“He does not reap the wheat. He reaps the waste.” —Old Aerylian proverb
The Fallow King is a legendary figure from folklore, commonly associated with famine, spiritual reckoning, and the punishment of greed. While mainstream scholars classify him as a mythological construct, rural communities in Aeryl, Drelt, and the Hollow Marches continue to observe ritual practices tied to his lore. His presence in cultural memory serves as both moral warning and supernatural threat, especially during lean harvest seasons.
Origins and Mythology
The earliest known references to the Fallow King date back to pre-Tethuric oral traditions, though fragments of related myths appear in Runic tablets from the Meredic Fields (c. 7400). He is typically described as an entity that emerges during periods of severe scarcity, often following war, drought, or the unjust hoarding of resources.
According to legend, the Fallow King does not kill indiscriminately. He takes only those deemed excessive, wasteful, or unworthy—especially landowners, corrupt officials, or those who prosper while others starve.
Appearance
Though there are no verified sightings, common elements recur in folklore across disparate regions:
- A gaunt, humanoid figure wrapped in robes of withered husk and dying vine.
- His crown is fashioned from twisted antlers and root-bound soil.
- He rides a six-legged elk-like beast, said to leave no prints but wither grass wherever it steps.
- Carries a sickle that reflects no light, often described as “cutting shadow, not stalk.”
- Some variations claim the King has no face, only a blank wooden mask, carved with tally marks for each soul he’s taken.
Behavior and Legends
- Selective Harvest: The Fallow King appears not to hunt, but to judge. He passes by those who give, and punishes those who hoard.
- The Silent March: Entire settlements have reportedly gone quiet—birds, crickets, even wind falling still—before mysterious vanishings. This silence is known locally as the “King’s Breath.”
- The Question: Some tales speak of a riddle or question posed by the King. If answered truthfully and humbly, the village is spared. If not, famine lingers—or worse.
Ritual Practices
While the Tethuric Church denounces belief in the Fallow King as heretical animism, many agrarian communities maintain appeasement rites:
- The Bleeding Tithe: A portion of grain is burned or buried at the edge of the fields to "repay the soil."
- Ash and Water: Left at doorsteps during the Solstice Moons as a symbolic meal for the wandering King.
- Bread Burial: Unconsumed food is buried, especially by children, to hide abundance from the King’s gaze.
Religious and Cultural Interpretations
- Q’evrist Perspective: The Fallow King is seen not as a god, but as a manifestation of imbalance. “He is not a man,” says one hymn. “He is the hunger we breed.”
- Heretical Sects: Some fringe groups, particularly in famine-scarred regions, worship the King as an impartial redeemer who “cleanses rot from the world.”
Historical Incidents
Though often dismissed as coincidence or poetic framing, a number of historical records align with Fallow King lore:
- The Withering of Eastmere (10,214): A village found abandoned with untouched stores, dried-out wells, and fields turned grey overnight.
- The 3rd Drought of Halvenreach: Survivors claimed a man of antlers was seen watching from the edge of their fields before a plague struck.
- The Silent Harvest of Marrowvale: A year with no animal sounds for 42 days. Entire livestock herds vanished. The village priest hanged himself, leaving only the words: “We reaped too much.”
In Popular Culture
The Fallow King features in numerous children’s rhymes, morality plays, and warning songs, often paired with similar mythological figures like the Gom-Glomerran.
A common bedtime warning:
“Waste your bread, and leave your kin— The field will call the Fallow King.”
Status
Unverified Entity / Persistent Folklore