The First People

Many scholars believe in the ideology that before the dragons, saurians, and other races that there was a race known as the "First People". This belief stems from archeological findings of non-natural ruins of steel and glass.
Not much is known about the history and origins of the first people, most of the relics and ruins are either beyond interpretation or in a position of being presumably just a hunk of rubble. This has not stopped curious explorers and inquisitive scholars to seek an answer.

Summary

The First Peoples' existence is shown by ruins in caves and protruding from peculiar locations that predate any other empire. What is known is that they were a massive society that had an empire expanding the entire nation. 
Many have wondered what happened to The First People. Many have speculated and others have delved deep into scholarly research in order to explain the sudden disappearance. What is known is that they had technological advancements that have yet to be obtained by society today, come objects that lie broken and derelict in the ruins may have been once crucial for navigating society during that period in time. Particularly the common usage of blackened glass in peculiar corners and crannies.
What is also known is that an apocalyptic event did occur, removing the society from Scandagliare in its entirety. How this occurred has yet to be confirmed and is a popular discussion for debate.

Historical Basis

The world of The First People is left in ruins, but ruins are physical objects one can research and explore. These ruins do not provide much information on their culture or who they were as people. One important theory is that magic came after The First People walked the earth. While the ruins are highly advanced in the mechanical components and exotic substances whose properties are still being examined, nothing is ever magically enchanted or infused in the ruins. Some mages have recorded that magic does not work as well in the caverns of The First People. 
Some of the greatest research was once done by the dragon Glawkith of the Old World. Glawkith theorized that the apocalyptic event that wiped The First People was the creation of magic and the planes themselves. A force as powerful as magic would be capable of destroying anything if done on a universal scale.

Spread

While the existence of society before the saurians has been known for centuries, who those people were and how they became suddenly extinct had led to many legends and stories. Lore of THe First People are popular in o'doule and homunculi society, perhaps illuding to greater research being done on the country of Great Haven.

Variations & Mutation

The depiction of the first people varies greatly. Many people say they were changelings and thus their genes were distributed to the other races. Some have claimed they were fair-skinned hairless creatures based on scattered imagery in some ruins. Others think they were giants considering the size of their structures.

Cultural Reception

The existence of The First People exemplifies how there are still mysteries to solve in the world. The stories and lore have inspired generations of adventurers to go out and try to be the ones to solve them. 
Homunculi are particularly fond of the story of The First People, believing themselves to be the direct descendants of them in many cases.

In Literature

The First People have inspired a genre of writing about individuals who live in a time and area without magic known as "Science Fiction". Science Fiction writers can be quite popular due to their creative interpretations of technology and creating stories and lore about a time where magic does not exist and the struggles that may come out of that.