After reading the section on the lizardfolks' lair, I'm not clear on a few things. For starters, what hook is there to get the PCs to go into the room with the eggs? Once the PCs have freed Marzena and the other hostages, there's no incentive for them to stick around (my PCs aren't quite as treasure-hungry as some). Also, the notes don't really say how Hishka the druid and Shukak the lizard king react to news about the green worms in the slain lizardfolk in room 6C.
And finally... what is a mangaroo tree?!
It certainly helps to have a lizardfolk in the party. ;)
In any case, if Hishka still lives in the aftermath, and she believes the PCs are there to help (or a druid or some other nature-esque PC is in the party), she might just take them to the egg chamber.
If the PCs are cleaning out the lair, it would behoove them to make sure to check all the nooks and crannies, lest a survivor lead others in an attack while the PCs camp, or something like that. There could be more lizardfolk at the other end of that watery path.
I'm not even sure how necessary it is to have the PCs find the black egg. The prospect of fighting in the Champion's Belt should be enough to get any group to the Free City, kicking off Hall of Harsh Reflections, so finding the egg is a bonus.
Depending on how your encounter runs (and how you portray the NPCs), Shukak/Hishka's reaction to the green worms will differ. Play it by ear. Maybe it's easier to have them killed off, so there's no need to worry about reactions.
I explained mangaroo trees to be somewhat like tangled rhododendron trees. Twisted tunnels of tangled tree-trunks. ;) The pictures in the module do a good job. I also envision a leafy top to the whole thing, providing the lair with the perfect camouflage.
After reading the section on the lizardfolks' lair, I'm not clear on a few things. For starters, what hook is there to get the PCs to go into the room with the eggs? Once the PCs have freed Marzena and the other hostages, there's no incentive for them to stick around (my PCs aren't quite as treasure-hungry as some). Also, the notes don't really say how Hishka the druid and Shukak the lizard king react to news about the green worms in the slain lizardfolk in room 6C.
And finally... what is a mangaroo tree?!
The way I ran it, Shukak was a fanatical devotee of the dragon, Ilthane. Hishka was more suspicious, but being physically weaker, dared not speak out openly against the king, even though many other lizard folk felt the same way.
After the battle at Blackwall Keep, the PCs found healing potions (with Kyuss worms) on many of the lizardfolk.
Later, the PCs sneaked into the lair, and in the first be fight one of the fallen lizardmen burst open and Kyuss worms came out. The other lizardfolk freak out at this and run away (to fetch Hiska, the wise-man/shaman).
Hishka accuses the PCs of bringing the plague with them - once they explain that it's the potions, Hishka says that those were gifts - from the dragon! So, once he figures out that the dragon's using them, he's rady to aid the PC's. He says he can take control of the tribe, and call off the attacks, provided they remove Shukak and his elite guards.
After Shukak is beaten, Hishka then says the lizardfolk must flee into th swamp before the dragon returns - only they can't leave without their eggs, and the eggs are being guarded by the dragon's servants -in the treasure room! Of course, the treasure is basically more worm-tainted potions, but you can throw in some minor goodies as a bonus, if you wish.
Another possibility is that the PCs need to sneak out the 'back door' to avoid fighting more of Shukaks followers - and Hishka sends them out the tunnels through the egg chamber.
Note that the egg - with worms inside - is all the proof the lizardfolk need to see that the dragon has betrayed them. This revelation is necessary to end the conflict between them and the humans.
It also introduces a big mystery: what exactly is the dragon's plan?
If all else fails, have Marzena say (once rescued) that they took her spell book (or whatever) and hid it in the "treasure room" (really the egg room). The PCs should be willing to help her retrieve it.
Our group ran into a raiding party of draconic kobolds on the way back to BWK. We spared one of them and interrogated him. I'm hoping that he shows back up in the future. He told us about the dragon's egg, and our first thought was that the dragon was going to make draconic lizardmen. As we were bearing a peace treaty from the lizardmen, we felt it was our duty to inform them of this treachery. Therefore back we went....
...and that is where it got interesting. My Archivist died and I brought in a Lizardfolk Druid. WE carried the egg out of the egg chamber before destroying it. When the paladin smote it and the worms erutped out, and into the swamp....my druid demanded to know what was going on....
...now he is followin the aprty making sur ethey don't despoil any more natural lands...reminding then that the swamp was home to things like chuul, and much, much worse.....
In this post you can find what I did with the lizardmen:
Maximizing the encounter at Blackwall Keep Experience.
And I posted other interesting links in this thread:
I'm having the same problem, so it's nice to know I'm not alone. The PCs bypassed everything except the assasin vine (with a captive guard and a Detect Thoughts spell), cut a deal with Hishka, and trashed the Chief and his Lieutenant. Now what?