Commonwealth of Michigan
- System of Government: Feudalism
- Head of State: Governor, chosen by primogeniture from the ruling Wolf family
- Population: 2,200,000
- Religion: Non-Denominational
- Totemic Symbol: Wolverine
Of the three great powers of the Feudal Heartland, Michigan has always been an underdog that has punched well above its weight. In terms of population its harsh winters has always meant that it's population has always rested hundreds of thousands below its rivals in Iowa (formerly Illinois) and Ohio. And yet its strategic placement in the midst of the Great Lakes has destined it to eternally jockey for supremacy; centrally positioned between Superior, Lake Michigan, and Erie has filled its coffers and allowed it to build a respectable naval tradition as the most maritime state on the Lakes and one of the most influential in the Mackinaw League.
Of the three great powers Michigan came out with the most of the Great Midwestern War and the subsequent Bailey family. With the destruction of Illinois and Ohio's loss of Toledo, Luthor II found himself the Lord best posed to take advantage of the League. Control of Detroit and its newfound alliance with Ontario and Genesee County kept it in total control of the straits. It managed to cement its control over the quasi-independent cities of northern Michigan and even gain influence in the Upper Peninsula which had been lost to Lansing since the dawn of the Neo-Medieval era. Had they played their cards right, Michigan was set up to chip away at Ohio's influence and potentially become the dominant player in the Midwest.
Unfortunately, it was not to be. The downfall began with his son, Luthor III. Born in the lap of luxury, Luthor was not the savvy politician that his father was. His imposition of the Strait Tolls made him no friends in the Mackinaw League or the East at large for that matter. Attempts to move Ontario and Genesee towards outright vassalage engendered a reaction away to preserve their independence.
The final straw came some fifty years after the destruction of Illinois. A senile Luthor III expected his familial claims over Illinois would be recognized and that a rump Commonwealth would be established under Michigander influence. Obviously this proposal did not sit well with anyone on the Lake League. When Genesee pulled out their trump card in the Daley family and came to an accord with the Iowans, a bitter Luthor demanded revenge and declared a war of aggression on Genesee and Iowa. Almost immediately the states of the Lake launched the Michigan Punitive War.
The Wisconsonites and the Elks rallied the Finnic Yooper tribes to rise up against distant Michigan and built a pontoon bridge to invade the north, where the cities that once enjoyed much more autonomy gladly joined them. Fleets were launched from Lake Erie and Chicago to raze the Commonwealth's shores while Ohioans and Bailey Cowboys marched side by side up the northern border.
Panicking and fearing the total destruction of Michigan, the nobility in Lansing launched a palace coup. Luthor III was replaced with his much more reasonable nephew Ryan (now crowned Ryan I). The damage was already done and Michigan had to sue for a costly peace; Ryan ceded Michigan's claim to Illinois and returned Toledo to Ohio. Wisconsin once again firmly established its influence over the Upper Peninsula. The cities of the north regained their autonomy, as did the cities of Western Ontario. The tolls were lowered and Michigan returned firmly to the number three position, Ohio's dominance over the region once again firmly established.
It's not all bad. The toll may be low but it's still there, and the salt mines of Detroit still floweth over. The inherently reactionary politics of the Great Lakes has seen Pitsberg move towards Michigan out of fear of a resurgent Ohio, though Genesee County and Ontario remain firmly in Ohioan orbit; Michigan's long history of attempted conquest against these territories will not be forgotten any time soon. The drums are beating and whispers can be heard in the courts from Rock Island to Syracuse that a second Great Midwestern War may be on the horizon, one that will determine the fate of the Midwest and finally settle the question of Ohioan supremacy. The only question is; where will Iowa come down in all of this?