The Republic of Tethys is a mammoth, socially progressive nation, ruled by Legate Penelope Hudgens with an iron fist, and remarkable for its irreverence towards religion and complete absence of social welfare. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 5.442 billion Tethysians are proud of their wide-ranging civil freedoms, and those who aren't tend to be dragged off the streets by men in dark suits and hustled into cars with tinted windows.

The relatively small, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Education, and Law & Order. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Odysseus. The average income tax rate is 14.6%.

The strong Tethysian economy, worth 245 trillion denaris a year, is led by the Information Technology industry, with major contributions from Door-to-door Insurance Sales, Gambling, and Cheese Exports. Average income is 45,154 denaris, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 4.6 times as much as the poorest.

Law schools are hurrying to teach the "prank defense" to their students, a girl's success in life is often linked to her performance in beauty pageants, light entertainment isn't dead, and organ donation rates are among the lowest in the region. Crime, especially youth-related, is a problem. Tethys's national animal is the hawk, which can occasionally be seen dodging aircraft in the nation's cities, and its national religion is Tellurism.

Tethys is ranked 75,151^st in the world and 1^st in The Micro Union for Highest Unexpected Death Rate, scoring 39.23 on the Bus Surprisal Index.