Krol Kura may have unified The Pocket after so many winters of hardship and civil war but he’s burning through his goodwill with these belligerent measures.

“The Peldan Commonwealth is poor, the trade routes north are unsecure, and coffee is an unsustainable expense. We’ve set up an inspection checkpoint on the Vistula and any ship carrying coffee beans is going to face a sharp tariff. Because the merchants who pay this tariff want to make a profit, they must sell their coffee beans at a higher price, pushing the cost onto the consumer. Either deal with your caffeine withdrawal like an elf, don’t use the Vistula which will have its own risks, or split your vein open for your precious addiction.”

I must begrudgingly admit that coffee is a luxury we can ill afford as we rebuild, but many of his reforms seem to be changes for the sake of it.

He’s moved his court out of the traditional capitol of Pelda to a more centralized location, which is fair. But he also wants to create a new currency made of paper, he’s creating a ‘high’ and ‘low’ Peldish language, he’s instituted reforms seeking to move elves from their ancestral farms and homesteads to consolidate us within towns and cities. His only explanation is a halfhearted ‘I’m dragging this nation to success whether you’ll thank me or not.’

One goal which seems admirable at first glance is he wants to make meat, particularly beef and venison, readily available to become a staple of elven cuisine. But a promised allotment of meat was one of the greatest incentives for military service, so how will he entice elves to join the new armies he’s building?

His answer was “they’ll fight for the Commonwealth, or they’ll be eaten by faebeasts. It’s that simple.”