The Empire of Vannois of Leasath is a gargantuan, socially progressive nation, ruled by Emperor Charles XII Niort-Parthenay with a fair hand, and remarkable for its museums and concert halls, keen interest in outer space, and complete absence of social welfare. The hard-nosed, hard-working, democratic, humorless population of 19.619 billion Vannoisians live in a state of perpetual fear, as a complete breakdown of social order has led to the rise of order through biker gangs.