Acholt

The Acholt & the Acfeordh
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The people of Acholt are pantheistic, seeing the wood (Acholt) as sentient and worshiping its spirit as their protector and provider, the Acfeorhd. They speak little of this to others, seeing it as a breach of the Acfeorhd's trust and endangering the Acholt. Even the nature of such a thing is kept from children until they pass the coming of age ceremonies, where they are initiated into the knowledge. So to speak of it to those who do not have such knowledge is taboo, if not accursed. 

The Acfeordh, when it appears, is in the appearance of a man clothed in leaves and with the the antlers of a stag. Those who claim to have heard his voice report that it sounds like the wind through the branches and streams through tree-roots. Yet, these reports are infrequent and rarely noted. His most common appearances are in heavy storms, where he is said to lead a wild hunt composed of his wood-folk servants and the spirits of legendary Acholt humans, such as Aelfheah the Wise, Beorhtsige the Troll-Killer, Cenhelm the Cunning, and Elric the Dark. They thunder across the wood, pursuing the souls of the accursed across the sky. 

They revere the Acfeordh by never killing unless necessary and then offering part of the kill as a sacrifice. They celebrate the solstices and changing of seasons as illustrations of different expressions of the Acfeordh. Summer is the merciful bounty that provides them with food and shelter. Fall is the transition period that illustrates the endless circles of time and cycles of nature. Winter is death, its necessity for the survival of others, and a period of mourning for those who died to become part of the Acfeordh. Spring is the time of new birth, mercy, and celebration of those who died to join the Acfeordh. 

The Acfeordh, then, is itself, yet also contains the souls of all who have died in the bounds of the land. 

They do recognize other gods from other cultures, but consider them expressions of the Acfeordh if nearby, or totally different entities if more distant. The Swan, for example, is seen as being completely different and while it may receive a token acknowledgement, it is not worshiped or taken seriously by the Acholt. 

The stories of the Acholt go back farther than they remember and tell of them fleeing across the mountains to escape an enemy and being greeted by the woods where they took shelter and began to build a new life. At first, the wood resisted them until Aelfheah the Wise, greatest of the Acholt, ate the acorn of wisdom, had a dream-vision, and explained their plight to the Acfeordh. It accepted their presence and offered its protection, as long as the seasonal rituals were completed and it was properly honored and respected.