Week 3: The Deep Warrens

Earthquakes have been happening a lot in Cascadia ever since the Hearthstone shattered. A stranger to the village arrives with a warning! There’s a villain harming the earth from deep inside a nearby cave system in the mountains, called the Deep Warrens. If they’re not stopped, the damage could destroy all of Cascadia!

Advance Preparation

You will need props or a plan to handle a few of this weeks adventures:

• A number of colored bands to mark objectives in games.
• Ideally, you’ll be able to dig or have access to a pit in the ground for a character to be trapped. If this isn't possible, the scenario can be easily be acted out as improv.
• A printout or hand-copied version of the Dwarven message from Belna (see Day 2 for download).
• You will also need to have a rock to play the part of the Dwarven Hearthstone. This can definitely be picked up on the fly, but keep an eye out for a cool one.

Non Playable Characters (NPCs)

These are the NPCs that may be encountered in this story. They are ordered from most to least screentime in the narrative.

• Belna
• Cinna
• Ral
• Sable

Day One Morning

The first game of the day establishes teams of four. Choose one of the options below:

Forehead Dots

Trackers all get a colored mark on their forehead while their eyes are closed. Mark four Trackers in each color, and choose randomly, as these will be future teams. The "dots" can be masking tape, a post-it, or even washable marker.

When you're done, Trackers open their eyes. They must now sort themselves into teams in complete silence, using only non-verbal communication to find their color matches.

OR

Hide and Seek Out Your Team

Half the Trackers hide within specified boundaries. After 30 seconds head start, send the other half out in search. When the seekers find someone, they both head back to group up, and are now teammates!

In the second round, play this in pairs to end with teams of four. Team Camp time this morning should include time for journaling and character creation.

At the beginning of Morning Adventures, lead the group to the Village area and introduce yourself as their Guide.

“Welcome to the Village! This is the nearest community of humans in Cascadia and your home for the next week. The Village was mostly destroyed last week by natural disasters when the Hearthstone was stolen, but things are mostly better now we have it back… in pieces. You’ve all been summoned from local areas to help investigate if, and how, a Hearthstone can heal."

Explain the basics of Hearthstone lore. You can also make up your own identity and Guild affiliation, so long as you're a native to the Village. Your current assignment is leading the effort to mend the Hearthstone.

Next, introduce Trackers to an NPC, Indigo. They're a friendly and charming Ranger with a pet osprey, Scree, which nips at their ears as they try to talk. Play Scree for laughs when you can!

Indigo explains that, because of the natural disasters in the area, they need to check everything's location for the Village's reference. Could you help them by mapping things out?

Map Area Around Village

You may play the guide as well as Indigo while helping the Trackers set up their camps. Remember to include Indigo’s falcon, Scree, for some comedy! After the area has been arranged, Indigo will express his appreciation for your help with this project. As thanks, he offers to teach you how to stick fight.

Stick Fighting

Once the Trackers seem to have the basics, announce a rumbling in the earth! Oh no, maybe the natural disasters aren't over?

Day One Afternoon

Afternoon Adventures begin with the Guide sharing intriguing news with the Trackers: the Village is abuzz, because during your training, a dwarven elder came through town! This is a rare occurrence, the first time in decades such an ancient dwarf has visited a human camp.

• Here’s what you can tell them, cobbled together from the villagers’ gossip:
• They think the dwarf was a woman, but she has a pretty magnificent beard
• Nobody speaks Dwarvish except Sable (a ranger who’s on the hunt)
• The dwarf seemed to need help
• The dwarf left about 20 minutes ago, and seemed to be following (choose an animal type to track)

Teach the Trackers’ teams to move through the wilderness and the basics of tracking. Following this animal will lead you towards the dwarf, after which you can hopefully find out what she needs!

Tracking Game of Choice

You finally come across the dwarf… who’s at the bottom of a pit that opened up during the earthquake! She’s clearly in distress. If you have any Trackers with a Dwarven origin, you may note that she's using some strong language.
Rescue Game - This can be a realistic rescue from a pit trap if an appropriate site is found. If not, this game may include foraging and crafting cordage to make a rope, then an improv challenge to pull the dwarf to safety.

The dwarven woman is very grateful! She’s able to gesture to herself and communicate her name: Belna. If there are any Trackers with a dwarven origin culture, they can try and speak to her, but with limited success (i.e. they can get the nouns underlined below).

Belna is saying help, pointing in the direction of mountains. She’s frightened of something!

As the Guide, you can note that those mountains contain a cave system where most local dwarves live. Maybe something is wrong at the dwarven settlement?