1 00:00:01,620 --> 00:00:02,900 The Thieves Guild 2 00:00:04,380 --> 00:00:05,679 by Jake Kerr 3 00:00:11,899 --> 00:00:13,420 (dramatic music plays) . Episode 40: 4 00:00:15,759 --> 00:00:17,079 Outside the City. 5 00:00:24,039 --> 00:00:29,000 Raylan galloped straight through the Old Quarter towards the gate to the southwest of the city. 6 00:00:29,639 --> 00:00:34,559 The buildings and streets were mostly a blur as he swept by, but he could still make out 7 00:00:34,559 --> 00:00:38,920 majestic architecture, solid old masonry, and well-kempt 8 00:00:38,959 --> 00:00:43,900 streets. Despite the common title of being the Wretched Quarter, this side of the 9 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:46,860 Great River wasn't wretched so much as old. 10 00:00:47,279 --> 00:00:51,700 Raylan had to admit that the Old Quarter was shabby, but there was a 11 00:00:51,779 --> 00:00:54,659 solidity about it that he found noble. 12 00:00:55,219 --> 00:00:59,759 It made him think of the lessons he had been taught by his tutor in his parents' 13 00:00:59,799 --> 00:01:01,519 mansion in the Upper Triangle. 14 00:01:02,219 --> 00:01:07,159 He had said that the residents of the city moved across the river because the fields had 15 00:01:07,199 --> 00:01:10,959 died and the mines had run out of iron and coal. 16 00:01:11,599 --> 00:01:16,559 Without its lifeblood, the original city had decayed to its current state of 17 00:01:16,639 --> 00:01:17,379 wretchedness. 18 00:01:18,139 --> 00:01:22,699 Those that left behind were criminals or those that refused to work hard enough to 19 00:01:22,739 --> 00:01:25,619 establish a homestead in the new part of the city. 20 00:01:26,199 --> 00:01:31,099 As a result, they lived in squalor with murder and burglary a common occurrence. 21 00:01:31,619 --> 00:01:33,999 At least, that's what Raylan had been taught. 22 00:01:34,779 --> 00:01:39,579 Some of the pieces made sense to him. If the old city ran out of food, there was no 23 00:01:39,679 --> 00:01:43,099 choice but to leave. But did it really run out of food? 24 00:01:43,599 --> 00:01:48,499 Clearly some people stayed behind. Also, it was an open secret that the hard 25 00:01:48,559 --> 00:01:53,319 workers that did the dirtiest and most menial of jobs lived in the 26 00:01:53,399 --> 00:01:57,019 Wretched Quarter. There was no way they were lazy. 27 00:01:57,459 --> 00:02:02,239 So what was going on? Raylan was starting to think it had more to do with 28 00:02:02,399 --> 00:02:07,059 inequality and greed. One of the missing pieces that Raylan now 29 00:02:07,099 --> 00:02:10,599 understood was that the Thieves Guild ran the Old Quarter. 30 00:02:11,359 --> 00:02:15,859 They fed and took care of the residents by stealing food and clothing from the other 31 00:02:15,919 --> 00:02:20,759 guilds. That made him think that the Ash Fields were probably truly ash, 32 00:02:20,999 --> 00:02:24,559 and that the mines on this side of the river were also empty. 33 00:02:25,299 --> 00:02:29,239 It was also clear that no one in Ness realized this. 34 00:02:29,839 --> 00:02:34,399 All of the complex pieces that made the Old Quarter run in secrecy, 35 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:39,419 pieces that Guildmaster Pietro had built over his long life, were now in Raylan's 36 00:02:39,439 --> 00:02:44,279 hands. He had ridden through the Founder's Day parade thinking that he was being 37 00:02:44,379 --> 00:02:49,259 punished, but the reality was that he was now in charge of the lives of 38 00:02:49,339 --> 00:02:52,079 many people. It was overwhelming. 39 00:02:53,239 --> 00:02:58,139 Raylan caught the looks of many faces as he rushed by, his black outfit generating 40 00:02:58,239 --> 00:03:01,519 smiles and not disdain, fear, or hatred. 41 00:03:01,859 --> 00:03:04,859 What happened to the Old Quarter and its residents? 42 00:03:05,019 --> 00:03:09,819 How did they come to rely on the black of the thieves and not the white of the knights? 43 00:03:10,339 --> 00:03:15,319 Raylan committed himself to finding out when he returned from his current mission, which 44 00:03:15,359 --> 00:03:19,599 was to stop Karch from negotiating an assassination with the Outlanders. 45 00:03:20,199 --> 00:03:22,999 Allard had given him the most basic of guidance. 46 00:03:23,219 --> 00:03:28,139 There was a smaller gate that led to the plains at the end of the main thoroughfare 47 00:03:28,399 --> 00:03:31,459 that went from the Great Bridge and through Founder's Square. 48 00:03:32,099 --> 00:03:36,939 Raylan was to go through the gate and then head to the northwest until he hit the main road to the 49 00:03:36,979 --> 00:03:37,599 Outlands. 50 00:03:38,439 --> 00:03:43,219 At that point, he would track down Karch and shadow him to see what he could 51 00:03:43,239 --> 00:03:46,879 find out about his mission, and if possible, stop him. 52 00:03:47,359 --> 00:03:51,639 How he was to do that was unknown, which suited Raylan fine. 53 00:03:52,279 --> 00:03:57,019 At one point, Allard handed Raylan a small ring with a single onyx stone in 54 00:03:57,039 --> 00:04:00,219 it. It fit his pinky finger perfectly. 55 00:04:00,219 --> 00:04:04,719 "I was hoping to do this at an official ceremony, but you have made that 56 00:04:04,739 --> 00:04:05,439 impossible." 57 00:04:06,279 --> 00:04:11,219 Allard sounded annoyed. "This is the official seal of the Thieves Guild. 58 00:04:11,659 --> 00:04:15,279 It identifies you as the guild master. It will help you with the Outlanders. 59 00:04:15,619 --> 00:04:20,399 They are suspicious of everyone from Ness, but Guildmaster Pietro and I have earned their trust 60 00:04:20,479 --> 00:04:22,779 through the years." "Thank you, Allard." 61 00:04:23,419 --> 00:04:27,259 Raylan looked at it as he slipped it on his finger. "This is a seal. 62 00:04:27,559 --> 00:04:32,439 There is nothing but a smooth black stone. How can this be a seal?" Allard smiled. 63 00:04:32,439 --> 00:04:36,939 "Our seal is much like the guild itself: inscrutable and seemingly with no 64 00:04:36,999 --> 00:04:37,999 productive use." 65 00:04:38,719 --> 00:04:43,379 Raylan held up his hand. "I will wear it with pride." "There is one 66 00:04:43,499 --> 00:04:48,419 other thing." "Yes?" "The Ranger Guild and I have had our differences. 67 00:04:48,719 --> 00:04:52,319 They see the Thieves Guild as your brother does, a joke for the populous to enjoy. 68 00:04:52,439 --> 00:04:57,419 However, the guild master, Quinto, hates me from my days as a knight." "So avoid the 69 00:04:57,459 --> 00:05:02,019 Rangers?" "I would recommend that, yes." "What did you 70 00:05:02,039 --> 00:05:06,779 do?" He remembered Saxes and others' comments describing Allard 71 00:05:07,079 --> 00:05:11,319 as a coward or a traitor. "That is a tale for another day." 72 00:05:12,339 --> 00:05:17,299 And with that exchange, Raylan had all the information for his mission that he was 73 00:05:17,359 --> 00:05:17,879 to get. 74 00:05:18,659 --> 00:05:20,819 Raylan approached the gate and smiled. 75 00:05:21,219 --> 00:05:24,079 He had spent his whole life causing harmless mischief. 76 00:05:24,399 --> 00:05:29,159 He loved the outraged looks of the officious jerks he had taken down a peg or 77 00:05:29,179 --> 00:05:29,519 two. 78 00:05:30,179 --> 00:05:34,819 Here he was doing the same thing, only the mischief had much greater consequence 79 00:05:35,099 --> 00:05:36,979 and he was actually helping people. 80 00:05:37,879 --> 00:05:40,019 Raylan paused as he approached the gate. 81 00:05:40,379 --> 00:05:44,639 A massive tower made of what looked like raw stone from the mountain itself 82 00:05:44,979 --> 00:05:49,859 rose high into the air on his left. It was far larger than the merchant tower. 83 00:05:49,859 --> 00:05:52,439 "That is my new home," Raylan thought. 84 00:05:52,859 --> 00:05:55,359 He had expected the tower to be in a state of decay. 85 00:05:55,799 --> 00:06:00,179 Pietro hadn't lived there, and as far as Raylan knew, it had been empty for decades. 86 00:06:00,459 --> 00:06:04,953 Yet it was as clean and solid as if it were well-cared-for.Far above him, 87 00:06:05,313 --> 00:06:06,933 Raylan could see a balcony. 88 00:06:07,673 --> 00:06:12,653 He looked forward to standing on it and surveying the city someday, but for now, 89 00:06:12,693 --> 00:06:13,593 he had a mission. 90 00:06:14,433 --> 00:06:16,333 The gate was not far from the tower. 91 00:06:16,993 --> 00:06:21,034 It was small but solid, about 12 feet high and similarly wide. 92 00:06:21,633 --> 00:06:26,014 It was dwarfed by its sister gate on the other side of the river near the Knight Tower. 93 00:06:26,353 --> 00:06:31,193 Yet this smaller counterpart was still strong and thick, a combination of iron and 94 00:06:31,254 --> 00:06:31,553 wood. 95 00:06:32,373 --> 00:06:35,693 Two men in armor approached from an alcove in the wall near the gate. 96 00:06:36,173 --> 00:06:38,993 They looked like the Whiteguard members who manned the wall. 97 00:06:39,393 --> 00:06:44,054 They wore armor and bore heavy weapons, but they were wearing black, not white. 98 00:06:44,573 --> 00:06:46,153 Hail, what's your name and business? 99 00:06:46,633 --> 00:06:47,813 One of the guards asked. 100 00:06:47,914 --> 00:06:52,453 I am Raylan, the guildmaster thief. I am on a mission to the Outlands. 101 00:06:53,133 --> 00:06:57,813 Raylan held up his hand, palm facing himself so that the two could see the guild 102 00:06:57,873 --> 00:07:02,494 seal. The two stepped aside, one to the left and the other to the right, 103 00:07:02,754 --> 00:07:03,514 and bowed. 104 00:07:04,313 --> 00:07:06,413 It is an honor to meet the new guildmaster. 105 00:07:06,434 --> 00:07:08,133 The one on the left said. 106 00:07:08,774 --> 00:07:10,634 Bowing his head, Raylan replied. 107 00:07:10,634 --> 00:07:15,493 The honor is mine. You serve the guild well. What are your names? 108 00:07:16,213 --> 00:07:18,153 Bell, said the one on the left. 109 00:07:18,293 --> 00:07:20,893 Karrich, said the one on the right. 110 00:07:22,213 --> 00:07:27,073 Raylan nodded to them. He started ahead but paused as he passed the two guards. 111 00:07:27,073 --> 00:07:29,473 How far is the main road to the Outlands? 112 00:07:29,473 --> 00:07:34,313 It is far. We avoid the wall where the Whiteguard patrols, so this path 113 00:07:34,333 --> 00:07:37,213 goes far to the west before turning north to join the main. 114 00:07:37,673 --> 00:07:42,553 Much of it is through rocky paths, and the crossing over the river is often too deep for passage. 115 00:07:43,033 --> 00:07:44,514 Take care with your horse's footing. 116 00:07:45,594 --> 00:07:46,613 Raylan looked up. 117 00:07:46,793 --> 00:07:49,613 The Knight Guild doesn't patrol the wall in this direction? 118 00:07:49,893 --> 00:07:51,073 Karrich replied. 119 00:07:51,393 --> 00:07:54,473 They don't cross the river. The old wall is considered haunted. 120 00:07:54,473 --> 00:07:57,813 Are you saying the Knight Guild leaves the city unprotected? 121 00:07:58,733 --> 00:08:01,893 With a chuckle, Bell motioned over his shoulder toward the city. 122 00:08:01,893 --> 00:08:06,833 They believe it unnecessary. The river would be a natural obstruction, and the great bridge 123 00:08:06,853 --> 00:08:07,673 is well-defended. 124 00:08:07,673 --> 00:08:10,773 Plus, the Ranger Guild is active in the plains. 125 00:08:11,133 --> 00:08:13,414 They would give the Knights time to prepare a defense. 126 00:08:13,414 --> 00:08:14,693 Karrich added. 127 00:08:15,494 --> 00:08:18,434 What is the likelihood of me running into the Ranger Guild? 128 00:08:18,434 --> 00:08:23,333 Pretty high, but they leave us alone. They don't seem to care much about what happens inside the city. 129 00:08:24,513 --> 00:08:25,374 Raylan nodded. 130 00:08:25,553 --> 00:08:26,833 Thank you for your help. 131 00:08:27,994 --> 00:08:28,613 Be well. 132 00:08:28,813 --> 00:08:32,773 And with a kick, Raylan and his horse lunged forward and through the gate. 133 00:08:33,274 --> 00:08:36,714 For the first time in his life, Raylan was outside the city 134 00:08:38,193 --> 00:09:08,973 (dramatic music) 135 00:09:08,973 --> 00:09:08,994 .