The largest pack of actions performed this week were the Finance Minister’s, starting off with a large investment of 40,000 Regals from the state bank to generate interest for war bonds, and then to try and cash in 50,000 warbonds in total. With lack of noble interests, most of the war bonds are bought by small businesses and lesser baronets, bringing the state a full 1,000,000 in war bonds, adding to the state debt. Another 10,000 Regals from the state bank is sent to the Shademarsh Colony to aid in disease fighting. Perhaps the more curious act of the Finance Minister however, was to simply deny treasury money to the War Minister, the first such recorded event of a Finance Minister in the Empire deterring wages to the soldiers. On the front lines, the soldiers obviously experience a sudden cut of 20% of their wages, which in their lack of awareness of Regalian politics, is blamed on the War Minister, whose clerks promised a 100% payment of wages. The Duke of Drachenburg sent 4,000 Regals to the Iron Duke of Vultaro in an attempt to lobby the Lamperro Duke to accept the old guard as his officers in the recent struggle. The Iron Duke happily accepted the payment, citing that with this small token payment, he could afford to put additional Orcs through officer training while also keeping the Dressolini Tacticians. Far from solving the issue, it certainly deferred it. The Orcs remained happy, and the Dressolini remained begrudging at best, but at least they still had a job. House Typhonus met with the scholars and the military officers who performed the autopsy and gathered some information in private regarding the details. They also sent assistance in the form of their arms production to one of their favored candidates in the Rakkai City State Election, potentially escalating the election between parties into a military conflict, but for the time being their preferred candidate is in the lead. Finally, Remar Typhonus tried to conclude or initiate a massive experimental weapons project, but was quickly rebuffed by a scholar stating that the request was a childish fantasy. The scholar continued to draw up a ternary plot graph to explain to the Typhonus delegates that “portable”, “individualized”, and “powerful” were all factors opposing one another. If a weapon needed to be individual and portable, it would not be powerful. If a weapon needed to be individual and powerful, it would not be portable. If a weapon needed to be portable and powerful, it would not be individual. Beyond this explanation, he further wise added that the Typhonus are giving absolutely no standard or metric by which to make the weapon, nor do they even understand what the weapon is supposed to be used for, or how the target’s defences work. The gathered scholars essentially pull hairs and exclaim out loud that House Typhonus doesn’t understand how science works and just asks them to make things out of a magic hat. The Shademarsh Colony attempted to deploy in two locations to fight the outbreak of the plague in Port Ouronne and Latinarra, with the support of 10,000 Regals from the Regalian state, and supposed aid from House du Briërust. Du Briërust’s support however never arrived, no money was given, so eventually the Shademarsh just drew a straw about who to help, and focused their efforts on Port Ouronne, lacking funds to also tackle Tarinarra on the other end of the archipelago at the same time. The Plague in Ouronne was not cured, but their timely arrival did prevent the plague from spreading to other nearby ports. No obvious source was concluded besides a likely outside merchant bringing in infected goods. Latinarra was not so lucky, spreading the plague up to Venetinez and Ragulia as a result of trading merchants carrying infected sailors. The plague now spread to the South Dukelands and the Grand Revainate of Lorhauser. The Duke of Basta sent ships and troops to secure the wreckage from the storm that ravaged his lands, but also sent a stipend of 2,000 Regals to aid in the recovery. The people locally were disgruntled, considering 2,000 Regals amounts to even less than the weekly income of the region, coupled with the fact that 2,000 regals is less than 3% of the total Basta Bank. Locals accused the Duke of being incredibly stingy and not caring for his people’s suffering, not that much recovery was needed, considering the storm’s damage recovered on its own without the assistance (though not increasing economic stability), the lackluster assistance however put a dour mood on the locals. In the Veer, the Duke Tyrannian cut off a few fingers from the privateers (thus not hanging them, as was custom) and instead released them, but forced them into service in the Tyrannian Navy. While no doubt the privateer captain was a man of considerable skill, this act of letting criminals off that easy when piracy is a hateful crime in the Empire, reduced Tyrannian’s political stability. The Abyssal Pact turned out to be the only group invested in going after the supposed Artifact found in Vultaro, spending considerable efforts to locate and retrieve the item. After several failed searches, one of the Vampires hit a lucky find and traced down a hint from a local brigand that found himself with a few pints less blood the next day. This Vampire retrieved the old artifact called Coraveau, the Blade of the Raven-Lord, which seemed like a black-steel rapier, but had a far more ominous and cursing nature to it. The Vampire, obviously choosing not to be cursed by the weapon’s history, tightly packed it up and slowly shipped it back to the Abyssal Pact in Regalia with a few guards, due to arrive next week while it travelled through Lorhauser, Genevaud, Dragenthal, and then the final stretch to the capital for delivery. In Nordland, the Duke pays 15,000 Regals for festivals, boosting the family’s political stability in the region. Despite this, the festival goers go home with mixed feelings, as the Viduggla family announces that the locals can “host more such festivities if they pay House Viduggla money for it”, which ultimately made the whole ordeal feel more like a bribe than an actual religious celebration as it was advertised. The internal rumor searching and info-picking didn’t reveal much either, besides clarifying that the other Velheim realms lack economic stability due to recent conflict, considering this region has been in a near constant state of war for the last three years, and is dealing with its first stretch of peace for about a month now. Completely unrelated to the previous events, the province of Hastdrepland experiences a rise in secularism where atheism becomes more popular, under the mom of “The Gods are Dead”, an extended slogan to the harsh life in the north, and the lack of real providence for faith. The pendulum can still swing both ways. In Nayhurst, The Black Dukedom’s lands, a Void Cult has sprung up in one of the many cities. The exact source, their plans, or the dangers to the local Unionists have not been ascertained, only that they have just recently sprung up and started operating there. In Kinwry, the lands of House Howlester, an uncooperative philosopher has run afoul with the Synod over potentially heretical theories relating to the Imperial lineage and Dragon history. The Philosopher has made an open call to any willing to give him amnesty, because the Gallovian Sovereignty is no longer safe for him, with the local church essentially excommunicating him and declared him a heretic for hunt by the inquisitors. In Swinnigh, the West Dragenthal Baronies, one of the local barons is succeeded by his zealous son who initiates the Bonfires of Vanity, instituting a massive purge of wealth among the nobility and passing it all off to the Synod through the parishes. The Synod obviously increases its wealth, but the ideas of the Bonfires of Vanity risk spreading to neighboring provinces, bringing with them an anti-aristocratic anti-noble sentiment and pro-Unionist zeal. In Soundeskild, part of the Calderliga Union, a Slave Riot occurs and a couple hundred slaves manage to occupy one of the forts in the region, demanding freedom. Their races are all assorted varieties, including indentured servants. On the eve of supposed central government slavery law changes, the outcome is yet in the balance. In Zuiderpoort, part of the Veer Autarky, one of the Duke’s distant relatives makes some very unfortunate statements in front of the court, embarrassing the Tyrannian family and reducing their political support as local barons end up feeling insulted. House Yaotl pays up 5,000 Regals in propaganda efforts to try and lure Allar away from the Archipelago to re-settle in Hadar with a 25,000 Regal. In the end however, the response is lacklustre. Many of the Hadar emigres left Hadaria for emotional reasons, whether it be trauma from the Chrysant Wars, or better opportunities in an emerging market for alchemical work in Regalia. As such, not many choose to migrate back and the 25,000 Regals assigned as a pool barely makes a dent and is routed back into the Yaotl treasury. Many of the Allar choose to stay in the Regalian heartland because historically speaking, these lands have been more peaceful than Hadaria ever was, and the emerging markets of economy mean there is more money to be made and a better living standard to be had in the Archipelago, despite the reduced social equality. Hadaria on the other hand is still at risk of all-out war with Sendrass, and still suffers from internal fighting among the lesser Digmaan that cause random conflicts to appear left right and center, while the local market is also extremely over-saturated with Allar alchemical businesses to the point that making a profit or running a good business is not worth it financially. One specific allar even points out that in the case of the Plague in Port Ouronne, he was able to make a huge amount of money, while making use of the freedom of movement to travel there from the Veer Autarky, because there were so many Ailor looking for pain relief. Had he moved to Hadaria, his business would not have been able to compete with the locally established businesses (because Allar don’t get sick and he built a business on Ailor medicine), and he would become destitute and poor, while also at risk of being at war soon. Generally speaking, the emigres weren’t forced to the Archipelago, they chose to move there, despite racism, despite the risks, and flourished due to the better economic circumstances of their employment. In the end, the attempt to essentially dissuade from the Typhonus issue doesn’t help, and if anything, the locals simply note that instead of being there to represent them, the Digmaan just tries to make a profit out of the situation by using it to lure the Allar back, perpetuating the resentment of the locals towards the situation. Note: All information in this post is knowledge overheard IC from rumormongers or spies. All information that is not canonically available is delivered in PM.
