I would be interested in a Christianity analogue. Maybe everyone who wants one could get in a group PM and hash it out?

Hey, Chee, Red Dragon and Dratha: how do you feel about trade with the gweilo? If you feel ok about unrestricted trade with my merchants, Acier will guarantee your independence. All men have the right to freedom, even spear-throwing savages, and how better to defend that freedom than wealth from trade, advanced firearms and modern military training. None can invade when there is a gun behind every blade of grass. Also, if you want to accept Anarcho-Capitalism into your life, that'd be grand

So I did some insane maths (literal rocket science) and found out how to make airships cost effective. PROBLEM: Firing regular guns produces CRAZY recoil, and regular naval guns are incredibly heavy and big. So, as a solution, I present the most steampunk thing ever. SOLUTION: The Resian Rocket Barge™! A small, essentially unarmored (armor above small arms/flak levels in the magazines and on the balloons) ship that is for air to ground operations. Somewhat accurate Hale rockets fired at 8000 feet can go approx 10 km and since your target is an army, the accuracy doesn't matter. There is no recoil and many more rockets can be carried than shells.

From my understanding of it they're a relatively small nation that's been paying attention to the way things have been going in the north and have been taking notes (A bit like Meiji era Japan I would imagine). The ideas haven't really spread too far from them considering that the majority of the southern peoples are nomadic tribes or are incredibly insular and conservative.

I guess - I remain skeptical that they have ways of getting all the machinery, fuel, metals, chemicals, manpower, technology etc with such a tiny amount of territory and through trade, but I don't mean to throw a shit fit - this is all well within acceptable parameters for realism. I still want to know who they are buying from, though, so I can use it for RP. Acier will want to be selling, because muh Libertarianism, but Deth implied that I am not involved in the supply.

So I did some insane maths (literal rocket science) and found out how to make airships cost effective. PROBLEM: Firing regular guns produces CRAZY recoil, and regular naval guns are incredibly heavy and big. So, as a solution, I present the most steampunk thing ever. SOLUTION: The Resian Rocket Barge™! A small, essentially unarmored (armor above small arms/flak levels in the magazines and on the balloons) ship that is for air to ground operations. Somewhat accurate Hale rockets fired at 8000 feet can go approx 10 km and since your target is an army, the accuracy doesn't matter. There is no recoil and many more rockets can be carried than shells.