Editing Bethnal (section)

=== The Tale of Arelon the Mad Prophet ===
The foundational myth of [[Veluma]]'s worship. Arelon, said to be Veluma's favored mortal, was offered one wish and asked only to decipher the dreams of others — not for personal gain, but to heal the suffering. Veluma granted this gift with a single warning: ''so long as you never use it to serve your own longing, your mind will remain whole.''

For years Arelon was beloved. Then came the dream of a noble student — a woman he loved in silence — and against his vow, he looked. He acted on what he saw. Her husband died. The woman vanished. The mists came.

Veluma returned not in gold but in black fog — and rather than removing his gift, she opened it further, tearing the veil between human dreams and divine ones. Arelon beheld visions meant for no mortal mind. He journeyed to [[Ozhun]] and returned no longer himself. His words were riddles; his laughter was salt.

{{Quote|Beware the dream read in longing, for Veluma listens.|Bethnalite proverb}}

The tale is understood as a cautionary myth about the nature of the pursuit of knowledge: nature cannot abide a lack of curiosity, but seeking knowledge in pursuit of one's own longing always ends in tragedy.