The Knives of Eylis is a colossal, orderly nation, ruled by Eylis the Punished Dreamer with an iron fist, and notable for its infamous sell-swords, rampant corporate plagiarism, and complete absence of social welfare. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical, humorless population of 4.479 billion Silver Whalers are ruled by a mostly-benevolent dictator, who grants the populace the freedom to live their own lives but watches carefully for anyone to slip up.

The relatively small, corrupt, well-organized government is dominated by the Department of Defense, with Environment, Administration, and Law & Order also on the agenda, while Spirituality and Social Policy receive no funds. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of the Voidheart. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 27.1%.

The thriving Eylisian economy, worth 487 trillion notes a year, is fairly diversified and dominated by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with significant contributions from Beef-Based Agriculture, Information Technology, and Gambling. Black market activity is rampant. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is an impressive 108,785 notes, but there is a significant disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 371,313 per year while the poor average 23,452, a ratio of 15.8 to 1.

Scientists who publish a non-reproducible result are tarred and feathered, indigenous tribal elders can be recognised by their designer watches and expensive suits, truncheon-mounted cameras record the beating of criminals in dynamic HD detail, and economic output is rising as the chronically depressed are persuaded not to burden society. Crime is a major problem, perhaps because of the country's complete lack of prisons. Eylis's national animal is the whale, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its national religion is the worship of Drowned Gods.

Eylis is ranked 320,294^th in the world and 42^nd in Eientei Gensokyo for Largest Welfare Programs, scoring -9.49 on the Safety Net Mesh Density Rating.