Haska Stonemeld comes from a long line of druids (Circle of the Land- Mountain or Underdark) whose ancient charge was to maintain their deep earth home and keep Dammerhall in harmony with its surroundings. The Clan actually survived the City's fall mostly intact, as its members tended to be temporary inhabitants of the city proper at best, but found their purpose lost with Dammerhall's fall and their survivors hunted by the Underdark's other denizens.

Haska's branch of the Clan eventually found its way to the human cities, swallowed their pride, and made their living as tenders of gardens (rock gardens became a brief fad under their guidance) and consultants for miners of where to look for the best veins with minimal disruption to the land. Haska is definitely a city dwarf, but her elders have been trying hard to teach her the Old Ways of the Land and she has been doing her best to humor them out of love and respect (like the way she just makes noncommittal noises when Grandma claims their family descended from the High Kings of old).

Haska has joined the Stoneaxe expedition because her elders have judged her ready to be properly initiated into their Druidic Circle soon. And to do that, she must experience the land of her ancestors so that she will bond with it and know it, taking the rest of her training from it and them.