The Standing Stone
Centuries ago, druids gathered from across the land to build a double stone circle deep in an ancient forest. Consecrated as a holy site, it provided a sacred place immune to scrying by outsiders, wherein they could hold their most important yearly rituals. Long afterward, but still long ago, the area was the site of two great battles in which Saithnar the Warlord defeated invading armies but perished as a result of the second battle. The massive barrow raised in his honor is still a local landmark, standing a few miles northwest of the stone circles.
Then came the disaster that devastated and depopulated the area. The great dragon Ashardalon, for reasons no longer remembered, attacked the site, destroying the druid community and leaving a large part of the forest to the north of the circles a burnt waste. The sole surviving druid, Dydd the Wise, transformed some of the forest animals into humanoid form to aid her in the resettlement and restoration of the region. Most of “Dydd’s people” chose to retain human form, intermarrying with true humans and leaving behind descendants who have populated much of the region. In the quiet centuries since, most of these events have been forgotten or have passed into folklore. A small village grew up within the circles, concerned only with their yearly harvests. Recently, however, a tiefling sorcerer named Dyson learned of the spells inscribed on the stones and decided to use them in a long-term plan he had. Creating a servitor race that looked human gave him the perfect tools to use in infiltrating society in preparation for a fiendish invasion by his demonic allies.
