Monastery of Porrengau

The Monastery of Porrengau is built on the site of an old Faerie Circle, the Circle of the Altfae. For centuries, this circle was a meeting place for people and fae, until priests from far-off lands came and claimed the circle for their Gods. Today, the circle still stands inside the monastery, but its true size and purpose have been forgotten. Deep beneath the floors of the monastery, a dark secret is kept.   When priests from Burbry arrived in the region, they attempted to convert the locals to their faith. They claimed that the circle of standing stones was, in fact, an altar to Milory, the Goddess of Nature. Not much later, they intended to build a shrine to Milory on the site of the circle. Their plan was to unearth the stones and scatter them through the nearby forest. When the ground was excavated to lay the foundations, they found statuettes buried by the stones—dark creatures of odd shapes and unusual traits. When the priest came to inspect, his face turned pale. He muttered a prayer and ordered the statuettes to be buried again, leaving the stones in the ground.   Thereafter, a new plan was made to incorporate the stones into the construction of the shrine, where they'd serve as pillars to carry a dome. An ambitious project was started to add a raised floor, hiding the true size of the stones from visitors and preventing anyone from disturbing the earth around the stones. The construction lasted over three decades. This lower floor was hidden from the public, known only to and accessible by the highest-ranking clergy in the monastery.   In the following centuries, the small shrine expanded, with added chapels, quarters, and towers. Many pilgrims and later tourists would come to the site to visit the faerie stones, unaware that they were only witnessing a small part of their true size. After a while, the entire hill on which the shrine was built was turned into a prosperous monastery.   But to this day, only a select few know of the true purpose of the complex. When that priest saw those statuettes, he had a vision, where he stood on a grey beach. The ocean was cold and dark, creating waves caused by a heavy storm. The sky was dark, save for occasional eruptions of light from dark clouds. A thunderstorm. But then the priest realized. The light wasn't lightning, and the clouds weren't clouds. They were great shapes, beings, larger than mountains, floating behind the heavens. And when they collided, they caused a great flash of light, as if beating against a magical barrier. And the barrier was breaking.   Below the floors of the Hall of Stones are hidden chambers. There, the true foundations of the stones can be witnessed, and the earth on which they stand can be touched. There, the statuettes still lie buried at the feet of the stones. But there are more chambers: a chapel, not dedicated to a God, but rather to the creature represented by the statuettes. There is a final chamber too, small and sad, where they make sacrifices in an attempt to please the beings. A small cult operated in the dark. Their rituals aimed to uphold the barrier. But secrecy is of utmost importance, for the Great Beings grow as they are feared. As long as their existence can be kept a secret, and the barrier intact, the world will be safe.