Editing Bastien Severington

Bilming was an important port city, and Severington worked with [[Florin Malin]] to develop warships known as "[[Pewternaut]]s" with armored hulls and gun turrets.{{file ref|New Ascendancy broadsheet.jpg|''The New Ascendancy'' broadsheet}} The new ships were revealed in {{date|342|pc}}, and Severington invited a number of senators from [[Elendel]] to their introduction as a gesture of friendship,{{file ref|New Ascendancy broadsheet.jpg|''The New Ascendancy'' broadsheet}} likely hoping to quell some rising bitterness between the two cities.{{book ref|mb6|15}} However, one of the senators was later quoted in ''[[The New Ascendancy]]'' mocking the ships.{{file ref|New Ascendancy broadsheet.jpg|''The New Ascendancy'' broadsheet}}

Later in {{date|342|pc}}, [[Kelesina Shores]] invited Severington to speak at [[Kelesina Shores' party|her party]] in [[New Seran]].{{book ref|mb6|13}} Severington's speech focused on Elendel's "tyranny" and supposedly unfair taxation, going so far as to draw a comparison to the [[Lord Ruler]].{{book ref|mb6|14}}{{book ref|mb6|15}} Severington used [[Sophi Tarcsel]]'s amplification devices to give the speech,{{book ref|mb6|14}} allowing [[Waxillium Ladrian]] to overhear parts of it despite being indisposed in another room.{{book ref|mb6|15}} Wax realized that Bilming was important enough to spearhead anti-Elendel sentiment that could result in civil war.{{book ref|mb6|15}}