Ben Lash eyed the bear skeptically as it spoke of ancient knowledge and offered answers to questions.
"Er," he says at length, "Kin I think about it fer a sec? That gal on the bike might be comin' back this way, anyhow. Best keep quiet."
After a moment peering out the door from where he sits, he turns back and adds, "Oh yeah, don't suppose you've got any food, do ye?"
Sit quietly as before, bunking down inside the doorway as though to camp for the night.
Really, though, I'm listening out for the sound of the motorbike and pondering just what questions I might want answered by the sum of human knowledge. Do I know where the uploxxed came from, how they work, and why? What about mutants - though they might be a more recent development? Edit:
Name: Ben Lash
Appearance: A swaggering, rangy young pirate in his late teens, with unkempt, short-ish dark hair, light eyes of some indeterminate blue colour and a complexion like a soggy crust of bread. Wears fairly standard pirate gear, with a few belts and pouches strapped to his person as well as the occasional mis-matched piece of armour such as sports pads or dented baking trays.
Keeps his trusty metal whip on his person at all times, usually coiled about his shoulder or wrapped tight around a gloved fist.
Profession: Second-generation Land Pirate fighter
Faction: Land Pirates
Type: Human
Stats
Body: +2
Wits: +2
Empathy: 0
Health
Conditions: Hungry, bruised knee
Luck: 3
Rep
-2walt -2london +0mob -1keep -2church -2gml -2legends -2terra -2eyes +1pirates
Kudos: 0
Experience Tallys: (none)
Stuff
Den: (somewhere in Land Pirate territory I guess?)
Signature Gear: his lash, a length of strange, flexible metal (actually a near-indestructable bungee cord from the distant past) inherited from his father that has proven quite effective as a weapon. His father, a wandering scavenger whose fortunes improved greatly when he found this unusual metal rope in some ruins, added various attachments to it, blades, spikes, hooks and other such gadgets, gradually forming it into a potent, multi-purpose weapon and tool. He became so attached to his trusty lash that when he eventually joined the Land Pirates and (in a manner of speaking) settled down, he named his firstborn after it: Ben Lash.
When some years later Ben's father failed to return from a raid, none of the others who made it back would say exactly what had befallen him - but they did return his weapon of choice to his young son. Severely damaged from acid, to the point that there was nothing left but the cord itself, but still intact.
Inventory:
Personal Quests
1 - Upgrade my lash to improve its combat effectiveness
Spikes and barbs are what Ben needs, but most of the metal one finds is rusted or weak or hard to reshape. The pirates have learned of a razorwire factory in Lowestoft. Their first raid there managed to kit out one of the trucks with gnarly spikes, but apparently there's loads more back at the factory they didn't have the space to take.
Location: Lowestoft
Reward: x1 tally
2- Craft a useful and stylish piece of equipment from a slain mutant - Part 1 - Finding a target
Finding a mutant isn't that hard, there's loads of them crawling around the wastes nowadays, but finding one with a useful feature is a bit trickier. Pirates speak of a mutant with rubber-like skin, bullets and blows and vehicles just bounce off of him. A rubber suit made from this mutant would grant protection from all manner of harms.
Location: He's been seen near the University of Norwich
Reward: x2 tallies
3 - Vengeance Paternal - Part 1 - Someone's gotta talk
Your father disappeared that day and though you don't know what, acid has got something to do with it. Time to confront one of the raiders that went with him that day, Fatal Pete.
Location: Spooner Row
Reward: x2 tallies
Faction quest: Church Ambush (Land Pirates)