"As a consequence, the elves and dwarves, who had become wise and powerful, found themselves falling out of touch with the world around them as they searched deeper into themselves for more and greater lore and found something lacking.
"This was the state of affairs when the ancient elf Kingdom of Morag ruled the north, and the dwarf Kingdom of Darkhun ruled the south. Morag was ruled by a king and queen whose names are now long forgotten. Turning from the natural world, they built wondrous fair cities and roads, and had much trade, first with the dwarves to the south, then with the first men who had emerged from the far west.
"The elves, who had until then been an introverted sylvan faerie people, began to explore and build upon the wide lands, and they left their mark wherever they dwelt. In fact, I know of no place within the Four Kingdoms where the elves of ancient Morag haven't left roads or ruins.
"For the first time, they explored the Burning Lands, a place previously thought to be unfit to live in or explore, being a land of barren stone, cracked by fissures that emitted sulphurous smokes. Ancient legends, long lost but known to the elves of Morag, warned them about disturbing the sleeping evil in the Burning Lands. They did not heed the warnings, thinking in their newfound arrogance that there was nothing in the wide world they couldn't contend with.