Fifteen years I spent in the pit of hell called Narjul - fifteen years with no charge, and no cause, banished to the dark because of the madness of a tyrant. My sentence, at the time, was indefinite - I was, in short, held at the pleasure of the Dominus, a man who held no pleasure and no mercy in his entire body. I might have died there, if the tyrant himself had not died first.

After the fall of Gorgo, the risen lord freed me. Even so, I remember.

— An anonymous comment in Tyrant, a somewhat sensationalistic history book by Lar Belonis
 

Overview

Narjul ("Dark Dungeon in Zozun is a prison dungeon beneath the Crimson Palace. Though infamous, and though its location is a known quantity, it is also known to be nearly impossible to escape from, or break into. Beyond that, entering is strictly forbidden without the permission of the Dominus Regas -- with the exception of the Dungeon Warden.

A highly secure facility that exists within the home of - and thus under the protection of - Amaya's Dominus Regas, it is traditionally used to house those deemed to be the worst offenders. That said, "worst" can certainly vary in meaning from ruler to ruler.

Currently, its only known resident is Azrael Zielte. That isn't a guarantee that he's actually the only one there, of course.

 

General Information

History

Built alongside the palace itself, Narjul is assumed to be nearly 20,000 years old. Much like the remainder of the palace it is in remarkably good shape, having been significantly reinforced by magic over the many centuries. However, because Narjul is neither meant to be comfortable nor meant to be seen, it has not been upkept with as much consistency as the palace in which it sits, or even the standard dungeons that live above it. The result is a less pristine look and a gloomier feel.

In the early days of the Asther reign, the dungeon was significantly more active as a prison. Then, the first Asther ruler was in the midst of securing dominance in the wake of a coup against the previous leader. Consequently, the most common charges to Narjul-bound prisoners were somewhat defensive: treason being the most obvious.

At its prime, Narjul housed about two dozen prisoners, some kept in group-cells or even in cages. However, as time went by and the dynasty settled into place, the House of Asther's rule became solidifed, and so there were fewer plots to overthrow the family, and Narjul became less active.

The Reign of Gorgo

This would change during the reign of Gorgo Asther. Gorgo was an unstable monarch, prone to tempers and paranoia. As such, he frequently sent courtiers into Narjul with little or no evidence of wrongdoing - and kept them imprisoned without a known end to their sentence. Gorgo was also brutally violent and cruel - predictably, he also hired "interrogators" - or torturers. It is during this period that Narjul developed a reputation as a hell of pain and cruelty from which no one could escape.

Reformation Under Samael

In 28986Y,

Upon deposing his father and assuming control, Samael conducted a review of those imprisoned both in Narjul and in the standard prisons. He freed those who were clearly innocent and reconsidered both the guilt and the sentences of those for whom there was still suspicion. In all known cases, Samael also removed the guilty prisoners of Narjul to the normal, more "humane" prisons (relatively speaking!).

It is unknown how many, if any, of Narjul's residents remained there.

This was indicative of Samael's less brutal and more "coercive" approach to rulership - or perhaps he simply did not want to be associated with the torture and degradation associated with the dungeon during his father's reign. Regardless of the reason, the only person Samael has ever banished to Narjul is Azrael Zielte, who arguably guilty of actual treason and certainly guilty of infiltration and betrayal. Samael was also close to Zielte, and so the discovery of his true mission was a significant emotional blow. His imprisonment is arguably the result of that.

Because of Zielte's presence, Leviael Kythien is one of the few people granted regular access to Narjul. This is a favor to Leviael, not to Azrael.

Life inside Narjul

While it is the most heavily controlled dungeon in Amaya - not to mention the one with the most disturbing history and fearsome reputation -- Narjul as it exists today is not overtly cruel. "Overtly" is the key word here - ther eis no torture, no starvation, no violence... but there is constant isolation. Worse, the walls do not carry sound so it is impossible to get a signal out to others, and impossible to know whether anyone else is present. Typically, prisoners only regularly see the golems that come to offer food and water.

Inside Narjul.

The long unused Maiden and cage.

The stairless pit that leads to Azrael's cell.

Another long abandoned torture chamber.

It's fair to say that this complete isolation with no known end date is true torture, and those who have been released may suffer long-term or even permanent psychological damage.

That said, in the past Narjul also made use of its torture chambers. This largely depends on the specific Dominus Regas and their proclivities. For example, Gorgo was a violent man and prone to physical brutality as a means of control, whereas Samael has a gemeral distaste for physical torture.

  Food and Caretaking

Well, it's a prison, so life in Narjul has never been particularly pleasant or exciting.

Food is plain and repetitive meals with necessary nutrients and very little pleasure. A large pitcher of water is provided several times a day. These needs are attended to by Golems, and the golems' continued functioning is overseen by the Warden.

Clothing is not standardized - people wear whatever they came in with - but new clothes are also not provided unless the old ones are unwearable. Given that the prisoners are most often immortal, that does eventually tend to happen - once it does, clothing is replaced by plain white or black robes and trousers with sandals.

Temperature is unregulated and tends to be cold and somewhat damp.

All of that said, understand that daily life may be affected by the machinations and bargaining going on outside the prison walls as well. For example, as previously mentioned Azrael is somewhat less isolated than one might think due to his regular visits from Leviael. This hasn't done much for his food choices, however.

 

Description & Locations

Being deep underground, Narjul has no access to natural light and no windows. The halls are dark and torch-lit - though kept relatively clean, they do show some signs of wear - and also poor construction that has since been repaired. The atmsophere in general is quite gloomy - even "spooky".

A typical cell

Small and bare.
The Cells

Each individual cell contains a bed and very little else. When the dungeon was more commonly used, cells would sometimes feature some minor concessions - a few books, for example, or a puzzle box. Now, most cells have been emptied of their previous inhabitants' belongings. There may be remaining stains or abandoned items such as chains or manacles, but there is no obvious sign of life in these abandoned cells.

The size of cells varies somewhat - mostly are barely large enough for the prisoner to walk around the bed. However, this is not always the case - there are a handful of larger cells that once held prisoners who were once politically powerful or whose powerful families bargained for "better" treatment.

The Keepers' Areas

A dining hall used by guards and caretakers during the height of Narjul's use.

The Warden's room can be accessed from Narjul or from the standard dungeons above.
Keepers & Warden

Now, Narjul is largely dormant. However, in the past, it was as busy and overcrowded as it was horrific.

At that time, a full staff of guards were kept on the grounds to control the prisoners, prevent uprisings, and administer the "interrogations." While most did not live on the premises, they did have several meals on the premises, and so there was a dining area for their use.

A flight of stairs led from the dining area upstairs to the Dungeon Warden's room. This relatively large and comfortable room is actually on the second floor of the typical dungeon, but is included because it is accessible from Narjul as well.

What is kept in the Warden's room is entirely up to them. That said, due to the magical-duties involved in the Warden role, there will typically be magical items, books, etc.

The current warden also has several potion shelves and a scrying pool.

 

Azrael's Cell

The "special" cell currently occupied by Azrael Zielte.
Azrael Zielte's Cell

The only known current resident of Narjul, Azrael Zielte has inspired intense ire from Samael Asther as he was discovered to be an infiltrator from Astrum working to undermine Samael's rule. Despite this, he has been given a relatively "comfortable" space in Narjul both in recognition and respect for his status as an Aurali Serat and, more than any other reason, as a favor to Leviael Kythien.

The cell contains a bed with a relatively thick mattress, a bookshelf and a dining table that can double as a writing desk.

And (at least in this image) a wheel of cheese.

 

Defenses

The Wards

The wards trap an intruder or escapee and then release a relentless barrage of attacks onto them.

As is to be expected, Narjul is heavily warded with magic. This is upkept by whomever serves as the Dungeon Warden at the time. While this is the case with all dungeons and prisons - particularly those with close proximity to the Dominus Regas - Narjul has particularly intense defensive spells, as well as physical defenders - specifically golems.

The wards are designed to inflict fatal injury - specifically, to conjure seemingly impenetrable force walls to trap attempted escapees or intruders, followed by a series of elemental attacks that continue unbated until dissolved or until the target is destroyed.