The Free Land of Marchella is a massive, efficient nation, ruled by Marcy Yarbrough with a fair hand, and notable for its stringent health and safety legislation. The compassionate, hard-working, democratic population of 3.713 billion Marchellans hold their civil and political rights very dear, although the wealthy and those in business tend to be viewed with suspicion.

The relatively small, liberal government juggles the competing demands of Education, Law & Order, and Administration. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Meridian. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 9.5%.

The very strong Marchellan economy, worth 282 trillion lire a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Book Publishing industry, with major contributions from Information Technology, Beef-Based Agriculture, and Soda Sales. Average income is 76,118 lire, but there is a significant disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 224,826 per year while the poor average 20,260, a ratio of 11.1 to 1.

Running away is an essential part of the elite forces' hand-to-hand training, the silencing of dissent speaks volumes about the quality of Marchellan democracy, alcoholism is the newest import from Dàguó, and when their backs are against the walls Marchellans look out for gay men. Crime is relatively low. Marchella's national animal is the Bengal tiger, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Marchella is ranked 190,511^th in the world and 298^th in Nordic Lands for Lowest Crime Rates, with 57.53 law-abiding acts per hour.