Panopticon

Although it is one of the smaller planes of existence, Panopticon and its inhabitants are uniquely influential in the politics of the Outer Planes. Also known as the "prison plane," Panopticon is used as a of de facto penitentiary for the planar system's most powerful and dangerous individuals, as it is extraordinarily difficult to leave the plane unless one knows of the various secret exits and entrances into and out of it.
Panopticon is ruled by a being known as the Many-Eyed Guardian; though there is some debate as to whether "rule" is precisely the right verb in these circumstances. The Many-Eyed Guardian is a gigantic, spherical creature with thousands of tentacles radiating out from it in all directions. And on the end of every tentacle is an eye with extraordinarily acute vision. None of its eyes need to blink, and it watches the prisoners with keen and constant surveillance.
Other citizens of the Outer Planes will trade the Many-Eyed Guardian souls, in exchange for keeping watch over those individuals that they deem most dangerous to their cause. This is not always a just imprisonment, as the Guardian does not care whether or not those it watches over are innocent or guilty or the severity of crimes committed; it simply desires to watch them, constantly and forever, and never let them out of its sight.
Although there are some ways of leaving the plane, most methods of travel are blocked, including magical travel. It is one of the hardest places in the entire planar system to break out of, and historically, only those with a great deal of outside help have managed it.

Geography

Panopticon takes the form of the inside of an enormous sphere, with the Many-Eyed Guardian floating in the center of it, and gravity pulling towards the outside of the sphere. The inner surface of this sphere is ringed with deep prison cells, with walkways above them. The doors are in the ceilings of the cells, and are clear, impenetrable glass. The walls of the cells shine with a bright light continuously, with no relief, so that the prisoners cannot hide in the shadows.
The Many-Eyed Guardian does employ some servants to keep the facilities in order, in order to feed the prisoners, clean their cells, and generally care for them in emergencies. It is through the exploitation of these fallible individuals that have allowed the few recorded jailbreaks in Panopticon's history.

History

There are only a handful individuals who have known to successfully made escapes from Panopticon, and their methods of escape have been as unusual and varied as the individuals themselves. One trend seems to remain constant throughout; all previous escape attempts have relied on the fallibility of the Many-Eyed Guardian's servants. Whether by stealing keys, sneaking themselves out piece by piece in someone's clothing, or trapping the servant in the cell in the prisoner's stead, exploiting living people appears to be the best way to get out.
Although many have made the attempt, very few have succeeded in escaping Panopticon for long. Generally speaking, escapees have a tendency to put someone else in the cell in their place, as the Many-Eyed Guardian does not apparently care who they are guarding, so long as the number remains steady or grows.

Type

Dimensional plane