tehastel

Tehastel is a fictional city-state in the northern archipelago of the imagined continent of Eldoria. It lies along the sheltered harbor of Port Miren, at the mouth of the Sira River, and functions as a regional center for trade and scholarship. The city comprises an old fortified core and a busy waterfront district linked by bridges and stairways. Contemporary sources describe a population in the tens of thousands, with hinterlands that produce timber, grain, and fish.

History: Tehastel traces its founding to merchant-sailors in the late first millennium BCE. It grew into a self-governing municipal confederation where guilds exercised political influence through a city council. The city prospered as a mediator in inter-island disputes and benefited from control of sea lanes, caravan routes inland, and a protected harbor. A period of cultural flourishing, sometimes called the Golden Age, produced notable architecture, libraries, and urban planning.

Economy and culture: The economy centers on crafts—glassware, textiles, and pottery—alongside long-distance trade in exotic goods. The University of Tehastel and its associated School of Logic and Astronomy attracted scholars from neighboring realms. The city is known for arcaded streets, tiled courtyards, and a network of markets and warehouses. Festivals, guild processions, and public debating courts were integral to civic life.

Name and etymology: The toponym Tehastel is believed to derive from the local language elements teha 'stone' and stel 'place' or 'hall.' In modern fiction, Tehastel is frequently cited as an archetype of mercantile urbanism and a test case for urban governance.