Caine

Settlement Type: Ruins

Region: Arctic

Population: Inapplicable

Description: 

Located in the Far North are the ruins of an ancient city now known as Caine. Caine's history is shrouded in secrecy. It's builders are unknown and its original residents are unknown as well. Even the reasons for its abandonment are unknown. Adventurers and scholars from the other regions of Hura seldom think of Caine, regarding it as simply a failed city. The natives of Tigal avoid Caine, believing the place to be cursed by the Warmother, but no one seems to know why. 

This belief has been deliberately cultivated by the Warmother's priesthood.  Every three to seven years, champions of the Warmother gather in the ruins of Caine. Some arrive by accident, others by deliberate intent. Once assembled, these champions battle each other for possession of the Warmother's Heart, a sacred relic that is believed to make its possessor unbeatable in combat. 

The relic remains with the victor for a time before magically returning to Caine, triggering the start of the next contest of champions.

Participants in the contest are forbidden from speaking about it by fierce and bloody oaths. Anyone who breaks the oath of silence earns the ire of the Warmother, her priests and her champions. They usually come to a very messy end.