Summary

Players play as mice, peacefully living in the tavern’s basement. One day an evil cat, the Dark Lord’s familiar, is sent to the tavern to spy on the human adventurers who are staying at the tavern and  plotting to defeat the Dark Lord. Once the cat notices that players spotted it, it lays waste to their community, kidnaps several mice and runs away.

The players must follow the cat through the battlefield, the dark forest, and the evil empire to the Dark Citadel. They will remove the Dark Lord’s last horcrux off its neck to defeat it, which will also ruin the Lord and his empire.

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Setting

A war-torn kingdom next to the Evil Empire which is gradually corrupting the world around it with its darkness.

The Prancing Pony - starting tavern, where the mice encounter the human adventurers and the cat. A mouse village is in its basement.

The Dark Citadel towering over the lands surrounding the Evil Empire (think Mordor).

Meeting Cataclysm

Players see the party of human adventurers in the Prancing Pony, and overhear them talking about destroying the Dark Lord. They also see a cat hiding in the shadows, glaring at the human party with unsettling red eyes.

Once he notices that mice spotted him, he destroys their village and kidnaps some adorable mouse NPCs. Now he’s running towards the Dark Woods, and the party must brave the Dark Forest and the evils beyond to save their friends.

Through the Battle

On their way to the Dark Citadel, players make their way through the war-torn country. Their city is under siege, and in order to reach the Dark Forest that stands between them  and Mordor, they must navigate through the battle between Men and Orc armies, dashing between the soldiers.

The Dark Forest

The Dark Forest is scary and full of foes. The party is spied on by Vampire Bats, and they encounter Pot Bellied War Pigs, and must stealth, fight, bluff, or bargain their way past.

They encounter Lady Gwendolyn, a giant spider who is weeping at her web, mourning her spider-babies who were lost to Cataclysm. She is a great seeress, and reveals to them that the collar of Cataclysm is the last Horcrux of the Dark Lord. Until it is destroyed, he cannot be killed.

Infiltrating the Castle

To make their way into the castle the players must find a way to cross a lava moat. There is a secret door they can find, the main gates are guarded by gullible orcs.

They make their way up the floors of the Dark Citadel through scary corridors filled with traps, where they can meet the animated suits of armor, orcs playing cards, living portraits, and a poltergeist.

Luring Away the Cat

The players sneak into the castle and end up in the kitchen, where they have to dodge chefs with knives and avoid mouse traps. In the spice cupboard, there’s a bag of catnip, Cataclysm’s secret stash, which they can use to lure Cataclysm away from the Dark Lord.

Battle Atop the Dark Tower

The throne room is on the highest floor of the Dark Tower. Cataclysm is laying on the Dark Lord’s lap, purring. He must be lured away from his master’s protection to be defeated.

There is a stunning view of the wasted landscape of the dark empire, with the armies of the Lord of Shadows standing in rows, preparing to wage a war of conquest upon the land.

Next to the throne they find a luxurious nook with pillows, cat toys, and cat food - Cataclysm’s lair. In the nook they see the kidnapped mice kept in cages, if liberated they will help the players to defeat the cat.

The party fights the cat, steals and destroys his collar, and Cataclysm does a Reichenbach Fall off the dark tower. As the cat’s body hits the ground, there is an earth shaking cry from the Lord of Shadows, and the tower begins to crumble.

The mice emerge from the ruins battered and bruised, but alive, and return home victorious. The day has been saved, the armies of darkness are scattered, and their community need no longer live in fear of the minions of the Dark Lord and his insatiable cat.

This adventure was made by the Adventure Writer's Room community. We are a group of GMs who meet in the discord voice chat, and challenge ourselves to improvise a one-shot adventure in 2 hours. Our goal is to brainstorm fun ideas and improvise stories together in a chill, lighthearted, no-pressure environment. It works, it really helps with the writing, and it is super fun.

We're looking for some friendly and creative people to join us!

Authors: Lumen, AkiraDawn, FirstOfficerRose, Gomer70.
Art: Ryan Lang.