The Incorporated States of Universal Syndicates is a massive, orderly nation, notable for its compulsory military service, irreverence towards religion, and complete absence of social welfare. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 1.806 billion Oscuras are rabid consumers, partly through choice and partly because the government tells them to and dissenters tend to vanish from their homes at night.

The tiny, pro-business, well-organized government is primarily concerned with Defense, with Industry, Education, and Law & Order also on the agenda, while Spirituality and International Aid are ignored. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 5.1%.

The thriving Oscuran economy, worth 147 trillion energy credits a year, is driven almost entirely by the private sector, which is broadly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Retail, Woodchip Exports, and Uranium Mining. Average income is 81,916 energy credits, but there is a large disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 402,955 per year while the poor average 9,509, a ratio of 42.4 to 1.

Government negotiators never forget to say "pretty please" when begging for custody of its criminals, the nation's orphanages and maternity wards have been nicknamed 'the Killbot Factories', prominent cultural symbols are featured on the backs of cereal boxes, and tourists often cite 'hiding money in an off-shore banking account' as their main reason to visit the nation. Crime is a serious problem, with the police force struggling against a lack of funding and a high mortality rate. Universal Syndicates's national animal is the vyite, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation.

Universal Syndicates is ranked 101,423^rd in the world and 19^th in Astral Sea for Most Cultured, scoring 66 on the Snufflebottom-Wiggendum Pentatonic Scale.