The Personal Journal of Lydia un'Fazquez. The Shadow Retainer of Gavrin q'Fazquez of the Hydarian Kingdom.
15 Amsunari, the Year 1921 of the Yupief Calendar.
This is a journal dedicated to the lord I serve, for I bask in the radiance of his shadow under the flames of the Foinix. It is the mission of a loyal retainer to undergo any request that our noble master commands us, and it just happens that this particular mission was one of paramount importance and historical value. Indeed, I suspect in the far future when historians chronicle the chronological rise of the empire that I just witnessed first-hand the birth of, they will turn to these pages for some of the first outsider's accounts of this nation.
The mission from my Lord Gavin was not particularly complex, I had performed more devious and arduous deeds under the command of my father, the shadow retainer of the previous baron. It was a delivery of a cart carrying staple goods of the kingdom and some resources from our colonies in the southern islands. Any journey to the forbidden forest that is known to be teeming with beasts would do well to dissuade any traveller, for indeed that was why the forest was left unexplored and untamed for thousands of years. The discovery of the Osma reaches and the aetherus deposit there was significant as it allowed our kingdom to have a steady supply to our Magus and knights without relying on the Highmark Families. I had learned about the recent failure of the previous colonisation effort, which my lord was a part of, but I admit I was still sceptical about the nature of these Osma people. After all, any large groups of people with revolution in their hearts and minds would be able to topple any oppressors if they set their mind to it.
My master wants to establish a secret trading network with this nation, something I explained to him would not be wise with the upcoming retaliation from our army. But he not only insisted that it was worth the effort, but he kept telling me about this 'Aksha', the holy figure of the Osma people that is capable of divine feats. He even told me that he had been in contact with this 'Aksha'. I was doubtful, to say the least, and to leave my personal feelings about this aside. But alas, the shadow retainer is a reflection of their master's desire, and thus I set forth to complete the mission with the best of my family members.
The journey to the forest with the road carved by the previous expeditions was not at all difficult. It had been two weeks since the new year, but the winter in this forest only showed some snowfall. However, when we neared the destination, we were attacked by beasts and were almost overwhelmed if not for the Osma soldiers that rescued us. They carried strange weapons that were able to fell beasts in a single blink, it was something I had never seen before.
At this point in this journal entry, my wrist is starting to become sore, and any future historian reading this, would have already known the details of the meeting from official records. Thus, in the interest of your academic inquiry and your attention span, I will skip ahead to something that you would only be able to obtain from this journal. I will detail my thoughts, feelings, and impressions of the time I first set foot in Osma. I will tell you what I witnessed, the people I met, and the sights I saw.
The Osmanians had denied my family members to come along with me to my 'study tour' of Osma, so I can better understand the nation that the Fazquez family was about to have an exclusive trading agreement. I was offered a personal tour by the Aksha himself, and just from this point in this story I was already not prepared for what I was going to see. The Aksha took me behind this majestic fortress, at least from the perspective of where I entered. To begin with, this fortress and the oddly-shaped main building were designed, unlike anything I had ever seen before. The walls were also seemingly reinforced with some sort of metal, making it nigh impregnable from my perspective.
The Aksha brought me and two high-ranking military officers to some sort of metallic carriage built on top of a metallic pathway. The wheels were attached to this pathway. I was left befuddled at what this contraption was at first glance. When I asked the Aksha, he told me that it was "a 'prototype' of a 'train'", words that I do not understand, although later I understood it as this contraption being a test of the real thing, and that this 'train' is what it was called. It was one of a kind, he said, the only one made by a genius inventor by name of Rehnir, an Osmanian 'engineer', another word that escaped me, but alas. None of that mattered when I truly boarded this train. It moved alongside the pathway by itself! I was told by the Aksha that this was still in the experimental stage and that one day, this transportation tool would connect every part of the country that he is currently building. Not only that, he promised that one day, perhaps even Fazquez territory would be connected by this train. The sheer implication of this technology shocked me beyond words. To be able to have this convenient method of transport without the need for manpower or animals, and to be able to cross distances and natural environments within consistent timing and transport as many things as you want would be a revolution unlike any other. I truly have no words for what this vehicle could do in the future. With this in mind, I was on the edge of my seat looking forward to seeing the city for the first time.
The journey that would have taken us a few more days was finished in a few hours. But despite my awe at the speed that I experienced, the train could not match the sight that I saw in the city. When we finally left the forest, we were greeted by rows and rows of farmlands. Each one was attached to a building made out of glass that seem to be growing more plants inside of them. Outside of the variety of different crops that I saw, what astounded me as well were the golems that helped with planting and harvesting those crops. Despite everything I saw, I was not aware that the Aksha was capable of summoning spirits into golems and controlling them to that extent. There was also livestock that roamed free, limited by the fences erected around the field of their slaughterhouse. Just from this first glance, I knew that the Osmanians were fully self-sufficient in their food production. It's currently winter, so there were not many crops outside, but I was able to discern that those glass houses were capable of growing crops regardless of the season. If we can get a steady stream of food supply from Osma, the Fazquez people would no longer need to starve, that was my first thought. From here on, the stake for the success of this trading agreement increased exponentially.
We left the farmlands and from the distance, I saw what seems to be various neighbourhoods of houses constructed in a manner of architecture I had never seen before but was nonetheless already impressed. It surprised me to learn as well from the Aksha that those houses are provided freely to their citizens regardless of who they are. In fact, during those few hours on the train, I learned a few things about Osma. It seems that the basic needs that a human might is fulfilled: are food, water, clothing and shelter. All of those things are guaranteed by the state. It was something I had never seen or even heard of before even in other nations or far-flung lands. I had asked him what this meant for people's inherent need to provide for their survival and to advance themselves through hardship and trial, but he said that the state simply provided basic rights and cushions for anyone to live comfortably and happily, and that was the priority; the government still encourage each individual to push themselves to the limits for the betterment of the nation or themselves. Even after that explanation, I was not wholly convinced, but my trip on the ground changed that.
The centre of the nation is Prana, an area built near a gargantuan tree the Osmanians call the lifetree. That tree was of similar construction to the gigantic forests of the southern islands and continent, perhaps a seed made its way here somehow, but it was certainly no coincidence. This city is currently still under construction. Aetherial golems and people were busy with the construction of buildings everywhere I looked. However, we stopped near the centre of this new city where everything seems to be finished. This is the new trading district, the Aksha explained, where all the shops and establishments by individuals are concentrated. When we stopped, several people were waiting for us. The Aksha introduced us to a short-haired woman wearing peculiar clothing that resembled noble cloth with traditional Osmanian prints. I witnessed the same clothing being worn by the people walking in the city streets. It was fashioned in a wonderful way that I would want to try one out myself later. The woman introduced herself as Mula, the newly elected Seat of Trade in the Convocation of Osma, their reigning governing body. In a diplomatic move that I would have judged negatively if this was any other situation, the Aksha said that Lady Mula and Sir Groma from the Osma military would accompany me from here on and that he had other matters to attend to and needed to excuse himself early. To leave a guest like this to someone else was certainly rude, but considering what I have witnessed, I would not be truly surprised if the Aksha did have his work cut out for him.
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Lady Mula was a highly intelligent young woman. Too intelligent, I had thought. Aside from nobles and their retainers, Hydarian women did not enjoy the luxury of education and literacy, and many were left to the fates of being housewives to their breadwinner husbands. But from what I have recollected, such social stratification did not exist in Osma, which would indicate that Lady Mula was not an exception, but perhaps part of the norm. As a woman myself, I was touched by this, too long had I thought that despite consisting of half the population, we were not given the same opportunities. Even noblewomen and retainers like myself faced difficulties in gaining recognition and respect. For this nation to have Lady Mula in such a high-ranking government position of her merit was indeed something impressive and commendable. My other escort, however, was the opposite of the elegance that Lady Mula exude. Perhaps because he was in the military, Captain Groma with his tall stature and long hair was an intimidating sight that matched his lack of decorum. He was a tamed beast forced to play in this circus, I almost pity him, but he tried his best to be nice to me.
The two escorts took me on a tour of this trade district. Right at the start of the tour, I was astounded by the vehicles that a lot of people were riding. People sat on this vehicle with two wheels controlled by a manner of pedalling by the rider and steered by two handles that they held with both their hands. These vehicles were called 'bicycles', the current primary form of transport for people to get to work and back to their homes. More tracks and those 'trains' were being constructed to truly connect every district, so people from the residential districts were able to travel here efficiently. But even without that, these bicycles are yet another revolutionary piece of technology that confound me. The mind required to invent something like this is a once-in-a-lifetime genius, yet it seems that every fifth person in Osma was such a figure from my first impression.
The people stared at me and surprisingly smiled and treated me warmly. I had expected some animosity towards my Hydarian identity, but Captain Groma explained that the Osma people were now smart enough to know that not only was she probably a dignitary sanctioned by the Aksha himself, but also the Hydarian people and nation themselves were not the enemy per se, but rather the king, nobles and the system that perpetuated our invasion of what we believed to be 'lesser' people are the true enemies. Those were things enshrined in their constitution, I had learned. This truly gave me cause for deep contemplation on what we are doing to all of our colonies. What we believed to be our just right in civilizing these savage and barbaric people because of our more advanced society was merely excuse to exploit them and extract them from what they are worth. These Osmanians also do not understand that they were only occupied by us for five years, and we had not even sent out a full expedition team and sent in settlers. In a truly bleak manner, they were lucky. Some of our colonies in the southern islands and continent, as well as colonies owned by the other great nations, are experiencing even greater suffering, as settlers have arrived there to build their society that truly reduced the natives to nothing more than servants. Even worse, the subraces exist in those colonies, demi-humans with strange features and abilities. I would not even dare chronicle the utter injustice and atrocity committed upon them here.
We moved from store to store while Lady Mula explained to me the daily life of an average Osmanian and the purpose of this trade district. It seems that not only shops were here, but the headquarters of several departments were regulated and spearheaded by each seat member of the convocation. And thus, many government workers found themselves here in their morning commute, where restaurants made by aspiring chefs reside. I asked her about the currency that they use. Unlike the coins that most of the great nations utilize or our Hydarian 'Fuegos' coins, the Osma utilize papers printed with numbers and pictures that represent money. 'Dhanam' is the official currency of Osma, named after one of the Seven Gods that they worship which govern longevity and health. And while a person or a business owner was able to get wealthier, the market was highly regulated by the government to prevent monopolies and dynasties from appearing, something that was explained to me as a way to disallow a large inequality gap between people. On top of the basic needs being covered, I reasoned that this would allow individuals to gain more resources through the money they obtained, which allows them to purchase more things in the shops that further increase their quality of life, but they are not allowed to misappropriate the labour of another person unfairly for their gain. Perhaps this is the early days for the Osmanian budding economy, but it was an ideal system that I want to see work. With our upcoming trading deal, I want to see what they can offer us with such a system.
Although questioning such a thing is silly, because what I saw in the shops was mind-blowing. Contraptions, tools and miscellaneous items that truly increase the comfort of one's daily life. Soaps and ingenious hygiene products were also sold, which somewhat explained why everyone seems so clean and tidy. My mind raced and I could not even detail to you everything that I saw. It seems every time I learned something, I was introduced to something else. The most memorable item for me, at least, was an item that would help in absorbing the female menstrual flow, such a thing seems mundane but it would frankly increase the comfort and quality of life for a great number of people.
The buildings were colourful and grand. Every one of them carried the unique story and tales of their designers, and each pattern painted on them seemed to mean different things in Osmanian mythology. Such vibrant personal expression in a public space like this was not something I had ever seen, but this is a line that I seem to find myself repeating endlessly in this journal. The streets were smooth and seem to be made out of cobblestones, yet more deliberately designed and placed than what we usually see.
After the long tour, I was taken to one of their restaurants. Unlike the restaurants in Hydaria which emphasize the individual dining experience with individual tables and seats, a typical Osmanian restaurant would be communal and have no seats, but rather everyone must sit on the comfortable floor made out of grass weaved together and a long low table in front of everyone. But something hung on one of the walls just grabbed my attention immediately. It was this box that displayed moving black-and-white images. A 'television' I was told of its name, something that was only recently introduced. This 'television' was showing something that was currently happening somewhere else. To be specific, there appeared to be a person which reads out the recent happenings around all of the Osma districts, which included some of the villages which were not yet developed like this. But obviously, I did not understand the language. This is also something I had forgotten to mention in this journal. While Captain Groma was talking to me with the same translating device that the first Osmanian soldiers that we encountered used, Lady Mula seems to be speaking somewhat fluent Hydarian to me. She was not to the level of initiating a conversation with a noble, but she was certainly already good enough to go by if she were to be dropped in the capital city.
Returning to this television, it was another shock that the Osmanians were capable of learning news from far away simultaneously in this manner. While the image was blurry black and white, it did not diminish how revolutionary it is, once again. Only Hydarian high nobles were capable of buying crystals that display an image of another connected crystal like this, they were exuberantly expensive, yet this television is something that even a regular restaurant could obtain, and perhaps even a regular household as well. The level of sophistication and intellect that I had seen this one day was astounding. If the average Osmanian was aware of happenings elsewhere and they are all educated as well, what feat could they achieve in the future? I believe even the continent and the useless century-long war that we are experiencing will end soon with the threat of Osma. The food....well, this was one part that I still believe the Hydarians were superior in, so I will refrain from commenting on anything. It would also be my only patriotism for my native kingdom, as food is something that any Hydarian feel pride in.
At the end of the day, I was taken to a nearby residential district, where I was given a house to stay during the duration of my stay there. It was something complementary but also so I could understand the living standard of an average Osmanian in their homes. A luxurious lifestyle is what I gathered from this gesture, for this house has everything one would need and more. A living room to greet guests, a kitchen and dining table, two restrooms with plumbing and advanced toilets, hot water, and a comfortable bedroom on the second floor. While the nobles of Hydarians live far more luxurious lifestyles than this place, the average Hydarians live in their filth, villagers often live with their livestock and hygiene is questionable. If this was what an average Osmanian lived like, then I am starting to become swayed by their proposal of how to run a country.
To end this journal, know that I did not write every minutae of everything that I saw or conversations with the people that I had met. Know that I repressed what I truly, truly felt deep inside as I saw these sights in the name of being dignified and proper, and so that this journal is coherent and chronologically explained what I witnessed. In reality, this day had been a day that not only will I remember forever, but a day that I would consider to be the most important in my short life. My perspective and vision had been forever altered by this trip. This was only the first day, I can hardly wait for what manner of mind-blowing things will I witness tomorrow in Osma.
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ART
Mula, Seat of Trade (Convocation of Osma):
[https://i.imgur.com/OvCiulK.png]
Prototype Train:
[https://i.imgur.com/X6lDHcW.png]