Stoneholt

Lying on the Corridor through the White Barrens, Stoneholt is the northernmost bastion of the regional power of Dreihaus. Guild-hired mercenaries are paid to defend the town and surrounding road, especially to the south, and the Corridor is much wider on the one hundred mile stretch between Dreihaus and Stoneholt than anywhere further north.
Stoneholt itself is a small, very focused settlement, protected by a stone curtain wall. The stones are grey mountain granite, not the local sandstone, brought downriver to Dreihaus and then by road up the Corridor, as a means to project the power and authority of the city and its guilds. The officers' district in the town centre houses the governor's house, the temple and residences of the other civic and military administrators. The bulk of the garrison and adminstrative functions are housed in the barracks district, which surrounds the training square behind the officers' district. Mirroring the barracks, the trade district surrounds the tavern square and faces the main gatehouse.
In theory a bastion of civilisation and order, the law is fiercely upheld in Stoneholt itself, but many residents take advantage of the proximity to the lawless outcountry, maintaining illegal narcotic plantations just a few miles from Stoneholt, guarded by enforcers who clash frequently with the outcasts of the Wold. There are also a number of legitimate farms, reluant on mercenaries and the Stoneholt Guard for protection.
There are fees to enter town, and goods and services are expensive here. Visitors can camp on the tavern square, or stay at one of the three actual taverns. The Eightfold Seal is a devout house, the Copper Cauldron an upscale inn, and the Dragon a larger and more basic establishment, catering mostly to caravan staff.