Howdy P’polsters! It’s your favorite field correspondent, P’pol Orubasay!

Last we spoke, I got really into music while waiting for Ishgard to grant me safe haven! It was a long and arduous wait, and after months and months… Still nothing! Well, I got a fine or twenty concerning “noise complaints,” but really I bet they just wanted my autograph. Still, despite circumstances with the frosty, cruel Elezen, I am not writing this from my frigid camp! No, this message actually comes from a cozy desk in my shared immigration center dormitory at Castrum Marinum!

Yes, yes, I am sure you are very distressed and opinionated about my current circumstance. I have heard it all, believe me. “The Empire is evil.” “The Empire wants total control.” “The Empire is experimenting on citizens to make grotesque monstrosities that will mindlessly destroy everything in their path, marking the end of days.” It is tired and it is lazy. And like all things, until you experience it, the Empire is not as bad as you might have imagined.

The State of City-States!

A lot of people tend to imagine the Empire as this monolithic entity, and in a lot of ways, they are! But there is a lot to it that I think people tend to ignore. It can be a lot easier to paint something broadly as negative than to accept that there are some things that an opponent might actually be right about. Before we look at the Empire, though, we should understand more about the governments of Eorzea! After all, what is a comparison worth if the other side is omitted?

First, the Grand Companies! These separated but allied groups act as defacto governing bodies over several geographic regions: The Order of the Twin Adder in the Black Shroud; The Immortal Flames in Thanalan; and The Maelstrom in the La Noscean islands. The Order of the Twin Adder is bound to appease the elementals so that no one incurs their wrath. The Immortal Flames are essentially protected by mercenaries working for the gil of the Sultanate. The Maelstrom is apparently made up of reformed pirates. Can any of them claim to be pure?

Gridania is home to a people who are very opposed to outsiders coming in. While made up mostly of Miqo’te and Elezen, the majority of clans are still distrusting of other Miqo’te and Elezen. Any outsiders who wish to assimilate are basically forced to work themselves into the good graces of those who were already there. It is not a very accepting place. Perhaps the balance needed makes this understandable, but it still creates a distinction between the “pure” and the “other.”

Ul’dah is a glimmering jewel in the desert… for the wealthy to enjoy. It is not so spectacular to those without much. Poverty is rampant, something that can be seen firsthand wandering Pearl Lane. Outside the city, refugee camps can be found around the walls and in nearby caves and abandoned mining tunnels. Short of signing on to fight for the Sultana, is there any way to change your station in such a place?

Limsa Lominsa is another place that is not all it’s cracked up to be. While it is welcoming to those beast kin that act friendly, it is also home to many seedier activities. The city even supports a local organization of Rogues who carry out various acts of theft. Reformed pirates, indeed! And despite historically having a challenge for leadership every seven years, it is said that Admiral Merlwyb Bloefhiswyn has suspended this, effectively giving her an authoritarian grip on the Grand Company.

Something all these “Grand” Companies have in common is a distrust and even HATE for beast tribes. Even fellow reporter, Lopp Yasaburo, a close and personal friend of mine who I have met, once held those beliefs before her journey into Ixal territory. The Grand Companies believe they are lesser races, that they should be crushed under boot should they dare to try and carve out a slice of this shared world. Certainly, some efforts have been made to be more accepting, but not a day goes by I do not hear of some adventurer setting off to take on a horde of Sahagin, a tribe that only wishes to have a nesting ground.

Fairness!

One complaint I have heard about the Empire is that they view the races of Eorzea in a similar way. That Elezen, Hyur, all of them are inferior to Garleans. And yet, the Empire has a totally different approach. Sure, it would be dishonest to say that the Imperial Army does not encroach upon the lands of other nations, and yet there are nuanced differences to how the Empire acts versus the Grand Companies. Where a member of the Flames might attack the Amalj’aa indiscriminately, the Empire primarily aims to take in the local populace. In fact, despite their feelings of Garlean superiority, 30% of the Empire’s citizens are of other origins, and that is not including the countless non-citizens who all have paths to full citizenship.

In fact, Imperial society is much more fair to those within its borders than any other state can claim to be. Even the lowest in society are not looked upon with scorn, but rather the view is that these people have an opportunity to elevate themselves and do better. Is that not a goal worth meeting? Rather than being branded a criminal for life and forced to freeze to death in Coerthas, a person might be able to rise from outsider to important journalist in the Empire. Just for example.

The Empire is FULL of opportunity. The expansion has been trying, but this means more work to be found in reinforcing and rebuilding infrastructure, more need for public service positions, and even chances for adventurers to don black and red garb to provide protection for traders. No matter who you are, there is a place for you and with it a path to something greater than your station.

Yes, there are flaws in the Empire. Yes, the conflicts involving them have led to hardships, but can you honestly say any of the other systems in power are clean? They all have their faults. And while I am gracious for the chance I have been given by them when no other nation would be so kind, I think it is important that everyone finds a place that aligns best with their values. Still, it is not fair to anyone to cast them aside simply because of a banner. The star needs peace and we cannot make a move towards that until we start to understand one another a little better.

Only then will we be able to rise up against the ancient god-like lizard people that control us all from their secret moon base where they worship fallen dark gods. This is P’pol Orubasay, Imperial Citizen hopeful, signing off!