It is said that centuries ago, a great calamity had befallen the world, plunging it into turmoil at the hands of demons. This cataclysm was thus dubbed the Great Heresy, and the few survivors of the long-forgotten world found themselves scattered among a cluster of islands. After hundreds of years, memory of the Great Heresy and its origins have become legend.

Echoes of the Isles takes place in a small border town called Escard on the largest landmass of the Corwin Isles. Those who found themselves on these islands know it only as home for the last several generations, generally cut off from the rest of the world as resources for sailing long distances were considered better invested in survival. The town of Escard lies closely nestled against the edge of the Aetherspire Woods - a rather dangerous place in and of itself due to the malign creatures and aggressive plant life that originate from it, though the only source of materials imperative to humanity's survival.