kúovú

Kíové is a fictional ethnolinguistic designation used in world-building and speculative fiction to describe a coastal maritime culture and its language.

Geography and demography: The Kíové homeland is depicted as an archipelago in a temperate oceanic region. The principal island is Liréa, with several smaller isles forming a network along an historic sea route. Populations are concentrated along shorelines and in mangrove-front communities, with total numbers varying across works, commonly described as tens of thousands.

Language: Kíovian is described as an agglutinative language with a preferred subject–verb–object order in most contexts. It uses a Latin-based script supplemented by diacritics, including í and é, and features verb aspect markers and noun-case clitics.

Society and economy: The Kíové are portrayed as historic mariners and fishers, emphasizing sustainable use of coastal resources. Local governance centers on elder councils and captain-led assemblies. Traditional crafts include weaving, canoe construction, and woodcarving; cuisine highlights seafood and seaweed products. The social fabric often emphasizes kinship networks and communal sharing of harvests and navigational knowledge.

Culture and symbolism: Public life incorporates oral storytelling, seasonal sailing ceremonies, and music built around wind instruments and communal rhythms. Architecture favors stilt houses adapted to coastal environments and floodplains. In fiction, Kíové appears as a richly described culture in novels, role-playing games, and world-building guides, serving as a setting with intricate maritime traditions and lore.