The Thieves Guild
by Jake Kerr.
Episode 90.
A surprising and important development.
Founders Square, the central square of the old quarter, was one of the
oldest landmarks in all of Ness. Its cobblestone center was
worn so smooth that wagons could ride across it with very little violence to
their passengers. The buildings that surrounded the square were
similarly old, and one towered over the others.
Its previous use was lost to history, but it was made of stone hauled from the
mountains and its two stories were marked by a solidity that
projected security, timelessness, and authority.
It was called Founders House, and it was rumored that the founders of
Ness met there to settle disputes among themselves and of their fellow
citizens.
Raylan was sitting in a large room at the front of the second floor, with bay
windows overlooking the vibrant square.
With him was Kude, Dirk, Filos, and a group of ten Harvest Guild
members, each one the patriarch or matriarch of a family that was forced to
leave the lower quarter.
They sat at a round table, with Raylan at what could be considered the head,
the seat with the back to the square.
Kude was to his right and Dirk to his left.
Wine, meats, and cheeses were available around the table, and the
Harvest Guild members picked at the food.
Raylan was nervous. It was one thing to rally desperate people
stumbling into the old quarter from across the bridge, but it was another thing to
face the leadership of the families who were dispossessed.
They would be bitter, angry, and judgmental.
One misstep and Raylan would destroy any goodwill the
thieves were building with them.
Hoping for the best, Raylan decided to be blunt and honest.
With nothing to lose, it was most likely not only the best strategy,
it was the easiest. All he had to do was tell the truth.
Turning to Kude, Raylan said, "We are missing families."
"Indeed. A significant number were imprisoned, while others are still lost
in the chaos.
Then there are the many who simply don't require a voice."
Raylan nodded. Not every family required a place at the ruling
table. They looked to others to represent their interests, and at least some of
those families were at the table. Unfortunately, the most important
families were imprisoned.
Returning his attention to those families surrounding him, Harvest Guild members
who were attacked, harassed, and betrayed,
Raylan could see the hardness, the pain, and the anger behind every
face. "I understand you all are uncertain as to who the thieves are,
why we are helping you, and what is going on.
I hope to answer all those questions during this meeting."
Raylan turned to Kude. "This is Kude.
He is the captain of the old quarter."
Turning to Dirk, he said, "This is Dirk.
He is captain of the guard."
Looking back to his guests, Raylan continued, "These two men
oversee your food, shelter, safety, and security.
Kude, can you please give us an update on the refugees?"
"Yes, guild master."
Raylan was grateful that the proud Kude treated him with the respect a guild
master demanded.
It was important in front of the hard faces.
"The clearing of the lower quarter has effectively ended.
There are occasional Harvest Guild members wandering across the bridge, but they are few and far between
at this point.
If I may put modesty aside, sir,
our guild mates have done an amazing job making the abandoned sections of the quarter livable for our new
guests."
Kude nodded across the table.
"We are doing our best to make them comfortable, and they are organized as well as we could into
neighborhoods that they would find familiar.
We have roughly 10 areas of the quarter in good enough shape to house everyone.
So far, it appears to be enough."
"Ten neighborhoods?"
Raylan looked at the 10 guests at the table, and suddenly realized why
Kude had brought this specific group.
"Do you agree with Captain Kude's assessment?"
A sour-faced woman with wispy white hair replied...
"Aye, it be dusty, but it is dry and livable."
"And the food?"
"Better than some of us are used to."
"Good. We need to take care with supplies, as we were unprepared for
your numbers, so that may change,
but I hope you understand."
Faces around the table nodded. "Captain Dirk, any news on the knights?"
"The wall on this side of the river remains under our control.
The knights seem little interested in operations against us.
The knights on the bridge
are mostly staying in the background,
stopping violence,
and supporting the merchant guild guards."
"Traitors."
"Indeed.
The merchant guards are the ones driving the Harvest Guild across the bridge.
Although, as Captain Kude noted, that appears to have ended."
"Any sign of operations against us?" Raylan
looked at Dirk. He knew that he was asking a question that would require a confidential
answer, but he wanted to display trust and transparency to the Harvest
Guild members. He hoped Dirk would understand.Without any
hesitation, Dirk replied, "None, sir.
The Knights appear to be doing no more than simply letting things happen.
They are not gathering anywhere we can see for any kind of offensive against us.
The Rangers are operating normally.
In fact, it is possible
that Crinto doesn't even know what is happening within Ness."
Raylan nodded.
"It is possible. They are very isolated.
I'm sure their information comes from Sax."
"The craft guards are not marshaling any forces either.
They and the knights appear
to simply be letting Larsen do all the dirty work."
"They are still traitors," came
a reply from a man at the table, which led to universal murmurs of approval.
"And Polo?" Raylan asked. It was perhaps
unfair to ask that of Kude or Dirk, as the Harvest District was far
outside either of their responsibilities, but he knew their answer, and he
hoped it would spur conversation from the Harvest Guild families.
"No word, sir,"
Dirk replied, as Kude nodded. "He'll make things right,"
a fourth voice stated. She was a middle-aged woman with wild and unruly
brown hair. "He'll rally those from the mines and the outer fields."
"Please introduce yourself."
He was hoping that by bringing the families into the conversation, he wouldn't have to make
an inspirational speech, or answer questions for which he had no answer.
They would shape the conversation themselves.
The man introduced himself, and then the others did the same.
A few expressed gratitude for the kindness of the thieves, but the
overwhelming attitude seemed to be one of suspicion.
At one point, Kude leaned over and whispered, "You need to share our
history and mission, Guild Master." Raylan outlined a brief history of
Ness as Rafe had taught him.
The civil war from centuries earlier, the move across the river, and
then the gradual disparity between the rich in the upper quarter and the poor in the
flats, and even those that lived in the old quarter and worked after traveling
every day across the bridge.
"The thieves have always looked out for the poor and undefended in Ness.
Our guild motto is, 'We take so we can give.'
Our members include many Harvest Guild members who are too poor to feed or shelter
themselves. We do that for members of every guild."
"Impossible,"
a man directly across the table from Raylan exclaimed.
"There are none in our guild so poor as to need the assistance of thieves."
Before Raylan could reply, Kude raised a
finger.
"If I may,
Guild Master?"
"By all means."
"You are Simpson,
are you not?"
The man nodded.
"You were almost taken by the merchants."
It was a statement, not a question, and Kude continued.
"It is because your family has long managed the roads in the flats, correct?
You have the respect of everyone for your visible efforts."
The man nodded, looking suspicious.
"It is an honorable job, and one with a certain level of gratitude."
Kude paused, allowing Simpson an opening to interrupt, which he did.
"Without our efforts, the streets would be impassable.
We clear the broken wheels, the dead horses, the garbage.
We repair the stones. We work with our guild mates in the mines and place
new ones."
Kude was about to speak, but Simpson continued.
"And for those that wonder why we are in the Harvest Guild when we clean and
repair, it is due to our rich history.
We manage the dirt roads in the outer fields when the Craft Guild couldn't be
bothered."
He crossed his arms.
"Our pay is modest, but we do important work."
"I could not agree more.
So let me ask you of your brothers in the Knight Guild..."
The Knight Guild, with an N. Raylan remembered Maylor
mentioning them when they were traveling through the sewers.
They were a guild that lived in the old quarter, and with a dawning comprehension,
Raylan realized what Kude was doing.
"The sewer cleaners?"
Raylan could sense the disdain in the man's voice.
"The Harvest Guild members,"
Kude gently corrected the man, "they are paid too little to afford housing in the
flats. They live here."
Kude waved behind him and out the window into the old quarter behind him.
"We provide them with shelter and food."
Kude leaned forward.
"While they provide you with clean sewers and water."
Simpson stared as Kude added.
"There are others, those that gather and empty the horse waste barrels.
Those that you may not see, but do things like scrub the floors in the guild towers."
Kude leaned toward the man, who shrank a bit.
"There are many."
"So, we take so we can give,"
Raylan interrupted before things got heated.
"There are other guild members that live here that we care for.
Craftsmen who spend their days doing little more than cutting leather into strips
before walking across the great bridge to their home here.
Knights that don't wear armor, but wear white rags that are more brown than white as they clean
rust from swords and blood from clothes."
Raylan shook his head.
"The only guild without need of our help is the merchants."
Mumbling filled the room, as Raylan had expected.
Everyone hated the merchants.
"So, here we are.
You may ask questions, but for now all I can say is that we will provide you with
homes and food.
I do not know what will happen next, but I believe you are secure."
An older woman raised her hand. "Yes, and could you please remind me of your
name?"
"Carol Miller."
Raylan smiled. She shared his last name.
He wondered if she was related to him through some distant relative.
"I would like to help our guild master.
I believe he will make things right.
Does he know of our plight?
And what can we do to help?"
"It is a difficult question to answer.
I have sent someone to warn Polo of events, but he is impossible to reach in Harvest
House.
You can be sure he is aware of what is going on, and he is preparing to fight back
somehow."
"So
this is civil war."
It was the first woman who had spoken.
"The merchants said that this was all Polo's fault, and that all we had to do was
reject him as guild master and our homes would be returned."
Raylan suddenly understood Larsen's plan. It was an absurd one.
He was threatening war unless the guild rejected Polo.
Why would he remotely think that blackmail would work?
"It is too soon to say it will be war, but it is possible."
Raylan turned to Dirk.
"Captain Dirk, can you outline our defenses?"
"Yes, Guild Master."
Dirk continued in a matter-of-fact and precise manner.
"The wall is only vulnerable from the top,
and we have blocked the access over the Great River many years ago.
Any attack must be via a small gap, and it is very well
defended.
It will be extremely bloody for the knights to try and take us that way.
The Great Bridge is not only tight and difficult to attack,
we are prepared to destroy it if need be."
A gasp went through the room. The Great Bridge, nearly a mile in
length and towering over the Great River, was second only to the Great Wall
as Ness' greatest achievement.
"The wall along our bank of the river provides us with formidable defenses
from an invasion via ships.
The Thieves' Gate is probably unknown to the knights,
but even if they knew of it,
it is a suicide mission to attack
with our control of the wall."
"I'm more interested in how quickly Guild Master
Polo can smash the merchants."
Raylan looked at Dirk, who shrugged.
"The tower is strong and behind the North Fork,
the wall, and the Great River.
Your guild has strength in numbers,
but doesn't have control of the wall.
It is achievable.
An attack from the west
via the Great Gate and coming from the outer fields is a possibility.
Taking the wall via the night watch
is also possible."
Dirk ran his hand through his hair.
"Guild Master Polo's greatest asset is that the entire upper triangle is at
the mercy of Harvest House.
He could burn down and destroy the merchants' old and wealthy houses
with ease,
causing a grievous blow."
Dirk nodded.
"It was the largest of Larsen's many
blunders."
Peering at Simpson, Dirk stated pointedly, "The question is
whether Guild Master Polo is as vicious as Larsen." There was a
knock on the door, and Raylan nodded to Filos, who went to answer it.
All eyes were on the mighty guard as he listened to a low voice
and then returned to Raylan.
Leaning down, he whispered into Raylan's ear.
Raylan's eyes went wide, and then he took a deep breath.
"There has been a surprising and important development."
Raylan looked around the table, taking in the face of each Harvest guild member.
"Larsen is dead and Karch is missing.
Caeris, Orion's nephew, is the new guild master merchant."
"Thank the gods. Orion is a good man,"
Simpson said, a large smile on his face.
Positive whispering could be heard around the table.
"There is more," Raylan stated.
As every face turned to him, Raylan steeled himself to deliver the
news, which he knew would put the future of the Thieves' Guild in great
jeopardy.
(dramatic music)