Political Climate of Amaranthing

Amaranthine has fallen on hard times in the past few years. With the invasion of The Kahir in the southern portion of North Equikora the entire continent has been thrown into chaos. In an effort to maintain control and stem the tide of destruction that is the Kahir, King Leob Nesterly VIII invested heavily in the wars of the south; providing arms, money, supplies and in some cases actual Amaranthian soldiers. However, the war in the south is not going well. While the Kahir is little more than goblinoid rabble, they have the extreme advantage in numbers and while their rapid advance north has slowed it has not stopped. Unfortunately the heavy investments the crown has made in attempting to stop the Kahir, coupled with two consecutive long winters, several poor harvests and the worst drought in history, have left Amarathine’s coffers all but bled dry.
As a result, taxes have gone up, but so have the prices of daily necessities like bread and fresh water. Most of the middle and all of the poorer class are finding it hard to survive and even the aristocracy are having to make certain sacrifices, namely in the form of the property tax reform that the nobility used to be exempt from, but no longer are.
Tensions are rising, and while no outright revolt against the current regime has been attempted, several small protests have been held with a couple of them turning violent. In an effort to appease the populace, and forestall what he fears is quickly heading towards a revolt among the nobility, the king has called for the Political Assembly to be held for the first time in nearly forty years on the traditional holiday the following year. This placated the masses for now, although discontent is still a going issue.