[@Tangletail]

As far as the tales go, here's what you might've heard in general:

The Ruins of Norn were once a great empire known as Nornum. Not much is known about it beyond what has managed to reach the mainlands, nothing about it's history, people, origins, or so forth. What is known, however, is the vast amount of magical artifacts found there. Magc in general is rare and nearly impossible to learn; it is considered the domain of the gods or god like beings such as great dragons, demon lords, or archfey. And even among them their magic is tied to their very existence, and not something easily given or learned. (To put it in mechanical perspective, being able to cast 3rd level spells is considered heroic among the vast populace, and those capable of casting at second level are thought to be extremely talented) And so the fact that the ruins seem to have so many powerful magic artifacts has made everyone from treasure hunters, desperate thieves, learned scholars, and even powerful kings set their sights on Norn. However due to the combination of multiple parties fighting one another for treasure, the natural threats within Norn, and the unknown monsters that reside there, only a small handful have ever managed to escape Norn with anything worthwhile, and those few people have long since died by the time the story begins, their names lost to history.

Indeed, it's not as if the Ruins of Norn has been discovered recently; it's at least known that a thousand years ago the place that the ruins now inhabit was once a civilization of some sort. But how it fell, how it became so dangerous, and how it still has so many treasures and artifacts, is unknown even to this day, after thousands of come and died there. So most of the world has simply written off Norn as a enigma not worth the adventure or capital to investigate, at least not until they can develop stronger warriors, weapons, and knowledge to brave it's mysteries. And even then, there is still a world beyond the ruins that exist and continue without Norn's influence. Counties at war, countries at peace, and so forth. Chasing mysteries just isn't something most of the world is worried about.

And that's all for general history one could get if they've done some research into Norn. If you want anything more specific related to Norn or those that might've explored it, I would need a history check.