Located somewhere in Sector 2814, the planet Ysmault was once the throneworld of the foul Empire of Tears, a galactic empire ruled by demons. The Empire was battled by the ancient Maltusians, precursors of the Guardians of the Universe, in their efforts to contain the wild magic of the universe. After the Empire's defeat, all its members were imprisoned on Ysmault, and access to the planet was restricted by the Guardians. During his career, Green Lantern Corps member Abin Sur was forced to violate that ban to save the passengers of a crashed spacecraft. While there, he made the mistake of speaking to Qull of the Five Inversions, who set him on the path to his eventual death by answering a question about Sur's future. Sur later would demand more information from another Inversion, Atrocitus