The Republic of Vivec is a mammoth, environmentally stunning nation, remarkable for its rum-swilling pirates, suspicion of poets, and complete absence of social welfare. The hard-nosed, devout population of 8.359 billion Vivecians 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 large government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Law & Order, and Education. The average income tax rate is 41.4%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The strong Vivecian economy, worth 453 trillion golds a year, is quite specialized and led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Arms Manufacturing, Uranium Mining, and Book Publishing. Black market activity is frequent. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 54,282 golds, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.9 times as much as the poorest.

Pharmaceutical companies emphatically promise that "your pills are in the mail" rather than admit any supply shortfall, orphanages are closing their doors as the government forces parents to actually raise their children, the new airport at Mr. Giles' farm is panicking his sheep, and radio stations are forbidden to play anything with too much drum or bass. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Vivec's national animal is the horse, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Vivec is ranked 91,939^th in the world and 793^rd in Remembrance for Largest Populations, with 8.36 billion capita.