Merana

The Glassmith's Union still wields power in Merana, but it's waning. The union decides who works on what, whether or not a smith can take a contract, and the terms of that contract. The [Miners League] is a growing power representing both the mine employees as well as factory workers. As more and more silicate is directed away from glassmiths toward manufactured glass, the societal divide grows.

Founded by glassmiths who chafed against the secretive and restrictive nature of Insulam Merano, Merana was selected due to its natural silica deposits. As the original settlers brought their skills out into the open and taught subsequent generations how to manipulate glass, there was a mining boom. After several centuries, the resources began to dry up, and fewer citizens were selected for glassmith training, leading to hostilities in the community. What had once been the lifeblood of the nation became a hobby, a fad.   A select few vitrices left Insulam Merano at the same time as the Meranese settlers and used their stained glass to shape the future of the nation. The vitrices who'd been instrumental in creating Merana attempted transparency by establishing the Novaroman Temple of the Ladies of the Pane, but were blocked by their sisters in Insulam Merano; necessary sand was withheld from any vitrix who dared to reveal Temple secrets. When Nirav Montoya successfully petitioned the Merana Senate to ban the practice of stained glass, all the remaining vitrices chose exile, and left the country - though a few remained in hiding or obscurity.