Libations to the Blackcrown

¹ O mighty mountain of molten blood and ashen hair
² Thou sacred heart of mine cherished home
³ Take thee this libation of blood and tears
⁴ Upon thy black and hallowed slopes
⁵ Grant this thine humble supplicant,
⁶ The strength of mighty Iðil,
⁷ The fire of vicious Magi,
⁸ And the endurance of placid Bragm
⁹ That this thine lowly servant,
¹⁰ Thy child of embers born
¹¹ Might in my time of greatest need
¹² Find a way back to mine home

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This set of three stanzas is known as the "Libations to the Blackcrown," and is a fragment of the only known fantastical epic written before the age of the dwarvenholds. The author is unnamed, most likely because the epic has not survived to the modern day in its entirety, but extant fragments put together in what appears to be the most logical sequence implies that the story was about a man, of fire incarnate, who lost someone dear to him. The story, it is assumed, follows the tale of his journey, from his leaving his home at the base of the Blackcrown to his eventual return.
It is in fact unknown how the story ends, which has driven many a dwarven wordsmith to "finish" the story using their own best judgment as to how it should go. This has led to a variety of interpretations over the years. Many of which do not agree with one another, even going so far as to outright contradict one another. There is a period in the chronological history of the reinterpretations of the story where a number of authors insert mocking references to previous works that they do not agree with, indicating that for some time, the epic was the centre of a literary controversy.
Most notably, however, there is a very distinct line in the chronological history of these rewritings that shows the difference between pre-plague and post-plague erinindal society. Prior to the advent of the plague, almost every interpretation agrees that the man of fire is looking for his male lover, but after the plague, with the increase in popularity of the more conservative Sanctum faith, this interpretation quickly goes out of fashion. There are a handful of works that follow with the tradition, but post-plague, most relegate the relationship between the two main characters of the story to more of a deep friendship.
During the height of persecution against homosexuals some centuries after the plague, "Libations to the Blackcrown" became something of a password between homosexuals seeking friendship or relations by cover of night. "I am a friend to the Blackcrown," was used, euphemistically, to say that a person was homosexual. With the rise of KilAngar and the House of Ash and Embers, a penitent sect of the Sanctum faith, "Libations to the Blackcrown" became an anthem for those who fought for the right to live as they are, and the right to not be gathered up and burnt at the stake for being "sexually improper."