From the introduction: The Mourning rocked Khorvaire in 994 YK. Cyre was destroyed in a single day, leaving behind a wall of gray mist and a blasted, fundamentally-changed land. Soldiers and civilians alike were killed if they were lucky, altered horrifically if they weren’t, and magic that wove throughout Cyre’s everyday life took on a life of its own. A destructive, devouring life.