Ration Traffickers

During the Great War, the country of Kinilan developed into a total war economy, and strict controls over resource distribution were introduced as a part of this. Ration Traffickers are merchants who evade the rationing laws, selling food, wine, and various other luxuries to those who can afford them. Many are members of various underworld enterprises, like the Brotherhood of the Hand.

Perception

Purpose

Ration traffickers provide extra luxuries to those who can afford them, making deals with all sorts of suppliers - from paying off butchers to keep the finest cuts of meat off the records to paying bandits for stolen shipments, even, during the war, trading luxuries to soldiers in the Iron Hills in exchange for the rare mushrooms that can be found there. While their main focus is in food and wine - selling delicacies to the upper class and padding out the rations of the poor with the more common fare, they also trade in more exotic goods. One of their more recent products is Peppercurrant, the addictive drug originally used to keep soldiers alert on watch, but later banned due to its alarming side effects. By then it was popular among the soldiers, and it became the best way of trading with soldiers for the last years of the war.
Now, the war has ended, but rationing is still in effect; reserves of everything are low, and the economy of Kinilan is strained to the breaking point. So the ration traffickers remain, though their work has gotten harder. With the end of the war, they've lost one of their most valuable sources of supplies, and the army is free to devote its time to suppressing banditry in the countryside.

Type

Illicit

Demand

Ration traffickers are in demand by many, to varying degrees. The rationing rules are strict, and while there is enough to get by, it's not enough to keep people happy.