Talk:Petera

This entry maybe should be brought into line with other national entries, format wise. -gm

Cleared old talk page. Check history if really interested. -Slitherrr

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So this is referred to here and on the map as "Petera", and the adjective is sometimes said to be "Peteran", but a couple of articles have referred to "Petra" and "Petran", or "Petara" and "Petaran". Is it safe to assume that "Petera" and "Peteran" are canonical (flavor element of misspellings aside)? -Slitherrr

I tried to define a canonical spelling by choosing a single name and a single valid link, but I see you went and ruined that plan ;) --Msallen

Yeah, I got into the redirects before I knew what I was getting into. -Slitherrr

PS. GM likes the confusing lack of spelling consistency

consistent spelling is an anachronism.

Additionally, don't forget to account for regional spelling variances. -gm, probably

Note: Wikis are an anachronism. -Slitherrr

Religious tolerance of Peteran Heresy?

How tolerant are Mainlanders day-to-day of Peteran Heresy religion? Are they generally accepting and on good terms (for day-to-day Mainlanders) or do they view them as blasphemers? Any real-world analogies? I can tell the churches themselves are opposed (i.e. "Peteran Heresy" name), but how does that translate into day-to-day relationships for (a) citizens of the countries and (b) members of the church? -Mattie

Well, at the highest levels, there's kind of a policy of "Mutual Coexistance," as both Greater Alexandriandom and the Petaran's are both entrenched enough to prevent annihilation. Sure, the population, economy, and geographic size of the mainland is like 10x that of Petara, the mainland has a lot more infighting and cultural divisions that prevent working together.

That said, if someone started preaching Petaranism, creating Favored Souls, etc. there would be a pretty quick and savage breakdown. Real-world analogies? I guess look anywhere that Greater Islam shared a border with Christendom and see what happened. -gm

What about day-to-day sorts of things? If a Peteran boy had no choice but to go to a Mainland school, would he (a) be forbidden, (b) allowed but ostracized by most students and teachers, (c) only be teased a lot by other kids (specifically for having a different religion), or (d) not really be noticed/teased more than any other transplant to a new school?

For my own sake, I'm trying to understand the average sentiment between Mainlanders and Peterans. Should Mose/Kimika (at least) have been distant/skeptical regarding Quinalin early on because of the church differences? Or is it a religious difference that doesn't affect day-to-day dispositions very much? (No rush on the answer, just curious.) -Mattie

I don't see any point in running down every extreme and virtually impossible hypothetical. What would happen to an Arab orphan in Paris? He'd go to a Christian orphanage, and from there, who knows? It's up to the kid, I guess. "Day to Day" interaction doesn't really exist on 90% of the mainland. FWIW, Quin is *not* a Petaran himself, he is Alexandrian by faith and Celstian by nationality, and his knowledge of their ways comes from the close relationships his father developed while trading. -gm

Thanks for the clarification on Quin, that makes the point moot. I don't care about specific situations (beyond our own), but you responded initially about the high-level church's position and not the day-to-day as I had sought, so I provided an example to help get the gist of what I want to know. There's a big difference between "they are stoned on the street in most cities" and "they're welcomed and respected". The former is hinted with just the notion of calling it "Peteran Heresy" and having a Mainland with only one religion. Anyway, sorry-- just wanted some day-to-day sentiment clarification. If Quin isn't Peteran by religion then it's not very important unless we run into more of them. -Mattie

We're not at stoning in the street levels, at the very least. Certainly, merchants like Kathkallan demonstrate that Petrans are tolerated in the mainland and allowed to travel, conduct businesses, and be treated with general respect. Using that as an example, the authorities are more likely to turn a blind eye to ripping off or discriminating against a Petran, but not to the point where outright aggression and abuse of the law is tolerated. It's probably also region-by-region, though, and a generally lawless and sacreligious community like Wydmoor might be more tolerant than, say, the more devout areas of rural flannary. --Msallen

I think that's a pretty good takeaway, yeah. Again, a Petaran merchant isn't going to be too hassled, but you're only going to find such a creature in Celstia or maybe Wydmoor, the only places on the mainland the Petarans really trade. Racism, bigotry, even ignorant violence are all potentials for a Petaran in the mainland, but there is no institutionalized need for genocide or anything. But, again, someone tries to set up a Petaran church, there's going to be swift retribution. -gm