From the introduction:
Welcome back to Archanea, Jumper. Or perhaps not, if this is your first visit. Regardless, this land stands 3000 years after the adventures of the Hero-King Marth and his companions. Since then, the land has undergone a great schism - the maps have been totally rewritten, and what was once Altea is nothing but a desert wasteland now. 1000 years ago, the Fell Dragon, Grima, rose from seemingly nowhere, aided by his cult, the Grimleal. A descendant of the Hero-King, known only as the ‘First Exalt’, made a contract with the Divine Dragon Goddess, Naga, and sealed Grima away once more with the power of the Shield of Seals. Since then, the three countries of what was once Archanea - Plegia, the country founded by the Grimleal where Altea once stood, Ylisse, a country to the east, ruled by the descendants of the Hero-King, and Regna Ferox, a northern country full of barbarians and warriors - have had relative peace between themselves.