The Trefoil Manuscripts are a collection of narratives, letters, journal entries and other writings, which were unearthed in the city of Syran. They seem to have been assembled (or in some cases transcribed) by an unknown Safelstran archivist sometime after 1620 ST, and are mostly concerned with events after that date, although a number do relate to a much earlier period. The collection's name derives from the tripartite device (see left) that is used on the binding of the collection, and which appears in a number of places in the documents.
Most of the writing relates to Syran, and to the activities of a group of individuals that have come to be known as the Trefoils. The authorship of the narrative sections of the Manuscripts has been a subject of furious debate, and some of the events described therein seem to deviate quite sharply from recorded history. There are no serious doubts about the authenticity of the collection, however, and it remains an invaluable source of information for scholars of the period.
The Manuscripts are commonly divided into three categories, as shown in the main index. Also included are a preface to the main collection, an index of the various individuals mentioned in the documents, and a compilation of footnotes and marginalia, both from the original documents and from the contributions of subsequent scholars.