Anclos

Anclos is a fictional coastal city-state widely used in speculative fiction and worldbuilding. Located at the mouth of the Serin Estuary on the western edge of the archipelago known as the Mirai Expanse, Anclos combines a long maritime tradition with a mercantile political culture. The city sits on a natural harbor shielded by limestone headlands, and its environs feature terraced hillsides and a river that supplies fresh water to the harbor district. The climate is temperate, with wet winters and warm, dry summers.

Historically, Anclos began as a cluster of trading posts in the early medieval era and grew through the influence of merchant guilds into a quasi-autonomous urban center. In the modern-fiction timeline, a series of constitutional reforms in the 18th and 19th centuries established a municipal council and a rotating magistracy, pairing commercial law with a public charter.

Today, governance centers on a guild council that oversees port traffic, taxation, and civil administration. The population is diverse due to centuries of trade, with estimates around 180,000 residents in the setting's latest timeline. The economy depends on port services, shipbuilding, fishing, and banking, with the city serving as a major transfer point between inland markets and seaborne routes.

Culturally, Anclos is known for sea festivals, a seamanship tradition, and a distinctive cuisine featuring seafood, citrus, and grilled maize. Notable landmarks include the Old Quarter, the Glass Gate, and the Market of Spices. Anclos appears as a pivotal crossroad for merchants and diplomats in multiple works of fiction.