Location: Simtropolis

Overview • People • Government • Economy • Trend • Analysis

The Holy Empire of Maeln is a massive, economically powerful nation, ruled by Lord Wolf with an iron fist, and notable for its suspicion of poets. Its hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 3.021 billion are ruled with an iron fist by the corrupt, dictatorship government, which oppresses anyone who isn't on the board of a Fortune 500 company. Large corporations tend to be above the law, and use their financial clout to gain ever-increasing government benefits at the expense of the poor and unemployed.

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, corrupt, moralistic, pro-business government stops and the rest of society begins, but it juggles the competing demands of Defence, Law & Order, and Religion & Spirituality. It meets every day to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Saint's City. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 52%. A powerhouse of a private sector is led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, followed by Uranium Mining and Automobile Manufacturing.

Employers may fire workers without giving any reason, newspapers cannot report anything about politicians without their explicit consent, the government regularly hires contractors to construct high rise apartments, and terrified tympanists are finding themselves on the front lines armed only with kettledrums. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force. Maeln's national animal is the Wolf, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, its national religion is Worship of Lord Wolf, and its currency is the Fisto.

Maeln is ranked 1st in Simtropolis and 1,075th in the world for Shortest Average Lifespan, scoring 39 on the Bus Surprisal Index.

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NationStates by Max Barry, author of and