Chanost

Chanost (CHAH-nost) was an IU member island in the northern hemisphere.

History
Chanost and Merraska had been in contact since the -900s. Trade missions were primarily orchestrated by Southern Chanost. Archaeological digs suggested evidence of a largely hunter-gatherer society supported by a limited degree of agriculture, as well as fishing along the southern and eastern coasts.

Ships from Ilona, Ilesar, Tekal, Helmi and Laku landed on the southern coast of Chanost in -83, and Chanost began trading with these islands as well.

Chanost sided with Laku and the Northern Alliance in the Representation Incident (289—304).

Government
Chanost was led by an executive triumvirate with the approval of a legislative body. One executive was selected by popular vote from each of the three historical ethnic groups which inhabit the island: the Esilao to the East, the Wangmi to the West, and the Subo to the South. Members of the legislature were elected through popular vote according to districts drawn based on population. The capital city of Tsulapo was located at the intersection of the three regions.

Culture and Values
Chanost has historically been divided into three states, based on different ethnic groups: the Esilao, the Wangmi, and the Subo. Each state had their own language and cultural traditions and had representation in the triumvirate proportional to their population.

On Chanost, individual achievement was highly prized. It was thought that if each person achieved their own potential, what was collectively done was even greater.

Language
Cosprak was the official language of Chanost. Eastern, Western and Southern Chanostan were spoken in homes in their respective regions. Extracurricular Southern Chanostan lessons in Southern Chanost were common, but were less so in Eastern and Western Chanost. IU Sign Language (IUSL) was used by the Chanostan Deaf community.

Education
Southern Chanost University (SCU) was a major research institution on the southern coast. It was known for its strong linguistics and history programs.

Folk Tale
This is a folk tale from the mountains of Western Chanost.

In the days when the islands were joined and the seafarers and the seadwellers were one, there was a village in the mountains of the land that was plagued by storms. The villagers had lost many lives and many houses, and despaired of what to do. Some proposed that they leave their home and find another place to live, but others resisted that idea. The village could come to no agreement, and families and friendships were being torn apart in the debate.

One night, as the arguments over what to do raged on into the wee hours of the morning, the village was visited by a creature of the sky. They had the head of a land horse and the body of a seafarer, and were made of stars and light. Blinded by their radiance, the people knelt before them. They said that they had come down to the village to show the villagers the way forward.

The sky creature taught the villagers to build stronger houses that would withstand the storms and look to the clouds and wind to see when the worst of the storms were likely to come. When the villagers were well underway in the building of their new homes, the sky creature returned to the stars from which they came, but promised to watch over the villagers always.