Lionblaze stared at Russetfur’s and Firestar’s unmoving bodies.
Warriors filed silently past him, gathering, dazed, beside the dead.
This battle should never have happened!
Warriors Adventure Game
Visit www.warriorcats.com to download game rules, character sheets, a practice mission, and more!
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.