It’s not even just the Fade!!
It’s the Evanruis, specifically Elgar’nan. There is lots of evidence from multiple sources that indicates he had control of “flame” and “winged death” (read: dragons) and used them to drive dwarves underground:
A Journal on Dwarven Ruins (Entry 2)
It’s a Paragon. The man who lead the people here, who built this city, was master smith Paragon Fairel.
Legend says he died in the Deep Roads during a war between two thaigs who used his runework to build fantastic weapons of destruction. If he escaped up here, that means the records are wrong, or someone a thousand years ago tried to pretty-up the truth about his leaving. The most talented Shaper of Runes in dwarven history, escaping with his entire house to the surface—now that will fluff some beards in the Shaperate!
My father said our old family business used to be near an archway that was part of Fairel’s Paragon statue. I wish I could have shown him this. He’s the one who wanted to believe our ancestors in the Stone were still guiding us. Be nice to think it were true, old man.
I was tracing heraldry etched on a wall when I noticed pictures of weapons with winged lizards worked into the decoration. I spent the rest of the day translating the inscriptions. This verse was apparently passed down through Fairel’s house, through his father to his father’s father and so on for hundred of generations:
“From the Stone, have no fear of anything,
but the stone-less sky betrays with wings of flame.
If the surface must be breached, if there is no other way,
bring weapons against the urtok, and heed their screams.”
“Urtok” means “dragon.” Why was it part of an ancient crest? Why were these dwarves so worried about a monster they’d never see that they worked it into their weapons?
—-
Torn Notebook in the Deep Roads, Section 2
Many of these pages are filled with sketches of elven statues matching the ones found in the area, along with notes and what look like attempts to practice Qunlat:
They say the agents of Fen'Harel caused trouble in the Crossroads. I wish I knew. I wish whoever fights in the name of the old wolf was around to fight when the darkspawn took my clan.
Mine is not to question. I have chosen the Qun. The Qun will protect me.
Rethost: You all protect
Rethadim: They all protect
Rethsaam: We all protect
These statues are older than anything I saw in my days with the clan. The area’s dwarven, though. What were the ancient elves doing down here? Mining? Where were the dwarves? Easier to have them mine it. Not a trading post. You don’t go into a friend’s home, knock over their gods, and put up your own.
War? I don’t remember any legends about our people fighting the dwarves. Though I remember my Keeper telling a story about how the dwarves fear the sun because of Elgar'nan’s fire. A metaphor for the elves of Arlathan driving the dwarves underground? The Qunari like metaphors. I should share that.
—-
Elgar'nan, Wrath and Thunder,
Give us glory.
Give us victory, over the Earth that shakes our cities.
Strike the usurpers with your lightning.
Burn the ground under your gaze.
Bring Winged Death against those who throw down our work.
Elgar'nan, help us tame the land.
──Song to Elgar'nan, found in the Temple of Mythal, author unknown
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