CHOAM Crises Deepens

The Empire wide economic crises in CHOAM took on ever more ominous tones this week as auditors discovered underhanded dealings by one of our own directors. In an announcement to House Alman, later made public before the Landsraad, it was made known that CHOAM auditors had discovered that records had been falsified to try and frame the Almans for spice hoarding. They further revealed that the source of these falsified records was none other then House Poritrin.

Readers may recall that the Poritrin were among the directors set to be removed by his Majesty for dereliction of duty, but along with the others, were granted a temporary reprieve by calls to replace the wayward directors through CHOAM channels. Many, including most of the nobles in attendance at the recent general Plenary, were appaled as this would mean yet another delay for an economic system facing possible collapse due to the inattention of its stewards. At that point, it was felt that things couldn't get much worse then they already were.

Things do get worse, or at least stranger in this case. No sooner then the accusations against the Poritrin come to light we were presented with an even stranger circumstance. House Ziyara, another of the directors scheduled for demotion, spoke up to claim that it was instead they who had falsified the records and who had framed the Poritrin after having bribed some of the Doge's own staff to help in the scheme. Though it seems unlikely in the extreme it was further claimed that the Shogun did this in an effort to set the Alman and the Poritrin against one another.

What follows next is still largely unsubstantiated at this time. It has been reported that the Ziyara have tried to recant their confession and then still later changed their story yet again. It is further believed that the Shogun has tendered his resignation from the directorate and that it has been accepted by the Throne. There has been no further comment from the Poritrin but the Ziyara are pressing for declaration of Kanly against the Alman.

So, where does that leave us, the consumer, in this rapidly deteriorating mess known as CHOAM? Since so many of the stories conflict with one another it is hard to say. Either the Poritrin illegaly used the power of their office to smear a rival or their staff are too corrupt, or perhaps incompetent, to be trusted with the responsibility. As for the Ziyara, they are either puppets of the Poritrin trying to take the rap for their masters or are even more inept and unfit to the position they held. The only thing that is certain is that CHOAM has taken yet another blow when the Empire can ill afford it. Is there any relief in sight? Not with leadership such as this.