The Federation of Nordrune is a huge, orderly nation, ruled by Ursula ruf eichmann with an iron fist, and notable for its ubiquitous missile silos, punitive income tax rates, and compulsory gun ownership. The hard-nosed, cynical, devout population of 847 million Nords 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 prioritizes Defense, with Law & Order, Education, and Healthcare also on the agenda. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Blacksun. The average income tax rate is 51.6%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The powerhouse Nordrunean economy, worth 92.7 trillion Runes a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with significant contributions from Information Technology, Book Publishing, and Uranium Mining. Black market activity is frequent. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an impressive 109,410 Runes, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.1 times as much as the poorest.

Troublemakers boast about how many times they have to visit their therapist, more than one company makes the board game Monopoly, the government regularly publishes lengthy reports on its own excessive recordkeeping, and employers are never quite sure if graduates' qualifications have any merit or meaning. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Nordrune's national animal is the Arctic fox, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation.

Nordrune is ranked 35,415^th in the world and 816^th in the South Pacific for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 195.43 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.