Rhunsari

File:Rhunsari.png

## **The Cuckoo Nation**

Rhunsari is a nation of spies. Positioned between the twin invasion threats of Aethalore and The People’s Happy Utopia, the country has cultivated an asset that makes it too valuable to conquer: its information gathering network. It is a country that makes its way in the world by mimicking other countries.

## Kalarain’s Greatest Spy Ring

The people of Rhunsari are raised on the belief that Rhunsari’s information network keeps the country safe. And as members of that country, they are expected to deliver information to their government. So, to this end, huge numbers of Rhunsari citizens travel internationally to act as spies in other countries. A Rhunsari’s first loyalty is to their homeland. Every Rhunsari citizen, if they leave Rhunsari, is expected to report information back to the Rhunsari government. These reports can come as infrequently as years apart, a Rhunsari farmer in rural Mosshaven probably won’t have much to say, but they have to come at some point.

All of this information comes together to give Rhunsari the greatest spy network in the world. This information is then bartered, handed out, used to blackmail, and generally applied to the country’s advantage. Rhunsari’s governing body, the Commission, is quite selfless in how it uses it, always working in the peoples’ interest. This is how they keep the extraordinary loyalty of their citizens. If a Rhunsari is in trouble abroad, the Commission will often quietly step in to assist, if they can.

Rhunsari sometimes leave the fold completely, abandoning their nation. Such individuals are considered exiles, but this is allowed, so long as they remain quiet. However, part of the Rhunsari spy ring is an extraordinarily complex network of agents and protocols for transporting and delivering information from Rhunsari citizens. If an ex-Rhunsari starts revealing state secrets, they are liable to be kidnapped or assassinated.

## The Practicality of the Cuckoo Nation

The leadership of Rhunsari have learned from the actions of Escaro, who rewrote the world to their whims. As far as the Commission is concerned, tradition, heritage, norms, and cultural identity have no value except as tools. Culture and tradition are man-made, constructed concepts, they don’t have any inherent worth. This is the guiding philosophy of Rhunsari, and so Rhunsari has no national dress, cuisine, set of customs, and is almost entirely lacking in cultural touchstones. Instead, its citizens practice the customs of other nations. The cultural tradition of Rhunsari is to adopt the traditions of others, such as Vernon-Lament ceremonies and Sea People festivals, and recreate them so they may understand them.

This, of course, is of great benefit in Rhunsari infiltration attempts. Rhunsari learn how to blend into whatever country they move to. Rhunsari schools also teach children foundations of information gathering as part of the national curriculum. Rhunsari citizens are taught to change their accents, to adopt the norms and quirks of other countries so they may pass as a local.

All of this makes it frustratingly painful to identify Rhunsari nationals. Many other countries would stop Rhunsari citizens from information gathering if they could. They just can’t find them. One notable effort to shut down the Rhunsari network came two decades ago, when the despotic King Bae of Utopia decided it was time to put the Rhunsari in their place. Utopia set up an international taskforce and dispatched them across Kalarain, tasked with identifying and rooting out Rhunsari agents across the globe. The plan was to kidnap or publicly expose the uncovered Rhunsari agents. The plan failed, miserably, and it caused a number of embarrassing diplomatic incidents along the way.

Outside of the safety of their own country, Rhunsari do not admit they are Rhunsari. They always pass themselves off as coming from somewhere else. There is too much stigma, and it interferes with their intelligence gathering.