Argiras the Giant Slayer

Argiras was a young man born in northern Shelyb Plains, in what eventually became Silrioch. The giants, a group of large, human-looking monsters, ruled the region from their citadels in the Elder Peaks. They came down to Argiras's village one day to collect their tribute, but when the people couldn't pay, the giants killed Argiras's parents as a warning.

This led the young man on a quest of vengeance that led him to the elven masters to the south in the gardens of Arkipo, where they grew plants that no longer exist. The elves used the fruit of the gifono plant to create a juice-based drink called gigaima, sometimes called the Blood of Giants. This gave Argiras incredibly speed and strength. Boosted by gigaima, Argiras was able to use the giants' own weapons to begin bringing the fight to them. He charged up into the Elder Peaks and the giants' citadel, where he killed the giant king, freeing his people and sending the surviving giants fleeing towards the west, where they were never seen again.

There is not evidence that giants were real, so historians generally believe that this myth refers to an ancient kingdom of humans that resided in the Elder Peaks that ruled the plains below. It is theorized that they were transformed into giants in myth to represent their power compared to the people they ruled, and Argiras was just a revolutionary against the mountain tyrants.

Despite taking place in what became Silrioch, this myth is only really known in Agrotia, where it is a part of their religion.

The story of Argiras and gigaima are one of the important myths in the Agrotian religion of Mantiro. Argiras is one of the hero-spirits that are believed to grant the mantepa their gift of prophecy. He is in fact one of the core heroes, called the Dekir, that are almost always depicted in Mantiran murals on their temples. Additionally, while gigaima no longer exists, as its plant has gone extinct, there is a common drink named after the mythical elixir that is just a strawberry tea that is often served in the summer.