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00:00:00
(dramatic music plays) The Thieves Guild,
00:00:04
by Jake Care.
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Episode 121:
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Courage Rewarded.
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Such was Esmer's power and respect that not a single guard challenged
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him as he escorted Rogers to the second floor of Harvest House.
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There had been rumors that Esmer was to be the guild master when the previous guild master
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died, but Esmer preferred his friend Polo to lead the guild and
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quietly placed him in the position.
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Or such were the rumors.
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Esmer was quiet as they marched in and up the staircase of the house.
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He nodded to salutes and smiled at greetings, but for the entire short walk,
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he simply led Rogers forward. When they reached the second floor, Esmer
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paused, turning to Rogers. "You have not been in Harvest House before?"
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Only outside, sir.
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Esmer nodded. "Few are allowed on the second floor.
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Even fewer are allowed in the guild master's quarters. That's where I will be taking you.
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You are aware of the danger to Guild Master Polo?"
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Yes, sir. He is in danger of assassination.
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"Indeed, I trust Velo and I honor your courage in defending your guild mates, but the danger to our
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guild master is great. For that reason, you will enter that room." Esmer
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pointed to a tree that was also a door to the left.
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The whole house was indeed a living thing.
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The floor was soft grass, and tree limbs and flowers were everywhere.
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"You will be searched. It will not be pleasant, but it is necessary." Esmer raised a
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hand and nearly instantly a guard was next to him.
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"You should consider it an honor.
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Search this young guild member for weapons." The guard nodded his head and walked toward the
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tree door. Rogers followed. "Be respectful."
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The search was uncomfortable, but not abusive.
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As Rogers pulled his shirt over his head, he could understand how Polo had avoided
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assassination. He had seen alcove after alcove on the second and first
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floors that all had guards, and no one would possibly be able to
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sneak a weapon into a meeting with the guild master, assuming you could even
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procure a meeting. The guard returned him to Esmer, who stood still with his
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hands clasped behind his back.
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The guard shook his head. "Very good.
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I had no concern, but one can't be careless or too trusting.
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Follow me, Guild mate Rogers." Esmer started toward the staircase to the third floor,
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which was guarded by no less than eight heavily-armed guards, all of whom kept their
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hands at the ready. They ignored Esmer, but stared intensely at Rogers as
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he took every step. Rogers wondered if he would be stabbed if he stumbled on the
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staircase.
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The staircase curved and ended at a landing with a wall made of tree bark.
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"Could that be a single massive tree?" Rogers thought.
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It seemed impossible. A heavily-armored guard stood in front of the wall,
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motionless. "Wait here." Esmer walked to the door and ran his
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hand over the bark. Was it attuned to him?
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Was he pressing hidden buttons? Was it a code?
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Rogers had no idea, but the wood seemed to swirl, as if a knot in the
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wood was unwinding. An opening appeared and Esmer passed through it,
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and it immediately closed in a reverse swirl, ending back into
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bark.
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Rogers didn't have long to wait. The opening appeared and Esmer
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walked out. "Follow me." Rogers followed.
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The entryway was full of colorful flowers in full bloom and lush, green
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plants that filled every corner. The walls were bark and the
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floor was soft, green grass. It was much smaller than Rogers
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expected, with a large bed at the far side of the room, and across from it, a
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large circular stairway leading up to presumably another floor.
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There was a massive window that looked out upon the great wall.
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Standing in front of the bed with his arms behind his back was Polo.
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He wore a flowing, green robe. Rogers was close enough that he could see the
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lines on Polo's face. Polo had always been a beloved guild master,
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considered naive and harmless by many.
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Oddly, at that moment, Rogers was struck by a single thought: Why
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had Velo let this meeting happen? He knew that Polo was in danger of
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assassination. He knew that Rogers was a thief, and he knew that Cinto
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would find out.
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For some reason that Rogers couldn't fathom, it seemed in hindsight like
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having Rogers meet Polo was his intent from the start.
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Polo moved his hands out in a gesture of welcome, and Rogers could see his and
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Velo's letter in his right hand. The hero of the flats.
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Welcome, my loyal guild member.
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Polo gestured to his left. "Let us sit and talk." Looking
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over to where Polo gestured, Rogers watched in amazement as three chairs
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and a table grew out of the floor. Flowers and plants retreated backward,
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making more room. Rogers was stunned, and would have probably rudely just
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stared if Esmer hadn't patted him on the back and given him a gentle push.
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Polo sat first, and before Rogers sat down, he bowed.
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"It is an honor, my guild master."
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"The honor is mine, young man. Your courage was inspiring.
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It is a story that will spread far and wide." Polo leaned forward.
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"You are dusty and tired."
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"I'm sorry for my appearance, guild master."
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"It is not that. Our guild toils in the dust.
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It is who we are. I'm simply concerned for your weariness."He looked at
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Esmer. "Could you retrieve us a pitcher and some glasses, my friend?"
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He called Esmer his friend. PoLo's connection to Esmer reminded
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Rogers of how the remarkable young Raylan acted with Allard.
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As Esmer stood and walked off, PoLo's features turned serious.
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"Tell me everything."
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Rogers wasn't sure if PoLo was testing him or not, but the truth was
00:06:33
easily told, so he told the story with very few gaps.
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He mentioned names and extolled simple folk who made heroic stands that
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ended with their life. At some point, Esmer had returned, but the
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story was so engrossing for both teller and receiver, that neither noticed.
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As he outlined the role the knights played, both Esmer and PoLo shook their
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heads. PoLo looked visibly angry. "Everyone knows that
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Sax is a drunken dolt. I was a fool, and did not appreciate
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until the Founder's Day banquet that he would be so easily duped by
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Larsen. I should have spent more time with him."
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PoLo threw up his hands. "But it seems that may not have mattered.
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He's not just a dolt, he's a traitor to Ness, who clearly had aspirations far
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beyond what his simple mind was capable of." PoLo went silent, and
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Rogers was unsure if he was expected to talk, but he was not foolish, and
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knew that the wisest path was to simply wait for PoLo to invite him to
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speak.
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PoLo looked lost in thought until he suddenly reached out, took a glass that
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was full of clear water, and took a long drink.
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He put the drink down and cleared his throat.
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"What do you know of the Thieves Guild?" Rogers' breath caught
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and he tensed. There was only one reason that PoLo would ask Rogers
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about the Thieves Guild, and that was him knowing Rogers was a thief.
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Did Velo share that with Esmer when Rogers wasn't paying attention?
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But PoLo hadn't hauled him off or had his guards kill him.
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Something different was at play here.
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Without any insight into how to handle the situation, Rogers decided to
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continue to play his role.
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"Thieves exist, of course, but they aren't part of a guild.
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Guildmaster Pietro was just acting a part, and the new guildmaster is but a boy."
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"That is what everyone thinks. What if I told you that they were a
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real guild, and have established an entire city of their own across the Great
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River?"
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"That sounds impossible, sir. The Wretched Quarter is nothing but collapsed buildings and
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broken streets. Everyone knows the Ash Fields can't grow food."
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"That was my understanding as well, but one of my most respected guild
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members made the journey from the Old Quarter to tell me the truth.
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He knows the Lower Triangle well, as his family clears the streets.
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He used to work in the outer fields.
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His word is impeccable."
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PoLo leaned forward. "And do you know what he told me?"
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"No, sir."
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"He described that the Thieves Guild claimed to help the poorest of the other
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guilds, that the Thieves Guild is not really a guild, but a collection of
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those from other guilds that have united together to survive.
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Raylan spoke to him and let him travel to me to deliver this message.
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He did not trust Raylan, but he felt it his duty to deliver the message."
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PoLo peered at Rogers. "What do you think of that?"
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Rogers paused to think of a response.
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PoLo could be testing him, but the more PoLo talked, the less Rogers felt
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that likely.
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He decided to continue to play his part.
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"I find it rather unbelievable, sir.
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Why would members of the Harvest Guild require the assistance of outsiders?
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Why would they live in the Wretched Quarter when they could simply live in the Flats?
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It makes no sense to me."
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"It is as we all thought.
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But let me ask you this. If I were to climb those steps to the top of my tower
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and look out toward the Lower Quarter and the Flats, and if I were there
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and looking out toward the pit during your battle with the Merchant Guild guards, what would
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I have seen?"
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"It is too far, sir.
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You would not have been able to see anything."
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"Exactly."
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PoLo pushed out his chair and rose. Rogers scrambled to do that same
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thing, but Esmer put his hand on Rogers' arm and shook his head no.
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Presumably this was a habit of PoLo's.
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He started to pace, his arms behind his back.
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"Civil war has come, Rogers. I know that you know the Rangers
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have joined with us. Orion has proven to be a brilliant politician and not the
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simpleminded man many have assumed.
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He has fooled many others, but he has not fooled me.
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We will take the Night's Watch, we will take the wall, and then we will imprison
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or kill Sax, Orion and his nephew." He paused in
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his pacing, and looked at Rogers. "When we have united Ness, we
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will need to have someone to rally our lowliest guild members from the Thieves
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Guild to our side. We cannot war with those that feel they are not heard.
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We need to embrace them. I'm not sure how that will go, but I will need someone that
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our guild members trust to be there to welcome them,
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someone with courage and who has faced death on their behalf, someone
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who can tell the thieves that they do not need to exist because there is no
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need for them."
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PoLo walked over and put his arm on Rogers' shoulder.
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"That man is you, Rogers. I'm making you the captain of the Lower Quarter.
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You will help those there as we wage war. You will protect them.
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You will welcome back those in the Wretched Quarter, and you will lead the Harvest
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Guild members in the Lower Quarter to a new day, a day without traitors like
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Larsen or Orion, and a day without thieves."
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PoLo squeezed Rogers' shoulder.
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"It would be an honor, sir."
00:12:23
(instrumental music plays)