The Fourth Apprentice

The medicine cats are all baffled by the current fever. It is different than greencough—easier to cure, but more deadly if medicine is not given in time. Luckily feverfew, the herb usually used for fevers, works, but so many cats are sick that the Clans are running through their supplies quicker than they can be replenished from local sources.

All of the medicine cats have had the same dream from StarClan—a dream that says if the medicine runs out, many cats will die. The dream also hints at the location of a new supply of feverfew, an untouched patch of the herb that could save the Clans. But the patch is far away, and the medicine cats have to stay with their Clans to treat the sick.

The players’ cats have been chosen because they are young, strong, and haven’t contracted the fever—yet. Their vital mission is to find this new patch, gather as much feverfew as possible, and bring it back quickly. Unfortunately, as dreams from Star-Clan often are, this one was short on specifics. The medicine cats can only repeat StarClan’s words to the characters:

To the north, the Hill That Cries holds what you need… Along a winding face, topped with dozens of eyes, you will find one special pool with a garden of the herb you seek.

The medicine cats have no more information, but will teach the characters how to wrap feverfew in leaves to make it easier to carry back. They stress that this is one of the most important missions in the history of the Clans. If the characters cannot bring back a new supply of medicine within a week, many cats will die. Because of that timeline, the medicine cats are sure that the Hill That Cries must be within three days’ travel from the lake; otherwise, it would be impossible for the cats to go there and return in time.

What Happens Next: When the players understand the situation and their assignment, continue with 2.

2. A Long Journey

Special Note: There is no Read Aloud section in this scene as it involves mostly the Narrator improvising the first part of the journey.

Narrator Tips: At this point, you can either lead the characters through a journey to the Hill That Cries, or you can decide to skip that time and get right into the adventure. Some players will want to spend time on the journey, hunting and figuring out where to go, and other players will not. It’s up to you, as Narrator, to figure out what your players would enjoy most. If they want to take time to go through the journey, use the snippets of information below to build the scene.

The trip takes them along the edge of some Twoleg nests, and the cats may meet up with rogue cats or kittypets on the way. Those cats don’t know of any Hill That Cries, but they can say that the nearby hills do have a lot of small lakes and ponds.

If extra excitement is needed, the cats may be chased by a dog or have to cross a Thunderpath.

The cats may want to do some hunting for fresh-kill along the way. Use the information in Chapter Five of the rules to lead the players through that activity.

When the scene feels complete, the cats have arrived at the Hill That Cries—a thickly wooded hill that has a pair of thin, quickly rushing streams coming down it side by side, making it appear as though the hill is indeed crying.

What Happens Next: There are three ways to head up the hill—follow the rocky shore of the streams, go directly into the woods, or go along a dirt path that was clearly made by Twolegs.

If the cats walk beside the streams, continue with 6.

If the cats go directly into the woods, continue with 7.

If the cats follow the Twoleg path, continue with 8.

This marks the end of the chapter. After the characters have made their decision about which way to go, hand the adventure to the next person who will take the role of Narrator, tell him or her what number to continue with, pick up your cat’s character sheet, and resume playing the game.

3. The Crumbling Cliff

Read Aloud: “The cliff is made of very soft rock. Although that means that your claws can grab tight, it also means that the rocks sometimes crumble when you grab them.“

Narrator Tips: Climbing the cliff is practically impossible, but the cats may not figure that out right away, and finding out the hard way can be bad for their health. Make sure the players understand that falling from the cliff may cause their cats to be seriously injured.

Climbing the cliff requires a total of five successful Climb Checks. Each Check will be harder than the previous one. The first Check only requires a total of 4 or higher to succeed, but each Check after that increases in difficulty by +2. So the second Check requires a total of 6, the third Check requires a total of 8, the fourth a total of 10, and the final Check requires a total of 12 or higher to succeed.