The cover of Legends and Lore of Pre-history
Legends and Lore of Pre-history is a landmark academic volume written by Professor Lysander Callis of Briargreen College and published in 07 C.R., with illustrations by expedition artist Jasper Parson.
Description[edit | edit source]
Legends and Lore is widely considered the definitive compilation and analysis of mythic narratives believed to originate from civilizations lost prior to the First Chronology. The book brings together oral traditions, ciphered fragments, recovered carvings, and apocryphal manuscripts to chart the symbolic and metaphysical frameworks of ancient peoples long since vanished.
The book's most significant contribution to the academic world is its extensive treatment of The Elegy of Atycos, but it also includes comparative analysis of numerous lesser-known myths. Many of these entries are sourced from regional oral traditions, forgotten liturgical chants, and texts previously thought to be allegorical in nature. Each chapter is accompanied by annotated commentary from Callis and supported by detailed illustrations of archaeological findings by Parson.
Notable Entries[edit | edit source]
The Elegy of Atycos[edit | edit source]
See full article: The Elegy of Atycos
An epic poem of Vaelonic origin and the only surviving work of its kind, it was first discovered during Callis’s original 01 C.R. expedition and subsequent analysis throughout 07 C.R., marking the beginning of renewed Vaelonic studies across Noma and beyond. The Elegy of Atycos is one of the most significant mythopoetic texts recovered in the modern era, surviving only through a rare Oldfairen translation, scattered artifacts and a set of ciphers uncovered in a coastal cave southwest of Friþleas.
The poem chronicles the mythic journey of Atycos—a scholar, widow, and later warrior—who enters the reality-fraying region known as the Flare in search of her lost husband, Thalos. Composed in four books, the elegy traces her path from personal grief through cosmic trials, spiritual revelation, and ambiguous return.
While the text is widely celebrated for its literary and philosophical depth, it remains a subject of considerable debate within historical and archaeological communities. Though often cited as a potential confirmation of an ancient civilization, most reputable academic circles continue to dismiss Professor Callis' broader theories regarding the Vaelonic Empire’s vast scale, magickal-technological synthesis, and foundational role in human civilization.
The Hymn of the Wyrm-Queen[edit | edit source]
A surviving fragment believed to originate from a draconic priesthood once active in the Western Craglands. The hymn references a celestial serpent said to coil around the world’s edge, shedding her scales in seasonal cycles. The poem’s language appears to be sung in a trochaic cadence, suggesting a ritual function. Callis posits the Wyrm-Queen as a primordial timekeeper deity. Rituals associated with this figure have uncanny parallels in isolated fishing villages near the Sea of Tears.
The Twelve Echoes of Nirenhal[edit | edit source]
A serialized chant preserved in memory by the twin Oracles of Eul, believed to originate from a drowned civilization beneath the western shelf of Quelmar. Each “echo” is a parable of voice and silence, teaching moral restraint through increasingly surreal metaphors involving glass, breath, and shadow. Callis suggests the chants may encode a system of proto-psychological healing. Several phrases in the original language exhibit deep structural similarity to Oldfairen, hinting at cultural contact across vast distances.
The Sky-Blood Tablets[edit | edit source]
Five stone tablets found on the summit of Mount Kahiral, attributed to the pre-Ascension culture of the Starborn clans. These tablets recount a battle between “those who fell from above” and the “keepers below,” in what is thought to be a mythologized memory of early planar incursion. The tablets remain untranslated in full, but Parson’s rubbings and ink studies suggest they were carved using tools not native to the region, and possibly not made by human hands. Callis dedicates an entire chapter to the possible implications of their geometry, which seems to shift subtly depending on angle of observation.
The Moaning Tree of Keth[edit | edit source]
A rare instance of a natural object woven into myth, the Moaning Tree is a recurring figure in northeastern mountain folklore. Said to whisper the names of forgotten children, the tree appears in multiple unrelated oral traditions spanning hundreds of miles and disparate cultural groups. Callis includes a detailed field report on an actual tree fitting the description, found near the village of Tallenmeade. Its low-frequency vibrations, recorded by expedition instruments, are analyzed alongside the mythic texts and suggest a possible intersection between folklore and environmental resonance.
The Dreamer of Starweave[edit | edit source]
The Dreamer of Starweave is a Vaelonic myth centered on a solitary figure who lies in a ruined cosmic temple where the stars themselves were bent low to listen until they burned not more. Said to have entered an eternal trance as The Flare changed him—not into ash, but into something more than man, more than god—the Dreamer is believed to dream on behalf of a world that no longer remembers itself. The myth speaks of a silence so deep that even the gods turned away, and a sorrow so vast it could only be endured through sleep. The tale was first documented in 05 CR from fragmentary inscriptions found at a dig outside north east of Friþleas, during Professor Lysander Callis’s 01 C.R. expedition. Stratigraphical and sediment layer correlation confirmed the tale postades The Elegy of Atycos and may reflect a late-stage evolution of Vaelonic cosmology. Scholars debate what deeper cultural meaning may lie within the account of The Dreamer of Starweave.
Reception and Legacy[edit | edit source]
Upon its publication in 07 C.R., The Elegy of Atycos was met with considerable skepticism within academic circles—less for its poetic content and more for the sweeping historical conclusions drawn by Professor Lysander Callis. His accompanying theories on the Vaelonic civilization posited an empire of immense scale and influence, supported by his interpretation of scattered Vaelonic artifacts found on multiple continents across Quelmar. Callis argued that the civilization of Vaelon had once spanned vast regions of the pre-historical world, wielding not only a unifying language and culture but also technologies of such advancement—integrating both science and magick—that they may have exceeded the capabilities of any known society since.
Most controversial, however, was Callis’s assertion that Vaelon could represent the foundation of all human civilization—a cultural progenitor whose collapse marked a forgotten turning point in world history. These claims were widely criticized as speculative, grandiose, and lacking sufficient empirical support, particularly given the ambiguous nature of the source materials: a handful of manuscripts, partial inscriptions, and linguistic ciphers retrieved from a series of remote islands.
Despite these criticisms, The Elegy of Atycos found lasting resonance among occultists, mystics, and fringe historians. Within these communities, Callis’s work is seen not as conjecture but as revelation—a rare surviving voice of a world deliberately erased. The poem’s haunting themes of memory, grief, and lost grandeur have made it a central text in esoteric studies of prehistory, inspiring everything from philosophical treatises to artistic interpretations. Though mainstream academia remains cautious, The Elegy of Atycos continues to provoke debate, inviting readers to consider whether history has truly forgotten Vaelon—or whether Vaelon has simply chosen not to be remembered.
