Fading Echoes

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Written by Stan! • Art by James L. Barry

The Plaintive Howls

Whichever previous adventure you played, consider that three moons have passed since then. Determine what age that makes all of the cat characters (including the one belonging to the person who will take the first turn as Narrator) and use the information found in the “Improving Your Cat” section of Chapter Four in the game rules to make the necessary changes.

Unless you are the first Narrator in this adventure, stop reading here. The information beginning in the next paragraph is for the Narrator only.

The Adventure Begins

Hello, Narrator! It’s time to begin playing “The Plaintive Howls.” Make sure all the players have their character sheets, the correct number of chips, a piece of paper, and a pencil. Remember that the point of the game is to have fun. Don’t be afraid to go slow, and refer to the rules if you aren’t sure exactly what should happen next.

When you’re ready, begin with 1 below.

1. Yowls in the Night

Special Note: If the players’ cats are not from the same Clan, play out this scene as though a similar string of events is happening in each of the cats’ Clans. The Narrator should let each of the players ask questions and explain that all the Clans have the same worries. In the end, the various leaders decide that it is best to send a group of cats from different Clans to investigate. By the final part of this scene, all the players’ cats should be together to make the important Skill Check.

Read Aloud: “You wake up in the morning to find the Clan in disarray. The queens are tending to frightened kits, and even the senior warriors seem a little bit unnerved. There were strange sounds in the night—sounds no cat can explain.”

Narrator Tips: This adventure opens with a Clan meeting, which the Clan leader has called to talk about the alarming sounds in the distance.

In the middle of the night, the warrior on duty heard a far-off yowling. The commotion awoke other members of the Clan. If any of the players’ cats have a level of 5 or higher in the Listen Skill, they were awakened by the sound, too.

Some Clan cats thought the sound was indistinct, like an animal howling in pain. Others thought that it sounded distinctly like a cat crying out for help. As the wind picked up, the yowling grew louder and clearer. It soon became apparent that it was more than just a single yowl—several different voices could be heard, some crying in pain or fear, others calling out for help.

As the Narrator, your job in this scene is to get the players to understand that this is a situation that none of the cats can explain. The answer to many of the players’ questions will be: “No one knows yet… It’s your job to find out.” Be sure not to rush through the scene. Let the players ask all the questions they want, even if the answers are not reassuring.

When the players have run out of questions to ask or are anxious to know what happens next, inform them that the Clan leader has chosen them to investigate this mysterious yowling. They are to follow the sounds for as long and far as it takes to find the truth and do whatever they can to help ease the suffering of whoever is crying out.

Again, allow the players’ cats to ask as many questions as they like (though the answers still won’t seem very helpful). If they ask for any reasonable supplies (for example, traveling herbs), the Clan leader will grant the request.

As the players’ cats set out on the trip, the sound of the yowling rises and falls. Mostly it is a background noise that is hard to distinguish from the wind. But sometimes it grows loud enough that the cats can all agree that it is the sound of some unknown number of cats calling for help, though none of them are voices they recognize.

What Happens Next: After they have been on the trail for a while, ask each of the players what his or her cat’s Focus score is (the number they get by adding their levels of Focus to their Spirit score). At this point they cannot use any Knacks or spend any chips to improve their results—this is simply testing their natural ability to concentrate and ignore the distractions around them. Add up the results of all the Focus Checks to get a group total.

If the group total is equal to 16 or higher, continue with 3.

If the group total is lower than 16, continue with 2.

2. Chasing the Wind

Read Aloud: “The sound is certainly coming from the north. No…wait…perhaps that’s the east.”

Narrator Tips: The wind is playing tricks on the cats as they try to follow the yowling. Describe their progress as they follow the sounds for a while until the noise disappears. Then a few minutes later the crying sound seems to be coming from a different direction entirely.

If any of the cats have the Pathfinder Knack, they realize that the sounds are leading the group in circles. If none of the cats has that Knack, tell the cats to each make a Ponder Check. The cat (or cats) with the highest total comes up with the same realization, but not as quickly or as certainly as a cat with the Pathfinder Knack.

As they follow the yowling sounds, one by one the voices fade out until there is just a single cat’s voice crying on the wind—sad, mournful, and weak. This makes it easier to track. Now one cat must take the lead and use his or her Listen Skill to try to follow the sound. Have the players decide which cat that will be. Once the decision is made, tell them that their cats can help, too. Any cat that wants to help can attempt a single Listen Check. In this case, they can use Knacks and spend chips if they wish. Make a note of how many cats get a Listen Check total of 7 or higher.

Then have the lead cat make a Listen Check, using Knacks or spending chips if the player wants to. Increase this Listen Check result by +1 for every assisting cat who got a total of 7 or higher. Increase it by an additional +1 for every cat in the group who has the Pathfinder Knack.

What Happens Next: If the final Listen Check total, including all bonuses, is 12 or higher, continue with 3.

If the final Listen Check, including all bonuses, is between 6 and 11, continue with 4.

If the final Listen Check total, including all bonuses, is less than 6, continue with 5.

3. The Culprit

Read Aloud: “The sound of the yowling is getting clearer, but it’s also getting weaker. It seems you’ve found the source just as it is fading away.”

Narrator Tips: The cats have found the source of the yowling—Burr, a cat trapped in a Twoleg cage. The difficult thing for you, as the Narrator, is that the cats don’t really have words for things like “cage” so describing the scene may be tough. They will probably think of the cage as a “den” that is hard and cold to the touch. For your sake, here are the details in plain English.

Burr is a rogue who was traveling in the area to the north of the Lake. He smelled food and followed it to an area where humans from a regional animal shelter had set up some “capture and carry” traps. Burr wandered into one of the cages and became trapped. He’s been here for almost a full day now and has been crying for help practically the whole time. As he did, he could hear other cats begin to do the same thing. He guesses they must be trapped in similar cages, but he can’t see any of them.

At this point, Burr is weak from exhaustion. It is only pure luck and a strong wind that let his and the other cats’ cries be carried as far away as the Lake. Or perhaps it was the desperation in their voices and intervention from StarClan. Let the players’ cats talk to Burr for a while and consult among themselves about what to do. The cage is built out of steel and it is attached to the ground. In other words, nothing the cats do will damage or move it.

Burr will be as helpful as he can be, but he doesn’t really understand what’s going on. Also, he’s stuck in a cage and cannot see what the cats are doing once they walk too far away. He’ll still shout out whatever seems helpful, and you can use that as a way to give hints to the players’ cats in any other scenes as long as they are relatively near Burr’s cage.

There are two other bits of information that will become clear to the cats as they investigate the situation. First, there’s a smell of food in the air—not good fresh-kill but definitely food. Second, there’s a new sound on the wind—the sound of Twolegs as they chatter away somewhere nearby.

What Happens Next: If the cats decide to investigate the smell of food, this is the end of the chapter. Pass the adventure to the next Narrator and tell him or her to continue with 6.

If the cats decide to investigate the sounds of Twoleg activity, this is the end of the chapter. Pass the adventure to the next Narrator and tell him or her to continue with 7.

4. The Fading Voice

Read Aloud: “As darkness draws near, the sound of the yowling fades away completely. You’ll have to find somewhere warm to spend the night and continue searching in the morning.”

Narrator Tips: The cats were unable to find the source of the sounds, though they’ve come close. Still, with the light fading, they will have to camp for the night. Take this as an opportunity to let them do some more talking among themselves or perhaps a bit of hunting for fresh-kill to eat; then have them get what sleep they can.

If they want to set up a watch during the night, have each cat attempt a Listen Check during his or her turn. They do not hear any more of the yowling. However, if you as the Narrator want to improvise some excitement during the night, perhaps one of the cats can hear an owl or encounter a skunk or a raccoon. While such an encounter can be fun, make sure the players and their cats remember that the focus of the adventure is finding the source of the yowling.

In the morning, the cats smell a bitter, meaty scent on the wind. It’s not fresh-kill, but it’s definitely food. What’s more, they hear a new sound—the sound of Twolegs chattering away in their strange voices.

What Happens Next: If the cats decide to investigate the smell of food, continue with 6.

If the cats decide to investigate the sounds of Twoleg activity, this is the end of the chapter. Pass the adventure to the next Narrator and tell him or her to continue with 7.

If the cats decide to avoid both of these opportunities and keep looking elsewhere in the woods for the source of the yowling, continue with 5.

5. Lost in the Woods

Read Aloud: “The woods grow thick, and although you hear many sounds, none of them are the yowls for help that you were sent to investigate.”

Narrator Tips: Let the cats investigate a bit further. Perhaps they find a grove of trees where some squirrels are scampering about, or a pond filled with leaping fish. But the one thing they do not find is any new sign of whoever was responsible for the yowls in the night.

After a little while make it clear to them that they have wandered so far off track that they’ve lost the trail entirely. There is no way they will ever solve the mystery.

What Happens Next: The cats will have to return to their camp and tell the Clan that they failed to find the source of the yowling. The Clan leader will tell them that the yowling has stopped, so maybe there was nothing to worry about in the first place. Still, the night guard will be doubled for the next moon, just in case the yowling returns.

Although they tried hard, the cats do not get any Experience rewards for this adventure. The group can, however, play the adventure again, hopefully changing some of their tactics so that they get a better result the next time.

6. A Strange Den

Read Aloud: “The food smell is coming from a peculiar pile of leaves. At first you thought it was a small bush, but no bush actually grows like that. It looks like the leaves and branches were torn off the plants from which they came and placed here intentionally like some kind of nest. But why? And why is the food smell coming from within this nest?”

Narrator Tips: Although the cats can’t figure it out for certain yet, the leaves and branches were put here by humans in an attempt to camouflage a cage. The food smell is from a small mouse that has been placed inside the cage as bait. To Clan cats it is obvious the mouse has been dead too long to make a good meal, and it smells strange—unnaturally clean and with a lingering scent of Twolegs.

Let the cats poke around and investigate as they like. Depending on what they do, you may want to allow them to try Ponder, See, or Smell Checks to see if they notice particular details (in general, a total of 6 should be enough to allow them to observe interesting details, all of which should point to the involvement of Twolegs). Remember not to use words like “cage” or “metal.” Try to describe the scene in terms that the cats would use—words like “den” or “thicket” or “nest.”

The cats can pull the leaves off the “den,” peek inside, sniff the food from a distance, or explore in any other way the players can think of. There is only one way to enter the cage and a particularly brave, curious, or foolhardy cat may try it. Other cats may avoid the cage and begin looking farther away. Those cats will discover more nests of leaves that have the same bitter food scent.

In addition, the cats now hear the sound of Twoleg voices chattering in the distance.

What Happens Next: If any cat decides to go into the cage, continue with 8.

If the cats decide to investigate the other food smells nearby, continue with 9.

If the cats decide to ignore the food smell and investigate the sounds of Twoleg activity, this is the end of the chapter. Pass the adventure to the next Narrator and tell him or her to continue with 7.

7. The Twoleg Camp

Read Aloud: “Following the sounds of the Twolegs is easy. They apparently know nothing about stealth or subtlety. The question isn’t whether or not you can find their camp; the question is what you’ll do once you’re there.”

Narrator Tips: Finding the camp is so easy that the cats do not even have to make any Skill Checks. They can simply follow the chattering sound of the Twolegs calling out to one another. After a short journey, the cats find themselves atop a ridge that looks down on the Twoleg camp. It is a strange sight, not like a usual Twolegplace.

Two of the Twolegs’ monsters (larger than average) sit there, and both appear to be asleep. There is also a strange den of some sort. It’s made of some kind of soft skin that blows and flaps in the wind. And Twolegs are everywhere. There is also a faint cat scent coming from the Twoleg camp—enough cats to make up a small Clan—but no matter how hard the players’ cats search, they can’t see any cats down there.

The description above covers how the cats will see the scene, but as the Narrator you should have a clearer understanding. This is a temporary camp set up by people who work for a regional animal shelter. They have come to the woods to capture some of the wild cats, give them shots and other medical treatment, and take some of the healthier cats back to town where they can be adopted. In other words, these are good people who have only the best interests of the cats in mind, but the cats will think they are terrible threats.

The Twolegs have come in two vans (one contains supplies; the other has cages to capture, hold, and eventually transport cats). The Twolegs have also erected a tent where they’ve set up a makeshift animal hospital.

Allow the players’ cats to look down at this scene for as long as they like. The players may speculate about what is going on, but don’t give them any clear indications. Any cat that has the Twoleg Lore Knack can try to make a Ponder Check to get an idea of what’s going on, but even that is quite difficult. The Check must have a total of 15 just for the cat to have a rough idea what all these sights and smells mean. Even then, the best he or she is likely to do is get a vague connection between these Twolegs and the “cutter” (a veterinarian’s office), something that probably won’t put the group’s minds at ease.

The cats will have to decide on what their next move will be. The answers to the mysterious yowling lie somewhere in the Twoleg camp, but going there will pose a new set of dangers.

What Happens Next: If the cats decide to sneak into the Twoleg camp and take a closer look, continue with 11.

If the cats are truly undecided as to what to do, or if they start and stop different courses of action, or if you as the Narrator think it would make the adventure more interesting, a few of the Twolegs can just happen to notice them up on the ridge. The Twolegs will try to approach the cats. Continue with 12.

8. It’s a Trap!

Special Note: It’s possible for the cats to get to this scene while exploring a second or third cage. If they do, you’ll want to improvise a more suitable description than the Read Aloud section below. If the cats have encountered one of these traps before, their focus will likely be on something other than the food inside.

Read Aloud: “The food inside the strange den smells awful, like kittypet food. Just as you’re getting close enough to get a good sniff, the entrance to the den collapses with a loud crashing noise!”

Narrator Tips: Once the trap has been triggered, the cage door springs closed in an attempt to capture the cat inside. These are humane traps, meant to keep the cat from being hurt, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t frightening, so be sure to describe the scene in a scary way.

The cat may not be trapped in the cage. If the player wishes, his or her cat may attempt a Jump Check (using any Knacks or spending as many chips as he or she likes) to try to escape the “den” before its roof collapses. If the Jump Check total is equal to 13 or higher, the cat manages to get out before the door swings shut. If the total is 12 or lower, the cat is caught inside.

What Happens Next: If the cat managed to escape the cage without being trapped, continue with 9.

If the cat is caught in the cage and decides to eat the food, continue with 10.

If the cat is caught in the cage and decides to search for ways to escape, continue with 13.

9. More Dens

Read Aloud: “Scattered around the nearby woods you find several more leafy nests surrounding similar strange dens, each of which has the same bitter food smell coming from inside.”

Narrator Tips: The Twolegs have been very busy in these woods. They have set a series of traps, hoping to capture as many “stray” cats as possible. The players’ cats can’t really understand that, but it should be clear that something strange is going on here and that the Twolegs are probably involved. The sound of their voices is now a constant background noise carried by the wind.

Let the cats explore as much as they want. Every new “den” they find is another opportunity for a cat to be tempted by the food scent or perhaps try exploring the cage out of pure curiosity. As before, you may want to allow the players to make Ponder, Smell, See, or other Checks for their cats. There isn’t anything new to find here, but they can certainly discover any of the facts or clues that were present in earlier scenes. Again, the Twoleg Lore Knack will probably be the most useful information gathering tool at the cats’ disposal.

What Happens Next: If the cats decide to investigate the sounds of Twoleg activity, this is the end of the chapter. Pass the adventure to the next Narrator and tell him or her to continue with 7.

If any of the cats tries to enter one of the new cages, continue with 8.

10. A Snack for Strength

Read Aloud: “This looks like a mouse—but it’s not at all fresh and there are other bitter tastes in there, too.”

Narrator Tips: To a Clan cat, anything but freshly killed meat is a very poor meal, and this one is especially bad. The humans have spiked the meat with mild sedatives to calm the captured cats and, hopefully, put them to sleep until they can be collected.

Any cat who eats this food immediately loses 5 chips because of the drugs. He or she must then make a Spirit Check. If the total of this Check is 9 or lower, the sedatives cause the cat to fall asleep. If the total is 10 or higher, the cat remains awake but is drowsy and will be unable to do much other than talk for at least the next few hours.

What Happens Next: Unlike in previous adventures, it is possible for some of the cats to be knocked out of the adventure while the rest of the group goes on. The cat who is stuck in this cage is now out of the game. However, tell that player there is a chance that the other cats will be able to rescue his or her character if they go through the rest of the adventure successfully. He or she should stay in the game and help the others, if only by giving advice.

The adventure may continue in several different ways, depending on what the remaining cats want to do.

If they want to explore some of the remaining cages, continue with 9.

If Burr is still around and they want to talk to him more, continue with 3.

If they want to investigate the sounds of Twoleg activity, this is the end of the chapter. Pass the adventure to the next Narrator and tell him or her to continue with 7.

11. Sneaking into the Camp

Read Aloud: “The mixture of strange sights and smells is overwhelming. It’s difficult at first to tell one sensation from another, especially while trying to stay out of the constant bustle of the Twolegs rushing back and forth.”

Narrator Tips: Before getting any further into the scene, tell the players that it is now time to refresh their chips. Any chips that were spent on Skill or Ability Checks are now brought back into the cats’ chip pool, but any chips lost to injury remain lost. (See Chapter Five of the game rules for a full explanation.) Note that this only happens the first time the cats play through this scene. The adventure may lead them back here several times, but they only get to refresh their chips once.

The point of this scene is to let the cats sneak into the camp and begin exploring. Because this action is so unpredictable, you as Narrator will mostly have to react to what the players want their cats to attempt. Your main job is to give them information about what they see. There are three main areas in the Twoleg camp for the cats to explore (though the cats will not know them by these names).

The Medical Tent: This is the “strange den” the cats saw in scene 7. As they get closer it will seem even stranger. The tent is set up to provide a fairly clean area for the vets to do medical examinations. Any cat who makes a Smell Check with a total of 5 or higher can tell that there are at least six separate cat scents in this area. But anyone whose total is 8 or higher knows that most of those are stale and that only two cats are in there right now.

The Supply Van: This is one of the “sleeping monsters” that the cats saw in scene 7. It is a minivan that the people from the animal shelter have used to carry their supplies to this remote location. The Twolegs are constantly going to the van, opening it, taking out some needed items, and closing it back up. Whenever the van is opened, the cats can catch a number of distinct scents. Any cat that attempts a Smell Check is at first overwhelmed by the mixture, but if the check total is 5 or higher he or she can identify a single specific item. For every two points the total is above that, the cat can identify another specific item (so if the total is 7 the cat can identify two items, if the total is 9 then three items, and so on). The items in the van include: The kind of food that’s used in the traps, medicine, rubbing alcohol and other medical cleaning solutions, and any other items the Narrator thinks the animal shelter people would have brought with them.

The Transport Van: This is the other “sleeping monster” the cats saw in scene 7. It is a minivan that is set up to carry cats. The back of the van has been outfitted with a series of electronically locked cages, each large enough to hold a single cat. The Twolegs’ plan is to bring back as many healthy, adoptable cats as they can, thinking that they are saving these cats from a life of hardship. The Twolegs don’t open this van as frequently as they do the other one, but when they do, the unmistakable scent of live, healthy cats comes out. If the players’ cats want to try to tell how many cats are inside the van, they have to make a Smell Check. If the total is 5 or higher, they know that there are at least eight cats in the van. If the total is 8 or higher, they know that there are exactly ten cats in the van. For every 2 points higher than that, they can pick out the scent of individual cats (so if the total is 10 they can smell one specific cat, if the total is 12 they can smell two, and so on). This may be important because any of the players’ cats that got captured—either in the cages or by clever Twolegs—will be among those inside this van.

What Happens Next: The next step in the adventure depends entirely on where the cats choose to explore.

If the cats decide to explore the Medical Tent, continue with 15.

If the cats decide to explore the Supply Van, continue with 16.

If the cats decide to explore the Transport Van, continue with 17.

If the Narrator thinks the cats are too bold and make it easy for the Twolegs to notice them, continue with 12.

12. Spotted!

Read Aloud: “With a start, you realize that one of the Twolegs has seen you! It’s heading this way!”

Narrator Tips: There are several ways the players’ cats may end up in this scene and it may come up several times over the course of the adventure. Your job as Narrator is to improvise ways to make each one fit the current context.

Remember that while the cats see the Twolegs as threats, the Twolegs really just care about the health and well-being of all cats. They will try to be as friendly and calming as they can. They’ll offer food and try to scratch the cats behind the ears and speak in a soothing tone. But the players’ cats will misinterpret these friendly gestures as being aggressive moves.

There isn’t really any more complication to this scene than figuring out if any of the cats get captured by the Twolegs. Any cat that lets the Twolegs get close enough to touch him or her is in danger of being captured. After petting the cat for a few moments, the Twoleg will try to grab him or her. At that point, the cat may make a Jump Check. If the total is 12 or higher, the cat escapes the attempted grab and can act freely. If the total is lower, though, the cat has been captured.

Any cat who eats the offered food immediately loses 5 chips because it has been drugged with sedatives. He or she must make a Spirit Check. If the total of this Check is 9 or lower, the sedatives cause the cat to fall asleep. If the total is 10 or higher, the cat remains awake but is going to be drowsy and will be unable to do much other than talk for at least the next ten minutes.

Like in previous scenes, any captured cat has the possibility of returning later on in the adventure if the remaining cats can figure out how to free him or her. Beyond that, the only question is where the remaining cats go next.

If the cats stay away from the Twolegs and dash off into the woods or to another part of the camp, the Twolegs will not give chase. They have too much to do and too many cats to treat.

What Happens Next: Not all of these options will be available in each case. The details will depend on where the cats are spotted and what escape routes are possible.

If the cats decide they want to try to fight the Twoleg that is trying to grab them, continue with 18.

If any of the cats are captured, continue with 14.

If the cats escape into the outer camp area, continue with 11, but do not refresh the chips again (that only happens the first time the cats go through scene 11).

If the cats escape to the Medical Tent, continue with 15.

If the cats escape to the area near the Supply Van, continue with 16.

If the cats escape to the area near the Transport Van, continue with 17.

13. Difficult Choices

Read Aloud: “The strange den entrance has collapsed! You’re trapped!”

Narrator Tips: One of the cats is trapped in a Twoleg cage. While the rest of the cats are nearby and can talk to the cat inside, this scene is about what that trapped cat does next.

To be honest, there are very few choices, and none of them are particularly appealing. But sometimes that’s what happens when a cat pokes his or her nose into a dangerous place.

One choice is for the cat to eat the strange-smelling food that has been placed in the cage.

Another choice is to try to push, claw, and squeeze his or her way out through the small gaps in the cage’s construction. This is unlikely to succeed, and very likely to cause the cat some injury. Try to explain this clearly to the player before he or she decides on this course of action. If the player cannot be dissuaded, have the cat attempt a Strength Check to try to muscle his or her way out of the cage.

If the Strength Check total is 7 or lower, nothing happens. If the total is between 8 and 14, the cat is wounded by the sharp metal of the cage. The cat loses 4 chips due to the injury and is still trapped in the cage. If the total is between 15 and 20, the cat manages to squeeze out of the cage and is free, but still loses 6 chips in the process due to cuts, scrapes, and bruises. If the Strength Check total is 21 or higher, the cat manages to get out of the cage while suffering only minor wounds—he or she loses only 3 chips due to injury.

A final choice that a trapped cat may make is to simply sit down and wait. In this case, the cat will probably encourage his or her friends to search out some kind of way to open the cage (perhaps to be found wherever the Twolegs are).

If the player seems to be considering this course of action, assure him or her that there is a chance that the other cats will be able to rescue his or her character if they go through the rest of the adventure successfully. He or she should stay in the game and help the others, if only by giving advice.

What Happens Next: If the trapped cat decides to eat the food, continue with 10.

The adventure may continue in several different ways, depending entirely on what the cats as a group decide to do. If the cat in the cage managed to escape, consult the choices below. Likewise, use those choices for the free cats if they want to search for a way to rescue their trapped companion. However, once the cats move along, the trapped cat will be collected by a Twoleg who comes by and carries the cage back to the Twoleg camp. As Narrator, you can tell the player this privately but be sure to also say that the adventure will provide the chance for the other cats to rescue his or her character later on.

If they want to explore some of the remaining cages, continue with 9.

If Burr is still around and they want to talk to him more, continue with 3.

If they want to investigate the sounds of Twoleg activity, this is the end of the chapter. Pass the adventure to the next Narrator and tell him or her to continue with 7.

14. Captured!

Read Aloud: “With a quick snap of a massive paw, the Twoleg grabs you and lifts you into the air!”

Narrator Tips: There are several ways the players’ cats may end up in this scene and it may come up several times over the course of the adventure. Your job as Narrator is to improvise ways to make each one fit the current context.

Once a cat has been captured, the Twoleg will carry him or her away, either to the Medical Tent (where the cat will get a sedative to calm him or her down) or to the Transport Van (where he or she will be placed in a cage to await medical treatment or the trip back to town). Again, the humans are not doing this to be mean. They believe they are doing what’s best for the cats.

As in previous scenes, any captured cat has the possibility of returning later on in the adventure if the remaining cats can figure out how to free him or her. Beyond that, the only question is where the remaining cats go next.

What Happens Next: Not all of these options will be available in each case. The details will depend on where the remaining cats are and what escape routes are possible.

If the cats escape to the outer camp area, continue with 11 but do not refresh the chips again. (That only happens the first time the cats go through scene 11.)

If the cats escape to the Medical Tent, continue with 15.

If the cats decide to explore the Supply Van, continue with 16.

If the cats decide to explore the Transport Van, continue with 17.

If all of the cats have been captured, continue with 23.

15. The Clean Den

Read Aloud: “By staying close to the edge of the soft-skinned den, you can sneak in close enough to stick your nose inside and see what’s going on.”

Narrator Tips: In this scene, the cats get to poke around in the Medical Tent. This is the busiest part of the Twoleg camp, so it is also the place where it is easiest for the cats to be seen and perhaps captured. Encourage the players to come up with clever ways for their cats to avoid detection and, if they seem reasonable, allow them to work.

Of course, you should still have the cats make a few Skill or Attribute Checks that seem appropriate for the situation—Sneak, Ponder, Focus, Listen, and Smell all could be useful depending on what the cats are trying to do.

This scene is called “The Clean Den” because that will be the most striking thing about the tent from the cats’ perspective. The tent has been set up like a little mini veterinarian’s office in the woods. There is a small examination table, bright lights, and a cart filled with medical equipment, bandages, and useful drugs. It will smell strongly of antiseptics and the humans will do everything possible to keep dirt and other contaminants from the forest out of the tent.

While the cats are looking around, the doctors will be examining a cat. If possible, that cat should be a character the players have met before—either one of the captured player cats or Burr—just to give the scene a little more drama. If the cat is awake, it will be yowling angrily whenever the Twolegs poke and prod him or her.

Any cat that has the Herb Lore Knack may attempt a Ponder Check (using that Knack if the player so desires). If the Check total is 5 or higher, the cat notices some vaguely familiar scents mixed in with the antiseptics. If the total is 8 or higher, the cat realizes that some of the things in this den are similar to healing herbs that a medicine cat uses. If the total is 12 or higher, the cat is able to pick out a specific medicine smell and equate it to a specific healing herb.

Allow the cats to poke around for as long as the players remain interested. However, if they try anything particularly outlandish, there is a chance that the Twolegs will notice them.

What Happens Next: If the Narrator thinks the cats make it easy for the Twolegs to notice them, continue with 12.

If the cats decide to attack the Twolegs in hopes of freeing their friend, continue with 18.

If the cats return to the outer camp area, continue with 11 but do not refresh the chips again. (That only happens the first time the cats go through scene 11.)

If the cats decide to explore the Supply Van, continue with 16.

If the cats decide to explore the Transport Van, continue with 17.

16. A Sleeping Monster

Read Aloud: “The monster continues to sleep, despite the fact that the Twolegs keep coming over and trying to wake it up.”

Narrator Tips: In this scene the cats can examine the Supply Van and watch as the humans come and go, taking things from the van and occasionally depositing bags of garbage generated by the work happening in the Medical Tent.

The Twolegs aren’t doing anything special in this part of the camp, which makes it a good place for the players’ cats to hide and catch their breath after being chased. This also may be the first time the cats have ever had the opportunity to examine a Twoleg monster. The fact that it is so soundly asleep should allow them to be bolder than they usually would be around such a beast. If the players decide their cats want to take this opportunity, be creative in your descriptions. Try to describe the various shapes and parts of the van as they would appear to a cat and encourage an air of mystery and wonder.

This examination is interrupted periodically as the Twolegs come back and try to wake up the monster. (As the Narrator, you know they’re really just getting supplies from the van.) Have the cats make Ponder Checks as they watch this. If the Check total is 6 or higher, the cats realize that the Twolegs are performing specific actions in order to get the monster to react in certain ways.

What Happens Next: If the cats want to keep examining the monster, this is the end of the chapter. Pass the adventure to the next Narrator and tell him or her to continue with 19.

If the cats return to the outer camp area, continue with 11 but do not refresh the chips again. (That only happens the first time the cats go through scene 11.)

If the cats decide to explore the Medical Tent, continue with 15.

If the cats decide to explore the Transport Van, continue with 17.

17. A Wall of Dens

Read Aloud: “Like the other monster, this one appears to be sleeping, but the Twolegs do not seem to be trying nearly as hard to wake it up.”

Narrator Tips: In this scene the cats can examine the Transport Van and watch as the humans occasionally carry over a sedated cat from the Medical Tent and put it into a cage inside the van. When the cats can see the inside of the van, they see a huge wall of metal dens (like those they saw in the early scenes in this adventure), many of which have cats inside them.

This may be the first time the cats have ever been this close to a Twoleg monster, but the fact that it is so soundly asleep should allow them to be bolder than they usually would be around such a beast. As the cats examine the situation, be creative in your descriptions. Try to describe the various shapes and parts of the van as they would appear to a cat and encourage an air of mystery and wonder.

As they poke around the van, the players’ cats can smell the fear from the cats inside the monster. Not only that, if they make a Smell Check with a total of 8 or higher, they can pick out all the individual scents of the cats inside (which include Burr and any of the players’ cats that have been captured).

This examination is interrupted occasionally as the Twolegs come back and place more cats inside the monster. Have the players’ cats make Ponder Checks as they watch this. If the Check total is 6 or higher, the cats realize that the Twolegs are performing some kind of specific action in order to get the monster to react in certain ways.

What Happens Next: If the cats want to stay and keep examining the monster, this is the end of the chapter. Pass the adventure to the next Narrator and tell him or her to continue with 19.

If the cats return to the outer camp area, continue with 11 but do not refresh the chips again. (That only happens the first time the cats go through scene 11.)

If the cats decide to explore the Medical Tent, continue with 15.

If the cats decide to explore the Supply Van, continue with 16.

18. A Desperate Fight

Read Aloud: “The Twolegs are big and they’re strong, but sometimes being a warrior means standing your ground and fighting, even when winning seems impossible.”

Narrator Tips: Clan cats fighting against humans is a lost cause, but that doesn’t mean that some of the players won’t want their cats to try it.

One thing that a cat can do effectively is intimidate a Twoleg opponent. Despite their smaller size, cats that show enough ferociousness can cause a Twoleg to hesitate and be more careful, shifting the odds considerably. A cat who performs a Hiss or Arch Check with a total of 15 or higher will get an automatic +3 bonus to all Bite, Swat, and Wrestle Checks for the rest of the fight. If the cat can get totals of 15 or higher in both Checks, he or she can double that bonus, getting a +6 in those Checks for the rest of the fight.

While it’s not possible for a cat to severely hurt a Twoleg opponent, he or she can get in some painful scratches. Twolegs do not Jump out of the way in combat; they pull their hands back out of reach. That movement functions the same way a Jump does for a cat. Treat attacking Twolegs as though their hands have Jump scores of 10.

Treat this the same as if two or more cats were Wrestling, though the Twolegs’ Checks always have a total of 13. In order to pick up a cat, the Twolegs must win a Wrestling Check. As long as the cat wins, he or she is writhing around too much for the Twolegs to pick up him or her.

Once a cat has been lifted into the air, the fight is over.

Any time before that happens, the cat may decide to end the fight by running away.

What Happens Next: If the cat is lifted into the air, the Twolegs will put him or her into a cage. The adventure is over for that cat, though he or she can still be rescued if the other cats manage to figure out how to release the trapped cats from the Transport Van.

If all the cats are captured, continue with 23.

If the cat decides to run away, or if the other cats run away after their friend is captured, the next step in the adventure depends on where they decide to go.

If the cats escape to the outer camp area, continue with 11 but do not refresh the chips again. (That only happens the first time the cats go through scene 11.)

If the cats escape to the Medical Tent, continue with 15.

If the cats escape to the Supply Van, continue with 16.

If the cats escape to the Transport Van, continue with 17.

19. The Monster’s Secret

Read Aloud: “As you watch the Twolegs walk up to the monster, briefly wake it up, then leave as it falls back to sleep, you notice that there’s some kind of pattern involved. Is this some kind of ritual that only partially wakens the monsters?”

Narrator Tips: The secret is that these are the kind of vans where you can set the side door to automatically open, and the people from the animal shelter have done just that to make their coming and going easier. This would be very easy for another person to figure out, but it wouldn’t be nearly so obvious to a cat.

This is another scene where your job, as Narrator, is to describe an ordinary action in a way that seems strange and exotic as seen through the eyes of the cats. There are several parts of what the Twolegs are doing that the cats are likely to focus on.

Some cats may think it has something to do with particular sounds the Twolegs are making—a song or phrase that makes the monster partially wake up.

Some cats may think that it is a ritual involving the Twolegs walking around the camp. They leave the monster, walk a specific pattern, then come back and the monster will wake up only for a few brief moments.

Some cats may think that it has to do with some special shiny stones a few of the Twolegs carry with them (the keys to the van). While that is partially true, the keys are not necessary to open the door at this time.

Finally, some cats may think correctly that it is the act of giving the monster’s side (the van’s sliding door) a solid hit.

Let the players talk about it for a while; then have the cats all make Ponder Checks. Add the totals of all the Checks together to get a group total. As long as that group total is 12 or higher, the cats have the right idea—that the key is hitting the side of the monster in a special way.

If the group total is less than 12, tell the cats that they are certain that the correct answer is one of the choices above other than the real one. This will result in some strange behavior by the cats—behavior that will not open the van door. Once they have tried and failed once or twice, let them make another round of Ponder Checks and use them to increase the group total. Repeat this as necessary until the group total is 12 or higher.

Once the cats have the right idea, if their group total is equal to 18 or higher, the cats have figured out exactly what they have to do. If the group total is 17 or lower, they do not have all of their facts straight. This will have repercussions in the next scene.

What Happens Next: If the cats try to perform the ritual on the Supply Van, continue with 20.

If the cats try to perform the ritual on the Transport Van, continue with 21.

20. Inside the Monster

Read Aloud: “The Twolegs keep waking up this monster and it seems to be filled with all sorts of incredible things. It’s possible there may even be some more trapped cats in there. Are you curious enough to check for yourselves?”

Narrator Tips: In order to get the monster to wake up, the cats know they must hit it on its side. Unlike the Twolegs, they cannot just walk up and Swat the monster—they’re too small. However, they are sure that if they run up and Pounce on the monster, they can cause the same effect. The cats are correct in this assumption, but depending on the result of their Ponder Checks, they may or may not know exactly where on the side of the van to Pounce.

In order to succeed, the cats will have to Pounce on the monster more than once. Each time a cat Pounces, note that cat’s Strength—that is, how many points of Force the Pounce inflicted. If the group total from scene 20 was 18 or higher, the cats must inflict a total of 12 points of Force in order to get the door to open. If the group total was 17 or lower, the cats’ aim is a little off and they must inflict 16 points of Force to get the door open. If the cats have previously succeeded in opening either of the van doors, they only have to inflict 8 points of Force to do the same thing again.

Once the door is open, the cats will see a wall of human supplies. Some are in boxes, others are in plastic containers, others are just in big piles. There are drugs, food, bandages, blankets, medical supplies, and any other kind of thing you as Narrator think the humans would have brought with them. However, the cats are incapable of understanding what most of these items are. Describe them in terms the cats would get, referring back to the events earlier in the adventure whenever possible.

If the players want, their cats can explore the inside of the van—perhaps knocking over some supplies or unearthing a useful (or just entertaining) item or two. But if they make too much noise, they will attract the attention of nearby Twolegs. Indeed, if they spend too much time poking around in the van, someone is sure to come by and notice them.

Eventually it should dawn on the cats that if they can partially awaken this monster, then they can certainly do the same thing to the other one—the one that is surrounded by the scents of cats the Twolegs have put inside the monster.

What Happens Next: If the cats take too long or make a ruckus and the humans notice them, continue with 12.

If the cats want to go try the ritual on the other monster, continue with 21.

21. The Hungry Monster

Read Aloud: “Of all the places in the Twoleg camp, the area around this monster is the most intimidating. But many cats are trapped inside. Now that you know how to open the monster, you just have to summon your courage and do it!”

Narrator Tips: In order to get the monster to wake up, the cats know they must hit it on its side. Unlike the Twolegs, they cannot just walk up and Swat the monster—they’re too small. However, they are sure that if they run up and Pounce on the monster, they can cause the same effect. The cats are correct in this assumption, but depending on the result of their Ponder Checks, they may or may not know exactly where on the side of the van to Pounce.

In order to succeed, the cats will have to Pounce on the monster more than once. Each time a cat Pounces, note that cat’s Strength—that is how many points of Force the Pounce inflicted. If the group total from scene 20 was 18 or higher, the cats must inflict a total of 12 points of Force in order to get the door to open. If the group total was 17 or lower, the cats’ aim is a little off and they must inflict 16 points of Force to get the door open. If the cats have previously succeeded in opening either of the van doors, they only have to inflict 8 points of Force to do the same thing again.

Once the door is open the cats smell the scents of all the cats held within. What’s more, those cats start calling out for help. If any of the players’ cats were captured during the earlier part of the adventure, they are now here, as is Burr. If the players’ cats wish to speak with the others, they can gather the following pieces of information:

Not all of the cats were captured here in these woods. At least five of them were captured a day ago in another stretch of wilderness, put into the cages, and driven here. They are afraid that the same thing will happen today.

All the cats that were brought into the Clean Den were given something that made them sleepy; then they were poked and pinched and made to eat foul-tasting food. But they all agree that the Twolegs didn’t do them any harm.

Each cat may be in a separate, small, cold den, but the Twolegs seem to be able to open or close them all simultaneously by touching some small stones and tugging on a stick near each monster’s opening.

Opening the cages is another complicated matter that the cats will have to figure out using a combination of the descriptions of the cats in the cages and a series of Ponder Checks. The simple truth (which the players’ cats won’t understand) is that the cages are controlled electronically. If a person pushes a certain button then pulls a lever, all of the cages will open. But the cats cannot understand the apparatus in that way. Luckily, though, pushing the buttons and pulling the lever are things the cats can do quite easily once they’ve figured out the details.

Have all the players’ cats involved in this process, even the ones trapped in cages, make Ponder Checks. Add all the totals together to get a group total. If the players’ cats asked the advice of the other cats trapped in the cages, add an additional +6 to the group total.

If the group total is equal to 30 or higher, the cats have successfully hit the right combination of buttons and levers and unlocked the cages.

If the group total is less than 30 then there is a chance that the Twolegs will notice what the cats are doing. This chance is 50/50, so flip a coin or use some other fair method to decide whether or not the Twolegs come to interrupt.

As long as the Twolegs do not come over to try to capture the cats, they may make another set of Ponder Checks and add their results to the previous group total.

What Happens Next: If the cats have succeeded in unlocking the cages, continue with 22.

If the Twolegs notice what the cats are doing, continue with 12. However, if this is the third time that cats have come back to retry this scene, the Twolegs realize what they’re doing and lock the van. There is no longer any way for the cats to open the van door, so instead continue with 23.

22. Released from the Monster

Read Aloud: “With a loud clanking noise, the mouths of all the caves open and all the trapped cats leap out! Although the Twolegs immediately notice and begin making very unhappy-sounding noises, there is nothing they can do as all the cats run into the woods, free once again.”

Narrator Tips: The players have successfully completed the adventure, but there still is room for a little bit of storytelling.

At the very least, the players’ cats can talk with the newly freed cats. They are all rogues from areas outside the Clan territories and they are anxious to get home. First, though, they will express their deep thanks for the work the players’ cats have done. They may ask for permission to travel across Clan territory, but only so they can get back to the areas they were captured from.

Burr plans to stay in the general area. He will, however, agree to stay out of the Clan territories.

What Happens Next: The players’ cats head back to their camp and regale the Clan leader and the other members of their Clan with the exciting tale of their adventure. Certainly, many of the other cats will have a hard time believing some of the details, particularly that the cats were able to survive being so close to two Twoleg monsters. In the end, the success of the mission will be self-evident, and no one will be able to argue that the players’ cats did an excellent job.

23. In the Belly of the Beast

Read Aloud: “The den you’re in gives you room to move around—a little. There’s water here, but it isn’t fresh. Food, too, though it’s the same bitter stuff you smelled when you first discovered this awful place. There are other cats nearby. You can smell them—and their fear.”

Narrator Tips: If you’ve ended up here, then the adventure has gone badly. Some or all of the players’ cats have been captured and are about to be driven off in the animal shelter’s van.

You can let them engage in a bit of storytelling by having the various captive cats talk to one another from their cages. This at least would give you a chance to help explain some of what happened and give the players a sense that their cats will not be harmed. These humans will not hurt the cats, just try to find them homes to be adopted into. Perhaps, eventually, the cats might be able to escape and rejoin their Clan.

What Happens Next: The adventure ends as the Transport Van starts up and drives off into a very different world than these cats have ever known before.

After the Adventure

After the last scene of the adventure has been played, the game itself is not necessarily over. There still are a few things you can do if the players want to keep at it.

Lost Cats

One of the saddest parts of any tale is when a character we care about leaves. As fans of the Warriors series, we’re all keenly aware of the mixed emotions that come along when that loss is part of a great story, but it’s different when the character is your own.

If “The Plaintive Howls” ended badly, some or all of the character cats were left to an unexpected and uncertain fate. They are still alive, but no cat is quite sure where they are, where they’re going, or if they’ll ever return. This can be quite frustrating to the cat’s player, who put in a good deal of time, effort, and emotion to create and develop that character.

So what can you do?

Make a New Cat

For some players, having a character meet an unexpected fate is just a good excuse to go back to the rules and make a new character from scratch.

You no doubt learned a lot while playing your cat character; maybe you even saw some things in the rules that you’d like to try out but that didn’t mesh with the character concept of your previous cat. Now you can dive right in and explore those possibilities by making a new cat.

You can build a beginning warrior, just like you did the first time around. Or, if you and the other players agree, you can build a character and improve him or her quickly until your new character is just as many moons old as the others—that way you’ll still be at about the same experience level as the others.

Either way, the next time you and your friends sit down to play the Warriors Adventure Game, there will be a new character for everyone to meet.

Write the Next Chapter

Perhaps you want to continue exploring the character of your old cat. That’s certainly still possible, too, and the clues for how to do it are right there at the end of the adventure.

In the final scene, as the van pulls away carrying your captured cat, the text suggests that in time your character may yet escape from wherever the Twolegs are taking him or her. Then it would just be a matter of finding the way back to the Lake and your Clan territory.

Try making up a story about what happens to your cat—maybe about where the van takes him or her, or what other cats he or she meets along the way. There is a lot of adventure in the world, and a lost cat is sure to find plenty of it. And the best part is that when the story is over, your cat will be back home where he or she belongs and ready to take part in the next adventure.

Play It Again

Maybe you just want to try the whole thing a second time, starting back at the beginning or perhaps picking up somewhere in the middle where it feels like things went wrong. In either case, your cat would be right back where he or she was and have another chance to try to find a more favorable outcome.

One of the great things about storytelling games is that you can always tell the story again. And, since so many of the events depend on timing and Skill Checks, it won’t always go exactly the same way.

Plus, there may be parts of the adventure that the cats never got around to exploring (especially if the Twolegs kept noticing them as they moved around). Playing again will let everyone see all the parts of the story and give other players the chance to try their hands at being the Narrator.

Experience

If the cats completed the adventure successfully, then they all get Experience rewards. It is important to note, though, that each cat can only get experience from this adventure once! If you play through and successfully finish the adventure several times, your cat only gains the rewards listed below after the first time he or she completes the adventure.

If you use different cats each time, though, each one can get the Experience rewards. The rule is not that a player can only get experience once; it’s that a cat can.

Age: Although the action in this adventure clearly all happens over the course of a handful of days, the presumption is that this is the most interesting and exciting thing that happens to your cat during the whole of that moon. Increase your cat’s age by 1 moon and make any appropriate improvements described in Chapter Four of the game rules.

Skill: On top of the improvements your cat gets from aging, he or she also can gain 1 level in one of the following Skills: Focus, Ponder, See, Smell, Swim.

Knack: For surviving such close and prolonged interaction with Twolegs, your cat also gains one level of the Twoleg Lore Knack.

More adventures can be found at the back of each novel in the Omen of the Stars series, and you can find extra information at the warriorcats.com website.