The Rogue Nation of ERAM MARE is a tiny, environmentally stunning nation, remarkable for its punitive income tax rates, suspicion of poets, and stringent health and safety legislation. The hard-nosed, cynical, humorless population of 10 million Shadow Mantle Holders are ruled without fear or favor by a psychotic dictator, who outlaws just about everything and refers to the populace as "my little playthings."

The enormous, moralistic, socially-minded, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Law & Order, and Administration. The average income tax rate is 72.6%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The fragile a Shadow Mantle Holder economy, worth 281 billion Shadow Crystals 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 mostly made up of the Trout Farming industry, with significant contributions from Uranium Mining, Arms Manufacturing, and Basket Weaving. Average income is 28,171 Shadow Crystals, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

There has been a series of riots between local cannibals and health food advocates, "The Daily Sacrifice" is a routine segment of morning news shows, hell hath no fury like an ocean scorned, and education is transforming people into first-rate snobs. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. ERAM MARE's national animal is the FRIEND, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

ERAM MARE is ranked 140,962^nd in the world and 260^th in The UMNS for Highest Poor Incomes, with 24,504.18 Standard Monetary Units.