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I think the Age of Despair has something to do with the Fell God: the god that the fire giants worshipped, the one that makes fire, and the god associated or symbolized by the face on those burning men and maybe Dung Eater's necklace.

I also say this for several other reasons: The Fell God isn't dead, he was just knocked out or so many of his kids died that he went into hibernation, but the influence of his power remains in the world as Marika couldn't delete fire, and he seemed pretty determined to curse and subvert all of Marika's creation - specifically that last one, subvert creation. My impression is he doesn't want to destroy everything he just wants it changed or altered to fit his needs and humiliate his enemies. The Fell God convinced his 'jailers', the Fire Monks, into serving him, and he cursed most of Marika's children with red hair. I also say this because the Fell Curse Rune has the same gross swirling pattern seen in the iconography of the Fell God and when the Fire Giant becomes possessed by his power.

>What about the Crucible stuff?

I think that's just something everyone in-setting has to eventually work with or interact in some way if they have any kind of cosmological encompassing scheme. The Crucible doesn't seem like a "conscious actor", it's just an environmental thing - it's where all the life on their planet comes from.