The Throne of Thorns I
The Throne of Thorns I is the first part of a dark fantasy campaign for Ruins of Symbaroum, a Dungeons & Dragons 5E setting, written by Mattias Johnsson Haake and Jacob Rodgers and published by Free League Publishing.
By Aaron T. Huss
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The Throne of Thorns I is the first book of three in a 6-part campaign for Ruins of Symbaroum. It contains part 1 – Wrath of the Warden and part 2 – The Witch Hammer. Both parts are linked by an overarching storyline, but not directly from the PC point of view – the players will have to learn that as they move along. Each part is broken into three Acts and closed out some options for moving beyond that completed act based on what happened during that part.
***Content beyond this point contains spoilers.***
Wrath of the Warden takes place in Thistle Hold and serves as an introductory-style module for the Ruins of Symbaroum setting. There are events that occur that link it to the rest of the campaign, but for the most part it is self-contained and can be run as-is or as part of the larger campaign. If run as-is, there will be questions left unanswered, but maybe the GM wishes to take the game in a completely different direction. Broken into three acts, acts 1 and 3 are fairly linear while act 2 is more of a sandbox style. There is considerable focus on the locale and important areas within it along with the main NPCs the characters will encounter. This effectively establishes the baseline for what the larger campaign is built upon, but at the end the players might not realize it. This is why part 1 feels more open-ended but is essentially the lead-in to the greater campaign. This could also be an opportunity for the GM to insert some scenarios of his or her own before moving into the greater storyline which really picks up in part 2.
The Witch Hammer takes place in and within the lands near Karvosti and are rooted in the themes that make Ruins of Symbaroum the setting that it is. While part 1 is more of a taste of the setting, part 2 places the PCs within the midst of what makes the setting come alive and the machinations that comprise it. In other words, this is where things really begin, although the PCs would be missing out on a fair amount of background if they skip part 1. The focus begins to expand from locales + NPCs to regions + factions. There’s a lot more going on in this setting than what the players might realize, if it’s their first experience, and here’s where they become known. There’s a lot more action going on and the scale of the encounters begins to grow. At the end, there are numerous goings-on that connect part 2 to part 3 (at least that’s how it’s presented) and the players should definitely understand they are now within the midst of a full campaign and its overarching storyline.
One thing to point out about both parts 1 and 2 is how they are presented. Each act is presented as a series of events, but they don’t have to be played in a linear fashion has presented. Some events are directly related, some indirectly related. This gives the GM flexibility to adjust the campaign to the progress of the PCs. However, it also includes a timeline for each part that demonstrates the most logical flow of events and a high-level summary of each milestone.
Ruins of Symbaroum clearly has a theme behind its design and The Throne of Thorns plays to that theme. Not just dark fantasy but a land with secrets the major factions are trying to unravel and exploit. As a first part of the campaign, The Throne of Thorns I plays into this concept very well and even includes a great entry-level endeavor into the setting!
