Cyclopedia Ornria entry for Bulsopbia.

Buslopbia (Bus-Lo-Pia), Officially The Timarchy of Buslopbia..

Buslopia is a small Nation located on the Northern extent of the Dragoloon Peninsula.

The nation is home to only 574 Ornrians, though it’s per capita income is quite high.

It’s capital is Babeltap, the cliff town on Yak Butte that overlooks the Levatoomi National Forest., it’s also the largest Buslopbian city.

Buslopbia has a very good port on Snotacle Sound, in the city of Stewslops, whose facades and stone houses are hewn into the cliffsides of Crochet Crag.

General overview

Buslopbia is sparsely populated, and it’s Babajunta Regime is a virtual puppet of Agog. Militarily weak, it’s rulers have sold the nation to Agog, in exchange for power over the hinterland. however, it’s urban population thrives economically as a result. Surrounded by sea, it is in effect landlocked; the port mole at Stewslops, and the river mouths of Bentborder and Yellowyak respectively provide it’s only real access to sea travel, since the rest of the coast is steep cliffs and large ship wrecking rocks. There is some illicit trade with Bertwood, smuggling Bertwood Bourbon, through Slumfunk, by a sandy and difficult truck road. It’s southern neighbor Etrulia is a source of constant irritation over rights to Bentborder River resources, and Buslopbia has often had to fight off Etrulian transhippine raids since it achieved independence from them 180 years ago. Buslopbia is in effect a Colonial possession of Agog.

Languages.

The majority of the population speaks Maribel, a language that derived from Etrulian with Vus and Merigoo influences. In the hinterlands the tonal jabber of Lobolic can still be heard, a language isolate incomprehensible to outsiders without a great deal of study, though the government officially discourages it’s use as it’s become a code speak for the YAQP (Youngsters Against Quislings Party) an anti-government association mainly of college students.

Etymology:

The name Buslopbia is believed to derive from Etrulian Vassalovia; “the land of underlings”, though the Vus’ Wusslava (Cow Patty Land) has also been suggested . In the Age of Metals the land south of Stewslops was Oxymin County, and the wilderness to the north is called Bosacrelad, a term corrupted to Buslocvia in the middle ages, and then by similarity to Vassalovia, evolved to Buslopbia by early modern times.

History

Pre-history.

Buslopbia has never been heavily populated, it’s rugged hillscapes of windswept bracken and upland moors offer a harsh and difficult life to those few ancient people who roamed it’s territory. The unforgiving nature of the Hooha made it’s people hard and bound them to the Yak, keeping their numbers low, while the lowland prairies and riverine lands supported a richer more settled life it was still an itinerant one subject to the moods of the river, and the pressures from tribes beyond it.

The Hooha hills is abundant in fossils of pre human antiquity when it was below water, many fabulous primitive fish and invertebrates have been recovered to grace the halls of museums around the world. In the Human era the Hooha seems to have always been a shelterless windy cheerless place. Alternating cold wind and rain with hot wind and drought. And heavy snows in winter.

The Buslopbian Yak alone seems to find it homey, sharing the hills with the Blue fox, many birds, and the nearly inedible woody gorse. The first humans here were incredibly primitive; stone tools recovered near charcoal hearth sites seem to be the simplest sort; round hammers, and simple flakes with no shaping, and crushed yak long bones. This is called the “Roundrock Assemblage” and it is clearly of great antiquity but not yet reliably dated. It is followed by “Loomweight Sites” this is clearly a different way of life, the yak being no longer just prey, but a source of wealth. These sites feature the eponymous loom weights, perforated stones believed to anchor ground looms of a type still used by natives. As well as carved and shaped bone, charcoal, and flint scrapers and Brpana; small stone objects of abstract variable shape but with a tiny hole drilled carefully through the long axis, and the exterior very highly polished. Most about thumb sized. It is unknown what function they served, but there is no lack of speculation. The people that made these objects were clearly bound to the wandering Yak herds and moved with them. A pattern that has not changed in this land until the modern day, and which persists somewhat even now. The only major change to occur in the archaeological record happens some short time before the age of metals, when these tiny wandering yak herder groups begin to have seasonal gatherings at which they raised menhirs and seem to have sacrificed large herds of yak in bonfires. A practice that died out early in the age of metals, but may relate to the Hoogow; a yearly gathering in which the small bands split by moity membership each totem group gathering it’s members to itself for a week of feasting, games, story telling, ceremonies, and reorganization of family groups, before disbanding and returning to the regular family band.

Below the Hooha, in the Levatoomi Forest, there is little record of human occupation at all. Not surprising, the Levatoomi is no Sherwood of “broad avenues below the oaks” but an impassible thicket of brush and low shrubs like the Spanish Maquis. Levatoomi species include Laurels, Thyme, Lavender, Poison Oak, Itchspine, Soapbark, Hogthorn, Lizardstickers, Pipebriar, Poison Oak, Rashythorn, Manchineel, and Blistering Shortpine. The density of it’s growth prevents travel and old routes avoided it entirely, it’s impervious to browsing by ungulates, and resistant to fire. When drought conditions do bring fire season, the clouds of toxic smoke released are dangerous for many (Ornrian) yards downwind. Native Buslopian people used the plants of the Leavatoomi medicinally, but made no inroads into the gigantic brush thicket, preferring the Poopalop grasslands, or the windy, bald, uplands as a living place.

The banks of the Yellowyak show sites of semi sedentary life very early in prehistory. Hunter gatherer people thought to be ancestral to the later Palopian speaking tribes met by the Etrulians in the early age of metals, were already engaged in weaving yak wool, making pottery, constructing stone wiers in the Yellowyak, and seem to have moved between seasonal sites on a sort of processional round. Probably to take advantage of the upland berry harvest, the fish runs, the spring bird migrations, and a yearly trading venture with the Hooha tribes. Professor Washnot of the Polyestrine Polytechnic University has conducted a 3 season dig near Gnawseeia and recovered many beautiful artifacts now on display in Polyesterdelphia.

Historical Antiquity.

The Etrulians pushed north of the Bentborder early Antiquity, but found little to plunder. They discovered the Levatoomi Forest, but it’s stunted poison thickets were frightening and unnatural to them and they saw little to gain, hardly venturing beyond the yellowyak at all. They had difficulty pinning the Palopians down, and battles between Etrulian Phalanges and the Native slingers were usually long chevaucheess through the countryside burning Palopian encampments until the Etrulians had lost too many legionaries to Palopian slingstones to continue. Eventually raids and tit for tat atrocities gave way to Etrulian fortification and subjugation. The Etrulian general Hocles Luigens founded Grume and Stewslops, connecting them with a fine road, and constructing a stone mole into Snotacle Sound as the foundation of it’s port. This encroachement onto the Palopians land was dignified with the title county in the reign of Charkus II, and coins of this era found in the numerous fortified latifunda near Oxzamin and Alta.

The Etrulian county would grow rich on tolls from port and road, and it’s Counts declared themselves Kings at the opening of the Age of Chivalry. Magnificent small castles dot the countryside of Southern Buslopbia, many in use today as hotels, houses, and army installations. The one at Katatokomak serves as a lighthouse. In the reign of King Waloop Longstick, Baron Oopslom the Fat failed in a bid to assassinate the King, and fled his residence at Stewslops for a fortification he’d secretly constructed deep in the Levatoomi Forest at the foot of the Hooha Hills. This castle, on the rise of Befbobel Hill, became Befbobel Top, which name was corrupted to Babeltap. From here Oopslom the Fat waged a three year war with the King, losing his head at the battle of Marjeen. His son, Oopslom Thinthigh declared himself King of Babeltap, but his kingdom was short lived, inside ten years he died (some say poisoned by his wife, a cousin of his Father other sources say that he was killed hunting in the Levatoomi, and the “Lament of Lady Laurel her Tears” would have us believe he intentionally ate manchineel to prove his love for a wicked handmaiden of his queen) At any rate, his early passing left the new Kingdom headless, and his knights were unable to agree on a succession, and after a brutal series of battles Babeltap rejoined the Buslopbian Kingdom as a mere Baronetcy.

Modern History.

Buslopbia entered the early Modern Era as a unified small kingdom. It’s petty feudal lords; titled Margarvers and Hikwards ruled their little dominions with virtually no interference from the King at Babeltap, in return paying yearly homage at the Feast of Blackamun in Freezuary. These Yak Barons were engaged in constant tit for tat cattle raids with one another, and in expanding their herds slowly pushed the majority of the population into the cities, chiefly Babeltap and Grume, and Stewslops. In this period Snood Abby was founded by the Nunnic Order of Our Lady of Crochet, and endowed with a massive grant of yards of Hooha Hills for support.

The nuns opened a boarding school, and began the process that would nearly destroy the Hooh people. Virtually enslaving the adults to manage the yak herds they once followed, making it a crime to kill or butcher a Yak, outlawing their ancient festival, and suppressing the language. Most of the Hooh in the North became absolutely dependent on the Nunnery in Snood for support.

This state of affairs was intolerable to the Hooh chieftain Guff Scruffbeard, He had served in the King’s army and seen much of war against Margarvers, and Etrulian raiders. In his anger he raised an army of peasants, and surviving Hooh, and fortified a Hill at Whatza Point. Here he trained his famous Yak Cavalry. And began a 20 year war on the Hooha hills that would burn the Snood Abby, bring the Margarvers of the South onto the hills, and finally see the King deposed, and Guff himself raised to Warlord of the North. And Regent Protector of the new King. As virtual Dictator Guff called the first Marmoot; and gave the first constitution to Buslopbia, limiting the King’s future powers, and delineating harsh penalties upon the lords for breaches of peace. The Lords were disarmed in exchange for a share of political power, and the first Buslopbian People’s Army put on a modern footing with the construction of a proper armory and powdermill at Babeltap. The nunnery school was destroyed. The Nuns themselves much reduced, becoming little more than a crochet factory supporting the empty luxury of the Babeltower Palace. The Hooha hills became a reservation to the Hooh in return for yearly tribute to the King, though in practice this wealth filled the Lord Protector’s warehouses in Stewslops, the wool and salt meat being exported to support the modernization of the military. Hardly was this work well in hand when Guff, now Guff the Great, was thrown from his Yak and died of a broken neck.

His lieutenant, the Margarver general Loris the Slow, moved immediately to sieze power, but not before a cabal of Nuns, supported by dissaffected Poopalop Hickwads was able to whisk the no-longer-child King Wimpu II, to Snood, and declared the new Lord Protector an Outlaw.

At this dangerous juncture fate turned a dark page; three enormous modern sailing ships armed with great bronze cannon sailed into the Yellowyak River. A pirate army under the renegade Blue Giant Dundoonian Scarfblut Mcknuckletuth with Dundoonian cuthroats, Earish rogues, Ileans, Podunkites, even St. Basilians disembarked and put the countryside to fire and sword. This fleet had just been repelled from Guerat after a year long campaign, and was looking to lick it’s wounds, revictual, and find some serious loot. Hearing that the King was at Snood, and thinking that here was a chance for a literal King’s Ransom, Scarfblut led his army up the Yellowyak, intending to pass through the Levatoomi, take Stewslops for a base and move on Snood to capture King Wimpu.

The 10 Hickwads of Poopalop that had been for the King suddenly rethought their positions as they received urgent letters telling of the destruction of their holdings in the Poopalop plain. 8 of them immediately abandoned him, throwing themselves and their small forces of supporters on the mercy of Loris, and in a hurried council with his Margarvers granted Loris the newly invented position of Yakmaster of Buslopbia, with unlimited emergency powers to battle the Pirate menace.

Loris allowed Scarfblut to burn his way up the Yellowyak, and set a trap for the pirates beyond the forest on the slopes of Crochet Crag. Scarfbluts men were already near mutiny from the heavy losses imposed by the poisonous Levatoomi, when they crashed through the wood onto the highland beyond only to see a long line of Buslopian musketeers waiting for them. The battle lasted all day, with Scarfblut’s cannon doing enormous execution. In the end a wild Yak Lancers charge put paid to the gunners, and as night fell the pirate survivors were divided into small bands, some slipped back through the Levatoomi, abandoning their comrades to fate. They burned two ships and escaped on the last. Most would be gathered up by the yak cavalry, however Scarfblut survived with a small band of men, and intent on turning his fortune, he worked his force north towards Snood. Yak Lancers caught up with him at Marjeen, but he managed to make a fighting escape again, and arrived at Snood, worn, starved, angry and defiant. It seems here he made a deal with the Nuns, presumably promising support for the King in civil war, but it was a ruse to gain entry. His men proceeded directly to sack and rapine the Nunnery, and took poor King Wimpu hostage, again, sending to Loris for parley.

It is thought that the Pirates were seeking to trade the King for escape, but it was not to be, in the night Loris caught up to them, and in the rainy, windswept ruins of the Nunnery a final battle took place, and in the morning no pirate would be left alive, and somehow neither would King Wimpu, now called the Last.

Buslopia emerged from war then, worn, tattered, impoverished, but alive. Her people returned to quiet yak herding, her lords slogged home tired, and weakend, and financially wiped out, but Loris, the first Yakmaster of Buslopbia, emerged the clear winner. Having not only command of a modern army, but also of much captured modern heavy bronze artillery, and in control of Babeltap, Snood, Stewslops, and Grume.

He founded the new government, a Republic of sorts, the Timarchy, giving it’s lords the right to sit on the Encamera (the new legislative assembly) provided they completed their 10 years public service and passed the Civil Exam. And in addition created the elective position Presidio, as the executive of the nation, reserving to himself the office of Yakmaster, the formal head of the army. On his death all future Yakmasters served at the pleasure of the Presidio, thus making the state, finally, a modern republic.

Present day.

For almost 100 years Buslopbia has managed under this system to stay mostly a quiet peaceful realm. Though it’s lords have been encroaching into the Hooha hills, making large Haciendas and mixing wild Yaks into their herds. Small scale range wars are common, though mostly kept quiet and out of the government’s notice.

The current Presidio is Greeno Gespacho; a short voluable woman given to wild gesticulation, constantly chewing tobacco, and whose party gained power by giving controlling interests in the state railroad monopoly and the state port monopoly to Agog. In effect selling her nation for power.

Geography

Buslopbia is effectively landlocked by its high cliffs and rocky shoreline. The Hooha Hills in the north are reminiscent of our Terra del Feugo pampas or possibly the high tundra in summer. Vegetation is generally knee high or shorter. The Yak Butte is a massive dolomite dome, Crochet Crag is granite tower, and Madwoman Mount is a fossiliferous conglomerate. The Hooha Hills drain south, much of which feeds the Levatoomi forest before becoming the headwaters of the Yellowyak River. The piedmont region between the Yellowyak and the Bentborder is quite fertile, and farmland here is provides plenty to feed the cities and some export to Etrulia and Agog. The Eastern reach of the country is the massive extinct volcano Mt.Bookpile. A source of obsidian to the ancient natives, and a barrier to easy access from Bertwood.

Climate.

A constant high pressure system south of Wywreeheer Island forces a high dry wind directly onto Whatza Point, scouring the whole Hooha hills. This gives Northern Buslopbia a Subpolar Oceanic climate. On the barren hills Rain only occurs during Freezuary and Mudember, the rest of the year moisture is limited to heavy morning dews, but this is enough to keep the thick carpet of Berberis, Groundberry, Tundra rose and Anklepine alive. Grasses are rare here, and the only tree that can survive is the twisted diminutive Anklepine, so called because it’s rarely able to reach the height of a human knee. The currents that sweep huge storms onto Bertwood are diverted into Goosegrease Gulf, which causes an upwelling that makes the gulf incredibly productive of small fishes and sea birds, and mating season makes the cliffs of east Buslopbia so loud that the natives had a name for it; Ooftryllinrow.

The southern half the country receives a periodic hot westerly heavy with moisture, in the winter this often meets the cooler dry air, and rising up the flanks of the Yak butte, the Crochet Crag and Mt. Bookpile, begins to dump heavy rains making the land between the rivers very fertile as it’s flood washes minerals and nutrients from the mountains into the valley.

Fauna

Obviously the most famous Buslopian critter is the Buslopbian yak. In addition there is the Hooha Blue Fox, Hilland’s Groundsquirrel, flies and gnats in great swarms, and mosquitos on the Hooha hills. The Levatoomi Wood is home to numerous birds; the poisonous Yak Hen, the Fartrige, the Bluebilled Bugzapper, and Lopwing Flycatchers are common. Also small animals like Snords Ground Hare, the Thorny Urchin, Nog’s Black Squirrel, and the rare Thicket Wildcat. In her rivers were once great Paddlefish, giant Tuck’s Mudturtles, and Razor Trout, but they have given way to common trout, croakers, river perch, broad eels, and giant leeches. The inter river plains ones sees rabbits, squirrels, birds, and rarely a Sawbuck deer, Blue Fox, and on occasion near Mt. Bookpile, a Hidebehind Wolf.

Government and politics

Form of Government: Buslopbia is a Timarchy, a form of Republic in which power is in the hands of a small elite of wealthy educated families. There is little room for public elections of any sort, though some towns and cities have offices like dog catcher, jail keeper, or school principal that are elective to those who pay local taxes.

The Encamera is the legislative body of the nation, it’s a small body of 5 to 8 voting members with no permanent seat of operations, usually meeting in the Campesto National Library, the Gubguggle Coffee House, or the Old Boot Factory. It’s sessions are irregular, though they gather every 5 years to re-elect the Presidio. Responsible to them are the Secretarium Heads; Treasury, Parks, Education, Transportation, Commissary, Interior, and Foreign. They handle most day to day government operations, Commissary being responsible for supplying the needs of the army as defined by the Yurt of the Yakmaster of Buslopbia. The Yurt is not a tent, but a sort of general staff of former Yak Masters and retired generals who handle high staff functions for the army.

The Encamera elects the Presidio who is the executive head of state of Buslopbia. She is in effect a dictator, as the Encamera rubber stamps her decrees in almost all cases. She controls the National Police, and personally selects the Yakmaster of Buslopbia, invariably a subordinate client, kept in line with a “personal bodyguard” of the State police.

The current Presidio is Greeno Gaspacho. She is the smiling face of the pro-Agog faction. Under her leadership the urban section of the country has prospered and now has the highest per capita income of it’s history mostly due to the large volume of resources being shipped abroad. Agog is stockpiling salt yak, yak hides, wool, put Buslopia’s sleep railways on schedule, and opened mines for salt, tinfoil, and a new gluefactory in Stewshops.

Behind her smile however, Madame Gaspacho is ruthless, she has personally hanged school professors, nuns, and actual criminals. It’s thought that she shot the previous Yakmaster when he tried to maneuver for more power. She has run the anti-Agog faction not only underground, but largely out of the country. Her wealth is unknown, but clearly enormous, not counting her personal stake in the National Railroad, the National Power Grid, the National Port Authority, the National Glue Factory, the National Armory, it’s thought she owns or part owns the majority of the Hooha Haciendas in one way or another, and the national mint might just as well be her personal bank account. Only a fool would challenge her on her own turf.

Military

The Yakmaster of Buslopbia is the nations only General Supremo. He commands over the Infantry, Cavalry, Arial, Artillery, and Flotilla branches of the Buslopbian Armed forces. The Military is in many ways the personal preserve of Presidio, all officers serve at her pleasure.

The force is however quite small. With it’s tiny population Buslopbia cannot afford manpower, even with conscription it’s force is less than 100 strong. The Yak Lancers are the prestige service, and get the lion’s share of resources. The Yak Scouts are more numerous, and handle far more of the actual workload. The Infantry is poor men, poorly equipped, and poorly trained. The Artillery is large after a fashion, there are 70 guns in Buslopias armory, but 66 of them are muzzle-loaders. The Arial branch has two antique aircraft, and the Flotilla is one gunboat and a 3 motor launches pressed into service mounted with old hotchkiss guns.

Administrative Divisions

Buslopbia has no Administrative divisions.

Economics

Buslopbia’s economy is best described as a colonial resource extraction economy. it’s currency is the Buslopbian Chit, an embossed cardboard coin produced by the mint in Babeltap. It’s historically been a very low value coin on the world market, but in the past two decades it has skyrocketed in value and now has parity with the Zloty.

The average income of Buslobian citizens is 8.7 Chits a month, but this is misleading. Urban workers are making nearly 10 Chits a month, while most rural workers struggle for 4.

Buslopbia produces many raw materials; Yak wool, yak meat, yak milk, yak cheese, yak glue, just from it’s yak herds. In addition there are pharmaceuticals taken from the Levatoomi forest, Salt from the Madwoman Penal Mine, Foil and Pulp from mines on Mt. Bookpile, a small amount of lead is recovered from an open pit near Eego. And there is the illicit Bentwood Bourbon Trade, brought over Mt. Bookpile by Yak or truck, and transshipped to rail, or to outbound freighters. Many thousands of Chits of income are gained to the Presidio by Buslopbian smugglers into Guerat, the Polyester Freestate, Oppressorbad, Foo-EE, and Hemmer.

Agriculture

The main vegital agriculture in Buslopbia is potato. Buslopbians are not a gormand people, and besides Potatoes with their Yak, they grow a small variety of foods. One chiefly sees celery, onion, tomatos, garlic, rye, peppers, cucumbers, and limon. Very little of this is exported, most is grown and consumed on the haciendas, There are chickens everywhere, eggs are almost as common as potatos in the market.

In the cities local farmers bring to weekly market their truck garden produce, but the only large scale agriculture products moving from the country into town are Potatoes and rye for bread and for rye beer. On the other hand meat and fish are cheap, and the usual diet of city dwellers is heavy in cheese, and yak beef.

Industry and manufacturing

There is little heavy industry in Buslopbia. The port has a drydock, but mostly does hasty repairs and the sole shipbuilder: Buslopbia Marine Works, is not highly rated, still building ships to patterns nearly a century old. It’s also a Nationalized company. The railroad shops of the National Railroad are also run more like those of a century ago, and Agogite managers have had a hard time bringing changes to the stubborn Buslopbian workers.

One of the most profitable concerns is the Snood Nunnery Textile Works. Employing mainly women it is part workhouse for the poor, and part ordinary textile factory. The majority of it is employed in preparing and spinning yak wool into thread, mostly for export, there is a wool division that produces fine yak wool cloth in bolts, dyed in house. And the crème of establishment are the 12 “Dames of the Needle” who produce the famous Buslopbian Nunnery Export Crochet.

Less famous is Grume’s Roggenshat Brewery, makers of the national Roggenshat Rye beer. Often described as heavy, dry, astringent and medicinal, it’s not a popular brew beyond Buslopbia.

Infrastructure and Transportation

Roads in Buslopbia tend to be unmettaled, sandy and poor. The exception is the ancient Etrulian highway from Grume to Stewslops, which is wide, and well cobbled. And recently received a macadam top. From Babeltap to Snood is a new concrete road, complete with a trolley line, built as part of a pilot program intended to gauge the possibliity of connecting Babeltap to the rest of the nation. Snood is on the National Railroad. Which is improving if not yet well run, but still makes do with hundred year old rolling stock and steam engines that make the yak look efficient.

At Oxymin the rail line turns south, and crosses the bridge into Etrulia, the bridge is an Etrulian affair, and the line south of Oxymin is only rented by the Buslopbian National line, being owned and built, and maintained by the Etrulian’s Imperial Grume County RR.

Stewslops has it’s Great Mole, the center of docking operations in the Snotacle Sound harbor. Much freight moves onto and off the many tramp freighters that call. So Buslopbia is well connected to the world, though import duties and tariffs on non-Agogian goods are quite high.

Electricity is fairly new in Buslopbia, the big powerplant at Katatokamak is coal fired steam. it’s owned by Madwoman Mount National Power, and has lines to Babeltap, Snood, Stewslops, and Grume. The rest of the nation is not supplied with power by the national system, though Slumfunk has a small steam plant that uses wood, rye chaff, or alcohol and runs in the evenings 3 or 4 days a week by printed schedule, supplying subscribers in Slumfunk and Eego.

Demographics

Population

The total population of Buslopbia is 574 citizens. Almost 32 percent of whom are urban workers. And only 15 percent are rural country folk. The rest are semi rural townsmen. About 8 percent are ethnic Hooh, practicing the old ways to some degree. The remainder are classed as ethnically Buslopbian, derived from Pooplopian and Etrulian fusion with admixtures from Bentwood, Guerat, and Dundoon. The Yojk family of Grume particularly is well known for having abnormally tall stature and blue skin.

Religion

Most folk in Buslopbia belong to the Buslopbian Unthulic Church, and tithe to it regularly. To keep it’s license to operate the Church pays the government a sizable chunk of this, though it gains a near monopoly in return, it is bound to back the government to the hilt. The Government pays retirement and support for aged and infirm officers of the Unthulic Church, and is said to employ them as informers for the State Police. Hooh tribesmen still make small sacrifices in the old way worship the Sun yak as their ancient people always has. A smattering of foreign cults occasionally appears in Babeltap and Stewslops, but they are not well attended, received, nor receive any legal sanction, and must pay a heavy meeting Tax.

Culture

Music

Jazz is making inroads in Babeltap and Stewslops, but the wider land south of the Hooha is dominated by the traditional popular Vappio, a unique musical style reliant on the yak stringed hurdy-gurdy, and a melodious recorder/flute. Along with a sonorous, highly emotional voice accompaniment. The songs are rich, and tearful, and mostly rather sad. Though Vappiofeisto is upbeat, and bound to get villagers clapping hands or dancing.

Arts

Textiles are the natural medium for Buslopbian artisans. Some of the greatest tapestries in the world came from Snood, and can be found in museums, government houses, and castle manors around the world.

Cuisine

Buslopian food is heavy, usually stews of meat and potato for the poor, or smokey roasts, and the better off eat Hummnosh once or twice a week. Hummnosh is the national dish; a clay vessel is lined with shaved potato and onion and baked like a pie crust, this crust is then filled with a day old rich vegetable and fatty yak stew, it’s topped with mashed potato and yak butter and baked slow and long, creating a rich, thick meat pie.

Sport

The national sport is lawn boules, both officially and unofficially, and games of it are everywhere. Less fashionable, but almost as common are elephant chess, and dominoes seen at the ubiquitous town and village coffee houses. On the Hooha Yakquieros play Cabezzole a game something like hackysack from Yak back.