Bratan

The Republic of Bratan is a halfling merchant republic located in the northwestern part of Itanea. It borders Lurton to the west, Jaithia to the south, Lorihn to the east, and finally the cold waters of Mercath Bay to the north. The republic is mainly populated by halflings, but a significant part of the population also consists of gnomes and humans.

The capital of Bratan is the city of Pimos, located on the banks of Gyleon Sound. Other major settlements include Torrine, Conriton, Atonia, Highgate, and Baerney.

It is ruled by Magistrate Oriton Autumnleaf, who was first elected in 2628 AH, and reelected in 2633 AH and 2638 AH. The Magistrate of Bratan serves terms of five years, and each registered citizen of Bratan is allowed to vote. The longest-reining Magistrate was Magistrate Elard Riverbend who served for 17 terms until his death in 2252 AH.

History
The history of Bratan goes back thousands of years. The republic was once a kingdom, consisting of three duchies; the Duchy of Lefield, the Duchy of Lurton, and the Duchy of Byham. Lefield was the capital duchy of the kingdom, and owned by the king, while Lurton and Byham was each ruled by a duke.

In 1467 AH, Lorihn declared war on Bratan claiming the Duchy of Byham. The Bratanniens were relatively quickly overwhelmed by the Lorihni troops, and ceded Byham to Lorihn. After the war, Lorihn renamed the duchy A'vetheas, which was its ancient elvish name.

Due to popular demand, King Elliot VII Stonebrook decided in 1784 AH to abolish the monarchy, and transform Bratan into a republic. Duke Halgin VI Lightroot of Lurton was furious of the king's decision, and informed King Elliot that he wanted Lurton to be an independent kingdom. The king, who had just avoided a rebellion abolishing the monarchy peacefully, did not want another rebellion to rise. While he granted Lurton independence, he managed to negotiate that it would still only call itself a duchy, not a kingdom. Duke Halgin reluctantly accepted, and since then, Lurton has been an independent nation.

The first election of the republic was held in the autumn of 1784 AH. While some Brattaniens wanted to elect the former king as the first Magistrate of Bratan, it was ultimately a merchant named Bardon Fernhill who won the election. However, the king's grandson, Elliot VIII Stonebrook, was elected Magistrate in 1853 AH and served two terms.