House Petrakis

The Petrakis Coat of Arms

House Petrakis is the most famous of the Essharan noble houses, the Ruling Dynasty of the Kingdom of Esshar. Following a period of silence after Aeliana rei Petrakis' abolition of the monarchy, under the rule of Queen Arista rei Petrakis the dynasty came to once again rule the city of Osrona. The dynastic heraldry of the Petrakis family is a golden crown above a centred sunburst on a dark golden field diagonally cut with a pale blue, a dark golden P beneath it.

History

Easily the most famous of the Essharan Noble Houses, House Petrakis was - and is - the ruling Dynasty of the Kingdom of Esshar. The Dynasty as it is today was truly founded by Mikhail Petrakis, an Archmagi of Astya who pleaded with the angel Malztiel to save save his people from the threat of the demon Mordred, a request the angel granted and thus resulted in the founding of Esshar.

The Petrakis Dynasty became the Kings and Queens of Esshar, and under their rule the Kingdom enjoyed long periods of prosperity and peace - though, of course, interspersed with the occasional rebellion and dark time. Still, on the whole the rule of the Petrakis family was for the most part a successful and positive one for the peoples of Esshar.

Following the Pandemonium Chase and the restoration of Osrona to the Petrakis loyalists after its loss amid the collapse of the Essharan Empire in the mid 18th century, the Petrakis Monarchy was abolished by Queen Aeliana rei Petrakis. It was, however, restored in the mid 19th century by Queen Arista rei Petrakis, and has seen thus far a successful transition of power to Queen Eisele rei Petrakis.

Customs and Traits

• The Petrakis family enjoys a near prodigious level of innate ability with time magic, and the line descended from Arista rin Petrakis also shows an impressive degree of natural talent with Cosmic magic, particularly the technique of Starlight Overdrive, fitting for Pelleaux descendants. Petrakis blood bleeds true, with there never having been a circumstance of a Petrakis naturally born as anything other than human.

• Perhaps one of their most notable physical traits, Petrakis’ are often born with blue - if of Arista rin Petrakis’ line - or blonde hair.

• Petrakis family members are typically given an exceptionally strong education in noble matters and administration, given the possibility any member may some day become the ruler of Osrona. These lessons persist into adulthood, and there is a strong encouragement for a Petrakis to serve either as a member of the Church, or as a member of the Order of The First Light

• The Petrakis family carries unique particles to their names. 'rei' indicated a current reigning monarch, whereas 'ras' indicates a member of the royal family not from Arista Petrakis' line, and 'rin' indicates a member of the royal family descended from Arista Petrakis.

Notable Members

Mikhail Petrakis - ???-460 AC

The Progenitor, one of the most powerful Archmagi of the Mythical Age, the man who supposedly stared directly into the time vortex and survived. Mikhail’s exact origins are unknown, as is the year of his birth, but records indicate he had served as an Archmagi of Astya for a significant period of time prior to the civilisation’s destruction. The first to recognise Amalia Elaide’s fel ambitions and expose them to the people of Astya, during Mordred’s rampage it was Mikhail who begged for the Angel Maltziel to save his people, resulting in the exodus to Esshar.

Mikhail became the first King of Esshar by the voice of the people, and led the Kingdom through the early stages of its existence. During his life, he sired several children to ensure a dynasty, despite at that time being several centuries old himself and not appearing likely to die anytime soon. Indeed, it was one of his great-grandchildren who succeeded him when in 384 AC - following a hundred year reign - he abdicated the throne to return to research.

Despite his ‘retirement’, Mikhail is recorded to have lived until 460 AC. Indeed, it is theorised that the threat of his wrath is what protected Esshar from foreign invasion in its early years before it could properly organise its own defence; the invasion of Sluthia shortly after his death supports this supposition. As to his death itself, accounts vary. Under official church doctrine, Mikhail voluntarily ascended to the stars and entered Avalon upon his thousandth birthday, - relative to his own timestream, taking into account his chronomancy - the sun eclipsing in a sign of the mourning of the physical world at his departure. More scarce sources, however, speak of an advancing illness, claiming that in his final years Mikhail became erratic, unable to discern the difference between past, present and future. Furthermore, they claim he was suffering from what he called ‘Conjunction Sickness’, flickering in and out of existence as he involuntarily pulled himself in and out of alternate timelines until eventually he vanished entirely.These sources, however, are considered heretical by the church.

Alexander rei Petrakis II - 1716-1754 AC

The Last King of the Essharan Empire. Alexander was raised in an era of instability for the Essharan Empire, buckling under domestic and foreign threats alike. The actions of the Syndicate criminal organisation and the workings of the witches of Moonfall had weakened the Empire enough that in his youth Barsburg invaded, taking swathes of Essharan territory, and resulting in the death of his father, King Aristides rei Petrakis.

Under the regency of his mother, Serea ven Astor, Alexander was raised well, though his mother’s ambitions threatened - and resulted in - war by the time he was coronated. Under his early rule he appeared to have the makings of an excellent King, the Osrona-Theria war steadily turning in the former’s favour, especially with the addition of the Myllenoran alliance. During this period, however, Alexander committed the worst mistake in his life; he fell in love with Nebula Winterbourne, unbeknownst to all a witch. Her influence was ruinous, and within a year of his marriage to her Esshar was at war with nearly every nearby foreign power, including its former ally Myllenoris.

At the Siege of Osrona Alexander slew Asta Hargrave in single combat, but his decision to strike at the Crown of Aschea drove the invading Teraphim into a frenzy, sacking the city and bringing the Essharan Empire - what little of it remained - crashing down. Alexander spent the rest of his life in the loyalist village of Nysea, fighting against the forces of Theria, Demonkind, and Walter Docro’s Osrona until ultimately being slain by Walter Docro himself in 1754 AC at the Siege of Theria.

Arista rin Petrakis I - 1828 AC-Present

Arista rin Pelleaux after her abdication.

Arista Petrakis was born Arista ven Pelleaux, to Valeria and Cortado Pelleaux. The eldest of three children, she took heavily after her Mother, looking up to Valeria as an almost impossible ideal. This was only taken further after Valeria’s death in Arista’s childhood, she became enamored to the point of obsession with the idea of redemption. Blessed and burdened with her Mother’s capacity to see the good in everyone she met, she would do her best to foster that goodness in others, no matter what it cost her. It would, ultimately, cost her time and time again, with limited success, yet still she tried, no matter how often she was betrayed.

Her youth and her twenties were largely uneventful. Attending Starfall Academy, she joined the Church of Celestialism in her teenage years, under Stellus Zhrani. Perhaps burdened by the fate of her Mother, Arista herself would never seek to learn White Magic. For a time her life was mostly quiet, concerned with largely personal matters and her individual attempts to help others find their way back to the light. Eventually, she’d be named High Priestess by the next Stellus, Elys Gardios. But if she had dreams of being Stellus herself, they’d be laid to rest by her eventual proclamation.

Under the spectre of Civil War and her own personal longterm resentment of the Council system, she’d declare her intent to regain the throne, revealing her Petrakis lineage. With the Archmagi perishing soon thereafter, she’d join the Council and begin a several year long effort to convince the other members and the citizenry at large. Eventually, she’d be successful, uniting with Eisele Metras who would reveal her own lineage, to reclaim the Petrakis name and the throne.

As a Queen, Arista endeavored to be harsher than she would otherwise, without compromising on her ideals of redemption. As a wartime leader she found little success on the battlefield, but it’s believed her primary focus was on social reforms, which would be listed as the Reforms of the Crownless Queen. Once those were done, shortly afterwards, at the age of forty two, she would abdicate the throne to Eisele Petrakis, and retire to spend time with her neglected family.