The Kingdom of Basschundia

The idyllic land of Basschundia can be found nestled between the Duchy of Bassett to the west and the County of Dachs to the east. It lies in a region of rolling green hills for which the short stout legs of the Basschundians are well suited. A hereditary monarchy ruled for ten centuries by the Froderickian dynasty, Basschundia is distinctly out of step with the modern world and its sensibilities. Its religious and political institutions can only be described as farcically medieval. As Emile Pippin, world renown expert on all things Basschundian, notes, “the adoption of new ideas largely stopped with the arrival of the guillotine and the oubliette.”

Basschundian culture is rich and complex. The country’s music has deep roots, especially the traditional choral music known as bassoodling, a sort of high pitched yodeling that is taught to Basschundians from an early age. So pervasive is this art form that a chorus of bassoodling is sure to erupt spontaneously wherever two or more Basschundians are gathered together. A wide variety of dishes are enjoyed by the populace in a manner that is almost indiscriminate. They appreciate gourmet meals, along with more common fare, and they consider dumpster diving for discarded morsels to be a national pastime. They are also known for a love of vigorous sports, including Basscho-Roman wrestling. This important source of entertainment for commoners and nobles alike is a cross between a tug-of-war contest and a sumo wrestling match. Their traditional clothing relies heavily on furs, with hats and collars serving frequently as accent pieces and status symbols.

Although the citizenry is fiercely independent, they would never be described as industrious. In fact, the productivity of the typical Basschundian is so low that the economy is almost entirely dependent on aid from their two-footed neighbors to the north and south.