The religion began when the first druids learned that the forest’s oldest trees shared one dreaming consciousness. They named that consciousness Elarra Rootmother, then discovered six distinct divine voices within the dream: moonlit reflection, cleansing flame, untamed thorn, sacred decay, and returning seed. Over centuries, these voices became recognized as Vaelun Moon-in-the-Well, Tharn Ashhorn, Orryn Thorn-Crowned, Lysara Deepwell, and Miravel Seedbearer.

The Old Wood Reverence teaches that the world grew from the First Seed, planted in darkness by Elarra Rootmother. Its roots became the deep earth, its crown became the sky, and its sap became the leylines. Vaelun Moon-in-the-Well gathered moonlight in the hollows of creation, giving spirits a path between worlds. Tharn Ashhorn taught flame to cleanse what could no longer live, while Lysara Deepwell taught decay to return every form to the soil. Miravel Seedbearer carries renewal through seed, egg, and awakening life. Orryn Thorn-Crowned guards the untamed places where no mortal law may safely take root.

The religion is organized into seasonal circles rather than a strict hierarchy. Grovekeepers maintain local shrines, moonwell custodians interpret dreams, ashwardens oversee ritual fires, root-speakers preserve ancestral memory, and seedbearers conduct rites of birth and renewal. The Circle of Elders of the Sylvros Evergreen Court serves as the largest mortal authority, though it cannot command the gods. Each circle must honor all six deities across the year, with different spirits receiving emphasis according to local need. Disputes are settled through the Rite of Returning, in which both sides must name what they will preserve, what they will surrender, and what they will give back.

The Old Wood Reverence is practiced through druid circles, primal shrines, moonwells, seasonal festivals, ancestor groves, and the Circle of Elders within the Sylvros Evergreen Court. It has no single centralized church. Elders interpret signs, grovekeepers maintain sacred sites, and wandering druids carry disputes between communities and spirits. Worship is practical and intimate, involving planting, hunting, healing, burial, controlled burning, and the protection of wild borders. The Sylvros Evergreen Court recognizes Elarra Rootmother as the pantheon’s central elder presence, but preserves shrines to all six deities so that no single force overwhelms the cycle.

The Old Wood Reverence teaches that death is a passage into the Rootdeep, where souls become memories held in living trees, ancestral beasts, moonwell waters, and returning seeds. Those who lived in balance may awaken as green spirits, guiding the living through rustling leaves and animal dreams. Those who consumed without giving back become pale, root-bound echoes until a worthy act of renewal frees them.