The Arcane Prisons

When Farel had designed it, it had been meant to be a prison of solitude. Almost a hell of sorts, crafted for each person, able to be changed at will. A place where time had no meaning, where the punished and damned could live in stasis with only their own maddening thoughts. But, the concept of punishment, revenge, and getting even- didn’t fit in with what Raingate had wanted. Once the anger of the crime had died away, the idea of rehabilitation had become the desire. It was easy to lock someone away, unforgiven for a thousand years, forcing them to grow only more bitter and unable to ever rejoin the society that they betrayed. And maybe that would have been alright for most. But not the progressive shining city of Raingate.''' '''

Instead, the prison had been manipulated as a -- hospital. Where doctors and nurses could enter without aging, years upon years of work within a week or two, progressing their own studies years beyond what should have been reasonable. Their wards, criminals, so they were called, with the goal of rehabilitation in mind. Each hospital had any number of patients, between one single focus or a dozen or so with similar crimes. Each had a staff of doctors and nurses that wanted to help, either the patient or their own grand life’s work. Either way, everyone benefited. A twelve year medical study done within a year could only be a boon to society as a whole.

And those who simply required education, a chance, skills, a way to thrive- were gifted this too. Education already had been free within the city-state, but not all who came had that sort of time. Turning to crimes of theft, addictions, or simply feeling lost in the new world, the world that had moved so fast without them. The ‘prisons’ as they were so called- gave them a chance to start anew. Productive. And free.