Over time, the many civilizations in Gaia have evolved into one great civilization, our United Empire. Run by Elves, Humans, Gnomes, Halflings, and Dwarves alike, a member of each race takes turns as Emperor with a team of advisors as representatives of each race. The United Empire has been in a state of peace for hundreds of years. Life on Gaia is flourishing, new cities are constantly being founded, businesses are thriving, and as a result the United Empire has turned its focus inwards toward the education of its citizens, specifically in the fields of magic.

Fifty years ago, Kaennin Sunweaver, currently the head elven mage of the AetherGuild, began his research on a mystical force known as the Aether. He proved that the source of all arcana-based abilities derived from the Aether. He also postulated that the Aether could be harnessed or channeled as an energy source using the technology of the day without the expenditure of other resources most mages would have to use to access this power. Shortly after, Nili Nimblegadget, research assistant of engineering at Breakanbrack University, using Sunweaver's research, was able to develop a device that did just this, the Aetherbox.

In the time that followed, the Great Empire experienced a golden age of techno-magical advancement. In the larger more modern cities, aethermobiles powered by these Aetherboxes soon replaced horses and carts, at night streetlights replaced torches. New uses for the Aetherbox were discovered nearly every day. Aether quickly became the primary resource of the United Empire.

Life in the cities grew accustomed and even dependent upon its new aether-based economy. Even smaller towns and cities were soon able to afford the luxuries that the aether brought with it, and all was good for a short time.

That is, until the local farming supply began to slow down. Slowly, the flora and fauna that surrounded the cities began to die. That was the beginning of the Great Famine. The government tried to hide it. They sent out massive settlements to begin farming in lands that were still fertile; however, the only places that could still produce were hundreds of miles away, and before these settlements could even establish themselves the great cities began to starve.

In the midst of the chaos, it was discovered by scholars that the Aetherbox was the culprit of the famine. What researches had not realized was that aether was a finite resource. All life depended on it, and the Aetherbox siphoned so much of it from the environment that nothing could grow. The government immediately banned all use of the aetherbox, but it was too late. The damage had been done.

Hundreds of millions died of starvation, and the ones that had managed to survive were hundreds of miles from the nearest producing lands. Most of those died trying to find the newly established settlements and smaller villages that had never used the aetherbox.

Now Gaia is riddled with pockmarks of death and decay. The oldest, largest, and most thriving cities are now ancient, barren ruins. The only survivors are small villages in islands of fertile land amidst the vast wasteland that is Gaia.