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The Thieves Guild

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by Jake Kerr.

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Episode 32:

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The Tower Balcony.

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Rafe still marveled over the majesty of the
Thieves Tower.

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The tower was massive, by far the largest in Ness,
and yet no one across the

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river knew it even existed.

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Granted, it was as far west and south from Ness
City proper as you could go, and it

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stood at the base of the Sheer Mountains that
formed the south of the city, so it

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was perfectly camouflaged against the stone of the
mountain.

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Still, it was not hard to see from everywhere in
Ness if you knew what to look for.

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Additionally, it stood next to the wall.

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Wouldn't the Night Guild know of its existence
just from their

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regular patrols? Rafe looked down at the top of
the wall to look for the

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white cloaks of the White Guard, but could only
see a few figures dressed in black.

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"Does the Night Guild even patrol this part of the
wall?"

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The entire top floor of the tower was used as the
living quarters of the guild master,

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and although Pietro didn't live there during his
70-plus year tenure as guild master,

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it had been kept tidy, if spare.

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It was certainly comfortable, and Rafe enjoyed
looking at the ancient art

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that filled the walls, images of battles long
forgotten and heroes

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unknown.

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The books were a similar revelation.

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The guild master's library contained more books
than Rafe had ever seen in his life,

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and the subjects were primarily of Ness itself;
history, geology,

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maps, and various guild histories. Some of the
thickest books were on

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things that Rafe had never heard of. The Baros
Treaty, what was that?

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Several books covered something called the Veritri
Expedition.

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Behind a stack of books covered in dust, there was
even a very old book about the

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history of the Magic Guild.

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Rafe cracked it open, noted that the Magic Guild
colors were red

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and that the history of the guild ended before
Ness was even founded.

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Was it a book of fantastic myths? Rafe wasn't
sure, but he

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promised himself to spend more time in the
library.

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Beyond two glass doors was a balcony, and Rafe
walked outside to once again enjoy

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the view. He was so high up that it was dizzying,
but the view was extraordinary.

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The balcony was about 10 feet deep and twice that
wide.

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There was a weathered iron chair and a stone desk
in one corner, while the rest was

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bare.

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The balcony was on the northeast side of the
tower.

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The Old Fork flowed along the right from the
mountains to the Great River.

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The Old Fork separated the Ash Fields from the Old
Quarter.

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The Ash Fields were still mostly dust and barren
land, despite attempts

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by the Thieves Guild to enrich the dirt over the
years.

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The Old Quarter was massive and full of ancient
buildings arranged in

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well-organized neighborhoods. It was about the
size of the Flats, the Lower Triangle,

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and the merchant and warehouse districts combined.

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Across the Great River in the distance was the
Ness Rafe had known his whole life.

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The fields to his right were vibrant and full of
the color that Rafe knew meant growing

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fruit, grains, and vegetables.

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His home in the Lower Triangle was somewhere in
the mass of buildings.

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Merchant Tower stood like a central beacon of all
that Ness had become.

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Standing as a smaller partner to the left was the
Craft Tower, and surrounding it all

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was the Great Wall, which protected Ness from
invasion.

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"So what do you see, Apprentice Rafe?" Rafe spun
around to see Allard standing

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behind him.

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Allard's arms were crossed and his mighty sword
swung slightly in its scabbard.

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Rafe couldn't quite get over his fear of Allard,
and while his ever-present hood was down, it was a

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small improvement. The long scar across Allard's
face was about as

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intimidating as the shadow of the hood. Rafe
shrugged.

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"Two cities split by a river?"

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Walking forward, Allard nodded. "It is as good an
answer as any.

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When the citizens abandoned the Old Quarter after
the Golden Fields weren't so golden anymore, they

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cruelly left behind those that couldn't afford to
start anew.

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At that moment, Ness became what you see below."

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Allard pointed to the Old Quarter. "Those that
worked hard for the good of the

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city but couldn't afford to leave, and..."

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He pointed across the river. "Those that wanted to
start anew without the weight of compassion
dragging

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them down." "What of the Golden Fields?" Rafe
asked.

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And as soon as he asked, the answer hit him.

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Allard must have noticed as he nodded, but didn't
say anything.

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"The Ash Fields, right?" "Yes. The Great River
used to be the city's

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protection to the north, but when the Golden
Fields became barren, a bridge was built.

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The people crossed and well..." Allard once again
motioned out beyond the

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balcony. "You can see the result."

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There was a heaviness to Allard's words that
exceeded a history lesson.

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Rafe glanced back at Allard. "Something is
happening, Allard, isn't it?

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Something big." Allard sighed, took a step
forward, and put his hand on Rafe's

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shoulder. "I fear so, Rafe. Pietro spent his
entire life hiding our guild

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and the work we do to feed and shelter the many
residents of the Old Quarter.

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We take so we can give. It was a noble goal."
"Was?"

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"It's still a noble goal, but we are entering
complex times and we need to do

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more.

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Pietro kept the guild from deeply infiltrating
other guilds, from being involved in politics at

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all. His fear, and he was absolutely correct, was
that if we were discovered, all our

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good works would be at risk. But your friend and
our guild master did more than he

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imagined in ruining his brother's plans." "Raylan
has a habit of doing that."

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Allard smiled. "So I have both heard and
experienced.

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Still, he illustrated that the selective use of
the guild's power can do tremendous good in the

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face of those that want to destroy the city as we
know it."

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Rafe nodded, but he wasn't quite sure he
understood what Allard was getting at.

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Mela was off warning Polo and Raylan was somewhere
in the plains stopping Karch.

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Those were good things to do, and the type of
thing that Raylan would support wholeheartedly.

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Allard had gone quiet, so Rafe finally responded.

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"We are doing more." "Indeed, Rafe. We are doing
more.

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But are we doing enough?"

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(instrumental music plays)