She grits her teeth and nods. "It's true that we Vascaris haven't kowtowed to King Irovetti as much as the Lia

She grits her teeth and nods. "It's true that we Vascaris haven't kowtowed to King Irovetti as much as the Liacenzas and the Strocalles have, yet we control most of the river trade. What better way to bring us in line than crush us with foreign agents or scare us into swearing fealty?"