The Midnight Ascendancy of Pries United is a colossal, cultured nation, ruled by Hezekiah Azrel with an iron fist, and renowned for its museums and concert halls, free-roaming dinosaurs, and pith helmet sales. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical, devout population of 2.94 billion Prianites 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 is primarily concerned with Defense, although Administration, Industry, and Law & Order are also considered important, while Environment isn't funded at all. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Aureon. The average income tax rate is 61.7%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Pristi economy, worth 420 trillion Veyrs a year, is broadly diversified and dominated by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with significant contributions from Uranium Mining, Retail, and Woodchip Exports. Black market activity is frequent. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is an impressive 142,875 Veyrs, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Directors of low-budget sci-fi films are flocking to use Aureon as a backdrop, massive new slaughterhouses are being hailed as a sign of progress, small children are learning a lot of new words from a teacher with Tourette Syndrome, and Maxtopian villagers starve by the time Pristi officials even file the appropriate paperwork needed to help them. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Pries United's national animal is the The Imperial Mockingjay, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to toxic air pollution, and its national religion is The Covenant of Elyon.

Pries United is ranked 86,346^th in the world and 115^th in Christians for Largest Insurance Industry, scoring 2,705.26 on the Risk Expulsion Effectiveness Rating.