The Thieves Guild
by Jake Kerr
(dramatic music plays) . Episode 58:
Meeting in the Study.
Wilhelm's horse was not only a magnificent beast, he was fresh and
well-fed. The result was that Raylan quickly caught up to Karch, trotting
along on Raylan's own exhausted horse.
As he saw Karch in the distance, Raylan considered talking to him, but
he could not think of anything to be gained in it, and there being value in just rushing
past him, making Karch wonder what had happened.
Wilhelm's comment about the power of the Unknown was fresh in Raylan's mind.
Karch would see Raylan's black cloak streak past and know that Raylan
rode a horse that was given to him by the Outlanders.
The merchant deputy would have no idea what to make of that, and that
uncertainty was what Raylan felt would be the most valuable outcome.
The fact that Karch and Lassen couldn't reveal to others that there had been a mission to visit
the Outlanders meant that Karch and Lassen could do nothing more with the
knowledge of Raylan's visit than speculate amongst themselves as to what
he was doing.
As Raylan made his way through the foothills, he knew that the Rangers were watching
him, but none approached.
Uh, remembering his conversations with the Rangers, of their respect for Pietro, Raylan
had to smile. Soon, the raids from the Outlanders would stop, and the Rangers
would know that Raylan had somehow helped bring it about.
The south gate he had exited was closed, but as he approached, it
swung open.
Karich stood alongside the entrance with a smile on her face.
Welcome back, Guildmaster.
Thank you, Karich. My mission went well. Do you know where Allard can be found?
I need to talk to him right away.
He is in the tower, Guildmaster.
Karich stepped forward and held out her hand.
Would you like me to take your horse? The tower stables aren't fully restored, but there is a stall for your
horse.
Karich's eyes went wide as she finally noticed Raylan's horse.
"Yes, this is a new horse. It was a gift from the Lord of the Outlanders,"
Raylan replied as he slid off his saddle.
The ground felt odd under his feet. He had been on a horse for the majority of the
past few days.
"See that he is well cared for."
"Of course, Guildmaster."
Karich took the reins as Raylan stretched his legs while he strode toward the Thieves
Tower. Raylan had to ask a few of his guild members where Allard was before
he found out that his deputy was in the kitchens checking on the progress of their
renovation. Raylan approached Allard without him noticing
Raylan's presence. The dark bald pate was a welcome sight.
"Allard!"
He turned. The huge smile on his face lit up the room.
"Raylan!"
Allard strode over, not quite jogging, but at a pace that underscored his enthusiasm at Raylan's
return. "A- are you okay? Did you intercept Karch?"
Allard looked Raylan up and down.
"I did not, but there is much to talk about."
Raylan grabbed Allard's hand and pulled him in for a hug.
Not knowing what to expect, Raylan was surprised at Allard's warm return embrace.
"Let's go to your study. It is at least livable, if not worthy of a Guildmaster's
presence just yet."
Allard clapped Raylan on the back. They made their way up the stairs of the tower, which quickly
winded Raylan.
"I need to work on my endurance if I'm going to be climbing these steps every day."
They reached the top floor, and Raylan followed Allard as he strode
across the stone.
"To the left is your study, which I'm afraid has been taken over by someone you know."
Rafe looked up from a book. He appeared exhausted.
"Rafe."
Raylan walked over as Rafe stood up.
"Raylan, how did it go? Did you warn Karch?"
"Not exactly."
They hugged, and the three of them sat down at a table covered with books.
Looking around, Raylan was in awe of his study, which was nothing like the office of his
brother.
It was more of a library, with shelves and shelves of books.
Raylan outlined his entire mission, while Rafe explained what he had discovered.
Rafe was excited to hear that the great river was called the Dragon's Tear.
"Yes, that would make sense with the mountains named the Dragon's Teeth.
Here, let me show you the map I discovered."
As Raylan looked at the map Rafe had found in one of the books, he better understood the position of
the Outlanders. They were between a dry plain and a desert, with the only fertile
land conceivably near the river.
Food had to be a challenge.
"So, Ness was a kind of central hub for trade, but at some point in the
past, the city guildmasters shut down all commerce outside the city,"
Raylan mused.
"That appears to be the case," Allard stated. "But there is much we don't know.
I've asked Rafe to be the guild historian, researching these important gaps in our knowledge of the
past. Do you agree?"
Allard looked at Raylan.
"Of course. This is perfect for Rafe.
I've normally pointed him in the direction of doing things like finding the best way to annoy Lassen, so
this is perfect. Telling him to find some ancient secret, he'll love that."
Raylan shoved Rafe in the shoulder.
"Absolutely," he replied.
"I am glad that is resolved, but what do we do about Lassen and Polo?"
Allard asked.
"Well, Karch will tell Lassen that they need to handle Polo themselves.
Knowing Lassen, he'll probably have his blade sneak in to assassinate Polo."
Raylan scratched his chin, which had a few days' worth of stubble.
"But wouldn't he have tried that already?"
Rafe asked, which elicited a nod from Allard.
"I'm sure he has tried,""But he's been unsuccessful as of yet.
There will be more attempts," Allard replied.
"Have we warned Polo? Does Mayla have any information?"
Allard looked at Raylan and lowered his head. "She has not returned.
We have inquired through our Harvest Guild channels, but we have heard nothing.
We fear she has been captured or killed in trying to warn Polo."
Allard shook his head. "I am concerned."
Raylan didn't quite know what to say as he swallowed hard.
He really liked Mayla; her short, curly hair, her fearlessness, her lack of
any regard for Raylan's position, her dark skin and sharp features.
"Let us continue to look for her. We will not and must not assume she's dead until
there is verification of that fact."
"Understood, Guild Master."
Raylan drummed his fingers on the table.
"We are in dire trouble unless we can protect Polo. With his death, Larsen will run the city.
As we know from the guild history, I will not be able to veto a unification vote on my own.
Polo and I need to work together."
"Indeed. I'm not sure what we can do to protect Polo.
I had considered doing the opposite, but there is no real way to reach Larsen."
Raylan stopped drumming his fingers and looked at Allard.
"Wait, what do you mean, 'I had considered doing the opposite'?"
"If Larsen would wake up one morning with a knife embedded in his nightstand with a note that said,
'If Polo dies, you die next,' I believe it would stop him."
Raylan's face lit up.
"Yes, that would assuredly stop him.
He is so confident in his power that such a thing would shake him deeply."
Nodding his head in excitement, Raylan continued.
"This is a great idea. I know Larsen. He will not do anything if he feels remotely threatened."
"Alas, we have no way to get to him," Allard replied.
"We could easily assassinate him when he is active outside the tower, but we have no way to
easily threaten him with an assassination, indicating we can get to him even if he
hid."
"What do you mean? I've snuck into his bedroom all the time.
There is a small food lift that goes from the kitchens to his bedroom.
He stopped using it when a glass of wine spilled, ruining his food.
After that, he demanded that his food be carried to him, but that doesn't mean the lift doesn't
work."
Raylan couldn't suppress a mischievous smile.
"I would hide inside and pull myself up to steal money from him." "You were
born for this guild."
Rafe laughed. Allard nodded. "Fascinating.
The lift sounds like a new addition and would explain why we had no record of it in our plans of the
Merchant Tower."
"This mission is simple," Raylan said excitedly.
"Put someone small in the kitchen, have them pull themselves up to Larsen's room, and they can leave the
note and escape the same way."
Raylan felt good. He was creating plans like a real Guild Master.
"So, does this solve all our problems?
We threaten Larsen, he stops worrying about Polo and things are back to normal?"
Rafe asked, "Rafe, we will never be back to normal.
There are things going on that we don't even comprehend yet, I'm sure.
Think of Raylan's visit with Lord Wilhelm.
Somehow, we not only have to stop Larsen, we need to figure out how to reopen Ness to the outside
world."
Allard peered at Rafe. "But to do that, we need to better understand the guild history."
All the air left Rafe as he exhaled in defeat.
"But I can't find a single book about the Thieves Guild.
It's like we don't exist,
and I couldn't even begin to tell you how our past fits with our future beyond what we know already."
Allard put his hand on Rafe's shoulder. "It's okay. You have time.
All we need to worry about right now is our present, and that's threatening Larsen into leaving Polo
alone."
Standing up, Allard added, "I can make the preparations.
In the meantime, let's continue with returning the tower to its former glory."
Raylan smiled. He would finally be able to focus on the lower stress things,
like learning who his captains were, how Pietro had organized the guild, and
just keeping things running without problems.
(instrumental music plays)