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I was in the unenviable position of providing a necessary product to the citizens of the district, and so I was forced to deal with the Executive and the self-appointed tyrants of the Supply Committe. I had no wish to support or validate their actions, but had less wish for the innocent population to starve! Thus, with no small distaste, I continued to produce bread with grain supplied by the Executive, to be distributed by the Executive, even at times relying on workers assigned by the Executive. Collaboration it was not, Muzhits, as it was performed under duress and only out of necessity.

Regardless, when the bailiffs and the Companies took back the District, I could easily have been accused of treachery, were it not for my bakery being shut down for lack of material. A scarce two days prior, I had a cart of grains stolen from my yard, the very last in the city that I could secure. I could not prove the author of this outrage, though I know it to have been on behalf of Pivan. That scoundrel has not been seen since the night of the battle, when his brewery was destroyed. The loss of that brew is a sore blow to Lansk; the man shall not be mourned so deeply. Nevertheless, this theft proved fortunate, as I had to suspend operation and thus the Company had no basis to accuse me of collaboration with agitators on that first day, a day of brutal reprisal.

I said, however, circumstances have not improved. Supply is still disrupted, as despite the collapse of the barricades, the Erthani no longer trade here and the Companies are struggling to deliver supplies sufficient to our needs. Many of my workers have fled or been arrested – good dependable men and women, who I never suspected of agitation in years of employment, are nowhere to be found. Those who remain are often without homes, or grievously injured, or seeking better employment than the wages I can promise on such meager trade. A new Temari agent has been deployed to distribute capital in aid of reconstruction, but I like her not. It's said she was a Licence-Prospector, and a brute. Whether this is true I cannot confirm, but despite abundant rumours of her rough conduct, she has taken on many clients and partners among my fellow business owners. I hope I will not need to resort to her aid.

You no doubt heard of the slaying of Chief Bailiff te Eintov, your fellow son of Mirsvr. I never thought to ask, did you know him? I can only hope the new appointee Akhirin Sarta will not repeat te Eintov's mistakes. The zeal he has shown in the first days of his office exceeds what is required – raids of businesses and homes are commonplace, carried out upon the least suspicion, and far more brutal than is wise. Though I have not been subjected to Sarta's attentions yet I fear that any day he may come, he and his bailiffs backed by Temari marines.

As you see, Muzhits, my siutation is dire, perhaps as dire as ever it was beneath the agitators. I know not of your situation, owing to our isolation from business matters, but I ask you – any spare capital you may have to lend me, or other assistance you could render, would be a great boon to an old friend in need. A stake in my business is forthcoming, should this be favourable, and my gratitude will be a surer bond still. I await your reply, and hope to hear of your continued success and prosperity.

Your friend,

Some among the agitators were quick to flee at the first sign of trouble, retreating to vessels docked on the river and casting off under the aegis of Erthani ensigns. Those who remained behind did not give up their gains easily – in fierce fighting along the riverside docks, Chief Bailiff Baurin te Eintov was slain alongside several of his most loyal men. Seeing their tyranny crumble before them, many agitators burned large parts of the district, caring not for the cruelty it would inflict on the population. Several streets of apartments and workshops were reduced to rubble and ash, killing many unfortunate citizens and leaving others without home or workplace. Even the batteries held by the rebels were turned against the district, inflicting particularly grave damage to the historic Old Tower.

Fleeing citizens, finally able to escape the barricades, were welcomed by Bailiffs and municipal aid in the surrounding districts. Many of these souls have been directed to new temporary lodgings in the Temar Company Depot, where the resources of that enterprise have been generously set aside for their care.

The disturbing details of life within the district are now coming to light as these sorry refugees can freely tell of the horrors that agitation inflicts. The alleged aid provided by the Erthani was seized at once by the cabal of anarchists leading the rebellion, while the common citizen starved. Children forced to pick for morsels among refuse-piles, which gathered at every corner and spilled out of every gutter. One mother told us how, lacking any other means to feed her family, she caught and cooked rats, who, emboldened by the deplorable filth of the district, would elsewise have preyed upon her infants. Violent gangs enforcing no law other than their own petty caprice and venal urges not only ruled the night, but made a terror of the daytime. Failure to obey the dictates of the Popular Executive resulted in reprisals, including public executions of horrific brutality, that decency will not permit us to reprint in these sheets.

Though we rejoice that the misrule of the agitators has come to an end, it is nonetheless a sad end to a sad tale. The true extent of the damage inflicted upon the people of Lansk can not yet be accounted. Those agitators who escaped justice shall be sure to strike again, and all lawful Abheski must ever be watchful for the storm front of anarchy.

Well, I'd not been on the crew half a year when we got a contract to fly way out West, where few Abheski ever traded, but this one town was hacking out a living in the shadow of a smoking mountain – oh yes, those are real too, even the scribblers in their offices won't tell you otherwise. They were convinced they'd find gold, picking away at the ground like some godless Anshessi beneath this smoking brute of a mountain – it smoked and spewed all year long, a great dirty crag rearing into the air, not like those slumbering hills in TransOlyen that spit once in a lifetime!

We'd flown far beyond the routes any of you have ever taken, and twice as far again, before we found this tired little camp. We spent barely a day there before turning and coming back again. Our navigator, senseless drunk on what must have been all the brandy those poor miners had stored away, led us straight into the smoke plume from the burning mountain and we got turned every way, blind to all compasses and charts. One and all the crew coughed and spluttered and retched the sick atmoshpere, until the lookout recovered enough to sound the alarm – another vessel, her signals bright and guiding us from the smoke. We gathered ourselves enough to fly towards them to safety – and never was a greater mistake made in all the history of flight.

It's just as you've heard it described – if not worse, for no uncle scaring his nephews or master scolding his charges could truly tell the horrific sight of the Basking Maw. A hull as black as night, somehow sucking your eye to it. Though it was full noon, the sky all around was darker for its presence. Bristling with ragged and fierce batteries, gaping holes promising destruction no lesser than the mouth of that smoking mountain. Its dvint leaving an oily wake in the sky, hanging clear behind it as though untouched by current or cloud.

We turned and fled as fast as any vessel I've ever crewed, and I've crewed them all! The Basking Maw hung behind us all the way, never straining though we pushed our vessel for all it was worth. Jettisoning all the cargo, packing in our few batteries, every prayer every aviator could offer, and yet the Basking Maw hung astern, never falling a handsbreadth further behind no matter what speed we set.

Four days and four nights we raced ahead of the evil craft; not a hand among us slept a minute in all that time, and that, at last, was what brought our downfall. The captain ordered us to ride the edge of a storm, hoping we could lose our pursuers, but the exhausted crew could not match the violence of the winds, and we lost control, tossed asunder, pulled into the heart of the storm and finally cast into the valley below.

Those of us who survived huddled in the cabins and the hold, gripping our pikes and axes lest Grey Baurin and his crew descend to snatch us away, the storm raging without all the while.

And Grey Baurin never came. Whether the Basking Maw was finally put away by the storm, or the deaths of half the crew satisfied their thirst for violence, who can ever tell? When the storm blew over in another half a day, the Basking Maw was no longer in our wake.

After burning the captain and the hands, and burying the navigator and damning him as a fool, we picked ourselves up and began the long flight back to Zhikav. Most of the crew never signed on again, and didn't fly another day in their lives. The vessel was scrapped the following year and as for myself, I've never ventured further west than the Lenla since.

No Company personnel shall approach within fifteen lengths of the barricades. Attempts to do so will be considered hostile.

No Company vessels shall dock at the Tower. Attempts to approach shall be considered hostile.

For the purpose of negotiation and parley, bailiffs and municipal personnel shall be permitted to approach the barricades under flags and forms of truce, in groups of no more than five. Any attempt to approach otherwise, or any breach of the forms of truce, will be considered hostile.

We call for the immediate resignation of Chief Bailiff Baurin te Eintov, on the grounds of corruption, abuse of power, and unsuitability for office.

We reject the imposed authority of the Companies; we call for the cessation of municipal contracts with the Temar, Valdjin, and Eltjin Companies.

Our struggle is the struggle of all groundsfolk in Abhesk and all workers in all nations. Though desiring peace, we recognise our existence in a state of war, and as such will not seek violence but will engage in violence where necessary to protect our liberties.

Matter of Y tsi Rh, Kyokh District Accused of anti-mercantile rhetoric, multiple counts of agitationist rhetoric and actions. Court found accused guilty; sentenced to corrective municipal labour.

Matter of S G, Kyokh District Accused of agitationist actions, vandalism, assault. Court found accused guilty; sentenced to corrective municipal labour and restorative indentiture.

Matter of Sh A, Outer Tower Ward Accused of trafficking in Erthani goods, agitationist sympathies. Court found accused guilty; sentenced to corrective municipal labour.

Matter of G M, Kitapy District Accused of assault, anti-mercantile violence, agitationist actions. Court found accused guilty; sentenced to restorative indentiture.

Matter of E By, citizen of Vilv Accused of free-trading. Court found accused guilty; sentenced to seizure of property and proceeds of trade.

Matter of Zh B, Abga Tower Ward Accused of free-trading. Court found accused not guilty.

Matter of Sh Ts, Napik Tower Accused of distributing agitationist literature (the pamphlet The Mutiny), mercantile theft, sabotage. Court found accused guilty; sentenced to seizure of property and restorative indentiture.

Matter of Multiple Accused, identities withheld, Rubble Tendency of the Pekha District Accused of public nuisance, vandalism, brawling. Court found case to be outside its remit; case dismissed, identities of accused withheld.

Currently, the Colony is not fully self-reliant in its labour needs. Several trades are underrepresented or entirely absent, with the shortfall being covered by employees from the Depot. This is an issue of concern if the Company is to attempt another such town without the close proximity of a well-established depot, though it may be prevented through careful screening and selection of colonist candidates. Nonetheless, building has progressed near to schedule, and the initial constructions should be complete by end of season.

The greatest difficulty has been with Company employees; tiring of long service far from their homes, they have requested greater liberty in crossing from the Depot to the Colony, desiring to meet with unfamiliar faces and take part in freer trade and leisure than that supplied by the confines of the Depot. We have kept to strict control of such permissions, but more than a few aviators, marines, and a handful of officers have broken discipline and been found in the Colony town without permission. This policy may need further review. Though it may be assumed that this proximity to distraction would lead to poor discipline, perhaps relaxing our restrictions would allow those in company service within the Depot to alleviate their stresses and lead to an overall greater contentment.

As for contentment within the Colony, that too is stable and manageable. The opportunities offered here are sufficient to encourage those who may be inclined to despair in difficult circumstances in a more familiar country; further, the work load is onerous enough to leave many without sufficient spirit for discontent, and productive enough to satisfy their desire to progress. There have been no more than a handful of desertions. Of these, two were found not an hour's travel from the town walls, dead from attack by an animal; one was recaptured and punished most severely; the remainder are missing but presumed deceased. The freshly arrived population know little of the wildlife in this land, and what little they do know looms far larger in their imagination for its strangeness. Many are reluctant to travel abroad of the town even in groups and accompanied by arms, for fear of encountering an Urselk or worse. The Hoitani themselves are treated with similar terror; not knowing that none should be encountered within many days' travel of this location in this season, it is whispered that those deserters unaccounted for have been taken by local savages. We have not made efforts to correct the colonists' misconceptions.

I anticipate your visit and inspection of the Colony, and trust you will be most satisfied.

Yours,

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,

Baurin, do not mistake this letter as an admonishment of your service. You have found yourself in an unenviable position. The popularity of the Bailiffs is at a nadir; even those without agitated sympathies are distrustful after these last few months. Those within the seized district are fed comfortably on Erthani supplies, while many of those without are starving and prevented from attending to their work. Despite the agitators' cynical empty promises of safe passage for the groundsfolk, surely they knew you would have to prevent such traffic, and be reckoned at fault for the ensuing misery of the destitute workers denied their fair wage.

We in the Companies are suffering from similar perceptions. After the regrettable riot whipped up by Yethara, and the demands of the agitators to remove the Companies from municipal affairs, your reluctance to engage us further is understandable; in other circumstances it would even be prudent. Your initial capitulation to the occupiers was necessary, that is undeniable, but the time has come to put an end to their reign of anarchy.

I wish Lansk restored to peace and prosperity, and I urge you to use all means at your disposal to see this feat completed. To this end I would place myself and the assets of the Temar company at your disposal once more. Having consulted with the Eastern Office, I can confirm I am able to offer you the assistance of any power the Bailiffs require. The fee will be merely nominal – the restoration of order to the city and the resumption of trade is more valuable to us than simple currency. We have the troops to occupy reclaimed streets, the supplies and arms for your own Bailiffs, and agents placed in the surrounding districts to provide intelligence. We are equipped to deal with the batteries in the occupied area, and we have means to disrupt the Erthani vessels that supply them.

As a friend, Baurin – if I may be granted the presumption of considering myself your friend – I urge you to heed this advice and accept this offer. I consider you a confidant, Baurin, as trustworthy an acquaintance as I have in this city, and I will not mislead you. From one Mirsvri to another, your position as Chief Bailiff will no longer be tenable should this agitation continue. Lansk can ill afford it; indeed, the Spires as a whole shall be shaken and cast down if this affront is allowed to continue unpunished.

Allow me to place myself at your disposal, for all of our sakes.

I await your reply.