The last act before the war was the expulsion of the nobles by the people.

The exiled party joined the barbarians, and proceeded to plunder those in the city by sea and land; and the Epidamnians, finding themselves hard pressed, sent ambassadors to Corcyra beseeching their mother country not to allow them to perish, but to make up matters between them and the exiles, and to rid them of the war with the barbarians.

The ambassadors seated themselves in the temple of Hera as suppliants, and made the above requests to the Corcyraeans.

But the Corcyraeans refused to accept their supplication, and they were dismissed without having effected anything.
When the Epidamnians found that no help could be expected from Corcyra, they were in a strait what to do next.

So they sent to Delphi and inquired of the God whether they should deliver their city to the Corinthians and endeavour to obtain some assistance from their founders.
The answer he gave them was to deliver the city and place themselves under Corinthian protection.