No one can argue that the gift of elixirs and herbs is the sole right of
the Forest guilds. No one can further effectively argue that they are
indeed bound to protect the forests, that their bond to nature is by far
stronger than any other guild of Aetherius, and that it is in fact their
call to decide how much they will harvest and for what price they will
sell it for. The true issue that I believe has angered everyone has been
lost in too much mud slinging and propaganda.

Let me illustrate with an example.

I purchase bulk myrrh from an Arboreal supplier at a legal council
price. Knowing that my guild's novices require myrrh, I decide to put it
on sale for half the price as a donation to my guild. I have just broken
the new law by underpricing herbs.

And yet, I paid full price for those herbs. Nature was not diminished,
the inarguable right of the Hunters and Arboreals to set price were not
violated as they were paid a fair and legal price originally.

And, of course, for people who want to scream about profit... That's not
even an issue in this case. The Arboreals got the same amount of profit
as they did before the change in the act - legal price. I'm the one
taking a loss, because it is my choice and I do it for my guild.

The point I am illustrating here is that the issue lies not in
purchasing the herbs from the producers - the Hunters and Arboreals. In
my opinion, people in the two organizations who sell under the legal
minimum are breaking law and should be punished.

The issue lies in extending jurisdiction to my herbs once I have legally
acquired them. To address the examples of other crafting guild, no
Saboteur will come after me if I pay them legal price for a toxin and
sell it to my ally for a reduced price. Once I have completed the legal
transaction of buying herbs, they become my property. They have already
been separated from Nature. They were part of the regulated amount and
entered the mainstream market. What happens to them further, who
consumes them and what their monetary turnover will henceforth be is now
completely irrelevant to Nature!

The issue here is not the right of the forests to protect and price
their produce. It's the issue of personal and private property. And, in
all honesty, it won't affect that many people, since most purchasers
resell at a profit anyhow, or don't resell at all. But there are a few
cases such as the one I brought up above that have potential to bring up
ludicrous issues.

In conclusion, I would also like to point out that I recognize this
measure was done to help track down and punish those Forestals who were
ignoring the legal settings of their organizations and underpricing. And
while the effort itself is commendable, I believe that it will not
accomplish its purpose. Shop owners can sell at legal minimum after
underpaying for bulk herbs... And, honestly, this will create far more
problems than it solves.

Because most people are very touchy about personal property. I know I
am.

Respectfully yours,

Lidara S'Sylistha

Penned by my hand on the 19th of Naturalis, in the year 414 AD.