WEBVTT 00:00:00.017 --> 00:00:05.337 Before I narrate this week's episode of the Thieves Guild, I have an exciting announcement. 00:00:05.857 --> 00:00:10.877 Starting with our next episode, we will be moving to a Monday through Friday 00:00:10.877 --> 00:00:12.737 daily release schedule. 00:00:13.017 --> 00:00:17.537 You will now be able to listen to the stories every day on your way to work, 00:00:17.897 --> 00:00:22.237 binge them on the weekend, or find the time to listen whenever you like. 00:00:22.717 --> 00:00:27.957 Each episode will be 5 to 10 minutes long, which will present you with almost 00:00:27.957 --> 00:00:31.197 a full hour of Thieves' Guild stories every week. 00:00:31.377 --> 00:00:36.877 We're excited about this new direction, and I'm personally excited about being 00:00:36.877 --> 00:00:41.097 with you every day to share new adventures of the Thieves' Guild. 00:00:43.357 --> 00:00:47.957 The Thieves' Guild Written by Jake Kerr. 00:00:47.120 --> 00:01:02.000 Music. 00:00:51.157 --> 00:00:52.377 Season 4, 00:00:54.657 --> 00:00:56.597 Episode 14, 00:00:59.257 --> 00:01:01.657 A Trader's Council A Trader's Council, 00:01:05.257 --> 00:01:11.437 He was rolled in on a makeshift chair, its rough wooden wheels protesting against 00:01:11.437 --> 00:01:14.297 the fine grass of Polo's private quarters. 00:01:14.637 --> 00:01:19.337 A thick blanket covered his legs. Polo had been told to be careful, 00:01:19.597 --> 00:01:21.737 as the man could still move his arms. 00:01:22.994 --> 00:01:27.434 But as he walked forward and looked at the broken warrior, he realized this 00:01:27.434 --> 00:01:31.054 was someone not even capable of relieving himself without aid, 00:01:31.374 --> 00:01:32.894 let alone attacking anyone. 00:01:33.334 --> 00:01:37.614 He almost felt sorry for the broken man. Almost. 00:01:38.394 --> 00:01:42.094 Traitor Allard, I must say you are a difficult man to kill. 00:01:42.614 --> 00:01:48.734 Polo circled the rolling chair while Allard stared at him, following his every step. 00:01:49.094 --> 00:01:51.114 Was that hatred in his eyes? 00:01:51.994 --> 00:01:55.034 Polo hoped so. It would make this easier. 00:01:55.734 --> 00:02:01.634 Sax told me that when you saved those outlander raiders, you killed nearly a squad of his men. 00:02:01.994 --> 00:02:06.654 I didn't believe him, but it appears I should have. That wound would have killed 00:02:06.654 --> 00:02:09.254 any normal man. Yet here you are. 00:02:09.994 --> 00:02:13.154 Allard continued to stare at Polo without speaking. 00:02:13.794 --> 00:02:18.354 No, that's not hatred, Polo thought. But what was it? 00:02:19.034 --> 00:02:22.274 The intensity, which would have been amusing had it been rage, 00:02:22.494 --> 00:02:27.334 was unsettling as the eyes followed Polo. You have nothing to say? 00:02:27.834 --> 00:02:31.014 I have much to say, but you aren't asking the right questions. 00:02:31.274 --> 00:02:33.654 In fact, you aren't asking any questions. 00:02:34.254 --> 00:02:38.334 Polo stood facing the formerly mighty deputy guildmaster. 00:02:38.814 --> 00:02:43.594 Fine, traitor. I'll play your game. Why did you save those outlanders? 00:02:43.774 --> 00:02:45.374 There was nothing to gain. 00:02:45.654 --> 00:02:47.974 You simply ruined your reputation. 00:02:48.354 --> 00:02:56.214 I must admit, I have wandered over this for years. So here you are asking me to ask you questions. 00:02:56.754 --> 00:02:58.574 So let's start with that. Why 00:02:58.574 --> 00:03:02.894 did you kill your fellow citizens to save a bunch of outlander raiders? 00:03:03.874 --> 00:03:07.454 I did not save outlander raiders. Certainly you did. 00:03:07.654 --> 00:03:11.914 The blood of your guildmates was on your sword. I saved a family. 00:03:12.394 --> 00:03:17.134 Allard's intense stare seemed to soften. Nothing more, nothing less. 00:03:17.863 --> 00:03:24.123 What do you mean? They were a family, not raiders. Holo laughed, a sharp barking sound. 00:03:24.463 --> 00:03:28.583 Do you think I care? Do you think the army they sent through our front gates 00:03:28.583 --> 00:03:33.943 didn't include family members looking to kill our family members who did kill our family members? 00:03:34.463 --> 00:03:37.383 Holo noticed a change in Allard's face. 00:03:37.883 --> 00:03:42.223 Ah, you don't know, do you? Yes, the Outlanders invaded Ness. 00:03:42.503 --> 00:03:44.283 And do you know who fought them off? 00:03:44.903 --> 00:03:50.523 Allard didn't move or say anything. My guild members, we saved Ness, 00:03:50.663 --> 00:03:55.223 and my guild will continue to save Ness from that craven Orion and his nephew. 00:03:56.023 --> 00:04:00.423 Volo stopped his pacing and stood in front of Allard, leaning forward. 00:04:00.783 --> 00:04:06.563 But that is not your concern. I brought you here solely to see if you are in 00:04:06.563 --> 00:04:09.163 the condition to do what I need you to do. 00:04:09.823 --> 00:04:13.783 I will not do anything for you. That's the good news, traitor. 00:04:14.183 --> 00:04:19.743 All I need you to do is live. You are my bargaining chip. My life isn't worth 00:04:19.743 --> 00:04:20.763 whatever you're bargaining. 00:04:21.243 --> 00:04:26.763 We both know that is true, but still you have value in that I'm told that foolish 00:04:26.763 --> 00:04:30.923 child Raylan is fond of you. He may see things differently. 00:04:31.263 --> 00:04:34.263 You see, traitor, I don't trust Raylan. 00:04:34.643 --> 00:04:37.643 He has already poisoned the minds of my guild members. 00:04:38.183 --> 00:04:44.183 He's a liar, and the sooner I rid myself of him, the sooner I rid myself of the thieves. 00:04:45.063 --> 00:04:49.963 To Polo's exasperation, Allard's intense face softened and then, 00:04:50.143 --> 00:04:53.563 remarkably, changed to a kind smile. 00:04:54.003 --> 00:04:58.423 Why was he smiling? What do you find so amusing, traitor? 00:04:59.607 --> 00:05:02.887 You forget that Raylan himself saved your guild on Founder's Day. 00:05:03.187 --> 00:05:06.927 That was not me. It was him. You, Larson, Orion. 00:05:07.247 --> 00:05:12.087 You all play your political games, but the real game is what you called poison. 00:05:12.547 --> 00:05:18.067 The truth, Guildmaster. Those are the chips Raylan wields. Not me. Not an army. The truth. 00:05:18.447 --> 00:05:22.007 And you fail to see that in the game Raylan is playing. Because Raylan, 00:05:22.147 --> 00:05:25.887 the one you call a child, is not playing a game. 00:05:26.267 --> 00:05:30.987 You are thieves and liars. you and Pietro have lied about your guild for decades. 00:05:31.307 --> 00:05:34.107 Your entire existence is built on lies. 00:05:34.727 --> 00:05:40.667 At that, Allard smiled even wider, which made Polo even angrier. 00:05:41.207 --> 00:05:44.567 You have no idea, Guildmaster. You have no idea. 00:05:44.907 --> 00:05:50.647 Polo slammed his hand on the arm of Allard's chair, which rolled backward a bit through the grass. 00:05:51.287 --> 00:05:55.407 Polo took a breath. It would not do well to lose his temper. 00:05:56.067 --> 00:06:00.187 So, deputy, what is it that I have no idea about? 00:06:01.407 --> 00:06:05.147 Allard's smile faded, replaced by a weary resignation. 00:06:05.687 --> 00:06:08.707 Our goal has always been simple. We take so we can give. 00:06:09.187 --> 00:06:13.027 Ness is a city of guilds, yes, but each guild has those it overlooks. 00:06:13.167 --> 00:06:16.607 The sewer cleaners of the craft guild, the stable hands of the knights, 00:06:16.987 --> 00:06:19.427 your own knight guild, who live in squalor in the old quarter, 00:06:19.607 --> 00:06:21.707 because they cannot afford a hovel in the flats. 00:06:21.967 --> 00:06:24.927 We provide them with food, shelter, and dignity. 00:06:25.407 --> 00:06:28.027 That is our mission. That was Pietro's mission. 00:06:28.907 --> 00:06:35.987 Polo wanted to scoff, to call it a lie, a convenient justification for a criminal enterprise. 00:06:36.387 --> 00:06:40.787 But Allard's tone was flat, devoid of the passion of a liar, 00:06:40.987 --> 00:06:44.647 and perhaps more alarming, it was grounded in facts. 00:06:45.167 --> 00:06:50.167 He knew it to be true, from what his guild member Simpson reported to him after 00:06:50.167 --> 00:06:51.907 traveling from the wretched quarter. 00:06:52.327 --> 00:06:56.327 Still, Allard was ignoring some inconvenient things. 00:06:56.547 --> 00:07:00.747 And the army you lead? I was told of your black-clad knights. 00:07:00.947 --> 00:07:03.587 I know of your organized forces in the wretched quarter. 00:07:04.207 --> 00:07:08.307 Pietro may have helped others, but he was also raising an army. 00:07:08.747 --> 00:07:13.127 Who else is there to defend the city? Sax's forces don't cross the river. 00:07:13.427 --> 00:07:17.767 That entire part of the city has been left undefended by my former guildmates. 00:07:17.947 --> 00:07:26.027 It was a maddeningly simple answer, plausible even, and that angered Polo more than any lie could. 00:07:26.387 --> 00:07:31.067 An army of thieves is a threat, Alard. A hidden city is a threat. 00:07:31.347 --> 00:07:33.747 How am I to trust a word you say? 00:07:34.662 --> 00:07:38.722 You can't, but you can look at our actions. When your guild members were driven 00:07:38.722 --> 00:07:41.562 from their homes, who took them in? Who fed them? 00:07:41.782 --> 00:07:45.162 Who gave them shelter without asking for a single crown in return? 00:07:45.522 --> 00:07:50.602 The questions hung in the air, unanswered because they were unanswerable. 00:07:50.822 --> 00:07:56.482 He had been locked away in Harvest House, secure, while his people suffered. 00:07:56.802 --> 00:07:59.382 The thieves had done the job Polo should have. 00:07:59.942 --> 00:08:04.982 It was a bitter truth. And there was that word again, truth. 00:08:05.462 --> 00:08:10.962 That does not forgive your alliance with the Outlanders, Polo finally spat out, 00:08:11.402 --> 00:08:14.742 changing the subject, needing to be on firmer ground. 00:08:15.082 --> 00:08:17.182 You are a traitor to Ness. 00:08:17.542 --> 00:08:22.982 Allard was quiet for a long time. When he finally spoke, his voice was low, 00:08:23.322 --> 00:08:25.102 heavy with the weight of years. 00:08:25.322 --> 00:08:30.202 He told Polo the story he had told Vesper, not of saving raiders, 00:08:30.442 --> 00:08:35.802 but of a starving family, of desperate and helpless people of a different sort. 00:08:36.122 --> 00:08:42.342 He spoke of knights who saw only enemies, not people, of a choice he made that 00:08:42.342 --> 00:08:44.242 cost him everything but his honor. 00:08:44.462 --> 00:08:49.782 He spoke of Pietro's intervention, a kindness he still didn't understand. 00:08:50.402 --> 00:08:56.342 Polo listened, his anger slowly draining away, replaced by a grudging respect. 00:08:56.342 --> 00:09:03.322 The story rang with a truth that resonated with his own dislike of Saxe's brutal, thoughtless methods. 00:09:04.302 --> 00:09:10.342 He still wanted to believe Allard was a liar, but the words felt solid, real. 00:09:10.682 --> 00:09:16.022 He countered by explaining that the outlanders, as helpless as this family may 00:09:16.022 --> 00:09:18.162 have been, had invaded Ness. 00:09:18.642 --> 00:09:22.062 That was inexcusable. Allard nodded. 00:09:22.642 --> 00:09:26.682 Indeed, Wilhelm must have heard of what was happening within the city and felt 00:09:26.682 --> 00:09:28.322 he could conquer a city in chaos. 00:09:28.522 --> 00:09:32.962 It was foolish, and I'm sure he will pay in ways that even he can't comprehend. 00:09:33.782 --> 00:09:38.042 Polo didn't like how Allard seemed to know much about the outlanders. 00:09:38.302 --> 00:09:44.242 It struck him as suspicious, but before he could press the point, Allard cut in. 00:09:44.962 --> 00:09:47.982 Guildmaster, what do you consider your greatest achievement? 00:09:48.582 --> 00:09:53.542 The question took Polo by surprise. He thought of his life's work. 00:09:53.702 --> 00:09:57.262 He thought of the many years of harvests that fed the city. 00:09:57.542 --> 00:10:01.842 He considered the full silos that fed the city during poor harvests. 00:10:02.082 --> 00:10:06.582 He thought over the new veins of ore his guild members had discovered in the 00:10:06.582 --> 00:10:09.202 mines, and were mining even then. 00:10:09.642 --> 00:10:14.462 I have overseen the greatest prosperity the Harvest Guild has ever known. 00:10:14.662 --> 00:10:18.042 Our fields are bountiful our silos are full. 00:10:18.182 --> 00:10:23.482 I have ensured that no one in Ness goes hungry. No one? 00:10:24.544 --> 00:10:29.764 Allard's words were not an accusation, but it landed like a physical blow. 00:10:30.124 --> 00:10:31.964 He didn't need to say more. 00:10:32.364 --> 00:10:36.804 Polo's mind immediately went to the night guild, to the sewer cleaners, 00:10:37.084 --> 00:10:39.544 to the families that Allard had spoken of. 00:10:40.244 --> 00:10:44.264 The families he, Polo, had never once considered. 00:10:44.784 --> 00:10:49.064 He had created bounty, but he had not shared that bounty. 00:10:49.384 --> 00:10:54.244 The realization settled on him like a shroud. he, the great provider, 00:10:54.624 --> 00:10:56.704 the man whose entire life was 00:10:56.704 --> 00:11:01.604 dedicated to nurturing life, had let his own people wither in the shadows. 00:11:02.384 --> 00:11:06.904 Polo looked at the man before him. His face wasn't accusatory. 00:11:07.384 --> 00:11:12.384 More than anything, he looked like he was interested in what Polo had to say. 00:11:12.664 --> 00:11:14.564 That's it, Polo thought. 00:11:14.924 --> 00:11:17.424 That's the thing he couldn't put his finger on. 00:11:18.064 --> 00:11:19.984 Allard was a listener. 00:11:20.844 --> 00:11:26.864 It was unexpected in someone with such a violent reputation. He wasn't a traitor. 00:11:27.284 --> 00:11:33.704 He wasn't a bargaining chip, but a man of profound, and perhaps painful, wisdom. 00:11:34.324 --> 00:11:39.924 Wisdom that came from listening, and guiding someone to ask the right questions. 00:11:40.344 --> 00:11:45.924 The conversation had exhausted him, stripped him bare of his anger and certainties. 00:11:46.604 --> 00:11:52.704 I have much to think about, he nodded to the guards who had been waiting silently by the entrance. 00:11:53.284 --> 00:11:58.904 Take him back to his cell. As Allard was wheeled away, Polo was left alone with 00:11:58.904 --> 00:12:02.504 the echo of having asked the right questions at Allard's urging, 00:12:02.804 --> 00:12:04.744 but not liking the answers. 00:12:06.369 --> 00:12:11.629 The wooden door of the room slammed shut, plunging Allard back into deep shadow, 00:12:11.949 --> 00:12:17.389 the only light coming from a gap in the tree roots and packed dirt that made up his room. 00:12:17.609 --> 00:12:22.489 He was deep under Harvest House, a room that wasn't nearly as well defended 00:12:22.489 --> 00:12:28.449 as the rest of the complex, but did that even matter when there was no way out of the room? 00:12:28.709 --> 00:12:32.909 He listened as the heavy lock of the door clicked heavily into place, 00:12:33.149 --> 00:12:35.449 the sound final and absolute. 00:12:36.289 --> 00:12:41.389 Pietro could pick that lock easily, Allard thought, smiling at the memory of 00:12:41.389 --> 00:12:44.309 the old guildmaster he had served for many years. 00:12:44.589 --> 00:12:49.409 He struggled to roll his chair forward, deeper into his living cell. 00:12:49.729 --> 00:12:54.169 A whisper cut through the black. That went better than I expected. 00:12:54.909 --> 00:12:59.849 Allard stopped, turning his head toward the sound. A flicker of movement, 00:13:00.229 --> 00:13:03.489 a shadow detaching from other shadows. Vesper. 00:13:03.989 --> 00:13:05.829 It was an easy lock to pick. 00:13:06.529 --> 00:13:10.769 Another form appeared beside him, small and lithe. 00:13:11.169 --> 00:13:15.049 Mailer. Vesper walked forward and slid his knife from its sheath, 00:13:15.249 --> 00:13:20.109 the faint scrape of steel on leather unnaturally loud in the silence. 00:13:20.509 --> 00:13:24.089 The guards will be changed in an hour. Even with that contraption, 00:13:24.089 --> 00:13:25.689 we have time to get you out. 00:13:26.509 --> 00:13:32.469 Mailer stepped closer, her voice a low, urgent murmur. We're here to take you home. 00:13:32.720 --> 00:13:54.800 Music. 00:13:54.109 --> 00:13:56.489 A podcast alchemy production.