The Empty Quarter

Corinn-Balzer Flag

The Principality of Petra

The Principality of Petra is one of the successor states formed following the final breakdown of central authority within the Belkan Empire in the 4760s. It lies deep within the Empty Quarter, a cold and desolate region on the edge of the Osiran System that is far removed from the bustling civilizations of the inner worlds. As one of the most remote of the former imperial possessions from the centers of power, Petra has never had much political or cultural significance in the past, but in the aftermath of the dissolution of Belkan power it has become a haven from which a considerable portion of the former empire's military leadership and nobility entertain dreams of restoring their former positions.

Petra was originally settled following the successful conclusion of the Vulperion Suppression as the centerpiece of the empire's newly formed Osirian Military Frontier. Although imperial leadership was unwilling to expend the energy necessary to pursue the Vulperions into their final boltholes or to attempt to impose their authority on the savage Ymirons, neither was it content to leave the region completely without imperial oversight. The colony on Petra and later the settlement of the surrounding archipelago gave the empire a series of bases from which it could patrol Osirian System and if necessary stage future campaigns.

Despite its military origins, Petra saw little in the way of serious conflict for most of its history and it was not until the Atlantean Wars and then the General War that it was put to the test as a bulwark of imperial power on the frontier. One of the first targets of the initial Atlantean attack, Petra was nearly overrun during the First Orbit and survived only perhaps because the enemy diverted more of its resources against the richer inner worlds. During later orbits a heavily reinforced Petra served as a base for the first wave of victorious Belkan anti-comet operations. With the outbreak of the General War, its modernized facilities made it a key base for the empire in the outer worlds and Petra was one of the last of the Empire's provinces to break away from what was left of the empire's central authority.

Imperial Warships

The House of Corinn-Balzer

Petra's nominal ruling family is the House of Corinn-Balzer, a branch of the Empire's former Imperial Dynasty that failed to seize power in the turmoil following the death of the Empress Dejah. Sidelined during the reign of the last emperor, following his assassination they made a successful bid for control at Petra. The present head of the family is Grand Duke Spiro Corinn-Balzer, an old man more obsessed the with missed opportunities and might have beens of the previous decades than the actual business of the present.

The Military

As befitting its status as one of the Empire's premier naval bases, some of the most modern and powerful Belkan ships were based at Petra. Although the Petran Fleet's strength was sapped as units were called away to fight around the inner worlds, in the postwar years Petran General Command has worked tirelessly to increase their military potential. Whether or not this is out of worry about the impending return of the White Comet or out of an ambition to see a renaissance of Belkan power is open to debate.

The Petran Archipelago

Cold and often shrouded in darkness, the icy rocks of the Petran Archipelago are an inhospitable place that if not for political and military concerns would likely never have been so heavily developed. The majority of the population remains concentrated in and immediately around the warmth and light of the major cities on the planetoid itself and on the largest of the islands, but over the centuries a number of smaller towns and outposts have grown up out in the long night.