It's the first Monday of the month, so we bring you a new glimpse into the world of The Broken Hourglass. Today's article comes to us from the unpublished notes of Redethe Hektor, Imperial economist, whose tour of the Empire brings her to Mal Nassrin just before things go south...

Mal Nassrin: An Economic Overview

Day 6

* Mal Nassrin commerce still frustratingly impenetrable and backwater in its organization. On sheer money supply alone is likely in top 15 Empire-wide in buying power (entirely too many sanguil are stuffed in mattresses and jars, however—these conservative and unimaginative people tend to save whatever they can scrape together, as though they can take it with them.) MN is a city of untapped potential, but most residents too content/fatalistic/moronic to realize it.

* Met last evening w/weaver's guild rep. Smelled of dye and old curry. Made no eye contact worth speaking of. Have concluded that trade and light craft guilds are weak to laughable degree in MN—unsurprising w/stagnant growth and soft demand. Heavy craft guilds continue to ignore Imperial seal on summons. Keep hearing they hold significant influence but have seen little evidence. Also, difficult to believe. Most buildings here fall into three categories—shacks, old and crumbling, crumbling and old. If builder guilds so powerful/active, where are their new foundations and spires?

* Is an unfortunate fourth category of structure here—gaudy estates of the newly rich. Pretenders whose idea of cuisine is adding a lemon wedge to the same goat shawerma eaten by the poor. Tasteless in more ways than one.