The Corruption of Kvult

To the north of the continent of Aegiyari lies the island of Verdancy, an island given its name by refugees fleeing from the town of Hallowside. The island, despite its name, is not a lush paradise of green. It is instead an island filled with decay and rot, a land corrupted beyond recognition by ancient and powerful magics, with those on the island in a constant struggle for survival.
In ages past, the island was known as Kvult, the first homeland of the orcs. The orcs of Kvult built their civilization around their druidcraft, with a pantheon of gods reflecting the culture's emphasis on nature. Even as other civilizations began to spread out across the globe, the people of Kvult were uninterested in life beyond their island. Some did voyage beyond Kvult, heading to the nearby continents of Aegiyari and Prozes, though the majority of the Kvulti people remained on their home island.
During the First Era War, the leaders of the Glimmerhall Pact found themselves frustrated at how effectively a haphazardly-structured militia was able to outmaneuver and defeat their much larger, "superior" army. They were also concerned of the possibility that other nearby kingdoms might join the fighting alongside the D'Nalsi Militia, potentially stretching their forces to the point of breaking. To that end, the Pact undertook a number of operations to attempt to dissuade or prevent other kingdoms from joining in. The most tragic of these events was what is known today as the Corruption of Kvult, a systematic effort by the mages of the Glimmerhall Pact to weaken the people of Kvult by warping their faith and culture.
Using powerful forbidden magics, Pact mages were able to infect the Kvulti gods themselves, warping them into unrecognizable monstrosities. This corruption accomplished the Pact's goal, as it completely shattered the culture of Kvult and left its people in disarray, though it was not the only effect. The corruption of the gods had a profound impact on the land of Kvult as the corruption infecting the gods spread into their domains. Even those that chose to remain on the island found themselves mutated by the Pact's foul deeds, though most were able to escape the island, settling in the northernmost region of Aegiyari, in what is now Vaestos. As the First Era War reached its end, the mages of the Glimmerhall Pact responsible for Kvult's destruction opted to destroy their research and take their own lives, in an attempt to ensure their work could never be undone.
As of writing, there exists a collection of small settlements on the southern stretch of Verdancy, the largest of which being the settlement of New Arba. Verdancy is also home to a prison facility run by the Grand Arcturian Academy, meant to hold powerful wizards who sacrifice morality in pursuit of power. The site was chosen as a grim reminder of the damage done by mages unwilling to consider the ethical ramifications of their work. The remains of the Pact mages responsible for Kvult's corruption are held within the facility, partially reanimated as a form of eternal punishment for their crimes.