This module is the second in Fiery Dragon's Silver Medal line of D20 adventures, and it's meant for a group of four PCs from 5th to 7th level. It doesn't say so on the cover, but this module is made for use as the sequel to
NeMoren's Vault; early sections of the text spell this out in clear (but not blunt) language. Unlike
NeMoren's Vault, there is more than a dungeon to clear and loot. Here the PCs are asked to risk life and limb in the service of three seperate kingdoms, and then to prevent an evil sorceress from getting an artifact of an ancient civilization destroyed sometime far in the past.
As with NeMoren's Vault, there is a color piece on the front that isn't quite up to the standards of the industry. Fortunately, the flaw is only in the coloring and not in the piece itself; this is an improvement over NeMoren's Vault. The rest of the module has good black-and-white artwork, save for the color sections (they look just like the cover), and the presentation style used before is used again. Stats and other important notes are in gray-shaded boxes and the appendices are a plethora of new and interesting items, NPCs, and monsters. The inside covers have all of the important tables, while those specific to an event are with that section of the text. Finding things requires one read-through to get a feel for things, and then it shouldn't be a problem to look things up; the chapter and subchapter headers are easy to read and distinguish from the rest of the text. The text is easy to read because it flows well and is easy on the eyes.
And now, the adventure. It's best to use The Silver Summoning as the sequel to NeMoren's Vault because the successful end of the previous module grants the (surviving) PCs enough reknown to get them invited to the opening scene in The Silver Summoning: the wedding of Paros of Myrr (a human hero of some repute) and Celetina of House Corisol (a elf lady of the nearby realm of Kalendia). This is due to occur in Hollobrae, a town some days away from the site of NeMoren's Vault. If this can't be done, then it's just as easy to invent another excuse to be invited or to just show up in town just before the big day. It's this respect, a crucial one, that allows the module to be used as a stand-alone affair. However, once started the rest of the adventure isn't at all dependant upon previously playing through NeMoren's Vault- but it surely does help.
As I said above, the adventure starts in Hollowbrae just before a major political marriage between two neighboring kingdoms occurs. The PCs are there to see it happen when someone attempts to kill both the groom and the bride with poisoned arrows, but the attempt fails to kill them outright; this allows the mayor of Hollowbrae and the town nature priestess (Abriel) to beseech the PCs to track down the villain and get the antidote or rush swiftly to Smaragholt and get back in seven days or less- or the couple dies an agonizing death.
There's a pursuit of the assassin, which may or may not result in the assassin's capture or death. (It's up to the GM to decide whether or not to allow it; if so, there's a handy subsystem to handle the chase abstractly- and I do recommend playing out the chase.) There is a time limit to the chase, but it's also possible to catch up and fight the villain; as written, it isn't scripted either way.
Breaking up the chase are a series of set-piece encounters that function as mini-dungeons. The first is a ruined gnome hold that includes two dangerous monster encounters, both of which are able to kill PCs that aren't paying attention. The second can result in a pitched battle against the assassin, his allies and his lackeys- a total of 23 foes against your average PC party, one of which is easily their equal in power. That's another big encounter, one which could result in PC fatalities if the group isn't careful. More likely is a fight against half the allies/lackeys, but not by much.
The second encounter ends the chase, but the third is where the big plot twist comes into play. A cleric/druid NPC shows up, informs them of the backstory behind the adventure's plot--thus explaining why the hit at Hollowbrae occured--and offers to solve the problem of the poison antidote if they agree to go to Smaragholt and relieve the trouble there. (The GM should impress upon the sincerity of the NPC, and that the deal is definately a good one for the PCs.) Assuming that the PCs go along with the offer, they move on to the next location; this is not as easy as it looks, as this encounter really is a device to get the PCs from Part One to Part Two of the adventure and it shows. It's a weak link, but it works.
Travelling to Smaragholt can go through a monster-infested wood--this is the way to go if the PCs went through NeMoren's Vault--or they can go through a monster-infested canyon. The woodland isn't so dangerous as it seems, and some prudence is more than enough to deal with any threats present. The ghostly encounter goes much better for the PCs if they've recovered a certain magic sword from NeMoren's Vault because the NPC concerned will definately aid the party. As for the canyon, that's one that requires a great deal of caution or the monsters there will certainly kill one or more PCs. The benefit to the canyon path, as usual, is half as long as the woodland path.
Last on the module is Smaragholt, a dwarf stronghold under siege by an orc army and its sorceress ally. The PCs need to get inside, make contact with the defenders, and help them to stop the horde--more importantly, its sorceress ally--before they reach the room that has the McGuffin that's behind all of the weirdness in this module. I won't reveal the nature of the thing, as it would be a spoiler, but I will say that--despite the anachronistic concept--it's not that bad.
The action here is much like an action movie, as the "dungeon" is both inhabited and an ongoing conflict is present, so there's a good deal of fact movement and combat. This includes a fight in the throne room and the showdown with the sorceress and her crew. Success puts the PCs in guardianship of the McGuffin until the cleric/druid NPC shows up and offers to take it out of play. (I recommend that the PCs do as he wishes, because otherwise the PCs become walking targets for the Big Bad Boss and his mooks- and there's no escaping it.) It should also net them some other rewards, but don't expect the dwarves to give them any masterwork widgets- they aren't that well-to-do.
In conclusion, The Silver Summoning is a good second effort and a fine example of wrapping several sites around an event-based adventure. It has some new items and monsters, a neat way to use a contemporary concept in a fantasy environment, and it flows nicely from beginning to end. However, the flow comes through a series of assumptions that the GM must account for should his players not be so obliging. There's sufficient room for the GM to insert elements that are specific to his game; otherwise, the adventure is rather linear.
Do I recommend it? I say that it's worth your time to check it out, and I do recommend it if you liked NeMoren's Vault.
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