Old Oak Dell

Old Oak Dell was one of the main centers of worship of Silvanus and the major holy site of the Oak-Father located in the Forest of Tethir, outside of Mosstone.

Description
Old Oak Dell stood about a day worth of travel on foot directly east of Mosstone, a walled city along the Trade Way. The holy site was not a typical temple but a revered glade shaped as a perfect one-mile in diameter circle. A huge pool encircled by old elven oak trees was at its center. Many believed that each of these oaks was a transformed Archdruid of Mosstone or even older long-gone communities from ages past. The reflective pool at the center was said to possess divine magics that allowed druids to use it as a gate to the realms of Silvanus and his close ally Eldath, the goddess of calm waters.

History
Millennia before the late 14 century DR, that part of the Forest of Tethir was scorched by an ancient dragon's fiery breath. With loving care, the druids of what later become Tethyr and Amn nursed the damaged forest to its grand size.

The dell was used only during the full moon by the forest's and Mosstonian druids. Old Oak Dell was the center of the Dryad Dance celebration, during which druids and various sylvan creatures gathered in the dell to keep lush and maintain the forest's health. Such religious ceremonies could count as many as 300 attendees. The ritual called for the worshipers to "give blood to the forest." This was not a turn of a phrase but a literal wording oneselves and letting the forest take the blood's life force. Those who did spill their blood magically found themselves cured from any and all afflictions, diseases, curses, paralyzation, infections, and parasites. They also received resistances to all of these afflictions for a period of time. Silvanus' divine power was palpable during such huge gatherings, pulsing through Old Oak Dell's air. The senses of those gathered in the dell became sharpened and alert. Their senses of smell, hearing, and sight became argumented for the duration of the event and the next day.