Aedolis [eye-DOH-lihs] is a country located primarily on Earth, and it is also the main player responsible for the Earth’s degradation. It has overtaken and controls much of the planet. Aedolis's government is stratocracy, in which the military and the government are one and the same. The military's political power is legitimized by both law and society.

There is no poverty, the people are paid well and encouraged to indulge themselves. Then there are the Pilots, Dragons, and The Network, those three marvelous elements which ensure the country’s safety, keep the water and power running, and maintain the protective electromagnetic domes that shelter the cities.

It can’t be all bad, right?

Not if you don’t mind giving up your basic humanity and freedoms, at least.

• Aedolians as an ethnicity tend to be distinguished by their dark skin and hair, though there is a lot of variation due to the country's diverse racial makeup. There are very few "pure" Aedolians, as most come from a mixed ethnic background.
• Aedolis is an ethnically diverse society. It has absorbed many other nations, and continues to do so, and so their ethnic make-up is very mixed. Humans make up the vast majority of the population, but citizens with ethnic features that hint at some exotic alien blood (strange eye, hair, and skin colors, pointed ears, even tails and animal-like ears, so long as they are "cute" and "subtle") are often considered attractive. However, citizens that are too obviously inhuman (anthropomorphic creatures, nagas, citizens with animal muzzles or animal feet, etc.) are often viewed with distaste.
• Due to medical advances, citizens tend to be long-lived. And due to cosmetic advances, the effects of aging can be slowed and even masked. The average human lifespan is one-hundred and ten years.
• Psychic ability runs strong in Aedolian blood, while magic does not. Psychics and mages are both uncommon, but there are more psychics than mages. Most mages are not strong ones; most are kitchen witches and mages with some minor, unremarkable gift.

• Aedolis is a materialistic society that manipulates the masses using the pleasure principle. Hedonism and pleasure are seen as healthy, and Aedolis society believes that anything that makes you happy, gives you pleasure, and harms no one is good and should be celebrated. Brothels and drugs are legal and sanctioned by the government.
• There are no drug laws. People are expected to be able to perform their jobs, and may be fined and/or arrested for operating a vehicle or machinery while under the influence, but there is no social stigma against drug use, party drugs and heavy narcotics alike.
• Prudery is uncommon, and viewed as bizarre. Aedolis is a sex-positive nation and sleeping around is encouraged. Non-monogamy is not at all unusual, and virginity is not cherished. Rather, virginity is viewed as shameful, as it implies that there must be something wrong with the person if no one will sleep with them. The age of consent is 14.
• Bisexuality and pansexuality are common, and there is no stigma against non-heterosexual relationships, transgenderism, or transsexualism. Most Aedolians simply do not care.
• Illiteracy is largely encouraged, as the pursuit of knowledge is discouraged. The average citizen reads at a 3rd grade level.
• Celebrities and pop idols are Aedolis’ gods, and media is its religion. Aedolians are kept largely complacent and uniformed about world affairs, though they are subjected to pro-Aedolis propaganda daily. Pilots and dragons are marketed as war heroes and celebrities.
• Currency comes in the form of credit, from a microchip implanted in the right hand of all citizens at birth, or whenever they receive citizenship as in the case of immigrants. This also serves as a citizen’s ID, and they cannot so much as buy groceries without it.
• Sleek clothing that shows off the natural contours of the body, straight hair, and pale skin is currently in style--and also often a natural consequence of underexposure to natural sunlight.
• The structure of the society leads to a large number of maladjusted individuals, including a high percentage of serial killers. Many serial killers can reach celebrity levels of popularity with huge fan-bases and often copycat killers.

• Aedolians are divided into three castes, which they are born into: Upper, Middle, and Lower. There is no poverty in Aedolis; all citizens enjoy a roof over their head and food on the table, though some castes are more privileged than others.
• Upper Caste citizens live on the upper level and enjoy a good education (second only to the military), great benefits, posh homes, and the best entertainment and technology. They are Aedolis’ privileged, and many find work in high paying positions such as CEOs, scientists, doctors, media tycoons, and other specialized fields. Celebrities and military are also Upper Caste.
• Middle Caste citizens on the middle level receive a general education—basic math, language, and history courses. An assessment exam determines the trade school they will attend to focus on whatever line of work they tested into. They make up the majority of Aedolis’ citizens and have nice, cozy apartments. A middle caste citizen might be a whore, massage therapist, secretary, nurse, programmer, fast food operator, etc.
• Lower Caste citizens are kept dumbed down; the only education they receive is that which lets them do their job. The Lower Caste does the jobs other citizens would find undesirable. They are janitors, sewage workers, clean up crews, factory workers, etc. Still, they are treated well and kept content with media and drugs, and though their homes are not as good as a Middle Caste citizen’s, they are comfortable.
• Though everyone is born into their caste, there are two exceptions: military and celebrities. Anyone can join the military, which promotes you to Upper Caste. The government is also always scouting for idols. Any citizen who can gather a following and catch the government’s eye could be promoted to celebrity-dom, which would also grant them Upper Caste status.

• The people live within mega metropolisis, protected from the elements and the harsh wasteland radiation by electromagnetic domes. Most of these cities are built to rise rather than sprawl, and buildings are rarely fewer than two hundred stories tall. Most citizens use public transportation. Haviah, the capital, is the most notable and most impressive, a true work of architectural art with skyways connecting many buildings and streets together. It is divided into three separate levels, representative of the three castes, with the lower caste trapped in the bottom level and the upper caste taking up the top level, complete with aeries on the roofs for the dragons. The dragons, however, are too large to get down to the lower level.
• Access between the different levels is restricted.
• Many Aedolians go their whole life without seeing the sky. An Aedolian looking up from the bottom level would see only a mass of skyways and buildings.
• Because of the city’s set up, if there ever was an emergency it would be very difficult to evacuate lower and middle caste citizens, who could become trapped.
• Haviah, like all Aedolian cities, is protected by an electromagnetic dome that is provided by the dragons, who also power their electricity and water supplies.
• Haviah has excellent public transportation in the form of shuttles and subways. There are few cars, but many citizens own bicycles, motorcycles, and scooters.
• Hidden surveillance cameras monitor the city.
• Only Pilots, military officials, and police officers may wield weapons. Possessing a weapon of any sort is illegal.
• Tourism is huge in Haviah. The upper middle level is open for tourism from other nations and space stations and possesses a large space port. Visitors are required to be micro-chipped, a painless, one-time procedure that will allow them to enjoy the city, hassle free, as often as they would like to come.

• The military is the government, and those in the military receive the best pay, education, benefits, and freedom, be they soldiers or generals. Anyone eighteen or older (up to age 42) may join the military.
• Psychics and strong mages are drafted as soon as they are discovered. Weak mages (like kitchen witches, whose power is largely unremarkable and unthreatening) and weak psychics (ones whose abilities cannot cause damage and are so mild as to be useless to the military) are not drafted, but are placed on a watch list. They are allowed to live normal lives, but risk deportation to TRIM if they display destructive, harmful, or otherwise disruptive behavior.
• At the top of the military are the Pilots (always capitalized) and above them are their dragons. Pilots are people who were drafted into the military because they were gifted with psionics. Only they can form the necessary psychic bond with Aedolis’ dragons.
• The leader of Aedolis is the Pilot Imperial and Dragon Imperial team.
• Below the Pilot and dragon Imperial are four other Pilot ranks, from lowest to highest: Cardinal, Echo, Noble, and Royal. All Pilots are addressed by subordinates as “Pilot + Last Name”. For example, Pilot Smith. To be very formal, they are addressed by their rank and full name. For example, Pilot Echo John Smith.
• The lowest ranking dragon is still higher ranked than the highest ranked Pilot. It is the dragons that are truly in control of the nation.
• Aedolis is a nation that is interested in spreading its influence across the globe—and even into space. It has a history of conquering and absorbing other nations, and it is rumored that it has had its eye on Edanith for some time now, interested in the country's terraforming technology—the one thing that could possibly heal the planet that Aedolis ruined.

• Pilots are at the top of the military and, thus, at the top of the government. The one trait they all have in common, and the one trait that is necessary to be a Pilot, is that they are all psychic.
• Pilots are marketed as celebrities and war heroes. When people discover that they are psychic and are drafted into the Pilot Candidate program, many respond with excitement. The reality is very different. The program involves intense conditioning, brainwashing, and desensitization; it is a rigorous program designed to beat the weaknesses out of each individual, often literally.
• Children with a psychic in their immediate family are placed on a watch list. If they prove to be psychic themselves, they are drafted into the Pilot Candidate program.
• The youngest a psychic can be drafted is 13 years of age, and the youngest at which they can graduate the program is 18 years of age with at least 4 years of training. The oldest a psychic can be drafted for the Pilot Candidate Program is 25 years of age, though psychics older than that will be drafted for the military; they just cannot be a Pilot, as the program involves a lot of extensive brainwashing and so they want their candidates young. Pilots may retire at 70 years of age, but many continue to serve in the Citadel and ATC (often as teachers and mentors), even if they are no longer on active duty.
• When Pilot candidates complete their training, each Pilot is chosen by a dragon. This process can be very stressful for the Pilot, who is mentally probed and screened by a dragon that could very well kill them if dissatisfied with the training results. Once the Pilot has been chosen, the two forge a powerful bond, though it is the dragon that is most in control of the Pilot as opposed to the other way around.
• Over the centuries, the extensive use of magic has altered the Earth's magnetic field and sent it into chaos. This has made it so that Aedolian dragons cannot properly navigate the Earth outside of Aedolis' protective hubs. That is why they need a Pilot, to actually be their eyes and navigate the terrain for them.

For more information about Pilots, Candidates, and Dragons, please read the Wiki articles about them. The above is merely a summary, and to properly play them it is important to read the in-depth information:

Pilots || Pilot Candidates || Psionics || Dragons || The Gospels || The Network
Pilot Specializations || Pilot and Pilot Candidate "Family Tree" || The Pilot Candidate Survival Guide