The Empire of Valtern is a huge, efficient nation, renowned for its complete lack of prisons, pith helmet sales, and restrictive gun laws. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 261 million Valternians 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.

The relatively small, corrupt, moralistic, pro-business, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Defense, and Industry. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 8.1%.

The powerhouse Valternian economy, worth 22.7 trillion Valonias a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with significant contributions from Automobile Manufacturing, Woodchip Exports, and Gambling. Average income is 87,126 Valonias, but there is a vast disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 783,435 per year while the poor average 1,213, a ratio of 645 to 1.

Libraries are refusing to stock A Midsummer Night's Dream because it has an ass in it, bicyclists are banned from major roads, suicide victims often leave behind cash to cover the cost of their fines, and health-conscious denizens drink their dogs' water. Crime, especially youth-related, is well under control, thanks to a capable police force. Valtern's national animal is the Bald Eagle, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to toxic air pollution.

Valtern is ranked 101,143^rd in the world and 4,164^th in The North Pacific for Largest Insurance Industry, scoring 1,383.44 on the Risk Expulsion Effectiveness Rating.