The Bloodied Stones (Patreon)

Deep in the woods, followers of the old faith still perform their blood sacrifices to appease ancient evils. These are the druids of the Bloodied Stones.

This druidic circle appears to be exactly what most PCs seem to expect from the archetype – reserved nature worshipers who prefer their own kind and will only be a problem to those who would defile nature.

But they guard nature (and the nearby forest) for a variety of reasons, the most important one being that the forest acts as a mystical prison for the fetal remnants of an unborn god – child of an ancient god of murder and the god of the hunt.

The double stone circle deep in the woods is their place of worship and learning. The larger stones in the central circle are kept clear, but the outer ring has been mostly reclaimed by the dense woods and undergrowth. It is usually serene and quiet, welcoming to those who seek the guidance of the circle. The companion of the high druid who runs the circle is the true power behind the cult, a neutral evil lamia who was here when the unborn god was buried under the stones and who watches them to this day.

What the druids hide is the seasonal sacrifice of a child (elven or human) under the age of 4 at the circle to keep the prison sealed, the unborn god slumbering. This is also one of the few opportunities where the lamia is able to feed on human flesh, consuming the corpse of the sacrifice once the blood has been used to reseal each of the standing stones.

To the north of the circle is a stone monolith that predates the prison. The carvings on this stone are worn away by centuries of hands rubbing across them, but the monolith is dedicated to the god of the hunt that sired the unborn god. Every lunar month the druids sacrifice an animal here to improve the hunts for that month.

 https://dysonlogos.blog/2020/04/18/bloodied-stones/