell tower rings by itself when Tarantula wakes from her sleep.
- 5.A former warden hid keys to the inner chamber somewhere in the old records room.
Classified Entry
Beneath the lowest cell block is an ancient fault chamber with a narrow vein of unstable stone. Tarantula's first movement widened the fissure, and the prison's remaining structure is now partly supported by patched masonry and old iron bracing. If enough force is brought to bear in the wrong place, a section of the prison could collapse and open a path into forgotten tunnels below the mountain.
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