Hoidto

Hoidto is a coastal city-state in the southern archipelago of Silar. It has long served as a maritime trading hub and shipbuilding center, attracting merchants, artisans, and sailors from across the sea. The city operates as a republic where a council of merchants and elders governs through consensus and customary law.

The name Hoidto derives from the older Silaran term hoid meaning harbor and to meaning place, a combination commonly translated as 'harbor place.' The first written reference appears in early trade logs dating to the twelfth century.

Hoidto's founders are believed to have been seafaring clans who settled the sheltered bay after migratory raids ended. By the late medieval period it became a regional trade node, linking timber, spice, and metal markets. Its influence waned during regional conflicts but revived with naval reforms in the sixteenth century. Severe earthquakes in the eighteenth century reshaped its harbor and prompted reconstruction.

Geographically, Hoidto sits at a natural harbor protected by breakwaters and a basalt bluff. Its economy rests on fisheries, canning, shipyards, and textile weaving. It remains a crossroads for cargo transit, with a large Market Basin where foreign and inland goods mingle.

The population is diverse, with Hoidtoan as the dominant language alongside minority dialects. Social life centers on guilds, maritime associations, and annual Tide Festival, which celebrates sea passages, harvests, and mutual aid among residents. Education emphasizes navigation, carpentry, and seamanship.

Landmarks include the Hoidto Citadel, the Market Basin, and the Lighthouse of Brine. In contemporary times, Hoidto maintains a degree of autonomy within the regional confederation and pursues cultural preservation and sustainable fishing, while remaining an important hub for regional commerce.