"So you're the sod who keeps telling stories, hmm? Stories about ... people disappearing ...?"
The bubber looked him up and down. "Sirrah, I ain't heard and said nuffin, uh was just kinna ..." He started to move his hand out in front of him, a not-too subtle gesture with clear implications. He was abruptly silenced, though, by five golden coins, stacked neatly on top of each other, which came to rest on the table in front of him.
"...but then again, it seems i mighta remember, sirrah. You some high-up? Certainly look like it. And the..."
The person on the other end of the table silenced him with a glare.
"Enough of that soddin' talk, berk. You tryin' to peel me? You got your jink, now tell me all you know about that Ship you're talking about. If you don't, I might just have to put you in the dead-book, and I'm just the right cutter in the right mood to to so. No questions asked."
The bubber mumbled fearfully for a second, then looked away. "Allrighta, allrighta, sirrah ... I'll tell ya the dark of if ... "He lowered his voice to a conspiratory whisper. "It all started with the disappearance of ole' Lu, jus' around the corner ... Her shop was barred up faster than one could bat an eye at, and it wasn't the soddin' dabus people. Naw, a gang of tiefers, and a damn ugly one at that. Next thing I saw, Clueless was already pilin' up high in front ofa door, tryin' to get in and buy somethin'... you shoulda seen it, huh huh ..." A slight chuckle died on his lips. "She ain't back the day after, and the following day, and so some cutter thinks she's gone for good and decides to get the stuff from her store ... I saw him go in, and I 'eard what happened. Didn't come out, the poor berk."
He paused for a second and thought about asking for something to wet his throat. An icy glare from the well-dressed being opposite to him made him swallow the request before it even reached his lips.
"Uhh ... as I was sayn', she's gone alluva sudden ... and people start talkin. I hear things, strange things, but ... didn't really give'em much thought, until the whole ship business ... the streets are practically buzzing with it."
At this point, the other leaned forward, demonstrating just slightly enough interest for the bubber to continue hastily.
"See, there's talk the Sinkers lost some kind of weap'n, and some sinker gang is now hired to find it ... there's already been some serious beat'n near the slags, when some Hardhead goons tried to rough'em up a bit, get them to mind their own business, you know what I'm ...? Uh ... you prolly do. Well, them Sinkers are searching evrywhere, so it's said, and then that got me thinkin' about old Lu again ..."
The being in the other chair rocked back slightly, considering the implications.
"Continue", he stated finally.
[My rather clueless group has (finally ;)) reached the planes some time back. One of their number has joined the Doomguard, while the others still have difficulties not getting lost :D. Well, anyways: they've been looking for a way back, having to find an artefact first before they can get home. They've been doing some odd jobs for Alluvius Ruskin, completely oblivious to what her goals were, and some jobs for the Sinkers. Now, I've been thinking to run "In the Abyss", but I'd kinda like to keep that connected to the main plot - the party will need Alluvius to find the artifact, that much they know. But at this point, I'm at a loss of ideas. I've been trying to find a way to tie her in with the Chaos Ship in any way, make her vanish for a time, so the PCs will have to go after the Ship even if they'd normally consider it too dangerous and/ or too far into unknown territory. Thus, I've come here, seeking for help - any of you people got an idea or three, how this could be accomplished? I'd be eternally grateful.
Please don't be too harsh, English isn't my mother tongue
Rr'ka (on a decidedly non-chaotic day)]
I'll post some ideas a little later, but this sounds like it has some really awesome potential here. I always liked Alluvius Ruskin, and she has the serious capacity to do damage to people if she put herself towards it. What she might do with a Ship of Chaos... hmm...
. Looking forward to your input.Meanwhile, I've come up with the following, after re-reading Lu's entry in Uncaged:
She's after the ship itself because it might prove to be just the kick in power she needs to try and make an attempt to dispose of Her Serenity. Thus, she cuts a deal with a band of baatezu, which are ordered to capture the Ship during its (rather aimless) travels in the abyss. They succeed in boarding and controlling the Ship, and take it out of the abyss to (insert random other plane here) where the baatezu meet up with Lu. She then slays them and tries to sap the ship's magic - but something goes wrong. Maybe she overestimated her abilities, or underestimated the ship's powers? Anyhow, she will be standing paralyzed near the ship's brains, with the ship taking its invariable course back toward the Abyss. The players will have to get to her in time, else she will surely be torn apart by the fiends at the ship's destination. This also makes for a nice bit of conflict in between the player's Doomguard allegiances and their having to work with (and therefore preserve) Lu because she's their only way home.
Comments, Ideas, Suggestions?