Cornerstone

At the source of the River Insun lies the town of Cornerstone, a beautiful spa town set at the bottom of a valley surrounded on all sides by green hills. Due to its fortuitous postion on the Insun it is also a major trade hub with a nickname of "The Gateway to the West", it is the last port wide enough for large ships on the Insun and it has excellent land links to many of the provinces. If Lindum is the first city of the Empire, Cornerstone is surely the second.
Nobles from all over the Empire flock to Cornerstone to bathe in the miraculous waters that spring up from hidden sources rejuvenating them, and while they are there they can pick up some of the finest jewelry outside of Lindum. For those non-nobles who visit Cornerstone they find it is one of the most comprehensively stocked markets in the Empire, every single province and district is represented there and you can usually find a little bit of everything in the town.

Demographics

• 55% Imperial Human
• 15% Imperial Thesselv
• 20% Imperial Verstite
• 10% Miscellaneous Slaves

Government

Cornerstone is governed by the Legion, a Centurion is stationed within Cornerstone at all times. While ultimately responsible for Cornerstone the Centurion has a council of tradesmen, religious people and other prominent citizens of Cornerstone from whom he takes advice on the running of the town.

Defences

Cornerstone has a Century of troops present from the VIIIth legion at all times, the Centurion of which has special dispensation to hire as many militia and mercenaries as required to secure the town. As such Cornerstone is incredibly well defended.

Industry & Trade

The primary industry of Cornerstone is entertainment and public baths, peoples from all over the Empire flock through Cornerstone on the way to Lindum or out West, the spas and bath houses are constantly overflowing with patrons as it is a handy stopping point. Due to this trade is extremely fast moving in the town, below are some of the more common items available.

Trade Item	Imported From	Destination/Uses
Aqua Vitae	Cornerstone natural springs	Across the empire, the water is said to rejuvenate the mind and body.
Grain	Central Provinces	Cornerstone is a central distribution point for a lot of the grain from the Central Provinces owing to the large port.
Wine	Central Provinces	For consumption in Cornerstone after a long baths session.
Oils	Gresya	Olive Oils and Fish Oils imported for washing in the Spa/Baths
Jewelery	Western Provinces	Generally sold to nobles and other well off peoples visiting Cornerstone.
Western-Style Weapons	Western Provinces	Curved blades, jade spears and other exotic weaponry from the peoples of the Western Provinces.

Infrastructure

Cornerstone boasts some of the most well funded infrastructure in the Empire due to the ample amount of trade going through, the Centurion in charge takes a cut of all trades and transactions specifically for upkeep of the town. The roads are perfect examples of Imperial architecture, the flattest and most pleasant to walk on, there are public water fountains at regular intervals and the docking facilities for boats are excellent.

Guilds and Factions

• The Guild of Bakers
• The Bath House Association
• Town Watch
• Federated Jewelers Guild

Type

Large town

Population

~30,000

Location under

Imperial Provinces

Owning Organization

Exercitum Imperatoria