You would think that Ensis would have been revered in his place of birth, The Sardon Empire, a nation whose entire society is built around feeding the insatiable war machine.
Gnomes are especially revered there for their engineering prowess, which Ensis did have. Unfortunately, for him, his gifts lay more in engineering toys than weapons of war. His father, Tersus, tried to mold him into an image of himself, a great inventor of explosive devices. It had taken him far and gained him much.
Ensis never fit and he knew it so he decided, after a decidedly heated fight with his father, to leave and to find a home that would suit him. He wandered for a long time - days turned into months. He sustained himself by making little wind up toys, dolls, action figures from whatever he found along his travels. While travelling through The God's Reach Mountains, home of the Goliaths of the North, he came across two Goliath children out foraging. He showed them his toys and they were amazed. He headed back with them to their camp and was quickly revered for his toy making gifts. He had found his home.