The faint whisper of the winds passing through the aged trees of the great Cornerstone Fens in the foothills of the timeless mountain range, the heat from the exposed magma in the caldera of the legendary Forge-Mountain can be keenly felt in the crisp air of the morning. The first light of dawn cast its rays over the further reaches of the towering peaks, breaking the cold monotony of the hours before the dawn. The songbirds call out their morning tribute to the first light, droplets of dew form and fall from the needles of trees serving as a home to their perched nests.

Underneath the serenity of nature comes a sense of something indescribable, a nearly tangible sensation of dread and foreboding welling up in the hearts of men and beast alike, driving the desire to flee. The tendrils of an immaterial threat whispered into the thoughts of all who wander too closely. The ancient stone Barren Keep, long serving as the gateway to the Forsaken Depths, barring any potential intruders to the domain below, echoes its warning in the wind. Its sepulchral wailing winds a promise of fates worse than death to any who would try to pass through its walls.

For three centuries, this part of the Cornerstone Fens has remained relatively pristine as the tendrils of civilization and curiosity of adventurers has been quelled by the terrifying mystical warning emanating from the Barren Keep. The awesome power residing in the realms of the Forsaken Depths, penetrating into the very earthen roots of the Forge-Mountain, must be kept hidden from all who would approach lest the Time of the Shattering afflict the world a second time.

A world created in the Prime Material Plane by a collective of enigmatic deities, Anaias is a world that has suffered a great catastrophe at the hands of their highest authorities. This devastating, brief period of its history occurred a little over 300 years ago causing dire changes to the peoples and landscape.

The nations and communities of Anaias suffered from the horrors of war and destruction from invading monstrosities and aberrations bent on domination. Huge swaths of land once harboring great forests or vast grasslands were shattered and twisted into rotting marshes. Peaks of mountain ranges were blown apart, giving way to destructive volcanic vents beneath. Compounding the suffering of the world, strange beings from distant realms began to appear in the lands and skies of the world, having been brought here by forces that tore siphoning ruptures in the barriers between worlds. These beings were alien in appearance and habit to the native peoples of Anaias, abandoned here by indifferent forces with no means of returning to their homelands.