- Long ago (5,000 - 40,000 years), the lands west of Breland were a thriving heartland of the Dhakaani goblin empire, linked by roads, tunnels, and fertile plains.
- The daelkyr shattered this golden age during the Xoriat Incursion—multiple escalating waves of corruption led by Orlaask, Avassh, and Dyrrn.
- The conflict ranged from brutal battles with aberrant armies to subtle horrors like Avassh’s rageweed, which drove goblinoids into hallucinations and violence.
- The region now called the Barrens was once lush; its devastation may have been caused by the daelkyr… or by the Dhakaani themselves in a desperate attempt to contain them.
- Though the daelkyr were eventually defeated, the empire collapsed under psychic scars, civil war, and lingering monstrosities.
- Within two centuries, the Barrens became a wasteland of ruins. Bugbears and hobgoblins nearly vanished; surviving goblins were dominated by gnolls, trolls, minotaurs, and worse.
- A bound overlord—the Horned King—fuelled endless brutality among local chieftains (“chibs”).
- Small pockets of civilization slowly emerged: the Venomous Demesne, the Znir Pact, the changelings of Lost, and the harpies of the mountains—isolated and unknown to the east.
- Galifar claimed the region on maps but never truly controlled it; only a few Brelish outposts existed, such as Stubborn (now Graywall) and Brightstone Keep (now Grimstone).
- New powers rose unnoticed, including the medusa city‑state of Cazhaak Draal. To most of Galifar, the Barrens remained simply “monster country.”
- During the Last War, new nations formed across Khorvaire. In 986 YK, the Daughters of Sora Kell conquered Stubborn and declared the birth of Droaam.
- A decade of clashes followed between Breland and Droaam until the Mourning halted the fighting.
- The Daughters sought recognition at the Treaty of Thronehold but were refused; eastern nations expected Droaam to collapse.
- By 998 YK, Droaam is stronger than ever. Dragonmarked houses see profit, Tharashk is mining valuable resources, and Brelish nobles are encouraging new settlers to move west.