The Holy Imperium of Ostermarch is a gargantuan, orderly nation, ruled by Maximilian with an iron fist, and notable for its aversion to nipples, punitive income tax rates, and suspicion of poets. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical, humorless, devout population of 15.399 billion Imperials are kept under strict control by the oppressive government, which measures its success by the nation's GDP and refers to individual citizens as "human resources."

The medium-sized, corrupt, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Law & Order, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of El Escorial. The average income tax rate is 94.5%.

The frighteningly efficient Imperial economy, worth a remarkable 6,633 trillion crowns a year, is broadly diversified and mostly comprised of black market activity, especially in Arms Manufacturing, Information Technology, Retail, and Woodchip Exports. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is an amazing 430,788 crowns, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Whenever pilots have to bail out the government bails out their company, hundreds of teenagers die every year at the Imperial Hungry Games, unpopular scientists are shunned by name, and asking 'a penny for your thoughts?' draws law enforcement response. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Ostermarch's national animal is the demigryph, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its national religion is Imperial Cult.

Ostermarch is ranked 3,402^nd in the world and 61^st in Europe for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 665.85 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.