The Stronghold of Dal Gabond

Connected to The City of Keelford only by a narrow walkway across the bay's troubled waters, Keelford's infamous jail rises out of the grasping waters like a zombie from the grave, it's baleful towers serving as a morbid warning for those who dare cross the law. As if the main jail wasn't enough, though, perhaps the most haunting feature of the fortress is the Tower of Gulls, the cries of the seagulls who roost there, some say, are only the echoes of the tortured voices who dwelt there.

Purpose / Function

The fortress was not, as you might think, built by Dal Gabond, but instead to contain him and his associates after his revolution. Over time, however, it has come to contain also more ordinary prisoners. The dangerous murderers and magicians are now confined to the tower of Gulls, to the north of the prison.

History

As The City of Keelford grew in population, so did that population's capacity to commit crimes, or rebel against the city's wishes. The newly established Keelford guard was already overstretched, and the small guardhouse prison was at breaking point. The various crime guilds of the city knew this, of course, and greatly used it to their advantage. Suddenly, petty criminals could get away with a day in the stocks rather than rotting in filthy jails for a month. As long as they didn't commit anything that could get them executed, criminals effectively had free reign over the city. All it took though, was one event to push the situation over the edge, to show that something had to be done.

That event was the damnation of Dal Gabond. Dal Gabond was a powerful sorcerer, and a member of Keelford's council of magic practitioners, who dreamed of greater power - Archeria's first sorcerer king. Him and his associates had planned revolution for years, believing the current rulers to be inadequet with their searches for Sky Gnomes (see history section for The Lands of Ruination ), so much was their greed for the powerful technologies. They had specifically planned their revolution to begin in The City of Keelford, being the centre of trade to the north, so that they could cripple their opponent's supplies from the south. As with all revolutions, though, traitors lay in Dal Gabond's company, and news of the plot reached the ears of the city's rulership, who immediately sent a company of magi, led by the archmage Irith Egion, to arrest the plotters. Dal Gabond's spies told him of the company, and he quickly addressed his fellow plotters: If they didn't act now, they never would. The two sides met on Merchant's bridge, and within a minute, all hell broke loose. Having superior initial numbers, Gabond won the first skirmish with ease, and the battle moved into the city's streets as more combatants loyal to each side joined the fray. The ensuing conflict was dire and bloody, as lone combatants picked their ways through demolished streets, unsure what fate awaited them round the next corner. Steel clashed, fires roared, and magic shattered the town. With the help of an Enchidrian mercenary force, Dal Gabond pushed his enemies back, forcing them to take refuge in Keelford Castle, which was duly placed under siege. In brief (This will be written out in full) the King of The Kingdom of Archaria was furious at Dal Gabond's audacity. He sent the most skilled warriors to the city, and reinforced by golems, they struck without mercy. Those of the revolution who were not killed, including Gabond himself, were captured to await a terrible fate. After much deliberation, it was decided that there was no prison yet built that could contain such a powerful magician, and if there was, he would surely escape en route. Death, though, would be much too kind a punishment for his treachery. So, a prison was designed, so magnificent, so ingenious, that even Gabond could not escape it. So was the The Stronghold of Dal Gabond born.

Type

Prison

Parent Location

The City of Keelford