Moonday early evening, Fireseek 3, 591 Common Year

When Rain comes into the barracks Aramek awakens instantly. Although his few hours of sleep should have left him tired, the excitement of what he wants to share with Rain pumps adrenalin through his now alert system. “Rain,” Aramek begins, “I can’t keep all this in. I’ve got to tell you what happened this morning when Sir Fingol and Father Gar showed up,” at which point Aramek recounts the events of the morning as best he can remember them. “What do you make of all that?” he asks.

Rain listens to Aramek’s accounting of the morning’s events. At the mention of Sir Jankin, she listens even more intently, wanting to glean any information about the nature of this man. She still has unfinished business there. She listens without interruption and in the end smiles and remarks, “You have had a rather busy morning, Aramek. No wonder you were tired. Well I can tell you one thing; that Cudgel bastard sure lives up to the Cuthbert’s reputation. All fly-off-the-handle action without real thought. If those guys took even the briefest of moments to think about what they were doing here then they would be in true danger of realizing the evil of their actions – and well, they can’t have that. Anyways, sounds like this Jankin may be a good guy though. I have heard his name before, and in a favorable light.

“As for the whole event, what do I think?” Rain laughs slightly and continues, “I think your master is right in that confronting the locksmith that way was an affront to whatever Thieves Guild remains in this city. But I doubt they were involved in the robbery. You and I both know what the true targets of the break-in were. I have no proof of course, but based on the overreaction of your Brother Burne, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if the Cuthbert’s were in on it. Who knows though, I think the thing we should be focusing on is the safety of Parwyn and his family. Not just from a return visit by the thief, which I really doubt will happen, but from any repercussions by the Thieves Guild. Let’s just lay low for a few days, keep Parwyn’s family safe, and quietly see what we can find out about Reece and his friend, quietly.” She produces a wan smile to accent this last word.

Then the bell for supper rings calling all to the palace halls for the evening supper.

And with the ringing of the supper bell, Aramek looks at Rain. With a pensive demeanor he says, “I guess I really am a naïf. I would never have suspected the Cuthbert’s, but now you mention it, he really was quick to throw blame on the locksmith. I wonder…”

On the way to supper, Rain’s mind again travels back to the time before the Keolanders arrived, when the orcs and goblinoids of the Scarlet Brotherhood still ruled the streets of Westkeep. She and Dion had just grabbed fruit from a Suloise merchant’s stall and were running deeper into the maze of the Downriver alleys, the clank of hobgoblin armor and hobgoblin cries uncomfortably close behind them. Overhead they could hear the titters and giggles of goblins in some of the overhead windows, for many of the tenements in the Downriver section of town had been given over to them. The goblins were shouting encouragement and perhaps even directions in the Goblin tongue to their larger goblinoid brethren.

Though it was a sunny summer mid-afternoon, the second and third stories of the Downriver tenements crowded over the narrow alleys effectively blocking out most of the sunlight. Rain and Dion kept to the shadows as best they could, but of course the goblinoids were creatures of darkness that could easily see into the most impenetrable gloom. Fortunately for Rain and Dion, the Keepers crowding the streets made way for the two ragged urchins, but closed up again for the hobgoblin watch, risking the butt and sometimes even the points of their spears in their small show of noncooperation with the occupiers.

Rain and Dion move back into the shadows of an alley and rest against the recess of a doorway to catch their breath. Cyrus, Dion’s mischievous little monkey, clambers up onto his shoulder. At any moment they knew the hobgoblins might succeed in closing in on them if they don’t get off the streets, especially if they are spied by a goblin overhead.

“Looks like Norebo’s turned his face from us, Rain,” says Dion. “This might be the last throw of the die.”

Suddenly the door behind them swings open, and before they can even turn to see who is there, burly hands reach out and pull them by their collars into the darkness beyond.

The door slams on the pitch black room and a heavy bar can be heard sliding into place. Rain and Dion are both slammed into a wall face first by what seems, in the blackness, to be an ogre. Cyrus screeches and a man yowls, “Ahh! That mother-fucking little beast bit me!”

Another voice laughs, “I told you to be careful. You two, don’t move and keep quiet and you’ll be safe.”

A cover is taken away off an everburning torch, and Rain and Dion see that they are in a bare room with no windows, and only one other door apart from the barred one leading into the alley. There are two men in the room with them, a large brutish looking dark eyed man with lanky brown hair, and a scruffy pasty faced man with long blond hair and strikingly violet eyes about a half foot taller than Rain.

“Follow me if you want to live,” says the scruffy man with violet eyes. He leads them through the other door with the everburning torch in hand.

“Come on Cyrus,” says, Dion. Cyrus leaps back onto Dion’s shoulder from the corner where he had scampered to make a last stand. Cyrus’ hackles are still raised and he continues to bare his sharp little teeth.

The other room seems to have been some kind of shop, but now the windows have been boarded up and there is nothing left but the detritus of a ruined life and livelihood remaining. The brute is sucking on his bitten hand and glaring at Cyrus, in his eyes are murder and mayhem. The scruffy man checks through cracks in the window, and satisfied he comes back to the others.

“You going to be okay there Clive?” asks the scruffy man. The brute seems about to say something, but then just nods sullenly. “Alright then,” says the scruffy man who turns his attention back to Rain and Dion. “I’m Fergus, of late a journeyman in the Locksmiths Guild. My careless associate there is Clive. It looked like you got yourselves into a bit of a scrape, thought I’d help you two kids out. What are your names then?”

Dion gulps, “Uh, I’m Dion good sir, this is Cyrus.” Dion looks over to Clive and says with a trembling voice, “Sorry you got bit, you just startled him is all. He’ll behave, I promise.”

Rain’s mind searches for quick answers Locksmiths Guild? Oh crap these guys are the… She breaks off her thoughts to answer. Looking Fergus in the eyes she says, “I’m Rain… and um… thanks.”

Fergus grins at them, and says, “I like you two.” He turns to Clive, “Don’t you like them?” Clive nods with a twitchy smile. Fergus turns back to Rain and Dion. “Now, we locksmiths have kind of a reputation as I’m sure you know, or maybe you don’t since the Red Robes smoked us out a while back. Some call us a bunch of rogues, but others have called us the Thieves Guild. Now, not to be melodramatic…ah hell! Of course I want to be melodramatic!” He pauses and then says with a growl, “The Thieves Guild is back, and we are back with a vengeance!”

He cracks his knuckles and gives the two young urchins an appraising look, and then he says, “Now how do you two figure in, you may be asking yourselves. Well, I’m a patriotic kind of guy you know, and the Hold of the Sea Princes is all about freedom. Ah, life, liberty, light, love, and all those good things. Of course, that’s providing you have the gumption and the wherewithal to take freedom and keep it! As for others, well, they have to look out for themselves, don’t they? ‘The slaves shall serve,’ as the great sage Alistor put it. But we are the freemen, and women if you like, of the Sea Princes. The Red Robes will soon learn what it means to fight against those who value freedom more than life! Why…” at this point Clive dares to interrupt with a small cough. Fergus looks over at him and Clive gives him a sheepish grin and nods in the direction of Rain and Dion.

“Oh, yes, well, I can be kind of preachy sometimes,” he says with a grin. “Now back to where you come in. Once we’ve reestablished ourselves in town, we’ll have plenty of openings for new apprentices. You two look like you have the gumption, if not necessarily the talent, to join up with us. So we’re prepared to offer you a probationary membership. You give us a small cut of your take, say 1/3 of what you bring in now in coin or goods, and in turn you’ll have our protection and more importantly advice on how to get what you want and get away with it. Show enough talent and initiative, we’ll see about making you proper locksmiths. If, on the other hand, you prefer to take your chances on your own – the door is right over there.” He indicates the barricaded door, outside of which they can hear the harsh commands of hobgoblin watch commanders and the tromping of hobgoblin jackboots as they pass by in their search for the two urchins. “What do you say?”

Rain pauses for a few seconds to think things over. Crap, guess we couldn’t avoid The Guild forever. Still, one third… Suddenly she stands a little taller and then replies, “One third of what – a few apples and some bread? Are you kidding?” 

Dion is aghast at Rain’s temerity, “Rain!”

Fergus responds with a guffaw. “Oh yes, I’m liking you more and more. Rain was it? You’re the leader of your little crew aren’t you? Don’t deny it, ‘cause I won’t deny that we’ve been watching you for awhile. Yes, you make a good point. We hardly need to stock up on overripe apples and moldy bread. Tell you what, our regular members pay us at least 5 gold a month and do occasional jobs for us. If you each pay us 5 silver a month, keep a lookout or provide a distraction on occasion, and help let us know what’s going on around town – especially if it involves the Red Robes – then I’ll consider that our share of your apples and bread. How’s that sound to you?”

Clive moved over to barricaded door to listen, “They better make a decision soon boss, ‘cause I think we’re going to need to head out – sounds like they’re coming back this way.”

Fergus looks over to Clive and nods and then fixes his intense violet gaze back on Rain, “Looks like time is running out on you. Are you in or out?”

The door begins to rattle as it is tested from the outside. Then hobgoblin halberds start chopping at it.

Rain smiles and keeps eye to eye contact with Fergus as she says, “Well Dion, looks like you and I have just entered into service with the Locksmiths. We’ll go over details later but for now, Clive,” she deliberately addresses Fergus’ underling, “I suggest you get us out of here.”

Fergus clears his throat. “I’ll decide when, how, and who will get out of here. I appreciate your sass, but now’s not the time for it. Now, as to accepting our protection for such a nominal fee, you’ve made a smart choice. Now, you two, grab my sleeve.” Fergus then replaces the cover on the everburning torch and the room is again plunged into blackness, though as their eyes adjust they can see shafts of light coming in through the door where the halberds are steadily taking it apart. Fergus leads them over to a wall and a soft click is heard. Then Rain and Dion stumble their way through some other rooms and down a long hallway.

“Clive, check it out,” Fergus says to his underling. Rain feels Clive’s great bulk squeezing past her and the others. Then she hears a bolt being slid back from somewhere up ahead and then slid back again.

“All clear boss,” says Clive.

“Good, we’ll go out first since they’re not looking for us. Wait a few minutes, and then feel for the spy hole. Put your eyes up to it and then slide the bolt for the eyehole back and look around. If it’s clear, slide the bolt back again. Then you can slide the bolt for the door and head out. Don’t come back here. It would be unwise for you to use our facilities unless you’re a full member, or under our instruction. We don’t look kindly upon intruders. We also change locations all the time, and you wouldn’t know if the old ones have been compromised or not. So stay away. Now, head over to the Murky Archer on Rum Road on the evening of the fourth Earthday of every month. That’s where you can find me to hand over our share of the harvest. Remember that’s 5 silver for each of your gang. Don’t hold back, or we won’t be able to protect you anymore. Now if we need you or your gang’s assistance with anything, I’ll tell you about it then. If I’m not there, ask the barkeep Drogo if I’ve been around. He’ll tell you when or where you can find me. You won’t be able to miss Drogo. He’s got a face only an orc could love, though he’s human himself as far as we know. All right then, let’s be off Clive. You two take care of yourselves. See you around.” Fergus and Clive then head out leaving Rain and Dion in the dark.

Rain comes out of her reverie as she and Aramek enter the palace and head to the dining halls, greatly relieved to have left that life behind her.