Those running for seats on the Council of Brilliance have been the subject of much debate and discussion in Port-á-Lucine the past few days, especially among the gentry who will be voting for who should occupy them. Those eavesdropping and listening to what the nobles in the Quartier Publique and the Quartier Savant hear the following:
Rennault Paul's proposal of ending the social programs that exist for the poor and downtrodden receives a great deal of support from the gentry. However, many think that his desire to withdraw from the Treaty of the Four Towers is foolish and will open Dementlieu up to attack from the brutish Falkovnians, especially following the recent seizure of the no-man's-land created by the last war's peace treaty. He has perhaps the lowest standing among the nobility of all who are running, leaving many to question whether or not this campaign is a serious one or simply a way to grab people's attention.
Viscomte Vespasien Rancourt is known for being a close cousin to Guillaume Rancourt, the patriarch of the prestigious Rancourt family. Beyond this, not much else is known about the man's personal life. It is suspected that since the Rancourts own a number of workhouses, their bid for a place on the Council comes primarily out of a desire for less regulation over industry. The most outspoken person for their campaign is Dame Renée Delven, patron of Le Rue des Pistolets and famed pistoleer. Others living on Le Rue des Pistolets also support Rancourt, in the hopes that he will support industrial growth and continued technological advancement in Dementlieu.
Louis de Bellegarde of the Bellegarde Trading Company is known primarily for his tremendous wealth, from both old money and from the joint-stock company that is his namesake. The Bellegarde Trading Company has holdings all over the Core, and there is little doubt that he has profited greatly from them. A few regard the Bellegarde agents that turn up from time to time in the city as 'shifty', but overall have nothing unpleasant to say about Louis de Bellegarde himself. He is frequently attended to by a man named Marius de Verderen, who some say is the man behind the man.
Maitre Wymmer Drukker is regarded by most of the gentry as an interloper, a shifty figure whose association with a Barovian company focused on the acquisition of people's lost goods makes him a poor choice for a position on the Council of Brilliance. While a few see Drukker's strange automaton as a wonder of engineering, many are unsettled by the fact that it resembles his late wife, Lilianne. In spite of this, the old Lamordian does have a handful of remarkably outspoken supporters, namely those found in the Foundation for the Election of Wymmer Drukker. Outside of this foundation, Wymmer Drukker has won the admiration of Ricardo Diosa, co-founder of Drukker's newly-established Coalition for the Protection of the Fine Arts. Other artists, shortly after Diosa's endorsement, followed up with endorsements of their own.
Dame Adeline Laurent is a name spoken by the gentry with guarded approval. Although a few can't help but mention the scandalous tryst Dame Adeline Laurent had with the base-born Charlemagne Devereaux mere months after the death of her husband, Damien, most believe that she is the inheritor of Laurent's legacy and she may very well accomplish what Damien himself could not. Many believe the Laurent Tax to be wholly justified, especially in lieu of raising tax rates on the wealthy, given the nature of many strange foreigners 'visiting' Port-á-Lucine. There is little dissent when it comes to how Dame Adeline Laurent carries herself in public; unlike some of the recently ennobled, she behaves like a noble should, and it is believed that a few wealthy citizens, eager to keep tradition alive, might take notice.
((This thread will be updated periodically to reflect in-game actions surrounding the election.))
