It appears to be a straightforward task, just the thing for some up-and-coming adventurers like the party. A rural village is being pestered by a young dragon that has taken up residence in nearby hills, and the locals would like him killed or driven off.

The background notes for the DM reveal what is really going on, and a map of the place the upstart dragon has chosen for his lair is provided (just as well, although it was in the Map-a-Week series on the Wizards of the Coast website, the link provided no longer works!). As a side-trek adventure it can be placed in any suitable spot in your campaign world, or you may wish to create a longer story arc in which the dragon, who is called Kyracolides, features... that's up to you.

Three hooks are provided to get the party into the right area - only one actually mentions a dragon, so if you don't want to give them any warning use one of the others. There's a brief note about the village (little more than its game stats), and one or two snippets of information, but then it's on to the lair itself with plenty of detail to support the 'dungeon delve' that is the meat of this adventure.

Shall we just say that Kyracolides doesn't live on his own? Someone left quite a few traps down there as well... and as for the Big Bad at the end... that should prove an interesting surprise for the party. There are suggestions for continuing the adventure, and that's it.

This is an adventure full of surprises and should provide quite a challenge for a party of the intended level (7th), but it's a challenge that will be enjoyed by anyone who likes a classic delve.

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Reviewed: 18 May 2016