In 'Children of Ruin,' humanity has spread across the stars, terraforming planets in a quest for a new home. On the planet Nod, an ancient program aims to imprint Earth's legacy over an unsuspected alien life. After the fall of Earth's empire, the memories and purposes of such projects were forgotten. Eons later, humanity, now allied with evolved spiders, intercepts radio signals hinting at human origins. An expedition is sent to uncover these cosmic relatives, stirring an entity long dormant on Nod. What they awaken threatens the fragile partnership between humans and spiders, and could unravel the threads of life itself.