Thirty-three years ago, the Divine Imperial province of Harmonas was struck by a sudden invasion of humanoid armies emerging from the Underdark. The Divine Empire committed every available resource to containing and repelling the attacks, deploying the Divine Legions alongside provincial forces in a desperate struggle to hold the frontier. It was during this crisis that the True Kaegorian Empire chose to strike.
The island province of Ipranius was both the most isolated territory of the Divine Empire and the closest to the lands of the Old Empire. Situated in the eastern Indertsa Sea, it lay separated from the nearest friendly ports by the long Aelf Peninsula. Though vulnerable, the island had enjoyed centuries of peace and prosperity. Ipranius had once been home to the Sea Elves, but they abandoned the island during the turmoil of Kaegor's Rebellion. In the centuries that followed, it became one of the jewels of the Divine Empire. The island was renowned for its vineyards, prosperous ports, and magnificent Temple of Rao, dedicated to the god of Peace, Reason, and Serenity. Its rulers were widely regarded as enlightened and benevolent, and during the civil wars of the Empire they had supported Emperor Innocence against the tyrannical Kaegor XIII.
The changing political landscape of the eastern provinces gradually left Ipranius isolated, but the island endured as the eastern bastion of the Divine Empire for more than a century. With the Empire distracted by the war in Harmonas, however, its fortunes were about to change.The True Kaegorian Empire launched a surprise invasion, seizing the port of Pontae and establishing a foothold on the island. Through this gateway poured the Empire's finest warriors. Within months most of Ipranius had fallen. The Temple of Rao was sacked, towns were burned, and much of the population was enslaved. Only the northern tip of the island remained unconquered, where the provincial capital and its great fortress held out against siege.
The Divine Empire was slow to respond, and for many observers this was the first sign that all was not well within the court of Emperor Innocence. Eventually a great armada was assembled and dispatched across the sea. The smaller Kaegorian fleet was swept aside and the invaders suddenly found themselves trapped. The besiegers became the besieged as Imperial reinforcements landed and the reconquest of the island began. Facing defeat, the Kaegorian general turned to the priests of Hextor who accompanied his army. They answered by raising legions of undead from the thousands already slain in the fighting. In response, the clerics of the Divine Empire called upon celestial powers to aid them. The priests of Hextor retaliated in turn by summoning demonic allies from beyond the mortal world.
Within a short time the once-beautiful island had become a nightmare. Celestials, demons, undead, and mortal armies fought across every corner of Ipranius. Cities were reduced to ruins, fields became battlefields, and the dead soon outnumbered the living. Neither side was able to maintain control of the chaos they had unleashed. Exhausted and devastated, both armies eventually withdrew, leaving the island to its fate. What remained was no longer fair Ipranius. Today the land is known only as the Isle of Hate.
The island is home to vast hordes of undead and other horrors born from the cataclysm. So many attempts have been made to turn and destroy these creatures that many now display an unnatural resistance to divine magic. Ruined towns, shattered temples, and abandoned fortresses still litter the landscape, filled with the treasures and terrors of a lost age. The Isle of Hate is shunned by almost all sane travellers. Only the most foolhardy adventurers, desperate treasure hunters, and scholars seeking forbidden knowledge willingly set foot upon its cursed shores.