Welcome my good Fiend to the Pit Of Dispair. Within these dark damp walls you will may apprentice yourself to the Master torturer and take a look into his secret world.
A FEW BASICS
many Medievil dungeons did not live up to the stereo typical cells system for housing captives. This would give the average inmate better housing then he had on the outside. Many castles instead had Pits. They are simple and efective. No expensive pickable locks or secluded rooms, an open plan pit with fifteen to twenty foot walls capped with inverted spikes ( to deter theif escapees ) will keep most inmates confined with many others in very unsanitery condition. Feeding is via the Bucket O Swill delivery system, feeding prisoners well is not a priority. Two guards armed with crossbows and equiped with a rope and pully should be able to cope with a pit of twenty or thirty prisoners. As a precaution a guard post may also be in the same room ( relief for tower look outs etc).Of course nobility and gentlemen must have better quaters ( the tower of london is a good example ) and would maybe be allowed visitors.
Nobs and Nobility are kept prisoner for many reasons, not just because they have done something wrong. A king may imprison a lord of lordds heir(s) to exert influence over family and allies. In these circumstances it is easy to see why the traetment of nobility must differ. Visitors may be allowed them under supervision, hence the warder will usually not be a warty thicko, but presentable, clever and well spoken because he must report any exchanges to the king directly or a high ranking official.
THE EXECUTIONER
When all the unpleasentness is dispenced with its time to either release the prisoner of dispatch him. This is of course the job of the executioner. Kingdoms with ruling bodies who are neutral or good will dispence with unpleasentry usually and just chop the head clean off. The execution of every day murderers is done in public so the people can see justice be done and to deter any potential wrong doers.
Excution has two main criteria. A, it must be simlpe and B, the accused must be dead when its over. So overly elaborate schemes are silly and ineffective. If players are to respect the law of the country they are in they must know that the law is strong. Conviction, imprisonment and then a last minute reprive by the leige ( on condition the player does a favour in return) is a good way of getting the message through. After a few escape attempts the player will get the message. if their smug on the dawn of their execution then lop their head off.
DEAD BODIES
To be realistic ( in a fantasy world ) it must be assumed that cremation is not only the norm in civilised lands but also the law. The practice of making zombies or leaving food around for ghouls must of course be discouraged in the areas that are under the rule of law. This may lead to elaborate ceramonies other than the basic creation. Desert realms may use vultures to dispose of the dead ( as is custom in areas within far eastern countries ). Sea communities may use shrks or crabs which enter cemetaries which are submerged at high tide. Another method of disallowing raising may be to embed a blessed holy symbol in the deceased body or balm based on holy water ( making any attempt to raise a graveyard look like a Tarintino movie in six seconds ).
Pleasure and Pain
Torture has been used throughout history as a form of punishment and an extreme deterent. Many people will be familier with the more common "Hollywod" styles but the most common are often the most odscure.
What follows is a "not to graphic" account of medievil torture. I recommend younger readers use this link to return to the courtyard because its not for you. I would like to envoke the atmosphere combined with the frame of mind that the period was all about. To do this you the reader must bear a few things in mind. The "common folk" were a hardy lot with a low life expectancey ( 35 years on average ). You may think that its strange for a man to die in the prime of his life, but life was such that at 35 years they were in bad shape, few teeth, and in constant pain from many ailments derived from a life of hard labour and bad hygene. The disese tables in the first edition DMs guide gave a good account of this life style.Secondly the people of the time did not expect much ( and neither would they get it ). They were poor and ill educated, hence reading and writing should be a language slot in AD&D. There lives were short and brutal. An image is portrayed that during public torture the crowd was best pleased about the proceedings. This may have been the case where heresy was concerned but sometimes the assembled crowd would plead for the tortured subject to be spared. The public torture, though not as common as executions, was not always fatal and hence the leige ordering the torture could gain favour with the people by answering their cry for mercy. A neat trick, you torture somebody horribly, and then stop by public request so you come out looking like a good guy!?!
Hung, Drawn and Quatered. If you have seen the film Brave Heart you will know that old Mel came to a sticky and unpleasent end at the hands of the English ( if you have not seen it ,sorry for giving the end away ). He way executed in a way usually reserved for heretics. Firstly the supplicant is sufficated via noose until great pain and suffering is caused. After each ordeal the supplicant is asked to recant ( or admit ). If the supplicant refuses than the torture continues to the next stage. Drawing, this is where the subjects appendix, or other organ is removed while the subject is tied down. For public spectical the organ is burned in full view of the subject. At this stage it would already be to late for the subject to save his or her own life. If the subject ( amazingly ) refuses to recant the subjects limbs are then removed one by one finishing with the head. Each removed item is paraded before the assembled crowd.
The Stock, A form of punishment familier to all. The accused is secured in a wooden wall ( the stock ) by his head and hands. Then he is displayed in public. The public are allowed to sling mud, rotten food and ...well lets just remind ourselves that medievil towns had open sewers. The subject would be guarded so rocks or weapons are not used. The type of people subjected to this would be people who are unpopular with the public, theifs, crooked merchants, brigands and even enemy troops of high rank. It may be considered that these people are being made a gift of by the lord to the people of the land.
Stoning, quite common and a horrible way to go. A real crowd pleaser. It days gone by this was the preserve of audultorers and blasphemers. It was usually women who participated in this type of public service.
