The Campagna Report

Diplomatic action

A group of a dozen male students from the Ustanan Royal Academy ignore the warnings and forbiddance of their peers and teachers and sail to Rhocenza to prostrate themselves before Jilixia to ask for permission to study her and her city for their final graduating Academic Thesis.   Jilixia, in a rare display of mercy, gives the brave students the right to study her and her city under a few restrictions. This report, once written brings many shocking things to light about Rhocenza and its ruler, from its vast economy to shockingly solid government, and more.   The Students, once done, are shockingly allowed to freely leave Rhocenza to return to the mainland to deliver their report to the Academy.

Over a century into Rhocenza's isolation, a team of students from the Ustanan Academy organized a trip to Rhocenza as part of their academic work. This trip was shut down by the rulers of Ustana and the Rasmanthus Guild both, but the students snuck out of the academy and pursued it anyway - garnering transport on their own, the team of a dozen odd students set sail for Rhocenza from Ustana and arrived in Rhocenza a week later.   Arriving in Rhocenza's ports, the all-male student body found that the city was far from the nightmarish hell-scape that they had been informed of - the streets were clean, the residents going about their lives, and things appeared to have attained a relative degree of normality, at least on the surface level. Gaining an audience with Jilixia herself, the all-male student body, well aware of Jilixia's disposition, threw themselves at her feet and explained their intentions wholeheartedly and without lie - they wished to study her and her city for academic purposes, to study the effects her rule has had on the people and the changes to their lifestyles.   Thanks to their extreme deference, obvious fear, and immense respect, Jilixia gives the students permission to operate within Rhocenza on one condition - they are to report all their work to her and her alone, and she will act as final arbiter of what they write and put in their finished product. In addition, they will be given female 'handlers' to escort them around. The students agree to this, surprised at her generosity.   The study, later nicknamed the Campagna Report, brings to light dozens of astonishing factors about the people of Rhocenza - the men of Rhocenza, in response to over a century of abuse, have adapted slightly to associate pain with pleasure: they no longer feel conventional pain, which is as much a hinderance as it is as a benefit, though it does make them fantastic frontline combatants. The study reveals that the people of Rhocenza are not brainwashed nor mind-controlled - they are fanatically loyal to Jilixia, such that even in her absence the study notates that they are likely to form their society around her and in her image. They display an astounding degree of coordination and empathy, and crime as well is mostly non-existent in the country as state wide laws allowing for brutal, sadistic punishments such as burning, flagellation, whipping, and more as well as a complete lack of protection for men under the law means crime does not occur, instead allowing men to brutalize each other while women can vent their urges on the male populace with little repercussion.   The economy of Rhocenza, rather than sitting in ruin as much of Ustana had assumed, is altogether intact - though they have abandoned currency in favor of the barter system as they had been cut off from all outside trade and contact. There is a careful rationing system in place and hierarchy of needs should supplies get scarce, and massive water treatment plants have been built on the ocean's edge alongside new farmlands on the rest of the island, making the city almost entirely self-sustaining.   The study also speaks of Jilixia herself - even notating much of her biography notated by the woman herself. It speaks of her honestly as a sadistic, cruel-hearted woman of unfathomable intelligence, who makes no efforts to hide her intentions and dares others to stop her bold and brazen plans. However, it also speaks of her cunning - her skill at ruling should not be underestimated because of her sadism, and despite her cruel policies she has crafted a self-sufficient city-state with a population undyingly loyal to her and her ideals, even going so far as to make regular ritual sacrifice to her, which astonishes the students.   All in all, the report reveals a much different Rhocenza than was originally imagined - the men, while brutalized, want for nothing and think little of their abuse, seeing it as a 'reward' for good behavior while wishing to avoid more intense 'punishments' laid down for bad behavior. Their worship of Jilixia is zealous in the extreme, seeing their pain and even death as offerings to her that she might continue to grant them prosperity. They see themselves as her favored children, and serve out of genuine faith and dogmatic loyalty.   With the report complete, the students deliver it to Jilixia, who makes only a few minor edits to undo changes made to make her country look better to others in favor of revealing the cold facts. The students then leave with Jilixia's blessing to deliver their report to Ustana.   The students return to the Royal Academy in Ustana and deliver their report, and are awarded with a national medal for their bravery in the face of adversity despite their flagrant lawbreaking in fleeing the country in the first place.