A rather humble man for one of his station, though the church does say humility is a virtue. Much of the grain we’re keeping in reserve can trace its way back to the farms of Arcashire and I’d rather not change that any time soon, should for whatever reason Archibald needs to flee his land then he is always welcome in Silensia.

I can respect what you’re trying to do with the Reach but you have chosen perhaps the single worst possible time to do it. Between the crusades in your lands, the monsters infesting your land and the fact you are so utterly reliant on the support of others while also being despised by them makes it clear to me that you will fall long before Abbadon’s coming. Another man might be up to the task but not you.

While I’m not the most religious fellow around, I have to admit there is no denying the power Emmanuel holds. If he requires funding for his order then I shall gladly give him my support. I might even put up some monuments in his honour, it would be a decent way to show support to the church while not displeasing the more “libertine” artists I sponsor.

I suppose I should have a higher opinion of Auria given she’s a stalwart defender of the empire but… She’s a little too much of a fuddy-duddy. While those of us who live on the bridge aren’t hedonistic to the point of forgoing all sense of propriety, it is still to the point that the church doesn’t appreciate it. Thankfully we never really get anything worse than a lecture on the danger of bawdry plays and pamphlets on the impropriety of our masquerade balls, for now things remain amicable.

Long has House Barca been the rival of my family and long have I wished for some way to make my most hated rival see his comeuppance… With Abbadon and the Holy War at his doorstep, now might be the time to make my move. Of course it may turn out that the Gilded walls of Margiotte and the men who defend it might just be the human shield Silensia needs to survive, still this may be my only shot to secure our position over Vicaro…

To be frank, Catherine is a mere child and by all accounts unfit to rule. Still she seemingly has her head on straight… seemingly. If she needs some buyers for her artifice then I am always in the market. Silensia needs more than we alone can produce if we are to turn it into a warbarge. Somehow she’s still leagues better than that half-witted twit we call our emperor…

Ah. Yes, the eunuch. Truth be told it’s hard to have an opinion on the man, not like any deals House Florina makes with him will be passed down to his descendants and the man is getting quite long in the tooth as well… I suppose he does his job well enough.

God almighty why is he our emperor? Of all the debauched Caligulan emperors we’ve had, he might have the worst timing of all of them. I’ll keep my mouth shut for now on how much I hate the man, not like I hate him enough to actually do anything about it. If we all die, I’m blaming him.

Such a shame about what’s happened to the Grandmaster. I’ve offered to help fund search parties for the man but Eslafkrad has said that’s unnecessary. I fear that his disappearance may not have come as a surprise to the man.

I personally would never let the discontent of the underclass ferment this long but I suppose Silensia’s underclass is absurdly more prosperous than most, you’re considered poor when you have to settle for commissioning a marble bust over a bronze one. Perhaps you should have done as we had and invested in them instead of neglecting them like you have been.

Spymaster Borgia, Silensia is a merchant domain. Guild merchants. Maybe undesirables really do have a blackmarket underbridge. We don't know. Frankly, we don't want to know. It's a market we can do without.

I think I might actually prefer Vicaro to Pollu, at least House Barca has class… If any man could make me rethink Silensia’s rivalry with Margiotte it would be Pollu, I would gladly put it to rest and work with him if it meant ridding the world of Sunge's duke.