The Most Serene Republic of Light of Aethel is a huge, genial nation, notable for its irreverence towards religion, devotion to social welfare, and stringent health and safety legislation. The democratic population of 831 million Light of Aethelians are free to do what they want with their own bodies, and vote for whomever they like in elections; if they go into business, however, they are regulated to within an inch of their lives.

The enormous, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Welfare, Education, and Healthcare. The average income tax rate is 72.5%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The sizeable but stagnant Light of Aethelian economy, worth 5.10 trillion lashans a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is quite specialized, is led by the Pizza Delivery industry, with major contributions from Beef-Based Agriculture, Uranium Mining, and Furniture Restoration. Average income is 6,141 lashans, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Light of Aethel's national animal is the phoenix, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies.

Light of Aethel is ranked 251,624^th in the world and 247^th in Aesica for Largest Insurance Industry, scoring -6.03 on the Risk Expulsion Effectiveness Rating.