#wizarding prisons

[chinesewizarding-xianxia]

Wizarding Locations: Tiandi Prison – 天地大獄

Tiandi Prison (天地大獄, Tiāndì Dàyù) is the largest and oldest wixen prison in China, located in modern day Hunan Province. Almost the entire prison complex is located within the mountain, with only a small substation disguised as a temple located at the base. However, even in the time when the wixen world was not as thoroughly concealed from muggle society as it is today, Tiandi was protected by various enchantments such that very few muggles would actually stumble upon it.

Tiandi is, in fact, infamous for its complex system of protective enchantments. It is designed to siphon ambient magic from the environment in addition to drawing magic from its inhabitants. The way this is achieved has not been documented except in highly protected texts created by the founders of the prison, but it is known to involve the reversal of fengshui at key points along the mountain. This system thoroughly solves the problem inherent in keeping powerful wixes and yaoguai prisoners, as yaoguai especially are unaffected by the ban on wands and other magical implements. In this way, Tiandi has been respected and feared as a place where criminals truly repent for the sins that they bear, a form of karmic retribution carried out in life.

Occasionally, criticisms will circulate about the arrogance in its existence, inherent in its name*. However, Tiandi Prison has never had a prisoner escape who was able to do so of his or her own power.

The place is also called Tiandiyu, an amalgamation of Tiandi and Diyu (地狱), Diyu being the underworld (the equivalent of hell).

Notes

* 天地 means “heaven and earth”. Because the prison is located on a mountain often surrounded by fog, people say that you cannot tell where earth ends and the heavens begin - and, further, that the prison rests beneath heaven’s law. Some cite the arrogance in its existence for this reason, as men play at being divine arbiters.

大獄 (simp: 大狱) is, according to wiktionary, an old way of saying “prison”. Feel free to suggest a better term if you know Chinese.

Thanks goes to the monsterblogofmonsters for helping me with these ideas.

(Source: Top Left, Top Right (from Nirvana in Fire) Center, Bottom Left, Bottom Right)

[wizardhistory]

Another infamous prison in the wizarding world, the Hillam Institution of Various Enormities, otherwise known as the HIVE is known for it’s size and fascinating guest-list. The prison sits in the northern mountains of the Appalachians and is the American equivalent to Azkaban, although far less dreary. 

Founded in 1780 by Rodger F. J. Hillam, the General of Wizarding Defense at the time, the prison has since then acted as the main magical prison of the M.A.C.U.S.A. This federal prison holds not just petty criminals but some of the most corrupt witches and wizards to grace the American continent. 

Whether it be Louis “The Chimera-king” Teodoro–noted in history as the mastermind of the illegal New York magical fighting pits that still live on today–or even Anastasia Laurie–who assassinated both President Galloway and Vice President Wheeler in 1976–the HIVE to this day harbors so many criminals it is thought to span over half the Appalachians. Unfortunately, the prison officials wont give any specifics on the institutions size. There is only one known entrance–known as ‘The Maw’ (photographed above), though one should remember it is both heavily guarded and warded.

Unlike Azkaban Prison, the HIVE does not recruit any sort of creature defense systems. It employs an army of specially trained aurors and, thanks to Rodger F.J. Hillam, several unique and secret defense mechanisms. 

Mr. A. Whitestaff, 25th of July, 2015.