#otvev

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Anarchy in Otvev

It is our sad duty to inform the public of yet further agitationist violence, the latest in the wave of destructive radicalism that afflicts Abheski society.

Following the massacres in Mirsvr, the insurrection in Lansk, and many other grievous acts besides, their limited scope rendering them no less shocking in their violence and social importance, agitationists have seized control of part of the ancient city of Otvev. Aided by diverse agents, whose identites are not yet fully known, these strikers have taken occupation of a large factory district.

The following facts are known at this time:

The agitation began as a strike in a Valdjin company foundry.

The Valdjini leadership failed to supress the strike swiftly, and were indeed seeking to reach accomodation with the agitationists.

What began as a strike turned to violence; several Valdjini officers, a number of bailiffs and Valdjini marines, as well as unknown local workers and citizens, have been killed by the agitationists.

A traitorous cadre of Temari aviators and marines uninvolved in the dispute were convinced to join the anarchy, and in doing so murdered their Captain, Sakhila Pofyan. Their seized vessel was turned over to the control of the agitationists.

It is clear that agitation cannot be met with diplomacy. Neither accomodation nor debate will satisfy the aims of those who slay factory-owners and -workers alike, and claim to seek justice in doing so. In submitting to the demands of strikers, the Valdjini leadership in Otvev submitted to their own execution, and sentenced Captain Pofyan among other innocents to the same fate. This cowardly surrender to tyranny is the ultimate aim of agitation.

Lest the agitationists fashion the noble city of Otvev into another shattered Lansk, it is imperative that action be taken immediately to crush this occupation. In the name of decency and prosperity, in the memory of the martyred Captain Pofyan, the Cities must quell this movement. Those Companies capable of resisting the agitation must act against all strikers and anarchist agents.

Anonymous broadsheet posted in several Abheski cities.

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Request for Relief

Commander Patseva,

Please send a vessel and a detachment of troops with greatest haste; the situation here is dire.

The weavers and the potters have cast down their tools and joined together in defiance of all authority. They proclaim solidarity with the agitation in your cities. Thus our production has ground to a halt. Need I remind you the prosperity these products bring to you and the Company? My textiles are highly-sought in Zhikav; I attended a gala in Otvev where I was served soup in my own dishes. Is this partnership to be repaid now in treachery?

I have facilitated your Abheski practices in this land. When my father balked at adopting your methods of business, I replaced him and in doing so our mutual prosperity has increased manyfold.

Now your Abheski business has brought your Abheski troubles to my operation. By my native customs, this cannot be borne. By your customs I have adopted, this cannot be borne! As an esteemed partner in commerce, as a shareholder, I insist upon your aid. The contribution of my efforts to the company's fortunes are no lesser than those of many a Spires-born merchant or business agent. I demand the treatment due to me in protecting my interests and those of the Company.

Attempting to use my own forces to quell this agitation nearly triggered a mutiny. Desertion has since reduced the numbers of my force to a scant handful. We are rendered unable to impose order upon the workers. Our factories yet stand but my stockhouses, left unprotected, have been looted and burned. Let not this outrage go unpunished!

A detachment of Marines and the batteries of a vessel shall be sufficient to crush this uprising. Our commerce can resume with greatest haste once we have excised the agitationist elements from the population.

Reproduction of letter found pinned to remains of Mae Den Aawjen by crew of patrol vessel Cloud Ice. Company Assets under Mae Den's stewardship have not yet been recovered.

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Abheski Cultural Primer

In entering the service of the Company, any Abheski possessed of the virtues we exalt above others – these being leadership, initiative, clarity of thought, and financial acumen – may become successful and the very envy of their fellows. Further, with proper training and discipline these virtues may be cultivated and promoted; so that in the training of cadets, the Companies do their utmost for the benefit of these young officers, and thereby the benefit of the Abheski nation.

To truly benefit the nation, we must first understand who we Abheski are; a nation of diverse parts, no doubt, but possessed of a common history.

We came to these lands from abroad – it is not known where exactly from. Some believe that one of the distant lands of Ycairn is the place of our origin, but most agree that we came from another world. Traditional belief across much of the continent holds that we came from the Sun itself, but others believe our origin is from Fasaath, or Kombyeny, or another point within the night sky.

We Abheski are an industrious, creative, and innovative people. Having tamed patches of the wild expanse of the lands, building towns and farms and trading posts, the most successful and prosperous of our ancestors founded the five great cities – Zhikav, Vilv, Otvev, Mirsvr, and Lansk.

Though we live alongside other peoples, we hold ourselves apart. The Abheski have distinguished ourselves twice by mastery over the skies – first, in building the mighty towers that soar over our cities. Some of these towers are centuries old, and stand strong to this day, the least of them stretching higher than fifty people. In the last few generations, our supremacy over the air was proven again in being the first nation to recreate the science of powered flight; our ships, lifted by mighty dvint, broke us free from the shackles of the land.

Trade is the blood of the Abheski culture. Spread across this harsh and hostile continent, ever taming the ancient forests and defending against the great beasts, our trade is what makes the Abheski prosper above all other people; and the Companies are the pinnacle of Abheski trade. Not restricted to one province, we can deal in goods from across the known world. Not bound to the paths of the rivers and coastlines, we can go anywhere our airships can carry us. Abheski goods are prized from the tents of the Anshessi to the outposts of Hoitan, and if an Ebwari baron wants to exchange letters or goods with a Nalmyan chief, it is most probable that an Abheski vessel will carry their intercourse.

There are other practices that mark us as a peculiar peoples among our neighbours. All nations have their own calendar of celebrations and holidays, and the most important of ours is The Yearsrise festival. Though we differ on which precise day this takes places, Abheski always celebrate the end and beginning of the year around the time of winter solstice. Other peoples reckon the year differently: the Erthani begin at the spring equinox, and the Ebwari count from the height of summer. Other nations practice more curious calendars yet.

Our other important festivals are the First Feast, which in ancestral times celebrated the first hunt after each winter; and the late summer Meetday, where the harvest traditionally begins and the year's differences and disagreements are put aside.

Each city and town observe their Founding Dates. These may variously remember the day the first settlers began to build their new homes, or the day the first Spire was finally completed, but always are celebrated with great revels and public entertainments.

Though we are all Abheski, we may have slight differences in our speech. The rapid speech of a city-dweller may sound different to the calmer pace of a settler from the deep forest; the clipped vowels of Otvev are readily distinguished from the rounder syllables of Zhikav; the plain words of the groundsfolk contrast with the florid oratory of the wealthy classes. All these however are still Abheski, and can readily talk to one another; just try to understand the harsh Hoitani or the singing cadences of the Ebwari to hear how truly different language can sound.

Extract from A Child's Primer and History of the Abheski, published by the Temar Company Press

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Reassigned

Contract Captain te Yarllen,

At your earliest opportunity, return to these lands. Proceed to my estates near Mirsvr with greatest haste, and I shall join you there to discuss our work.

You may not have heard the most recent news from the eastern quarters. Following a failed attempt to prevent the Valdjini company from succumbing to the pressures of agitation, an insurrection has seized control of an industrial district of Otvev. The blame for this has been placed solely on the Temar Company; though traitors within our ranks contributed to our mission's failure, Valdjini cowardice allowed the cancer of agitation to grow and fester.

In the aftermath of this debacle, Otvev and Vilv have cancelled their municipal contracts with us. Our routes to the East have been dogged by attacks, seemingly from free traders. I suspect the Valdjini and Eltjini may be the originators of these aggressions, either through employing proxies or disguising their own vessels. As well as these cowardly acts unbecoming of civilized trade, many believe the Valdjini and Eltjini Commissions are close to declaring outright open war upon the Company, with the backing of Vilv, Otvev, and many of the smaller companies. Public opinion among the groundsfolk has turned against us in these cities, though our support in Mirsvr and Zhikav remains steadier.

These events have caused significant disruptions to our TransOlyen and Hoitani offices – as well being unable to supply our Depots adequately, investors are beginning to doubt the security of the enterprises carried out in those regions, and their wavering confidence compounds our difficulties in addressing the material causes of their concerns.

Upon your arrival at my estate, I request that you begin to outfit the Fasaathi with whatever you may require for an extended cruise in the TransOlyen region. Supplies have been procured and my staff have been instructed to assist you to their greatest extent. I have arranged a line of credit to purchase any further necessary material from the city. Latest intelligence and reports will be made available to you; begin planning your operations. If I am not present I will join you at my earliest convenience to furnish you with further details and instructions.

Our investment in you was not insignificant, and we expect it will continue to deliver.

Yours,

Alett, Finance Board Eastern Office Representative

Letter to Yar te Yarllen, Contract-Captain of the Fassathi

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A Memo on Urban Conflict

Varhihy,

It is clear the nature of the violence associated with our trade is changing. No longer confined to inter-Company engagements along trade routes, destruction of free-traders, or enforcing our contracts abroad, commercial bloodshed is becoming an unfortunate and commonplace occurrence in the Spires themselves.

The events of recent years in Mirsvr, Otvev, and most particularly Lansk, have demonstrated indisputably that our capacity to project violent force domestically will be necessary for conducting future business, and to weather the increasing storm of agitation. Though this will be in breach of long-standing customs and traditions, we can no longer rely on the authority of the civic governance to act in our interest.

To this end, the Finance Board requests that the Military Commission draw up a proposal for how the Company may develop new forces suited for domestic use.

Without wishing to tell you your trade, we have several items of interest we request to be considered in this proposal, bearing in mind the Board is not lacking members with considerable experience in the armed elements of our business.

The Spires are, as we have seen, full of gangs of young braves with the vitality and courage suited to military usage. These represent a pre-existing population of recruits with significant local experience and knowledge.

It may be prudent to engage these gangs at a remove; openly employing gangs of street toughs will be damaging to the Company's image, and risk triggering further escalation of urban violence.

It may be assumed that individual Company agents will have contacts embedded in such gangs, operating under more limited authority; is it desirable to bring these under more central control, and how may this be achieved?

How may we limit the influence of our competitors in achieving these same aims?

How can we limit the loss of these assets to bailiffs – whether through recruitment or imprisonment?

Haste in this matter is required – the other Companies have doubtless reached the same conclusions as we have, and may have already begun to speculate on this resource. It is imperative we are first to gain the strategic benefits awaiting us here.

Yours,

Alet, Finance Board Eastern Office Representative

Letter to Varhihy te Átremy, member of Temari Military Commission

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Hostile Takeover

Aptsem,

Further to your letter of last night, we have approved an extension of credit and authority to stop the Valdjin foundry from reaching an accommodation with the striking workers. Such an outcome would be disastrous both strategically for Company interests, and socially for the overall health of Abheski society.

The vote to agree to the workers' demands must be defeated. To this end, you must purchase as many shares in the foundry as is possible, or otherwise secure the votes of those who hold significant control, using whatever incentives and persuasion you deem necessary. Orders to this effect have been delivered to Captain Pofyan, instructing her to liaise with you. Consider all requests for credit approved and underwritten by the Eastern Office.

Defeating the vote is of primary importance; should you fail to secure sufficient control, the vote must be prevented. In this event, Captain Pofyan will assume authority in this affair.

Should the agitators resist the transfer of the foundry into Temari ownership, Captain Pofyan will assume authority in this affair. Under the Captain's command, you are to provide whatever logistical or material support she requires.

It is imperative that we prevent this capitulation to the agitators' tyranny.

Yours, Alett, Finance Board Eastern Office Representative

Letter to Aptsem tsi Yekhesh, Commercial Director, Temar Company Otvev Bureau

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Behind the Barricades

Mother,

I have written to you before now, but it was said it could not be certain that any letter would reach you, and less certain by far that any letter in return would reach me; forgive me if I repeat myself from previous letters, but if, as I fear, you have not received my previous messages, I must give an account of what has occurred here in Lansk these past months. I am, as you no doubt feared, behind the barricades.

Life has not been so bad, despite what you may have heard. I was at work when the assault transpired, and thus avoided being caught up in any of the violence. When we knew what was occurring outside the yard, the greater part of the uprising was already over. The barricades were in place by the end of the day, and for the most part those of us with our homes and our workplaces situated within the neighbourhood continued as normal. I have maintained my boarding from before; the other tenants too remain, save for Kastin who was a staunch opponent of all agitation and mutiny. He, to the extent any of us know, stole away on the second night of the barricade and has not been heard from since, and has not been sorely missed, for though his company was generally agreeable we know it should have become unbearable in the current affair. We have given his bed to a young Otvevi – his accent suggests Otvev, but his name and his appearance suggest an admixture of other blood in his veins. This fellow, Ahaethe, is a dock worker, who had lodgings on the other side of the city and was unable to return home across the barricades, but he has made himself comfortable here and is a happy addition to our band.

Not knowing what else to do, I continued to go to the yard and work for a long period after the barricades placed us in isolation. Many of my colleagues did the same, nearly all those who did not flee the ward entirely. Of course, we could not continue forever as there is no one to purchase the completed dvinti or to deliver fresh materials for new constructions, and so the foreman has written us letters acknowledging our continued labours, freeing us from obligation to his yard for the duration of this affair, ensuring us work should it be possible once more, and finally he promised us the sum of our wages for the time worked, as there has been a lack of currency hereabouts. I do not feel aggrieved at the lack of labour nor pay; my last pay-day was shortly before the uprising, and I have saved diligently as you taught me. Really I have no great need for money presently; our landlord has not been present to collect her due, and I have eaten much from communal kitchens and traded labour for meals. There is no great variety of food – much of our supplies come from the Erthani, and the hard biscuit and salty fare they favour grows dull without a relish or a fruit to soften them – and there is no great excess, but there is enough for most of us on most days. We in the lodgings have pooled what little extra we can, and feast together when we there is a sufficiency; there is a general shortage of brandy but Irasha, being unable to attend her work outside the barricades, joined a committee and was assigned to sourcing provisions, where she is betimes able to take home a bottle or two recovered from some wealthy citizen's stores.

With my time so free from the yard I have not been idle. Committees have been established for necessary tasks – while Irasha finds food, I am often assigned monitoring the barricades here, or watching out for company vessels or columns of bailiffs, neither of which I have seen, you will be relieved to hear. On other days I have worked at unloading barges, repairing neglected buildings, or clearing refuse. Of my other fellow lodgers, Alsech is able to work at his trade relatively unconcerned with the whole affair, as shoes must yet be repaired even in the midst of mutiny; Ahaethe likewise is working to unload the barges and maintain the docks; Irasha I have told you; Grigana is entirely unable to attend to her trade and so she has volunteered for a safety committee and spends her days ensuring peaceable conditions in the ward, adjudicating disputes and quelling brawls and directing such energies instead to the protection of the district.

I am well, Mother, and affairs are peaceful enough hereabouts, despite the upheaval. I cannot say when I will see you again – once this affair has been concluded I hope to hear from you and return to visit as soon as work allows it. I have not asked of the family, though I miss you all heartily, as I know you will have no means of transmitting such news; give them all my sincere love and reassure them of my safety.

Your loyal and loving daughter,

Ulne

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The Crimes of Yethara

An Account of the Orator Yethara Her Falsehoods and her Crimes

The Orator known as Yethara has preaches across the Abhesk, from Zhikav to her alleged home city of Vilv. In her wake, agitation and strife has bubbled forth to disrupt the peace and prosperity of these great cities. But who is this agitator?

Yethara claims to be from Vilv, yet the authors, possessed of no small familiarity with that great city, have not found any there who knew of her, neither in her youth nor as fellow workers.

She preaches of justice and freedom for the workers and groundsfolk, but what does she know of labour, and working conditions? In all her speeches she never tells what her trade was before she set out to crash Abheski society.

The authors of this pamphlet can reveal that Yethara, far from being a humble Vilvan worker questing for justice for her fellow groundsfolk, is in fact a hypocrite, a subtle infiltrator fomenting agitation to disrupt the trade of the Cities and the great Companies that have made the Abheski a prosperous nation.

Yethara was born indeed to a Vilvan mother, but by an Erthani father. She was raised on a stinking vessel of that nomadic nation, learning from the cradle not of industry and toil and honest trade, but of treachery, mendacious dealings, and jealousy. Having spent the greater portion of her years aboard barges, she donned the guise of an Abheski only well into adulthood, and then only to pursue a plan of sabotage and dissent.

In her tour of preaching her agitations to the groundsfolk, she travels not by airship. The sky, beloved of all Abheski, is not her path. All true Abheski, undeceived by the glamour of dissent, recognise her beliefs as dangerous; understanding this, she sticks to the ground and the waterways, knowing she will not be challenged but instead receive aid from the disaffected and the hostile nations who share in her jealousy. Upon the sovereign decks of Erthani vessels, she is shielded from the bailiffs and constables and marines. In the deep forests, she is hidden from the sight of those vessels that protect our communities .

We wrote of the strife to be found in the wake of this orator. When she spoke in Lansk, she provoked a riot against the bailiffs, wherein dozens were killed. In Mirsvr, a mob stormed the Lesyan Tower and slaughtered another score of innocents. In Otvev, a fire claimed a Company Depot, though the docks and the Erthani fields were spared any such disaster.

It is clear to all that Yethara is not a mere orator, preaching a creed of justice. The inescapable conclusion is that Yethara is a vile conspirator. Whether she is among the leaders of the agitators attempting to bring our nation to ruin, it cannot be said, but she is certainly the most visible figure and the most dangerous.

Don't let this Agitator destroy us!

Protect your family, protect your prosperity: If you know of agitation or conspiracy, tell your bailiffs, and tell your bosses.

Pamphlet anonymously distributed ahead of a labour rally in Mirsvr.

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Raids in Otvev

Servi,

I write to you with urgent news. Your husband and Mapnir are fled from Otvev. I cannot commit to paper where – he said you would know the place of sanctuary and he will await you there.

I do not know how much Enklan has told you of the dire situation here. The bailiffs, their numbers swollen with auxiliaries and bolstered by patrols of Company troops, have been ruthlessly eliminating any hint of protest or discontent among the people. Daily we hear of another raid or reprisal, and the courts swell with groundsfolk accused of sedition or other crimes, to be sold off for servitude in depots or in distant colonies. The broadsheets, when they are circulated, no longer tell us what passes in the other cities – just banal tales of local society and local trade.

I expect and fear the situation to be much the same in Zhikav, and I can only hope that you are safe. Do not trouble yourself to reply – I cannot promise I will remain free to accept your letter, or that communication between the cities shall be possible much longer. Simply do everything in your power to reach Enklan and Mapnir.

I must tell you how they came to flee the city. A brutish raid was carried out upon our district, the evening before the last market day. The bailiffs, backed by a complement of sullen Temari marines, swept through the building, claiming to search for a gang of youths who had daubed slogans in support of the Nomadeers upon the barracks-wall. Such slogans appear daily now; though we have scuffles and brawls we yet have no strikes or mutinies of our own, the chatter upon Otvev's walls foretells it may happen soon. In the course of this raid, Velina, she who lived upon the second floor, was dragged forth from her rooms, as the bailiffs claimed to have discovered a concealed printing-press in her apartments. Enklan, witness to these proceedings, remonstrated with the bailiffs, protesting in cordial terms that Velina was as like to conceal a gun-battery or a tamed arvix in her apartments as a printing-press – where, indeed, could she hide it mean rooms such as ours! The bailiff officer took great offense to this interference in his lawful duties, and attempted to arrest Enklan in turn – gentle, kind Enklan! Never a strikeist nor a mutineer, not even in his idle thoughts, and yet arrested now for speaking on behalf of an innocent neighbour.

Mapnir and I followed them as they took the prisoners out of the building – where the bailiff's party was set upon by a gang of youths, perhaps those they had originally sought. When the bailiff leading Enklan in chains was struck by a cobblestone, he slipped his bonds in the tumult, and escaped back through the building into the yards beyond, taking Mapnir with him. He bade me to gather some possessions from your apartments and meet him below his shop one hour later, where gave me instructions to write you this letter. I know not the means of his escape from the city, nor his destination, but only that he has fled to a place of refuge known to you both.

I fear that we may not meet again; I doubt your return to Otvev will be soon. I wish you only safety and security, Servi, safety and security for all three of you. May these troubled times of ours soon be over.

Your friend and neighbour,

Niruna

Letter intercepted in the possession of known Erthani agent. The author has been arrested and is awaiting secondary interrogation.

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A Note to the Head Chef

Makavar,

I have left this morning on Company business. I may not be home this evening, so I have instructions.

Please prepare the spiced Atramya Jelly for tomorrow's meal – Chief Bailiff te Eitvov is attending, and he has a particular fondness for that meat. Serve it in the Otvevi style – if this is not familiar to you, I shall describe it below.

Firstly, remove all the lower appendages, being careful to cut as close to the body as possible. The longer limbs should be set aside for curing – the lesser ones may be used as offal. The excess skin of the sac should be carefully cut free, carefully I say, as it is required for later use.

After these preparations, rub the central bulb with vinegar and salt, and then rinse in cool water. It requires no further cleaning. Stuff the bulb with figs and ice herbs, and rub in oil. Wrap the bulb in the skin from the sac and rub once more with oil and ice herbs. Bake this in the number two oven for three turns of the prime glass. The baker has been left instructions to prepare a setting of tentacles in pastry. Place the roasted bulb in the centre of this pastry. I trust the selection of other dishes to your expertise. I will be taking to the table at midnight.

As to other business pertaining to the kitchen:

It has not escaped my attention that theft of foodstuffs from my stores has increased in the past weeks. As head chef, I expect diligence in ensuring this does not exceed reasonable amounts. Given the frequent food riots in Lansk's current climate servants relying on Company wealth and supplies is advantageous to us – threatening the stability of those supplies is not. Those serving my household can expect to be well fed, not to profit from thievery. I have every reason to expect your competence and cooperation in this matter. Your attachment to my current staff is new, but a long and mutually prosperous relationship is certain, should we understand each other.

I trust we understand each other.

Finally, ensure that all bread, flour, and meal ordered for the house are from the mill at First Tower, and ensure it is clearly ordered in the name of MY staff. Erbavi is buying the sawdust from my timberworks, in exchange for a good price on unadulterated grain.

-Dazhag te Shansha, Commander, Temar Company Lansk Depot

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A Mirsvri Child's Tale

Our people arrived here when the forests were still young, child. We made our home here, and made this land ours, and we have forgotten where we sailed from. Some say we left from a cruel kingdom far to the East of Hoitan. Some say we came from frozen Triir, far away in the south. Others believe we sailed from Fasaath, or from beyond the stars... all we remember is we fled from a great and terrible disaster.

A hundred families set off in a mighty seaship, the greatest vessel anyone had ever seen! Half the forests of the Vikol would not be enough timber to build this mighty vessel. Away we sailed to safety, but the journey was a long and dangerous one!

Our ship was sucked into a great whirlpool, and we were tossed and shaken. But our ship did not break, and we were brave!

A great wave carried us out again, and a mighty waterspout threw us into the air! But our ship did not break, and we were brave!

We landed with a crash, and the waters closed over our ship. But our ship did not break, and we were brave!

After a hundred nights we came to this land, to beautiful Abhesk. The mighty ship sailed up the river and where we stopped, we founded the first city of Mirsvr. From its masts and timbers we built the first Spires. We felled the great trees of the Abhesk and built the first ships of the air, and we learned to fly.

We sailed out across the sky, over this beautiful land that we would make our own. All the Great Cities of the North were founded by us. From Otvev to Zhikav we took this land and built our Spires.

The monsters of the deep forests and the jagged mountains could not scare us – our ships flew above them, and we were brave!

Cruel Anshessi chiefs and cunning Erthani cheats could not trick us – our ships flew above them, and we were brave!

Long frozen winters and great storms could not stop us – above it all our ships flew, and we always were brave!

And so Abhesk, the greatest land on Ycairm, became ours.

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A map of The Spires, the Ussin Belt, and surrounding lands and provinces.

Massive thanks to Edgar for turning my scratchings into lovely art!

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A Yearsrise Revel

Avdyen,

Thank you dearly for your last letter. My wound is healing nicely – the recuperation here in Otvev has been most regenerative not only for my body, but for my mind, my spirit, and my soul.

The social circuit here has done much to revive me. Even though I am on half-pay, my cousin secured me an administrative post (little more than a sinecure, in truth). My duties are far from onerous but the extra cash along with my injury compensation means I have had a heavy purse while recovering here. Thankfully though, there are many revels which have assisted greatly in lightening this burden.

The social youth of Otvev consider a dashing lieutenant of the Temar Company, bearing a battle-scar and limping from a war wound, a handsome spectacle indeed, and I have been invited to no fewer than three parties each night of this festive season. My account of the Battle of Selin Lake has been recounted so many times (embellished no more than the appropriate amount), that I feel sure I must be telling it in my sleep.

I was at the most curious party last night. A Licence-Prospector was holding a Yearsrise celebration in his palace, and his son insisted that I should be there – or perhaps it was his nephew, the fellow was rather dull but the party sounded exciting and so I graced him with my attendance.

You are probably wondering how this letter has reached you so quickly – do not worry, my friend, for in Otvev they celebrate Yearsrise several days earlier than we do! I tried to get an explanation for one of my hosts, why they do things so strangely, but they could not really explain how they reckoned the change in the year. I must confess than I was then pressed upon to explain how we reckon our year in Mirsvr, and found myself unequal to a clear explanation. It simply is so.

In any case, the party was magnificent and peculiar at once. The majority of the evening was taken up in great revelry. Dancing a new dance adapted from a Koiri rhythm that has been fashionable of late in Otvev – has it come into vogue at home yet? – drinking brandy and fine wines, and being entertained by a troupe of acrobat players from somewhere to the far south of Anshess. A good hundred or more people must have been there, and all dressed in their festival finest – the fashions are much like home. I danced my share, and recounted my story of Selin Lake at least twice more and was heartily applauded both times. My fist nor my throat ever wanted for a drink thanks to my admiring audience, and I made the acquaintance of a young poet with the most striking eyes.

As the evening drew on and the guests began to retire to their own homes for their private Yearsrise observances, I was asked to stay and take part in the more intimate gathering of close friends and family, the nephew insisting I was part of his personal circle. We recited the same prayers as I was familiar with – or at least, the words were the same, but the rhythm and the cadence were very different, and not solely because of the local accent. Rather than baked fruit and fish, we ate a small meal of a sky-jelly, native to somewhere to the West but long popular in Otvev and their typical Yearsrise meal. We drank three toasts (of good Mirsvr brandy!), and spent the remainder of the evening in much quieter, gentler pursuits than I had expected.

It is curious how we two cities – so alike, so aligned in our purpose, and united by our familial bonds and our common tongue – can yet be so alien! It is often the least changes that have the most striking effect upon the stranger. In a temple in Anshess or a tent of a Hoitan chief, one is prepared for the unfamiliar, but when the unfamiliar hides within Yearsrise prayers one has known all of their life, the effect is increased manyfold.

I hope your own Yearsrise revels were glad, my friend. I await your next letter eagerly, and hope to be returned to full health soon. If you encounter a Temari probationer by the name of Yarllen, who I hear is on leave in Mirsvr, stay clear of the cardtable – I am sure the little sneak is a cheat.

Now, I must go and ask my striking young poet where I really have been telling war-tales in my sleep.

Your friend,

Dazhag te Shensha

Lieutenant (bound), Temar Company