From the introduction:
A long time ago, elves and dwarves lived on the island, which was covered in dense, green hardwood forests, gurgling streams and flowering meadows. Then the humans came. They started to clear the forests to build houses along the coasts, and the people did not care much about the island’s well-being. The humans’ greed caused the elves to retreat into the innermost shadows of the Dream Forest, and the dwarves to hide in the dark depths of the mountain. It did not take many generations until the mere existence of the elves and dwarves were but a vague myth, and for mankind’s avarice to have devastated the island. Most of the forests had been felled and bare, volcanic plains had replaced the lush meadows, as, without the tree roots to bind it down, the soil had been swept away. Once more, man had destroyed the land of elves and dwarves.