Koth

Koth is a nation in northern Arvor, based in the mountains of Talon Falls. While outsiders are (literally) permitted with the proper paperwork, its centrally-managed economy is largely isolated from outside goods and services except those acquired by the government.

Structure

Koth is a centrally-managed state, through a meritocratic bureaucracy organized into commissariats. Through this bureaucracy, every citizen is tested and educated in a career deemed appropriate by the government.

Eight Commissariats

The eight commissariats of Koth are:

Commissariat	Portfolio	Commissary
Arcana	magic and alchemy	High Magus
Architecture	construction, machinery, and physical space planning	Master Architect
Husbandry	animals and animal products	Beastmaster
Materials	obtaining raw materials	Master Hewer
Protection	war, defense, and policing	High Protector
Food	production, storage, and rationing of food	Rationer
Pedagogy	education and examinations	Schoolmaster
Administration	treasury and meta-bureaucracy	Treasurer

Currency

Currency isn't used for day-to-day business in Koth. Instead, most goods and services are procured with commissariat-issued ration stamps.
As an individual's skill level (as determined by their aptitude tests and work assignments) increases, they are paid an additional stipend of Kothian marks. Kothian marks are electrum coins featuring an eight-spoked wheel (the national symbol). These coins are accepted for what are considered "vanity" goods and services, and are sometimes called "wheels".
Both the use of outside currency and bartering are prohibited by law. In spite of this, shadow markets have sprung up, but tend to be quickly raided by the Commissariat of Administration.

Demography and Population

Kothians descend from the distant relatives of giants, as well as the dwarves and gnomes that inhabited the mountains before the cataclysm. Today, the Kothian population is primarily made up of goliaths (40%), dwarves (40%), and rock gnomes (10%).

Education

Koth has a large and complex state apparatus for education and examination in the Commissary of Pedagogy. Within the commissary, there are teachers for all levels and trades as well as proctors who design and administer examinations. 

Early Childhood

Children live at home with their parents for the first five years of their lives. At age five, every child takes their first examination, which determines their initial path and schooling at their local nursery school. Students are tested annually after starting school. At age ten, children leave their home permanently to attend a Kothian Academy appropriate to their test results, potentially moving to another settlement.

Specialization and Surnames

At age fifteen, students are assigned to an area of specialization associated with a commissary. Barring special circumstances, they will be part of this commissary for the rest of their lives. Their future education depends on their assigned role in society.
This is also the time when students receive their state-assigned occupational surnames. A student who has shown aptitude for woodworking or metalcrafting will be assigned to the surname Smith, while a student with potential in arcana would be assigned the surname Moonstone. Those students who have shown insufficient aptitude in any technical subject are assigned the surname Toiler of physical laborers.

Type

Geopolitical, Country

Capital

Talcite

Demonym

Kothian

Government System

Meritocracy

Power Structure

Unitary state

Economic System

Command/Planned economy

Currency

Kothian Marks (colloquially, "wheels")

Official Languages

• Kothian

Controlled Territories

• Talcite