Ezekhez

Ezekhez is a fictional city frequently featured in fantasy literature, tabletop role-playing games, and worldbuilding compendia. It is typically presented as a major port and mercantile hub on the eastern coast of a continental archipelago, though its exact location varies by work.

The name Ezekhez is usually traced to the ancient Ezekhian language, meaning “harbor of echoes” or “house of winds,” though interpretations vary. In many narratives, it began as a trading post in the early Ilhar era and grew into a city-state governed by a council of guildmasters. Its origin stories often emphasize commerce, diplomacy, and maritime skill.

The city is described as situated along a broad estuary with mangrove marshes, and it features landmarks such as the Bastion of Glass, the Drowned Market, and the Lighthouse of Nera. Its architecture blends stone, timber, and painted ceramic façades, reflecting a history of shipbuilding and crafts. The urban layout typically includes a fortified harbor district, a market quarter, and a temple precinct that serves as a social center.

Ezekhez’s economy centers on shipbuilding, timber, and spice trade, with a thriving scriptorium that preserves Ezekhian law and lore. The Ezekhian script is a semi-syllabic system used by scribes and merchants to record contracts and decrees, contributing to the city’s reputation for meticulous record-keeping.

In fiction, Ezekhez serves as a political and commercial hub where merchant houses contest influence, expeditions depart from its docks, and adventurers navigate intrigue amid harbor wards, temple precincts, and crowded markets.