The Citadel of Prydisyrr

The Citadel of Prydisyrr is a floating prison that used to float near Prydisyrr, Dathyll. After a hijacking in 903 LC, its current location is unknown.

Purpose / Function

The Citadel of Prydisyrr was constructed in ancient times to provide the elites of the Kingdom of Laeryll, who lived in Prydisyrr, with a safehouse in case of disaster. In addition, the Citadel originally served as a barracks and launchpad for the Cloud Patrol.

Alterations

As time progressed after its construction, Bothandal the Crafter introduced the House of Keepers, which was installed in the former royal palace. He moved the site of royal governance to the Citadel. The Citadel became equipped with a throne room, offices and a war room and had room left to spare.
In 13 LC, under the rulership of Queen Morsyana, this site of governance was repurposed as a prison for dissidents and other enemies, who were chained and tortured in the building. The Citadel became the base of operations for Morsyana's tyrannical rule and was expanded to house the aides to her oppressive regime.
Once Queen Galythiel succeeded Morsyana in 39 LC (after the War of the Sisters) the Citadel had become a symbol of evil in the eyes of Laeryllians. Galythiel decided to keep the building only as a prison and brought in masons from The Porcupine who turned the building into a contained prison facility that could only be reached via flight.
Then, she had wizards from the Royal Academy of Transmutation in Pothyrr turn the whole Citadel into a floating structure. This feat took the famed transmuter Dallatrin more than a decade of research. What he ultimately created was a transmuted, 15-feet diameter red pearl that was installed in the exact center of The Citadel. The pearl absorbed all surrounding magical energies to create lift, and dragged the saucer-like building upwards, some 200 feet into the air. Dallatrin then steered The Citadel westwards in 59 LC, where it was out of sight for the Prydisyrr citizens, who cheered at having their bad memory removed.
The red pearl did not only keep The Citadel afloat. As it fed on magical energies, spellcasters found it nigh impossible to wield magic in its vicinity: only the outer circle of the building allowed wizards to manipulate magical energies. For this reason, the core cells in the prison, contained within its first two inner circles, became reserved for the magically inclined, rendering them powerless. The outer circle was dedicated to guards and military personnel, who cpuld enjoy a spectacular view through the glass outer walls of The Citadel.

Architecture

In its original structure, the Citadel consisted of multiple elongated, rounded forms, which lent it the colloquial name fairycakes, after the Fairycakes mushroom. The additions made by Morsyana broke with this architecture, as she added rooms on top of the saucer-shaped elements.
Once Galythiel invited dwarven masons and architects from Clan Kandarin to turn the Citadel into a high-security prison, they united many existing elements, placing all of them into a giant, multi-level, cocoon-shaped unit, with a defensive structure and landing space on top and an outer ring that features impressive glass windows. It was this cocoon that was lifted through the work of Dallatrin.

Defenses

The defenses at the top of the cocoon-shaped Citadel were numerous. Laeryllian soldiers, ready to use gryphons for flight, helped contain the prisoners in the floating prison. Fortified structures harbored archers and spellcasters to fend off attacks from the outside and a system of flares and bells connected the prison guards to surface-level security. Fire weapons were installed across the outer surface of the floating prison and could be operated from the inside of the prison.

History

The Citadel of Prydisyrr became a famous floating prison. In 59 LC, it was lifted off and steered towards the west of the main city. Prisoners were sent to the Citadel by the Cloud Patrol, via a transfer point that became known as Last Sunlight and spawned a whole cottage industry and temple to Forx. While the Citadel initially only housed criminals from the Kingdom of Laeryll whom the king had been found guilty of major crimes, agreements with other nations also brought in foreign high-profile criminals -- especially those who wielded magic and required strong containment.
During the reign of Olyxx the Warborn, these agreements were limited and the Citadel consequentially became less filled. In 503 LC, the Province Keepers successfully petitioned for the discretionary power to also send criminals from their province to the Citadel, to make use of the space that freed up. This discretionary power was not accepted by the Communes of Qosid, but other provinces made good use of it.
In 903 LC, the Citadel of Prydisyrr was hijacked by inmates during the Festival of Light and managed to escape from a military response by the Cloud Patrol and the Royal Army of Laeryll as dangerous wizards escaped from their confines and launched attacks on the responding Laeryllian troops. According to testimonials by a few guards who escaped, the uprising was led by Cyru Veiru. Ballelds Landidith claimed that it was facilitated by Labarean meddling, which contributed to the Declaration of War Against the Labarean Empire by the Kingdom of Laeryll.
The Kingdom lost track of the Citadel, which is potentially still floating across the Northern Arm, with its defensive capacities intact.

Founding Date

-1143

Alternative Names

The Flying Citadel

Type

Acropolis / Citadel