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The sun is dipping low, casting long, skeletal shadows across the Thistledown Warren. Usually, this is the time of the Evening Feed, where rabbits gossip over clover. But tonight, the air is unnervingly still.
We stand at the mouth of the "Old Throat" tunnel. The Chief Rabbit, a scarred veteran named Oat-Stalk, has called for you. He points a trembling paw toward the Western Ridge. The sky there isn't blue or orange; it’s a bruised, sickly purple, and the wind carries the faint, metallic scent of burnt wood and cold iron.
"The birds have stopped singing," Oat-Stalk whispers. "And the Seer spoke of a 'shadow with iron teeth' moving through the Whispering Woods. Dandelion, we need your eyes to see if the path is clear. Fern, we need your wisdom to ensure our kits aren't walking into a sickness."
This is going to be a thrilling, albeit dangerous, journey for us. The "shadow with iron teeth" looms large in the seer's mind, and the warren is counting on us.
The Scout (Male)
Name: Dandelion
Trait: Agile (Built for speed and dodging hawks)
Concept: Scout
Perk: Fleet-footed (His paws are a blur when he hits his stride)
Quirk: Overcurious (He can’t help but poke his nose into hollow logs)
Motivation: C: Explore and discover the wider world.
Stats: 3 Karma, 3 Resolve
"I am Dandelion. I’ve seen the sun rise over the Great Stone and felt the spray of the Silver Stream. There’s too much world out there to stay underground, though my nose does tend to get me into trouble before my feet can get me out of it!"
The Healer (Female)
Name: Fern
Trait: Clever (Sharp eyes for herbs and a sharper wit)
Concept: Healer
Perk: Herbal Lore (She knows which root numbs a sting and which leaf stops the bleeding)
Quirk: Skittish (The snap of a twig sends her heart racing)
Motivation: A: To protect others from the dangers of the wild.
Stats: 3 Karma, 3 Resolve
"I am Fern. The Great Meadow provides for those who know how to ask, but it takes more than a whistle to keep a warren healthy. I’d rather stay near the burrows where it’s safe, but Dandelion never seems to come home without a scratch—someone has to mind him."
Scene 1: The Journey West
The sun creeps over the horizon, turning the dew-slicked grass into a field of diamonds. Dandelion leads the way, his ears twitching at every rustle, while Fern follows closely behind, her nose twitching as she identifies the scent of wild garlic and damp earth.
To determine our path, I am rolling on the Journey West table.
Random Encounter Set Roll: [Result: E] Our journey will consist of: Terrain, Predator, and Neutral Animal.
Encounter 1: The Terrain (The Country Lane)
As we move toward the Western Ridge, the soft grass suddenly gives way to a hard, black ribbon of stone that smells of sun-baked tar. This is a Country Lane. A distant rumble warns of a "wheeled monster" approaching fast.
The Challenge: We must cross the road.
Dandelion's Roll (Agile): Standard Difficulty 5. (Uses 3 dice: 2 base + 1 for matching trait).
Fern's Roll (Clever): Standard Difficulty 5. (Uses 3 dice: 2 base + 1 for matching trait).
Dandelion's Roll:
[ 5 ] [ 2 ] [ 6 ]
Success! With two dice meeting or exceeding 5, Dandelion captures the timing perfectly, his paws barely touching the hot asphalt as he blurs across to the other side.
Fern's Roll:
[ 3 ] [ 5 ] [ 1 ]
Success! Fern waits, her heart hammering (Quirk: Skittish), but her Clever nature allows her to track the monster's vibration. She bolts just as the wind of the passing machine ruffles her fur.
Encounter 2: The Predator (The Shadow in the Grass)
We’ve crossed the road and entered the tall fescue. Suddenly, the birds go silent. A Fox (rolling on the Predator table: Result B) emerges from the golden stalks. Its eyes are fixed on Fern.
Effort Tokens: 4 (2 per rabbit).
Traits: Agile (Standard Difficulty 5) or Brawny/Clever (Hard Difficulty 6).
Dandelion wants to distract it using his Agile trait to lead it on a chase.
Fern tries to stay hidden using Agile (not her main trait, so 2 dice).
Dandelion's Attack (Agile - 3 dice):
[ 5 ] [ 4 ] [ 1 ]
1 Success! Dandelion thumps the ground and zips past the fox's nose. The fox snaps at air, losing 1 Effort Token. (Remaining: 3)
Fern's Action (Agile - 2 dice):
[ 2 ] [ 4 ]
Failure. Fern freezes in terror as the fox turns its gaze toward her.
Fern loses 1 Resolve. (Remaining: 2)
Encounter 3: The Neutral Animal (The Curious Crow)
We manage to scramble into a thicket, and the fox loses interest, but a Curious Crow perches on a branch above, letting out a loud CAW that threatens to reveal your new hiding spot.
The Challenge: Bribe the crow with something shiny or clever words to keep it quiet.
Trait: Clever (Difficulty 5).
Dandelion's Roll (Clever - 2 dice):
[ 3 ] [ 2 ]
Failure. Dandelion tries to whistle, but the crow just caws louder.
Fern's Roll (Clever - 3 dice):
[ 6 ] [ 5 ] [ 4 ]
Exceptional Success! Fern finds a discarded bit of foil near the road and nudges it into the light. The crow is delighted.
Reward: Because Fern got an Exceptional Success on a Neutral Animal, Fern chooses to lower the difficulty of the next roll by 1.
Fern nudges the shimmering foil toward the crow. The bird’s eyes widen; it hops down, snatches the prize, and flies off in silence, leaving the rabbits in a tense, heavy quiet.
Reward Applied: The difficulty of our next roll is lowered by 1 (Standard becomes 4, Hard becomes 5).
As we crest the final rise, the smell hits us—not just the copper of blood, but a sharp, acrid scent like "man-fire." Below lies the Desolate Warren. The earth is torn open, and the once-cozy burrows are jagged wounds in the hillside. There are no sounds of kits playing or elders thumping warnings. Only the wind.
Suddenly, the underbrush explodes! A Great Badger (Predator Roll: A) bursts forth. This isn't the sleepy badger from the tables; this one is frenzied, its muzzle stained with dark earth, eyes rolling with a strange, unnatural rage. It is the "iron-toothed shadow" from the vision.
Scene 2: The Desolate Warren
The Threat: The Great Badger.
Effort Tokens: 4 (2 per rabbit).
Traits: Brawny (Standard 5) or Agile/Clever (Hard 6).
Current Difficulty: Because of the Crow's help, your next roll is Difficulty 4 (Brawny) or Difficulty 5 (Agile/Clever).
The Badger charges toward us, its claws furrowing the ground.
Fern's heart hammers against her ribs like a trapped bird, but she remembers her motivation: to protect others. Seeing the badger's massive, soil-stained claws, she realizes that a direct fight is suicide. She spots a jagged, undercut ledge where the hillside has eroded over the Desolate Warren—a perfect trap.
"Dandelion, keep its eyes on me!" she squeaks, darting toward the edge of the crumbling slope. She begins to thump a rhythmic, mocking beat on the hollow earth, making herself a vibrant, irresistible target.
The Challenge: Lure the Great Badger to the crumbling ledge. Trait: Clever (Fern's specialty). Difficulty: 5 (Reduced from 6 due to the Crow's help). Dice: 3 (2 base + 1 for matching trait).
Fern's Roll:
[ 5 ] [ 2 ] [ 5 ]
Success! With two dice hitting the difficulty of 5, this is an Exceptional Success!
Fern dances right to the very lip of the drop-off. The badger, blinded by rage and the scent of its previous conquest, lunges with all its weight. At the last possible microsecond, Fern skips sideways. The badger’s momentum carries it onto the undercut turf; the earth groans and gives way with a sickening crack.
The beast tumbles down the slope, crashing through thorns and landing in a heap at the bottom of the ravine. It isn't dead, but it's dazed and trapped behind a wall of fallen stone and heavy timber.
Outcome:
Effort Tokens Removed: 2 (Exceptional success removes 2 tokens).
Remaining Effort: 2.
Special: Because it was an exceptional success on a Clever roll, Fern manages to stay perfectly safe, her skittish nature actually helping her stay light on her feet.
The badger let out a frustrated, muffled roar from the pit below. Dandelion looks at Fern with newfound respect, his nose twitching rapidly. "That... that was incredible, Fern! But it's trying to climb back up. We have to finish this or lure it even further away before it finds a path out!"
Dandelion doesn't need a second invitation. Seeing the beast struggling to find purchase on the loose earth below, he springs into action. He leaps onto the high ridge above the ravine, his paws dancing across the unstable shale. With precise, rapid-fire kicks, he begins to dislodge the larger stones, aiming to turn a trickle of gravel into a thundering slide.
The Challenge: Start a rockslide to bury the badger's exit. Trait: Agile (Dandelion's specialty). Difficulty: 5. Dice: 3 (2 base + 1 for matching trait).
Dandelion's Roll:
[ 1 ] [ 5 ] [ 5 ]
Success! Another Exceptional Success! Dandelion’s feet move like a blur (Fleet-footed). He kicks a key anchoring stone, and the entire shelf of shale gives way. A roar of sliding stone drowns out the badger's snarls. The predator is forced to scramble backward, deeper into the ravine, as the path it was using is completely buried under a heavy mound of rock and debris.
By the time the dust settles, the badger is trapped at the bottom of the gorge with no quick way out. It lets out one final, disgruntled huff and retreats into the shadows of the lower valley, defeated and heading far away from the Thistledown Warren.
Outcome:
Effort Tokens Removed: 2.
Remaining Effort: 0.
The threat is neutralized!
Scene 3: The Journey Home
The "iron-toothed" shadow has been driven away, but the sun is setting, and the Desolate Warren is a chilling reminder of what could have been. Dandelion and Fern must now make the long trek back to their own burrow to warn the Chief.
For the final encounter on the return trip, I have selected a Terrain challenge: The Hedgerow Maze.
As you hurry home, you encounter a massive, tangled wall of hawthorn and bramble. The thorns are like needles, and the shadows inside are thick.
The Challenge: Squeeze through a tiny, thorny gap or find a way through.
Dandelion's Roll (Agile): Difficulty 5. (3 dice).
Fern's Roll (Agile): Difficulty 5. (2 dice, not her main trait).
Dandelion's Roll:
[ 6 ] [ 4 ] [ 2 ]
Success! Dandelion slips through like a ghost, his agile frame avoiding every thorn.
Fern's Roll:
[ 4 ] [ 1 ]
Failure! Fern, exhausted and still skittish, gets her fur caught in a particularly nasty bramble. She panics, pulling away, and the thorns scratch deep.
Fern loses 1 Resolve. (Remaining: 1).
The Return
Battered but triumphant, we hop into the familiar scent of Thistledown Warren. Oat-Stalk and the others gather around as you tell the tale of the Desolate Warren and the Great Badger. The kits look at us with wide eyes—you aren't just a scout and a healer anymore; you are the rabbits who stared down the "Grim Omen" and lived.
The dust settles over the ravine, and the frantic scrabbling of the badger is replaced by the heavy, rhythmic thud of our own hearts. The "iron-toothed" shadow is gone, trapped by the very earth it tried to despoil.
Dandelion's Final Roll (Agile)
[ 1 ] [ 5 ] [ 5 ]
Exceptional Success! Dandelion’s paws were a blur of motion. He didn't just start a slide; he orchestrated a symphony of falling stone. The badger let out a final, frustrated yelp as the exit was completely sealed by a wall of heavy shale.
The Tale's End: What is Never Forgotten
As the moon rises, casting a silver glow over the Thistledown Warren, the two heroes sit by the entrance of the Old Throat. The kits huddle close, and even the elders lean in to hear the conclusion of the story.
Dandelion stands tall, his fur still dusty from the ridge.
"I will never forget the silence of the Desolate Warren," he says, his voice unusually quiet for a boastful scout. "I always thought the world was just a playground for my feet. But seeing those empty burrows... I realized that our warren isn't just a place we sleep; it’s a promise we keep to each other. I'll never look at a sunset again without checking the wind for the scent of iron."
Fern rests her aching side, where the thorns of the hedgerow nipped her.
"I will never forget the moment the earth gave way," she whispers, looking at her paws. "I have always been afraid of the shadows, but in that moment, I realized that even a skittish healer can be a mountain if she has to be. The wild is terrifying, yes—but we are swifter, and we have each other. That is a medicine no herb can match."
The Future of the Warren
The Chief Rabbit nods, and the warren erupts into appreciative thumping. We are legends now. But as the Seer watches us from the shadows, her eyes go cloudy once more. The future is never truly settled.
The Twist for the Next Tale:
Result: C — Snares and traps are placed near the warren.
As we drift off to sleep in your warm nests, a "Two-Leg" is walking through the tall grass just a few fields away, uncoiling thin, silver wires that glint cruelly in the moonlight...
Our adventure concludes here. We have saved the warren from the Badger, but the world remains vast and dangerous!
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