HYPERBOREA / Looking for suggestions for a jail break scenario

**Posted by tomas** 6/20/2020 1:59 pm

I blame it on watching the Steve McQueen version of Papillon way too many times, but I'm hankering to run a jail break adventure with two slight twists.

First, instead of the old "you wake up naked with non of your belongings" version of the PCs being imprisoned and needing to escape, I want to have the PCs start on the outside and break somebody out. Second, and this is where I'm soliciting suggestions, I don't want a jail in the middle of a city. Rather I'm looking at a penal colony or gulag style prison. In other words while there are walls to enclose the prisoners, the surrounding countryside is the final fortification imprisoning the poor bastards.

So, assuming that Khromarium has a "hard labor" category for prisoners, where would the city elders have the punishment take place away from the city itself and possibly provide some economic benefit?

**Posted by rhialto** 6/20/2020 6:29 pm

tomas wrote:
So, assuming that Khromarium has a "hard labor" category for prisoners, where would the city elders have the punishment take place away from the city itself and possibly provide some economic benefit?

Hmmm...an island just offshore? Since it's probably a "strange bird", maybe name it after a pterodactyl or pteranodon?

**Posted by gizmomathboy** 6/20/2020 7:44 pm

You can even pair that with an idea I think someone posted about the island also being a hunting reserve.

Part of the jobs done is to "beat the bushes" flush the prey.

Not sure how that might work in the scenario but just throwing stuff at the wall.

**Posted by Blackadder23** 6/20/2020 9:25 pm

Building on some of the existing Hyperborean lore, you could have the prison on a mountain peak, with surly enslaved bird-men flying the prisoners and guards to and from the place. That would present the PCs with a very difficult challenge just to reach the prison.

ETA: The "economic benefit" could be a gold or rare gem mine on the peak, with prisoners enslaved to work the mine.

Last edited by Blackadder23 (6/20/2020 9:27 pm)

**Posted by Spider of Leng** 6/20/2020 9:38 pm

And one of the guards or NPCs has to be named Thin Lizzy....

**Posted by Blackadder23** 6/21/2020 11:51 pm

Another possibility would be an underwater prison - maybe a repurposed Atlantean facility. Possibly accessed by primitive submersibles? Perhaps the warden is in league with fish-men or crab-men?

I always tend toward a "fantastic" scenario. That's why I play fantasy games!

**Posted by rhialto** 6/22/2020 8:02 am

Blackadder23 wrote:
Another possibility would be an underwater prison - maybe a repurposed Atlantean facility. Possibly accessed by primitive submersibles? Perhaps the warden is in league with fish-men or crab-men?

I always tend toward a "fantastic" scenario. That's why I play fantasy games!

Yes, that sounds suitably AS&SH-ian!