Steel Nation

The Steel Nation is a theocracy that worships Djang, God of the Forge. It is located in the plains bordered by the Djang River to the south, and the Great River to the west. While the official ruler of the country is the god of the forge himself, the highest human authority is the High Priest of the Kiln. Plying a craft is considered the purest form of worship of Djang, and the smiths, carvers and other artisans of the Steel Nation are reknowned across the continent.

Society

Steel Nation society is dominated by the teachings of the Temple-Kiln, the official religious authority of the nation. Artisan-Priests make all major decisions in the name of the government. While Artisan-Priests are, as all worshippers of Djang, professional crafters, most of the higher-ranking priests have not produced any works in decades, instead focusing on the problems of governance and power.
The middle class are professionals, craftspeople and artisans, as well as journeymen employed by them. In accordance with the principles of the Temple-Kiln, masters of a craft are respected and honored among the populace, and anyone with a professional skill can, at the very least, count on the Temple to provide a way of life. This respect does not extend to the apprentices, who are not treated as professionals but are not quite as low as farmers and merchants in the social hierarchy. Apprentices who are not related to their masters are often overworked or harshly treated, but many endure this period out of a belief that they will be able to achieve a better life once they earn the right to call themselves a journeyman.
Approximately 40-60% of the population are farmers and miners. Despite the fact that they produce food and raw materials necessary for the entire country to live, they are considered the lowest class save for the merchants. Farmers are often looked down upon, and are excluded from many civil rights, such as the right to live in cities and the right to participate in any form of governance. They are most likely to be drafted, though it has been decades since the last war, and usually lease land from the Temple to farm upon. Some seek out a better life for their children by managing to send them to apprentice for an amicable local artisan. Whether this attempt succeeds almost entirely depends on the disposition of the artisan, as a foul master would often never recommend the apprentice for a journeymanship.
Merchants are fairly rare in Steel Nation society. Selling the products of one's labor is considered a natural right, but making a living purely off of buying and selling products is seen as a nearly parasitic existence. The regular, commercial barge trips to neighboring nations are usually headed by priests from the Temple, not merchants.

Currency

The Steel Nation mints a set of unique silver coins called talents, which are hard, oddly brittle and cast a greenish tint when light is reflected off of it. The geometric coins have, in increasing values, three, four and six sides. The precise method used to cast these coins is a secret guarded jealously by the Temple-Kiln, but it is rumored that a rare alloy is mixed into the coins to allow for these properties. Talents are often accepted in other nations due to the inherent difficulty in debasing or copying the coins: not only are the coins harder than the typical precious metal, they tend to split if one does manage to find a knife hard enough to cut it. The durability and quality of the coins also makes it far less likely for debased or counterfeit coins to be accepted.
Talents are produced by specialized coiners who are generally highly placed in the Temple-Kiln. Unlike typical coins, talents are cast rather than struck. First, silver and copper ingots are mixed to form a sterling silver alloy. A trace amount of adamantine is added to this alloy to create talent alloy. The molten alloy is forced into batches of steel molds using a spell similar to control water that instead applies to liquid metal. Once the metal cools, the dies are opened and the newly created coins are collected for circulation.
Many consider talents to be fragile objects, wrapping them in cloth or using special clips designed to firmly hold stacks of talents and prevent vibration. While they do sometimes shatter when dropped hard enough, they are generally resistant and don't require special treatment.

Type

Geopolitical, Country