Called "sun-touched," "lost to the Stone," among other things, surface dwarves are a fact of life for both Orzammar and the surface lands. Such dwarves have left the underground city of Orzammar for the surface, either as members of expeditions funded by dwarven houses or guilds, or for their own personal reasons, and even as punishment. In ancient times, the punishment of exile was very uncommon and was considered to be one of the fiercest.