The Federated Union of Ardsren is a mammoth, efficient nation, ruled by First Secretary Philip Hunter with an iron fist, and renowned for its compulsory military service, frequent executions, and suspicion of poets. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical, devout population of 5.121 billion Ardians 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 tiny, pro-business, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Law & Order, and Administration. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Auburn. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 6.7%.

The very strong Ardsrenian economy, worth 400 trillion linares a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Gambling industry, with major contributions from Arms Manufacturing, Automobile Manufacturing, and Retail. Average income is 78,216 linares, but there is a large disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 358,708 per year while the poor average 10,360, a ratio of 34.6 to 1.

Exports of chewing gum are inexplicably falling, half-submerged and flooded seaside hotels are technically still next to the beach, students are explicitly allowed to write answers on their forearms before exams, and there's no representation without taxation. Crime is moderate. Ardsren's national animal is the Cordoran Bison, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its national religion is Holy Orange Church.

Ardsren is ranked 91,034^th in the world and 61^st in The Western Isles for Most Advanced Defense Forces, scoring 2,941.21 on the Total War Preparedness Rating.