Igloos of Clay

Remnants of Clay Giants

Small mounds appear beneath the blanket of snow, the only indication that the land of the tundra is not truly flat and desolate. With enough work or the right wind, the snow will move away from the mounds, showing their true purpose and glory, a remnant of a time long past. The mounds so gently put to sleep by the falling snow tell the story of nomads that came and left, a people that found their place away from this desolation.
For the longest time, the mounds buried beneath the snow were myths. Outsiders could not understand how anyone other than the Giants could withstand the conditions and travel across the northern reaches of the world and survive such devastation. The truth lies in that it was Giantkin that traveled the northern reaches, but ones that had been removed from a hierarchy they were not wanted in. While the Clay Giants may have been Giantkin, the Kingdom of Giants refused to recognize them as such.
The Igloos of Clay that are scattered across the Neither Tundra are the first markers of the Clay Giants' liberation. While their kin were quick to remove them and the Leaf Giants from their kingdom after the Challenge of the Lake, the Clay Giants were even quicker to make their own way and their own place. Traveling the Neither Tundra was the first step in sealing their own fate with every part of it built by their own hands. The buried and remaining igloos are the first devotion of labor in their new lives.

Purpose / Function

The Igloos of Clay were igloos crafted from snow and ice as the Clay Giants traveled across the Neither Tundra to their new homeland in the Cradle of Clay. These small ice huts served to keep the Clay Giants warm and safe through the worst storms the tundra offered and some of the igloos became intricate labors of love.

Igloo Interior

Igloo by Filippo Cesarini on Unsplash

While the outside of the Igloos of Clay was not spectacular, the interiors were meant to withstand days in the harsh environment. Furs and lanterns were commonplace as a means of making the igloos home, if only for a moment.

Architecture

Almost all of the igloos were crafted with similar architecture, but over time, some of the igloos built closer to the Cradle of Clay became more decorative. Each individual hut was created by carving blocks of snow or ice out of the landscape and building them up similarly to how one might build a brick house. These huts often had domed roofs to help the flow of snow as it blew across the tundra. Snow was then further packed between the blocks of snow or ice until a solid wall had been created that could be a foot or more thick.
In some places in the tundra, it was possible to dig into snow banks and make more elaborate igloos by hollowing out a section of the snow back to create rooms and then shaping doorways and other openings by packing and working the snow until it was a solid unmovable mass. These larger, multi-room igloos were only created if the Clay Giants were to spend a large amount of time in a given area due to a storm or other setback as crafting the igloos kept their minds and hands busy.
As the Clay Giants came closer to the warmer lands of the Northern Continent and their travel slowed somewhat, the igloos they crafted became more intricate. Shaped doorways that had points or corners became common as well as some interior decorating. Igloos may have benches and beds cut into them for use with furs or elaborate artwork was carved into the walls and then colored with whatever could be used. This artwork often told the story of the Clay Giants' travels and the hardships they faced on their journey.

Defenses

The Neither Tundra is kind to no one, boasting screaming winds, freezing temperatures, and hazardous blizzards. Beyond the weather, the tundra is home to a number of large carnivorous predators that care little about their

next meal is. In order to protect themselves, the Clay Giants took some precautions when building the igloos to hide themselves and make them more defensible in case of attack.
Igloos were grouped together closely, often close enough to be confused as a hill if the snow blew in and packed around the newly created structures. This along with the sheer white structures helped to hide the buildings amongst the rolling snow. Doorways were situated away from the center of the grouping so that each inhabited dwelling could provide a watch if necessary. These doorways were also only barely large enough for a Clay Giant to pass through, deterring the larger creatures that roamed the tundra.

Lonely Igloo

Igloo by Marc Wieland on Unsplash

Igloos were a necessity for traveling across the Neither Tundra for the Clay Giants. In most instances, the Clay Giants attempted to group many igloos together to withstand the harsh environment, but sometimes only one igloo could be built.

Parent Location

Neither Tundra

Owning Organization

The Cradle

History

Creating the Igloos of Clay was not an intended part of the Clay Giants' journey, but their first night in the tundra made these huts a necessity. Without them, there would have been no way the Clay Giants could have crossed the Neither Tundra safely or without great loss of life. Nights of warm rest drove frostbite and other illnesses away and gave the travelers a moment to recover as they took on a monumental task.
The igloos were intended to be single-use buildings that would eventually be lost to the tundra, but the conditions of the tundra were instrumental in preserving the odd structures. Temperatures never truly dropped enough for the buildings to begin melting and their thick walls allowed them to stand up to even the most vicious wind storms. Over time, the blowing wind and snow polished the outsides of the igloos, preserving them as rock-hard structures of ice that could not be easily removed.