Scorpion Lands - Beiden: The Crossroads of the Empire

[Vutall]

Beiden, The Crossroads of the Empire
A small but strategically important town, Beiden is located on the southern side of the pass of the same name through the Spine of the World Mountains. The town is administered by the Scorpion, but the Matsu scouts on the nearby Beiden Overlook keep a close eye on all comings and goings. The pass is the only major route between the Scorpion lands in the south and the Lion territory on the northern side of the mountains for a hundred li. Beiden’s strategic and trade value can’t be overstated. This has made it a target during conflict, and the city has suffered greatly every time an army has decided to occupy it

Within Beiden are markets, sake dens, and teahouses serving caravanners, but the town’s chief feature is a shrine and temple to Tenjin, the Lesser Fortune of Stories and Secrets. Even among the heimin and hinin, there is a high degree of literacy, and the markets are constantly full of books and scrolls to a degree unseen in the rest of the Empire. The markets also benefit from smuggling; the Yogo family runs a small smuggling route through the pass that tends to avoid notice.