Runeskin is a fearsome, mythical ogre. Standing over nine feet in height and weighing at least a thousand pounds, named for the countless blue runes that cover nearly every square inch of his loathsome bulk, the supposedly-immortal creature has long been a recurring dilemma for humanity over the seven centuries he's been appearing on Sryth. Runeskin is a sight to behold, and indeed an enemy best avoided.
This page describes the "classic" Runeskin saga. It's composed of several "prelude" quests and a main section, which takes place in the village of Silverwysp, next to Tryndmoor in Southeast Tysa. At the bottom of the page you can see the quests unlocked by completing this saga.
There are a total of four "prelude" scenarios to complete, plus an encounter with Runeskin. They are not needed for the saga, but they include some items that may simplify some parts of it.
For the first scenarios, take into account that Fearspit and Rotgrip are goblins, and thus vulnerable to Goblindoom.
You can keep doing these, even while you're doing other ones in the Ruins of Silverwysp.
You can find Silverwysp near Tryndmoor in Southeast Tysa. To unlock the first adventure, you must speak to either the tavernkeep of the Hedgelong Tavern, Jodd Frostton (and his wife, Elirior), or Yurut in the village's mercantile. After they tell you about the wagons, the first adventure (Late One Afternoon) is unlocked.
Captain Millark tells you that a particularly brutal mountain goblin warrior is tearing through defenders as he and a band of his bloodthirsty kin carve a path toward the village centre from the south...
Scouts have reported a large number of cave goblins moving out of the entrance of one of Silverwysp's abandoned ore mines...you are sent to investigate....
The gruesome spectre, its ghostly blade dripping with the blood of the recently slain, unleashes a fearsome shriek as it soars across the battlefield towards you...
While the vast majority of Runeskin's army has been driven from the field of battle, the captain is still overseeing his forces as they scour the areas north, east, and south of the village for any lingering sign of the enemy...The low, pulsing hum of the Shadow Path form the southeast corner of what was once the tavern's common room causes a deep sense of dread to well up from within you.
At long last, you take your leave of Captain Millark and the village of Silverwysp, content to know that at least for now, Runeskin has been thwarted...
Completion of this saga is one of the requirements for the main part of the March of the Oakaruk saga, which started developing on the last quarter of 2009 (you can also see Game Updates 2009)
Historical note
At first, you had to complete the prelude scenarios before visiting Silverwysp, and after you unlocked the first Silverwysp adventure, Late One Afternoon, the prelude scenarios became unavailable. This changed at some moment (see talk page) and now you can complete the prelude scenarios at leisure, until One of Three.
Through these missions, you used to earn several Valour rewards, which accumulate with victories. This mechanic currently has no impact on anything else on the game, and was a loose end.
But it was not always this way...
When this saga was being released (March–April 2007) the village of Silverwysp was a big battlefield, almost like an early multiplayer scenario. Valour was earned by having the most fights without rest in this scenario, and there was a related leaderboard. Valour rewards for completing the quests factored into this.
However, there was a serious flaw in the system, allowing to rest and restock on BoP (besides other curious tricks, like recovering 8 SP for 1 gold on the then-active hotel in Kolnia). Because of this, several players managed to get so ahead of the rest, that by the time the system was fixed there was no way to reach them. This was the main cause of the removal of the Silverwysp battles altogether, but the Valour rewards of quests remain as the peculiar remnants of that time.
The Valour leaderboard was disabled on April 4, 2007.