Geography:
        The world (or at least the part talked about in this essay) of the Ril Ahno is similar to that of Europe.  Winds from the west bring rain and warmth from the tropics to the coast of the continent, called Ra'hish, which is far in the Northern hemisphere.  The land along the coast is very fertile, and provides an area that civilization as we think of it can flourish.  This is what the land west of the Ril Ahno is like.
        To the east of the fertile coast is a large mountain range, called the Ahnotam, that is very high and long and cuts the continent nearly in two.  West of the Ahnotam, the winds bring rain to the coast and make the land very fertile.  But as the winds cross over the mountains, they drop all of the moisture and to the east there is nothing except desert, a very cold and inhospitable land.
        The desert that the Ril Ahno inhabit is large, and makes up the rest of this continent, and is called Ril Ahno after the people.  It's borders are not completely known to the inhabitants, but the Ril Ahno know more about it than any other.  Is starts at the eastern base of the Ahnotam, and continues eastward for an unknown distance.  Except for sand, there are few features of the terrain until you get to the very eastern edge of the known desert.
        Here is a smaller mountain range, called the Abtsee, which is not as large nor as high as the Ahnotam.  It does have something that the Ahnotam do not have, minerals.  The Abtsee is rich in diamonds, and other gems, just below the surface.  Originally the Ril Ahno just saw the Abtsee as the edge of their nomadic world, but with the discovery of those gems, that has changed.

People:
        The Ril Ahno are nomadic people, similar to the Mongolians or Arabs.  Because of the Ahnotam, the lands they inhabit are too dry for farming.  Native grasses provide some food and water, but it is impossible to settle in one place for too long.  Because of this the Ril Ahno migrate throughout the year, with a species of a northern camel as both a source of food, clothing, and other needs.
        Before the discovery of the gems in the Abtsee, the nomadic life of the Ril Ahno was not centralized.  The tribe usually migrated across the desert as they wished, with no real central control.  Then came the discovery of the gems by a tribe that was passing through the Abtsee and was digging for underground water.  Although the Ril Ahno had no use for the gems, the people settled along the coast did.
        And so a bargain began.  The people on the coast trade finished items that the Ril Ahno's nomadic life could not provide, and the Ril Ahno offered the gems.  Better weapons gave the first tribe who found the gems an advantage over the others, and soon the Ril Ahno were organized together as one nation.  Instead of migrating in chaos, they now migrate with a reason to their ways.

Migration:
        The life of the Ril Ahno is harsh, as harsh as the land they live in.  But modern comforts have begun to spread into the Ril Ahno.  Once, they migrated on the backs of yaks that evolved years ago to the cold desert.  Now, the camels are being used to pull large houses, or huts, that the Ril Ahno live in.  Huge wheels out of complete logs are on the bottom of the platforms, with the large width of the wheels preventing it from sinking into the snow or sand.
        Today the Ril Ahno migrate in a great circle around the desert.  They start out at the Ahnotam, where the people of the coast trade with them.  This trade has introduced the Ril Ahno to a variety of items, such as silk, iron, guns, and other things we associate with civilization.  Bit by bit, the harsh life of the Ril Ahno has become easier with the modern items of the coastal people.
        Next the Ril Ahno move eastward, in the direction of the Abtsee.  The Ril Ahno still know the desserts better than anyone, and only use the items of civilization to help.  In the heart, they are still nomadic.  Astronomy has been developed to help the Ril Ahno plot their migrations, as the terrain offers little to help map makers.
        At Abtsee, the knowledge of civilization has been used to create a mining complex that appears out of place for the nomadic people.  The Abtsee is not able to support people year round, and so the Ril Ahno continue with their nomadic lives.  But they have begun to industrialize, with mining being the main drive.  Wind power is used instead of the water power of Medieval Europe.  Coal is beginning to be used to power simple steam engines to haul up ore and the gems, and the first signs of an Industrial Revolution in the Ril Ahno can be seen.

Industrial Nomads:
        Although nomads, the Ril Ahno are experiencing an Industrial Revolution.  This would not be possible without the people of the coast, who are also experiencing such an Industrial Revolution.  The trade between the Ril Ahno and the coasters is what drives this Revolution, so one would not be modernizing with the other.  Because the Ril Ahno are nomadic, they cannot produce a lot of what it needed for the Industrial Revolution.  That task is up to the coasters, who without the mining taking place by the Ril Ahno would not have as large a market for labor saving devices.
        Many tasks that involve manual labor can be cheaply solved by just adding more people.  But because of the inhospitable terrain of the Abtsee, that cannot work with the mining.  There is a maximum number of nomads available for the mining, and so to produce more gems labor saving devices are needed.  I am not sure, but it could be possible the yak manure is used as a fuel instead of coal.

Problems:
        There might be some objections to this set up.  First, why do the coasters allow the nomads to flourish, instead of attempting to cut out the middle man?  The reason is that either way, you would have an industrial nomad tribe.  The mineral rich Abtsee will only allow a certain number of miners for a certain amount of time.  Permanent settlement is not possible, and the demand for gems will cause the miners to invest in labor saving devices.  If the nomads were to be replaced by the coasters, the coasters in the desert would be as nomadic and industrial as the Ril Ahno now.
        Second, why don't the Ril Ahno take over the coast, ending their current nomadic lives?  Again, if this happens the situation will rise up once more.  When the Ril Ahno stop being nomads, they will become landowners like the coasters, and a society with different classes will rise.  There will be a demand for valuable gems to show off wealth, and the location of those gems is the Abtsee.  The demand is there, as are the limiting factors which create the industrial nomad society.
        Third, perhaps the biggest objection, what if the Abtsee run out of gems?  This is very plausible, mines will stop giving up gems after a certain point.  There will be no supply to meet the demand, and the industrial nomadic life of the Ril Ahno will fall apart.  This could cause them to conquer the coasters, or at least try.  A way of life would be destroyed, but that is not so different when coal mines in America stop giving.
        The mines should, however, continue to produce for a while.  They are only being mined during one season of the year, and after a certain point the maximum that can be pulled out of the ground during that period will be reached.  The labor saving devices only increase the size mined in one season, they still need the human operators.  By the time the mines do run out, other problems might arise like a cheaper source of gems that the coasters can directly exploit.
        Some coaster might get the idea of sailing westward to reach the gem mines from the other side, and perhaps get rid of the Ril Ahno middle men.  And what if instead he runs into a mineral rich continent with inhabitants that cannot fight off the industrial coasters?  This is a plausible assumption, given the similarity of what happened in OTL.

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