Circle of Stone

A conspiracy of fundamentalist priests of Moradin, the Circle of Stone poses a great threat to life in Hammerfast. Led by Grond Silverstar, the second most powerful priest in the ranks ofMoradin's church, the Circle unwittingly works to bring about the destruction of Hammerfast. The priests in its ranks and their fol­ lowers believe that turning the necropolis into a center for trade is a grave insult to Moradin. Even worse, they believe, was allowing worshipers of Gruumsh into the town. Thus, the Circle works to drive the orcs out of Hammerfast and to destroy the Black Spire. Ofcourse, destroying Gruumsh's temple would vio­ late The Compact on which Hammerfast is founded. It would invite divine retribution not only from Gruumsh but also from Moradin, whose pledge to the god of destruction would be broken. The members of the Circle of Stone are unconcerned with this possibility, however, having been duped into believing that the compact is a sham. Not all of the Circle's members are driven by zeal or work to destroy the temple of Gruumsh. Many ofthem are mere amoral opportunists, eager to make some easy money through robbery and extortion. Others agree that the folk of Hammerfast are too impious and disre ­ pectful of the town's original purpose, but they have no desire to see their homes destroyed. They simply believe that allowing priests of Gruumsh access to the necropolis they once destroyed is a terrible injustice.