The Kingdom of Vertruse is a huge, efficient nation, remarkable for its national health service, multi-spousal wedding ceremonies, and stringent health and safety legislation. The hard-nosed, cynical population of 411 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, well-organized government prioritizes Defense, with Administration, Healthcare, and Law & Order also on the agenda, while Spirituality and International Aid receive no funds. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Oswick. The average income tax rate is 57.1%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The powerhouse Vertrusian economy, worth 41.9 trillion Gold Sterlings a year, is fairly diversified and led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with major contributions from Information Technology, Beef-Based Agriculture, and Tourism. Black market activity is frequent. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an impressive 101,842 Gold Sterlings, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.5 times as much as the poorest.

Vertruse has been recently classified as an international menace after 'liberating' several nearby territories, employers are never quite sure if graduates' qualifications have any merit or meaning, conductors wield diamond-encrusted batons to fit in with their freshly gilded surroundings, and public executions just aren't the cheery spectacles they once were. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable 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 256,330^th in the world and 4,982^nd in the South Pacific for Nicest Citizens, with 1.06 average smiles per day.