Fancy squelching around a disease-ridden swamp in search of corrupting evil? Then this adventure is for you... and it STARTS with a dragon...

The DM's Section includes an adventure summary, wandering monster chart, and extensive background about what's going on and how it all came to be. There's also scaling information and an impressive selection of 'hooks' to get the party interested in this adventure. It's noted that as well as the actual antagonists provided, there's a deadly magical disease and the swamp itself to contend with - and this last is a hostile environment that will prove as much a threat to the party as anything else. As an aside to that, suggestions are made for the best ways to introduce replacement characters for those which perish.

The adventure proper begins with the party already in this misty, chilly, smelly swamp. Then they hear sounds of combat close by... The first part of the adventure involves exploring the swamp itself and finding out at least some of what's going on. And meeting the dragon. Mustn't forget him! Opportunities for combat and looting abound, along with clues to find that should take the party onwards.

The adventure then moves to a small fortress called the Forge, which the party will have to infiltrate (or besiege) as well as a few other places and people to investigate. Then it's off underground to a lair located in an ancient temple, a dank and dark place peopled by an unlikely tribe that doesn't meet common perceptions of their kind. In true Lord of the Rings style, an artefact must be retrieved and flung into the depths.

In all a coherent and quite interesting adventure provided you like slogging through swamps. There's plenty of fighting to be done, but it's not as puzzle heavy as some adventures in this line, although some reasoning is needed to find out what is going on and how to put a stop to it. It should prove a nice episode in your campaign.

Return to Legacy of the Savage Kings page.

Reviewed: 2 July 2018