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.
Hereby, according to our rights ancient and perfect, and as legitimate prizes of conquest, we declare control of the Lansk Old Tower and surrounding environs. The following is a list of statements and demands of the Lansk Popular Executive.
The Old Tower is rightfully seized property and will not be returned to control of municipal nor Company authorities. All area within the barricades is considered under the protection of the Lansk Popular Executive and will not be ceded.
The vessels docked here and at the waterfront are similarly seized as prizes. The batteries of these vessels are crewed by experienced personnel, and are well supplied.
The deaths of those slain in the seizure of these properties, while regrettable, as are all deaths, were casualties of war. Their remains shall be afforded full dignity and provisions will be made to return them to their communities where necessary.
All prisoners taken are prisoners of war, and will be afforded full protection and dignity.
Where possible, all industry within the barricades shall continue. Groundsfolk and workers may enter and leave as necessary for the continuation of their labour. The proceeds of this labour shall be put towards the protection and maintenance of the Old Tower and environs, and the benefit of the population herein.
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.
Printed pamphlet affixed to a barricade in Lansk. Handwritten slogans in the margins read: “Solidarity with the Nomadeers!”, “The Spires are ours”, “AGITATE!”, &c.
Scouts are the fundamental element of our expansion into Hoitan at this time; they are to be given the greatest degree of autonomy that you consider prudent.
By living on the land, moving among the locals, and learning intimately their languages and customs, scouts are uniquely positioned to understand how a foreign country and foreign nation can benefit most greatly from increased trade with the Company, and how the Company might best profit from such a trade. It is not practical to manage every degree of these interactions between scout and native; the greater liberty given to a scout, the more successful their missions will be.
Many captains fear that, by giving freedom overmuch to our scouts, we risk losing them to the native land or native ways. This has been a tenet of the more conservative approach to scouting advocated for by many within this Company, as well as the guiding philosophy of our fellow-rivals in Eltin and Valdin.
It is not that this restrained philosophy is without merit. A more directed scout, tied closely to their command or their home depots, will seldom stray, and properly managed can provide many years' worth of faithful and effective intelligence on the affairs of foreign lands. Consider however the relative gains of our Company and those of our rivals in prospecting the Anshess. In the many years since our company's adoption of a more liberal approach to scouting, Temari holdings in that land have risen at a rate far greater than any other Abheski company. Thus its efficacy in the field can be considered proven. But why is this the case, and why should we consider our successes in Anshess more than a fortunate coup?
Our scouts are trained to an exceedingly high standard, and none are let loose upon a land that do not have a gift for self-sufficiency, survival, and the gathering of intelligence. They are each an impressive individual, and many owe a significant debt – whether fiscal or sentimental – to the Company. This debt, and an understanding of the benefits of what we as a Company can offer to foreign nations, makes them effective ambassadors for our mission, without them being constrained by the rigours of formal diplomacy. They themselves are often best suited to determine what course of action to take and which contacts to cultivate, and to do so immediately. Waiting days for such orders to be communicated to a superior officer – who is less intimately familiar with the environment – often results in the loss of fruitful opportunities.
It is true that, following our doctrine, many more scouts leave their posts or attempt to settle among their host nations. This is the chief argument made by those favouring a stricter variety of scouting. However, even those scouts who abandon their careers may very often act to the furtherance of our goals. Scouts who turn native frequently submit the greatest and most insightful intelligence before they abandon the Company, due no doubt to their deep attraction to the host nation. Further, they have a destabilising effect on the inhabitants and society they wish to integrate into. Their very presence either softens a nation's attitude toward the Abheski, allowing us to integrate our business more easily; or it creates a discord and mistrust which will often lead to violence, allowing us a more overt approach to concentrating and enforcing our commercial interests.
Sorind te Lletzky, Commercial Coordinator, Hoitan 1st Depot
