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Dungeons
Medieval Prison · Medium · Level 4 · Medium

The Gaol of Heddren

Blue fire flickers behind the bars, and the nearest chain begins to move.
Rooms
15
Foes
19, CR 1/4 to 3
Traps
3
Treasure
1,360 gp
123456789101112131415Entrance
Select a room on the plan to open it.

The party is in

1. Intake Hall

Seen

Something wanders by

At a glance

The threat

Heddren's last keeper, now a wight, still believes the prison is in session.

Wandering monsters (1d3)

  1. 1

    1d2× Patrolling SkeletonsCR 1/4

    When: A loud noise, a bell ring, or every 20 minutes of explorationA pair of gaol skeletons patrols with rusty halberds, pausing to inspect doorways as if checking cells.
  2. 2

    Shackled ShadowCR 1/2

    When: A character separates from the group or extinguishes a light sourceA shadow shaped like a shackled prisoner slides along the walls and recoils from bright light.
  3. 3

    Unrecorded PrisonerCR 1

    When: The party disturbs a name tablet or opens a locked cellA restless specter drifts through the corridors, whispering a demand to be entered into the record.

Rooms

15
1

Intake Hall

treasuresecret

What they see

Read aloud

A stone desk faces the entrance, its surface scored by years of tally marks. Four passages lead away from the chamber, and the locked western door bears a rusted court seal; behind the eastern wall, a secret panel leaks a thread of cold air.

Features

  • A cracked iron bell hangs over the desk; ringing it alerts undead in rooms 1 and 4.
  • The western door is locked and can be picked with thieves' tools or opened with a key from .
  • The eastern secret door is found with Wisdom (Perception).

What the GM knows

Treasure

Seal of the Old Court75 gp

A tarnished silver court seal, hidden in a drawer behind the desk.
Room secrets · GM only

Notes

The bell is an effective warning system but also draws wandering monsters if rung repeatedly. The doors are positioned according to the listed connections; use the secret and locked doors as shown in the layout.

5 doors: W (locked), E (locked), N (normal), S (normal), N (normal)

The place

What it is

The Gaol of Heddren was cut into the bedrock beneath a medieval court, its barred cells and service passages still arranged for orderly confinement.

Atmosphere

Cold damp stone carries the smell of rust, old straw, and extinguished tallow.

The threat

Heddren's last keeper, now a wight, still believes the prison is in session.

History

The Gaol of Heddren was built by the magistrate's household nearly two centuries ago to hold debtors, political prisoners, and those awaiting judgment.

Rumors

1d4
Roll a rumor

  1. 1A shepherd swears the old court bell rings underground whenever someone dies in the village.
  2. 2The ruined courthouse was built over a prison where no one was ever formally released.
  3. 3A peddler claims a silver key from the gaol can open any lock, though he has never seen it.
  4. 4People who sleep near the old foundations wake up reciting names they have never heard.

Plot hooks

3
RecoveryThe Verdict LedgerA magistrate's descendant asks the party to retrieve a sealed ledger before a rival family can use it to discredit the living court.From: Magistrate Sefra DastReward: A rare legal seal worth 300 gp and a favor from the court
Undead threatNames from the CellsA village gravedigger reports that the dead have begun speaking the names of people who vanished generations ago. The party must find the source and quiet the prison spirits.From: Brynna, a gravedigger from the nearby villageReward: A silvered weapon and 250 gp
RescueOne More CellA prisoner taken by a local lord has been brought into the gaol through a forgotten entrance. The party must find them before Heddren records their name among the dead.From: Tegir, a courier with a torn prison writReward: The rescued captive's family offers a rare potion and safe lodging

Corridors

3

  • Between and

    A waist-high groove runs along the wall where generations of prisoners dragged their chains. Fresh scratches interrupt the old marks near the deeper cells.

  • Between and

    Three iron rings hang from the ceiling above a floor stained by old lamp oil. One ring is warm to the touch, though the corridor is freezing.

  • Between and

    A narrow speaking grille carries whispers from adjoining passages. The voice repeats the last name spoken nearby in a prisoner's rasp.

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