Day of the First Trade

In the year 3100 BGW, a company of dwarven explorers, led by Banmar Frostvein, ventured further east than any dwarf had dared travel. With Dumatharun’s forges burning bright and the Gilded Paths well maintained, the dwarves found themselves in a rare period of peace and prosperity. Curiosity and the desire to uncover new resources drove Banmar and his kin to seek lands beyond the Dragon Spine Mountains, following the winding valleys that stretched into the lowlands.

Their journey led them to a strange sight—a collection of wooden structures, clustered at the edge of a river. The buildings, unfamiliar in design and seemingly fragile, puzzled the dwarves. This settlement, as they would later learn, was a human village—the first of its kind encountered by dwarvenkind.

A Curious Meeting

At first, the dwarves believed the village to be abandoned, but soon they were met by frightened human farmers and guards, armed with crude spears and simple tools. The dwarves, well-armed and clad in heavy plate, presented an imposing figure. The humans mistook them for wandering spirits or creatures of the stone, and fear spread swiftly among the villagers.

Banmar, sensing their unease, stepped forward and offered a hammer as a gesture of goodwill. The humans, though wary, eventually reciprocated by offering baskets of grain and dried meat. This simple exchange marked the beginning of communication between the two peoples, founded not on shared language but through the mutual understanding of trade.

The Trade of Stone and Seed

Over time, the dwarves and humans began to barter more freely. The dwarves, intrigued by the variety of crops and strange fruits cultivated by the humans, traded tools, weapons, and ore for seeds, livestock, and agricultural knowledge. The humans, in turn, marveled at the dwarves’ finely crafted goods—Drakthorite axes and unbreakable plows—which far surpassed anything their own smiths could produce.

In exchange for steel and stone, the dwarves gained insight into farming and the tilling of land, concepts foreign to their mountain-bound lives. Though skeptical at first, the dwarves humored the humans by planting small gardens outside their halls. The results were modest but practical, leading to the growth of surface farms along the lower slopes of Steerbright.

The Legacy of First Contact

Though the encounter began with caution, it marked the dawn of a lasting relationship between the dwarves and humans of the lowlands. The dwarves' craftsmanship enriched human settlements, while the knowledge of agriculture and trade routes expanded the dwarves' access to goods beyond the mountains.

This event, remembered as the Day of First Trade, laid the foundation for future alliances and opened pathways for mutual growth. Over the following centuries, dwarven-forged tools became commonplace in human villages, while dwarven halls saw their first surface crops take root—symbols of cooperation between stone and soil.