The Forgotten Warrior

The players’ cats must try to find the scent trail again. Have them all make Smell Checks. Any cat whose total is 8 or higher can find the trail, but any cat whose total is 12 or higher also notices another scent following the same trail. That scent doesn’t belong to any of the apprentices; indeed, it doesn’t belong to any cat at all. It is the smell of a weasel.

Any cat with the Animal Lore Knack automatically knows a few things about weasels. (Others can get this same information by making a Ponder Check with a total of 7 or higher.) Weasels are vicious, mean creatures with terrible tempers. Unlike most other beasts that the Clan cats might encounter, weasels actually like to fight. They will often attack another creature just for the “fun” of having a fight to the death. However, weasels are also bullies—they only attack in situations where they have a good chance to win. If a weasel is overpowered or severely outnumbered, it will flee if there is anywhere for it to go. When cornered, a weasel always puts up a ferocious fight.

What Happens Next: If more than half of the players’ cats succeeded on the Smell Check, this is the end of the chapter. Hand the adventure to the next Narrator and tell him or her to continue with 22.

If half or fewer of the players’ cats succeeded on the Smell Check, continue with 14.

19. Well Played

Read Aloud: “As the last weasel disappears deeper into the burrow, the apprentices rush over to show their thanks. It’s unclear, though, whether they’re more thankful for your arrival or impressed with the way you were able to beat the weasels without ever resorting to violence.”

Narrator Tips: The players’ cats have rescued the missing apprentices. They’ve also shown that it is not always necessary to use fighting to solve a tense and dangerous situation. A true warrior knows when it is time to attack, and when it is time to use his or her other strengths.

Describe scenes where the Clan leaders repeat this message at their camps, holding the players’ cats up as examples of what is best in their Clan. In addition, the cross-Clan mentoring is considered a complete success, and the players’ cats are given a good deal of credit for that. It seems likely that they will get to meet with and train these apprentices again in the future, and hopefully this will increase communication between the Clans.

What Happens Next: The players’ cats should be proud of what they’ve done. This is a good ending—the apprentices have been rescued and taught a valuable lesson about the use of force. The members of all the Clans will speak about this day for many moons to come, and your actions will inspire others who want to bring all the Clans closer together in peace and harmony. The players’ cats get all the rewards listed in the “Experience” section at the end of this adventure.

20. Den of Weasels

Read Aloud: “Pressing through a slight narrowing of the burrow, the earth opens up around you and you’re standing in what must be the weasels’ den. Ahead you see three of the beasts—nasty, snarling, and cruel. Behind them are the missing apprentices—pressed against the den wall in fear.”

Narrator Tips: This is the climactic scene of the adventure. The missing apprentices are here, the enemy weasels are here, and the players’ cats have one big decision to make before you can resolve the situation: Are they going to fight the weasels, or are they going to try to use a less violent strategy? Either could work.

Remind the players of the facts that their cats may have remembered about weasels—that they are vicious fighters who never give up once a fight has begun, but also that they will run away if they seem outmatched. If the group has not yet uncovered these facts, give them one more chance to do so with a Ponder Check that has a total of 7 or higher (any cat with the Animal Lore Knack knows the information automatically).

If the cats line up like they’re going to fight, clearly indicating which weasel they mean to attack, they might scare the creatures off without a fight. Any weasel that has more than two cats aligned against it will automatically run away (scurrying through another tunnel that leads deeper into the burrow). A weasel that has two cats aligned against it will run away if those cats each make a Hiss or Arch Check and have a group total of 12 or higher. A weasel that faces just a single cat will fight unless the cat can scare it off by making a Hiss or Arch Check of 8 or higher.

If a weasel is not immediately scared off, it will start a fight. Each of the weasels has Strength 6, Intelligence 4, and Spirit 5. It also has 5 levels each of Jump, Pounce, and Sneak, and 3 levels each of Bite and Swat. A weasel will fight until it has taken 10 Chips worth of damage, then will run away.