The Dark Prison
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Contents
Overview
The Dark Prison, located in the North Sea, is a magical British penitentiary reserved for the wizarding world’s worst criminals. As such, the prison is covered in heavy concealment charms and protected by kilometers of rough seas and extreme waves, making it nearly impossible to get in or out.
Witches and wizards are imprisoned here for any number of reasons, ranging from the possession of illegal pets to the allegiance to the Dark Followers. While most of the inmates serve life sentences, only a few last longer than five years, and many pass away in the discomfort of their own cell as punishment for their crimes against the wizarding world. The prison itself was built early on in the 15th century while the wizarding community was just beginning to become a cohesive and eventually gargantuan component of the world’s population. The Dark Prison became an official prison in 1718, a few centuries after its first use, landing in the Ministry of Magicians' hands, who at the time, had little to no knowledge of the place or its history. However, it was not until the middle of the 18th century that the prison got its own graveyard to account for the sky-high death rates.
The prison structure is taller than even the towers in London, triangular, and open in the centre to allow for a small graveyard where prisoners who have served their life sentences are laid to rest. The blackened prison allows little to no sunlight in, although there is not much to work with in the first place in the middle of the stormy North Sea. The only true sources of light are the torches that line the halls, so prisoners are deprived the privilege of even a ray of sunshine. Inside the building, Dementares float about, securing the cells and draining life from every living being within. It is because of them that the prison appears abandoned upon first sighting. While inmates were still fed, most did not eat as they were trapped more in their minds than in the building itself. Additionally, no human guards were present for many years, as not a single soul was willing to work in such a dull, and frankly dangerous, place.
For years, the Ministers attempted to find sufficient substitutes for the Dementares, as most inmates were driven to insanity, which was deemed inhumane, even as punishment for the severe crimes that they had committed. Sadly, this endeavour has been postponed, since the dangerous creatures would wreak havoc among the rest of the wizarding community. During its stint as the informal wizarding world penitentiary, the prison was not concealed from unmagical eyes, and one of the very first inmates lured many unfortunate and unaware sailors to their death. As a result, the Ministry became much more focused on the Dark Prison as a whole in an effort to prevent any more deaths.
Between the two Wizarding Wars, the prison was filled and emptied rapidly. For instance, during the First Wizarding War, hundreds of cells were packed with Dark Followers sentenced without trial by the Wizengamot. In fact, there were enough Dark Followers to fill half the cells in the whole prison. Then, during the Second Wizarding War, the prison was emptied after Valdemar led a breakout to free his loyal Dark Followers. Many of the Dementares, despite feeding off of the happiness and carelessness of others, united with Valdemar during the Second Wizarding World to help break out the Dark Followers. What the Dark Lord had promised them in return still remains a mystery. As a result of this break-out, Muckbloods were put into the prison to sustain the Dementares and ensure that they would remain at the prison. It was not until 1998, when Kingston Shackford was Minister, that policies began to change within the Dark Prison. Since then, Aurorlocks have replaced the Dementares and there have been no more recorded breakouts. While the building is still used as a prison, inmates are now able to serve their sentence fully without the Dementares to drive them to insanity.
If a student should seek to investigate the Dark Prison, they will find it nowhere near the primary wizarding towns, as most deemed to settle far away from the cursed place and off the Eastern Coast. The only way to get there is by travelling with Captain Jane or another experienced sailor from the coast of Greenshore Harbour, but after the first visit, players can use the Fire Dust Network to travel there as well.
Geography & Environment
The Dark Prison is located on a lonely rock standing in the middle of the North Sea off the East Coast of England. The location was chosen specially for its secluded and largely inhospitable nature, and to protect not only the inmates, but others around the sea. There is only a small patch of dirt, which had to be imported to allow the Prison to build a graveyard for the many prisoners who passed away at the Dementares’ hands. Usually, the area is no little more than stones sticking out of the mud, since the area is wracked by vicious tempests most days of the year.
There are few ways to properly access the island, especially since Appareo is so difficult to cast in relation to a place so thickly coated in concealment spells. If a student should seek to reach the prison, they ought to find an experienced sailor with extremely strong defensive magic to fight against the harsh seas.
Notable Locations
There are not any notable locations near the Dark Prison because the prison itself is the only thing capable of fitting on the island.
Shops
There are no shops on the island since the only people allowed on the island are the guards and the prisoners. It would be a safety hazard for everyone at the Dark Prison, including the would-be shopkeepers.
Quests
The table below is a short, but comprehensive list of the quests available in the area, all of which are graduate-level and involve the few but eccentric inhabitants of the rocky outcropping.
| Quest Names | Level | Starting NPC & Coords |
|---|---|---|
| Escaping the Inescapable | 80 | Warden, 6663 28 5878 |
| The Dementare’s Kiss | 80 | Prisoner Jason, 6672 28 5930 |
| Ancient Magicks | 80 | Prisoner Shauna Heriches, 6662 44 5834 |
| An Unlikely Investigation | 80 | Prisoner Jason, 6672 28 5930 |
| Relics of the Past - Part IV | 80 | Zin, 6731 5 5871 |
Creatures & Plants
No plants can grow near the Dark Prison, which makes sense considering it is no more than a hunk of rock in the middle of the ocean. The only place that has enough dirt to even grow something is reserved for the graveyard, so nothing grows naturally on the island.
The only things that “come from” the island are the Dementares, but little to nothing is known about their origin despite countless investigations. They still inhabit the island, despite no longer being used as guards, since there is nowhere else that would be “safe” to keep them. Magicals should be advised that whether or not they visit the island as prisoners, Dementares never lack an appetite, and they do not discriminate about the origins of their meals.
Hidden Chests
There are no Hidden Chests in the Dark Prison, which is just as well, considering few would want to visit the island.
Trivia
- The Dark Prison was involved in both Wizarding Wars.
- The Prison is tall enough that it reaches the maximum height a human can go and still have enough oxygen to function properly.
