Before fantasy was a billion-dollar franchise, it was weird, wild, and wonderfully unhinged. In this debut Tales of Lore episode, we journey back to the 1970s—the decade that shattered old molds and gave rise to a new generation of genre storytelling. From the mythic echoes of Tolkien and the sword-swinging grit of Conan to the surreal horrors of Clark Ashton Smith, we trace the three great precursors of modern fantasy—and explore how their fusion in the '70s created entire subgenres like Heroic Fantasy and Grimdark. Whether you're a fan of Dragonlance, Warhammer, or the original Appendix N chaos, this episode lays the groundwork for everything that came after.