The Sovereign Imperial Dominion of Aschenhyrst is a gargantuan, efficient nation, ruled by Mark II Rex de Aschen Defensor Fideli with an iron fist, and notable for its unlimited-speed roads, frequent executions, and suspicion of poets. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical, humorless population of 37.71 billion Aschenhyrsts 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 government prioritizes Defense, with Law & Order also on the agenda, while Social Policy and Environment aren't funded at all. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Aschton. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 4.6%.

The frighteningly efficient Aschenhyrstian economy, worth a remarkable 7,670 trillion Aschenhyrst Gold Sovereigns a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. However, for those in the know, there is a large, well-organized, highly specialized black market in Arms Manufacturing, Uranium Mining, Gambling, and Beef-Based Agriculture. The private sector mostly consists of enterprising ten-year-olds selling lemonade on the sidewalk, but the government is looking at stamping this out. Average income is an amazing 203,402 Aschenhyrst Gold Sovereigns, but there is a significant disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 645,930 per year while the poor average 48,798, a ratio of 13.2 to 1.

Pocket dialling is a criminal offence, Court TV ratings have skyrocketed now that executions are filmed on location, children are often punished for the sins of the fathers, and relations with Dàguó have warmed from frosty to chilly. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force. Aschenhyrst's national animal is the Fox, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its national religion is Church of Aschenhyrst.

Aschenhyrst is ranked 286,781^st in the world and 4^th in Tyrrhenia for Most Subsidized Industry, scoring -31.46 on the Gilded Widget Scale.