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Is there any reason (beyond the very recent events) behind the relative power of each wing? Would the PCs be able to discern this?
I know that the party is supposed to wander around and just hit the wings in a random order, but I am curious as to whether the PCs could actually deduce each wing's relative state after the mini-war and decide which they should hit first.
Some wings are (from a GM's standpoint) obviously doing ok (Wrath) whereas others are utterly decimated (Envy). Envy is a natural first choice because of its proximity, but other than that the PCs are wandering blind into each wing.
I am looking to somewhat let the PCs in on the recent war that is responsible for gutting Runeforge. Which of the existing NPCs would be most likely to fill them in? It seems Jordimandus is supposed to be captain back-story if the PCs let him surrender, but he hasn't had a clue what's been going on outside his wing for centuries.
It feels, from the lore, like each country was keenly aware of how powerful the other was at any given time, and that this mindset translated over to Runeforge post-collapse.
Would it make sense to find an unconscious/weakened Warrior of Wrath trapped in the Abjurant Halls? If so, how much should they know? I'm looking for something along the lines of, just enough to get an idea of which wings are stronger/weaker as of current knowledge. My group still hasn't reached 14th, so despite my sadism with challenging encounters, I don't want to see them waltz straight into the Halls of Wrath and get slaughtered. Now if they knew that something was extremely dangerous and went ahead anyway, that's one thing; it's another to utterly decimate them just because they hit things in the "wrong" order.
The difference isn't so much that your party will be overwhelmed. A difference of 1 CR is a drop in the bucket at this stage of the game.
That said, they could just use some kind of divination to learn which areas are better to start with. You could also use their sins, letting them know that the paths that give more of them penalties "feel" more dangerous. Hide it in a perception check or something if they stop to look. If they just go charging down a random corridor, they should still be OK.
Jordimandus has been scrying on the other wings constantly, so he and his journal are perfectly good sources of info. Delvahine or Vraxeris's journal would be good too. It doesn't make much sense for anyone to be alive in the Abjurant Halls. You can always leave a scrap of a notebook there talking about the fighting between the wings if you like. But it won't do the party excessive harm to be wandering blind for a little while.
If anyone happens to touch the Runeforge waters, they could get information that way, too. It's not likely, though.
What I expect to happen with my group is that they'll identify the statues of the Runelords and make their decisions based on that. They'll either go down Greed first or save it for last. They have a Sloth specialist, so they might go for that wing first.
Yes, my party chose Lust and Pride first, because they knew they needed to go to Greed's opposing schools. And those are two of the nastier fights; I nearly had a TPK when they Dimension Doored into Delvahine's private chambers: With the barbarian dead and the sorcerer down, the bard used his final round before being obliterated by the giants to get him, the paladin, and their fallen comrades the heck out of there.
And I think that's the big challenge: The three 'obvious' wings are Greed, Pride, and Lust, and while the Greed fight is a cakewalk for well-prepared adventurers, both Pride and Lust can be VERY nasty fights if the party tries to take on all the denizens at once.
The important point is that the party doesn't need to do ANY of the wings except Pride and Lust, so it's really hard to push them in another direction. Why go to Sloth at all? Why Envy?
All that being said, I'm going to agree with Gwaihir Scout: Rather than having a random survivor, let them do one wing first and have more information in the journal of that wing's BBEG. If they're smart they might even negotiate with Delvahine and get the information without a fight; I'm sure she'd be willing to sell the information for a price...
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I nearly had a TPK when they Dimension Doored into Delvahine's private chambers
That'll teach them to look before they 'port.
I have a party that likes to explore EVERYTHING, so far the only thing left to discover is the