#hoitan

[janspar]

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

[beautiful-basque-country]

Here’s a traditional song from Zuberoa called “Eperra” (Partridge) sung by Niko Etxart.

It’s been recently accused of sexism since it tells the story of a rape and a cancelled marriage, since virginity was women’s most valuable asset. Keep in mind it’s a traditional song, which means nobody knows when it was composed exactly and, up until not that long ago, this was sadly normal.

You can hear the beautifuil northern accent in the song. 

Eperrak badititzu bere bi hegalak Partridges have their two wings                  bai eta bürün gainin kokarda ejer bat  and a beautiful crest on their head       zük ere balinbazünü gaztetarsün ejer bat if you too had a beautiful youth neskatilen gogatzeko bilo holli pollit bat! with a beautiful blond hair to charm girls!

Amorosak behar lüke izan lotsa gabe A lover shouldn’t feel shame gaiaz ebiltia ez üken herabe for being out shamelessly at night egünaz ebiltia desohore leike although it would be dishonourable by day  txoriak ere oro haier soz dirade even for birds’ gaze.

Ebili izan nüzü gaiaz eta bethi I’ve walked behind you night and day ei! atzamanen nianez lili eijer hori oh! I’ve reached that beautiful flower azkenian atzaman düt oi! bena tristeki at last I’ve reached it, oh! but sadly lümarik ejerrena beitzaio erori it has lost its prettiest feather.

Mündian ez da nihur penarik gabe bizi Nobody in this world lives without pain nik ere badit aski hoitan segurki I surely have enough of that nik desiratzen nizün ezkuntzia zurekin I wished to marry you bena ene aitak eztü entzün nahi hori. but my father doesn’t want to even hear about that.

Zure aitak zer lüke eni erraiteko? What would your father have to tell me? ala enitzaio aski aren ofizioko? that I’m not enough? ala zü soberaxe zitzaio enetako? or that you’re too much for me? Printzerik ez ahal da orai zuenganako Now there can be no prince for you.

[muabannhadattanphugiare]

Bán gấp nhà hẻm xe hơi,Tân Phú,dt 56m2 Lê ThúHoạch

Bán nhà hẻm xe hơi 6ty5 , 56m2 LÊ THÚC HOẠCH Đất : Diện tích ~ 56m2 ( 4,2 x11,5 ) nhà vuông vức , không dính lộ giới , không quy hoạch , có một sân nhỏ trước nhà Nhà : Đúc bê tông cốt thép , chính chủ xây dựng, chắc chắn . vị trí : Hẻm rộng 4m , dân trí cao , rất yên tĩnh , xung quanh cao tầng , cực kỳ an ninh , xung quanh đầy đủ tiện ích như uỷ ban , siêu thị , chợ ... Lợi thế : Nhà có sân thượng khá rộng , khách hàng khi mua nhà được tặng gói sửa chữa lên đến 10 triệu đồngLiên hệ : Khoa 0369022 năm không năm bđs Tân Phú

#MuabannhadatQuanTanPhu #NhadatCafeland source https://nhadat.cafeland.vn/ban-gap-nha-hem-xe-hoitan-phudt-56m2-le-thuhoach-2043671.html

[janspar]

Foundation of a Colony

Dear Benvin,

Today marks forty days since we have taken the first settlers to our Colony Town, and as agreed, I record here my impressions of the undertaking thus far.

Despite my former reservations, the mixing of populations has proven to be successful – those inclined to volunteer for such a project are not disposed towards agitation, and those relocated from the Lansk camps are unlikely to stand against Company authority. Supply is secure for now, and barring major disaster or an influx of bodies far in excess of what has been proposed, we should remain well-stocked through to the end of the next season.

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,

Survit te Ovnjen, Depot-Commander, Hoitan

[janspar]

A Colonial Mutiny

Benvin,

Last night, a mutiny took place in the Hoitan colony town, fomented by agitationist elements in the civilian population and aided by traitors within Company forces. I will assure you firstly that the mutineers have been suppressed, and the situation is once again under complete Company control. Though proper authority has been reestablished, these events signal to us a grave lack of security in the Colony project and reveals the extent to which the agitationist sickness has spread through Abheski society.

About half-way between curfew and midnight, a band of colonists armed with tools stolen from the workshops exited through the gate of the colony town and proceeded towards the Depot. The soldiers on the colony gate were confederates of the rebellion, and allowed them to pass unhindered. The gate of the Depot was guarded by some loyal soldiers and some mutineers, and upon the colonists' arrival there was a brief skirmish in the gatehouse, during which the gate was opened and the colonists entered. The commotion had raised a general alarm inside the Depot, and so the rebels did not proceed far in their aims, as a stout resistance from the night watch halted them in their attempt to take the command building. Being thus frustrated, the colonists then began to wreck and smash in the general vicinity, a destruction that carried on for several minutes until a relief force of Marines roused from the barracks came upon their rear and subdued the mob. A small band led by a mutinous soldier managed to slip away and made for the ships, but were prevented from boarding their chosen prize by the vessel's crew, and were killed in the action when the pursuing marines once more came upon them from behind. Thus order was reestablished.

The ringleaders of the mutiny have been identified through interrogation of the prisoners. Our investigations are ongoing and we seek to determine whether this was a singular event or part of a greater campaign of action, and whether further agitationists remain among the two populations. The full extent of military discipline will be applied to the all prisoners, whether Company or civilian, as an example.

I accept no responsibility in this affair. The fault lies entirely with the failure to properly screen candidates from Lansk to remove those with insurrectionist sympathies. I draw to your attention a previous letter in which the difficulty of keeping a disciplined separation between the two populations was highlighted – no further consideration was given to these concerns by the office nor the Military Commission. The Company forces, seeking discourse with their fellow citizens, were naturally drawn to meet with the civilian colonists. The colonists, for their part, were placed in an unfamiliar land and were naturally drawn to the safety found in the fellowship of Company troops. In such a situation it was nigh-impossible to prevent the mixing of the two populations, and to do so would have required a level of brute discipline that could only have had a destructive effect upon general morale. In this circumstance, and allowing for the insidious propaganda of agitationists to become disseminated in secret, mutiny was inevitable.

I await the Commission and Office's rapid response, and will update you as more information becomes uncovered.

Survit te Ovnjen, Depot-Commander, Hoitan

[janspar]

The Charter of the Free Vessel Nomad

The following notice was received by several broadsheet-publishers in Mirsvr, Lansk, and Vilv.

Hereby, according to our Rights Ancient and Perfect, we declare the Nomad to be a Free Vessel.

No longer content in our complicity in the crimes of the Temar Company against the Abheski people and foreign nations, we as a crew have overthrown the illegitimate authority of the Company and the Military Commission, as wielded through Lieutenant Yarllen and the officers and Marines aboard. The above entities are engaged in a war against the groundsfolk of Abhesk, the Hoitani, the Erthani, the Ebwari, and diverse other nations, wherever exploitation and violence can be a tool of profit. This is not a war of battery and blade alone; but one also of licence-prospecting, bond servitude, and plain theft. Our mutiny was not an act of aggression but one of resistance and solidarity. We may be labelled agitators; that is a name we embrace, as we agitate for an end to Company oppression.

Acquired through mutiny as a legitimate prize of war, the Nomad is now a sovereign trading entity. As a free association of willing crew members, we require no authority other than our own and no legitimacy other than that derived from our association. Any crew member wishing to leave has been allowed to do so; placed safely without Company reach but able to return to Abheski settlements. Our association is free and voluntary; any person abiding to our agreements may join and leave as they see fit.

We reject imposed authority; all our officers have been elected by the crew as temporary roles, not as positions of supremacy. Our decisions and trade shall be conducted as a collective, on the consensus of the crew and to the profit of us all.

Though is our purpose to pursue our trade peacefully, we recognise that we exist in a state of war. As such we will act in self-defence against the vessels of the Temar Company, or other Abheski Companies. We will not seek violence but will defend our right to trade and the rights of other free vessels.

[janspar]

Strike Pamphlet

Groundsfolk of Mirsvr;

The Abheski nations of which we are part have carried wealth and industry to all corners of this continent. The reward of this undertaking has brought untold prosperity to the Spires and the Companies – and untold misery to the common folk of these nations and countless others.

We appeal to all groundsfolk of the Abheski to stand with us and with the common people of all nations against the evils of exploitation. Our lives and our labour are the fuel for the furnace of Company trade. Without them, they cannot turn the engine of profit.

When we ask for the merest accomodation of humane conditions, bailiffs are loosed upon us. When we ask for the least alleviation of suffering in the form of increased pay, marines and patrol craft fire upon us. Remember Lansk!

The lives of the groundsfolk are reckoned as naught in the face of Company profits. It is clear we can no longer ask and expect a fair reply; our only recourse is to refuse to fuel them any longer. Join us, groundsfolk and common labourers of all nations, and strike! From Zhikav to Vilv, from Atyen to Hoitan, lay down your tools and say NO MORE.

They will label us agitators; they have provoked us by their injustice!

They will call us ungrateful; they have no gratitude for our work upon which their ships and weapons are built, their commodities are traded, and their wealth comes forth.

Your life and your labour is of value greater than can be accounted by a Company ledger! Stand with us! Stand in solidarity with all groundsfolk – with the Erthani – with the exploited in the Anshess and TransOlyen – with the Ebwari.

STRIKE

[janspar]

The Specimen

Dear Slvata,

The recent destabilisation of events in this province, disruptive as they are to the commercial pursuits of our company, have afforded us a rare opportunity. I am sure you have followed your usual practice of addressing the contents of the hold first and your correspondence last; assuming your habits have not changed, and that the crew have restrained their worse impulses for violence and mischief, then let me confirm that yes, that is a live Urselk specimen.

The Valdini, their twin lusts for tribal blood and sheer incompetence not slaked by the massacre last season, seem to be increasing their aggression day upon day. Their losses, and indeed our own consequent losses, have yet granted us some specific gains. Hoitani bands have been notably thinned by Valdini pacification, and those that remain stay close to their camps and avoid engagement with foreigners. Thus we were able to mount an expedition deep into the province's interior, the natives being unable to prove our breach of the established norms or enforce their treaty-bound claims. Following the intelligence of a scout who has spent three full seasons in the highlands far west of the depot, a troop of marines tracked a pack of Urselk to their den.

The pack numbered nine in total; four adults and five cubs. The den was located in a cave, allowing  our troops the tactical advantage. In a very neat manuever, overseen by myself, several canisters of somniferous vapours were deployed, rendering the beasts sluggish before they could react to our presence. The charge from the mouth of the cave undertaken by three of the adults was nonetheless terrifying. Even in a half-stupor, they are every bit equal to their fearsome descriptions in Hoitani lore.

The front rank of the marines fended off the beasts with bear-spears, modified for even greater length and strength, while those behind systematically bombarbed the Urselk with missiles. Destruction of the adults was achieved with minimal loss to the marine company. The unexpected return of the fourth adult upon our right flank resulted in the death of three young soldiers, before the beast was sufficiently wounded and driven away, no doubt to die from its injuries.

After allowing the gasses to dissipate from within the cave, we entered and came across the cubs. Two of these appear to have died from the gas, one was still tranquilized beyond resistance. The remaining two attempted to attack the party. The larger of the pair was subdued successfully while the lesser was killed in the attempt. The subdued and tranquilized specimens were both bound fast and removed to cages, and thence returned to the vessel. One cub died en route from its injuries. The crew of the vessel carrying this cargo to you has been given the strictest orders to refrain from baiting the remaining cub or from feeding it outside my strictly assigned diet of native fish, game, and fruit. It is my wish that the creature should reach you in the happiest possible health.

I lost no time in dissecting the available specimens, one adult and cub. I have included detailed drawings of this process. You will note some peculiar irregularities in the digestive system, and the engorged temporal arteries, no doubt to feed the large and highly developed antlers. The adult was two full lengths in height when standing upright. The meat of the beast is curiously sweet yet musty. Survit and Sorind took part in a meal of local fashion, including Urselk meat and local forage; I do not expect this fare to become the fashion in Mirsvr next season.

In addition to the live specimen, I have sent to you an adult and a cub, preserved in alcohol, along with the skin of the remaining adult and cub. The  fifth cub was given to the marines of our expedition, to be divided among themselves for trophies and fetishes. For my own part, the intact skin and skeleton of my adult specimen is being returned to the family estate in Mirsvr for preservation; it will make a fine addition to the creatures in the entrance hall. The cub is being stuffed by one of the tradesmen in the Depot, and will remain here in my quarters; you will no doubt find the young creature I sent you to have a soft and gentle aspect that belies the fierceness of its adult nature, and I wish to keep this youth as my own companion in my offices for as long as I remain in Hoitan.

The pursuits of commerce are ephemeral, but the pursuits of scholarly knowledge persevere. I hope this letter and the specimen find you in good health.

Yours in friendship,

Egari tsi Yarh, Scholar-Attaché to the Hoitan 1st Depot, Temar Company

[janspar]

A Letter from the Frontier

Benvin,

Your letter arrived at Depot last night. Should this reply find its way to you in a similar time, I make that an eight-day round trip from your tower in Mirsvr, to my cot on the frontier and back. I thus concede our wager settled, and you may consider payment delivered, awaiting only my presence in the city. I confess I am not sorry to find myself the lesser in this matter, as my joy at our progress outweighs by far the stake I placed against you.

As to professional matters, the state of my honour is less certain.

The progress here has been slower than was hoped, as I cautioned in my reports when this expedition was first planned. The blame does not lie on the scouts, as I know many on the Boards and in the Wardrooms are no doubt speculating – at least, on no scouts other than myself. As the first Company man to observe these lands and the author of the reports upon the intelligence of which the appraisements were calculated, what blame can be assigned for this region's deficiencies thus far must surely be assigned to me and the poor quality of my intelligence or my inability to communicate its significance. I remind you again, nonetheless, of my early and continued pessimism regarding this venture.

The Hoitani are much as I found them twenty years ago. I needn't describe their character again for you. The Company consensus seemed to be that enough material tribute would be sufficient to sway Hoitani chieftains from their position of reserve into acceptance of a closer partnership with the Company. This was never to succeed, as I insisted from the start; the Abheski mind and the Hoitani mind are too dissimilar. This is not to denigrate them, you understand that my respect for their nation is considerable. They simply do not share fundamental concepts of value that are apparent to us, and the benefits of our way of life are perhaps incomprehensible to them. They care not for a letter carried from Mirsvr and back in eight days. The bribery and force that work so well in the Anshess or beyond the Belt simply are not persuasive here.

After the late debacle in that western camp, I fear our progress will be slowed further. The destruction of that settlement was of no benefit to Temar – the Hoitan see little if any distinction between the Companies. The work achieved by our scouts, against the unreasonable expectations of the Boards, was highly promising, now rendered useless. The bumbling of a Valdjin captain has undone our project to an immeasurable degree.

I feel no joy in this vindication. I am galled to see the Erthani – really Benvin, the Erthani! – trade with the Hoitani more successfully than we. Our best course to salvage this region is to allow our scouts continued liberty in managing their own affairs – to an individual they are as disgusted with the Valdjini massacre as I, and are themselves best placed to repair their own contacts among the camps. Failing that, a further deployment of force, while regrettable, will yield the most profitable returns in the least time. I know the Boards grow hungry.

Please communicate all I have disclosed here to the relevant Boards and Members. I will continue to direct our efforts, and update you through the usual channels.

In friendship,

Survit te Ovnjen, Depot-Commander, Hoitan

[janspar]

On Scouting

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

[janspar]

A Career Renounced

Well, I knew that this day would come. I hadn't quite admitted it to myself, but one part of my soul knew that I'd do it. I have burned my uniform.

I hiked up to Shgarya's camp this morning. They knew I was in the area – doubtless they knew precisely where I had camped – and I was greeted with no less than the usual suspicion. Shgarya himself was occupied in the training of some craft to the younger scouts, and so I shared a kettle of the local tea with some of his troops. They were companionable enough despite their suspicion, and made efforts to include me in their discussion of game, weather, and camp gossip.

When Shgarya at length finished his teachings, he received me at that same campfire. No longer does he call me 'friend' – there cannot be any Hoitan chief who thus addresses an Abheski Company-man, not anymore.

Curious – I still describe myself as a Company-man. Perhaps at that point I still was. What am I now? I suppose I must find out.

He did not call me friend, but he listened easily as I told him of my orders and my decision to renounce them, and my disgust at what had taken place in the West. He must have known the intent with which I had been sent to Hoitan – how could he not? – and he cordially accepted my expression of shame and regret. His composure changed not at all until I stepped aside, began to remove my uniofrm, and cast it into the fire.

The Hoitan have a stronger taboo against the naked form than we, and I hoped by this act of debasement to press the sincerity of my intent. I have no more loyalty to the Company or to the Spires, and I put myself at the mercy of Shgarya.

After what felt like an hour of consideration, Shgarya spoke to a lieutenant in low tones, too low for me to hear. She rushed off and shortly returned with a suit of clothes – an old tunic, boots, and cloak, ready to be discarded. They were handed to me and I dressed as Shgarya commended my bravery and honesty. He retrieved my tool belt from the ground and fixed it around my waist.

“You are a man of no nation and no loyalty. Do not seek out our camps, and we will not harm you. We will speak again at a time of my choosing.” These were the last words he spoke to me.

And so I am adrift – free from the terrible duties assigned to me, and yet alone in this strange land. I have spent half my career trying to win the trust of these people. In rejecting the nation of my birth I have lost both worlds, but I have not lost my desire to be among the Hoitan.

I shall break camp tomorrow and hike north – the hunting is rich there and Shgarya will find me if he wants.

Levint te Allren,  no longer Temar Company Scout

[janspar]

The Unmanly Savage

The Hoitan are surely the most perplexing people of Ycairn – save perhaps the eccentric and elusive Bin'ni. Though the Bin'ni are so singular in their travels and it is almost unheard of to encounter them in groups. So let me say; the Hoitan are the most curious Nation of all those the Abheski deal with.

They are deeply welcoming and generous – within the province of their generosity, the borders of which are guarded by iron walls and which seldom expand for outsiders. Beyond this limit, they are as immovable and stoic as a mountain, more secretive than the night. Any friend or stranger may enter a Hoitan camp – but none have ever seen their towns. And an enemy will not see within their pickets, for once made, an enmity is held forever by the Hoitani, and they are as vicious and passionate in combat as any of the beasts of their wild land.

For all this, they are curiously unmanly. Their men take a commendable pride in their appearance, according to their own fashions, but it is a communal pursuit. Where an officer or a societal man tends to his own clothes, the Hoitani are dressed and adorned among friends. On the eve of battle or in the hours before a feast, the men gather in groups. One perhaps attends to his fellows' hair, combing and oiling it. One attends to the belts and jewellery, another may lend his own tunics to a fellow who owns ones less fine. Welcomed outsiders are included also, and given lavish attention to ensure they appear the equal as any native Hoitani.

Displays of great affection are commonplace. Coarse, wild men, accustomed to hunting Urselk or breaking limbs in skirmishes, when within camp readily embrace one another. Caresses that would be exchanged only between deepest intimates among the Abheski, are signs of simple honest camaraderie in a Hoitain camp, and are most often perfectly chaste. An astounding comfort to such proximity and intimacy is readily noticed, curiously contrasting their strong taboo against the naked form.

Any Scout or Licence-Prospector seeking to treat or trade among the Hoitan would be advised to familiarize themselves with these customs. Be prepared to encounter them, uncomfortable though it may be, to prevent any slight, offense, or disturbance due to unfamiliarity, from impeding their work.

Egari tsi Yarh, Scholar-Attaché to the Hoitan 1st Depot, Temar Company

[janspar]

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.

[janspar]

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