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This product is an adventure module intended to slide into the Tyranny of Dragons storyline. Now, we all know that module could do with some work. so seeing more modules to tack onto it is never a bad thing. The hooks presented to tie into that campaign are solid and practical, which is a good start.
Layout/Appearance
It's not the prettiest module in the world, but it's not the ugliest. It's laid out in a familiar (if cramped) style, which is perfectly serviceable. The font is sort of small, which has the unfortunate effect of making the walls of text even more intimidating. It's nicely illustrated in places, and the maps are elegantly unassuming.
Mechanics
There are some interesting (and timely) uses of variants from the Dungeon Master's guide, such as the rules for handling large mobs of creatures in combat. I can't necessarily credit these to the author, but they make good use of existing structures, which is honestly something we could do more of as creators. I have some balance issues with the magical items and spells included in the appendices, but I'm often overly cautious on that front. There's some good sidebars on how to handle monster tactics, and anyone running a dragon for the first time would probably find them useful.
Content
The opening to Part 2 begins with an unnecessarily long history lesson - there's a habit of giving way too much context that sort of runs through this module. I need to be able to run this adventure, not cite over 1000 years of oddly specific faerunian history. This can be pretty obstructive to working out what on earth is going on. On the flipside, the knowledge and creativity displayed in placing all this lore is impressive, and if you have players that adore really digging into lore, then you've hit a home run here.
What I don't understand is the thrust of the adventure, which pits the adventurers against a powerful lich seeking godhood by acquiring three magical something-or-others. Reading through, this seems like something of a broader threat than the one presented by the overall narrative of Tyranny of Dragons, and doesn't seem right for what's being sold as a sidequest. Equally, the final chapter, focusing on the twin black dragons who supposedly form the purpose of the module, fall rather flat as antagonists after the encounter with the evil moustache-twirling-god-killer in his tower of evil.
The worst part about all this is that fighting a wizard-ghost-thing and preventing his ascent to evil dominion should really be its own arc. It feels forced and strange to have a powerful villain of his magnitude shoehorned into a Tyranny of Dragons module. If it's a dragon module, make the dragons more than an afterthought. If it's a wizard module, lose the dragons.
OVERVIEW
Too many historical notes and unhelpful layout choices make this adventure confusing and hard to run. Two conflicting plot threads clash rather than aid enough other, and don't help this adventure fit into the Tyranny of Dragons module. There are much better adventures out there at this price point, though if you're doing a PhD in faerunian dragon/scary wizard history, or are up for a challenge, then this might be right up your street. Not recommended for beginners.
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