Dragonsbane Keep was situated on the Great Forest's northwestern border. Founded five years ago earlier by adventurers on the ruins of an abandoned Forest Spirit temple, Dragonsbane Keep was unusual because it was partly established by fire warriors in the Great Forest, the Great Aelf's home. For centuries, aelf and elementalists were bitter rivals, their uneasy peace holding only as long as the elementalists remained in the Drascara plains, avoiding the forests. The establishment of Dragonsbane Keep threatened to upset that balance. The party of Dragonsbane itself was an anomaly, consisting of two Fire Warriors, two half-aelf, one of which was a Forest Spirit priest, and an aelf mage, who herself was the daughter of the High Aelf king. It may have been her presence that prevented the residents of the Great Forest, the Great Aelf and the High Aelf, from destroying Dragonsbane Keep as it was being established.

The party of Dragonsbane established itself as a powerful group of adventurers. Its name actually came from its habit of hunting dragons in Drascara, slaying them, and taking their treasures. As adventurers, they were a motley crew who were often the subject of double-takes in the places they visited. A group with two fire warriors, two half-aelf, and a High Aelf was quite an unexpected sight. The company symbolized, for some, a world where diverse individuals could work together towards a common goal. Others considered it an abomination. After years of adventuring, the party semi-retired, using their adventuring treasures they had garnered over their time together to establish Dragonsbane Keep. They hoped to create a future freehold where all races could live harmoniously. Five years of harmony at Dragonsbane Keep ended with the arrival of strange beings from the north.