Commonwealth of the Petra

The Commonwealth of the Petra The Coat of Arms of the Commonwealth Founded: 1882 Languages: Common Noufeille Pettres Religion: Canonism Government: Knightly Republic Chancellor: Dame Catherine of Furnestock Regent: Paul Salvian Historical Era: The Harvest Revolution (1882)

The Commonwealth of the Petra is a constituent nation of the Harvest Confederation that makes its capital in Valfleur, in the center of the Petra River Valley. Its foundation began with the Burning of Garmont, an act by the King of Oren during the Harvest Revolution. This resulted in the creation of a republic centered around its knightly order, although its foundational constitution would not be published until the next year in 1883.

History

The Foundational Period

The lords of the Commonwealth were originally vassals of the Kingdom of Oren - many, even cadets of its ruling House. With the Resolution of Acre, however, began a civil war. Geographically isolated from the capital, the levies of the Petra congregated at the base of the Garmont - a huge castle built in the Orenian style upon its namesake mountain. An Orenian army, however, was able to break through Harvester lines formed at Acre, and made their way towards the Acrean ally of Minitz. Mistaking the assembled Petrine forces as Minitzers, the Orenians laid siege to and burned down the Garmont late in 1882. This action, viewed as a breaking of its feudal contract, led Paul Salvian, Count of Temesch, to gather the Petrine lords and form a Commonwealth, declaring himself its Regent.

The next year, upon the brokering of peace with the shattered remnants of the Kingdom's government, the assembled Petrans promulgated the Petrine Constitution, enshrining the gentry as their primary government in the hopes of the creation of a meritocratic republic, and voted in Dame Catherine of Furnestock as their first Chancellor. Soon after, the abandoned village of Old Vienne - once part of the crownland territories of King Frederick I - was renamed to Valfleur, after the River Valley it was nestled within, and made capital of the Commonwealth.

Politics

The Sovereign Order of the Petrine Laurel

The Sovereign Order of the Petrine Laurel is the primary body which one must join in order to become a member of the Senate, the governing body of the Commonwealth. It affords rights, privileges, and duties, and is viewed as the highest accomplishment one might receive within the Commonwealth.

The Old Regime

Those nobles that made up the lords of the Petra River Valley prior to the foundation of the Commonwealth were enshrined as the Old Regime, a body of ceremonial nobles, for their sincerity in reducing their own power for a better future - they are as follows;

• The House Temesch et Moere, Counts of Temesch
  
• The House of Mardon, Counts of Mardon
  
• The House of Halcourt, Barons of Artois
  
• The House O'Rourke, Barons of Halstaig
  

Demographics

Heartlanders make up almost the entirety of the Commonwealth of the Petra; many are refugees from the Grenz or the burned-out crownlands that once made up the kingdom of Oren.

Religion

The Harvest Confederation adheres to the Church of the Canon, though allows its peoples the ability to practice Owynism.

Geography

Almaris

The Commonwealth of the Petra is bounded in the south by the large, winding River Petra, to the east by Lake Providence, a calm lake whose chief export is trout, and to the north and west by the Grenz. The majority of it is covered in a sprawling, dense spruce forest - what portions of it have been colonized are made up of small hamlets and fortifications, save its capital of Valfleur.

Major landmarks include the Ruins of Garmont, today used to memorialize the knights past and present of the Commonwealth, Temesch Hall, where the Petrine Constitution was signed by its founders, and of course, the capital of Valfleur - where the Petran Patriot is frequented by bawdy knights, and the Chapel of Saint Emma of Woldzmir often gives sermons on Canonist philosophy.