Tartarus



Tartarus, also known as the Infernal Prison, is an otherworldly prison where the most sinister and dangerous criminals are held captive.

The prison exists outside the physical realm. Some say it exists between our plane and the Darkness, but the nature of which has never been understood.

What little is known about Tartarus, its wardens or guardians, is gathered from the very few that have escaped, from the interactions the mythical Furies have with civilisations, and from Icarus Solael, who is said to have travelled into the curst prison thousands of years ago.

The Gates of Tartarus
It is unclear whether there is a single entrance or separate ones into Tartarus. They appear and disappear at random, often in secluded areas, without warning. To the privileged (or cursed) few who have seen it, they materialize in the form of a gate surrounded by an out-of-place marsh, as if cut out from the local landscape and shrouded in mist.

There are some clashing reports that claim the gates have appeared in more than one place at the same time, but that its protector, Cerberus, was standing guard at both.

Icarus theorized the gate was a replicated compartment of space existing in multiple places at once.

The Furies
The Furies are a trio of shapeshifters (Icarus noted that they were not to be mistaken with Changelings) often presenting themselves in the forms of the race they meet. They are described as laconic, to the point and pale.

Their visits are said to bring great misfortune, having preluded many wars.

It is unclear whether the Furies are figures of leadership in Tartarus or are simply messengers, but Icarus's writings claim that they are bound to some sort of ancient agreement to cooperate with the mortals.

The Fury's Bane and Judgement
The Fury's Bane, or Bane, are the only beings capable of damning someone to Tartarus. They are mortals (of any race) who were blessed (or cursed) by the Furies themselves with the ability to invoke "Judgment", which draws the Furies' dark power from the earth to swallow the damned individual in a flurry of shadows, pulling them into the ground and, presumably, to Tartarus.

It is known that the "arms of fury" cannot touch the innocent, and if without target, will grab the nearest mortal (culpable of any crime, relevant to the judgment or not, even the Bane him/herself).

It is likely that they were given this power to ensure a supply of prisoners and to minimize the Furies' interaction with the mortal races.

Icarus's Travels
Icarus, the only non-prisoner known to have passed through the gates of Tartarus, documented his brief journey. It was never made clear why he went there or why the Furies allowed him to do so.

His journey begins with one of the Furies, who called himself Charon, recommending that he bring with him a child, as well as ensure that none of his followers are blind or deaf. Charon never specified why.