Editing Olitskur (section)

==Politics==
Olitskur is operated by a series of councils that function in complex relations to each other. Neighborhood councils are voted in by the people, and neighborhood councils work together to find people for more specialized councils. For example, three neighborhood councils might decide they need to keep a closer eye on local fish populations, so they'll form a specialized fish council. The neighborhood council settles disputes and hears out community needs, and meanwhile the fish council--or whatever function the special council serves--will organize people to count the fish, investigate the nests, track the data, and create a picture of the health of local fish populations. All the neighborhood councils work together to form a city council, and city councils meet annually to administer the entire country and address its needs.

Due to the large, complex structures of ianthina families, the elderly with the best capacity to navigate the many family branches tend to be the ones who become neighborhood councilmembers, though special councils are more varied in age. Some neighborhood councils skew younger, but it's much harder for the young to prove they have the conflict mediation abilities needed in a councilmember.

===Justice System===
Neighborhood councils also act as judiciaries. When people in their community are having a dispute, they collect information, hear out relevant parties, and make a decision on how to proceed. Olitsken justice is not punishment based. Olitsken ideas of justice are entirely focused on how to bring peace back to a community. What would be fair? What does the victim--in the cases of crime where there is a victim--need? What causes the least harm? This can be a very difficult process, and councils don't always make the right choice, but managing the fallout of their choice is part of their role as well.

Exile is one of the most severe punishments a community can dole out, and exiles are often marked in some way--typically an unnatural notch in the fin--to warn other communities they might attempt to join, or should they ever try to return.

===International Relations===
Olitskens are a deeply suspicious people. The sea is full of dangers, and that is not a guard they drop once they’re on land. Their reactiveness and formidable combat capabilities have given them a reputation for violence—it’s not uncommon for people to view them entirely as savages, and treat them accordingly. Of course, this only further validates their defensive attitudes.  Few scholars have been able to access Olitskur, much less ingratiate themselves with the ianthina, so there is very little general knowledge about Olitskur. This lack of knowledge goes two ways: ianthina children grow up on stories of warning from their parents, who claim those from the continent only want to harm them, which means when these children grow up, they are more likely to respond violently to perceived threats. Thus, the cycle continues.

===== [[Coronus]] =====
Ianthina have an instinctive fear of dragons. Legend has it that dragons once preyed upon them, like any other fish in the sea. That being said, the countries of Coronus and Olitskur have virtually no contact. More ignorant Coric citizens may doubt that Olitskur exists at all, or may believe that ianthina are extinct.

===== [[Dolsia]] =====
Olitskur and Dolsia have no contact. Unless Dolsian resides near the entrances to the country or has taken up interest in the outside world, most Dolsians don't know that Olitskur or ianthina exist. (However, there is rumor of fish people sighted near the Salted Sea...)

===== [[Eniya]] =====
Eniya is the closest trade partner to Olitskur, but they also have a very tense, delicate relationship. One of the things that feeds into ianthinas' violent reputation is their penchant for piracy. Any ship that trespasses into Olitsken waters never makes it far, though they do not limit themselves to just trespassers. Seeing the colorful lights of ianthina lumens beneath the waves is a portent of doom well known by any sailor. There are many dry land materials coveted by Olitskur, making each passing ship an appealing target.  Not all those materials are necessarily acquired by piracy, however. Olitskur has long-standing alliances with numerous Eniyan port cities, where they hold night markets, typically once a month. Nothing can be bought with currency, but anyone can come and barter anything of sufficient interest for ocean treasures. Savvy traders attend these markets, where they try to bargain for protection for their ships, but betrayal and backstabbing is common.

===== [[Sayil]] =====
In line with Sayil's policy of neutrality, it is friendly with Olitskur, although since Sayil is so far south, they don't have much contact. One or two dedicated night market troupes will make the long journey to Sayil a couple times a year, to offer them their wares. Ianthina who have left Olitskur, for whatever reason, most often end up residing in Sayil. The wet environment is comforting, though they sometimes struggle with the heat. 

===== [[Theriad Caravans]] =====
Theriads who have tried to scrape out an existence and settle in the [[Theriad Caravans|Frozen Wastes]] have the friendliest relationship with Olitskur. Most of them are very neighborly, exchanging goods, supplies, and support freely. There are even a few towns that have mixed populations. However, this friendliness does not extend to ''all'' theriads. Those who are not known within the Wastes are not given the same courtesies.