2024 Campaign Review

The Ruinlords’ tale began in the humble town of Ravengro, where they became entangled in a web of intrigue and danger. Their first brush with the criminal underworld came when they thwarted a robbery at Theldrat Meldorp’s locksmith shop. Apprehending two initiates of the Green Dagger gang, they uncovered the involvement of a half-orc named Irontusk. Pursuing the gang to their hideout in the Barge District, they confronted the gang's leader, Cyranthas.
Cyranthas revealed that his men had fallen ill and were coerced by a man posing as a priest of Pharasma to steal a key from Theldrat in exchange for a cure. Investigating further, the heroes learned that the thief had attacked Father Harmanas of the Church of Pharasma a month earlier, stealing his robes and holy symbol. Harmanas provided the heroes with a cairn charm found on the thief, which Alistair Clancy, Ravengro's resident mage, identified as linked to the Tomb of Blood Everflowing.
Venturing into the tomb, the heroes faced zombies and ghouls bearing the mark of the "Skinsaw Man," a symbol of the assassin god Norgorber. Deep within, they battled Veltargo, a cleric of Norgorber who had stolen a sealed ancient text from the Church of Pharasma. The Ruinlords defeated him, recovered the key, and returned the damaged book to the church.
Cal’s investigation led to Albert Rothport, a nobleman with potential ties to the Ebon Triad cult. Through meticulous detective work, the party pieced together Albert's last days, uncovering his reckless gambling, altercations at the Emporium and the Midnight Salute, and his disappearance from the Stone Chalice inn. Guided by Clover Brightfoot, they explored the Whispering Cairn, where they braved wolves, traps, and remnants of the Wind Dukes presence. Within the cairn, they encountered Ulavant Graves, a ghoul trapped for over sixty years, and learned of its connection to the Wind Duke Zosiel and the demon lord Zalatas. Defeating Ulavant and his Graveyard Stalkers, they recovered a Prop of Requiem, a relic of Nethys.
As they delved deeper into the cairn, they faced the ghost of Alastor Land, whose remains had been stolen. They discovered Kullen, the albino half-orc employee of Boniface Halbert, had been hired to loot graves for Filge, a necromancer. After defeating Filge, they recovered the remains, laid Alastor to rest, and explored the Chamber of Sighs. There, they battled ancient wind warriors and uncovered Zosiel’s final resting place.
In Ravengro, Boniface Halbert hired the Ruinlords to recover his brother’s head from graverobbers hiding in Dourstone Mine. They discovered the mine was a front for the death cult known as the Ebon Triad. Battling through High Priest Theldrick’s Asmodean wing of the Dark Cathedral, they confronted Grallak Kur, a Dahak oracle whose prophecies hinted at their fates. They finally faced the Faceless One, leader of the Norgorber wing, and learned of the cult's plan to awaken the Overgod using stolen artifacts. Their battles culminated in recovering Germaine Halbert's head and confronting the Ebon Aspect—a monstrous entity that had once been Albert Rothport.
Back in Ravengro, the Ruinlords learned Clover Brightfoot was cursed by a bloodstone medallion forged by the Faceless One and was near death. Alfie Bud used his clerical magic to remove the curse and save Clover's life. Zephyr, the tiefling owner of the Mystic Trove, hired the Ruinlords to retrieve the Helm of Titan’s Wrath from Numeria. Dav did not join the party on this journey, and upon arriving in Numeria, they were joined by Dunner Greatblade, a dwarven warpriest of Gorum. There, they encountered the ancient gold dragon Aurixalar, guardian of the helm and Pharaoh Sekh-pa-Mafer III, now a mummy lord. After defeating the pharaoh, they handed over the helm for a substantial reward.
Their journey led them to Blackwall Keep, following a note in Filge’s book mentioning green worms in the Mistmarsh swamp near the keep. They aided in its defense against lizardfolk besiegers led by Gruul Bloodfang. They uncovered Ilthane’s manipulation of the lizardfolk and ventured into the Mistmarsh to confront Bloodfang. Battling through haunted caverns and the Twisted Branch temple, they discovered the Ebon Triad’s corruption of the tribe. Bloodfang, now a draconic creature, fell in battle, and the Ruinlords rescued the surviving lizardfolk eggs.
In Caliphas City, they sought Elric Toplo, a scholar of the undead, to learn about Kyuss Descimus and the prophecies of his return. During a meeting at his manor, Elric revealed the Ebon Triad’s misinformation campaign: their ultimate goal was not the creation of an Overgod but the return of Malgorath, the Shattered One. He also explained the connection between green worms, the Negative Material Plane, and Kyuss, outlining the steps required to prevent Kyuss’ release.
High Priest Theldrick, a close friend of Loris Raknian, had been defeated by the Ruinlords earlier, prompting Raknian to seek revenge. Raknian sent the Ebon Triad, a bearded devil, and a larva assassin to attack the party. After surviving the ambush, the Ruinlords learned Raknian possessed the Apostolic Scrolls and realized the only way to confront him would be to compete in the Champion’s Games in Tymon’s Arena of Aroden, which Raknian hosted. To prove their strength, Ekalim Smallcask arranged for the group to fight the fearsome gladiator Bruce in the Crimson Cage, solidifying their place in the games. Ekalim secured passage for the Ruinlords aboard the Wavestone, captained by Mira Valen, a longtime friend of Ekalim who provided discounted accommodations as a favor.
The Wavestone voyage to Tymon was interrupted by an ambush orchestrated by Lord Grath Olmec, an Ebon Triad agent sent by Raknian to kill the heroes and prevent their arrival. Divine intervention from Saint Nicholan saved them, but the encounter revealed the depth of the cult’s influence. While approaching Salisgrad for repairs, the Ruinlords embarked on a mystical dreamscape journey to the realm of Yule , reclaiming Saint Nicholan’s greatsword, Yulebrand, from the corrupted Frostbinder. As they prepared for the Champion’s Games in Tymon, they knew the fight against Kyuss’s resurgence was far from over.
Editor's Note: Technically this is 2023-2024. Previous year material was included for the sake of continuity.