Lornith

Lornith (LORE-nith) was an Island Union (IU) member island nation in the southern hemisphere.

History
Prior to first contact with the IU in 157, Lornith was very sparsely populated. Occasional contact with Skobra has been recorded dating back to the -300s. Although there were occasional trade missions, citizens of Lornith do not seem to have attached great importance to them.

When the IU first came into contact with Lornith, people were scattered along the northern coast. Their primary source of food was fishing, supplemented by an extended ancestral tradition of hunting certain terrestrial animals and cultivating certain crops.

The population grew with migration from the IU beginning in the late 100s. Because farming was difficult due to the climate and soil composition, inhabitants were largely supported by food imported from elsewhere.

Lornith was part of the Southern Alliance during the Representation Incident (289–304).

Government and Economy
Lornith's government was directly modeled after that of Tekal, designed to be a meritocracy. Citizens of age had to pass a civics test before being allowed to cast votes or hold public office. Low- to middle-level government jobs were often appointed based on exam results. From this reduced electorate, a parliament was elected and led by the Prime Minister with the help of their appointed ministers.

Once Lornith joined the IU, the IU worked with the people of Lornith to develop extensive manufacturing capabilities. The textile and sail industries were the first to take hold on, and continued to play a notable role in the economy throughout its history. Although fishing had not completely disappeared as an industry, much of the food was imported from elsewhere in the IU.

The manufacturing on Lornith was directly controlled by the IU, but the island government managed all other aspects of the economy, as well as day-to-day affairs.

Culture and Values
Traditionally, women gathered and men hunted and fished, with each village specializing in the domestication of a particular animal.

For the most part, IU customs and Cosprak were enthusiastically adopted by the people of Lornith. Those initially opposed to the development of manufacturing and increased degree of IU control largely relocated, first to Nezuma and Skobra and then to Adari and Griesh. In modern times, most Lornithians were very future-oriented: what was important was not what's passed, but what can be done with what is currently had.

Language
Cosprak was the official language of Lornith, and Lornithian was essentially a dead language. People would very occasionally learn it if they were particularly interested in language or in Lornithian history, or perhaps if they were less than fond of the IU. IU Sign Language (IUSL) was used by the Lornithian Deaf community.