Tjaros

Tjaros is a fictional city-state commonly featured in fantasy literature and role-playing games. It is typically depicted as a coastal urban center on a promontory overlooking a sheltered harbor, with inland hills that rise beyond the shoreline. The population is described as ethnically diverse, with a mix of fisherfolk, artisans, and mercantile families.

Geography and demographics: The city controls a natural harbor protected by breakwaters. The surrounding hinterland supports fisheries, timber, and salt production. Census figures vary by source, but most render populations around 60,000 to 120,000 residents in major canon.

History: Founded during the early maritime era by a confederation of trading clans, Tjaros rose through shipbuilding and commerce. It endured sieges and mercantile rivalries, reaching a high point in the late medieval period of the setting, before stagnation and reform in later centuries.

Government: Tjaros is typically portrayed as a merchant republic governed by an elective council representing guilds, with an influential senior curator of the harbor. Law blends customary maritime codes with urban ordinances. The council convenes in the Great Docks Hall.

Economy and infrastructure: The economy centers on shipping, storage, and standards for sailmaking, ropework, and spice trade. The port handles caravans by sea and river, and a network of quays, warehouses, and a shipyard complex sustains craft industries.

Culture and notable features: Tjaros is known for hybrid architecture mixing arched stone with timber-framed houses, open-air markets, and annual maritime festivals. A lingua franca tends to be a coastal pidgin, used across merchant communities.