The dwarves of Peroka say that the first of their race to see sunlight emerged from a rift on the side of Mt. Timorsk centuries before the start of the era of common reckoning. This dwarf, Kimara by name, was one of the Beldrani dwarves. The Beldrani were a sect that had abandoned - some say they were exiled - their ancestral home to seek the legendary overworld, Beldrane.
Having found their empyrean land, the Beldrani destroyed the tunnels that back to their homeland. After a few seasons of want and sunburn, the dwarves learned to hunt overworld beasts and to gather overworld flora. They learned to cultivate the native grapes and to turn those grapes into wine. They carved their capital of Zalosk out of the stone of Mt. Timorsk.
The dwarves did not fully abandon their subterranean heritage. The mountains around Mt. Timorsk were, and are, rich in metal ores. These the dwarves mined with zeal, although they built their smelters and forges under the light of the sun. They established fungus farms to supplement the foodstuffs provided by Beldrane. They built their most secure storehouses in the lowest caves under Mt. Timorsk.
Over time, the dwarves mastered the land under the sun. Their population grew. They established communities throughout the Peroka mountain range. Whether the mountains were named for the nation or the nation for the mountains is irrelevant. To the dwarves, they are one and the same.
Effects of the Harrying of the Dragons - The dwarves of Peroka may not have suffered as much from the Harrying of the Dragons as the dalibor of Frandylshyn, but they were sore beset, nonetheless. The great wyrm Xldanii led flights of lesser dragons against Zalosk almost daily. King Tramar Stout Anvil believed that the dwarves would be forced out of their homeland and scattered, like the Dalibor, if not totally exterminated. In the first Great Conclave since the end of the Fourth War of Wood and Stone, the dwarves decided to forsake the dreams of the Beldrani and abandon the overworld. They retreated underground, sealing great doors behind them.
Location: Peroka is situated in the middle of the western half of Glorien. Krondak is to its west, the Five Nations to its south, and Fnorson - across Lake Fnorson - to its north. It borders Auriland to its south-east. To the east lies Llwynedd, the land of their old foes, the elves.
Capital - For many centuries, the capital of Peroka was Zalosk, the city carved out of Mt. Timorsk. Zalosk was abandoned after the dwarves fled underground to escape the dragons.
Cities and major towns - Except for the metropolis of Zalosk, the dwarves never developed large cities. Rather, they built small communities, each partially above ground and partially below. Two market towns support trade with Peroka’s neighbors - Wendora with Llwynedd and Turnabon with the Five Nations.
Government - Peroka is a monarchy. The king is considered the first amongst equals. The post is mostly ceremonial, with some actual power in foreign relations. Before the Harrying of the Dragons, community councils handled most government responsibilities.
Head of State - King Tramar Stout Anvil was the last king known to the nations above ground.
Economy - In the overworld, the dwarves hunted and farmed to feed and clothe themselves. Their focus was on mining, smelting, and forging. The quality of their metalcraft was the best in Glorien, unquestioned by any but the Krondakites. Trade with Fnorson, Llwynedd, Auriland, and the Five Nations brought the dwarves anything they needed that they could not provide themselves. It also made them very wealthy.
Relations with other nations:
Llwynedd - Peroka had been thriving for many decades before the dwarves encountered another sentient race. That changed when a dwarven hunting party happened on an elven prospecting band. This encounter turned out to be a harbinger for dwarf-elf relations for centuries. For the elves mistook the dwarves for evil rock demons. The dwarves, for their part, saw the elves as strange invaders to be driven off. Fortunately, neither group was heavily armed. No dwarf or elf suffered a fatal injury in the clash that followed. But this skirmish led to distrust between the dwarves and elves that would last centuries.
Paroka and Llwyneth fought four wars, known in Peroka as the Wars of Wood and Stone. The dwarves maintain that each of these wars was started by elvish aggression. The elves, of course, tell another story. Lasting peace between the nations came with the signing of the Treaty of Wendora in 436 CR. (Although the signing of the treaty was put into doubt when Llanwyr, daughter of the elvish king, eloped with Kaliet Strong Arm, daughter of the dwarf king.) In the treaty, the elves forswore expansion of Llwynedd beyond the Great Forest, and the dwarves did the same for Peroka beyond the mountains.
Krondak - Peroka is one of the primary targets of Krondakite expansionism. Peroka had a closed border with Krondak and did not maintain diplomatic relations. Since the dwarves left the overworld, Krondak has taken over mines in northern Peroka, near Lake Fnorson. Ore from these mines are shipped to Magnisee in Krondak for processing.
Fnorson, Auriland, and the Five Nations - Peroka had friendly relations with the other three human-majority nations that it borders. It had active trade with all three.
Ogakwa - The dwarves have not interacted with the zlobra.
Frandylshyn - The dwarves never fully trusted the dalibor. They did trade raw metal to Frandylshyn in return for items of craftsmanship finer than even the dwarves could achieve.
Gwenddon and Loksenta - The insularity of the dwarves meant that they did not see the need to have extensive interactions with these remote nations. Peroka did send occasional diplomatic and trade delegations. It generally had good relations with Gwenddon and Loksenta.
Den of the Red Wolf 