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00:00:01
The Thieves Guild
00:00:04
by Jake Kerr
00:00:09
(dramatic music plays) . Episode 58:
00:00:15
Meeting in the Study.
00:00:24
Wilhelm's horse was not only a magnificent beast, he was fresh and
00:00:28
well-fed. The result was that Raylan quickly caught up to Karch, trotting
00:00:33
along on Raylan's own exhausted horse.
00:00:36
As he saw Karch in the distance, Raylan considered talking to him, but
00:00:41
he could not think of anything to be gained in it, and there being value in just rushing
00:00:45
past him, making Karch wonder what had happened.
00:00:49
Wilhelm's comment about the power of the Unknown was fresh in Raylan's mind.
00:00:54
Karch would see Raylan's black cloak streak past and know that Raylan
00:00:59
rode a horse that was given to him by the Outlanders.
00:01:03
The merchant deputy would have no idea what to make of that, and that
00:01:08
uncertainty was what Raylan felt would be the most valuable outcome.
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The fact that Karch and Lassen couldn't reveal to others that there had been a mission to visit
00:01:19
the Outlanders meant that Karch and Lassen could do nothing more with the
00:01:24
knowledge of Raylan's visit than speculate amongst themselves as to what
00:01:28
he was doing.
00:01:30
As Raylan made his way through the foothills, he knew that the Rangers were watching
00:01:35
him, but none approached.
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Uh, remembering his conversations with the Rangers, of their respect for Pietro, Raylan
00:01:42
had to smile. Soon, the raids from the Outlanders would stop, and the Rangers
00:01:47
would know that Raylan had somehow helped bring it about.
00:01:51
The south gate he had exited was closed, but as he approached, it
00:01:56
swung open.
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Karich stood alongside the entrance with a smile on her face.
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Welcome back, Guildmaster.
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Thank you, Karich. My mission went well. Do you know where Allard can be found?
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I need to talk to him right away.
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He is in the tower, Guildmaster.
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Karich stepped forward and held out her hand.
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Would you like me to take your horse? The tower stables aren't fully restored, but there is a stall for your
00:02:21
horse.
00:02:21
Karich's eyes went wide as she finally noticed Raylan's horse.
00:02:26
"Yes, this is a new horse. It was a gift from the Lord of the Outlanders,"
00:02:30
Raylan replied as he slid off his saddle.
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The ground felt odd under his feet. He had been on a horse for the majority of the
00:02:39
past few days.
00:02:40
"See that he is well cared for."
00:02:42
"Of course, Guildmaster."
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Karich took the reins as Raylan stretched his legs while he strode toward the Thieves
00:02:49
Tower. Raylan had to ask a few of his guild members where Allard was before
00:02:54
he found out that his deputy was in the kitchens checking on the progress of their
00:02:58
renovation. Raylan approached Allard without him noticing
00:03:03
Raylan's presence. The dark bald pate was a welcome sight.
00:03:07
"Allard!"
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He turned. The huge smile on his face lit up the room.
00:03:12
"Raylan!"
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Allard strode over, not quite jogging, but at a pace that underscored his enthusiasm at Raylan's
00:03:18
return. "A- are you okay? Did you intercept Karch?"
00:03:21
Allard looked Raylan up and down.
00:03:23
"I did not, but there is much to talk about."
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Raylan grabbed Allard's hand and pulled him in for a hug.
00:03:30
Not knowing what to expect, Raylan was surprised at Allard's warm return embrace.
00:03:35
"Let's go to your study. It is at least livable, if not worthy of a Guildmaster's
00:03:40
presence just yet."
00:03:41
Allard clapped Raylan on the back. They made their way up the stairs of the tower, which quickly
00:03:46
winded Raylan.
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"I need to work on my endurance if I'm going to be climbing these steps every day."
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They reached the top floor, and Raylan followed Allard as he strode
00:03:56
across the stone.
00:03:57
"To the left is your study, which I'm afraid has been taken over by someone you know."
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Rafe looked up from a book. He appeared exhausted.
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"Rafe."
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Raylan walked over as Rafe stood up.
00:04:09
"Raylan, how did it go? Did you warn Karch?"
00:04:12
"Not exactly."
00:04:14
They hugged, and the three of them sat down at a table covered with books.
00:04:18
Looking around, Raylan was in awe of his study, which was nothing like the office of his
00:04:23
brother.
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It was more of a library, with shelves and shelves of books.
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Raylan outlined his entire mission, while Rafe explained what he had discovered.
00:04:33
Rafe was excited to hear that the great river was called the Dragon's Tear.
00:04:38
"Yes, that would make sense with the mountains named the Dragon's Teeth.
00:04:42
Here, let me show you the map I discovered."
00:04:46
As Raylan looked at the map Rafe had found in one of the books, he better understood the position of
00:04:51
the Outlanders. They were between a dry plain and a desert, with the only fertile
00:04:55
land conceivably near the river.
00:04:58
Food had to be a challenge.
00:05:00
"So, Ness was a kind of central hub for trade, but at some point in the
00:05:04
past, the city guildmasters shut down all commerce outside the city,"
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Raylan mused.
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"That appears to be the case," Allard stated. "But there is much we don't know.
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I've asked Rafe to be the guild historian, researching these important gaps in our knowledge of the
00:05:20
past. Do you agree?"
00:05:22
Allard looked at Raylan.
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"Of course. This is perfect for Rafe.
00:05:27
I've normally pointed him in the direction of doing things like finding the best way to annoy Lassen, so
00:05:31
this is perfect. Telling him to find some ancient secret, he'll love that."
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Raylan shoved Rafe in the shoulder.
00:05:39
"Absolutely," he replied.
00:05:41
"I am glad that is resolved, but what do we do about Lassen and Polo?"
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Allard asked.
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"Well, Karch will tell Lassen that they need to handle Polo themselves.
00:05:51
Knowing Lassen, he'll probably have his blade sneak in to assassinate Polo."
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Raylan scratched his chin, which had a few days' worth of stubble.
00:05:59
"But wouldn't he have tried that already?"
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Rafe asked, which elicited a nod from Allard.
00:06:05
"I'm sure he has tried,""But he's been unsuccessful as of yet.
00:06:09
There will be more attempts," Allard replied.
00:06:11
"Have we warned Polo? Does Mayla have any information?"
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Allard looked at Raylan and lowered his head. "She has not returned.
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We have inquired through our Harvest Guild channels, but we have heard nothing.
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We fear she has been captured or killed in trying to warn Polo."
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Allard shook his head. "I am concerned."
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Raylan didn't quite know what to say as he swallowed hard.
00:06:34
He really liked Mayla; her short, curly hair, her fearlessness, her lack of
00:06:39
any regard for Raylan's position, her dark skin and sharp features.
00:06:43
"Let us continue to look for her. We will not and must not assume she's dead until
00:06:48
there is verification of that fact."
00:06:50
"Understood, Guild Master."
00:06:53
Raylan drummed his fingers on the table.
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"We are in dire trouble unless we can protect Polo. With his death, Larsen will run the city.
00:06:59
As we know from the guild history, I will not be able to veto a unification vote on my own.
00:07:04
Polo and I need to work together."
00:07:05
"Indeed. I'm not sure what we can do to protect Polo.
00:07:09
I had considered doing the opposite, but there is no real way to reach Larsen."
00:07:13
Raylan stopped drumming his fingers and looked at Allard.
00:07:16
"Wait, what do you mean, 'I had considered doing the opposite'?"
00:07:20
"If Larsen would wake up one morning with a knife embedded in his nightstand with a note that said,
00:07:24
'If Polo dies, you die next,' I believe it would stop him."
00:07:29
Raylan's face lit up.
00:07:30
"Yes, that would assuredly stop him.
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He is so confident in his power that such a thing would shake him deeply."
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Nodding his head in excitement, Raylan continued.
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"This is a great idea. I know Larsen. He will not do anything if he feels remotely threatened."
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"Alas, we have no way to get to him," Allard replied.
00:07:50
"We could easily assassinate him when he is active outside the tower, but we have no way to
00:07:54
easily threaten him with an assassination, indicating we can get to him even if he
00:07:59
hid."
00:08:00
"What do you mean? I've snuck into his bedroom all the time.
00:08:03
There is a small food lift that goes from the kitchens to his bedroom.
00:08:07
He stopped using it when a glass of wine spilled, ruining his food.
00:08:11
After that, he demanded that his food be carried to him, but that doesn't mean the lift doesn't
00:08:15
work."
00:08:17
Raylan couldn't suppress a mischievous smile.
00:08:19
"I would hide inside and pull myself up to steal money from him." "You were
00:08:24
born for this guild."
00:08:26
Rafe laughed. Allard nodded. "Fascinating.
00:08:29
The lift sounds like a new addition and would explain why we had no record of it in our plans of the
00:08:34
Merchant Tower."
00:08:35
"This mission is simple," Raylan said excitedly.
00:08:39
"Put someone small in the kitchen, have them pull themselves up to Larsen's room, and they can leave the
00:08:44
note and escape the same way."
00:08:47
Raylan felt good. He was creating plans like a real Guild Master.
00:08:51
"So, does this solve all our problems?
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We threaten Larsen, he stops worrying about Polo and things are back to normal?"
00:08:58
Rafe asked, "Rafe, we will never be back to normal.
00:09:02
There are things going on that we don't even comprehend yet, I'm sure.
00:09:05
Think of Raylan's visit with Lord Wilhelm.
00:09:08
Somehow, we not only have to stop Larsen, we need to figure out how to reopen Ness to the outside
00:09:13
world."
00:09:14
Allard peered at Rafe. "But to do that, we need to better understand the guild history."
00:09:20
All the air left Rafe as he exhaled in defeat.
00:09:23
"But I can't find a single book about the Thieves Guild.
00:09:26
It's like we don't exist,
00:09:28
and I couldn't even begin to tell you how our past fits with our future beyond what we know already."
00:09:33
Allard put his hand on Rafe's shoulder. "It's okay. You have time.
00:09:38
All we need to worry about right now is our present, and that's threatening Larsen into leaving Polo
00:09:42
alone."
00:09:43
Standing up, Allard added, "I can make the preparations.
00:09:47
In the meantime, let's continue with returning the tower to its former glory."
00:09:51
Raylan smiled. He would finally be able to focus on the lower stress things,
00:09:56
like learning who his captains were, how Pietro had organized the guild, and
00:10:01
just keeping things running without problems.
00:10:04
(instrumental music plays)