One hundred years ago, the planet known as Kios was a bustling hub for trade and prosperity. Artificers and scholars created advanced technology that combined decades of magical research with new mechanical creations. Eventually, their creations grew beyond what the planet could provide for, and they turned their attention toward the stars.
They soon discovered a new power source known as Lyrium, which allowed them to build new vehicles, tools, and even dangerous weapons. Many new radical groups, tired of years of oppression by nobility, used these new technologies to instigate a rebellion. This rebellion led to war, on one side, the wealthy class known as the Tevinter Imperium, and on the other, a group of elves known as the Freemen of the Dales. Toward the end of the war, agents of an unknown group sabotaged systems at the planet's core which caused Kios to become unstable.
This instability caused the planet to collapse in on itself leaving four landmasses floating around a glowing cloud of gas and dust. Technology continues to advance and many who reside on these "islands" have to pick up the pieces and move forward as new orders from the nobility are put in place to stop insurrection.