Ruins of Caern
"The Elder Dragons of Vault are not as respected as they should be. Stories of fates such as Glainwing, Hellfall, and Rosegloom are oft quicker to the tongue than those of Embergore and Dawntorn. One wonders if it helps our kind sleep at night, reminded that these beings can fall from their mighty heights, while tragedies such as befell Caern are preferred to be forgotten. Such is our helplessness." - from the memoirs of Lewin Von Treet, Vault: the Land of Stuff and Things
Caern was the first casualty in the Firetide War. There was no horn sounded nor declaration shouted from the dragons which descended on Highcroft the night Caern burned; the city was without warning and without defenses. It's utter annihilation was halted only so far as to create an everlasting reminder of what fate awaited each city in Highcroft.
Caern was founded around one hundred years after Caim. After seeing the success of Caim's consistent growth, the people of Highcroft considered Caern to be the first step of an empire. Built atop what many consider the site of Two Stars, the battle where both Garn and Shar fell, the monuments and obelisks of Caern had a divine power that seemed to prove those considerations true. Those towering pillars of stone are all that now remain of the city, and what power it may have once had is now lost.
The ruins of Caern are a place where few now tread. When Hellfall came to Caern, his wroth was immediate and without mercy. Fire devastated the city and surrounding country, sparing no one and leaving behind an ever-burning desolation. Ash rains from the skies and the smell of sulfur sits heavy in the air. The land around Caern is unusable. Such is the despair caused by the destruction of this once holy city that even now, hundreds of years later, the people of Highcroft have never tried building near the site.
There are legends of holy relics that lie beneath the burnt earth and rubble-strewn streets of Caern, but even if one was inclined, and so few are, the area is as deadly as it is disheartening. Even the prophecies spoken about magical artifacts never mentioned venturing into Caern. It is a place abandoned not only by Highcroft but seemingly by Vault itself. It is said when the Cavalcade Lament traverses the lands between Arik's Pass at Caim, Hellfall walks taller and his eyes glean with a secret delight. This testament to his power will seemingly forever stand.