[Flyers in Port a Lucine and Edrigan] Against the Borcan Grain Deal

[Bobotz]

Edrigan, 9th December 776

About the ongoing discussion about the so called "Grain Deal" with Borca, I invite all the parties responsible of taking a decision, to consider the consequences, not only for the city of Port a Lucine, but also for the rural villages located in the countryside.

Many honest families there base their life on growing and selling grain, and the approval of this "Grain deal" will make their lives considerably more difficult, since it will surely imply a drop in the prices of this cereal.

This means an impoverishment of this people, social unrest, and even riots.
Isn't this going to advantage Falkvonia over Dementlieu even more?

In the best of cases these people will just cease to grow their grain, and maybe shift to other occupations, maybe migrate into cities, increasing the ranks of desperate people living at the borders of society, with the result that the grain production of Dementlieu will drop even more, making this nation completely dependant on foreign imports, and as result weaker.

As Ezra is Guardian and Healer of her flock, you should be Guardians and Healers of your people.

Warden V. Longinus

[PrimetheGrime]

Upon one of these various notices is tacked a letter of reply bearing the crest of House Corbeau

In regards to the Warden's crass criticism of the "Contemporary Breadbasket Initiative", I invite her to study her history books and keep up to date with the current state of our enlightened Republique, lest she make a fool of herself on such a public field.

The honest families and hardworking farmers who base their life on growing and selling grain have been suffering from salted fields since the last terrible invasion from Falkovnia. What farmland we do have has had to support the weight of our great nation for years and it has seen many such honest farmers and their families starve themselves feeding us all. The "Grain Deal" Would see the weight and burdens upon their backs lessen and give our nation a chance to regrow our own produce, akin to that of House Norville's sterling example.

The sheer lack of understanding from Warden Longinus baffles and astounds me. Our farmers require respite to regrow their crops, not be pushed into harvesting what meagre remnants sit upon their salted fields and risk starvation themselves. Perhaps the good Warden should stick to passibly managing her flock, and leave the politics to those with sense.

~Maitre Basile Corbeau

[Dardonas]

In regards to Warden Shuttleworth's words the other day in the Publique on behalf of the Church of Ezra, as well as with Warden Longinus's statement, I admonish the wardens' position that this grain deal would harm our people rather than help them.  What strikes me as odd about the timing of this piece comes down to a matter of questioning the moral character of Warden Shuttleworth herself. 

Firstly, I would highly suggest that Warden Shuttleworth write a public apology to Monsieur Fleury de Montaigne, among any other veterans who she condemned for their attitude towards Falkovnians.  Monsieur de Montaigne fought bravely at Ameranthe, and her words are incredibly uncouth and without decorum. Warden Shuttleworth cites Falkovnian aggression as a reason why she does not support this deal, and the Valcourts, especially the late Baron Reynard Valcourt, know as well as anyone else the true cost of Falkovnian aggression.  Having less dependency on warring aggressors who would seek to extort us with their grain seems like a way to enrich the lives of the Dementlieuse people, who—and perhaps this is against the teachings of Ezra—should come first.

Secondly, I would like to call into question the Red Vardo Traders representative, Mademoiselle Luelana, and their relationship with Warden Shuttleworth given their frequent meetings. The Red Vardo Traders are in no secret a proponent against the grain deal and prosperity in general for Port-a-Lucine because it detracts from their ability to profit off of desperate and hungry people and lessens the dependency on the grain contracts they currently hold.  It begs the question: is the Warden herself using the flowery words of faith as a mask for wanton profiteering off the suffering of the poor?  It is regretful to think that institutions such as the Church of Ezra might be going as far as to turn hardworking Dementlieuse people from hungry workers into delinquents working for a Barovian thieves' guild, but given the subject of their meetings it seems to be very much the case.

I believe I see the reason why the warden was barred from entering the Council of Brilliance meeting, as well as why the Church of Ezra should stay out of politics.

— M. Cornelius Valcourt

[Wu Tang Dan]

I will make no attempts to guise myself as an impartial spectator to this litany of essays and correspondences. Though I have yet to voice my opinion on the matter, I support the deal being proposed by the Borcans. I have always supported Sieur Creighton Norville's mission to make Dementlieu self-sufficient and more mindful of its natural beauty. While a deal with the Borcans will not directly contribute to that end, I believe that getting our grain from an ally is far preferable to getting it from our sworn enemy.

And yet, even with the obvious benefits we receive from cooperating more closely with the Borcans, the clergy is right to voice their concerns about the effect this will have on the price of domestic grain and the repercussions that will be felt by Dementliese farmers. Many people in this city have raised concerns (and rightfully so) over the rights and welfare of the laborers in Port-a-Lucine and many other cities in this nation, but far too often are the farmers, the craftsmen, the sailors, and the fishermen forgotten and swept to the side. We should all work to ensure that each and every citizen in Dementlieu benefits from this proposal, and I believe that our government could easily enact certain policies and protections related to the pricing and selling of domestic grain which will help to ensure that the scenario which the two Wardens speak of never come to pass. It would not detract from the success I believe we will find by taking this new opportunity while alleviating the concerns of some of this proposal's detractors.

-Arsène