Gallowspire

Gallowspire is seen in the background.

Gallowspire was the former fortress-headquarters of the Whispering Tyrant, and until 4719 AR was the prison wherein the powerful lich was confined after his defeat in 3827 AR at the end of the Shining Crusade. It was located in Ustalavic county of Virlych, at the center of the destroyed city of Adorak, and consisted of a single tower of jagged black stone and torn iron, with an extensive dungeon complex below. Gallowspire, which also acted as a headquarters for the Whispering Way, was destroyed in 4719 AR when Tar-Baphon freed himself from his imprisonment, and now only a blasted crater remains where the tower once stood.

Gallowspire the prison

The tower was constructed of dark basalt and iron, towering over 400 feet above the earth. Its outer walls are festooned with spikes and hanging chains giving the tower an appropriately grim appearance. Tar-Baphon was sealed in an underground chamber beneath the gothic tower using a powerful ward known as the Great Seal that no mortal magic could penetrate. The above ground chambers of the citadel were still accessible, although they were still incredibly dangerous due to the presence of lingering magic and undead. Originally, heroic knights and summoned angels once stood guard within the tower, intent on watching over the tomb and preventing outsiders from interfering but, over time, the intrusion of foul cultists and the unholy presence of the Whispering Tyrant, even in dormancy, destroyed them.

Gallowspire today

Tar-Baphon broke the Great Seal and freed himself in 4719 AR using the explosive power of the Radiant Fire, a magical weapon created from a shard of the Shattered Shield of Arnisant. Gallowspire was entirely destroyed in the explosion, and now only a blasted crater remains where the tower once stood. The area around the crater known as the Gallowgarden is a place suffused with Tar-Baphon's necromantic energy and the positive energy released by the detonation of the Radiant Fire. Since the explosion, Gallowgarden has overflowed with twisted and dangerous plant life.

References

Paizo published a major article about Gallowspire in Chapter 2 of Dungeons of Golarion.

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.