The Venerable Dreadnought of The Ancient of Rites is a mammoth, environmentally stunning nation, remarkable for its disturbing lack of elderly people, pith helmet sales, and ban on automobiles. The hard-nosed population of 9.94 billion Ancient of Ritesians are highly moralistic and fiercely conservative, in the sense that they tend to believe most things should be outlawed. People who have good jobs and work quietly at them are lauded; others are viewed with suspicion.

The medium-sized, moralistic government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Education, and Healthcare. The average income tax rate is 29.5%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The Ancient of Ritesian economy, worth 486 trillion florins a year, is fairly diversified and led by the Tourism industry, with major contributions from Trout Farming, Beef-Based Agriculture, and Woodchip Exports. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 48,920 florins, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.3 times as much as the poorest.

The arms industry is backed by government subsidies and harsh anti-protest laws are in place, Animal Liberationists are regularly arrested, smoking is banned in public areas, and the Holy Office of the Inquisition is the highest court in the land. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. The Ancient of Rites's national animal is the elephant, which is also the nation's favorite main course.

The Ancient of Rites is ranked 92,117^th in the world and 312^th in Remembrance for Largest Welfare Programs, scoring 1,488.02 on the Safety Net Mesh Density Rating.