Intro: A story of my setting called Dunia, shamelessly stealing the name of Lescatie and geography of our world.
After Megiddo, year 21
"Now, where to find a research paper interesting enough to tickle the fancy of my yokai students..."
Quiet thumps of hooves echoed on the corridor where a Hakutaku teacher, a woman of great beauty, A graceful humanoid face with horns, a tail and white fur, trod slowly to find any literary item to stimulate her students' interest. The city's new conqueror and ruler, Vierna Van Rose, a controversial Dark Elf had funded a co-ed school to educate and socialize monstergirls and human youth.
She was an Eastern monsterwoman, a yokai, a female species of bodily bovine features, but of great sagacity and education, and a graceful human face to boot.
She didn't enjoy this turn of events.
So far the university classes were a mixture of student fights and other unsavory acts such as an Ushi-Oni student organizing a foot race, Satyros girls getting drunk and Danuki girls starting gambling rings. It wouldn't do.
Entering the Library, she found the librarian human woman reading a purple, silk-bound tome.
"Evening, Yusa-Sensei!"
"Evening, Marie!" The Hakutaku smiled wearily.
The librarian human woman bowed. "Looking for something in particular?"
The Hakutaku sighed. " Yes, Marie. This co-ed school feels like torture. My students of both races need SOMETHING to find common ground in. But tales of slavery and wars and rapine and pillages are just not good taste. And it's not right to make them read such sorrowful tales or worse, let the Dark Elf student get ideas again.." Temirburg Co-Ed school Project was not going smoothly, and it was apparent on the haggard Hakutaku's features. Even her fur felt less shiny, her face more gaunt.
The librarian had an idea after some thinking. She snapped her fingers:
"There is one paper, Sensei, that well... is also about underdog humans and our oppression but...it speaks of romance, sacrifice and charity. Even the Inquisition records confirm its truth. It's on shelf B-32."
Marie was a freedwoman from older times. She always made references to the plight of people like her even to her friendliest aides, and carried a small necklace which showed a bleeding heart and a sword, a sigil of an ex-slave who changed the world brutally.
"Have you had a chance to read it yourself, Marie?" The Hakutaku raised her eyebrows. The human librarian smiled.
"Yes. Some parts are torn and smudged but it is a good read. Some pages are diaries, some are explicitly written novel chapters but...it checks out."
"Thanks." The Hakutaku took small, gentle steps not to make loud noises with her hooves. Slowly seperating the files on the shelf, she took the folder in her hands, and started perusing.
"Mind you, Sensei. You should censor some of the...saucier tales within!"
**
The label read:
Research papers by Slade concerning Mamono Ophiology: research about serpent women that classify as Snake-form. This paper concerns the Western history of Shirohebi. The appearance of albino-white snake-women mamono known as Shirohebi a century before the battle of Megiddo seems to be coinciding with this manuscript's contents.
The Manuscript : The Divine White Serpent of Rossburg
Author: Kanji letters reveal it as co-authored by "Mamo" and "Moru".
Content: It speaks of a charity event held within the United Shogunate of Zipangu to help enslaved humans between both western empires. Apparently they even gave a Shirohebi away voluntarily as a slave and took a lot of freed humans to Zipangu, repatriating the rest. The Shirohebi seems to have volunteered to serve , entertain and persuade the vicious mamono of earlier times to give up on poor humans and shift the mamono politics of the West towards a milder tone.
**
The Hakutaku squinted, opened the file and started perusing. She briefly frowned at the giggles and moans coming from a cubicle where a Manticore and her boyfriend had snuck in, and in another, a harpy eagle-girl was cuddling with her boyfriend, kissing as an essay lay before them, unwritten and undone.. Swearing quietly in Canton, she kept reading.
**
*smeared letters*
-Year of Serpent, 501, Autumn.
[New calendar, 100 pre-Megiddo]
We left Hallowed Shores of God-Island, Zipangu with a magnificent fleet of forty Red-Seal ships, of hallowed wood and sacred Jorogoumo silk. The ships are full with the most in-demand goods in the western side of Dunia. Our goal is to pass Choson first, then Bharatiyya Peninsula and through Misrani Strait into Ermorea, where two kingdoms are locked in war.
Human Empire of Lescatie and Monstergirl Empire of Mamono-Reik.
Two Empires, one governed by humans only and another by Yokai and Yasha. Reik sees humans, our neighbors and friends and lovers, the ningen, little more than cattle. My Lady, the Lady-Ryu Asuka's tender heart is touched by the suffering of men and women, and being a creature of utmost piety and kindness, she worked her estates and organized charities and gathered a small Merchant fleet donated by kind men wanting to clear their conscience and earn good karma (and marry Shirohebi maidens that want good moral husbands).