Teristraz rises on the storm-lashed coast where humans first set foot in Kildar. Once the first conquered city, it has since grown into a proud and perilous seafaring stronghold, where the salt of the sea runs deep with the blood of tradition. The memory of Sova Medvedov—the chieftess who led her people from their doomed island across the waves—still defines the spirit of Teristraz.

The people of Teristraz live by the sea and for the sea. They are unmatched sailors: pirates whose ships are feared along every coast, fishermen who harvest the endless bounty of the waves, and hunters of leviathans whose bleached bones line the harbor as trophies and warnings.

It is a city of rough traditions, where citizenship is not given but earned—by surviving the wilds of Medvedov Island or by slaying a monster and bringing back its head. Those who succeed gain full rights and pride of place; those who fail may still live here peacefully but without privilege, often turning to cattle, horses, or wool.

Teristraz's bond with the rest of Kildar is as turbulent as the tides. The merchant guilds curse them as pirates, yet rely on their sea-monster hunts to keep trade routes safe. Nobles and scholars dismiss them as unruly, yet they need them if they want to study history or go on Medvedov Island. Politically, the city leans toward monarchy, rallying swiftly behind any ruler of strength—but just as swiftly turning away if that ruler falters. The weakness of recent monarchs, who bowed too easily to guild power, has earned Teristraz's open contempt. Many whisper that only when a true sovereign rises will the city’s loyalty return.

To walk the harbor of Teristraz is to hear gulls shriek over the surf, to breathe tar, brine, and smoke, to see black-sailed ships crowd the horizon. Its people are weathered and proud, bound to the sea and to their heritage. And above all looms the stern visage of Sova Medvedov’s statue, casting her long shadow across the city as both warning and promise: Teristraz remembers its first landing, it remembers the strength that forged it, and it will bow only to power worthy of its waves.