The Kingdom of Vertruse is a huge, cultured nation, notable for its multi-spousal wedding ceremonies, irreverence towards religion, and stringent health and safety legislation. The hard-nosed, cynical population of 510 million Vertrusians are ruled without fear or favor by a psychotic dictator, who outlaws just about everything and refers to the populace as "my little playthings."

The medium-sized, corrupt, moralistic, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Administration, and Law & Order. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Oswick. The average income tax rate is 58.8%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The all-consuming Vertrusian economy, worth 53.1 trillion Gold Sterlings a year, is fairly diversified and led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with significant contributions from Information Technology, Tourism, and Beef-Based Agriculture. Black market activity is frequent. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an impressive 104,116 Gold Sterlings, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.7 times as much as the poorest.

The intelligence community is playing 4-D chess with an imaginary spy network, using "inspect element" is grounds for espionage charges, frequent fliers are obliged to submit to invasive security procedures by government security, and a cyber-war between file sharers and the music industry formats hard drives across the country. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Vertruse's national animal is the Wolf, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Vertruse is ranked 245,345^th in the world and 4,788^th in the South Pacific for Highest Food Quality, scoring 7.96 on the Meeshlin-Starr Index.