The Commonwealth of Aurelaignes is a huge, cultured nation, remarkable for its museums and concert halls, compulsory military service, and keen interest in outer space. The compassionate, hard-working, democratic, devout population of 649 million Aurelians hold their civil and political rights very dear, although the wealthy and those in business tend to be viewed with suspicion.

The medium-sized government juggles the competing demands of Education, Healthcare, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Gilles. The average income tax rate is 33.2%.

The all-consuming Aurelian economy, worth 61.3 trillion Gildens a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Trout Farming, Book Publishing, and Retail. Average income is 94,496 Gildens, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 3.4 times as much as the poorest.

RPG fans reminisce fondly about when people thought they were evil and dangerous rather than geeky and socially inept, films are funded in accordance with the volume of tears shed when reading the screenplay, suburban residents are told not to panic while hitchhikers swarm their neighborhoods, and physics lessons mostly involve talking about emotional management techniques. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown. Aurelaignes's national animal is the Aurelian Eagle, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies.

Aurelaignes is ranked 285,972^nd in the world and 466^th in Europe for Highest Unexpected Death Rate, scoring 24.65 on the Bus Surprisal Index.