The First Age, a period titled Ausa Sehan, numbered 2,983 in years. It was in the last of those years that great horror and tragedy befell the lands and peoples of Anaias.

In the year 2811 AS, Kerei Akír had developed a fascination with the sacred Mana Stones, their creation, their relationship to the greater universe, and their meaning and connection to the Foundry. He spent months designing the labyrinthine dungeon that would serve as his laboratory and study delving into the deep, earthen roots of the Forge-Mountain, there to uncover the resting Stone of Ful. During the century that followed, the Gray Lord appointed several apprentices that would serve as his lieutenants responsible for managing his more mundane affairs and studying to become the sacred Arch Master of the Arts. It would be in the summer month of Rilgil, in the year 2853 AS, before his dungeon, accompanied by a squat, above-ground keep at its entrance, when it was complete. He named his dungeon the Knowing Depths, dubbing the Keep the Library Steps.

In the winter of 2903 AS, the Gray Lord had revealed his discovery of the Stone of Ful and his intention to remove it from the roots of Mount Anaias for study to his current apprentice, Theron Bhaird of Viborg. He promised his young apprentice that his discovery and work would lead to new horizons for the peoples of Anaias, the next step in the growth of the world. Though Theron had misgivings of his master's revelation, largely because of a lack of understanding, he supported the Gray Lord with unwavering dedication. In mid-spring of the same year, Kerei Akír sent Theron away from the Library Steps on a fictitious errand while setting his sights on venturing into the Knowing Depths and fulfilling his years-long plan of retrieving the sacred Stone. Upon that fateful evening, disaster would strike.

Despite his wisdom and mastery of the arcane, Kerei Akír's calculations faltered. The intricate dance of magic and elemental forces that he sought to orchestrate veered off course, plunging him into a treacherous maelstrom of uncontrolled mana. In a blinding flash, the Stone's dormant energy clashed with the Gray Lord's own essence, setting off an unprecedented chain reaction of immense power. Across the face of the world, mana surged forth with unrestrained ferocity. Waves of magical energy rippled through the very fabric of reality, unleashing chaos upon the lands. The foundations of the world quaked as mana surged through the veins of the land, shattering the delicate balance that had been meticulously maintained for a millennia.

With each passing moment, the catastrophe unfolded, leaving an indelible mark on the realm. Intense storms ravaged the skies, distorting reality and rending the boundaries between dimensions. The boundaries of the world fractured, giving rise to ethereal ruptures and previously unknown phenomena. Many of the world found themselves altered beyond recognition.

While Theron visited with his betrothed, Veyla Saldís, in their home duchy of Viborg, they enjoyed each other's company while fear nagged at his mind. As they slept, wrapped in the arms of one another, a horrible nightmare took shape in Theron's sleeping mind. He was disembodied, floating over the home of Veyla's father. In another moment, he floated over the duchy itself, eventually reaching a height where he could look over the whole of the duchy with the massive Forge-Mountain in the background to the north.

Over the course of a few moments, he felt a slow, murmuring tremor emanate from the depths of the earth. As the intensity of the tremor grew, so too did a sharp, piercing sound echo on the edge of his mind. So severe did the pain become that he was nearly blinded. When Theron thought he could no longer stand the piercing shriek stabbing into his ghostly being, he looked as the peak of Mount Anaias blasted apart in a thunderous explosion of ash and molten stone, steam rolling down the mountainside from the rapidly melted ice. Huge chunks of smoldering stone crashed into the town, mercilessly destroying structures and snuffing out life in seconds.

Theron cried out in fear for his life, fear for those who had perished in the town below, terror penetrating his thoughts of Veyla and her family. While he knew this to be the result of his Master's daring plan, he did not know the fate of those below nor what would become of his world. Screaming in defiance of his paralyzing fear, he tried to force his ethereal form back to his physical body but he was unable to return.

Wandering the skies above the destroyed town, he sought to learn anything he could of the townsfolk and especially of his love and her family. On the crimson dawn of the following morning, when the Forge-Mountain had calmed to feeding slow, flowing rivers of magma from its peak and the debris had settled, Theron was able to find his beloved though he could not speak to her, could not stroke her blond hair, could not hold her in his arms. His pain amplified at knowing he could not reassure her of his state, could not help her with the care of wounded who had suffered in the dark night, could not help the clerics of Veyla's order with interring those who had lost their lives.