Avdyen,

Thank you as always for your letters last month. My recuperative period in Otvev has come to an end, and I have returned to more vigorous duties. The passage to Lansk was uneventful, utterly lacking in parties and poets, and the dreary journey so soon after the whirlwind of society that entertained me so in Otvev was dreadful to bear, save only for your letters of home and your tales of your own exploits. I wish I could tell you that the posting here in Lansk has been more engaging. Though I am restored to full duties after my recovery, the daily routine of parades and exercises, as well as my administrative tasks, have numbed my mind nearly as much as the surgeons’ soporifics I grew so familiar with last year.

I shouldn’t paint so dismal a picture. Though the work itself has been dull, and I am starved for society outside my fellow officers, Lansk has been an exciting place for other reasons. You may have heard of the discontent brewing here, and perhaps some similar agitation has grown in Mirsvr. The lower classes and groundsfolk are demanding greater pay and improved conditions of labour. That their lives may be difficult I do not doubt – you know I am not without compassion. But it is certain that Erthani agitators seeking to undermine lawful rule and subvert the trade of the Companies are behind this recent movement. I shall tell you of an event last week – though I was not involved, I had a magnificent view of the whole proceedings.

First, do you know of Baurin te Eintov? He is the Chief Bailiff of Lansk, and a fellow Mirsvri by birth. He is a fine man, a great councillor and a cunning opponent, as you shall see. I think your father and his mother may have had business together one time – I have not yet had the pleasure of a meeting with him but I shall find out all I can as soon as I am able.

Last week, there was a demonstration for greater wages, held in a broad field often used for fairs and travelling markets, lying on the river between the quays and a small hill. This had somehow been arranged without coming to the attention of the Prefects or the Companies’ guards, but once word began to spread among the groundsfolk a large crowd gathered, and the employers of the city were crying for the return of their workers. I was not assigned any duties that morning, and was thus able to view the entire affair from my apartments.

The mob gathered and was awaiting the arrival of an orator – a woman from Vilv by the name of Yethara, known for her firebrand speeches and utter disrespect for authority. I heard later that the militia, having failed to stop the gathering, intercepted the speaker on her way to the field, but her supporters blocked their arrest and she escaped to the riverbank, where an Erthani vessel removed her from their jurisdiction and delivered her safely to the field – and sure enough, I saw the vessel deposit a small band of people into the crowd, whereupon a makeshift stage was mounted and speeches began.

Baurin’s militia refused to march upon the crowd – not wishing to arrest their own kin or face reprisals for interference. Though this mutiny could not be punished immediately, they were instead ordered to guard the edges of the crowd and prevent any more from joining its ranks. Baurin instead sent for a company of Temari Marines, which were granted to him immediately, as well as a patrol craft. With the crowd absorbed in the oration, and hemmed in by the militia, a most neat manoeuvre was undertaken – the patrol vessel hovered over the crest of the hill, seeming to merely observe the proceedings, while a company of Marines marched around the city and gained the far side of the hill from the field – and thus were unseen by the mob. The patrol vessel issued a lawful warning for the gathering to disperse, and this was not heeded by the agitators, but incited them to greater chants and songs. (Their enthusiasm was doubtless inflamed by rhetoric and cheap Erthani spirits.) As the passion of the crowd grew, the Marines crested the hill and panic overtook the mob. The vessel sent a warning shot from its lower battery, striking the water near the Erthani vessel that had delivered Yethara, while the Marines stormed down the hill to seize the stage and hold its occupants in custody.

A terrific brawl ensued! Elements of the mob attempted to flee, finding dissent and agitation no longer to their taste, only to be held back by the clubs of the militia, whose duty had finally overcome their timidity. Others attempted to storm the stage and gain the freedom of their leaders, only to be cut down by the Marines. Those that tried to escape to Erthani vessels on the river found their allies unwilling to approach the shore while it was being lightly bombarded by the patrol vessel’s batteries. The militia were at length instructed to arrest any leaders of the trouble and agitation, and allow the rest of the crowd to return to their homes.

A fine end to a troublesome quarrel, most unsuited to the Abhesk spirit of adventure. Talk in the officers’ club is that the mob was as many as twenty thousand people strong, and Yethara yet remains in custody in Baurin’s court. Despite their ill-thought attempt to take the stage, the number of dead in the crowd scarcely numbers in the dozens. Agitators such as these shall not receive so warm a welcome in our dear Mirsvr, I suspect!

Do return my letter with haste. I do not expect this city to provide such diversion again soon, and I have yet to find the equal of the society I enjoyed so in Otvev or at home! Please tell me what other accounts of this affair have reached Mirsvr, and the attitudes of the groundsfolk to these agitations. In the meanwhile, I shall find out more of Baurin’s people and his business with your family – perhaps we may find a pretense for you to come visit me!

Your friend,

Dazhag te Shensha

Lieutenant, Temar Company