9 July 1782
Tensions rise over the Flüssental issueTensions have risen up in some rural areas over the use of the scarse water supplies left due to the alarming lack of rains that reduced or dried up many rivers.
The worst news come from the Rückbach river which has now become impossible to navigate through with any significant trade vessel, leaving the town of Püschwalde, a freshwater port linking the West and East of Bodanwald, without a significant direct access to the capital. the small roads going from the Westertal valley to the Flüssental plains are few and in bad conditions, never considered of much use due to the much more profitable river connection.
With some Friulian-speakers in the Flüssental whispering outrageous ideas of secession from the Bugraviate, and the whole region now relying on the passage of supplies from the southern neutral territories, Admiral Großel has spoken out in support of General Bardans's plan for the occupation of the neutral territories, moving the border to the East bank of the river Skwars.
"Securing the estuary of the three rivers has now become paramount" explained the Admiral "leaving the region in the hands of the indigenous alliance, or the remnants of it, could eventually render us vulnerable, and we cannot afford to give any morale boost to the many pirates waiting for a new occasion to attack our trading routes".
No official decision has come from His Excellency yet, but the increased number of troops at the border give a clear message.
New section of Kieselberg harbour completedAnew sector for the port of Kieselberg has finally been completed, now offering harbour to larger ships.
The change will also be seen with a significantly faster loading and unloading process, and a more direct route to the warehouses area.
This project, completed thanks to the support of the prominent trade company Löffler & Messerschmidt is part of a wider set of changes and updates to the South-East of Kieselberg aiming to improve the local manufacturing processes and make the distribution of goods arriving in the capital for other areas of Bodanwald much faster
Blecher family in crisis and prices risingBad timing is how the rich Blecher family has being describing the recent economic issues that have forced their householder, Dominik Blecher, to halt the new mining project recently started near the port town of Lanseeburg, cut expenses and halt part of his textile production and furthermore, according to a revelation from the Bank of Bodanwald, tap into the family capital to hastily pay back some small debts.
The draught is mainly to blame, as it has made even the monumental Löffler & Messerschmidt company shake, and the recent drying up of the Rückbach river has been a much harsher reality for the Blecher family holdings which are totally focused on the West of the Burgraviate.
These events have suddenly increased the price of iron, a number of textile products, and, for a small part, the price of work tools, which is worrying as the price of food and beverages has already jumped up in the past weeks.
The prominent merchant Julian Kaufmann has plans for expanding his family dealings overseas to ease this crisis, but in the meantime hopes are that new trade routes will open up to Kieselberg.