The Thieves Guild
by Jake Kerr
(dramatic music plays) . Episode 122:
A Reluctant Guildmaster.
"I'm
not cut out for this."
Rafe said the words more to himself than to Felos, whose towering
presence stood before him.
Rafe was sitting in Raylan's office, and he was doing Guildmaster things with
Allard missing and Raylan still away at the Outlanders.
Or was Raylan missing?
No one seemed to know.
"You are the apprentice Guildmaster, and without a Guildmaster and
assistant Guildmaster, that makes you the person in charge."
Felos' steady voice mirrored his countenance.
"Please sit. You're making me uncomfortable standing there at attention while I complain about being an
acting Guildmaster.
If you're going to listen to me complain about my life, you can at least do so in a less stiff manner."
"Is that an order?"
"By the gods, Felos, please just sit."
Felos sat down, but looked uncomfortable doing so.
As Raylan's, and now presumably Rafe's, bodyguard, his job was to be
alert at all times.
"It's just that I'm not sure what to do."
Miyo, the Captain of the Plains, traveled to the tower to personally outline
his concerns.
His sources in the Ranger Guild had informed him that Raylan had met with a ranger
captain named Jesser, who gave him an escort.
After that, there was no information.
Rafe couldn't figure out what was happening.
Raylan had been gone too long for just delivering a message, and with the help of the
rangers, it seemed like his mission should even have been shorter.
In their previous conversations, Raylan had mentioned that the Outlanders were
simply looking to survive, and that he trusted their leader, Wilhelm.
Miyo seemed concerned however, and that made Rafe even more nervous.
Did Raylan die on the trip out or back?
Rafe didn't even know how dangerous the Outlands were.
Could there be monsters, perhaps even a dragon?
Was Raylan imprisoned by the Outlanders?
Rafe felt powerless with the lack of information.
"What are your options?"
Felos' steady voice broke Rafe out of his reverie.
"I don't know."
Rafe dropped his head to the desktop.
"Why don't you start with what you would do to help a friend?"
The comment was a morning ray of light from the rising sun, turning a
gloomy landscape into one bursting with awakening life.
What would he do to help a friend?
He raised his head to a new day.
"I would go out and search for my friend."
Felos was going to say something, but Rafe held up his hand.
"But I can't do that, as I'm the acting Guildmaster.
So I would gather others to go look for him. Perhaps a number of small groups.
One to follow his path, one to wander south of the Great Road, and one to search north of the Great Road."
"And if the one following his path reaches Gautland without finding him?"
"Then he is still there, and I will have to organize a diplomatic mission.
One that hopefully has enough force to be taken seriously, but not so much to be seen as a threat."
Felos nodded.
"I will relay this to Miyo to organize."
Rafe blinked. Did he just create a follow-up plan to find Raylan?
And was it a good one? Before Rafe could ponder what was happening, Felos
broke in.
"Allard is missing."
Rafe considered what he knew.
When Allard hadn't returned, he sent word out to the captains.
Kalos had replied with a message that Allard had sent Vesper on a mission to
Harvest House. It seemed too risky to Rafe.
He still didn't trust Vesper, but Allard was confident in his loyalty,
and Rafe trusted Allard more than his own instincts.
The meeting was in the warehouse district, and as far as Kalos knew, Allard
was on his way back to the Guild Tower.
"He is out there. I don't want to disturb him if he is on a mission of his own, but it would be good
to make sure he is okay."
Felos nodded, a subtle encouragement to go on.
"But it would be good for us to confirm he is okay.
Who is the captain of the lower quarter?"
"Rogers now oversees the entire lower quarter, after Mailer was named Blade by
Guildmaster Raylan."
"I don't remember seeing a report from him."
Rafe looked through a pile of messages on his desk.
Some diligently printed, some hastily scribbled, all from the various
captains.
"He is missing as well."
"By the gods, Felos."
Rafe felt overwhelmed. He now had three key leaders in the guild
missing. What would he do for a friend?
Rafe sat up straight and looked Felos in the eye.
"The captains are overwhelmed. We need information from the thieves on the streets, in the alleys, and
hidden in buildings."
Felos nodded.
"We need to focus on the lower quarter.
Send out a group of thieves to investigate where Rogers and Allard were last seen.
I don't care how many, send however many can get the job done."
"It shall be done, sir."
"You don't have to call me sir. You know I'm just the guild librarian."
"You're not acting like one."
Felos smiled and stood up.
"Your orders are good ones. We must find out what is happening.
A vacuum of guild leadership is dangerous."
Felos walked toward the door, stopped, and turned.
"Thankfully, we don't have one in the tower."
Before Rafe could reply, Felos exited the room and silently
closed the door.
Despite the commands and Felos' surprising compliment, Rafe still felt
powerless.It was true that the captains had everything in order.
The refugees in the old quarter were doing well, the lower quarter appeared
stable, and Dirk didn't see any dire threats, and felt
guild defenses were strong. So why did everything feel like it was on the
edge of falling apart?
Ugh, I'm not cut out for this.
Rafe organized the various messages on Raylan's desk into a neat
pile. He had barely finished when there was a firm knock on the door.
"Enter."
Filos entered with a man Rafe didn't recognize.
He was old, with a face darkened by a life in the sun.
He wore the green of the Harvest Guild, and strode in with the confidence of
someone on a mission. Rafe stood up as Filos waved the man
toward Rafe and the desk. The man spoke as he approached, while
Filos stood close by with his hand on the pommel of his sword.
"I am told you are the acting guildmaster."
He bowed.
As the man stood at attention, Filos nodded to Rafe, taking up a
position behind him.
"I am."
Rafe waved at the seat.
"But no bows are necessary. I am not the true guildmaster."
The man sat and leaned forward.
"I am Simpson, and I bear a message from Guildmaster Polo."
The man could have said any number of things, but none of them would have stunned Rafe
more than what he had just said.
"Guildmaster Polo has a message for the guildmaster thief?"
The man nodded and reached into a dusty vest.
Filos tensed, but the man pulled out a parchment.
"I am to read it in your presence." "We honor your guild and Guildmaster Polo.
By all means, read his message. I'm looking forward to it."
Rafe tried to maintain a certain level of formality, but his own sense of
wonder and enthusiasm couldn't help but sneak through.
As Simpson read, Rafe couldn't help but hear Polo's voice
behind the words.
"Guildmaster Raylan, we live in troubling times.
This letter is intended as a step to make those times less troubled.
My loyal guild member, Simpson, who stands before you, made me aware of your guild
and your efforts to serve those of other guilds that suffer through neglect or
inattention.
I was unaware of this, which is a fault solely my own, and which is now
corrected.
Still, I cannot condone the methods of the Thieves Guild, as
honorable as those intentions may have been.
This letter is to inform you that things are changing.
Ness is facing a horrible time, but we will prevail.
And when we do, the Thieves Guild will no longer be needed, nor will it be
tolerated to exist.
However, until that time arrives, I will honor your goals,
if not your methods.
As such, I will not take any action against your guild.
You are to continue with your current care for those displaced from the lower quarter.
You are solely to assist them and do no more.
Ness is facing a civil war, you can help most by not being involved and helping
those that are innocent victims.
How you manage this time will have a great bearing on how we manage the Thieves Guild
afterward.
To that end, I've imprisoned Assistant Guildmaster Alard.
I was inclined to have him executed for crimes against Ness, but I believe that his life
will be an appropriate insurance that you comply with my demands.
I will release him when the Thieves Guild ceases to exist.
How long that will take, I cannot say.
I am sure that you have a captain in the lower quarter.
As a show of good faith, you will have your captain report to my new
captain of the lower quarter for guidance.
Having them work together when the guild members return from the old quarter will be
beneficial to all of us. His name
is Rogers. You were a mischievous child, Raylan.
I tolerated that out of respect for your family.
I'm glad I did, as it appears that you have brought a wisdom to the guild that I didn't think
existed within you. Simpson has testified to that.
Do not fall back on your former ways.
Be wise.
It is signed by Polo."
Simpson handed the parchment to Rafe.
Rafe looked it over and admired Polo's elegant script.
It wouldn't have looked out of place in a book in the guild library.
"How am I to respond to this letter?" "You are not.
Polo believes your actions will be all the response he needs.
I am to return to the old quarter and spread this message to the guild members there."
Rafe thought that over. Would sharing this message be good or bad for the
thieves? Did he even have a choice? If Polo was correct, and the entire
goal of the Thieves Guild, "We take so we can give," was no longer
necessary, then the guild's existence was
unnecessary.
And that thought led to a new one:
They weren't really the Thieves Guild anyway.
They were the disguised magic guild.
How, Rafe had no idea, but he knew it was true.
Perhaps this is what was needed for the guild to embrace its true
nature.
Rafe made his decision. It may not have been what Raylan or
Alard would want, but Rafe knew in his soul that this was the guild's
future.
"Thank you, Simpson."
Rafe stood up, which led to Simpson scrambling to his feet out of respect.
"Your mission is clear. Work with our guild to help yours as you stay within the safety of the old
quarter.
We welcome this collaboration with our guild brothers and sisters." "And Rogers?"
That was the one part of the message Rafe was still marveling over.
Polo said this Lower Quarter captain was new.
Could Polo's Rogers be the same Rogers of the Thieves' Guild?
After all, Rogers was missing. Could he have somehow infiltrated the
Harvest Guild enough to be named a captain?
I will have my captains seek out Rogers.
Rafe turned to the guard who towered over the old Simpson.
Feel free to escort Simpson to the Old Quarter.
Yes, sir.
As the two departed, Rafe thought over how things had changed dramatically
within minutes. He no longer had to worry about anyone attacking the Thieves'
Guild.
They simply had to navigate the Harvest Guild at war with the merchants and knights.
Everyone knew that the Ranger Guild was closer to the Harvest Guild than their own knight
brothers, so Rafe was certain that the Rangers would join with the Harvest Guild.
That would also create more safety for the thieves.
Assuming the thief Rogers was the same person as the Harvest Guild Rogers,
that left only two problems: Relan was missing, and Allard was
imprisoned.
He had already sent out commands to find Relan, which left
Allard.
Rafe respected Guildmaster Polo, but holding a guild member hostage,
especially Allard, was not acceptable.
Besides, Rafe could see Polo releasing Allard, only to have him
killed by his former guild, the knights, who hated him.
Rafe decided that with everything else seemingly under control, he would
focus on one thing: breaking out Allard.
(dramatic music)