The Long March
While many dwarf clans stopped their Long March in the Ice-Crowned Peaks, others continued traveling further south. A few clans settled in the Ruzgar Rise mountain chain located in the
Torwick peninsula, digging deep into the mountainside in what is present-day Rabanastre. The losers were exiled when two major clans began to war within the settlement. This clan traveled even farther south and founded Epos, the humble beginning of what would eventually grow to become Eposaria.
The Beginnings of Epos
When the losing clan of dwarves went South from Rabanstre, they gravitated to the volcano of the Dragons Spine mountain chain. There they found tunnels and deep forges built by the giants, abandoned for a mysterious reason. The mountain, however, was not deserted. A powerful elemental being had come from the fire plane and established herself as queen within the mountain. There she had subjugated all manner of underground denizens, such as kobolds, goblins, and fire salamanders.
They believed her to be a god and feared her. She was a cruel and evil tyrant, and the conditions within the volcano were harsh. Her subjects worked according to her orders, mining, and forging, and had little freedom. When the dwarves arrived they eventually convinced some of the denizens to revolt, clearing a path for dwarven warriors to kill the queen.
After she was overthrown the dwarves moved in to establish their undermountain Epos. They lived in relative peace with the other creatures for a short time.
One Eposaria
The Lohikdal Valleys on either side of the Dragon's Wing mountain chain are home to the
Dalish and
Dalian peoples. They have lived there for thousands of years and warred with each other for the vast majority of it. They warred with each other in the name of their dragon overlords, but even after the Withering when their masters were gone, the deeply ingrained cultural hatred continued and the wars didn't stop.
The dwarves in Epos were interested in extending their mining operations down the length of the Wing, but the wars between the peoples of the valleys made that endeavor dangerous as they were caught in the crossfire. Eventually, a militaristic dwarf clan in Epos emerged as a leader among all the dwarves and waged war on both the Dalish and Dalian peoples, using advanced weaponry and armor that they had forged deep in the heart of the volcano.
The war was not long, and Eposians emerged victorious over both peoples. The Eposians brought stability and peace to the valleys, constructed safe passage through the mountains, and established trade between themselves, uniting both valleys as one single nation called Eposaria. Over a few hundred years, the cultural wounds healed over, and in modern day both the Dalish and Dalian peoples see themselves as Eposarians first and foremost.
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