A beginners guide to the Sávenian cults: the cult of Àncéarmâr

Somewhere along the way, where the crystal river spreads through the revealed roots and meanders through the tiny hills, there flourished the cult of the stag of autumn, Àncéarmâr. The celebration of life and its flow towards the stillness of death.

It feels only right to think that for the Àncéarmâr cult to be practised, one would need a very precise composition of hills, trees and river and so that it would originate in a place where the river would be wide and its water clear. The truth is, though, the cult is likely to have been formed through a clash of several cultures, each bringing a characteristic of their own.

The lower parts of the river exiting Lake Yurund offer an answer to part of the question, especially since parts of it come directly through the Giant Forest. There would, however be the question of the mounds and hills between which the river flows. Such feature would not be connected to the Suru, who are more connected to the Water/Ice and not to the Elna, who are connected to water through boats.

The mysterious mist-folk

Mist-folk from the Lake Yurund would be connected to the water as well, although the connection with the huts, rising above the surface gives some parallel to work with. It was also noted by a traveller to Yurund, that clans use fire to "release the soul of the dead above the surface (connection to the flaming bird?) and the body forming the bed of the lake below (rising the memory of the dead closer to the surface?)" and that each clan buries their dead in a designated place. Some more ancient clans with more pronounced burial pyres have their mounds big enough to be seen below the surface when the water level is low, the water particularly clean and the sun very bright. That said, the depths of Lake Yurund are great and it would still be a difficilt task to dive to the surface of the highest mound if one would try. During most part of the year the waters are partially murky and deep, which not only makes them more difficult to navigate but also more difficult to swim in.

Connection to the Oun

Another potential candidate are the Oun tribes, which have a tradition of burying their dead on the crossroads of the rivers (sometimes going as far as parting a river to create such a fork). On such forks are made mounds with the dead and their most precious treasure, the ones which defined their person and their lifetime. (This may be from where the idea of representing a person with a handful of descriptors came from in Asu or forms of Askari, relating to namebinding).