The Kalnassai, or the Tale of Kalnath, is an epic poem native to the culture of the Avishraan species in the Amberworld continuity. It describes the story of a young king with supernatural might. He rose to power by avenging his father’s death, and in doing so regained his rightful kingdom from the killer. But his confidence in his power turns into a horrible, overweening pride, and after committing several serious abuses of his natural power as a monarch, he is finally cast down when he dares to challenge the gods. Consulting an oracle, he discovers that Uvuun, god of the deep currents, may be able to redeem him in the eyes of the gods, if he can prove himself worthy. But Kalnath is not interested in this advice, and with a small band of companions, he goes off in search of a kingdom to conquer. His refusal to do what must be done, and the resultant wanderings cause the death of each of his companions in turn. Finally, he voyages to Uvuun’s home, where, before he can be excused by Uvuun, he must be judged worthy by Ba'uk, the Eater of Bones, who hears his story. The part of the epic shown is the beginning, in which Kalnath arrives in Uvuun’s realm.

Of pride and woe I sing, O Muse,
O Sembral, Lady of the Tongues;
Fill me with Your voice and words,
This humble mortal, speck of dust.
Speak to Anath, son of Koleth;
Speak to him, dread Telkael’s daughter,
Fill not his mind with cunning lies,
But let him drink from you own current,
The deep, sweet water of too-dark truth.
Thus help my song, O sweet dream-lady,
Of the mighty warrior Kalnath
Lord of dragons, king of Asdan,
Who rose to might and his father’s throne
Through deeds of strength and of virtue
But who, in ruling, came to be ruled
By the power of his birthright,
And was felled and forced to flight
By the gods’ most righteous anger;
Let fly the truthful tale, O Sembral,
Of Kalnath, unyielding as the rock,
Who traveled wide to do great deeds
And win release from his curse,
Though brave companions dear to him
Would die for his own haughty nature;
Who walked among the tiny Lyar
And saved them from the beast Jatai,
Who passed within the Misty Gate
And foiled the clever Riddle-Lord,
Who battled Thyru of many claws
And her fearsome demon-hordes,
Who faced the sorcerer Umna-Shaa
And wrestled with his deep dark spells,
All ere he stood, alone and naked,
Before the lord of deepest currents
To seek forgiveness from the gods
And take back lands and golden crown.

For so he went, in night-dark waters
His breath near spent, his brain on fire,
His limbs wearied from swimming the depths
To reach the cave of Salan-Thoru,
Where throng strange creatures of the deep
About their master, Uvuun Dark-Eyes,
Lord of the ancient Shadow Realm
On deepest floor of the boundless sea.
There went Kalnath, unyielding as rock,
Squeezed in the grip of the mighty sea,
Searching about by the light of his eyes
Seeing naught but mud and eerie fishes.
Feeling the air in his chest to be spent,
He called in thought a desperate prayer:
“O Mighty Gods, whose home is Kastun,
Shining sphere that lights the night,
I pray that my thoughts find wings
And reach a one of your great host
Who favors me and will guide me on.”
Hearing this, the gods upon Kastun
Turned from him, remembering well
The acts and abuses he had done,
The challenge issued to them by him.
But kindly Anel, Lady of Tides
And keeper and tender of Kastun’s light
Pitied Kalnath, proud and mighty,
Who served her well throughout the past,
And stirred the waters to move his body,
Cold and tired, to the Cave’s wide mouth.
In the entranceway he laid
For many hours, taking in air.
Sweet and nourishing it felt
After his trek across the deeps.
And presently he roused himself
And walked on into Salan-Thoru,
Dark-Eyes’ halls, to brave his fate.
He came into a rocky chamber,
Low and wide, with skin-smooth walls
Glowing with an inner light,
And a pit in the floor filled with bones
Of heroes who had come before.
For these were the chambers of cold Ba’uk,
Fell guardian of Uvuun’s lair
Who judges those who seek to enter,
And ends the lives of those unworthy.
He stood blocking the passage onward,
Head to toe enrobed in blue
So dark as to be near black,
Over a body cold and thin,
Formed from the bones of the unworthy
Which he uses to repair himself;
Three heads he had atop his form,
Two to judge and one to speak,
With eyes like smoldering firepits.
“Enter,” said the eater of bone
With center head, the others silent,
To brave Kalnath, unyielding as rock:
“For many an age has it now been
Since last I fed on living bone.
Speak your name, that I might honor
Your progenitors, when I am done.”
Replied Kalnath, both brave and mighty:
“O Ba’uk, ancient pile of bones,
Know then that Kalnath Asdan’s king
Has come to meet your dark-eyed master
And has no time for a threatening servant.”
The bone-eater came, shambling slowly,
With piercing eyes of Kastun-silver<
And voice and body cold as death:
“I know of you, bold Kailuth’s son.
Your father of old fought nobly here,
Set against the Nestu hosts
And with I beside him, turned them back
From Salan-Thoru’s coral gates.
As fighter and friend he was steadfast,
And for his virtue he was awarded
Elenith, lady of the river.
Her son has taken on her power,
And her comely face and form,
But, I fear, he has avoided
His noble sire’s shining soul.”
Though proud, Kalnath yet was chastened
And spoke again, with more respect:
“Of this my father did not speak
Ere he died at Zandarath’s claws;
Had I known you stood at his side,
I would not have spoken so harshly.
And ‘tis true that noble Kailuth
Though brave, was also kind and humble,
And these things I have not been,
Though this is not for lack of trying;
Though I won back Father’s land and crown,
Slaying Zandarath, foul betrayer,
With the might of my mother’s blood,
This same power inspired my heart
To do what I wished, without regard
To whether it was right or wrong.
And so the gods upon Kastun
Inspired my people to cast me down,
And it is this which brought me here,
To seek forgiveness from dark Uvuun.”
No change of face or stance of body
Could Ba’uk Bone-Eater betray,
Yet his voice became less cold,
As his skull-like center head did speak:
“Young Kalnath, both proud and mighty,
Perhaps there is yet in your heart
The soul of your most august father.
If you are worthy to see Uvuun,
He may help regain his siblings’ favor.“
Replied then Kalnath, proud and mighty,
Eagerness in his gleaming eyes:
“O Ba’uk, guardian of the deeps,
What might I do to merit entrance
To the chambers of dread Uvuun,
Lord of all the kraken-hosts,
And seek his aid to soothe the wrath
I have incurred in Kastun’s halls?”
Said Ba’uk, with all three heads,
Six eyes smoldering like firepits,
“Open your mind to me, O Kalnath,
And give to me the fullest tale
Of how you came to Salan-Thoru,
And all the deeds that you have done
On your way to the coral gates.
Then shall we judge, and look you well;
If the head to your left does speak your fate,
Then your bones shall remain with me;
If the head to your right answers you,
You are worthy, and may pass on;
If the center head queries you again,
After it speaks your tale aloud,
Recounting your journeys and your deeds,
Then your tale is yet to finish.
Now close your eyes, and let me see.”
Then Kalnath proud, Asdan’s king
Strode forth before the Eater of Bone,
And lowered himself on bended knee,
Closing his glowing silver eyes,
As Kastun reigning in the heavens
Wanes to darkness over passing days.
Then Ba’uk of the cold and dark
Placed his hand, like that of one dead,
Upon the king’s most mighty brow.
His eyes, piercing, cold, and deadly
Opened again, burning with flame
As blue as deepest ocean depths.
His voice issued from three dry throats,
Rasping with the dust of ages,
As an aura of darkness enveloped them both
In an embrace of heartless time:
“What lies in your mind is lain bare;
Now let Kalnath’s tale be told
To its last and uttermost.”
Then here, Ba’uk’s middle head
Spoke alone, and began the tale.

“The tale took shape in bright Asdan,
Land of fens upon the shore
Where the mighty river Relki
Thunders into the ocean’s vastness.
Summer it was, and since then
Two summers and a winter have passed on.
That summer did Kailuth, bold and mighty,
Lead his armies to the Field of Kalah
To meet foul Zandarath in war.
Vast and mighty were the armies,
Claw-guards gleaming in morning’s light,
Flashing like the light of the sun
Sparkling off the backs of fish
Leaping above the countless waves.
The roar of battle loudly pealed,
Crashing against the tall high peaks
As waves upon an empty beach.
In the camp of the leaders, Kailuth spoke;
King and warrior(…)