Golden rays grant golden grains as the sun sets on those that have been blessed by the Goddess. As each day passes and the sun continues to grace us with its warmth, the rays that bring forth life from the soil, the sunlight that illuminates all that is important. But even with these golden rays, some struggles come with bringing forth sustenance from the tilled soil.
These trials and tribulations are where the touch of the goddess Rerena shows forth the most. For those that struggle the most may be gifted with the most blessed item, a piece of golden rye, one that would bring blessings on those that kept it and continued to work the soil even through the worst of times.
It is said that the Clay Giants were one of the few people to receive such a blessing, their dedication to Rerena driving their want to make a place that had been wholly unsettled into something that was theirs alone. With that single piece of everlasting rye, those hardy people have survived the worst of times, remaining self-sufficient as much as they could.
— Excerpt from the myth of the Rye of Rerena as kept in the
Elven archives
The Rye of Rerena is one of the most well-known myths related to the
Clay Giants and the proliferation of agriculture in the
Cradle of Clay. It is believed that this mythical artifact was granted to the earliest
Clay Giants that settled in the
Cradle of Clay and aided them through the worst of times as they worked to establish farmland and other agricultural pursuits.
Since settling in the
Cradle of Clay,
Clay Giants have invested in the land, working it so that it produces and sustains them. This was very different than the lives they had lived in the
Kingdom of Giants, and not all were prepared for the hardships they would face. These people fully embraced
Rerena, the Goddess of Agriculture, as their divine light, and it is believed that the goddess blessed them with some of her divine power to aid in their agricultural pursuits.
It is documented in the oral histories kept by the
Clay Giants that the Goddess presented herself to one of the many
Shamans of the
Cradle in one of their worst times of need. A deal was struck between man and goddess to serve as stewards of the land in return for the favor of the goddess that would allow them to prosper in a land that few had attempted in the millennia of the world. This story is shared in a number of oral histories, corroborating the possibility of such an occurrence.
While the myth of the Rye of Rerena is largely focused on the
Clay Giants and the
Cradle of Clay, many outside of this area have heard the story as one of divine blessing. Various deities have blessed different races throughout history, so the story of the rye is just another entry in the list of things that the gods have done for their chosen children.
The mythical rye said to be held by the
Clay Giants is seen as a divine artifact that all in the
Cradle of Clay would protect and hold in the highest regard. For these people, this item is seen as the reason for their success over the years when paired with the hard work that they have put into their homesteads and farms. While others outside of the
Cradle of Clay often question the existence of a divine grain, it cannot be denied that the
Clay Giants have turned the
Cradle of Clay into one of the most prosperous areas of agriculture in the world.
Love this. The clay giants are some of my favourite peoples of yours.
Explore Etrea | Summer Camp 2025