Fading Echoes

by Erin Hunter

  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 foo
d 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 m
ust 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.