I gave Caldera a wide berth, and circled around it in the foothills to enter through the north gate, making a point to ask the first guard for directions. Caldera is a small, heavily fortified Imperial charter town established in the peace treaty, and it gives the Empire access to an ebony mine. "Caldera is rich," he said proudly, standing in front of a cobblestone hut with almost none of its plaster remaining. I gave the Mages' Guild a wide berth and found the inn, and rented a room for the night.

To clarify the guard's statement: Caldera is rich because the miners don't live in Caldera. Apparently they live in a sprawling tent camp